tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47208109651830709232024-03-13T19:09:31.618-07:00Tennis ColumnThe Tennis Column is a column written about professional tennis.MMT Srhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11840298474071177362noreply@blogger.comBlogger101125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720810965183070923.post-24125085256321125712017-07-31T12:47:00.003-07:002017-07-31T12:47:41.034-07:002017 CITI OPEN: THE TOUR OF CHAMPIONS<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It says something when the returning champion of the 2017 Citi Open is neither at the very top or the very bottom of the draw. <br /><br />If Gael Monfils was expecting to have it easy retaining his title, that #6 next to his name should disabuse him of that notion. The quality of the field boasts no less than 4 returning champions, including Juan Martin del Potro, Kei Nishikori and Milos Raonic, and of course, <i><b>the Gael Force</b></i>. That's the most crowded field of former champions since 2013, when James Blake, Lleyton Hewitt, Juan Martin del Potro and Alexander Dolgopolov strapped on their headbands for another bite at the apple. Throw in former finalists John Isner, Vasek Pospisil, Marcos Baghdatis, Gilles Muller and if experience is of significant value to progressing in DC this summer, the rest of the field should scarcely stand a chance.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But the #1 seed this year is none other than Dominic Thiem, a player whose rise to the top 10 of the game has been striking, culminating in his best performance at a major, making the semi-final at Roland Garros this year, losing to some fellow whose won it here and there. It's not the first time he's been seeded #1 at an ATP event, but certainly this one, and could be the first Austrian to win here in the history of the tournament, one that neither Thomas Muster, nor Jurgen Melzer could claim.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thiem awaits the winner of 2014 Finalist Vasek Pospisil, fresh of his stunning performance as the best man at his brother's wedding, and Switzerland's Henrik Laaksonen who gained direct entry with an ATP ranking of #95. Pospisil, for his part, will look to justify his superior rank of #72, and for redemption following some valiant, but no less dodgy performances in the Davis Cup earlier this year, before his countryman Shapalov became a major party-pooper and obliterated the umpire's eye socket with an errant ball hit in anger. My guess is Pospisil will make it through to challenge the #1 seed for a place in the 3rd round.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Malek Jaziri will enjoy stirring support from the large community of North Africans and francophones in the D.C. area, as he takes on Alessandro Bega, an Italian journeyman who didn't drop a set in qualifying for the main draw. Bega's stiff legged stroke production on his two-handed backhand, will make him susceptible to the variety and court awareness that the vastly more talented Jaziri demonstrated last year to beat Reilly Opelka and take Sacha Zverev to 3 sets. His experience frustrating taller ball-busting opponents will put him in a good position to meet the challenge of a resurgent Kevin Anderson who lost a hear-breaker to Sam Querrey this year at SW19. Anderson is a consummate professional, whose serve is huge, as is his forehand, but struggles with movement and balls out of his strike zone, which is curiously, but expectedly, small for a man of 6'8"- the kind of tree Jaziri is accustomed to chopping down.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Mischa Zverev is seeded at the Citi Open for the first time in his career, following a resurgent 2017 where he outperformed his baby-brother in Australia, beating World #1 Andy Murray along the way, and later put up committed but ultimately insufficient resistence to 2017 Wimbledon champion Roger Federer. Fortunately he is on the opposite end of the draw from "der Kleine", and will not have to deal with facing him unless they both make the final: not an indistinct possibility given their level of play this year. To get there, he'll have to start of with a win over the winner of Indian 22-year old Ramkumar Ramanthan, who made the Challenger final in Tallahassee this year, on the way to a 6-2 tour level record, and Guido Pella, the Uraguayan journeyman who give Grigor Dimitrov fits in the juniors and nearly sent him packing in the second round here in 2015. Pella is the more experienced player, but something tells me that Ramanthan, also likely to have support from the enormous Indian community in the D.C. area will continue the form that saw him qualify as the top seed, with an easy win over Marinko "Mount" Matosevic.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">19-year old Stefan Kozlov, an American by way of Macedonia, seeks to right the ship of a disastrous 2017 at the ATP tour level, winning only 2 of his 9 matches, by getting the job done over Yuki Bhambri, the 25 year old Bolletieri Academy offspring who has done little to justify all the Indian hopes and dreams heaped on his spindly frame over the last 7 years. Surprisingly, it is Bhambri who had to come through the qualifying, which he did by dispatching of Liam Broady (Naomi's brother) in straight sets over the weekend. Fitness questions have dogged the young pretender with Bollywood good looks, so the quick work will facilitate what could be one of his last chances to breath through to the big stage. My guess is that Kozlov is hungrier and in a sprint, the more likely to face the defending champion in the next round. Regardless, don't expect either to make it to the 3rd round.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Milos Raonic returns after an absence of two years to threaten the craniums of center linesmen throughout Rock Creek Park with his howitzer serve, as the #3 seed. There aren't many in the draw that can deal with the power of not only his serve, but his forehand, and if there's one player who will have no qualms about facing anyone in the draw, it's Raonic. Following a subdued performance against the Maestro of all Maestros at Wimbledon, I'm guessing he'll make it through his quarter of the draw, to kick off his summer 2017 season. To do so, he'll need to get past the winner of Nicolas Ma"who?"hut, and the little Italian veteran Thomas Fabbiano "not Fognini", who moves and hits like the mercurial shotmaker extraordinaire, with only a sliver of the talent. I see Mahut giving Raonic a run for his money in the next round.<br /><br />Ryan Harrison has earned himself a bye into the second round as the 16th seed, and where he will face the winner of Edan Lesham and 2006 Australian Open finalist (yes, 11 years ago) Marcos Baghdatis. Baghdatis is a former finalist here, and while he's played this even many times over the years, has not had a great deal of success since he lost to David Nalbandian in 2010. His best years are behind him, but I don't see him succumbing to the 20-year old Israeli playing his first tour level match of 2017. This is a throwback to an era of players who rely more on their hand-eye coordination and court sense, as both are endowed with a superior level of both qualities. In a battle of wits, the Cypriot looks like the best bet to face the resurgent American seed in round 2. The respite from round 1 will serve Harrison well after a tough two tie-break set loss in the final of Atlanta.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Speaking of Atlanta, John Isner, straight off of his 4th title in Atlanta, comes to DC looking to make his 4th final, after losing his first to Andy Roddick, his second del Potro, and his third to Nishikori. Roddick is long since retired, but Isner will have a shot at revenge for one of those two losses as long as his gets through to the final. In his way is his Wimbledon nemesis, "He said" Dudi Sela and Jared Donaldson, an American who performed well here last year, but is yet to see his career really take off like his contemporary, the boy Emperor Alexander. Sela is crafty and will enjoy large support, while Donaldson will seek to justify his direct entry into the main draw, and I'm picking Sela to get what's coming to him from Isner in round 2.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The top half of the draw is filled out by Sekou Bangoura, Jr., coached by his eponymous father, a 25-year old American who uses a very light stick, and as such generates enormous racquet-head speed and spin, but not much penetrating power. He also struggles to win 2nd serve points, which will make it very difficult to overcome the old pro from Arad, Romania, Marius Copil. One of the few players in the draw with a single handed backhand, Copil's main quality is his athleticism and guile, which he should use to overwhelm the slightly built Bangoura. Particularly since the bigger, stronger, faster version of Bangoura awaits him in the 2nd round if he wins, Jack "the Rock" Sock. At 6300 RPMs, Sack puts more energy into his forehand than any other forehand in the history of tennis...that's right, the history of the game. I don't know why that hasn't translated into more at this level - perhaps one or two fewer trips to Chipotle with Pospisil would help - but my guess is Sock is a lock to beat Copil in the next round.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Sasha Zverev will have a lot of work to do to get through a very difficult bottom half of the draw, but I don't see much in the way of impediments in the next round, as he faces the winner of Australian Jordan Thompson and the Belgian Ruben Bemelmans. Assuming "Flock of Seagulls" does what he ought to do in round 2, he'll face the winner of Nick Kyrgios and the winner of Go "Go-Dane?" Soeda and...I shit you not...Tennys "Anyone" Sandgren, from Gallatin Tennesee. I mean this fellow had to be destined to be a professional with a name and hometown like that, but the chances of him getting past Soeda, the mercurial pugilist from Tokyo, are slim to none. Whoever faces Kyrgios, based on what we've seen from him since Miami, we could be looking at a walkover or a double bagel. But this will be the first time that Nick "not a Prick" Kyrgios will take the courts at the William H. Fitzgerald tennis center. I'm hoping he brings to bear the full weight of one of the best serves, and innately powerful forehands, in all of tennis...I'm hoping.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Steve Johnson comes to DC for the first time since the passing of his father, and one would hope he would have some respite from what's been a very emotional 2017. This has been the tournament where he consistently performs the best, with impressive wins over Dimitrov and Tomic the "Tank Engine" 2 and 1 years ago respectively. I can see Johnson making a run, but I wonder if it wouldn't actually do him some good to lose early and regroup in Canada or maybe Cincinnati. In any case, Johnson will face the winner of Reilly Opelka and Daniil Medvedev. All 7'0 of Opelka will be brought to bear to irritate the hell out of the highly irritable Medvedev, who has accused umpires of everything from racism to being bought. Here in DC, with the current popularity of Russians, he'll have entirely different set of things to hang a loss on if Opelka figures out how to use that serve to his advantage. My guess is that Medvedev and Johnson will renew the Cold War in round 2. Hopefully, nobody from the Trump administration will be caught asking Medvedev for an autograph.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: helvetica neue, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">4th seed Grigor "Gimmemore" Dimitrov will face the winner of Kyle Edmund and Heong Chung. Edmund, who started playing tennis about 7 years later than all of his rivals, will have the unenviable task of standing up Hyeon Chung, the tallest and strongest Korean player since...well, ever. Chung actually put in a very tough performance against Dimitrov a couple of years ago in Australia this year, but I don't see him getting past Edmund. And my guess is that Dimitrov, who's never had a particularly good summer throughout his 8 years on tour, will continue to struggle in DC, as he has since he first came here in 2011, and lose for the second year in a row to a journeyman Brit...this one not on cocaine.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">At the bottom of the draw, but right at the top of my favorites to take the title here, are the fastest hands in tennis, belonging to the little maestro from the land of the rising sun, Kei Nishikori. Two years ago, if your eyes were able to perceive motion that fast, you would have seen him use those hands to fend of three of the most gargantuan serves in the history of tennis. First, he stood up to the fastest recorded serve in tennis history, that of Sam "the Mesomorph" Groth, then in a rematch of his US Open final loss in 2014, he served up a nice hot cup of sweet revenge on "Cheech" Marin Cilic, before besting the behemoth John "the Booming Baptist" Isner for his first title here, and his second ATP 500 of 2015.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He'll need warp speed reactions to get through his half of the draw, which is stuffed like a sausage link with flame throwing seeds, Alexander "the Great" Zverev, "Gimme More" Grigor Dimitrov, "Naughty" Nick Kyrgios, "My name is" Lucas Pouille, "Chill" Gilles Muller and "Not" Juan "and Done" Martin del Potro. If he can get past the American civil war between Donald Young "and Restless" and "Gentleman" Tim Smycek, he'll have the winner of delPo's second round match up with the winner of Alexios Halebian and "Loopy" Lukas Lacko. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lacko, a talented Slovakian, appears to eschew neither hamburgers nor wildcards, although he's deservedly received direct entry here. By contrast, Halebian beat two seeded players to force his way into the show, and will have the opportunity, if not the rest, to prove that his 2012 Kalamazoo final was no fluke. A bounding, athletic lefty, Halebian relies on a serve that is the spitting image (if not effect) of Goran Ivanesevic's</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> monstrous ball-in-hand delivery, which he'll need against Lacko's outstanding return. I'm betting on Halebian lacking against Lacko, and his long hard road into the main draw coming to an abrupt end. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />For his part, Donald Young, a Kalamazoo winner in 2006 (over his more illustrious opponent that year, Sam Querrey) returns to DC not as a fan favorite, but perhaps as a sentimental one. 10 years have passed since he first played here in the summer of 2008, and while he's bulked up his body, his game appears to be more or less the same relative to his contemporaries. Experiencing something of a resurgence in his career over the last two years, it would be nice to see Young win a few matches here, but the depth of field makes it unlikely that this tournament would constitute his maiden title on the ATP tour. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Tim Smyzcek, who needlessly handed Rafael Nadal a first serve in Australia (ostensibly because a fan called out during the Spaniard's delivery), and was applauded for his sportsmanship by all but this writer and probably his coach, nearly unimaginably beat the Lieutenant G.O.A.T. in 2015. A quick and tenacious defender, his lack of power is precisely the kind of opponent upon whom Young could impose himself. Unfortunately for Young, and fortunately for this match up, Smyzcek possess all the competitiveness that Young lacks, and I see this being a 3 set slog that the 29 year old Wisconsiner comes through in a squeaker.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Dmitry Tursunov hasn't been heard from in D.C. for quite some time, but a protected ranking gives him direct entry into the field. He made news, tangentially, when Colin Cowherd incorrectly identified him as the 700th ranked player that Serena Williams couldn't beat - in fact his ranking today is #820 - and nobody is expecting the obvious to be proven today, although it is likely he will struggle to get past the 6'2" Texan Mitchell Krueger "Industries". For the 34 year old Davis Cup hero of 2006, there are definitely more yesterdays than tomorrow, and unlike his contemporary, Roger Federer, the years have not been kind. My guess is that Krueger, who somehow dropped about 50 places in the rankings since May (to #223), will have a good day at the office...lunch pail, and all, and move on to the man who has stolen the mojo of everyone from Andy Roddick to Rafa Nadal in Gilles Muller.<br /><br />Muller is a former junior #1, with the the most mind and body bending lefty serve in modern tennis. Not the most aesthetic player in the world, he is very effective on fast surfaces that allow him to follow that dastardly serve, casually into the net, which is precisely what the stadium court does. Unfortunately for him, he'll probably relegated to the outer courts until the quarterfinal diminishing his chances...but he'll get past Krueger.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Tune in tonight for a recap of day 1...</span>MMT Srhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11840298474071177362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720810965183070923.post-79624170000178961752016-08-01T08:53:00.002-07:002016-08-01T08:55:01.419-07:00TIM MAYOTTE AND TECHNIQUE...ALWAYS TECHNIQUE<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I came across a clip of <a href="https://twitter.com/TimMayotte">Tim Mayotte</a> speaking this year at The Tennis Congress, about the fundamentals of technique in tennis. As I watched it, I honestly felt a flutter of emotion at the realization that I am not alone in the notion that the game of tennis has always has been, and ever will be, about <a href="https://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2012/03/mental-game-is-totally-overrated.html">technique</a>...<a href="https://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2011/09/belief-new-religion-in-tennis.html">always technique</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Please note that there a number of videos about the modern forehand, which players apply it, which players do not, that may be more extensive and involved than this one: this is just a clip. But it is special because of the subject: Tim Mayotte. Yet another <a href="https://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2016/07/citi-open-day-4-quiet-american.html">quiet American</a> who went about his illustrious career with more than just professionalism, commitment, tenacity and results: he did, and still does it, with honor.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was with honor that I was a ball-boy at the 1989 Sovran Bank tennis classic, from which Mayotte emerged the victor, over another American who was anything but quiet, one <a href="https://twitter.com/bgtennisnation">Brad Gilbert</a>. It was the final victory on the ATP tour of Mayotte's career, and while I didn't play a serve and volley game, nor did I have the gifts or physique of Mayotte, I learned from him a great deal about how powerful and imposing the graceful mechanics of the game can be. If you've never seen him play, you will no doubt recall how he aligned his imposing physicality, with a focused set of skills, employed to a specific set of tactics, in pursuit of the strategic of objective of applying pressure to one's opponent...relentless, ceaseless, unflinching, pressure point after point after point. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In this classic confrontation <a href="https://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2013/03/michael-porters-tennis.html">between the player who absorbs pressure, versus he who imposes it</a>, Mayotte prevailed as he did two years earlier for the (2nd) biggest title of his career at Bercy (he also won the Miami Masters - then called the Lipton International - in 1985, when it was a "grand slam light" two week, best of five event from the quarterfinals on). </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Note the jump-started entry into the court following his serve with the right foot planted at once gracefully and authoritatively <i>and first</i>, allowing his momentum to carry him forward and close in on the net. Note the quadricep burning deep knee bend, over and over again, keeping his body positioning consistent regardless of what the ball does, precisely to eliminate as many variables from the stroke as possible to, in order to create consistency.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That's right - it's no accident that the players who are the most consistent are the ones who adhere to the most fundamental principles of technique. So it should come as no surprise that Mayotte, a winner of 12 career titles, a semi-finalist at Wimbledon and Australian Open (at the time on grass) would be at the front lines of extolling the virtue of focusing tennis instruction in the US on </span><a href="https://tennisabides.com/2016/08/01/tim-mayotte-interview-part-1/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the bio-mechanics of technique</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">...after all it served him so well from his NCAA title in 1991, and throughout his 12-year career professional career. A career that included <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennis_at_the_1988_Summer_Olympics_%E2%80%93_Men%27s_singles">a silver medal at the Olympics in 1988</a>, and representation of the United States in the Davis Cup. If we can do, from the grassroots, what our American forbearers did to become the best in the world, there is hope yet for American men's tennis.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.mhstennis.net/Coaching-Team/Tim-Mayotte.aspx">Tim Mayotte</a>: always a gentleman, always technique...<i>always</i> technique.</span></div>
MMT Srhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11840298474071177362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720810965183070923.post-8040462161679479682016-07-28T20:17:00.001-07:002016-07-28T20:26:40.059-07:002016 CITI OPEN: WRAP UP AND TENNISFILES PODCAST<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So long, 2016 Citi Open: you came and went too soon, but it was well worth the wait. Here's <a href="http://tennisfiles.com/2016-citi-open-recap-mulumba-tennis-column">episode 26 of Tennis Files podcast, by Mehrbad Iranshad</a>. It's always a pleasure talking tennis with him, and I hope you enjoy it too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you haven't already, and you </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">play </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">or just love) </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">tennis , I really encourage you to have a look at </span><span style="color: #0000ee; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://tennisfiles.com/">Tennis Files by Mehrban Iranshad</a></span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> The information in it is really comprehensive: from technique, to tactics, to fitness, to game planning: you name it, he's got it, and he doesn't rest on his laurels - there's always something to go back for and have another look.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The topics and guests on his podcasts are fantastic: from juniors hoping to make the jump, to professionals who ply their trade, to former gladiators reminiscing about their days on tour. And there's the stuff about improving your game, from picking the right strings, to the right coach, to the top 7 reasons you lose a tennis match...like I said, it's comprehensive.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Well, once again thanks to everyone at the Citi Open for a great year, to my colleagues who were once again great to be around, to the players for making the spectacle, and (my fellow) fans for making it possible.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">See you in 2017!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>MMT Srhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11840298474071177362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720810965183070923.post-4975840025298687132016-07-24T14:28:00.002-07:002016-08-04T06:48:21.940-07:002016 CITI OPEN FINAL: THE AIR UP THERE<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Let's be honest - that started out the worst final I've ever seen. Not just at the Citi Open, mind you. Even Newport had some agonizing misses, friendly/ruthless netcords, and what passes for moments of intrigue in any match featuring the long arm of the Croatian law. But in the beginning, there was almost none of that today. The rhythmic clapping that entreats a favored gladiator to make the next point count, made its first appearance, rather apathetically it must be added, upon Monfils' evening the score on Karlovic's serve for the first time...at 15-15. There were three break points averted in the last game of the first set, but the hand held fans waddled more energetically than the hands clapped after each of them was disposed of in depressingly similar fashion.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In fact the writing seemed to be on the wall in the very first game of the match. Despite his much ballyhooed improved serve, which elicited 42 aces in 4 matches, Monfils struggled to hold his serve in the face of returns more befitting Djokovic than Karlovic, and a spring in his step that would have made Dolgopolov proud. It was hard to tell on his 6'11 frame, but I promise you it was there. Karlovic on the other hand sailed through his first 5 service games hitting more aces than faults, an ominous statistic speaking to both his efficiency and Monfils' profligacy. In the end both translated into a first set that was about as dramatic as a bullfighter standing in the middle of the ring with an elephant gun.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There was a kind of resignation in Monfils, even as he himself began drumming aces in the second set. It was almost as if he, a participant in this macabre exercise in Japanese pantomime, resented being a part of it. Serving his 3rd ace of the game to close out the 6th game with just one point dropped on a running forehand pass up the line from Karlovic, he appeared to initiate a jig of celebration...but as he looked down to find his feet, it was evident that he had merely tripped over himself. Karlovic, on the other hand, was full of merriment, as he gracelessly took the hot air right out of the stadium time after time, with irritating examples of the full repertoire of shots he possesses: drop volleys, inside in forehand approaches, slice returns landing 6 inches from the base and side lines.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In fact, one could argue that the better he played, the more the sanguine spectators, looking down their noses at the combattants like the Plebeians at the Colosseum, rooted against him. One almost began to wonder if there wasn't something more philosophical in the desire to see Monfils emerge victorious from this encounter, as he had in fact, been the worse player for the better part of an hour and 1 and 15 minutes. But the match turned on two things that both energized Monfils, and seemed to demoralize Karlovic. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Karlovic left a half volley short in the court, but no where near short enough to be out of range of his majestic moving rival. Monfils, sensing the moment, charged forward, slid into a frying pan forehand aimed ruthlessly at the trunk of his rival, and hit the mark in more ways than one.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Soon, the thunderbolts began to miss their mark. Whereas previously he had been quite accurate, an underrated quality of his serve, when he served for the set at 5-4, having broken Monfils in the previous game, he began to rely on the second serve, which was not up to the task. Furthermore, Monfils, plundering away under the assumption that something had to give, began putting those returns in challenging positions, forcing Karlovic to both loom and move with the grace of a gazelle - only one of which he was able to pull off. After sending a forehand volley long on the last of 3 break points, off of a dying return scarcely framed by his flamboyant french foe, the trophy suddenly appeared to be just a little bit further from his grasp.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the tie-break the same technique persisted. Playing a kind of classic grass-court return game, dropping balls at the lumbering behemoth's feet, rather than trying to put them past him, while Karlovic struggled to maintain his efficiency, after another low forehand volley in the net, the roar from the crowd ushered in the realization that Monfils had persevered and a 3rd set was to be played.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The third set began with a return to form on Karlovic's serve, while yet another wobble in Monfils' was not enough to allow the Croatian giant to break. That's when the rhythm (or lack thereof) appeared to get him. A pair of first serves missed, and an overhead in the net, drew a kind of startled gasp from the crowd: a bit like the moment in Rocky IV when Drago is cut. Nobody could believe that the mountain had been traversed by that fuzzy yellow ball, and a genuine belief that another break (the only breaks of serve he's suffered at the 2016 Citi Open) was on the cards. And Karlovic appeared to be wilting in the heat - already taking his time in between points, he appeared to do it moreso now that he had been broken, while the Frenchman accelerated through his games with aplombe.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The bending, the mid-court pick-ups, the stretch returns and the angled volleys began to take their toll on Karlovic. Irritated when the towels weren't made immediately available by the ball kids, Karlovic seemed to play more and more first balls (off the return) from beyond the service line. For a quality serve and volleyer, that is part and parcel of plying one's trade moving forward. But for Karlovic, the effects of the burden began to seep into almost everything he did, and he began to do everything just a little bit worse. The break, when it came, met with rapturous applause from the francophile audience, seemed a fait accompli, more than an accomplishment. Nevertheless, once and for all, the match had turned in the Frenchman's favor.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Monfis on the other hand went from that all too familiar Gallic shrug to the battle cry of a Zulu warrior. No longer content with pumping himself up, he moved on to the crowd, entreating them to entreat him to higher heights. He even fortified himself in between serves, such was the evidence of his increased sense of urgency. His serve, slower in the third set than it had been in the second, was more accurate, causing Karlovic to miss the return more frequently, and taking enormous pressure off of himself and, like Putin on a judo mat, rebounding it squarely on his rival.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2016/07/2016-citi-open-final-thoughts-ivo.html">Of course Karlovic just...keeps...coming</a>. And despite being down a break in the 8th game of the final set, he opened the game with two outstanding volley winners to put Monfils under scoreboard pressure, which might have been irresistible given the serve that would certainly have awaited him had he lost his. But he finished the game with 4 outstanding serves that Karlovic alternately pulled out of and over hit to the delight of those now in full throated anticipation of a French victory. Karlovic did his best to fend off the energized frenchman - standing (very) tall (indeed) on another mid court pick up that landed tantalizingly short in the court. Monfils again went for the jugular, but not nearly dispassionately enough, and Karlovic was able to fend off the pancake with a reaction volley to the open court. Two points later, he survived the game to make one last stand.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Monfils began uncertainly, with a double-fault into the net - never a good sign of nerves. But he followed it up with a brave sneak attack off a high looping forehand up the line to Karlovic's backhand which he sliced tamely into the net. Another missed 1st serve in the deuce court on the 3rd point was rectified this time by a 2nd serve ace wide. The penultimate point was cagey, with Monfils stretching the rally out before drawing Karlovic into a clumsy approach, which he passed with a backhand up the line. The match ended, ironically if only considering the source, with an authoritative ace up the T.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To the delight of the crowd, the popular Frenchman prevailed where he could have so readily taken the easy way out. While Karlovic, attended briefly by the physio as he awaited his runner-up prize, was resigned to his role today as the sacrificial lamb.</span></div>
MMT Srhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11840298474071177362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720810965183070923.post-52792444681910430942016-07-24T12:20:00.000-07:002016-07-26T20:44:08.937-07:002016 FINAL THOUGHTS: A GAEL FORCE WIND AT HIS BACK...AND IN HIS FACE<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">History hates nothing more than a crown unworn, a throne unseated, a title unearned. The history of Gael Monfils is no different. In 2004, he shocked the French tennisocracy by winning first 3 of the 4 junior majors, and stood on the precipice of doing something that hadn't been done since Stefan Edberg won the very first junior calendar grand slam of the open era in 1983. He was the <a href="http://www.ladepeche.fr/article/2005/01/18/152560-gael-monfils-la-perle-que-la-france-attendait.html">pearl that French tennis had awaited</a> for years. Though other Gallic juniors like Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Richard Gasquet had been more heavily touted, it was Monfils, formerly bespectacled, spindly and awkward, that emerged as the closest thing, to a sure thing, to end the French drought at the professional majors. And though the strength of his game resembled the same qualities that characterize his professional exploits (the super hero speed and stretching, the fantastical trick shots, the unadulterated athleticism) there would have been those who still wondered if this weren't another mirage in the, then </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">20 year desert, of french men's tennis</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Those doubts, whispered by the most pessimistic, weren't doused by his quarterfinal loss of a match, and a shot at history, in the Boys Singles draw of the 2004 US Open: in fact they were given a loud and undeniable voice. His absence from the final, contested by Sergiy Stahkovsky and Andy Murray, a pair who would carry on a <a href="https://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2016/05/equal-pay-what-exactly-are-we-talking.html">different kind of tete a tete</a> this year following Indian Wells, was all but forgotten when he began a full time career on the ATP tour. Launching himself into the top 50 with victories at 2 challengers and a full ATP event in Sopot, he was overshadowed only by the player that French tennistas have <a href="http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/07/wimbledon-semifinalist-richard-gasquet-was-on-magazine-covers-at-age-9">always truly believed</a> to be the rightful heir to the legacy of Les Mousquetaires. In fact Gasquet may have done him a favor by beating Roger Federer in Monte Carlo, putting the "bleu, blanc et rouge" bullseye at Roland Garros squarely on his back, where it didn't belong. Monfils has actually had the most consistent results of all his contemporary countrymen at their home major, (if not the best, with Tsonga reaching one more semifinal).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But since that early promise, despite remaining one of, if not the most, athletic player(s) in the game today, and the evolution of the game making raw athleticism more and more of a common trait (if not distinguishing), Monfils has not translated that into commensurate success at the highest echelons of the game. I have always suspected that while every other part of his body screams exceptional, the most critical tools in his tennis kit remain curiously ordinary: his hands. While Simon uses his to <a href="http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/eye-performance/201305/undersized-tennis-player-gilles-simon-shares-his-secrets-success">swash</a>, Gasquet uses his to <a href="https://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2015/07/thank-you-citi-open-richard-gasquet-v.html">swashbuckle</a> and Tsonga uses his to simply <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/36719245">buckle</a>, Monfils' hands, hardly the <a href="https://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2015/07/thank-you-citi-open-real-bernard-tomic.html">most sophisticated </a>in the world, form the basis of little more than a human backboard. No shot seems out of his reach, unless he decides otherwise, and it's a considerable reach.</span><br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dlW66FMIFMs/V5UPqaJ9HXI/AAAAAAAAAMM/oklHu4Lhpf8flTwacBtyZtNCnZu3sE-JwCLcB/s1600/Gael%252BMonfils.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dlW66FMIFMs/V5UPqaJ9HXI/AAAAAAAAAMM/oklHu4Lhpf8flTwacBtyZtNCnZu3sE-JwCLcB/s320/Gael%252BMonfils.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But the hands have failed him from time to time: the inability to handle the short slice, the tendency to receded further and further into the backcourt, and the almost psychological dependence on his athleticism to entertain (and not necessarily to win), have all belied the very profligacy of talent that coaches and the tennis punditry has bemoaned. Darren Cahill once claimed that Monfils would, from time to time, skip a (second and) afternoon practice with his coach, Roger Rasheed, claiming he need a rest, only to find him later in his room hotel room hootin' and hollerin' while working up a sweat playing FIFA soccer on the playstation. So perhaps something within him realized that there was a limit to how far he needed to develop himself physically (Rasheed's specialty), when the most critical tool available to him (his hands) remained unaddressed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Maybe he knew something that we didn't?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This week, after having <a href="http://www.tennisnews.com/2015/10/16/monfils-hires-tillstrom-as-coach/">hired his Swedish coach Mikael Tillstrom in October of last year</a>, worked on simplifying his game, and more specifically the technique on his serve, the Gael Monfils taking the court today in his second successive final (if 5 years after the first), has shorn his infamous locks, and some of the more elaborate machinations that have frustrated his least loyal fans. The gale force wind at his back may be the new and improved serve, imperceptibly more rhythmic, but palpably more effective, has elicited only 2/3rd as many aces (42) as his <a href="https://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2016/07/2016-citi-open-final-thoughts-ivo.html">infamous serving opponent</a> (66). He will need all the free points he can get to reduce his burden of proof that Karlovic might not get through a WTA field would it were not for that monstrosity of a first serve.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The jury is not out on either of their careers today, but the perceived quality of the final, will be largely dependent on the extent to which an entertainer can get down to business and mitigate the reputation (at least) of a 5-19 record in ATP finals.</span>MMT Srhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11840298474071177362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720810965183070923.post-57912349045397482992016-07-24T08:57:00.003-07:002016-07-25T19:20:44.209-07:002016 CITI OPEN FINAL THOUGHTS: LIKE IT OR NOT...IVO KARLOVIC JUST KEEPS COMING<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">3 years Ivo Karlovic nearly died. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He woke up one morning with numbness in his arm, that began to spread throughout his body. A professional athlete, aged 34, he was accustomed to waking up with the creaky quality of a locomotive that takes a few strokes of the pistons to get up to speed. But you just keep on moving and you get over it. After all, there comes a time when, after years on tour, a player begins to wonder when is going to be the day that they wake up and the little engine just can't. Agassi, in his excellent memoir <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Open-Autobiography-Andre-Agassi/dp/0307388409">Open</a>, talked about the skittish assurance of moving one limb at a time, hoping the capacity to compete would come to him in stages, towards the end of his career. The anxiety never goes away, but a player grows accustomed to the uncertainty, both of which are resolved despite the uncomfortable feeling of one's body working through its nightly torpor.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But this was different. The numbness persisted. And his speech was slurred. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A house call from the paramedics brought relief that didn't last long, which is probably a good thing, because that would have sounded the alarm bells of doctors who didn't know if this professional athlete was having a stroke, or had an undetected brain tumor that wouldn't reveal itself. Unlike <a href="http://www.thehindu.com/2003/08/27/stories/2003082700491900.htm">the case of Leander Paes' diagnosis of neurocysticercosis</a> (a parasitic infection that causes brain abscesses that can look like tumors) they would have hoped for a best case scenario - strange to contemplate under the conditions - of a bacterial infection that could be treated by ever increasingly powerful and specific antibiotics. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But that too failed to resolve what had befallen Karlovic. His wife Alisi and his (still to this day) coach Petar Popović by his side as he went in and out of consciousness, it wasn't at all clear that he would recover at all, or well enough to regain normal functions - to say nothing of the very real possibility that the least negative of all outcomes would be the end of his career. Eventually the case was diagnosed as viral meningoencephalitis and after 10 days of treatment a few days of monitoring he was released from that hospital in Miami that nearly became the first stop the way to his final resting place.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But like that thunderbolt raining serve of his, Karlovic just keeps coming. He's 37 years old, has wins over some of the best players in the history of the game (Federer, Hewitt), and one has the feeling that if his serve carries on like this he could play until he was 47. He bristles at the notion, but Karlovic's game is not the equal of his contemporaries...not by a long shot. We all know this, his opponents know this, we all try to avoid saying this and he himself will look you dead in the eye and deny this.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But that doesn't make it any less certain. So how has he managed?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Well, over the course of his career, he has maintained a 92% 1st serve point win percentage, and if he keeps his 1st serve percentage above 55% (which he has, by a long shot) he is more or less guaranteed to at least take the set to a tie-break against the vast majority of his opponents. In fact, Karlovic has played and won half of his sets this week with tie-breaks. He hasn't dropped a set, and he hasn't been broken...not once. I'm guessing he hasn't even experienced a mini-break in those tie-breaks. So if he is to win his final over Gael Monfils today, it won't be because he's got great hands, or moves well, or even overwhelming power from the backcourt. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But that shouldn't diminish the admiration for the one quality that characterizes his personality, his serve, his career and his run at the 2016 Citi Open.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Like it or not, Ivo Karlovic...just...keeps...on...coming.</span></div>
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MMT Srhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11840298474071177362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720810965183070923.post-55284437659420789712016-07-21T23:05:00.001-07:002016-07-26T21:34:01.605-07:002016 CITI OPEN DAY 6: THE YANKS ARE COMING<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Maybe it was the chronological proximity to </span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/21/sports/tennis/rafael-nadal-to-skip-rio-olympics-because-of-zika.html?_r=0" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">the Olympic games</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, or
the </span><a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2652536-davis-cup-tennis-2016-final-scores-and-results-from-quarterfinals-bracket" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Davis Cup</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, or the </span><a href="http://espn.go.com/tennis/story/_/id/17106520/roger-federer-rafael-nadal-withdraw-rogers-cup" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Rogers Cup</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">. For whatever reason, the main draw of the 2016
Citi Open played host to 17 Americans. As young as 18, as old as 31, the door seemed to be open to anyone with a navy blue passport and a forehand. At just a hawk-eye's margin under 1/3rd of
the field, it seems the only American tennis players who didn't appear for DC's premiere annual international sporting
event, were the 10 names that encircle the stadium court as previous champions. Which brings me to the subject of the Day 6 recap: there remains (for the 9th year running) a curious gap in the long tradition of
American success at this event, which collides in history with the last American
to win a major - one Andrew Stephen Roddick. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Given the excitement surrounding the many supplicants who would gape to be
his heir, both as the titlist here, and the next American world champion (with a "Y" chromosome), it begs a brief history of those yankee doodle dandies who've
brought the bacon home from DC.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;">Now, if Donald Dell, John Harris and Steve Potts had had their way, I'm
quite certain that the American they would have chosen to win the inaugural
event in the nation's capital, would have been the man <a href="http://www.citiopentennis.com/en/about/tournament-history">who's vision</a> it was to do
more than put the same complexioned asses in the seats over and over again. After all, who
but Arthur Ashe could have elicited the integrated audience that the socially
conscious men behind the curtain had hoped for, and indeed achieved, in the
first (and last) 5-set final in the history of the tournament </span><span style="background: white; color: #222222;">in
1969. On that day, everyone in the audience had hoped for a victory from
the man born and raised 90 miles away in that other US capital (of the
Confederate States of America). His effort was </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">herculean</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, albeit erratic, losing the first two advantage sets, with the second lasting 16 games. And although he found his feet in the 3rd and penultimate sets, try as he and
everyone watching did, his loosed-limbed, left handed Brazilian opponent on the
day, Thomas Koch, simply would not yield the right of way.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;">A year later, an American champion was guaranteed, as Ashe
returned to compete for the final against Cliff Richey, a bare-knuckled brawler
born of Texas tennis royalty. His sister Nancy Richey is an ITHOF inductee
who won the Australian Championships in 1967, and the first French Open in 1968, to go with 3 other majors in doubles. Ashe would gain some measure of revenge when it counted, when he beat Richey two years later in a US Open semi-final...but on that day, the stars at night shone bright for the big heart from Texas. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;">The Aussies took over the
next couple of years, when Rosewall and Roche (in succession) disposed
of the same Marty Riessen, denying the Illinois native his place on the ring of champions at the William H. Fitzgerald Tennis Center. So it wasn't until 1973
that Ashe finally fulfilled the promise envisioned 5 years earlier
and won the title to the delight of the partisan audience. In a
replay of the first US Open final (also 5 years earlier) Ashe defeated the wily, but
altogether over-matched, dutchman Tom Okker, who had made a(n almost forgotten) kind of history
himself by being the first Jewish tennis player to make a major final in the Open era. In
1974 another American son of Abraham, Harold Solomon, ascended to the top row of the annals of
Citi Open history, by beating none other than 3-time champion Guillermo Vilas,
who wouldn't lose another final here until 1981.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;">In the interim, Vilas alternated titles with Americans for 6
years (missing the 7th by losing to his professional nemesis, and elegant compatriot, Jose Luis Clerc. Jimmy Connors, by then the most
imposing player in the world, both technically and in terms of his influence on
the game, took the bicentennial year title in 1976, then won a second two years
later against Eddie Dibbs. In a repeat of their <a href="https://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2016/07/thank-you-citi-open-john-harris.html">memorable, but lightly attended consolation (3rd place) match in 1971</a>, Connors still had the better
of his less illustrious compatriot. Had he entered the tournament in
1980, it’s not altogether certain that he would have won it. Though
Connors record on clay was exemplary by the standards of mere mortals, for
those whose faces grace the Mount Rush(the net)more of tennis, clay was by far
his worst surface managing only one major title on the slippery stuff, and that
in the familiar surroundings of the West Side Tennis Club at Forest
Hills - also in 1976 (over Bjorn Borg, no less, but I digress). </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;">The best American on clay in 1980 was Brian Gottfried, who
was enjoying one of the most successful years of his career, and nobody had
worked harder to earn his place in Citi Open Valhalla than
him. Gottfried was the kind of player who would (and in fact did) only take one day off from practice...the day he got married. That
year, Gottfried earned his title by holding at bay the man most Argentine
tennis fans pitted against their beloved Vilas, as the fairest fuzz whacking
gaucho of them all. It would be his one and only title in Washington
DC.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222;">Although a couple of Bollitieri Academy graduates (Jimmy Arias in 1982 and 1983, Aaron
Krickstein in 1984) tried their best, the title escaped American possession until Jimmy
Connors, in a prodigal return, killed two bald eagles with one stone, ending his own personal 4-year title
drought, and one twice that long for Americans at the Citi Open, with a victory
over the talented and languid, pre-Roland Garros conquering Ecuadoran</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9s_G%C3%B3mez">Andres Gomez</a>. Connors initiated an American revival, resulting
in titles for the Red, White and Blue in 9 of the next 12 years. This
sequence would include all 5 of Agassi’s titles (1990, 1991, 1995, 1998, 1999),
both of Michael Chang’s (1996, 1997) and <a href="https://twitter.com/TimMayotte">Tim Mayotte's</a> lone title in 1989, which
would have been American either way because his opponent that year was <a href="https://twitter.com/bgtennisnation">Brad Gilbert</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With so many Americans enjoying their 15 minutes at the DC troth,
one could have been forgiven for assuming that the trend would continue ad
infinitum. The trend was eventually proven illusory, but Roddick surprised everyone
with a victory over Sjeng Shalken in 2001 for his maiden title here (and the
third of his rookie year) followed by an even bigger surprise the
next year when James Blake won his one and only title, over Paradorn Shrichipan,
having precociously usurped Andre the Giant in the
semi-final. Unfortunately Blake’s interlude as the American standard
bearer was short lived, both in the grand scheme of things and at this
tournament. Roddick would match his one-time American coach Jimmy
Connors with 3 titles, his third (and last) would also spell the latest of an
amazing tally of 19 titles in 45 years...four better than a third, and four shy of
half.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So who then, among the band of brothers still in the field is most likely to make their maiden title in DC #20 for the US of
A?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Well, there is the record holder for profligacy, 3-times bridesmaid John Isner, who’s professional breakthrough came at this
very tournament, when Roddick last carried the flag.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That year, <a href="https://twitter.com/TommyHaas13">Tommy Haas </a>joked that there ought
to be a height limit on tennis players, after falling to the long-limbed tarheel
in a 3<sup>rd</sup> set tie-break. Last year Isner fell to the f<a href="https://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2015/08/citi-open-last-but-not-least-thoughts.html">astest hands in the (far) east</a>, in a <a href="https://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2015/08/2015-citi-open-final-nishikori-v-isner.html">gripping final</a> against Kei Nishikori. This year, a well earned victory over Marcos Baghdatis, a natural talent who counts his return of serve as one of his weapons, is a good sign: that's because it seems to be the only kind of a player with a snowball's chance on a summer afternoon in DC, of beating him on that lightning quick Stadium Court. <a href="http://tennisfiles.com/james-duckworth-citi-open">James Duckworth</a>, didn't benefit from any hangover from I<a href="http://www.daviscup.com/en/draws-results/tie/details.aspx?tieId=100029622">sner's Davis Cup disappointment</a>. It could turn out to be a delayed reaction, and he will need all his reserves of fortitude to overcome <a href="https://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2015/08/citi-open-ready-or-not-steve-johnsons.html">his opponent in the quarterfinal</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Speaking of which, could Steve Johnson be the most likely to end the American drought in DC? Already a winner at <a href="http://espn.go.com/tennis/story/_/id/16510903/steve-johnson-captures-first-atp-tour-title-aegon-open-win">Nottingham</a> this year, his respectable 4th round performance against Roger Federer at Wimbledon, may signal a coming of age for him. He is (as is to be<i> </i><a href="https://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2015/08/citi-open-college-educationfor-tennis.html">expected</a>) older than players with similar experience on the ATP tour, but this is the first year Johnson's game is a match for his commitment to give every last drop of effort in him to his own cause. He (very) effectively blunted the potency of Ryan Harrison's serve with a series of clever and effective chip returns to the deep recesses of the court. </span><br />
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is precisely the location of Nishikori's most effective returns last year against Isner, and I have a feeling that if he's feeling it at all in the legs, he will have neither the energy, nor the inclination to make the court smaller by serving and volleying - the only viable reply to Johnson's rather obvious, but even more effective, solution. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And as hard as it is to imagine it, his serve may be even more effective this year than last, and Isner struggled to find it then. So, this could be the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnGI4TiJIik">Trojan man's</a> moment, and if he can get past Isner, there aren't too many players left in the field with all tools necessary to push him back down the walls of Troy.</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then there's Sam Querey: <a href="https://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2016/07/citi-open-day-4-quiet-american.html">another quiet American</a> who (to this day, despite all his megaton serving contemporaries) still holds the ATP record for the most consecutive aces in a single match (<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/8579785/Tennis-record-breaker-Sam-Querry-shows-how-to-serve-quicker-and-smarter.html">10 against James Blake in 2007</a>). Surprising some with a magnificent effort to overcome 2012 Champion Alexander Dolgopolov tonight, Querrey showed that, more than an anomaly in his summer, his victory over Djokovic at Wimbledon foretells a resurgence in his career that could lead to him winning a title here that he has sought since 2009. To do this, he will need all the free points he can get from his serve against a man who has been putting on a serving exhibition here himself: the flash, flamboyant Frenchman Gael Monfils, who has hit 22 aces in 2 matches. If Monfils is taking himself seriously, he has the pedigree to douse the fire lit in Querrey. But if that Gallic Shrug, combined with the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anwWxJ6j8h8">circus shots</a> he sometimes tries, makes another appearance, I like the chances of (the) Sam(urai) Querrey.</span><br />
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Finally there's Jack Sock, who, in addition to hitting a tennis ball harder than anyone ever has, is apparently <a href="http://play.babolat.us/jack-sock-for-president#vUS2xbU1lOF4ejFd.97">running for president</a>. I have always been of the opinion that if you want to know who has a shot to be the best player in the world, look for the guy that's doing something that nobody else can: <a href="https://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2016/07/citi-open-drawing-us-in.html">Alexander (the Great) Zverev</a> is hitting his groundstrokes at an average speed of 81 mph - 6 mph faster than anyone else at the Citi Open. Nick Kyrgios displays Federer-ish combinations of accuracy, variety and disguise on his serve. And Jack Sock is hitting his forehand at as much as 6300 rpm...Rafael Nadal, the former King of Sp<strike>a</strike>in, maxes out at 5800 (with all due respect to Federer's slice backhand that reaches 7200 rpm...but that's a very different kettle of fish).</span><br />
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So this is a tool in Sock's sock that is exclusive to him - it's his <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excalibur">Excalibur</a>, his <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aegis">Aegis</a>, the ring of which he is the Lord...and boy did he put it to good use today. Like a game of cat and mouse played by men with racquets, he used his rpm to consistently force Daniel Evans into a series of very limited choices, most of which ended with him lancing the boil of Evans' frustration with a screaming forehand winner. The minute Evans left a shot not quite far enough into Sock's backhand corner to...well, force him to hit a backhand, Sock began ripping his forehand, really heavily and at an acute angle, into Evans' backhand. </span><br />
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was neither deep nor short, and if Evans tried to step in and come over it, the ball would jump up into his chest and he would invariably framed it. If he moved back, the court would open like a sliced grapefruit, beckoning Sock to exploit the now gaping wound that was Evans' forehand corner. And if Evans tried to slice it, he could get away with it a couple of times, maybe even three, but eventually the temptation to exit from that constrictive tango was too much. He couldn't resist trying to go up the line, either an error, or a short ball would ensue, and Sock would simply put him out of his misery or start the sequence again.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was almost sadistic: a lesson in humility that Mr. S(p)ock can impose on his opponents like the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobayashi_Maru">Kobyashi Maru</a>. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Time and again, Evans made a choice, and time again it ended in a fatal exercise in total futility. Strangely, although Evans is not the fittest fiddle in the orchestra, he seemed to grow in efficacy as the match wore on, after very nearly losing the first set in a 20 minute bagel. But Sock's superior movement, serve and that blood-thirsty sword of Damocles (masquerading as a forehand) he wields eventually dropped right on top of Evans' head.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have the feeling that of all the players that US has produced in the last 10 years, Sock's game is the most likely to achieve a major title. At the height of his powers, nobody has an answer to what he can do, which is why it is such a shame that he so rarely reaches that apex. The likelihood of doing so over a fortnight, which would be required to drink of the immortal ambrosia reserved for his major winning American predecessors, is for the moment, remote. But ask me if he can do it over the next 3 days, and I would argue that is hardly a bridge, over the Potomac, too far.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, if I had to place a bet on who wins the Citi Open, I would drop a 10 euro note on Sasha "Fierce" Zverev. But if the currency must be green, with dead presidents (perhaps poetically, given that we're 6 miles from the National Mall) I'd place it on John "the Hitman" Isner. If (and it's a pretty big if) he can get past the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDFsyNbEJvk">Trojan dark horse</a>, he is a better player with a better serve than Karlovic, who I think will take the racquet right out of Sock's hand in their quarterfinal, rendering <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWqrVOW_-SE">his wizardry</a> entirely moot. Querrey is unlikely to get past Monfils, and if he does, his reward would be a date with Zverev in the semi-final, and I don't see him bringing that <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chincoteague_Pony">Chincoteague pony</a> to heel any time soon. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The one and only player that can take the racquet out of Zverev's hand is Isner - let's just hope he brings it in what would be his 4th final. He already holds the record for runner-ups at the Citi Open, and I'm quite certain he doesn't want to pad it.<span id="goog_613472668"></span><span id="goog_613472669"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->MMT Srhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11840298474071177362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720810965183070923.post-25018184442579490822016-07-20T11:28:00.000-07:002016-07-20T11:28:58.995-07:002016 CITI OPEN PLUS: TENNIS FILES<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I met the author of the Tennis Files, Mehrban Iranshad, last year at the Citi Open. For both of us, this was our first year as members of the media, and we hit it off, culminating with me paying a visit to <a href="http://tennisfiles.com/2016-citi-open-day-2-analysis-mulumba-tennis-column">Episode 25 of his podcast</a> after the summer storm chased us away from the William H. Fitzgerald tennis center last night.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I had an absolute blast, and I hope you enjoy it, as well as his awesome site: a real treasure trove of information to develop and improve your game.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://tennisfiles.com/">The Tennis Files</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://twitter.com/tennisfiles"><br /></a></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://twitter.com/tennisfiles">Merhban</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>MMT Srhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11840298474071177362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720810965183070923.post-8344621611370324832016-07-20T07:54:00.000-07:002016-07-26T20:56:23.318-07:002016 CITI OPEN DAY 4: THE QUIET AMERICAN<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Last year I generously extolled the virtues of <a href="https://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2015/08/citi-open-return-of-mesomorph-sam-groth.html">the Mesomorph</a>, Sam Groth - a man with a rocket launcher of a serve and the physique of a man meant to protect a king. His tournament came to an end yesterday against the best player in his quarter, when he fell tamely in the first round. Groth's might be the most famous of all his flamethrower serving contemporaries due to his <strike>in</strike>famous 163mph record salvo, so the temptation to watch him play is a strong as it ever was. I watched a gaggle of expertly prepared and generously whetted, middle-aged women move from side to side on the north end of Grandstand 2, to get a feel of what the biggest serve looks like coming at your face. I guess size really does matter when you may know little about the intricacies of the game, but you can definitely read a radar gun...and boy was it buzzing today.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Unfortunately for Groth, the serve is only one half of the first shot qualities required of a top player. Whereas he specializes on giving, Nishikori, Djokovic and Murray have shown over and over again, that it is the fine art of receiving that is altogether <a href="https://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-key-to-wimbledon-newsflash-its-not.html">most likely to distinguish a professional tennis player</a> in his chosen field of endeavor. That's why the true tennis enthusiast, whether a connoisseur or a novice, should take note of the subtle, almost indiscernible skills of Brian Baker, which you can't tell at first glance, but like the still waters of the Potomac, run very, very deep.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">His story is one of Herculean heights and troughs before he returned to take his rightful place at the table of professional tennis. In 2003, Baker was as one the best juniors in the world, losing in the final at Roland Garros to one <a href="https://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2015/06/stan-wawrinka-has-liberated-us.html">Stan (the Man) Wawrinka</a>. And with victories over his now more illustrious contemporaries like Marcos Baghdatis, Gael Monfils and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, one could have been forgiven for heaping untold American hopes and aspirations on his narrow shoulders. </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">But injury plagued him for years to the point where he nearly gave up the game, until 2011 when, while coaching at Belmont University in Tennessee, he entered an ITF future event in Pittsburgh as an unseeded - in fact he was unranked - qualifier.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And won the tournament...without dropping a set. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That remarkable debut (anew) culminated in a career high ranking of #52 on the back of a victory at Basel over Radek Stepanek and a loss to eventual champion Juan Martin del Potro two years later. Desperate injuries at the Australian Open of <a href="http://straightsets.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/15/injury-plagued-american-has-another-setback/?_r=0">2013 </a>and just before the same tournament in <a href="http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2015/01/baker-undergoes-another-surgery-time-right-knee/53512/#.V4-7YfmAOko">2015</a> genuinely threatened to destroy his prodigal return, and cost him almost the entirety of 2014 & 2015, but the tennis Gods, (who must be crazy) have given him one more bite at the apple, and we're all the better for it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Baker has the ability to do two things that are essential for any top tennis player: he can blunt his opponent's greatest weapon, and he can provoke them into destroying themselves. If his rival likes to hit with a lot of top spin, he can cut a slice that's as flat and straight as a rock thrown side-arm, lightly bouncing off the surface of a lake. If the guy wants to come to net, he can hit running top spin lobs off of both wings, to go with passing shots that find their way through the scantest of openings like a bodkin. And if his opponent has an elaborate wind up to his ground strokes, Baker stays on top of the baseline and whips his forehand inside in and out, with equal efficacy, making it very difficult to find your feet, settle in and rip it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In fact, I would argue that Baker's greatest weapon is that chameleon quality he has to shift his shape to whatever is required. He's not John Rambo, loudly blowing shit up in the quiet concrete jungles of the US summer hard court season. He's not John McClane, yapping on the radio all day and night, and jumping off a burning building shouting "yippee-kayayy, motherfucker!" </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Brian Baker is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Quiet_American">the quiet American</a>, who will gut you like a fish as he smiles, shakes your hand, and removes your wallet. He'll disabuse you of any notion of how good you are by <i>forcing </i>you to do exactly what you do worst, if you want to beat him. He doesn't appear to be physically imposing until you're standing next to him, when you realize you're looking up at a pair of glaring eyes just under the brim of a hat dripping with sweat. You hit a serve wide in the deuce court that registers 120mph and as the return zips by your chest missing the opposite sideline by 3 inches, you look over at Baker who is furtively excoriating himself for missing a shot you thought had no business reaching, let alone making. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That's when you realize that you're in for a long day at the office.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It suddenly dawned on me having watched Grigor Dimitrov struggle through yet another early and unexpected loss (to Daniel Evans) in this his second season on the mend, and Donald Young snipe and gripe his way past Ernesto Escobedo in the unforgiving heat and humidity of an afternoon in July in Washington, DC, and Sloane Stephens disappearing into the night, performing a kind of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seppuku">seppuku</a> of unforced errors against a resilient, but underwhelming Risa Ozaki. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What exactly is competitiveness? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Is it the ability to conjure up the energy to run down every drop shot, stretch for every volley, reach for every return? Is it the ability to raise one's game, </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">and hit</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> that essential passing shot or lob when the moment demands it, and all others would wilt under the pressure? Or is it just a steel will, at once unbreakable and irresistible, the assassin's tool and the protector's aegis, wielded upon request at the very moment is most desired? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The truth is that it could be one, none or all three of those things. But Brian Baker makes one thing clear as his competitiveness muscles its way past one more who would deign to block his path. It's not fist pumping, or shouting, "Come On!" <i>after </i>you've (finally) done something right. It's not yelling at that pitiable coterie of </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">supplicants that's still following you around the world as the clock winds </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">down on your window of opportunity. It's not that crumpled mangled mess of carbon fiber and cured animal intestines that used to vaguely resemble a <a href="http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/broken-racquet-pics.273419/">racquet</a>, before it was sacrificed to the God of misplaced anger and bitterness.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Whatever it is not, one thing is certain: it's <i>quiet</i>...just like <a href="https://twitter.com/bbakestennis">Brian Baker.</a></span>MMT Srhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11840298474071177362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720810965183070923.post-28747750653423800262016-07-19T06:24:00.001-07:002016-07-20T11:28:33.699-07:002016 CITI OPEN DAY 3: STILL SAMANTHA<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The first story from Day 3 at the
2016 Citi Open was the one story that nobody can get ahead of or control the
narrative: the weather. Mother nature decided the DC area needed a
cooling off period absolutely dumped buckets of water on the William H. Fitzgerald
tennis center for about 90 minutes. </span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue";"><a href="https://twitter.com/bambamsam30">Sam Stosur </a>and Yannina Wickmayer, a
favorite and a dark horse for the title, were done and dusted before the rains
came, with Stosur dispatching of a resurgent Alla Kudryavtseva in
straights sets in less than an hour (including a second set bagel), while the
Belgian took longer to do the job over American Madison Brengle, who will be
disappointed that she wasn't able to break her opponents shaky serve more
frequently. Wickmayer saved 2 of the 4 break points she faced, but
Brengle was broken 7 times on 11 break points, which turned out to be the
difference in the match.</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue";">Stosur, on
the other hand, started slowly, but finished strongly. After finding her
feet and her forehand late in the set, she proceeded to break Kudryavtseva one
critical time in the first set, before obliterating her in the second - needing
just one break point to do the job three times on the trot. Stosur, the
top seed this year, looked relaxed and comfortable from the end of the first
set, to the moment she entered the press conference tent. That is until
the rains came, preceded by what felt like gale force winds, appeared to
make her more nervous than her opponent. Skittishly glancing around her as
questions were drowned out by the sounds of the atmospheric pressure dropping
precipitously, Stosur seemed in as much of a hurry in the press conference, as she did in the second set.</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue";">I asked
Stosur about her forehand, which is a modern forehand more typical of the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P83V_X_4uPI">ATP than the WTA</a>, and
hit with the kind of spin and depth that has made some opponents attempt to pay
her a compliment by suggesting that<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-49030220100603">she played like a
man</a>. My curiosity surrounded whether there was an evolution to that
stroke production or was it something that she and her coach decided, and her
answer confirmed my expectation with a twist. She said she had<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>always</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>had a compact take back on the
forehand, but that it had been a very wristy and spinny shot that often landed
short, rife for abuse by her opponents. The revolution began 8 years ago, when she couldn't hit a decent forehand at Wimbledon to save her life, and her coach
at the time (presumably David Taylor) convinced her that she needed to make
changes to flatten the stroke to finish her opponents off in the rallies,
particularly on short balls. So there was indeed a revolution to her
forehand, but it was to make the shot flatter and more penetrating than it had
been, which is the opposite of what her forehand is known for.</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Next up on the merry-go-round
was Alexander Zverev who, despite being very polite, and very poised in his
responses, did come across as being every so slightly
less patient with his time than he had been the year before.
To be fair, Zverev had just finished a practice set with Steve Johnson,
one where the pace and penetration of his forehand was as impressive as it had
been during <a href="https://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2016/07/thank-you-citi-open-john-harris.html">his practice with Monfils</a> on Friday, and in all likelihood had a
very necessary dinner and evening with the physio waiting for him. His
answers were to the point, without much elaboration, and though affable, he was very serious, and dare I say, substantially more self-assured than
last year. </span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue";">For example, he was asked about the upcoming Olympics, initially he responded with enthusiasm and elaborated on the honor and rarity of the event. But the
second question concerning the same subject, appeared to irritate him mildly. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue";">Born of Russian immigrants to Germany, in the context of
the Olympics, </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue";">the question was asked </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue";">whether he felt more Russian or German. He began his response by
bemoaning (in the general direction of the moderator for some reason) that he felt like this
question was asked in every press conference. After getting that off his
chest, he explained that he is 100% German, as German as it gets, and that the
only thing that Russian about him is his parents. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue";">I asked him whether he sets goals for himself in terms of his career
progression, and if his performance and accomplishments had so far met his expectations. He initially responded by saying that he didn't really set goals
for himself, then proceeded to say he targeted getting in and staying in the
top 40, that he is pleased with career progression, being seeded a majors and such, but that he is still
ambitious and expects more of himself. When asked which of the crop of his American contemporaries impressed him, he mentioned that he had grown
accustomed to playing his <a href="http://www.itftennis.com/juniors/news/articles/top-seed-zverev-wins-opening-match-in-new-york.aspx">former junior rivals</a> (like the lurking Taylor Fritz), and that he was most impressed
by Francis Tiafoe, who plays very aggressively and goes for his shots.
Incredibly, he bookended that assessment with the perfectly logical, but
altogether unexpected qualifier (from a 20 year old, anyway) that "...he's still
young and has more to learn." </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue";">From the mouths of babes.</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue";">Speaking of Taylor Fritz, the newlywed took the court in the penultimate match on the stadium against Dudi Sela, and managed to break the Israeli veteran in his second service game, the third game of the match, and after only 7 minutes. It was a straight set victory, but he didn't have it all his own way - Fritz had to show some steel, and that grenade launcher that doubles as a serve did him well as he saved 7 break points to seal the victory.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue";">Daniel Evans booked his place in the
second round with an impressive dismantling of Benjamin Becker, who probably
suffered some measure of fatigue playing for the 3rd day in a row. Evans was the better player in the two key departments of the serve
and return, and after his initial break of Becker's serve never looked back. Becker hit 4 aces which which could
have been a pivotal statistic, had he not negated the value thereof with 4
double faults. Evans only made half his first serves, but won 85% of
those points, whereas Becker was more like to miss, and less likely to win his
first serve points (46% and 65% respectively) which resulted in getting losing
4 of the 8 break points he faced. Where Evans really made the difference
was his second serve points, winning an impressive 65% of them, and not facing
a single break point in 8 service games.</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue";">That ironically sets up a tricky
encounter in the second round against Grigor Dimitrov, whom he practiced with
on Friday (and would have met at Wimbledon had he found his way past some Swiss fellow, and if Dimitrov had overcome Johnson). At that time, he seemed to <a href="https://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2016/07/thank-you-citi-open-john-harris.html">struggle for rhythm and consistency</a> for the better
part of an hour. But if you just love
the 1-handed backhand, that match will do much to satisfy your aesthetic
preferences.</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue";"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue";">Denis Kudla continued an unfortunate record of profligacy at his home tournament - he has played 7 matches at the Citi Open (in singles and doubles) and lost all 7. He started the match strongly, with deep penetrating rallies where both he and Millman seemed to be testing the resolve of the other. But Millman prevailed in the end with the wind at his back in the second after breaking twice in the first. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue";">All results from day 1 are at <a href="http://www.citiopentennis.com/en/scores-and-results/tournament-results">this link...</a></span></span></div>
MMT Srhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11840298474071177362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720810965183070923.post-81925991811435704652016-07-18T10:28:00.001-07:002016-07-25T08:06:31.234-07:002016 CITI OPEN: DRAWING US IN<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.citiopentennis.com/en/scores-and-results/draws">The draw</a> for the Citi Open of 2016 is out, and the match ups that will initiate the gentleman's hand to hand combat in this "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeu_de_paume"><b>jeu de paume</b></a>" are an inspiring mixture of intrigue, sporting curiosity and personal drama. Having moved the date of the tournament up on the calendar to accommodate the many players who will go to the Rio Olympics, the tournament has already suffered the consequences of a glut of competitions that have had to be adjusted for the quadrennial event. Juan Martin del Potro and the Bryan Brothers have already withdrawn, and the effects on the American duo of John Isner and Jack Sock, who suffered a shock defeat at the hands of the Croatians, remains to be seen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2016/05/hus-seeded-first.html">Top seed</a> John Isner (mercifully) benefits from a definite 1st round bye, and likely preferable scheduling, before taking on the winner of a match up of scrappers who will vie for the opportunity to dethrone the presumptive king. James Duckworth, the Australian grinder who unceremoniously dismissed a fatigued Ryan Harrison last year, will have another American to deal with, the altogether (overly) generous Tim Smycek, who famously offered to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahrOBadEYcY">replay a critical point in Australia against Rafael Nadal</a>, for no (good) reason. Smycek has excellent hands, moves like a lynx, and is (typically for an American) uber-competitive. If he can find his way past Duckworth, he will have Kei Nishikori's <a href="https://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2015/08/citi-open-last-but-not-least-thoughts.html">model of victory</a> in last year's final to emulate, if he is to do the unthinkable and advance to the 3rd round.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Everybody's favorite Cypriot, 15th seed Marcos Baghdatis, will also have a first round bye, with a chance to face John Millman or (the current version of Paul Goldstein - <i><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/pmextra/jan00/19/notebook.htm">a really local</a></i> favorite), Denis Kudla, who hails from <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/othersports/citi-open-tennis-denis-kudla-loses-and-his-parents-suffer-quietly/2013/07/29/5ad90930-f8b5-11e2-afc1-c850c6ee5af8_story.html">across the river in Arlington</a>, and as a junior made the daily </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holden_Caulfield" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Holden Caufield</a><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> subway trek to the </span><a href="http://www.jtcc.org/" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Maryland</a><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">, on his way to place at the table of professional tennis. Although not as fantastical as that of </span><a href="http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/vessels-and-demir-debut-at-citi-open-2016" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Leon Vessels</a><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">, Kudla's journey to the Citi Open is no less inspiring. He immigrated from the Ukraine as a baby and was featured in a 2010 Documentary <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjI0p6y6o7OAhWF9R4KHX6bAoMQtwIIHDAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fvimeo.com%2F15328059&usg=AFQjCNGKYfd328Rs-TPysXcaMfQNKxkE0w&sig2=3uDcKh8-MIfCI8Nrh4IJjQ&bvm=bv.127984354,d.dmo">Who's Next</a>. In it, it was revealed the extent of his obsession with tennis. As an 11-year old, with arguable assistance from his from his architect father, designed his very own tennis center. Kudla's parents spoke no English when they escaped the the dissolution of the USSR on Denis' first birthday in 1993 - quite an enduring gift.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If Ryan Harrison can conjure up the same grit and firepower that saw him through the qualifiers into the <a href="https://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2015/08/citi-open-ryan-harrison-tempring.html">main draw last year</a>, he will have his hands full with Stephan Robert, a Frenchman known more for his prowess in doubles than singles. Harrison doesn't suffer fools when it comes to competitiveness, and whereas in the past he has succumbed to both the light and dark sides of that trait, but he is still (relatively) young, still has a missile launcher for a right arm, and has quite a good head to head record against many of the players in the draw. The past is not necessarily prologue, and Harrison will both take solace and caution in that truism, for if he is to become the player so many have hoped and expected him to be, there is no time better than the present. My guess is Robert will have his hands full. Either one of them will have a grinder of the first order awaiting them in the second round, in Victor Troicki. If he has recovered his vocal cords following his unseemly (albeit "technically" justified) <a href="http://espn.go.com/tennis/wimbledon16/story/_/id/16699258/2016-wimbledon-serena-williams-victor-troicki-fined-10000-unsportsmanlike-conduct">diatribe against Damiano Torella</a> (for which he was duly fined $10,000 for unsporting conduct), he will want to save his breath for Harrison who is <a href="http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2012/07/harrison-apologizes-for-on-court-outburst/37515/#.V40n0q349Bw">unlikely to go quietly himself</a>, into the night.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In one of the most fascinating first round encounters, one of this author's favorite players on tour, (the Emperor H)<a href="https://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2015/04/adrian-who.html">Adrian Mannarino</a> will take his well educated hands, and nimble footwork, into battle against one of the most powerful young guns in world, Francis Tiafoe. Another DC native who also plied his trade at the <a href="http://www.jtcc.org/">JTCC</a>, Tiafoe's opportunity came from his own immigrant father who worked there as a maintenance man. He debuted here in 2014, where he lost to Evgeny Donskoy, but anyone watching that match would have been left in no doubt as to the potential of this human power unit, who burned 100mph+ forehands so frequently that the feat began to lose its luster by the end of the match. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Assuming he has addressed his serve, some dubious shot selection and his footwork, there is hope in the nation's capital that this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship with the game. The winner of this match, mercilessly faces Steve Johnson, an American gaining such a reputation as a <a href="https://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2015/08/citi-open-ready-or-not-steve-johnsons.html">bare-knuckle brawling competitor</a>, that he is seeded 5th, and my darkhorse to make his first ATP final in his homeland. He is coming off his first ATP title, an unexpected, but not inexplicable victory on the plushy grass courts of the English midlands (Birmingham) over Pablo Cuevas, a 2nd round loser here last year.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With any luck, <a href="https://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2015/07/thank-you-citi-open-real-bernard-tomic.html">the Real Bernard Tomic</a> will appear to make good on his opportunity lost here last year, as he smiled and joked his way to a <a href="https://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2015/08/citi-open-day-5-summary.html">3rd round loss </a>to the aforementioned <a href="https://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2015/08/citi-open-ready-or-not-steve-johnsons.html">(Trojan) dark horse</a>. You never know what you're going to get in the way of competitiveness and drive from Tomic, such is the burden placed on a (still very) young man from a country with a (still very) deep tradition of tennis nobility. But I would recommend setting a reminder on your calendar to witness for yourself some of the best hands in tennis, his second round match up against the winner of the yankee doodle duel between Donald Young and 20-year old Ernesto Escobedo. Rumor has it, Escobedo's two-handed backhand is every bit as deadly as the left-handed swing of his (no relation...probably because <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWD9wqtPqzQ">that</a></i> Ernesto Escobedo was a figment of Tom Clancy's imagination) namesake in "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clear_and_Present_Danger_(film)">Clear and Present Danger</a>". Having come through the crucible of expectations for American teenagers in the dog-eat-anything world of professional tennis, I'm sure Donald will have some wise words of advice for his opponent...after the match, that is.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(Dr.) Ivo Karlovic, the esteemed professor in the art of "making it rain", fresh off his <a href="http://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/36824677">draining victory of Gilles Mueller in Newpor</a>t, will get a first round bye, no doubt sharpening the blade of his sword as he awaits the winner of <a href="https://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2015/08/citi-open-return-of-mesomorph-sam-groth.html">the Mesomorph, Sam Groth,</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beware_of_Mr._Baker">the drumbeat of (Mr.) Brian Baker</a>. Groth's mammoth recorded 163mph delivery, will serve him well, even if he winds up on the recently repainted Court 1 where last year, he hit a serve that hit the tape...and was still record at 156mph. The fencing is kind of old, so I would not recommend standing behind Baker as he attempts to return that howitzer of a serve. Having said that, Baker's return of serve is one of the strength's of his game, and gives him a fighting chance to blunt the path of one behemoth to another. Baker's most enduring and endearing quality to a tennis amateur (in the classical sense of the word) is his resourcefulness, his tennis IQ and his hands. The combination of the three make him just the kind of player others would prefer to avoid, but I'm not going to miss that encounter.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Grigor Dimitrov is seeded and will receive a bye into the second round, although he's been hard at work here on his game, including a one-hour <a href="https://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2016/07/thank-you-citi-open-john-harris.html">practice session Friday</a> against a possible second round opponent in Daniel Evans. That would be a treat for those who just can't get enough of the 1-handed backhand, and spontaneous injections of pace into otherwise cagey rallies. Of course, Evans would have to make it past Benjamin Becker, the <a href="http://espn.go.com/sports/tennis/usopen06/news/story?id=2571935">last man to defeat Andre Agassi</a> on the ATP tour, himself a cagey veteran who made his way through the qualifiers, and replaces Tommy Haas who, for years, was typically the oldest German(<a href="https://twitter.com/TommyHaas13/status/628032336488173571">/American</a>) in the draw. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If Dimitrov can navigate his way through to the 3rd round, he may encounter a dejected Jack Sock, who will have to summon reserves of competitiveness to atone for his Davis Cup debacle against <a href="http://www.oregonlive.com/the-spin-of-the-ball/index.ssf/2016/07/john_isner_jack_sock_wilt_in_b.html">Borna Coric</a>. Fresh and fit, Sock would have been a co-dark horse with Johnson, but as it is now, I would credit him with a herculean effort if he were to simply justify his seed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Alexander (the Great) Zverev, who sports a hellenic flock of sea gulls under (and over) what comes across as a wreath (but is actually just a head band) is a good bet to go deep in this tournament. I'm always suspicious of <a href="http://www.citiopentennis.com/en/news-and-media/news/2016/07/15/alexander-zverev-joins-citi-open-main-draw">last minute entrants</a>, but he too has been here since at least Friday, practicing on that day on the stadium court with Monfils, and seems motivated to do well. Zverev would face the winner of a 1st round tete-a-tete between Dudi Sela and Taylor Fritz. While I enjoy the (altogether necessary for his survival) ingenuity and improvisation of Sela's game, I would relish a chance to see these young starlets compete for a place in the 3rd round. Fritz could overpower Sela, but would find it difficult to do the same in the next round. My money would be on Zverev who seems to have Fritz's number dating back to their <a href="http://www.itftennis.com/juniors/news/articles/top-seed-zverev-wins-opening-match-in-new-york.aspx">junior careers</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Another potential match up, that might qualify for the circus or an NBA game, is between Kevin Anderson, the man who nearly did last year at Wimbledon, what Sam Querrey managed to do this year, and the winner of the match between Reilly Opelka and Malik Jaiziri. Assuming Opelka is able to bludgeon his way through the wily Tunisian (who had never trained with weights until this year - a testament to his immense talent, which has hopefully not been wasted in its entirety) the 2nd round encounter might be the tallest in the history of the Citi Open. Opelka, who is listed at 7'0" (which is frankly just ridiculous) won the Wimbledon Junior title last year (which was very nearly a part of an American grand slam), would actually tower over Anderson, who at 6'8" would make the total height on display 164 inches. That's a hell of a lot of leverage.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Luxembourg hero Gilles Mueller, smarting from his loss to Karlovic in the Newport Final, is rewarded for his renewal with a seeding and a bye to the 2nd round, where he will face the winner of Nishioka Yoshihito and Ivan Dodig, the doe-eyed doubles specialist who initiated the stunning reversal of fortune in the Davis Cup tie against the US in Portland, by partnering Cilic in the defeat of the Bryan Brothers. Mueller, a purveyor of one of the best lefty slice serves, which curiously appears to be most effective when placed up the "T", was the guy who stole <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2m-33W1DOo">Roddick's mojo in 2005</a>. That same year, he also defeated Rafa Nadal in the 2nd round at Wimbledon. This should have come as no surprise to Citi Open historians, who would note that he defeated Agassi in the semi final in 2004, before ruining the marquee match up with Lleyton Hewitt in the final (who prevailed in straight sets for his one and only Citi Open title).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Benoit Paire awaits the winner of Jared Donaldson and his compatriot Vincent Millot, who may very well have the most extreme forehand grip in the world, one that would make Alberto Berasategui proud. It's so far over on the grip, one wonders if he'd be better off rotating the racquet in the same direction for both the forehand and the backhand...it'd be a shorter trip. Donaldson, yet another American teenager in the draw, has not received the kind of attention that Fritz has, but in the long run, I like his fundamentals more. His footwork is reminiscent of Steffi Graf, his backhand is compact and effective, if not aesthetically appealing, and while I would recommend a smaller take back on the forehand, and a diminished reliance on the reverse forehand from the center of the court, the way he throws his body into that stroke reminds me of Jimmy Connors at his ball-busting best. He appears to be on the verge of throwing his racquet across the net with every desperate lunge into that stroke. Having impressed many with his entertaining (for all the right reasons) encounter<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQmqtwWKAK4"> against Monfils at the US Open in 2014</a>, Donaldson is yet another reason that the light at the end of the American tennis tunnel, could indeed be an approaching train of supplicants to the throne.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The aforementioned Djokovic slayer, Sam Querrey, calmly awaits another American, the result of the curious (if not unfortunate) pairing of Alex Kuznetsov and Bjorn Fratangelo. Although he is not related to Mike Fratangelo (the form coach of the Atlanta Hawks), Bjorn is only slight taller, which has made it difficult for him to make good on the potential he showed by beating Dominic Thiem for the Junior title at Roland Garros in 2011. Fortunately for him, his opponent, Kuznetsov, equally vertically challenged, may very well be even more spindly. I may pop over to see that second round match with Querrey, if nothing else, to see if Querrey could drop <a href="https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081121070005AAb4TSJ">10 aces in a row</a> all over again.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(The other) Alexander (the Great) Dolgopolov awaits the winner of Victor Estrella Bourgos and Jordan Thompson. The latter is an Australian who bravely stood in the canon's mouth for 4 & 1/2 hours attempting to return the serve of Ivo Karlovic at Roland Garros this year - making the most of a wildcard earned mostly on the back of his best year to date that included his first tour level ATP match win and a Challenger title in China. He lost to Karlovic 12-10 in the fifth, but the effort was both brave and impressive - the only inches he gave to his gargantuan opponent that day were the 10 inches in height. His opponent, is a crafty Dominican who typically brings a large contingent of supporters with him, and has one of the bigger forehands on tour. However, like Ken Rosewall before him, Burgos has never seen a backhand that he didn't want to slice, and may need to figure out a way to come over one or two if he is to improve on his second round loss to the towering inferno of John Isner's flame throwing serve.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Dolgopolov, the 2012 champion (the last Olympic year) took full advantage of that depleted field, and won the biggest title of his career over a resurgent Tommy Haas (who is sadly no longer with us...at this tournament that is, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BHzxhTjAAGQ/">he's still alive!</a>). I've always enjoyed the sheer maniacal physicality of Dolgopolov's game, and since I don't think the long-term prospects of being able to do what he does are good (if you've seen his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1jX7V-cbDo">serve and forehand</a>, you'll know what I mean) it's good to see him bounding about the grounds here like a Roe-Deer in the Ukraine.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Borna Coric will impress me very much if he can recover from an emotional weekend in Oregon, and justify his seeding by overcoming the winner of Sugita Yuichi and Vasek Pospisil. Pospisil was the 2014 finalist here, this despite being less known for his singles exploits than his illustrious doubles partner. 2016 has not been kind to this kind Canadian who glides about the baseline as easily as a man his size can, and this would be a nice way to start a recovery of the remainder of his season. But he'll have to get through an exceptionally competitive Yuichi, who's coming off a grass court victory over Taylor Fritz, to do it, and the popular teen ager from Croatia who will have no American fans (old enough to drink) on his side, given what he heroically did in Oregon to one Mr. Sock.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The final places in the draw go to Gael Monfils, the flamboyant Frenchman left off the Davis Cup team that went to the Czech Republic and kept the dream alive of another night in Lyon, seeded 2nd and shorn of his infamous ungainly mane of locks. With any luck, he will also be shorn of any desire to entertain at the expense of competing, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yjADqweeYU">hopefully he will also do his on court interviews in English</a>. He awaits the winner of Randy Liu, who won a Challenger title on grass in England before Wimbledon this year, is probably the 3rd most famous player in the draw to beat Andy Roddick at a major (Wimbledon in 2010), and is in all likelihood the most famous athlete outside of Chinese Taipei from Chinese Taipei, and yet another American, Austin Krajicek. It may surprise you that he plays for the Stars and Stripes, given that he is a distant cousin of 1996 Wimbledon Champion Richard Krajicek and an even more distant cousin of Michaella Krajicek (Richard's half-sister). My money's on Lu in the first round, and Monfils in the second...an inspired pick, I know.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Well, that's probably everything you'd want to know (and then some) about the Men's Draw at the Citi Open this year!</span><br />
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MMT Srhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11840298474071177362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720810965183070923.post-23859467772046445452016-07-16T05:48:00.000-07:002016-07-25T07:26:57.462-07:00THANK YOU CITI OPEN: JOHN HARRIS<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I picked up my press pass at the Citi Open yesterday, and as always, I just couldn't resist the opportunity to get a sneak preview of the players that will make this the place to be for any self-respecting tennis enthusiast in the Washington, DC area over the next 10 days. The joy of coming to this tournament, for me, is as much in watching the players practice, as it is watching the matches, which can go so quickly if one of the two combattants fails to play his part. Sure enough, having ambled over to the Grandstand court, I encountered Caroline Wozniacki working out with her father, who like Richard Williams before him, has overcome the paucity of any true tennis pedigree of his own, to turn his daughter into one of the best players in the world. Among other things, he had her working on pattern play, service return and first strike shot placement, and the old "hit the can" with your serve routine - only the can this time was a white towel (she hit it once, by the way). Kind of makes you wonder what the "professional" coaches are doing, but I digress.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Following their workout, the court was taken over by Daniel Evans, his coach, and the coach-less Grigor Dimitrov. Now this was fun to watch: as an admirer and exponent of the 1-handed backhand, here I had two of the most aesthetically appealing in the game to watch. Evans, having just come off being manhandled by one Roger Federer at Wimbledon in the 3rd round, actually appeared to be a little off his game, by my count committing about 3 times as many unforced errors as his partner for the day. What struck me about their hit, which became fairly intense within the first 10 minutes, was the difference between talent and technique, and what the combination of the two allows a player to do that is beyond one who clearly has one but is relatively lacking in the other. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Evans has, by all accounts, exceptional hand-eye coordination and very good hands - he's very talented. He can do things with a racquet that is beyond your average hacker...including professional hackers. And from time to time, he can go nuclear with that forehand of his, in a way that makes the racquet look more like a frying pan as his hands come through the point of contact. But it comes at a cost, when the timing required to pull this off escapes him, he is as likely to hit the back fence as the baseline. More often than not, if you train your eye on his follow through, rather than the ball, you can see that he's hitting off his back foot. Dimitrov, on the other hand, hits every forehand in front of his body with good weight transfer from the back foot to the front. He stays down on the stroke, which allows him to hit with more spin, net clearance, and depth - hence the relatively low frequency of unforced errors. They went through the standard warm-up cycle, and finished playing a 7-point tie break that Dimitrov won ironically hitting two aces wide in the ad court, after missing that serve in the warm up about 7 times in a row. I guess practice really does make perfect.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It's worth mentioning that while Evans exited stage left with his coach after an hour, Dimitrov played another hour with another player (<strike>whose name escapes me and</strike> Leon Vessels) who does <strike>not</strike> appear to be in the tournament, but seems to be a popular hitting partner at this venue. Last year I saw him hitting with a number of players, men and women, and this year, after sparring with Dimitrov, he moved to the stadium to hit with a WTA player, and ironically was asked by observing children for autographs, while they ignored his ignominious partner. Dimitrov, toiling in anonymity, seemed to enjoy himself, as he always does when on the court, belied the presumed depression one might expect from a player whose star has fallen so far in the last couple of years. After a meteoric rise to the top 10 in 2014, coming within a rat's ass of making the O2, and playing a Wimbledon semi-final, this year he found himself unseeded and vanquished in the 3rd round by 2-time NCAA champion American Steve Johnson. I find Dimitrov's committment and pure joy at being on the court to be a good sign that my prediction, that he <i>will</i> win a major at some point in his career, to still be well within his reach.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">During the practice with Evans, Dimitrov noted that the kick serve in the North end of the Grandstand court bites a hell of a lot more than the other courts, and according to him, did him no favors last year when he lost to Johnson following two rain delays and two court changes. The high American('s) twist serve to the single handed backhand was more than he could handle, and if he meets the Trojan man this year, on that court, he will have to figure out a way to neutralize that serve as a weapon, lest he meet the same fate.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I also had a chance to watch Alexander Zverev hit with Gael Monfils on the stadium court, where I was really impressed by the liquid power of the spindly German (by way of Russia) - a last minute wild-card entrant into the field after being dumped out of a home tournament in Hamburg. There's just no substitute for being able to inject pace into the rally at any given moment, and I observed the rhythm in their rallies to be decidedly in his favor by something like a 2-3 margin (two counts for his shot to reach Monfils, 3 counts for those of the Frenchman to reach him). Monfils was more frequently the player hitting late in their exchanges, which will do nothing to turnaround what has been a less than inspiring 2016 for him. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As usual, it's impossible to know whether he will be more focused on thrilling the crowd than winning, but I plan to make a special visit to his first match. However, if I were a betting man, I'd put my money on Zverev to go further in the tournament and/or win it all, if he can overcome the fatigue he must be feeling having played two warm up tournaments before Wimbledon, making the quarterfinal before getting it handed to him by absent <strike>the number 1 seed here at the Citi Open</strike> Thomas Berdych and then a warm-down event in his native Germany on clay.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Finally, I watched a practice with Irina Falconi, her second in succession, having been (wo)manhandled in a practice set by Francoise Abanda (the Canadian siren with gams like a daddy-long legs, who's been given a wild-card into the qualifying tournament) against American Christina McHale. McHale, the New Jersey native who waddles around the court like a long-legged penguin, but hits one of the easiest and cleanest forehands in the women's tour, is a dark-horse to go deep here as well. Her modern forehand, produced with the racquet head remaining on the right side of her profile, generating torque and deceptive acceleration as it catches up with her hands at the point of contact, is not the best athlete in the draw, but following her very competitive encounter with Serena Williams at SW19, appears to be playing well, fit as a fiddle and ready to win her first WTA title just as her compatriot Sloane Stephens did here last year.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As I watched these two going through their paces, an older gentleman quietly ambled over in my direction and asked, as though soliciting a secret, if McHale was the woman who did so well against Serena Williams at Wimbledon this year. I confirmed as much, and this initiated a conversation about tennis in general that surprised me in so more ways that one. He noted that a girl on the far court looked about 12 years old, and remarked how young the players were able to start today, and how different it was versus past eras, because of the equipment. He asked me how long I'd been coming to the tournament, and I proudly told him 30+ years, to which he replied that he'd been there since the beginning. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Since the beginning? The 1969 beginning?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It turned out the gentleman was none other than the John Harris, who co-founded the tournament with Donald Dell (and Steve Potts) all those years ago. Honestly, my knees buckled. I couldn't help myself, and asked him a series of questions that he patiently answered. The best match he'd ever seen? The consolation match in 1971 between a 19-year old Jimmy Connors and a 20-year old Eddie Dibbs, which he said almost nobody saw, but was better than the final between Ken Rosewall and Marty Riessen. Rosewall, at the time of his victory in 1971, was the reigning US Open champion, having defeated Tony Roche at Forest Hills the year before. But he didn't defend his title due to the growing conflict between the WCT and the ILTF, which centered around the struggle for control over the conditions of who entered the tournament and who didn't. Despite the Cold War at the dawn of the open era, he was free to take the title in DC, rather routinely, over his veteran American opponent.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">All this was news to me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And to the question of why the surface of clay was chosen for this tournament, preceding the US Open (which at the time was played on grass) Harris explained that in those days, the summer US circuit consisted of actually two sub-circuits. The clay court series in places like Cincinnatti, Indianapolis and Chicago, that they wanted to be a part of to facilitate a better field of players. Once the summer US clay court season had concluded, the focus moved on to grass, with tournaments in Newport, Boston and finally culimnating at Forest Hills. In fact, the brief interlude of the US Open switching to clay from 1975 to 1977 had essentially spelled the deathknell of the summer US grass court season, which had been in place for some 85 years, before all the tournaments in the US transitioned to hard courts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He said that he had been a collegiate and amateur player himself, but that he had never been able to effectively compete against Donald Dell, who was himself a 3-time all American at Yale, and NCAA finalist in 1959. He said that as good as Dell was, Arthur Ashe was on another level as a player, something that is frequently forgotten about the man...a testament to the exceptional human being that he was, and humanitarian that he became. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Speaking further about Ashe, who along with Harris and Dell had years before cooked up the notion of an integrated tournament in the nation's Capitol, Harris sat on the Men's Professional Tennis Council representing the US tournaments, alongside him as he represented the players, when he first heard of the Williams sisters. Harris, with great humility, admitted to me that he didn't think the girls had a chance, not because of their ability (which was obvious) but because their father had prevented them from playing the standard US junior tennis circuit. After proclaiming as much to Ashe, Ashe himself (who died 6 years before Serena won the US Open in 1999) predicted that both of them would be world champions and would be the first of many from the black American community if the USTA played their cards right. Sadly it hasn't, which Harris admitted had never been the intention of the WTEF, which owns and operates the Citi Open, and donates nearly every penny to local education, and not necessarily the development of tennis champions.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Speaking of the Williams sisters, Harris told me a story of how he had stayed down the hall from the same hotel as the Williams sisters in 1998 in Australia. He knew then that the Williams' parents were special because the mother, Oracene, would get up at 7:00am every morning to do the laundry. Why? Because Venus didn't have any sponsors that would provide her with new clothes to wear before every match; so the depth of humility and commitment was evident. One can understand their persistent skepticism of the tennis establishment, given that in 1998 they still couldn't find a single clothing sponsor that could be bothered to throw some free clothes in the direction of a 17-year old girl who had already reached #22 in the world and had made the final at Sydney a week before one of the 4 biggest tournaments in the world.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">How things have changed since.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was an honor and a pleasure to make the acquaintance of a man who, unwittingly, is one of the reasons that I fell in love with tennis. This tournament was the first time I'd seen tennis played in person by professionals, and ever since has been my Mecca for 33 years, the place I come to fall in love with the game all over again, and will continue to as long as air fills my lungs. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For this, and for so much more I say, thank you John Harris.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ADDENDUM: Dimitrov's hitting partner, and the man whose autograph had been sought by those kids watching hit in the stadium court was <b><a href="http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/vessels-and-demir-debut-at-citi-open-2016">Leon Vessels</a>, </b>whose history with the Citi Open is as curious as it is inspiring. </span></div>
MMT Srhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11840298474071177362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720810965183070923.post-17916730920402856902016-06-27T10:53:00.001-07:002016-07-13T07:35:38.441-07:00WIMBLEDON 2016 - HISTORY BECKONS<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://www.wimbledon.com/index.html"><i>The Championships at Wimbledon 2016</i></a></b>, has the potential to be one of the most historic we've ever seen. Novak Djokovic, and even Roger Federer, have the chance to extend their achievements beyond the wildest dreams of the kid who's just picked up a racquet and gapes to be the heir of these titans of tennis history. While the curiosity surrounding their pursuits will most certainly overwhelm the entirety of this fortnight's media coverage, there may be a lot more interesting things at stake at SW19.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">RETURN OF THE KING</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Novak Djokovic has redefined the notion of the <a href="http://sport360.com/article/tennis/international-tennis/165242/inside-story-how-team-djokovic-keep-the-world-no-1-at-the-top-of-the-tennis-world/"><b><i>team concept</i></b> </a>in tennis: while the depth of his support structure has altered significantly since his undeniable ascension to the top of the tennis pyramid, the breadth and depth of it continues to boggle the mind. His parents have (with <b><i><a href="http://www.newsweek.com/novak-djokovic-exclusive-interview-djokovic-father-andy-murray-roger-federer-436283">notable exception</a></i></b>) receded into their proper place - that of the doting parents marveling at the exploits of their prodigious progeny from afar. But in addition to his ever-<strike>growing</strike> dwindling list of celebrity sycophants, he has added a son and another 3-time champion Boris Becker, who at some point looked the more likely to equal or surpass the dominance of his similarly alliteratively named hero Bjorn Borg. Though some (including this author) <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/26/sports/tennis/novak-djokovic-wimbledon-boris-becker.html?_r=0"><b><i>doubted the wisdom</i></b> </a>of that choice, Becker's ingenious re-engineering of his <b><i><a href="http://www.scoopnest.com/user/TennisTV/571701233737699329">first serve placement</a></i></b>, more obvious (but no less insightful and far more difficult) improvements in <b><i><a href="http://www.optimumtennis.net/novak-djokovic-serve.htm">the second serve</a></i></b> and his net play, have launched him into the stratosphere of just 6 other men with double digit major tallies (Federer, Sampras, Nadal, Borg, Laver and Emerson). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As such, the Serbian hero is poised to bring to fruition the notion of 4 separate but equally impressive historical achievements in just two weeks time. First, he can become only the 4th man to <b><i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-peat">three-peat at the All-England club in the Open era</a></i></b>, following in the footsteps of Messrs Borg, Sampras and Federer. Furthermore, by winning his 4th Wimbledon overall, he would separate himself from <b><i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Emerson">Roy Emerson</a></i></b> as a 13-time major winner, one short of his <b><i><a href="http://espn.go.com/tennis/story/_/id/13005139/rafael-nadal-was-tipped-overtake-roger-federer-grand-slam-haul-novak-djokovic-put-end-writes-simon-barnes"><strike>former</strike> nemesis Rafael Nadal</a></i></b>. He would also, quietly, join Sampras, Federer and Borg as the only players to win at least 4 titles at two separate majors, and his would be a unique combination of Wimbledon and the Australian Open (where he has already joined Emerson as the only<b><i><a href="http://www.ausopen.com/en_AU/news/match_reports/2016-01-31/novaks_aussie_sixpack.html"> six-time champion,</a></i></b> although his coming at a time when nobody skipped it).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But the real humdinger would be winning 5 major titles in a row, a feat which has never been accomplished in the Open era, and only once by another (oft forgotten) claimant to the GOAT accolade, the American Don Budge, who, in fact, won 6 in a row from <b><i><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2000/01/27/sports/don-budge-first-to-win-tennis-s-grand-slam-dies-at-84.html">Wimbledon 1937 to the same title in 1938</a></i></b>. Budge too, was halfway to a calendar slam, in 1938 when he repeated his Wimbledon triumph, as if Djokovic needed any additional motivation. The pressure on him will be enormous on the day, if it comes to it, but for the moment, the only thing anyone seems to be concerned with is whether he can do the deed at Wimbledon. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If <a href="https://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2009/07/privlege-of-pressure.html"><b><i>pressure is indeed a privilege</i></b></a>, the smart money is the Djoker to kill about 5 historical birds with one almighty stone.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">RETURN OF THE TITAN</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While the prospect is altogether <b><i><a href="http://www.ibtimes.com/roger-federer-wimbledon-2016-betting-odds-overview-swiss-tennis-legend-grand-slam-2386113">less likely</a></i></b>, Roger Federer also has the chance to, once again, distinguish himself from all others who've deigned to whack fuzz as impressively as he has lo these many years. An unprecedented 8th title would drive him past his historical nemesis, Sampras, into territory that has not only never been achieved in the open era, but wasn't accomplished even when the defending champion needed only one match to add to his tally of titles. Since <b><i><a href="https://www.tennisfame.com/hall-of-famers/inductees/william-renshaw/">William Renshaw</a></i></b> racked up 6 of his 7 titles by way of this...shortcut, <b><i><a href="http://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/atoz/history.html">the Challenge Round</a></i></b> has been removed from the pages of Wimbledon history since 1922. This conveniently predated the opening of French championships to <b><i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Open">international competition</a></i></b> by 3 years, and is one of the many reasons why (de facto) professional tennis can only be considered to be 90 years old at the oldest. Either way, 8 titles would be the most any man has achieved at the game's oldest and most coveted venue.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">18 majors in total would extend the target which Nadal coveted, but in all likelihood (<b><i><a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/news/sampras-tips-nadal-surpass-federer-39-grand-slam-190022552--ten.html">despite hasty proclamations to the contrary</a></i></b>) will never achieve, but would still be pursued by Djokovic. One more major doesn't sound like a lot, but just ask Nadal or Sampras, for that matter, if they would have liked one more to add to their totals...when Federer had 14, that is. And at the other end of the spectrum, if Federer were to face Djokovic in the final, he would want to win also to avoid being the only player in the history of the game to lose the same major final 3 times in succession <b><i>to the same player</i></b>. He already has a trifecta of futility to Nadal at Roland Garros from 2006 to 2008, and would want to avoid the same fate befalling him vis a vis Djokovic at Wimbledon from 2014 to 2016.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">RETURN OF THE UNION JACK</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Never in the history of the tennis, and possibly the world, has a Scotsman been so <b><i><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2975359/I-don-t-hate-English-says-Andy-Murray-m-marrying-one-tennis-star-says-Scotland-independent.html">universally beloved and supported by so many Englishmen</a></i></b>, as was Andy Murray when he won here in 2013 over the, now invincible but then uncertain, Novak Djokovic. Back when the Djoker was just really good everywhere, Murray managed to beat him for the second time running at the All-England Club...of course, the first time he was wearing that lamentable</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Union Jack inspired monstrosity of an outfit under the British flag at the London Olympics, but why quibble. The point is, on-grass at least, he has repeatedly vanquished <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/news/tennis/djokovic-family-rejoices-after-clown-prince-novak-dethrones-king-roger/2008/01/28/1201369037088.html"><b><i>MacBethovic</i></b></a>, and appeared to have his number in general. Murray had lost the Australian Open final in 2013 to the Djoker, and never figured to be a factor at Roland Garros, but putting together his US Open title in 2012, with his victory in the Olympics, the 2013 victory at SW19 had many outside the bubble of British sports hype believing that the light at the end of the tennis tunnel shone brightly for His Irascibleness.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If Murray could find a way to use the success he's experienced this year over his own personal Serbian storm cloud, who's never more than a moment away from ruining any of his major final days, he would be the first British player to win 2 singles titles at Wimbledon since 1936. He'd still have one more title to match the inimitable Fred Perry, but the signs are good for Murray in this regard: he has dropped the deadweight of Amelie Mauresmo from his entourage, a coach who did almost nothing for his game since she was hired, suspended, unsuspended, and finally fired, (ironically) just prior to his (ironic) run to the final at Roland Garros. He has rejoined his personal sensei, Ivan Lendl, the man who was almost single-handedly responsible for making the necessary alterations to his game to win (both) the major (and sort of major) titles he did manage to win. And once England are eliminated from the 2016 Euros (I mean...let's be honest), the focus of the nation will once again fall on his shoulders.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But unlike his (truly and pseudo British) compatriots before him, Murray will not only need all the attention he gets, it is my assumption that he will, under the circumstances, thrive with it.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">RETURN OF THE REST</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Nick Kyrigos would be the first Australian winner at Wimbledon in 15 years, Milos Raonic would be the first Canadian winner ever, Grigor Dimitrov (yes, Grigor Dimitrov) would be the first major winner born in the last decade of the previous millenium, Kei Nishikori the first Japanese major winner ever, and Alexander Zverev the first German (by way of Russia) teenager to win for 20 years since some giraffe-eye-lashed, red-headed, Bavaria albino named Boris...whoever that is. Now, it is a tall order, and because the odds would (and should) be so remote, it may be worth plunking 10'er on Jack Sock becoming the first American to win Wimbledon since...wait for it...2001! Aside from one shining moment of lunacy in 2003, when Andy Roddick bazooka'd his way through the draw at Flushing Meadow, Sock would also be the first American to win any majors in 13 years.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Of the modern Mousquetaires, Tsonga, Gasquet, Simon or (the altogether unlikely) Monfils would be the first French major winner since 1983 and the first winner at Wimbledon since (not any of original Mouquetaires, but the unheralded and forgotten) Yvon Patra. A Frenchman, born in the colony of Vietnam, Patra was a prisoner of war before winning 3 french national titles in succession (played at Roland Garros, but apparently with only European francophiles in the field) after his release, before becoming, in 1946, the last man to win at Wimbledon in long trousers (the warm-ups don't count, Roger).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So if either Sock, Kyrigos or one of the 4 horsemen of the French tennis apocalypse can figure out a way to overcome their historical burdens, perhaps the biggest return to major glory would be for three of the four countries that host majors, but seem to have forgotten how to produce major champions.</span><br />
MMT Srhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11840298474071177362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720810965183070923.post-16659279808621655592016-05-17T09:16:00.000-07:002016-07-29T09:38:08.543-07:00HU'S SEEDED FIRST?<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In honor of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Na"><b><i>Li Na</i></b></a> being <a href="http://www.wtatennis.com/news/article/5569122/title/li-na-unveiled-as-wuhan-ambassador"><b><i>named Ambassador of the tournament in Wuhan</i></b></a> this week, the following is an adaptation of Abbott and Costello's classic comedy routine <a href="http://www.phoenix5.org/humor/WhoOnFirst.html"><b><i>"Who's On First"</i></b></a>, with Roger and Rafa discussing a hypothetical impending trip to Beijing.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Well, Rafa, I'm going to Beijing with you.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: That's a shame.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: It's okay, I'm not playing, but Mercedes asked me to promote some of the Asian players in the qualifiers.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: Bueno Roger, if you are doing promotion of Asian players, you must know all the names.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: I certainly do.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: Well, I never meet those guy, so you tell me the names, and then I know who is in the draw.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Oh, I'll tell you their names, Rafa, but strange as it may seem, the Asians have some very different names.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: Funny names?</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Short names, confusing names....</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: Like Long Duc Dong?</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Long Duc Dong.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: Fu Man Chu?</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Fu Man Chu.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: And his "primo gordito"?</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Chubby cousin?</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: Chow Hi Fat?</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Chow Hi Fat! Oh, I see...well, let's see. In the qualifying draw we have, "Hu" seeded 1st, "Yu" seeded 2nd, "Ngo" 3rd seed, "</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mi" 4th seed</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">..</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">...</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: Roger - this is what I want to know.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: I said, </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Hu" seeded 1st, "Yu" seeded 2nd, "Ngo" 3rd seed, "</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mi" 4th seed</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">..</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: Roger...you are coming to Beijing?</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Yes.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: You are promoting the Asians?</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Yes.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: But, you don't know their names?</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: I certainly should.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: Then who's seeded 1st?</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Yes.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: I mean the #1 seed.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Hu.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: T</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">he #1 seed</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">!</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Hu!</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: The top seed!</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Hu is the top seed!</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: Who?!</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: That's the man's name!</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: That's who's name?</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Yes.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: You don't want to tell me?</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: I'm telling you his name!</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: Who's name?</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Yes.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>...pause....</i></span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: Roger, did you read the draw sheet?</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Of course I read the draw sheet.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: Then what's the first name in the draw?</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: The first name in the draw is Hu.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: I'm asking <i>YOU</i> the first name in the draw.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Yu is the last name in the draw - the 2nd seed is always at the bottom.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: Who's the last man in the draw?</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Ah-ah...<i>he's </i>the first.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: No, no, no...</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Oh, he's the 3rd seed.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: Que?</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: The 3rd seed: Ngo.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: No - no the 3rd seed.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Yes he is.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: Who is?</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Ah-ah...he's the top seed.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>...pause...</i></span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><pause ...=""> </pause></i><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><pause ...=""> </pause></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">All I want to know is the first man on the draw sheet.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Hu is.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: Why you are asking me?</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Mi? I'm not asking Mi, I'm telling <i>you</i>.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: You are telling <i>me</i>?</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Why would I tell Mi? Mi is in the bottom half of the draw.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: You are in who's half of the draw?</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: I'm not playing, I'm just doing promos.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><pause ...=""> </pause></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Espera, espera...why would Roger Federer, be in the qualifiers?</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: I'm not in the qualifiers.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: Then who's seeded 1st?</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: That's right.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: Vale...</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Okay...</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>....pause...</i></span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: Venga, Roger - f</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">orget the top 2 seeds...forget them - what about the 3rd seed?</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: What about him?</span><br>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: Who is seeded 3rd?</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Why do you insist on making Hu the 3rd seed?</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: No, no, no.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Right!</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: Roger...the name of the 3rd seed, no?</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: That's it.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: What's it?</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: The name of the 3rd seed.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: No, no, no...</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: That's right!</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: I don't even know what I'm talking about! Dios mio....what about the 2nd seed?</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: The second seed is Yu!</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: I am in the qualies?</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Why the hell would Rafa Nadal be in the qualies?</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: Is what I'm asking <i>YOU!</i></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Go ahead and ask him, but I'm sure he doesn't know.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: Who doesn't know?</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Him either.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: This is unbelievable, no?</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Ngo? He's seeded 3rd.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: Bueno, bueno...let's talk about the 3rd seed and don't change the subject!</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: The 3rd seed? Ngo.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: Yes, the 3rd seed.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Ngo!</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: You don't want to tell me the 3rd seed?</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: I told you already!</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: No?</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: That's right.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: Que "right"?</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: The 3rd seed's name - Ngo.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: Why you </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">don't </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">want to tell me who's the 3rd seed?</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Now listen, Hu is not the 3rd seed...</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: I break your balls if you tell me who's the #1 seed!</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Take it easy chico...I told you their names are confusing.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: Seguro! I hope the other Asian names aren't so complicated.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><br></i></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>...pause...</i></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: The other Asians - like that Vietnamese player they just signed?</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: When?</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: That's right Nguyen.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: I don't know when.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Neither do I, but it's a good thing they signed him, because the 1st Vietnamese player withdrew with an injury.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: Somebody dropped out of the draw? Since when?</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: <i>He's</i> still in the draw: another Vietnamese player withdrew, t</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">hat's why they signed him.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: They signed who?</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Not Hu; Nguyen.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: Since when they signed who?</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: They're <i>both</i> still in the draw! I'm talking about <i>the other </i>Vietnamese player.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: They signed another Vietnamese player?</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Yes!</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: When?</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Exactly!</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><br></i></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>....pause...</i></span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: <i>Por Dios - dame paciencia</i>...Roger! If you don't give me a straight answer....(shaking his hand)</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Mi wants a straight answer? All he has to do is ask.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: Whoever he is, If he asks <i>you</i>, he never get a straight answer.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Sure he will, he's in the qualies too.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: Who's in the qualies?</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Yes, him too.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><pause ...=""> </pause></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Wait a minute...Roger...you are telling me that the name of the #1 seed is Hu?</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: For the last 10 minutes, yes...</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: And the 2nd seed is Yu?</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: I told you, I'm not in the tournament - I'm just doing promos.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: No, no, no</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: He's...</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: ...the 3rd seed, I got it, I got it.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Perfect - now you can do some promo work too.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: I guess...by the way, did you see the PR guy anywhere?</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Yes, he's Sum Yung Gi.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: Si, they start in the business very early; but do you know him?</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Yes, of course: he's Sum Yung Gi</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: We established that! But I want to know: have you seen him today?</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Yes! Didn't you meet him earlier?</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: No? I never met him.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: I haven't either, but I hear he's a hell of a player, that's why they seeded him 3rd.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: I'm talking about the PR guy? Do you know <i>him</i>?</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Yes, he's Sum Yung Gi.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: Claro, he's young! Is professional tennis - nothing but young guys around here!</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Yeah, I guess that is a common name in Beijing.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: What is the common name?</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: SUM...YUNG...GI!</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa: Basta con este mierda! I go to see the women's draw.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Roger: Okay, okay......Shi's all over that one...</span><br>
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa proceeds to slap Roger silly as they exit stage left...</span></i>MMT Srhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11840298474071177362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720810965183070923.post-48625796874649445732016-05-05T15:01:00.000-07:002016-07-13T08:38:27.182-07:00EQUAL PAY OR EQUAL EXPECTATIONS?<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Have you ever argued with someone so vociferously, for so long, that you forget what you were originally were arguing about in the first place?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Felled by his own sword, Ray Moore appeared to have cost himself a dream job as CEO of the joint event at Indian Wells, after being forced to resign for his <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/prishe/2016/03/20/a-managerial-double-fault-indian-wells-ceo-ray-moore-should-step-down-after-womens-tennis-remarks/#2e26d4286595"><b><i>comments</i></b></a> concerning the debt of contribution the WTA owe to the biggest names in men's tennis. In fact, the debt of contribution extends to everywhere else the two competing tours engorge themselves at the same troth. Now, Ion Tiriac appears to be headed, once more, into the breach, with his recent statement concerning his brainchild, the joint event in Madrid, saying essentially <b><i><a href="http://www.elmundo.es/deportes/2016/05/02/57267a7d268e3e13278b45d9.html">the same thing</a>.</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Along the way, Novak Djokovic <a href="http://www.tennis-x.com/xblog/2016-03-20/22285.php"><b><i>indelicately chimed in</i></b></a>, followed by an effort to raise and <a href="http://www.foxsports.com/tennis/story/serena-williams-novak-djokovic-equal-pay-wta-atp-less-sets-raymond-moore-sexism-032216"><b><i>carry the flag by Serena Williams</i></b></a>, and a <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-3506031/Andy-Murray-wades-equal-pay-row-tennis-exchanges-feisty-tweets-Ukrainian-rival-Sergiy-Stakhovsky.html"><b><i>twitter spat</i></b></a> initiated by Andy Murray, and inconsiderately drawing in Sergiy Stakhovsky, who responded clumsily, in his own defense. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But for me, the question remains: what exactly are we talking about anyway? Did Ray Moore, or Ion Tiriac dispute either the ideal or the desire for equal pay at joint events? Not by the hairs on their (double)chinny-chin-chins. In fact both went out of their way to insist that they are in favor of equal pay, which would render the interceding arguments from players on both sides of the aisle, entirely moot. But somehow the point they're making keeps getting twisted into a debate about equal pay.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The question is not whether men and women should be paid the same: legally and morally, very few would argue that they shouldn't. The real question is whether the women are doing their part to draw fans to joint events. If the television revenues are <a href="http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2015/11/23/Leagues-and-Governing-Bodies/ATP-revenue.aspx"><b><i>any indication</i></b></a>, the women figure to be less than half the draw of men in general - this includes events that don't overlap like Monte Carlo, Canada and Bercy. So riddle me this: if women's tennis is indeed the equal of men's tennis, why does the WTA (or anyone desperately seeking a male chauvinist villain in this debate) accept this disparity?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Because of the soft sexism of low expectations. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The truth is that nobody - not even the WTA - actually expects women to draw equally to the men. If they did, and there was room in the blogosphere and elsewhere to discuss this salient point, <i>they'd all</i> be asking the same question as Ray Moore and Ion Tiriac. So why don't they? I'm certainly more interested in men's tennis than women's tennis, but that's not because I'm gay (a fact) or sexist (a matter of opinion). I prefer men's tennis because, for me, the draw to professional tennis has always been the game they play. There <i>was</i> a time when women played the game in an equally aesthetically appealing way as the men. I based my serve on Hana Mandlikova, and my volleys on Martina Navratilova. For a time, I modeled my forehand on Steffi Graf's and to this day, I still emulate Justine Henin's footwork. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Nothing and nobody <a href="http://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2008/05/ode-to-justine.html"><b><i>since</i></b></a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One of the problems I have with women's tennis is the paucity of variety - they don't only play they same, they look and sound the same too. If you close your eyes, can you distinguish between the plaintive wail of Victoria Azarenka or the yawning moan of Maria Sharapova? If you open your eyes quickly, observe two strokes, and close them again, could you tell which blonde Eastern European was which? I couldn't. And this absurd experiment with <a href="http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/08/alison-riske-coach-shut-up-stanford-wta-coaching-rule-atp"><b><i>on court coaching</i></b></a>, which is merely an even more absurd extension of the paucity of good coaching in women's tennis, makes the game look worse than the men's. One baseball capped man after another entreating a pony-tailed malcontent to "play your game", which clearly isn't good enough, only to watch the calumny continue through to its logical conclusion.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This and many more eyesores on the women's game is one of many that I presume contributes to its lagging popularity. Their year-end championships is a traveling circus with no character and almost no appeal outside of the wonkiest of wonks in the game. As I write this, I have no idea where it will be held this year, where it was held the year before, or where it's been held since it left Madison Square Garden 20 years ago. The men's version, on the other hand, has gotten its head out of its ass and planted the event at a venue that lends its gravitas and appeal to the event...and vice versa. The women have continued to make their event just another date on the calendar, this one without the dead weight of all the players ranked #9 or worse.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And let's not forget the debacle that was <a href="http://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2009/02/to-no-preserve-union.html"><b><i>the exclusion of Shahar Peer</i></b></a> from the women's event in Dubai. Rather than banding together in their own interest, the women essentially abandoned their colleague, abandoned their cause, ceded the power of what masquerades as a union and <a href="http://espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=hill/090220"><b><i>hid behind the sponsors</i></b></a>. Only Venus Williams even bothered to mention her name; this after she graciously accepted a 6-figure check that Peer was excluded from pursuing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now, lest you think my derision is reserved for the WTA, there may very well be plenty to criticize the ATP tour for...none of the cited issues above...but their own band of bad ideas nonetheless. Only they have the luxury of hiding behind the enormous popularity, outstanding performances, and generally good marketing and public relations of the 4 horsemen of their (impending) apocalypse. We won't really know how well the ATP is doing until these guys start losing more often than they don't. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">They <a href="http://espn.go.com/sports/tennis/news/story?id=2807219"><b><i>experimented with round-robins</i></b></a>, but quickly realized</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> they didn't need it. This because </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">if there's a tournament, and anyone of them are in it, it is very likely that one of them will be there at the business end of the event, along with all the kings' men. Absent this convenient condition (which ironically applies as much to the ATP tour as it does to the joint events), as far as I'm concerned, the jury is still out on the ATP.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But I think when someone like Ray Moore or Ion Tiriac calls out the WTA for failing to do their job in making women's tennis the equal of men's, we should stop looking for the sexism in what their saying, but rather look out for <a href="http://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2015/07/rothenbergs-gift-to-serena-et-al.html"><b><i>the sexism in our reaction to it</i></b></a>. Because if you follow and believe in women's tennis the same as men's, there's absolutely no reason why the women's television revenue should be lower, and their stadiums empty at the joint events unless the player happens to be 6'1 or named Serena.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We can bury our heads in the sand, looking for the chauvinist pig hiding in plain sight. But one of these days, the men are going to follow the logical extension of their argument that they deserve a bigger cut: which is in fact, to cut out the middle (wo)man and <i>abandon joint events altogether</i>. I suspect that if they did so, it wouldn't take long for the women and the tournaments to figure out that they weren't just blowing smoke up their own shorts, but actually making a salient economic point. But by then, they'll be in the catbird seat, graciously offering (in their view, of course) a more economically equitable split of the revenue and the prize money.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And singing cock-a-doodle-do.</span>MMT Srhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11840298474071177362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720810965183070923.post-68810029788292483792016-04-07T08:15:00.002-07:002016-05-24T08:59:10.226-07:00YOU KNOW THE TENNIS WORLD HAS LOST ITS MIND WHEN...<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">...Henri Leconte is the bearer of advice and counsel on professionalism, among other kibbles and bits of wisdom. This is apropos of nothing, but in case you missed it, in this clip, Leconte appears to put the squeeze on the current crop of underachieving French tennis professionals in their quest to right the wrongs of 2014 and win the Davis Cup that they seemed poised to do against the Swiss...on clay...in France.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ironically, he was somewhat goaded into doing so by Gasquet (one of the said fruits of French tennis' labor) who tells Leconte, who was at first reticent to name names, to do just that. I think it was an attempt to get him to shut up, but instead, Leconte being Leconte, he wound up goading him into calling out Monfils! I mean with friends like that, who needs enemies?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is also ironic on another level - Leconte was also considered to be way too talented not to win a major in his day, and wasn't exactly the fittest or most committed player in history. Nobody got more out of their talent in the history of tennis than Leconte, because it sure serbert didn't come from time spent running the Swiss hills (where it seems so many french tennis players choose to live, but I digress). But his insane performance in Lyon in 1991, defeating Sampras, then winning the doubles with Forget (giving France a 2-1 lead) has essentially washed away his "sins" at Roland Garros.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Of course, for some fans of his (myself included), there was Henri and...well everyone else....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He was even given <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZfLtA1SAYg">a heroe's sending off</a> at Roland Garros after having sustained one of the most humiliating losses of his career in the final there in 1988, where he famously hoped the French public now "understand, a bit, my game," which of course they did not and excoriated him (immediately) for entreating them to. The tennis world, like the world in its entirety, is round, and it seems we've come all the way around to treating Leconte like a wiseman, rather than the "genius from the elbow down" he used to be.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So now he espouses the value of hard work and commitment in the Davis Cup context, when he himself was no gym rat. Let's face it - in his best physical form, he still had saggy <strike>breasts</strike> pecs and legs that looked more like they belonged under an accountant's desk, than on a tennis court. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Well, I mean, I shouldn't judge...bean counters play tennis too! </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It's a mad mad world indeed...</span>MMT Srhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11840298474071177362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720810965183070923.post-23048273024172824972016-03-28T08:51:00.005-07:002016-07-31T14:03:50.602-07:00CAN THE DJOKER CARRY TENNIS?<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.", </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i style="color: #252525; line-height: 22px;">- <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_IV,_Part_2" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="Henry IV, Part 2">Henry IV, Part 2</a></i><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 22px;"> by William Shakespeare (Act III, Scene I)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">First, it was the big story that wasn't - Serena Williams, poised to win her record tying 22nd major and the calendar slam, suffered a collosal case of nerves and lost a match that nobody thought she could. ESPN did their best to turn the 2015 US Open into the Serena Show, but somebody forgot to tell Roberta Vinci, and instead of her coronation, we got a whole lot of <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/tennis/2015/09/08/serena-williams-fans-kim-kardashian-victor-cruz/71899494/" target="_blank"><b><i>very disappointed celebrities</i></b></a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then the Australian Open came with an attachment: <b><i><a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/heidiblake/the-tennis-racket#.lpjZXy5Mr" target="_blank">a story on BuzzFeed</a></i></b> about the continuing problem of match-fixing and the (intentionally) dormant effort on the part of tennis authorities to address it. There was no specific evidence, other than <b><i><a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/johntemplon/how-we-used-data-to-investigate-match-fixing-in-tennis#.fmL8b7rg4" target="_blank">ill-defined, poorly explained statistical analysis</a></i></b> that points to the likelihood of match-fixing, or compromised betting patterns. But the stain is not easily removed, and in many ways, we're all still waiting for <b><i><a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/heidiblake/an-open-letter-to-the-tennis-integrity-unit#.wfbae9kD2" target="_blank">the other shoe to drop</a>.</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Next Serena Williams lost the Australian Open final, and the Indian Wells finals - two tournaments that you probably couldn't have placed a bet on her losing if you wanted to. One title lost to Angelique Kerber, who has since collapsed under the weight of expectation, and the other to Victoria Azarenka, who seems to have shed some of the <b><i><a href="http://www.tennis-x.com/xblog/2015-09-30/20783.php" target="_blank">excess baggage</a></i></b> she'd picked up since winning the Australian Open in 2013. <b><i><a href="http://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2016/02/suddenly-serena.html" target="_blank">Suddenly Serena </a></i></b>doesn't seem so invincible, and the running story that isn't a story, makes another appearance at Roland Garros before genuine questions will start to be asked, which at the moment, everyone is too afraid to ask: what's wrong with Serena?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then Maria Sharapova, the most marketable female athlete in the world, a woman who is reviled and admired the world over, in equal measures, for looking like a prom queen who happens to play tennis, <b><i><a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/kellyoakes/meldonium-banned#.gsyZz6M9y" target="_blank">failed a drugs test</a></i></b>? There had been, for years, unjustified suspicion of Serena Williams, because...well..she looks like Serena Williams. After all, it was Andy Roddick who <b><i><a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2009/01/andy-roddick-sa.html" target="_blank">joked that she was benching small dump trucks at age 11</a></i></b>, so it shouldn't really come as any surprise that she looks like <b><i><a href="http://www.musictimes.com/articles/56650/20151202/serena-williams-flexes-bare-back-muscles-thighs-2016-pirelli-calendar.htm" target="_blank">this</a></i></b> today. That's why it was all the more shocking that of these two <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3154121/The-bitter-cat-fight-tennis-One-s-human-volcano-s-ice-queen-loved-man-duel-Centre-Court-today-venomous-truth-Serena-Williams-Maria-Sharapova.html" target="_blank"><b><i>racquet toting divas</i></b></a>, the one snared in a drugs fiasco was <a href="https://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2007/09/please-go-away-ms-sharapova.html"><b><i>Her Siberianess</i></b></a>. What the penalty will be for her failed drugs test, which she has neither disputed, nor satisfactorily explained to any and all, is as yet unknown. But that has been a story that is just waiting in the wings to come back and haunt the game. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mark this space...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rafa Nadal continues to struggle, despite making some progress in Indian Wells before losing tamely to his nemesis. He has no titles in 2016, his last title was on clay in Hamburg after Wimbledon, and his spring clay court career victory lap around South America has elicited <b><i><a href="http://www.complex.com/sneakers/2014/10/a-roundup-of-rafael-nadal-biting-his-trophies" target="_blank">no silverware to bite</a></i></b>, and little confidence on the part of his admirers around the world. Most assume that his best bet to win </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strike><i>his last</i></strike></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">another major will be at Roland Garros this year, but few would count on that given that somebody out there appears to be <b><i><a href="http://www.oregonlive.com/the-spin-of-the-ball/index.ssf/2015/04/novak_djokovic_is_the_worlds_b.html" target="_blank">the best player in the world on the surface</a></i></b>, and incredibly <b><i><a href="https://www.quora.com/Why-do-most-Spanish-tennis-players-only-play-well-on-clay" target="_blank">he is not from Spain</a></i></b>. If you're holding your breath for Nadal to add to his tally of 14 of the crowned jewels in the kingdom of tennis heaven, I would suggest you grab a canister of oxygen until you can find someone else to support.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka are still in the mix; two-time winners at the two majors that the other has not won (together they make an "other slam"...as in someone <i>other</i> than the real big 3). But neither of them has exactly been burning down the house lately. To be fair to Wawrinka, he is still the holder of the title at Roland Garros, but we see how heavy was the crown in Australia last year when the third installment of his <b><i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YY1HkrzQ-3Q" target="_blank">Aussie trilogy </a></i></b>went the way of <b><i><a href="http://www.tennis-x.com/xblog/2016-03-23/22345.php" target="_blank">God's chosen one</a></i></b>. Does anyone get the feeling that Wawrinka's best chance to win a major is to surprise everyone - not the least of whom, himself - lest he crumble under the immeasurable pressure to <a href="http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/tennis/french-open-2015-stanislas-wawrinka-stuns-novak-djokovic-to-win-final/news-story/bf3844966e9e69d38b55e50a0fd26afe" target="_blank"><b><i>prove himself anew</i></b></a> to the history of the game? Don't look now, but Murray hasn't won a major in almost 3 years - it doesn't sound like much, until you remember that the likes of John McEnroe, Mats Wilander <b><i><a href="http://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2009/07/privlege-of-pressure.html" target="_blank">didn't win any majors after</a></i></b> the calendar ticked off it's 365th day from their last. Lendl and Edberg, by far greater champions than <b><i><u><a href="https://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2008/05/world-according-to-andymurray-that-is.html">His Irascibleness</a></u></i></b>, didn't go more than 2 years before adding to their major tallies, once they'd figured out how to win a big one...any big one.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Finally, after doing his best Serbian disappearing act 4 times on the trot, Roger Federer, who hasn't won a major in 4 years (that's<i> four years</i>), just had...wait for it...surgery on his knee <b><i>(cue the melodramatic gasp and clutching of the chest)</i></b>. Now that doesn't seem like much to shake a stick at, but I can tell you that one of the reasons the tennis world has continued to delude itself into believing that <b><i><a href="http://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2015/11/abbott-and-costello-martin-and.html" target="_blank">what passes itself off as a rivalry </a></i></b>still walks like a duck, is that we are yet to be convinced that what we're witnessing is anything other than the dominance of one at the expense of the other. We've done so because the unique combination of Federer's athletic prowess <b><i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPhNMv9ZU8I" target="_blank">appears to persist</a>, </i></b>but for one glaring exception. Not so much anymore, following a surgery that for a younger man would be difficult to recover from - let alone a man old enough to be his drunk uncle who just <b><i><a href="http://www.tennis-x.com/xblog/2016-03-13/22197.php" target="_blank">doesn't know when to quit</a></i></b>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When Ray Moore <b><i><a href="http://espn.go.com/tennis/story/_/id/15039381/indian-wells-ceo-raymond-moore-resigns-remarks-drew-outrage" target="_blank">fell on his sword</a></i></b> (in more ways than one) I was of the opinion that his comment was not directed at women playing professional tennis, so much as it was a diatribe against the leadership (or the lack thereof) at the WTA. And when he said that the women ought to be down on their knees thanking God that "Fedal" are still making a nuisance of themselves, I tended to agree with him, or at least accept the proposition as a disconcerting one. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But something just occurred to me that ought to be way more disconcerting for the whole game of tennis, let alone the WTA: e</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">xactly who will be minding the store when the Roger & Rafa show takes a permanent hiatus?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That's where the really scary question comes: can Novak Djokovic carry tennis? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It's not a scary proposition because of anything he has done...well, not exactly. But it's not as if the man isn't playing tennis at the <b><i><a href="http://www.espn.co.uk/tennis/story/_/id/14119101/why-novak-djokovic-greatest-tennis-player-history" target="_blank">highest level it's ever been played</a></i></b>. He has, after all, contested 5 major finals in a row, won 4 of them - actually he has gone around the world and basically <b><i><a href="http://espn.go.com/tennis/story/_/id/14850232/tennis-novak-djokovic-streak-ended" target="_blank">won everything he's entered</a></i></b> since January of 2015. He still makes jokes, he's still the nicest guy you could ever hope to meet, the kind of guy that would help you change a tire in the snow...<b><i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0si3yYAaO8" target="_blank">literally</a></i></b>. He'll do any talk show you can think of, in any language you can imagine, including a couple that you can't. He's a young, handsome 28 year old newlywed father, his parents (<a href="http://en.yibada.com/articles/109503/20160314/novak-djokovic-he-is-sent-by-god-he-can-win-10-more-grand-slams-srdjan.htm" target="_blank"><b><i>with fleeting exceptions</i></b></a>) have largely removed the target from his back, his coach has shockingly done a job that I didn't think he had in him, and there are even jokes being made about the inevitability of his victories on that bloody 36 by 72 foot rectangle with the funny lines?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So why can't he carry tennis?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Is it a conspiracy against him? Are the grey men of tennis looking down their noses at him, like the jury on Krypton, passing judgment on General Zod? Has the (not yet) dominant PR machine of Roger Federer, Tony Godsick and Team8 laid the groundwork for his denial from the kingdom of Mount Rush(the net)more? Does his messianic father still get under people's skin with one <a href="http://en.yibada.com/articles/109503/20160314/novak-djokovic-he-is-sent-by-god-he-can-win-10-more-grand-slams-srdjan.htm" target="_blank"><b><i>idiotic proclamation</i></b></a> after <a href="http://www.newsweek.com/novak-djokovic-father-exclusive-interview-436106" target="_blank"><b><i>another</i></b></a> - causing even his own son to <a href="http://larrybrownsports.com/tennis/novak-djokovic-father-comments/200969" target="_blank"><b><i>distance himself</i></b></a> from the craziest of the crazy things he says? <b><i><a href="http://www.tennis-x.com/xblog/2016-03-20/22285.php" target="_blank">Does he himself put his foot in his mouth</a>,</i></b> when a more nuanced, more diplomatic, more neutral and...dare I say...<i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.tennis-x.com/xblog/2016-03-24/22360.php" target="_blank">more Swiss approach would serve him better?</a> </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My theory is this: no single star can carry tennis. It has never been the case that one single player can carry the game of tennis to greater heights, nor bear the weight of the tennis world on his shoulders like a racquet wielding Atlas. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Big Bill Tilden had little Bill Johnston, Budge had von Cramm, Gonzales had Hoad, Laver had Rosewall, Billie Jean had Margaret Court, Chrissie had Martina, Connors had Borg, Borg had McEnroe, Becker had Edberg, Agassi had Sampras, Federer had Nadal.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But who gapes for the crown of Novak Djokovic? Competitively, he has in the past been the chaser, and he has had rivalries that are <a href="http://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2015/11/abbott-and-costello-martin-and.html" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">currently diluted</a> where an unjust escape and one competitive set in two played <b><i><a href="http://www.tennis-x.com/xblog/2016-03-19/22269.php" target="_blank">constitutes a good week</a></i></b>, but can he alone carry the sport as it appears he may have to? There is a myth out there that pencil pushers, marketing mavens and sporting bureaucrats can <b><i><a href="http://www.tennis-x.com/xblog/2016-03-20/22282.php" target="_blank">steward the game to success.</a></i></b> That there's some magic formula out there of sex, jokes, celebrity friends and fireworks that can make the game something that it isn't in spite of what it is. But I have my doubts...I'm beginning to wonder if it isn't a little like the way the real star of the Star Trek franchise isn't James T. Kirk, or Jean-Luc Picard, or Kathryn Janeway...the real star is the <b><i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starship_Enterprise" target="_blank">Starship Enterprise</a></i></b>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It survived years of going where no man has gone before, several captains, battles with Klingons and <b><i>the</i></b> Borg, and everything in between, and even in another space/time continuum, it survives. And the guys Ray Moore and the rest of us are looking for to steer the ship are a bit like the passengers on the Enterprise - they may know where all the buttons are, but their fate is really in <i><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Enterprise_(NCC-1701)" target="_blank">her</a></b></i> hands.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Well, the rivalries, not the players, are the enterprise. Try as we may to heap all the credit and responsibility on those at the head of the table, it's the ones at the foot of the table that make the ship sail. And as it stands today, Novak Djokovic is alone at the top of the pyramid competitively, and may also find himself alone figuratively as well. The throne is an enchantress for <i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.smh.com.au/news/tennis/djokovic-family-rejoices-after-clown-prince-novak-dethrones-king-roger/2008/01/28/1201369037088.html" target="_blank">the boy who would be king</a>, </i>but as the saying goes: be careful what you wish for. There is an old Czech joke about an old man chasing a beautiful and seductive young woman being like a dog chasing a mail truck - even if he catches it, he doesn't have the first damn clue how to drive. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And with Djokovic's missteps at Indian Wells taking over the news cycle, <b><i><a href="http://www.tennis-x.com/xblog/2016-03-22/22331.php" target="_blank">and subsequent apology</a></i></b> and <b><i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hx2YnGArixM" target="_blank">brief PR campaign</a></i></b> tour to <b><i><a href="http://espn.go.com/tennis/story/_/id/15053732/novak-djokovic-meets-billie-jean-king-chris-evert" target="_blank">make up for it</a></i></b>, there have to be more than a few people in the halls of tennis' bureaucracy that are wondering if Ray Moore's comments about the WTA could just as well apply to the ATP? The truth is, they are no more responsible for the success of the game than he is, but the welcome perception, and indeed the unjust expectation, that Novak Djokovic will be, now that he is by far the best player on the planet (male or female), could prove a crown too heavy for his head.</span></div>
MMT Srhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11840298474071177362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720810965183070923.post-41603454217708664582016-03-21T07:31:00.001-07:002016-06-20T08:09:50.182-07:00INDIAN WELLS: "ISMS" AND "SCHISMS"<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What exactly is sexism? Is it like art, where you know it when you see it, or does it require a fixed definition? I'm a firm believer in the idea that words matter and definitions matter; the one without the other creates a murky waterway of innuendo and obligations, driving people to their battle stations, without any sense at all of what it is they're fighting for. Political polarization has never been greater in this country: whether your red, blue, purple or green, the telltale sign of your political orientation is the camp to which you report any time an issue comes up that brings it into relief. The same could be said of the blogosphere when it comes to tennis. The minute somebody says the word, "women", one is required to declare their position on their place in the game, as if that is something to be determined thereby.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But what happens when definitions are ill-defined?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Indian Wells CEO Ray Moore made the following comments, universally derided as sexist, prior to the final between Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"I think the WTA - you know, in my next life when I come back I want to be someone in the WTA, because they ride on the coattails of the men. "They don't make any decisions and they are lucky. They are very, very lucky. If I was a lady player, I'd go down every night on my knees and thank God that Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal were born, because they have carried this sport. They really have."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Cue dramatic gasp, and clutching of the chest.</i> The words themselves could be interpreted offensively on a number of fronts: from the reference to women getting down on their knees, to thanking God that two men were born that have been carrying the sport, to the very idea that the sport suffers from a disproportionate emphasis on the men even at joint events. Of course, Serena was asked about his remarks and had this to say, right on cue:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"I don't think any woman should be down on their knees thanking anybody like that...I think Venus, myself, a number of players - if I could tell you every day how many people say they don't watch tennis unless they're watching myself or my sister - I couldn't even bring up that number...So I don't think that is a very accurate statement. I think there are a lot of women out there who are very exciting to watch. I think there are a lot of men out there who are exciting to watch. I think it definitely goes both ways."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Curiously absent from this response, given almost entirely by rote, is the central complaint of Ray Moore: it's not the women he's complaining about, it's the WTA, which at the moment is run by a man. And the question of whether they are doing everything they can to add to the interest in the women's game, is an entirely separate question of whether the women are playing the wretched supplicants to the men. That's because it is only viewed through the prism of an ill-defined notion of sexism, and incredibly gives a pass to an organization which must continually evaluate itself and the role it plays in promoting the game. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Let us suppose for a minute that, in fact, the women's game were not entirely healthy, and the men's game did in fact bear some responsibility to uphold their sisters on the other side of the schedule? What then would you make of Moore's comments? Would he still simply be a sexist trying to denigrate the women's game, or someone concerned with the health of the WTA, because of the important role they play at the tournament of which he is CEO, and the paucity of promotion and proper management under which their great athletes toil? You see, if your first and only reaction is to go to your battle stations and decry the messenger as a sexist, you won't even get to the more salient question of which you should truly be concerned <i style="font-weight: bold;">if </i>your concern is for the health of women's tennis.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When people decry the lack of racial diversity in tennis, does anyone interpret that as, in and of itself, the ravings of an out of touch racist, or someone who wants to deepen the pool of athletes and fans of the game? When one decries the paucity of American stars in the game, the current crop of young yankees notwithstanding, is this seen as an anti-American bigot, looking to dismiss Americans from the game, or the very real concern that the traditionally most lucrative market for sports in general, and tennis in particular, may be lost to an entire generation?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Why then do we fall to our knees and pray to the Gods of political correctness that we might be delivered from the sexism of the grey old men of tennis, looking down on the world's center courts like the faces of the Kryptonian judges in "Superman"? Is there an expectation that the WTA can and must raise the profile of the game with equal effectiveness as the ATP, or isn't there? And if not, why not? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That's the real sexism: the assumption that by merely criticizing women, or more accurately those charged with the stewardship of their game, they are being denigrated as a whole. In fact the opposite is true, the low expectations of sexism compels us to attack any genuine commentary on the direction of the game, with the WTA at the helm, rather than hold their feet to the fire and demand that they produce a product that is the equal of the men. There are cases where the women's game outshines the men's, and to her credit Serena did point out the fact that the women's final of the US Open in 2015 was sold out <b><i>before</i></b> she lost her semi-final to Roberta Vinci, and more significantly, before the men's. That's saying a lot given that the two finalists are two of the greatest players ever to whack fuzz off the ball in the history of fuzz whacking. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But it was so obviously an anomaly that it has to be pointed out as a point of refutation. How many times has that happened in the history of the US Open, or any of the majors, or any of the joint WTA/ATP events? Serena has played her part, and for this she is duly compensated: aside from her PR challenged blonde nemesis from Siberia, she is the highest paid female athlete in the world. Most of the credit for this belongs to the two headed beast that forms her imaginary rivalry with Yuri Sharapov's daughter, and more importantly, not the WTA.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you can find your way out of the camp, and if you care about women's tennis, there are a lot of questions about the decision making of the WTA</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">over the last few years </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">that can and should be asked. Good questions that would inform the ill-formed, but no less pertinent comments of Mr. Moore, for which there are as yet few good answers:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Why does the WTA continue to treat their Year End Championships (whatever the hell it's called these days) like a <a href="http://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2011/11/decline-of-masters.html" target="_blank"><b><i>traveling circus</i></b></a>?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Where the hell was the WTA when Shahar Peer was being treated like a political tennis ball and <b><a href="http://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2009/02/to-no-preserve-union.html" target="_blank"><i>denied entry to one of their premiere tournaments</i></a></b>?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Why do they distribute ranking points in a convoluted and irrational system, leading to <a href="http://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2009/02/new-money-same-old-problem.html" target="_blank"><b><i>majorless #1's</i></b></a> that aren't worth the paper they're written on?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Why do they persist with this obscene experiment with on-court coaching, when the coaching is clearly doing more <b><a href="http://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2009/09/blame-it-on-steffi.html" target="_blank"><i>damage</i></a> than <a href="http://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2011/06/state-of-womens-tennis.html" target="_blank"><i>good</i></a></b>?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Why does the WTA continue to <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/story?id=128546&page=1" target="_blank"><b><i>sell sex</i></b> </a>and get away with it, then decry sexism when they're called on it?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Why is the blogosphere <a href="http://www.tennis-x.com/popularposts.php" target="_blank"><b><i>obsessed with men's tennis</i></b></a>, if measured by its collective commentary, by comparison to the women's game?</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You see, I care about women's tennis. I grew up wanting to play like Martina Navratilova, I modeled my serve after Hana Mandlikova, and I still watch youtube clips of <b><a href="http://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2008/05/ode-to-justine.html" target="_blank"><i>Justine Henin</i></a></b>'s matches where ever I can find them. I'm not a sexist, and because I'm not a sexist, I don't falsely praise the quality of women's tennis out of <b><a href="http://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2015/07/rothenbergs-gift-to-serena-et-al.html" target="_blank"><i>a tacit and imminently sexist presumption</i></a> </b>that this is as good as it gets. My expectation of women playing tennis is that they will be as athletic and skilled as the men, because that's what I grew up with, and that's what I've always enjoyed, and I know that's what they're capable of.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So please spare me the self-serving righteous indignation over sexist comments - the sexist comment that was implied, but unjustly ignored, is the assumption that the WTA has less of a responsibility to women's tennis, and by association tennis in general, than the ATP. Nobody says boo when the same question is asked of the men, and the reason is more telling than the fact: because everyone expects the men to carry their own weight. When they don't, they get called out on it, and nobody runs to their battle stations to decry the sexism of criticizing men's tennis. No, the only way to hold the WTA to the same standards as the ATP is to...well, hold them to the same standards. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That isn't accomplished by hiding from an intellectual discourse on the state of women's tennis, and the role of the WTA, behind "isms" and "schisms" that are as facile as as they are useless.</span></div>
MMT Srhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11840298474071177362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720810965183070923.post-13738346800905662392016-03-18T20:22:00.001-07:002016-06-23T19:29:43.393-07:00HEY JO: WHERE YOU GONNA RUN TO NOW?<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Wasn't there a time when Jo-Wilfried Tsonga had Novak Djokovic's number? Does anybody remember that? I sure as hell do. In fact, because he appeared to freeze in the headlights in Australia in 2008, the subsequent ease with which he dispensed with his two years' junior rival in 5 of the next 6 encounters over the next two years, left me with the sneaking suspicion that the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INgLMy1aIv0" target="_blank"><b>result in Melbourne</b></a> had in fact been a fluke. That may sound absurd given the extent of Djokovic's lead in development, performance, fitness and results since 2011, and particularly during his ascent to the pinnacle of the game in 2015, but not so between 2008 and 2010. Brad Gilbert proclaimed, prior to their encounter at the Australian Open in 2010, that Tsonga had Djokovic's number - and Djokovic did little to dispel that.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Most assumed that his <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPmO2jX-cP0" target="_blank">victory in Bangkok</a></b> was a form of muted revenge: that Djokovic capitulated in straight sets, suggested that neither his heart nor the rest of his body were really committed to a victory that by all rights should have been his. His victory in Paris could be set aside because of the overwhelming support from the audience that surely propelled the prodigal son's return to sit upon his throne <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Np3Co0GwN1U" target="_blank">at Bercy</a></b>. But it was the feckless capitulation of his Serbian rival in Shanghai that really brought to mind the possibility that Tsonga could be a player to challenge for major titles - at least if he had to play Djokovic for them. Djokovic had already qualified for the semi-finals by virtue of his victories over del Potro and Davydenko, while Tsonga, having lost to those same two opponents, had no chance to progress. Effectively this match was his final, his only chance to save face, in the very Chinese sense, and in Djokovic he faced his most daunting opponent. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Yet, despite the cards he was dealt, Tsonga turned in a performance superior to those who sought the title that was lost to him. Djokovic having started quickly, Tsonga dug deep and won 7-5 in the second, only to then obliterate his rival with the same score in the 3rd, that he had lost with in the first. And it wasn't just the victory, but the beauty with which it was achieved - that languid gate, the deceptively easy racquet head acceleration, a glorious overhead that never seems to have to be hit twice, and a howitzer of a serve...man what a serve he has. Up to then, Andy Roddick was the only man that didn't darken the room when he stood up from his chair, capable of producing that kind of accurate and consistent power in the serve. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To this day, there aren't too many players on tour who can produce 135 motherf---ers more than once a game, so you kind of wonder how he hasn't done more with it when it counts. But as the great Pancho Gonzales always said, "You're only as good as your second serve," and therein lies the rub. Tsonga doesn't so much hit the second serve with his racquet as he does with his ass...if you'll indulge me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Because his toss on the second serve is frequently too far to the left and behind his head, he lands heavily on his left leg and as a result, to maintain his balance and keep his momentum going forward, he adjusts by shifting his body weight (and by body weight, I mean his butt) so far to his right, that when serving to the <i>ad court </i>he often finishes the stroke landing both feet, in recovery in the <i>deuce court</i>. It's ungainly, hit with excessive spin, and frequently lands short, in the net, or so softly, I could come over it with <b><i>my backhand.</i></b></span><br />
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So, despite having a much better all around game than most of the players with comparable serves, like his similarly second serve challenged Spanish rival, <a href="http://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-curious-case-of-nico-almagro.html" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Nico Almagro</a>, Tsonga doesn't so much rely on his first serve, as abuse it. Hit with the kind of ferocity that would make <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yGuoLOjez8" target="_blank">a novice flinch</a></b>, there's little left in the tank when he has to go to the second serve...psychologically that is. Yes, yes, I know...<a href="http://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2011/09/belief-new-religion-in-tennis.html" target="_blank"><b>I don't believe in belief in tennis</b></a>...but this is different. When you miss your first serve too often, you can't afford to miss your second at all, and when you can't miss your second at all, like the smart kids on prom night, you tend to pull out a little early. In fact, the two of them, with their suffering second serves together, is quite a sight...you'll never see two players with bigger deltas in quality between the first and second serves than these two, and the results are as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QArUIA49gY" target="_blank"><b>exhilarating as they are unpredictable</b></a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And something else happened to Tsonga over the next 13 matches with the Djoker - aside from losing 12 of them. Like Andy Roddick <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2m-33W1DOo" target="_blank"><b>famously panned in 2005</b></a>, he seemed to lose that "je ne sais quoi" from his game, <a href="https://youtu.be/S-kIxa0fDM0?t=40" target="_blank"><b>his allure...his twinkle</b></a>, if you will...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Tsonga lost his mojo. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He's gotten some good results here and there, but only ever made it as far as the semi-finals 5 times in the last 32 majors since his maiden final. He's won 2 masters shields in his career: the aforementioned <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqCj5ste224" target="_blank"><b>emotional victory</b></a> in Paris in 2008 and a curiously gritty victory over <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JYQ8pD-B3E" target="_blank">Federer in Toronto</a></b> two years ago (one of five over the <a href="http://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-goat-debate.html" target="_blank"><b>Swiss GOAT</b></a>). Now all of this would be considered a good career for a slightly above average player, but Tsonga...Tsonga deigned to be <b><i>so much more</i></b>. With a personality as big as his serve, he had all the tools for not just super stardom in the tennis, but probably the world of sports in general. And being the <a href="http://ressemblance-de-stars.skyrock.com/3234419285-Joe-Wilfried-Tsonga-et-Cassius-Clay.html" target="_blank"><b>doppelganger of a young Cassius Clay</b></a> wouldn't have hurt at all, would it?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Well, it didn't help him. His career <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkhpZoPOfZI" target="_blank"><b>bobbed and weaved</b></a>, but never really landed <a href="https://youtu.be/8Zqak6d6s0M?t=134" target="_blank"><b>a good punch</b></a>. Yes, he's one of only 3 players to have beaten all of the so-called "big 4" at least once at a major (Murray & Nadal AO2008, Djokovic AO2010, Federer Wimby 2011), he's never beaten more than one of them at once (with the exception of his maiden final in 2008, long before there was a big four, where he beat Andy Murray in the first round, and famously obliterated Nadal in the semi-final, and lost to the Djoker in the final). And in this era of this rather tight-fisted quartet, if you want to win a major, chances are you're going to have to go through at least two, maybe three of them...unless of course, you're one of them!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Meanwhile the armies of his supporters around the world, who don't seem to mind the profligacy of this enormously talented and enormously popular player, persists. This includes the famously fickle French who have forgiven him his Parisian trespasses (at Roland Garros, anyway), unlike his equally talented, and higher highest ranked compatriot Henri Leconte. Him, the french mercilessly derided "a genius <i><b>from the elbow down</b>"</i>, according the <b><a href="http://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2016/03/bud-collins-one-of-kind.html" target="_blank">late Great Bud Collins</a>, </b>and they <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xji2fOmrHA4" target="_blank">never seemed to forgive</a> </b>him for simply losing at Roland Garros to the "wrong" guy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My view on Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is that he is the biggest disappointment of my adult tennis watching life. I love his game, I love his athleticism (he's one of the few players in tennis I'm quite certain would be world class in <b><a href="http://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2015/08/citi-open-return-of-mesomorph-sam-groth.html" target="_blank">at least one other sport</a></b>), and I really wish he had won a major at some point in his career. Everything in his game is well above average, but everything seems to be missing just that little something. The forehand, powerful as it can be, is produced rather convolutedly, and in my opinion breaks down when it absolutely can't. His first serve, flamethrower that it is, usually only leaves enough left in the tank for the second serve to light a cigarette...or a joint. And his backhand, varied and beautiful as it can be, has to be hit so far behind the baseline, because of his forehand, it is too easily isolated and picked on, like the one kid on the </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">sandlot </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">baseball team that you </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: bold;"><i>just know has to play right field</i></span><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold;">. </i><a href="http://www.phoenix5.org/humor/WhosOnFirstAudio.mp3" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank"><b>Why? Because</b>.</a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And ultimately, Tsonga's biggest problem is that he's just too damn...well, how can I say this...French! Not that there's anything inherently wrong with <i>being</i> French - my <b><a href="http://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2015/04/adrian-who.html" target="_blank">new favorite player</a></b> is french, my old favorite player (the aforementioned Henri Leconte) is French, <a href="http://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2008/05/ode-to-justine.html" target="_blank"><b>my favorite female player</b></a> was French Belgian, <b><a href="http://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2014/02/federers-high-one-handed-backhand.html" target="_blank">my favorite backhand</a></b> in tennis is Swiss French and <b><a href="http://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2015/07/thank-you-citi-open-yannick-noah.html" target="_blank">my inspiration in tennis</a></b> is French. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hell, I even speak French. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But there's something our Gallic cousins across the pond have that produces as many good players as it destroys: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A love of beauty.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Take the Australians - <i>please!</i> <i><b><rimshot>; </rimshot></b></i>they <i>love</i> sports, and as such they love Australians who are <i>good</i> at sports. I mean these guys are going to run out of stadiums to name after their great tennis players if <b><a href="http://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2015/07/thank-you-citi-open-real-bernard-tomic.html" target="_blank">the real Bernard Tomic</a></b>, or <b><a href="http://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2015/08/a-little-perspective-on-nick.html" target="_blank">Nick "the Prick"</a></b> ever get their collective heads out of their collective arses. But I guarantee nobody on the other side of the planet will give a rat's if the next best's game is only as aesthetically appealing as an anus protruding from a forehead. That's because all is forgiven...and I mean <a href="http://www.theroar.com.au/2012/01/23/why-does-everybody-hate-lleyton/" target="_blank"><b>all is forgiven...in Australia, when you win</b></a>, including very, very poor taste.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But above all, the French love beauty, and it is <b><i>because</i></b> they love beauty that they love tennis. They don't like players who take themselves too seriously, but despite this they absolutely loved watching John McEnroe precisely because his game was so beautiful to behold. I mean who else would make or watch <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hdFuOBQF4Q">a documentary about his most beautiful loss to Ivan "the Terrible" Lendl, in the 4th round in 1988 at Roland Garros?</a></b> They don't want to see some lumbering behemoth bludgeon his way from one indistinct victory after another (or <b><a href="http://issues.tennistuesday.net/05-19-2015/p/3" target="_blank">63 of them</a></b>, for that matter).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">They want to see something so beautiful that they're inspired. They want the <a href="http://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2015/08/an-open-letter-to-jamie-hampton.html" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">jeu de paumes to be a game of hands again</a>. They love Roger Federer because he's not Nadal - he is, in fact, the antithesis of Nadal. His game isn't beautifully effective: it's effective <b><i>because it's beautiful</i></b>. And isn't that, after all, the point? Nobody goes to a bullfight to see who will win - they go to see the bloody, gory spectacle of courage and skill. In this way, the French too, want to be entertained, and exhilarated, and the truth is that they don't care who does it, as long as they do it beautifully...preferably with a beautiful smile along the way. But to the french, the words of Keats' <a href="http://www.bartleby.com/101/625.html" target="_blank"><b>"Ode On a Grecian Urn"</b></a> are as true in tennis, as they are in life:</span><br />
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<tr><td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">'Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is all</span></td><td align="right" valign="top"></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.'</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Well, I have the feeling that Tsonga's concept of the game is just a little <i>too</i> beautiful. He floats and stings, but neither can overwhelm the more pedantic, and imminently more effective games of his contemporaries, or the Swiss Mister to whom he would be supplicant. In one point, his backhand volley drops lovingly 24 inches into his opponent's court, and in the next, it lands 24 inches short of his own net. The exuberance with which we celebrate the former is followed by the exasperation with which we decry the latter: such is the metaphor of his game. How else can you explain the inexplicable <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4U2Jvi-JYE" target="_blank"><b>experiment with the occasional one-handed backhand</b></a>, other than the undeniable aesthetic appeal of that particular shot? And I've always been left with the impression that Tsonga hasn't honed in on one or two ways to reliably slog through all of the matches he should win. Not because he cannot learn or acquire the skills to do so, but because he doesn't have the sensibility for it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There is something impressive about someone who won't sacrifice the beauty in their chosen field of endeavor at the altar of efficacy, but there is also something tragic. A little bit like a Hollywood starlet, well past her due date, that won't go out of the house without her make-up. Admirable...but also a little pathetic. I have to admit that I have a lot of sympathy for Tsonga, and a lot of patience for all the little things he does to entertain, but no more time for the all the more things he <i>doesn't</i> do to fulfill his capacity.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He should have been a contender, he should have been the next savior of French tennis. Maybe he'll make the French fall in love with him all over again by winning the Davis Cup this year, with <a href="http://sports.ndtv.com/tennis/news/248918-yannick-noah-named-france-davis-cup-captain-for-third-time" target="_blank"><b>that other French hero as captain</b></a>. But I don't think Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will ever win a major. No matter how beautiful his game or his smile, it just isn't <b><i>good</i></b> enough. That may indeed say more about <b><i>the game</i></b> than his, but it is often the most beautifully sad paintings that truly speak to us.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The truth, when unsheathed like a bare bodkin, cuts like one too.</span><br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5k_fiQ4Eo7E/Vuyu7vDNPkI/AAAAAAAAAIM/9iY4pke9JjYacIygRS-YWImc8KTEfxMDQ/s1600/11235055_10153128792550765_7082689419725328791_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5k_fiQ4Eo7E/Vuyu7vDNPkI/AAAAAAAAAIM/9iY4pke9JjYacIygRS-YWImc8KTEfxMDQ/s320/11235055_10153128792550765_7082689419725328791_n.jpg" width="192" /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WYHuUi_BWNE/VuyvOm4I4vI/AAAAAAAAAII/DneQVL2xqLE4uAfLrL7HNlkx1gUbIKyiQ/s1600/photo-1370195606787-1-0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WYHuUi_BWNE/VuyvOm4I4vI/AAAAAAAAAII/DneQVL2xqLE4uAfLrL7HNlkx1gUbIKyiQ/s320/photo-1370195606787-1-0.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Tsonga and his little doppelganger...MMT Jr.</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><b>ADDENDUM: </b>The following is a clip from Tsonga's match with Nishikori at the Australian Open this week - I swear I didn't watch this before writing this post, but much of what I discuss in this blog can be seen in this court level view.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-IyJ8dlzn4" target="_blank">Nishikori vs Tsonga Oz Open 2016</a> </b></span>MMT Srhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11840298474071177362noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720810965183070923.post-12191328963711761622016-03-09T07:21:00.001-08:002016-07-29T11:38:04.367-07:00MARIA SHARAPOVA'S DOPING GAFFE: THE LOW HANGING FRUIT?<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The timing of Maria Sharapova's positive drug test couldn't be worse. In the midst of a maelstorm concerning match fixing allegations (which as yet have not been bolstered by any evidence) the authorities in the game are now faced with another challenge not only to the integrity of the sport, but more specifically their commitment to administer it in the best sporting interests. I don't envy their predicament: on the one hand, a decision to ban Maria Sharapova for breaking the rules for 25 days would send a message to the sponsors that have become predominant in the game, that the sporting integrity is in tact, and tennis has a zero tolerance policy on anything that calls into question the authenticity of its results. On the other hand, the absence of one of the biggest stars of the game, who has been a boon to the financial participation of sponsors in the game, would be of benefit to almost nobody involved.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I think it's important to start with the purpose of anti-doping controls: is it to catch people who don’t follow the rules, or people who are <i><b>trying to cheat</b></i>? I think it’s obviously the latter, and I think it’s just as obvious that Sharapova does not fall in that category. </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After all, if she knew it was banned and was trying to cheat, would she admit to taking it for 10 years? That's hardly a defense for someone who’s implied that she wasn’t cheating.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But there is a brewing temptation in the blogosphere, and I suspect/fear in the the halls of tennis authority, to ignore rational analysis and jump on this as an opportunity to insist that anti-doping in tennis is “working”. In fact, this proves the exact opposite: far from catching cheaters who are intentionally taking substances they know are illegal to gain a competitive advantage, this is at its core a technicality. </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That’s not an excuse to escape a sanction or citation, but to me anyone insisting that she should be banned for a lengthy period is falling for an illusion about anti-doping in tennis hook, line and sinker.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I've never been convinced that tennis is serious about anti-doping, and based on this case, I think it should continue to be maligned. It is extraordinarily inefficient at catching cheaters, but fantastically adept at <b><a href="http://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-only-dope-is-anti-doping-believer.html" target="_blank">catching people who simply fall-foul of the regulations</a>. </b>Unfortunately for anyone who appreciates the difference between the letter of the law and the intent, those two are <b><i>not</i></b> mutually inclusive. And t</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">his Sharapova farce, and others like it, are a perfect opportunity for tennis authorities to give the false impression that tennis is tough on doping <b><i>and</i></b> there is no actual doping going on in tennis. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Baying for their pound of flesh, there are some who have deluded themselves into believing that they are taking the principled view: but only if the principle is that the letter of the rules are more important than the intent. That’s a principle, but not one that makes the sport cleaner or makes a lot of sense. </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The doping controls are not in place to catch people failing to comply with the controls, they are in place to catch cheaters. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If Sharapova is not a cheat in the same sense that Lance Armstrong, Ben Johnson, or Marion Jones were, then her punishment should reflect that. </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This would be the case <b><i>even if</i></b> Sharapova were taking this substance for a performance enhancement prior to January 1st of this year. After all, prior to this year, she was within her rights to do so, and was breaking no rules, so again, whether she sought a performance enhancement during that period is irrelevant to the question of whether she was cheating in January.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The thing that concerns me about this is the speed with which her sponsors have abandoned her. Nike is clearly hoping that the whole thing will be forgotten soon enough for her brand to continue to be a cash machine for them by only suspending their sponsorship, which could be said of Porsche's position on the matter. Only TAG Heuer have taken the, in my opinion, rash decision to cut ties with her altogether. But the way they're hurriedly backing away from the table, leads one to believe that tennis authorities, the IOC (who have <a href="http://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2007/09/please-go-away-ms-sharapova.html" target="_blank"><b>bent over backwards</b></a> in the past to get her into the Olympics), may have to calculate the cost of their retreat as the nascent rumblings of a stampede of money away from the game. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I hope tennis bites the bullet, makes the right decision here and suspends Sharapova for 6 months. There will be the Jennifer Capriati's of the world who will come up with some <a href="http://www.foxsports.com/tennis/story/maria-sharapova-jennifer-capriati-sounds-off-on-failed-drug-test-030716" target="_blank"><b>easy and equally illogical reason</b></a> why an unfair exception has been made, but that would have no bearing on the facts of the case, which call for a reduced penalty. But the tea leaves of tennis are shaped like dollar bills, and I fear that if you follow the money away from tennis, Sharapova could wind up with her hands and feet nailed to a racquet shaped cross.</span></div>
MMT Srhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11840298474071177362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720810965183070923.post-31831945851005343112016-03-07T08:53:00.001-08:002016-03-13T08:28:23.207-07:00BUD COLLINS - ONE OF A KIND<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They don't make 'em like Bud Collins anymore...they really don't. I like to say, and often tell myself, that I love the game. And then I think about Collins and the integral role he played in brining the US Open to television, the multiple and essential books on tennis history that he penned, and the thousands of hours he spent on television, over the last 50 years, putting the "color" in color commentary.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And he kind of makes me feel like I don't know what the meaning of love is.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don't want to bore you with an obituary - the idea of attempting to sum up the life of a man, so varied, so mercurial, in so many words is as intimidating as it is useless. That doesn't tell you who the man was. I my opinion, the devil is in the details. The way he spoke, the way he wrote, the way he pondered before asking questions of some of the greatest players in the history of the game, a history with which he was so intimately familiar. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To me that's what I remember and have always loved about Bud Collins.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I grew up with <i><b>"Breakfast at Wimbledon"</b></i> on NBC - the tradition of the tournament mirrored by the inviting familiarity of the format - <a href="https://youtu.be/JrOwHs08AOw?t=31" target="_blank"><b><i>the magisterial intro</i></b></a> and the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODcxBcT64ME" target="_blank"><b><i>somber yet celebratory close</i></b></a> - and I can honestly say that I enjoyed the idea of Collins interviewing first the runner-up, then the champion, every year as a perfect bookend to the overall experience of the tournament. The reason I enjoyed his interviews was not for what he did, but for what he <i>didn't do</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He didn't presume the answers in the question.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He didn't presume himself in the question.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He didn't patronize the runner-up.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He didn't gush over the champion (...well maybe just a little...).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The master interviewer is often confused with asking obvious question, but the question is only obvious if you presume the answer. And Bud Collins never did. Most interviewers (myself included) are insecure, and feel compelled to justify their presence before a great player, and it is precisely that desire the elicits the worst questions and the most boring answers. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"How did you find the reserves of character and the mental strength to overcome losing such a close set?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"How good does it feel to prove the naysayers wrong that said you couldn't win the big one?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"We talk about all the things that make you who you are, but really, it's what's between the ears that makes a champion, right?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"How great was the crowd support tonight? Did you use their energy to spur you on to victory?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These are all exactly the wrong ways of asking questions. But notice the subtle and brilliant charm, the genuine humility and obvious admiration for, and love of, the players that make the game what it is, in this selection of interviews of Wimbledon champions and runners-up over the years.</span><br />
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<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mWqPkueB9Y&index=1&list=PL3cKDuthVRt_mYx583-2nLmZJxeCNcsyR" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Borg v McEnroe 1980</span></a></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This interview is brilliant. Following their titanic final in 1980, he got both McEnroe and Borg to admit that they were each certain that Borg would lose the 5th set. And in so doing, revealed and buried the absurdity of the notion that one must believe they're going to win in order to win.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Note the simplicity of the question he asks Borg after he admitted he thought he would lose the match. "Why did you win?" Isn't that the question that should always be asked of the victor? How often do you hear that asked, couched with qualifiers and presumptions, rather than stated plainly? And Borg's answer revealed itself to be both elucidating and educational - for that matter McEnroe's as well. In fact, McEnroe's answer, cathartically rational as it was, must have done much to help him deal with the pain of the loss. After all, how can you win an advantage set without any break points - obviously Borg won because he shut the door with his serve, and McEnroe opened his.</span><br />
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<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJU64pfuqqo&list=PL3cKDuthVRt_mYx583-2nLmZJxeCNcsyR&index=2" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Evert v Mandlikova 1981</span></a></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In this interview with the women in 1981, he demonstrates his candor and his compassion in the simplest of questions to Hana Mandlikova, who clearly wasn't at her best on the day, and closed the interview just as soon as he realized she just couldn't take it anymore. And as she parted, as was his way, Collins said goodbye to her in probably the worst Czech accent in the history of Czech accents, but I guarantee she didn't mind.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And while some (like Billie Jean King) cringed at his question to Evert about her becoming the first 4-time consecutive runner-up in history, her response demonstrated her grace and perspective, so effortlessly you almost forget the question. King, on the other hand, as a tennis player and analyst, insisted on imposing her view of Chris' movement in her question, which was almost immediately dispelled. And Collins' closer, "What did you do best today?" drew out the obvious, "I didn't choke." as well as the analytical, "...she's so unpredictable that I was determined to win in 2 sets, because if it had gone to a 3rd set, it would have been out of my control."</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hVHPAF2VMg&list=PL3cKDuthVRt_mYx583-2nLmZJxeCNcsyR&index=3" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Navratilova v Evert 1982</span></b></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now this one I really love - I don't know whose idea it was to have them interviewed simultaneously, but, note the prescience of Navratilova insisting that Bud interview Evert first, and his gentlemanly acquiescence. Hey, nobody's perfect, but he didn't shy away from asking a couple of doozies, nor did Evert shy away from answering them. The look in her eye, when she refuted the notion that Navratilova lost the second set due to an attack of nerves, was all you need to know about her as a competitor. "No, I didn't - you know I think I played exceptionally well in the second set and won it fair and square." But his follow up allowed her to go into tactical details that gives insight into her state of mind - she came in more often, approaching on her backhand, because that's her weaker side, and the difference came when she lost her serve - from there she couldn't recover.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He started the interview with Martina by addressing the assumption that she would choke, after she lost 5 games in a row, and entreated an analysis and explanation from her of how she turned it around. And Navratilova admitted that she tried to play it safe and it nearly cost her the match...in fact, she was choking by playing it safe, and it wasn't until she returned to the mind set that the match still had to be won that she returned to the form that delivered the victory. Finally, knowing the woman as well as the player, he insisted on reminding her, and everyone watching, that this was her first title as a American, which would have been so important to her, and certainly was to him.</span><br />
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<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8v73z0TK6Q&list=PL3cKDuthVRt_mYx583-2nLmZJxeCNcsyR&index=4" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Connors v McEnroe 1982</span></a></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, McEnroe was ungracious in escaping the obligatory interview, which isn't obligatory at all. It should be pointed out that Borg did the exact same thing the year before, when he lost to McEnroe, but Collins handled it graciously on both occasions and moved on to the champion. Here, Collins inserts the qualifier that Connors nearly lost the match serving double faults up to the fourth set, and Connors responded by pointing to his concentration on the toss as his solution. Collins returned to the assumption that Connors was too stubborn to change to compete with McEnroe (where have we heard that before?) and Connors returned to the changes on his serve, and the previously rarely seen serve and volley, to refute that. Finally, the simplest question, was my favorite, "What do you think is the single biggest reason you're here as champion?"</span><br />
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<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNPuvswAvks&list=PL3cKDuthVRt_mYx583-2nLmZJxeCNcsyR&index=5" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">McEnroe v Connors 1984</span></a></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here it was Connors turn to eschew the scrutiny of the runner-up interview, but Collins really hit it out of the park on this one. First, with a simple statement, he allowed McEnroe to expound on the the key to the match, which was the quality of his serve, where he accurately guessed that he had served 70-75% first serves in the match. Collins then revealed to him that he had only made 2 unforced errors, in the <b><i>entire</i></b> match, which surprised him, and led him to analyze that Connors, on the other hand, was not feeling as comfortable and nimble as he was. Collins returned to the ignominy of McEnroe's defeat at Roland Garros, from 2 sets down, simply asking what the loss did do him, rather than imposing the assumption that it was a crushing defeat that he had to overcome. McEnroe proceeded to reveal that he didn't let things bother him along the way, and Collins followed up by asking if the calm demeanor he displayed on the day helps his tennis, which McEnroe dispelled - deciding not to allow things to bother you is more important than not expressing one's emotions: the chicken <i>before</i> the egg.</span><br />
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<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-uddKFOpjY&list=PL3cKDuthVRt_mYx583-2nLmZJxeCNcsyR&index=6" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Navratiolva v Evert 1985</span></a></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The technical analysis from both players in this one is so complete that Collins has to interrupt them with follow-ups, but they are perfectly appropriate. First to correct Evert's recollection of a point he thought was pivotal, but once he realized she didn't think enough of the point to even remember it, he didn't belabor it. As for Navratilova, he let her know that she had come in on nearly every point of the match, which Navratilova noted was how the men do it, so why should she do it any differently (good point). After Navratilova mentioned that Evert had been favored by many to win the match, Collins wanted to know if it surprised her, Navratilova explained that although she was playing well, every match is it's own self-contained entity, and Evert hadn't faced anyone like her. He closed with a little history and a compliment to the champion. What a gentleman.</span><br />
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<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhkNoxpqdMA&list=PL3cKDuthVRt_mYx583-2nLmZJxeCNcsyR&index=7" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Becker v Curren 1985</span></a></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here Collins interview of the vanquished really says something: first he asks the simple question, "Not an easy afternoon for you, what will you remember about it?" The next question really zeroes in on Curren's biggest issue, the failure of his serve, and Curren explains the difference between McEnroe and Connors return and Becker's - the topspin kept the ball down and compromised his first volley. And the hilarity of Collins obsession with Becker's scuffed up knees is classic Collins. Becker, for his part, is very analytical for a 17-year old, and his gracious showing of Becker's parent's reaction was so different, and so good.</span><br />
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<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAJEvOZ21Kw&list=PL3cKDuthVRt_mYx583-2nLmZJxeCNcsyR&index=9" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Agassi v Ivanisevic 1992</span></a></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ivanisevic's interview consisted of two questions in 60 seconds - the first, the most obvious, what was the difference in the match, to which Ivanisevic proceed to give the keys to each set individually. Collins interrupted once, for his second question of what happened at 4-5 in the 5th, where Agassi broke to win the title, and in his simplicity, Ivanisevic revealed that the wind kicked up, he was nervous and he choked, essentially. But imagine if he had been asked if he had choked? Brilliant.</span><br />
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<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpPAVnVNqAE&index=12&list=PL3cKDuthVRt_mYx583-2nLmZJxeCNcsyR" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sampras v Courier 1993</span></a></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here Collins reveals some multi-tasking: in the middle of his interview with Courier, he hears Sampras say that he was tired, which may have informed his question to Courier of whether he thought a fifth would favor him. Sampras then reveals that his fatigue was due, in part, to feeling sorry for himself, from which he quickly recovered. With his simple question about the difference in the match, Sampras revealed it was his second serve return. He then revealed that he had seen the semi-final with Edberg where Courier was teeing off on his second serve returns, so he mixed up the second serves. That also happened to be Courier's assessment: that Sampras was hitting two first serves, while he was hitting only one.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Isn't it amazing how, with simple questions, both interviewees basically confirm each others' analyses?</span><br />
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<b><u><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Final Thoughts</span></u></b><br />
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In 2009, Andy Roddick lost a 6-hour, five set Wimbledon final to Roger Federer - his third final, all loses to the same player, but this one painfully ended with only his second break of serve throughout the grueling encounter, 14-16 in the final set. Reporters packed the room to ask innumerable questions and Roddick, while gracious with his time (if not always his behavior on court) did what men do under the circumstances and answered every question honestly, analytically and completely. By the end of the press conference it seemed he was more fatigued from talking about it that from the match. Although he had suffered a debilitating hip injury during the match (which he never mentioned), Bud Collins had to know that he was hurting physically and in his heart, and that by the end, he he needed nothing more than for it to end. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The human in him insisted that his "question" be that last, in his own inimitable way, when he interrupted yet another question with this suggestion:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"<b>Bud Collins:</b> Liberate this man. Well done, Andy</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Andy Roddick:</b> Thank you."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have a feeling that Roddick's "thank you" was directed at Collins for doing just that.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Speaking of the human in him, my father met Bud Collins once years ago at a book signing, where Collins addressed him as "Citoyen" which is the french word for Citizen. Why would he do that? Because Bud Collins was a man first, and a journalist second, and he knew that people from the Republic of Zaire (as the Democratic Republic of Congo was known then) addressed each other formally, as "Citizen". He knew this, of course, because he had been to Congo to cover the Muhammad Ali heavyweight title fight in Kinshasa against George Foreman in 1974, and he would have known to say this to my father because...well, he asked him where he was from. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Book signings are a way to sell books for the author - nothing gets buyers in the store like a chance to breath the same air, so to speak. But even though it may have cost him a minute and a dollar, he spent it finding out one simple thing about him before obliging him with an autograph. And in that brief moment, he gave my father, a man who picked up the game of tennis at 30, and still plays it 3 times a week at age 74, a thrill that he still talks about today.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And I suspect that the reason Bud Collins was so good at what he did, at least in part, was because of how good of person he was. I doubt anyone who had the pleasure of meeting or knowing him would disagree.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And there's nothing better you can say about a man on the occasion of his passing.</span>MMT Srhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11840298474071177362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720810965183070923.post-52708955271528513612016-02-01T11:02:00.002-08:002016-02-01T17:44:42.819-08:00THE EVOLUTION OF THE DJOKOVIC SERVE<div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 24.649999618530273px; margin-bottom: 1rem; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
The single most important stroke in tennis by far is the serve: it is the only time you have a chance to hit a ball in hand. There's nothing in the rules saying you have to give yourself an overhead smash on your serve - you could legally hit it underhand, but as it were, the evolution of the game means that the serve is taken when the body can generate the most racquet head speed, imparting the most power, the most spin and the most acute angles. </div>
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But what about one serve in particular, that of Novak Djokovic, has made it so good after it was so bad for so long? Years ago, back when he used to lose to the top players more often than he beat them, Djokovic's serve was his albatross. It wasn't the only problem in his game, but it was by far the most glaring. After all, how could a player with such great hand-eye coordination (as evidenced by the second most important shot in the game - the return of serve) be so bad at hitting a ball in hand?</div>
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Well, the secret to his success is no secret at all. Like Rafael Nadal, Djokovic hired a coach that worked on his serve and turned it from a liability to an asset. Today, the tactical acumen of the serve, imparted by (who I must begrudgingly admit has done wonders for that stroke and his game in general) none other than <a href="http://www.si.com/vault/1985/07/15/620908/das-wunderkind" target="_blank"><b>Das Wunderkind</b></a> Boris "Boom Boom" Becker, is as impressive as any other aspect of his game. That's saying a lot, given how good he is as so many other things.</div>
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But in order to use the serve effectively from a tactical perspective, it's got to go in - and that's something that he had trouble with back in the day. There are those who bemoan the "lost" year that Novak Djokovic spent with Todd Martin in 2010 as a colossal waste of time. Martin, for his part, has not returned to coaching ATP players, and Djokovic has gone from strength to strength. As such it's easy to dismiss any possible positive impact Martin had on the Djoker's game. </div>
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But video doesn't lie.</div>
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First, some background: when Marian Vajda was stopped by veteran tennis journalist Ubaldo Scanagatta, in what appears to be an airport lounge in 2011, he dispensed with the stupidity and inadequacy of the "belief" gibberish that Djokovic had been spouting all year about his game, and insisted on a technical explanation for his renewed success, after 2 years of profligacy in the majors. <a href="http://www.flonthego.com/info/ubaldo-scanagatta/" target="_blank"><b>Scanagatta</b></a> (himself a former University tennis champion in Italy) didn't allow Vajda to perpetuate the ruse, or at least was unsatisfied with it and went shot by shot to discover how Vajda (a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mari%C3%A1n_Vajda" target="_blank"><b>mediocre player</b></a>, but an outstanding coach) transformed his game. In this video, he explained how Djokovic wasn't that far off technically, but among the many issues to be addressed, the serve was chief among them.</div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czE_SxvgJvc" rel="nofollow" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0066cc; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czE_SxvgJvc</a></div>
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Jump to this analysis, which explains how the serve has improved:</div>
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<a href="http://www.optimumtennis.net/novak-djokovic-serve.htm" rel="nofollow" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0066cc; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.optimumtennis.net/novak-djokovic-serve.htm</a></div>
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Again, few are prepared to give Martin any credit for Djokovic’s serve in 2011, but they worked on that serve for almost a year before it improved. Before Martin, his serve was a disaster (again, not my words, Vajda’s). Don't believe me, or don't remember? Here is the monstrosity that is was in 2009 with the stiff arm, the over-rotation, and a reluctance for his body weight to carry him into the court:</div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcO5HHzDhy0&index=2&list=PL48FBE00227E2E608" rel="nofollow" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0066cc; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcO5HHzDhy0&index=2&list=PL48FBE00227E2E608</a></div>
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Now there weren't too many people who were able to explain what was wrong with his serve, but it's worth noting that Djokovic didn't address it until he took on Martin as a coach. In this clip, from Indian Wells in 2010, he’s making Djokovic hold two racquets to compel the arm to come straight up to trophy position – without the straight arm:</div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNyijtStZvo" rel="nofollow" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0066cc; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNyijtStZvo</a></div>
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That solved the problem of the racquet head taking too long to arrive at the point of contact, requiring him to over-rotate. Among the many problems with over-rotation, it typically results in a player not actually watching the ball hit his strings as he serves, as well as putting the momentum of his body straight into the ground following the serve, rather than into the court. Doing so both diminishes the power into the serve and eliminates any reasonable possibility of serving and volleying.</div>
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Here, also in 2010 at Indian wells, Martin has Djokovic serve from his knees to compel wrist pronation:</div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ywm916KQq8" rel="nofollow" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0066cc; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ywm916KQq8</a></div>
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Because he's serving from his knees, he cannot finish with the racquet down at his feet - he'd break it every time. Instead, by shortening the distance to the ground, he compels Djokovic to pronate the wrist after the point of contact, maintaining racquet head speed through the point of contact and allowing him to hit down on the ball. This also alleviates the likelihood of over-rotating, since doing so would land the serve in the ground in front of the net. The wrist pronation not only eliminates any unwitting deceleration prior to the point of contact, it also compels forward momentum into the court.</div>
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And finally here is what the serve looked like in 2011 – the stiff arm is almost gone and the racquet head comes almost straight up to trophy position:</div>
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As far as the stroke production is concerned, Djokovic’s serve became solid in 2011, just after his parting with Todd Martin. The motion remains largely unchanged, but tactically, he establishes the wide serve in both the deuce and ad courts more now than he did in 2011. He has also incorporated a slice serve "up the T" in the ad court preventing right handed players from sitting on the wide serve and allowing him to shorten the distance past his opponent's point of contact with less risk because he's slicing the serve rather than hitting it flat.</div>
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So make no mistake about it - Novak Djokovic didn't suddenly believe in himself, and translate belief into a better serve. With practice and the courage to re-engineer it despite being the 3rd best player in the world at the time, he did it the old fashioned way...</div>
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He earned it.</div>
MMT Srhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11840298474071177362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720810965183070923.post-33315294184075686722016-02-01T09:36:00.000-08:002016-03-19T14:20:32.522-07:00SUDDENLY SERENA...<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">...doesn't seem so <a href="http://www.straitstimes.com/sport/tennis/tennis-serena-williams-unbeatable-if-she-keeps-her-cool-says-marion-bartoli" target="_blank"><b>invincible</b></a> anymore. I mean, that's <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/sep/29/disappointed-serena-williams-may-not-play-again-in-2015-says-coach" target="_blank"><b>twice</b></a> now that she's choked away her shot at #22 - <a href="http://www.skysports.com/tennis/news/31870/10150209/serena-williams-says-record-bid-not-to-blame-for-australian-open-defeat" target="_blank"><b>no matter what she says</b></a>, that number, daunting and simultaneously inviting as it is, is making her nuts when it counts. That's not something we're used to seeing from Serena...well, we're used to seeing her go nuts when she's down, but usually the result is more power, particularly on the return of serve, accompanied by a crumbling opponent who wilts under the pressure of her game.<br /><br />Well, someobody forgot to tell Kerber that her role in the <i><a href="http://espn.go.com/tennis/usopen15/story/_/id/13632324/us-open-how-twitterverse-reacted-serena-williams-semifinal-loss-roberta-vinci" target="_blank"><b>Serena Show</b></a></i> is that of the <a href="http://www.newsday.com/sports/women-s-sports/ivanovic-can-t-handle-serena-gusts-1.3146764" target="_blank"><b>wilting supplicant</b></a>...she would make a terrible understudy, by the way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To be fair, Serena's footwork has never been particularly good - you certainly couldn't compare it to Justine Henin for example, whose footwork was nearly flawless - and as such when she gets nervous, that is usually the first thing to fail her. Boy did it fail her here. Time and again, she was hitting off balance, and frequently hitting reverse forehands from the center of the court for no reason other than she couldn't get her body positioned properly to hit through the ball - <a href="http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/whats-wrong-with-using-the-reverse-forehand-nadal-forehand-all-the-time.408227/" target="_blank"><b>the reverse forehand</b></a> is designed to maintain racquet head speed through a point of contact that is late. But that's not supposed to happen from the middle of the court - it's a bad sign when it does. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <br />In addition to that, when she gets nervous her solution is rarely to dial down the power. Normally she just loads up and hits it harder, and that's exactly the wrong thing to do when you're nervous and your footwork isn't there. But here, one must give credit where credit was due - <b><a href="https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/video/watch/30694978/2nd_set/" target="_blank">in the second se</a>t</b>, she not only got a hold of her emotions, but she also began to massage the ball about the court more than just hit it. As a result, as well as Kerber retrieved, Serena wound up using that against her, because all she did was chase - i.e. no more attacking, no more short angles, no more flat shots up the line, she just chased. And it worked - despite playing her worst match of the tournament, she was able to get back on even terms by doing the exact opposite of her natural instinct to hit harder.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />That's why I was so puzzled by her return to profligacy in the third set. The nerves must have struck again, because she was back to trying to out hit Kerber, and the result was, if not to be expected, certainly fitting. Once again, Kerber was able to surprise her with her defensive shots on the run that landed in strange places with weird spins, and when the moment came for Serena to kill the point she decelerated the racquet head and made errors. The worst feeling in the world is to miss being careful, which is exactly what happened to Serena. Unfortunately, when she tried to belt it, she also made errors, and by the end of the match I had the feeling that she was just confused.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />As far as her forays to the net are concerned - I don't know why anyone would be surprised at how <a href="http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/the-inaugural-teach-serena-williams-how-to-volley-charity-foundation.554242/" target="_blank"><b>poorly she volleyed</b></a>. But in this particular match, Serena was nervous, and that manifests in poor footwork. For the swinging volley you have to have your feet under you. You can't reach and stretch on that shot and get the proper combination of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqvtbLgeyxA" target="_blank"><b>power and topspin</b></a> - it's the only shot in tennis where you're encouraged to hit down on the ball. To do that properly, you have to be on top of the ball. Because her feet were a split second behind her mind, she was too far behind the ball to execute and wound up hitting up and out. She then switched to conventional volleys but her naturally poor technique combined with her nerves made her make a lot of errors. She also doesn't defend the net well, in fact, her net play is poor in general. Her approach shots are frequently indecisive, and her court positioning at net was almost comical. Covering the cross court pass when the down the line was the most likely option Kerber would take and vice versa. To defend the net properly requires a sense of where to go before the passing shot comes. Serena was even more lost at net than she was from the baseline.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />At the <b><a href="https://iainstennisandfootballblog.wordpress.com/2015/09/12/how-the-sliced-backhand-of-roberta-vinci-helped-cause-the-biggest-upset-in-tennis-history/" target="_blank">US Open, Roberta Vinci</a></b> did a good job of varying the spin on her forehand, hitting some deep with topspin, other times short and either side spin or simply flat, forcing Serena to hit up on her passing shots. Unlike Serena, Vinci has excellent volleys, and combined with a backhand slice that was alternately short and deep, preventing Serena from taking up a good court position, I gave credit to the little Italian for eliciting a lot of errors. I'm sure Serena was nervous, but I felt that it began with how Vinci was playing her, and got worse as the match went along. Here, all Kerber did was retrieve, and surprise her with the pace and placement of her defensive shots...the rest of it was just a case of Serena choking, nearly from the very first point.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />There were two more problem areas for Serena, to name a few: first her serve abandoned her, and she didn't get the usual 1 to 2 free points per game that allows her to load up and really belt it in the rallies. Like Roger Federer, her game has evolved to rely on the serve, in order to function normally - when it goes off the boil, the game that seems so invulnerable suddenly appears to be anything but. It's not (as) hard to knock the cover off the ball and bludgeon your opponent into (typical) submission when you're up 30-0 every service game. But when you're in a hole from the off, the calculus, and more importantly, the racquet head speed suffers the consequences.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />The second area that really failed her was <a href="http://espn.go.com/tennis/wimbledon15/story/_/id/13238613/wimbledon-five-things-serena-williams-excels-at" target="_blank"><b>the return of serve</b></a> - which is normally a big weapon for her, and contributes to the standard capitulation of her opponents. Normally she is able to put a lot of pressure on that serve with the ferocity of her returns, but I don’t think she ever picked up the strange dynamic of a lefty serve, which was probably exacerbated by her nerves.<br /><br />So suddenly Serena doesn't appear to be invincible. <a href="http://www.asapsports.com/show_interview.php?id=116235" target="_blank"><b>As readily as her contemporaries are to concede that she is</b></a>, it just isn't the case when nerves combine with an opponent who either wittingly or unwittingly presents Serena with a style of play that is likely to elicit the worst from her under duress. I've always wondered what her opponents think they're doing when they try to out hit her. Heather Watson nearly made the upset of the decade at Wimbledon by doing a lot of retrieving and hitting aggressively when Serena allowed her to by taking some pace off her shots to manage her nerves. But everyone else (read<i> Sharapova</i>) tries to do what she does better than she does. That's about as clever as welterweight going toe to toe with a heavyweight in the boxing ring, and normally the results are equally distinctive.<br /><br />But like I said, somebody forgot to give Kerber the script that ESPN had been working on since last September, and she just refused to do what she was supposed to do...namely lose. I think the clay will help settle Serena's nerves because even though she'll still be nervous, she will get more time to load up and hit with power when the opportunity comes, and she has enough power that she can hit through the slow surface. I'm guessing #22 comes at Roland Garros.<br /><br />But I wouldn't call that bet into the bookies just yet...</span></div>
MMT Srhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11840298474071177362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720810965183070923.post-78798390874658115892016-01-23T13:10:00.004-08:002016-01-24T19:41:21.426-08:00MATCH-FIXING: THIS WILL GET MESSY<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With so much of the tennis world's attention on the joint report on match fixing from <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/heidiblake/the-tennis-racket#.kbJb5mVPw" target="_blank"><b>BuzzFeed</b></a> and the BBC, the game that we love and enjoy so much has a golden opportunity to turn the corner on an ugly chapter in its recent history. There's nothing like a scandal to make people think twice about whether they're doing enough to ensure the integrity of the game isn't brought into disrepute by a few bad apples - just how many remains to be seen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But there's something that worries me about the way this story is being discussed in the blogosphere, driven by how it's been addressed by those members of the media with an interest in tamping down concern that the problem is rampant (again, that remains to be seen). The first step to solving a problem is to identify it. The next step is to validate and/or admit that it is in fact a problem. But to hear the way it's been discussed in the blogosphere, I'm not certain there is a clear understanding of what the problem is, as identified by the BuzzFeed report, or that we are collectively prepared to confirm that it is indeed a problem to be addressed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The roundtable discussions on ESPN and the Tennis Channel when the BBC report was imminent, but after the BuzzFeed report had already been published, centered around the desperate reassurances (as calmly delivered as they were notwithstanding) that this is a problem restricted to the minor leagues of tennis and that the report centered around information originally reported way back in 2007. That was clearly the message of Chris Fowler (for whom I have very little respect) and Cliff Drysdale (for whom I have enormous respect, although he has an obvious dog in this fight). Brad Gilbert almost seemed to tacitly excuse the problem by distracting the discussion over to the (in)ability of these players to make ends meet on the outskirts of the known tennis galaxy. It was only the pointed criticism of Patrick McEnroe that resonated with me, and forms the basis for my concern that this problem isn't actually going to be adequately addressed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">McEnroe confronted Chris Kermode's reassurances to the effect that everyone should take a deep breath, because we're handling this, indicating that this was woefully insufficient. The lack of transparency in who has been banned and why, when investigations have begun, what precipitated them, and ultimately how they're handling the entire question of match-fixing, is not only the point of the BuzzFeed report, but is also the reason why the furor over it maintains access to oxygen. Would it were not for the ample fuel of the opaque, the tepid responses of the blind apologists might have been entirely <i>unnecessary</i>, let alone sufficient. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That's the most salient point of the report - not the details of how they've determined which players frequently play matches have seen strange better patterns, nor the details of the Nikolay Davydenko case (with an exception for one detail, which I will explain later). The real issue is that the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU), charged with dealing with this, is woefully understaffed, both in manpower (a unit of two) and brain power (no professional betting analysts). It's no wonder that their operations and progress are so secretive: who who want the world to know how inept you are at dealing with something that has the potential to be so pernicious? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I would also argue that the details and methodology of betting analysis have not sufficiently distinguished between evidence of match fixing or evidence of someone using inside information to make a profit. The former is very clearly illegal and would spell the death of professional tennis, but the latter is not strictly illegal, nor is it necessarily a bad thing. If betting on tennis is to be allowed, does it not behoove the bettors, particularly those doing it for more than just a laugh, to do their homework and gather as much information about the players that they can? The collapsed allegations against Davydenko is a case study in just this phenomenon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Many with renewed interest in the events of that era are operating under the misapprehension that the "evidence" against Davydenko was obvious, and that the ATP let a guilty man go free because he stonewalled their investigation. Setting aside the absurdity of both of those things being simultaneously true (which makes no sense) the facts are as follows:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Davydenko openly discussed his injury problems with the Russian press (not the mafia…the press). He was the #4 ranked player in the world playing a 125 in Sopot, Poland. He almost certainly received an appearance guarantee that was larger than the winner’s check. Most importantly, Davydenko was talking, in Russian, within earshot of on-court microphones, about an injury that he had already discussed, and was saying that it was getting worse during the match, and was saying he would retire…all of this during the match which is broadcast on the Betfair site.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It wouldn’t take a genius who 1) knew of his injury 2) spoke Russian 3) understands appearance fees in tennis and 4) is watching the match in progress to realize that a golden opportunity was presenting itself by way of those idiots who had bet on Davydenko based on ranking alone and not bothered to follow the match or don’t speak Russian. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There is a difference between match fixing and a punter doing his/her homework and gaining an edge. There is absolutely NO EVIDENCE at all whatsoever that Davydenko fixed the result. The only thing suggesting match fixing was irregular betting patterns and the fact that Betfair cancelled settlement of all bets on the match.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Neither of which has anything to do with Davydenko.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You will also note, when you read the BuzzFeed report, that there is DIRECT evidence against Martin Vassallo Arguello (in his phone records) that, by way of 82 confirmed text messages, he was in contact with associates of known Betfair account holders. Not all the contents of those messages were legible because Vassallo Arguello had attempted to delete them. The report said this evidence would lead to a separate investigation – THAT evidence is a MUCH better case against him than the “evidence” against Davydenko, but for some unexplained reason Vassallo Arguello was never pursued. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That is one of the more damning conclusions of the BuzzFeed report - that evidence of wrongdoing was and continues to be ignored by the TIU. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 17px;">I should also point out that evidence against Potito Starace and Daniele Bracciali resulted in their ban by the Italian Tennis federation, some of which stemmed from their association with the same cast of characters that Vassallo </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 17px;">Arguello was associated with. Of course their ban was the result of a police investigation and not a tennis investigation, which further discredits tennis authorities in this matter.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My specific beef with the BuzzFeed report is not their conclusion, but the evidence they use to arrive at that conclusion. The Davydenko case elicited strong evidence of match fixing, just not match-fixing by Davydenko. In that sense the TIU was correct in closing the Davydenko case, not because he stonewalled, but because their investigation didn't elicit any evidence of wrong-doing. The additional information they sought, phone records of people associated with Davydenko, was essentially a witch hunt for which there was no basis aside from strange betting patterns. Those betting patterns could be explained by other less sinister reasons, but the BuzzFeed report is correct in pointing out that Vasallo-Arguello, who happened to be Davydenko's opponent that day, provided investigators with plenty to follow up on, which they should have and didn't. And this leads to legitimate questions about their commitment to identifying and solving the problem of match-fixing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The problem is that the report then goes on to suggest a black list and a grey list of players who they are convinced have been involved in match-fixing and might have been involved in match-fixing (respectively), but the evidence is not 82 text messages with known betting site account holders (or associates thereof)...it's just the suspicious betting patterns, which the Davydenko case shows is tenuous evidence of wrongdoing. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Betting patterns must figure into accusations of match fixing, but they cannot be the only evidence that castigates and ostracizes accomplished professionals as cheats. Betting patterns in addition to evidence of illicit contact with those who might be in a position to benefit from that contact, is a high bar, but the consequences of getting it wrong are too heavy for those players who might unjustly be accused and convicted in the court of public opinion, as was Davydenko.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'm concerned that the rush to re-convict Davydenko, and put the entire story to rest, while ignoring the very real evidence against Vassallo Arguello, combined with a reliance on betting patterns and not enough hard evidence, is a sign that the tennis world is too eager to convince itself that it is dealing with match-fixing. That often leads to weak convictions on dubious investigations and heavy-handed sentences handed down to the absolute wrong people, much as they do with <b><a href="http://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-only-dope-is-anti-doping-believer.html" target="_blank">anti-doping</a> </b>in a transparent attempt to have their cake and eat it too.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If that is the case, then this will definitely get messy.</span></span></div>
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MMT Srhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11840298474071177362noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720810965183070923.post-46161182292607730312015-11-25T13:25:00.000-08:002016-08-01T10:02:25.686-07:00ABBOTT AND COSTELLO, MARTIN AND LEWIS...NOLE AND ROG?<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There was something unsettling about the interaction between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in 2015, but it's hard to put my finger on it. Every double act has a straight man and a comic: the straight man says, "Go and fetch me the morning paper," and the comic promptly slips on a banana peel on the way, and gets the big laugh. It works because it's like <a href="http://ajw.asahi.com/article/globe/backstage/AJ201312060003"><b>Japanese pantomime</b></a> - we all know what's going to happen before the curtain goes up, but (1) we stay for the show from start to finish and (2) take a kind of sadistic pleasure in the exasperation of one and the desperate futility of the other. We know the names of the ball players are <b><a href="https://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2016/05/hus-seeded-first.html">Who, What and I Don't Know</a></b>, but that leaves us no less capable of resisting the sweet misery of <a href="http://www.phoenix5.org/humor/WhoOnFirst.html"><b>Bud Abbott trying to explain that to the dimwitted and the intellectually fleeced Lou Costello</b></a>. Along the way, we suspend our disbelief of the absurdity of it, with the inutility of skepticism essential to enjoyment of the ruse.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But the curious case of Nole and Rog in 2015 makes me wonder exactly which one of these two titans in the tennis kingdom of heaven is playing <a href="https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=what%27s%20a%20stooge"><b>the stooge</b></a>?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Watching the way, the closest thing Djokovic had to a rivalry this season, played itself out, I am struck by the near certainty with which both players play their part in the intrigue sans script, but no less assuredly than one might expect with one. Their <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6eo_wIUzvQ">f<b>irst encounter in Dubai</b></a> led some to believe that Federer was on the ascendency, that he had reversed whatever deleterious effect Djokovic's win at Wimbledon may have had on the ethereal realm of his confidence. But that dissipated so quickly, with his nearly <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovNTmka-KRQ"><b>complete and feckless capitulation at Indian Wells</b></a>, that one couldn't help but wonder if the Djoker had, in fact, left something in the tank in the middle eastern desert, knowing full well that the Californian desert is the only one that really matters in the spring.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">They didn't meet again until <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sg-A3qxgcS8"><b>Wimbledon</b></a>, and in a rematch of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnCZjXaIl1s"><b>last year's epic final</b></a>, this year's turned out to be infinitely less dramatic but no less compelling. Victory seemed certain almost from the first long rally that turned from Federer's favor to the Djoker's. And that sinking feeling that Fed-fans get when the Serb has decided <a href="https://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-relationship-between-federer-and.html"><b>he'd rather lose to anyone <i>but</i> their immortal beloved</b></a>, would have moved from a subtle flutter in the stomach to a lead lump in the throat, as General Federer made his last stand in the 4th set at SW19. Somewhere the ghost of Sitting Bull was having the last laugh all over again. Though in some ways Roger was playing better than the year before, there was never really a moment in that match where the perception of a momentum change was anything more than wishful thinking.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then came the revelation of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iUJ1nLnCI0"><b>SABR (Sneak Attack by Roger)</b></a> in Cincinnati - another of Roger's watering holes that's good for a laugh, </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">particularly at the expense of the vast majority of his contemporaries. There he humiliated one player after another with not only this cheeky new "weapon", but also a brazen display of genetic superiority to those young affections that gape to be his heir. Feliciano Lopez <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPhNMv9ZU8I"><b>profanely played the part of the stupefied stooge</b></a>, who yet again thought he had a shot at his Bugs Bunny, only to discover that the proverbial rabbit out of the top hat was a combination of the new racquet, the new coach, the new backhand...and the old superiority that once again insisted on imposing itself. Even the Djoker, who would certainly have been fatigued from all those weeks of rest post Wimbledon - what with changing diapers and posting pics on twitter/facebook/instagram, and any other (wrong) place he might be looking for love - was compelled to succumb to his Hairness.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Though they've seen him do it before, and in all likelihood he'll do it again, the popularity of the most popular <strike>girl</strike> guy at the <strike>ball</strike> tournament (and as always, in the world of tennis) engulfed that poor Serbian boy who's allergic to something that everyone's heard of, but nobody really knows what it is, and just once, just once, wants to be revered as something other than the straight man. But I wonder if he isn't the stooge? After all the machinations and success, the clothes, the sense of humor, the talk shows, the dancing and the jokes...after all the jokes, for god'</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">s sake? It just takes one <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=055wFyO6gag"><b>Lucy</b></a> shaped shaped Swiss guy with a little talent and some <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3156233/From-Bradley-Cooper-Karlie-Kloss-Serena-Williams-Roger-Federer-listers-corner-Wimbledon-Andy-relies-Kim-mum.html"><b>high class friends</b></a>, to pull that football away from his oncoming kick, sending him flailing in the air like a rag doll, and make it all for naught. In the end, in this tennis town (by which I mean planet Earth) there really isn't enough room for anyone not named Roger Federer. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And yet, like a good stooge, he continues to try...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Nadal sucked the air out of the (newly half-roofed) room at Flushing Meadows, by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdpYF7ET2N8"><b>losing to some crazy Italian bloke</b></a>, who himself was usurped by his own tender Juliette's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbiEoqTNhx0"><b>unexpected victory </b></a>and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Twpl5_zhtk"><b>confusing retirement</b></a>. Though her countrywoman <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_haB1NHIC0"><b>slew the giant with a thousand cuts</b></a>, she needed a 1,001 to complete the insanely unlikely story, and unfortunately it was one blow more than she had at her disposal. And while the rest of the tennis universe (and the celebrity one) pined openly for the coronation of a grand queen for the first time in 27 years, poor Nole toiled in near anonymity, bludgeoning and sliding his way through a field of paltry challengers, including the defending champion, who had nothing but the best of intentions and the worst of capacities. Try as they may, the immovable object had already met the irresistible force, and combined to form the 2015 Novak Djokovic - <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_Novak_Djokovic_tennis_season"><b>the most dominant tennis player in the open era</b></a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Nevertheless, the final was highly anticipated - the one that we came so tantalizingly close to before King (for a day) Kei and (Cheech) Marin Cilic really overstayed their welcomes in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CP6s9su_kSY"><b>last years final installment of the Grand Slam quadrilogy</b></a>. Finally, we would have our real drama, with a palpable belief on the part of everyone except the one that needed it the most, that the grey men of the tennisocracy so desperately wanted and needed. Elmer Federer just may finally catch that rascally rabbit. And <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaZSzazwXa8"><b>in that duel</b> </a>between the only two men that anyone truly believed had a shot at the title in the first place, we would finally have our unexpected result.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But the pantomime returned, the stooge slipped on the banana peel and the audience went home knowing nothing more than what they did at the start of the fortnight. The Reign of Terror that is the dominance of Novak Djokovic continues until he no longer possesses the means or the desire to occupy the throne. <b><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/novakdjokovic/11863076/Novak-Djokovic-beats-Roger-Federer-in-US-Open-final-but-where-is-the-love-for-the-Serb.html">Though they bayed for his blood</a> </b>like sanguine plebeians at the Colosseum, the result only made more stark the contrast between good and evil, by the script of this running gag, that the game has been teasing us with for the last two years. No matter how desperately we want it to be so, nobody is beating Novak Djokovic in 2015 except maybe...well, Novak Djokovic.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then, like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_the_Great"><b>Alexander</b></a>, he travelled to edge of the known tennis world to that relic of yore in Shanghai, and (once again) <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzK0UysgXzk"><b>conquered his tartan nemesis</b></a>, leaving no doubt that the future is dark if your hopes for a respite from his tyranny would come in the form of a soft Glaswegian brogue. And after an inexplicable capitulation to<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_96rWkk398"> <b>the wrong Spaniard,</b></a> Federer regained his composure in his backyard, and proceeded to painstakingly </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">lumber</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> through 3 sets to get the wrong result over the right Spaniard who despite his anno terribilis in 2015, still seemed genuinely convinced that he should have won the match, and was rightfully disappointed that he didn't. This time, Wily Coyote finally caught the rabbit, and he went (back) to London brimming with all the <a href="https://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2011/09/belief-new-religion-in-tennis.html"><b>confidence</b></a> that his newly expanded bubble reputation could afford. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There he cashed that Czech who has no business beating him, <a href="http://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2012/11/sugar-ray-roger.html"><b>but seems to do just that</b></a> with irritating frequency, before proceeding to sadistically set us up one last time. He beat Djokovic so handily in their round robin match, that the man felt compelled to state the obvious (much to Roger's chagrin) - despite assurances to the contrary, <a href="http://espn.go.com/tennis/story/_/id/14157186/novak-djokovic-irks-roger-federer-claim-win-got-handed-him"><b>the match had been handed to Federer on a silver platter</b></a>. It even smacked of sour grapes to some, but as the wheels started to come loose against a plucky Nishikori, then in a sloppy <a href="http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/brain-game-federer-beats-wawrinka-london-2015"><b>but tactical</b> </a>win over his countryman, the ugly truth began to take shape. Still, having experienced the dramatic manner in which Wawrinka bludgeoned his way to within 3 or 4 match points of a well deserved victory last year (ironically spurred on by the<b> <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/rogerfederer/11237410/Roger-Federers-wife-Mirka-called-Stan-Wawrinka-a-crybaby-on-court.html">unseemly goading of Lady McFederer</a></b>) this year's victory over his countryman gave us pause. Could this year's final be the crescendo that everyone expected last year? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was anything but.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So there we were, at the World Tour Finals of 2015, expecting once again to be dazzled by the chance of a new generation of this rivalry, one that appeared less as pantomime than genuine drama. The intrigue ratcheted up by a startling result in the round robin, a catty long distance exchange over perceptions of this result, and on the back of a 3rd victory over the <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/news/tennis/djokovic-family-rejoices-after-clown-prince-novak-dethrones-king-roger/2008/01/28/1201369037088.html"><b>young king</b></a> (as many as the rest of the world combined), the trap door once again opened at the final step, and enveloped not only Roger Federer, but the hopes of his fans, and any remaining doubt that in this now sad tale: <a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/sports/features/novak-djokovic-wins-wimbledon-the-joker-gets-the-last-laugh-again-20150713"><b>his only victories are those that count less than the defeats</b></a>. Once again, the straight man was set up for a comedic finish that left us crying with laughter, with the coup de grace coming in two uneventful sets...in London.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I am reminded of the final scene of "<i><b>Pulp Fiction"</b></i> when Jules Winnfield calmly explains to the gentle thief at his disposal, that through the comedy of errors that brought them to the denouement, he realized that his initial interpretation of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0001783/quotes"><b>his own preamble to murder </b></a>(which is not actually in the bible, by the way) was faulty. In fact the biblical joke was on him: he was neither the righteous man navigating the iniquities of the selfish, nor the shepherd of the weak through the valley of darkness...he was in fact <i>the tyranny of evil men.</i> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I mention this because the entire year, thinking of what passes for a <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2590800-novak-djokovic-vs-roger-federer-continues-to-be-tennis-most-exciting-rivalry"><b>rivalry between Federer and Djokovic</b></a>, I know it's a damn pantomime, but I've been trying to figure out which one is the stooge? Is it Federer, who like Indiana Jones, gets his hand on the golden idol, only to have it <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LesfFv6xEvA"><b>taken from him by his own personal Belloq</b></a>? Or is it poor Nole, who every time he thinks he's going to break through and reach the pantheon of fandom, not only of the tennis world, but of tennis heaven, where he is revered with equally rapturous fervor as his own personal Zeus - only to be kicked down the side of Mount Olympus once again? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">No, like Jules Winnfield, the joke is on us - the vein slapping addicts of sporting drama, desperate to see something other than what we know, in our heart of hearts, is always going to be the same result. W</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">e look around the poker table, trying, in vain, to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLYe2MqCZrg"><b>figure out who the sucker is</b></a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The truth is that as long as Nole wishes it so, it is us.</span>MMT Srhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11840298474071177362noreply@blogger.com0