Thursday, November 15
Last updated at 11:35 pm EDT
INTERNATIONAL PRESS
Umpires: Hawk-Eye use good for tennis - China Daily
One of his colleagues, Matthias Giese, 37, of Germany, who has also served as an umpire at major tournaments around the world, said after years of umpiring, he's learned to deal with the pressure on the court and to focus on the game. As for Hawk-Eye, he said it's good for the game and makes his job easier to some degree. "It's better now with Hawk-Eye. I think it's good for officiating and it's an aid for us. It's not putting us under pressure," Giese said.Both umpires said Hawk-Eye could lead to trouble with players - or at least bring a little embarrassment - if the computer puts the ball several centimeters away from the line, as opposed to just one."If it's a millimeter or something, they don't get angry. But if you miss by 20 centimeters, they would be angry," he said. Most of the time, Giese said, umpires get it right.
"It's entertaining for the spectators and the players see we're not so bad," he said, adding that before Hawk-Eye's introduction, players were "more angry, yelling and stuff like that".
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Perhaps in some ways, what occurs this week is less about clarifying 2007 and more a matter of jockeying for 2008... Because the field is so small and inherently deep, there's definitely a sense of urgency in the air when it comes to the actual matches. It's not a tournament where you can work your way into form. For this reason, said Martin, "This is one case where the round-robin format is quite workable. Guys know they'll play at least three matches, and they also know it's the one tournament where [it's] possible to lose and still win the event." Indeed, 14 times over the last 21 years the eventual winner took a loss earlier in the tournament -- and if Federer hopes to win this year, he'll need to overcome an opening loss to Fernando Gonzalez.Still, it's a shame there can't be at least a few all-star-game-like elements added to the mix. For example, there was a time several years ago when the ATP and WTA spoke with one another about staging their respective year-end events at the same time and place. Like the Grand Slams and such venues as Key Biscayne and Indian Wells, the value for fans and viewers alike could be spectacular. But recent actions and a slew of disparate marketing and business objectives have made this increasingly unlikely.
...Martin's belief is that the Tennis Masters Cup is best thought of as "as a video game when you enter the bonus screen. You can't die, you can't lose your ship, but you can get tons and tons of points. It's very special."
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Williams, 27, said she and Serena, who combined to win the Olympic doubles at the 2000 Sydney Games, were eager to join forces at January's Australian Open."We're really excited," Williams said. "We love playing together and also we want to play doubles in the Olympics, so we're starting right off in the new year playing."
Williams said she sees "an infinite future" for herself in fashion design but is not nearly ready to quit tennis.
"As far as tennis, I don't think about the future. I'm in the middle of my career. I'm looking forward to the next season and I'm going to go for it.["]
The 32-ranked player tried to avoid questions on the issue of match-fixing in the men's circuit saying, "it does not happen in the women's circuit to my knowledge. I have not experienced any such instances. If it is happening on the ATP circuit, it is not good for the game. I am not that experienced to make any comment on such things."On Justine Henin's domination on the WTA circuit, Sania said, "Henin is a lady Federer. She is what Federer (Roger) is on the men's circuit. She is a terror for all players and she wins whatever tournament that she competes in."
On her injuries Sania said, "My knee injury was a freak accident. It hurts only when I serve. Every athlete in the circuit suffers from such niggling injuries. It cannot be avoided when you are playing at that level but sometimes injuries also help you to do better since you have to work harder to strive for positive results."
Vijay Amritraj is diplomacy personified but it doesn't mean that the former tennis star minces words when it comes to stating opinions. Like on the struggles of the Indian Davis Cup squad. Or on the state of junior tennis in India. Or even on the Asian Tennis Federation's (ATF) threat to form their own circuit."The ATF's demand that the ATP increase its quota for Asian players is ridiculous. The ATP can only support merit. It's not a job creation scheme," is his emphatic answer. "Especially now when there's no shortage of opportunities, talent and sponsors, it really is a sad situation. There are enough opportunities to generate points at the lower levels. There are plenty of tournaments at all levels in Asia, right from Doha to Seoul. You can move up the rankings by participating and winning. It really is as simple as that."
AMERICAN PRESS
We are speaking of absolutes here: Roddick's best against Federer's. Roddick isn't going to win that contest, but what's odd is that he has never happened upon a day when he plays well and Federer doesn't. Fifteen matches is no small sample - Roddick is certainly due for some luck. Could tomorrow be that day? So far during this tournament, Federer is far from his best. While that could change at a moment's notice, Federer seems sufficiently out of sync for one to think that he won't be absolutely dazzling.And what if Federer does a number on Roddick again? The U.S. Open title isn't on the line this time and there's no hoard of American reporters waiting to bludgeon Roddick with questions about how great Federer is, how great Roddick isn't, and, "Oh by the way, how did it feel to have your butt kicked again?"
The Charlie M Classic moved to La Quinta because of the wildfires in the San Diego area. The Vandeweghes and Fritz were on the edge of the wildfires. Fritz said the fires came to the edge of his gated community before finally extinguishing. Vandeweghe's mother, Tauna, said the fires were less than a mile away from their home. Tauna said they evacuated just in the nick of time....Amber Liu will take on Angela Haynes. Liu is accompanied to the tournament by 1989 French Open champion Michael Chang. Liu, the two-time NCAA champion from Stanford, lives near Chang and knows her through his cousin. Chang said he plans to open an academy in Shenzhen, China. "It's not going to be small," Chang said. "It's a good opportunity to give back and make an impact."
BRITISH PRESS
Nadal needed to beat the Serb, in straight sets if possible, and then keep everything crossed in the hope that whoever won the David Ferrer vs Richard Gasquet match did so in straight sets - that way the winner and Nadal would both progress.Gasquet winning in three sets could have ended Nadal's challenge but, in the end, Ferrer, Nadal's friend and countryman, walloped Gasquet 6-1, 6-1 and the Spaniards together tripped lightly into the final weekend.
The 25-year-old Spaniard had the look of a kid let loose in a toy shop when he arrived here. This was something new and extremely special, and it might have overwhelmed the man from Valencia if he had thought about it too much, or changed his style of play. Instead he settled himself in, practised assiduously, and then set about knocking off his fellow top players, even if his black hair was always drenched lank with perspiration. In his opening round-robin match he beat Djokovic, the world No3, in straight sets, then he defeated Nadal, and yesterday France's Richard Gasquet was swept away 6-1, 6-1.Ferrer thus topped his group, and was joined in the semi-finals yesterday by Nadal, with Andy Roddick having qualified from his group on Wednesday. The winner of today's Roger Federer-Roddick match will now play Nadal in tomorrow's semi-final, with Ferrer up against Fernando Gonzalez of Chile, or Roddick or Federer in the other semi-final. Round-robin formats can be lots of fun, but frequently require a maths degree to comprehend.
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