Wednesday, May 28
Last updated at Wed, 28 May 2008 21:27:55 GMT
These results gave us much to smile about, and you probably couldn't get a better representation of the face of the game - blemishes and all - than you have when you contemplate the careers, temperaments, achievements and critical failures of these three pilgrims in the lonely tennis universe. Together, they demonstrate that tennis may be the most reliable, transparent test of the degree to which individual athletes build successfully on the main pillars of any sport: skill and character (and we're talking about competitive integrity, not the check-out lady gave you too much change - did you give it back? character).
There was also a little bit of edginess because French TV has occasionally been in the locker room during the tournament. "They're filming us in the locker room so it's like, 'Oh, we have to take more towels'," she said in jest.
But, Amanmuradova added more seriously, the players' lounge was crowded during rain breaks and this meant losing the last sanctuary available to the players. "They put notices [about the filming] but no one is happy because you need privacy."
...As for Michel Llodra, the tour's jokester was so thrilled with his end-of-evening five-set win over Tomas Berdych, he grabbed the microphone at the players' center and announced it to the whole grounds. "Michael Llodra has won in five sets over Tomas Berdych," boomed the PA. “I was praying literally for him to lose,” he said of Leconte with a frankness that surprised me. “I didn't sleep for two days before the final. I wanted him to just die. I didn't want this to happen. (It was) instinct. I can't lie. I was hoping for him lose so bad, even though he was my teammate. I didn't want a French guy to win.”
Why the panic? “I think it has to do with insecurity,” he explained. Slowly, he said, the feeling faded. Now Noah would welcome a homegrown champion.
She's not fast or balanced enough to win seven matches on red clay against the world's best.
She's merely using this Grand Slam as a tune-up for another assault on the Wimbledon title.
She's the most mentally tough player out there and will out-gut the rest of the tour regardless of surface.
She's improved her overall arsenal enough and has figured out how to use her best weapons on clay to be able to snare the title.
On Wednesday, little became clear in Sharapova's quest to be the queen of Paris as she needed two hours and 28 minutes to best the unknown Evgeniya Rodina 6-1, 3-6, 8
After getting thrashed in the second-set tiebreaker 7-1, Jenkins was down a break but rallied to win 9-7 in the third. The taut match went 2 hours and 40 minutes.
"It felt great," Jenkins said. "I'll remember that for a long, long time." A late-blooming Spaniard who would birth a desert tennis academy in California, Higueras has frequented Roland Garros for so long that he chats in French with security guards and claims to know everyone "over 60."
Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, the world's top three players and French Open favorites, have put themselves forward as candidates on the 10-man council, the ATP confirmed.
...But Bastholt was the trainer on call during the 2004 French final, when Guillermo Coria, up two sets to love on Gaston Gaudio, went into severe cramps. "That was not a physical cramp. That was definitely emotional. So I had a few talks with him. I told him, 'This is something you're in control of. It's your body playing tricks on you. It's not physical. You have to deal with it yourself, so you can get back. Try to relax.'"
But wait a minute. I'm double-checking the number of aces on the chair umpire's official scorecard and there's only 35. How could IBM overstate the ace count by four?
“Look, I’ve played in a lot of matches where it’s been windy, and I’ve been successful in many of them,” Sharapova said. “These are just days when you’re not playing your best tennis. You can say the conditions were bad. You can say your opponent played well. You can say all those things. But at the end of the day, you’re fortunate to get through the match. You’re fortunate you’re giving yourself another opportunity to play another match and to get better. Because realistically, I don’t know if there’s any way down from here.”
That sounds a bit too strong. Sharapova did finish with an unsightly 17 double faults as her high service toss moved plenty in the wind. She did appear to be guiding the ball in the final two sets instead of swinging freely and ferociously, and she did often make some dubious selections with her approach shots. But there were still moments when she looked very much in form on Philippe Chatrier Court, the main court at Roland Garros.
Even two weeks ago, such a scene would have been unthinkable.
...Neither the rain nor Amanmuradova's big serve, deterred a bloc of Belgian fans, most of whom had purchased their tickets and booked their hotel rooms before Henin's retirement. They were crammed into Court 8, waving their tricolor flags and a banner that read, "Merci Justine et Carlos," thanking Henin and her longtime coach, Carlos Rodriguez. "When Justine retired I think she used the words 'suffering' and 'pain'. These are powerful words. This is something I've never felt in my career, because I tried to work differently from a psychological standpoint."
"We're determined to make the event an even bigger part of our national sporting life through the use of new technology and working with the club to innovate across digital platforms," said Mosey. The deal also includes exclusive radio rights.
...The ATP's independent hearing officer, who is arbitrating the case, has stalled progress on the seven-month-old inquiry until the separate dispute over jurisdiction is resolved.
The ATP is relying on a clause in its rulebook which states: "Any coach, trainer, manager, agent, family member, tournament guest or other affiliate or associate of any player - collectively, 'Player Support Personnel' - shall also be bound by and shall comply with all of the provisions of this program."
But, although he signed up to the tenets of the rulebook, Davydenko's legal advice is that to comply would contravene privacy laws. "You can't just take legal rights from people, there's precedent being set," said Immenga.
...In between serves, he shifted his right hip with his hands until it felt comfortable.
''I had to adjust it a little bit, it's sliding a little to the side, so I have to put it back,'' Kuerten said.
``I need a hand there. If someone holds it for me, that would be great.''
...Nor was it a good day for Robin Haase, the BMW Championship winner in Sunrise who lost to linebacker-sized German lefty Michael Berrer 6-4, 6-4. ...Levine fell to 4-11 in his pro career. At 5-9 and 150 pounds, the left-hander stayed with the 6-5 Del Potro for a set, but the Argentine's firepower wore him down in the second. They once faced each other as juniors.
"A lot has happened in six, seven years," Levine said. "He's grown about two feet, and me, I've stayed the same height."
Venus, too, dodged the controversy, signaling which topics were in play and which were not.
"No, I'm definitely not here to comment on that," she said. "We can talk about EleVen (her new clothing line) or tennis or my recent graduation or a lot of other things."
Men's No. 1 Roger Federer wants golf reservations for his parents. Done. Defending champion Serena Williams needs a room with a kitchen. Check. Andy Roddick likes NBA tickets but sometimes switches hotel reservations two or three times before the tournament starts. Covered
...The tournament spends an estimated $500,000 to $800,000 annually on what might be called player amenities, little touches to nudge player opinion upward. This year, for example, it will buy about 150 Miami Heat tickets and provide them free to players. In some cases, it works out deals with sponsors. All players get a free rental car for the duration, and the top 10 tool around in a Mercedes.
Urged on by a small crowd chanting "Guga, Guga", the three times French Open champion did his best to send the match into a third set and held even with the 52nd-ranked Grosjean until near the end of the second.
..."The first set I thought maybe would be too fast for him and I (would) not be able to enjoy so much," Kuerten said. "But then luckily I was wrong. Then I had some great feelings in the second."
"We've never practiced together. I don't know. He likes to do his own thing," said Reynolds, who often trains in the Atlanta area with fellow pros Robby Ginepri and Scoville Jenkins.
Would Young be welcomed if he wanted to work against his fellow Americans? "For sure. Practice with a guy No. 70 in the world. Sure. You can see how talented he is," Reynolds said.
...It is, for the Young family, something of a miracle that Donald has gone this far. And there's so much more distance remaining. "They wanted me to abort Donald," she told me, recalling the first three months of her pregnancy. "They told me I would never carry him to term. But this was my first child and I couldn't believe that God would give me this opportunity to have a child and not want me to take it."
So she persisted, checking in with her obstetrician weekly, monitoring her unborn baby's progress, and it seemed to be satisfactory until the seventh month. "I don't know why my husband came home early from work that day, but he did," she said. Off they rushed to the hospital and, unable to stop the contractions, they delivered Donald. "Just about my whole body had shut down," said Illona, who had to recover in the hospital along with her miracle child.
...Meanwhile, the USTA is either in negotiation to buy the ATP Masters Series event in Cincinnati or has, in fact, closed the deal. That would add yet another USTA property to the U.S. Open Series. The USTA already has New Haven in the six-week U.S. leadup to the U.S. Open. Also, while this isn't certain, it's entirely believable. The ATP is or has already bought back the Tennis Channel Open in Las Vegas, which hasn't exactly been a blockbuster event.
...But his announcement that his daughter, 33-year-old, two-time Grand Slam winner Mary Pierce, is ready to come back from knee surgery has the ring of truth. Primarily because a lot of what he tells me is backed by her good friend, men's pro Sebastien Grosjean.Here's the substance of what Pierce told me on the phone this afternoon... Mary has been cleared by her orthopedic surgeon to resume practice... She has informed her high-profile father that when she's ready to get back on court, he's the coach, with her brother, David, assisting.
...The ITF and the French Federation will announce as early as this week that, beginning in 2009, French Open doubles matches will adopt the ATP and WTA system of playing a super-tiebreak (first team to 10 points with a two-point edge) if a third set is needed.
... Sebastien Grosjean, who turns 30 on May 29, says his plan right now is to play through the 2009 season and retire. Djokovic ended American Mardy Fish's stunning run to the final in a clinical 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 victory. Fish had knocked off a slew of excellent players en route to the final in the tournament of his life — fourth-ranked Nikolay Davydenko, two-time Grand Slam champ Lleyton Hewitt, former Wimbledon finalist David Nalbandian and the stunner of stunners, top-ranked Roger Federer.
Perhaps inevitably, given how hard he needs to work to win points, his form dipped last year, and this campaign his record is a modest 5-7. Not helping is a lingering injury to his serving shoulder that will require surgery at the end of 2008, according to Dewulf.
That night off Sunset Boulevard, Seth asked me how the junior sectionals had gone for me. When I told him I'd lost in the first round, he said, "So what? You're smarter than all of us. You're going to Berkeley. I've got to win tennis matches." Thinking back, I wonder just how much of tennis' isolation wore Seth down - and maybe, just maybe, that we American tennis players ought to treat one another with a little more mutual respect and kindness.
Rodriguez coaching Chakvetadze
- Matthew Cronin, tennisreporters.net
Guess who is working with now retired Justine Henin’s (ex) coach, Carlos Rodriguez? None other than Anna Chakvetadze, who badly needs the Argentine’s unique advice
The Evans Report: Champions Calm In Tennis Tempest
- Richard Evans, Tennis Week
Four Americans won and a few lost; a potential new star emerged from Brazil; Maria Sharapova got herself in a terrible tangle in the wind but emerged relatively unscathed and there was sunshine almost all day long at Roland Garros. Don’t hold your breath for Thursday but, at least, we’ve now had one action packed and uninterrupted day at the French Open
Old Timer's Day
- Peter Bodo, TennisWorld
It's shaping up as old-timer's day at the French Open, with Marat Safin and Lleyton Hewitt both cruising to relatively painless wins, and how about 35-year old Fabrice Santoro - a straight set winner today over Evgeny Korolev on Court 3!
French Open: Weather diary
- [Kamakshi Tandon], Tennis.com
"When they uncovered the courts[Tuesday], everyone was stressed to sign up for practice courts, 15 minutes, 20 minutes. There was a hurry to find sparring partners. Then it started raining again... Everyone is waiting, everyone has their own ideas, "Oh, I heard it was going to rain for eight days," like that. Everyone make fun of the players who start on Monday, 'Oh, you're going to play the whole week.' It's always a different mood in there. The top players, they just try to take it sarcastically [treat the situation as funny], because it's so bad you cannot do anything else."
Paris 1968: An Unforgettable Beginning
- Rex Bellamy [extract], Tennis.com
Full Arc: Noah now ready for another French champ
- Douglas Robson, Tennis.com
Paradoxically, Noah at first wanted to escape the limelight after 1983, which he did by living in New York. A few years later, he was afraid to lose it.
Sharapova a long way from Grand Slam form
- Matthew Cronin, Foxsports
You can look at Maria Sharapova's chances at her first French Open title in four different ways.
Cornet the perfect antidote to the afflicted French stars
- Bonnie D. Ford, ESPN
"When I saw myself where so many stars have been, on the cover of [L'Equipe] magazine, I said to myself, that's it, I've made it,'' Cornet said after a center-court win on the tournament's opening day. "It's incredible. The photo is great. It reflects my personality well. That's how I handle life.''
Qualifying a nasty business, but rewards are unassailable
- Greg Garber, ESPN
Jenkins, a 21-year-old from Atlanta, had played in four previous Grand Slams, the past four U.S. Opens, because of wild-card gifts from the USTA. Due to the (bad) luck of the draw, Jenkins lost matches there to Andy Roddick, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Jonas Bjorkman. When he won his first two matches in the qualifiers this year, in the crucible of a second-set tiebreaker, Jenkins was on the threshold of making it on his own in a match against Spanish veteran Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo.
Roger Federer's French connection?
- Los Angeles Times
He coached Jim Courier's dour diligence and heard the 20-year-old Courier say in the 1991 title speech, "I wouldn't be standing here without you."
Tennis coverage, Henin and more as the French Open gets going
- Jon Wertheim, SI.com
As long as we're talking Coria, let's take this opportunity to tip our chapeau to the guy. First, for all the bogus excuses athletes use when they fail a drug test, Coria's assertion that his supplements were mislabeled appears to be valid. He sued the manufacturer. Here's a story. My moles tell me that, while the settlement was undisclosed, it was significant -- suggesting guilt on the part of the manufacturer.
Rain washes out another day on red clay
- Tom Tebbutt, The Globe and Mail
The mark. These days in tennis, that would have to refer to the mysterious mark on Roger Federer's right cheek since the first tournament of the clay-court season in Estoril, Portugal, in April. It is a blemish that became infected, but it has come down significantly in size since the Estoril event. It might go away on its own, but if it does not, would require a simple procedure to remove.
French wonder why they come up short at Roland Garros
- Douglas Robson, USA Today
World's top men's players aiming for more say
- Douglas Robson, USA Today
The Big Three of men's tennis aren't just asserting themselves in the ATP Tour's rankings. They are attempting to ensure their voice is heard in the upper echelons of the game by angling for slots on the tour's Players' Council.
ATP trainer Per Bastholt works on the mind and body
- Charles Bricker, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
"We don't directly get thank-you notes from the players," Bastholt explained. "But the fact that they come to you to tell you how glad you were there ... well, you feel the level of connection with the players. So much so that they sometimes start asking your advice on other things, including their girlfriends."
Young black juniors are source of optimism for U.S. tennis
- Charles Bricker, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Never have there been this many black players rocking junior tennis, and there is reason to believe many more will follow because as they become more visible, more parents will be influenced to introduce their children to the game.
Did IBM screw up Karlovic's aces?
- Charles Bricker, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
IBM, which does the scorekeeping for the tournament, reported 39 aces for Karlovic, which would be a Roland Garros record, surpassing the 37 aces Andy Roddick hit against Michael Chang in 2001.
Federer's Best (and Last?) Chance To Win the French Open
- Tom Perrotta, New York Sun
Age isn't the only reason to suggest that Federer ought to approach this year's French Open with urgency. Luck is another. Unlike earlier in the year, when a sluggish Federer, suffering from mononucleosis, failed to defend his Australian Open title, Federer is now healthy and fit. He played plenty of clay-court matches (18) leading up to the tournament. He has a new coach, Jose Higueras, whose clay-court expertise is unrivaled. Most important, he's been handed a dream draw.
Sharapova Survives Wind and Swirling Clay
- Christopher Clarey, New York Times
But Sharapova ultimately avoided getting blown over in the first round by coming up with just enough big serves and shots under intense and unexpected pressure to prevail, 6-1, 3-6, 8-6.
Belgium tries to regroup after losing its 2 stars
- Christopher Clarey, International Herald Tribune
Out in the hinterlands at the French Open, Luc Vandaele, president of the Royal Belgian Tennis Federation, was trying and failing to get into the tiny grandstand in Court 8 to see his country's best female player.
The Net Post: Richard Gasquet struggling to live up to promise
- Neil Harman, The Times
Richard Gasquet's red shirt was so soaked with sweat it had almost turned black. He could not have put more into his practice session if he had tried. Yet, an overriding sense of depression hung across the proceedings. Gasquet is at a troubling period of his career, everyone senses it and no-one can quite be certain in which direction he will head
Amelie Mauresmo has been in many love games
- Simon Barnes, The Times
Try being a French favourite. Now that's what I call a burden. They cheer when you win, all right. They certainly go in for inflated expectations, every bit as much as we do. But when they are disappointed they turn in fury. Can you imagine a Wimbledon crowd shouting abuse at Henman? But that's what happens to French favourites, and on an annual basis.
The 'cow on ice' confident in Henin's absence
- Stephen Bierley, The Guardian
The abrupt and startling retirement of Belgium's Justine Henin, aged just 25 and the French Open champion for the past three years, did not come as a major surprise to Maria Sharapova, who has taken over from Henin as the world's No1 and is the top seed in Paris, the only major she has yet to win. "If I'm 25 and I have won seven slams I'd call it quits as well," said the reigning Australian Open champion, a statement that must have severely alarmed her fans, sponsors and the WTA Tour.
Mauresmo finds new verve with the pressure off
- Pul Newman, The Independent
Questioned about Justine Henin's retirement, Mauresmo said she had herself considered quitting last year. "I asked myself whether I had the energy to keep going and to keep making sacrifices. The answer was that I wasn't done yet and wanted to keep trying to achieve great things. As you get older, you need good preparation. This is what I try and do, even though it's now difficult from a physical standpoint.
Murray seeks singles wild card at Wimbledon
- Paul Newman, The Independent
Jamie Murray has not played a competitive singles match for more than two years and does not even have a singles ranking but is hoping to play in the singles at Wimbledon next month.
Novak Djokovic stays grounded as titles begin to stack up
- Neil Harman, The Times
Ana Ivanovic near perfect as she underlines her potential
- Neil Harman, The Times
Andy Murray knows he has a hard act to follow
- Neil Harman, The Times
ATP and WTA are anything but tennis authorities
- Steve Bierley, The Guardian
BBC aces rivals in move to serve up Wimbledon with digital edge
- The Guardian
The new five-year Wimbledon deal with the All England Club will allow the BBC to show matches on demand up to seven days after they have been played. Viewers will also be able to watch via broadband and, for the first time, on mobile phones. The BBC said it was negotiating to offer the iPlayer catch-up service from this year.
Davydenko talks tough to anti-corruption team
- The Guardian
"They need to provide a statement of how long this will take and to accept they will pay legal costs," said Davydenko's lawyer, Dr Frank Immenga. "If they had a 1% chance of [proving] a link to corruption, they would say they'd take over the costs and give a decision within one month. But they can't do that."
Former No. 1 'Guga' loses in first round
- Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald
The scene, although much lower key, brought back memories for Kuerten of one of the most thrilling matches of his career. It was the 2000 final of this tournament, and a packed house -- many of the fans decked in bright Brazil yellow -- sang and waved flags as Kuerten pushed Pete Sampras to seven match points in a four-hour epic. Sampras won the match, but the mop-topped Brazilian won the fans' hearts, and they have loved him around these parts ever since.
Domachowska comes back for win
- Miami Herald
Sharapova loses by playing safe
- Miami Herald
Levine hopes step back will push him forward at Sony Ericsson Open
- Charles Bricker, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
"It's great getting all these wild cards, but I'm not putting them to use," he said after falling 7-5, 6-1 to Argentina's Juan Martin Del Potro on the stadium court on opening day at the Sony Ericsson Open. "I'm going to take a little hop-step back. I'm going back to the Challenger level, where I'll be seeded."
Three crowd pleasers make early exits at Sony Ericsson
- Chares Elmore, Palm Beach Post
The stadium court crowd chanted "Guga" for former No. 1 Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil. University of Florida Gators chomped for Jesse Levine of Boca Raton. Curious spectators followed Kei Nishikori, the Japanese teenager who upset James Blake and won a title in Delray Beach last month.
Time for Williams sisters to speak
- Palm Beach Post
"I definitely read the remarks, but the best person to answer that would be my dad," Serena told reporters on the opening day of the high-profile Sony Ericsson event. "I think he'll be here later this week. I'm here to play tennis and stay focused on that."
Tournament goes above and beyond
- Charles Elmore, Palm Beach Post
World No. 1 Justine Henin isn't crazy about the humidity, wind and traffic in South Florida. But she apparently does like rice milk. The Sony Ericsson Open, which starts today, is paying people to make sure it shows up in her hotel refrigerator.
Kuerten says farewell to Sony Ericsson Open
- Reuters
"I think it is a great decision that I did to play at least (a) few more tournaments for myself and to be able to enjoy," said Kuerten.
Haas withdraws from Sony Ericsson with sinus infection
- Reuters
Tennis players pampered at Key Biscayne tourney
- Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald
Purple flowers lead to purple courts. Purple tickets. Purple billboards. Purple programs. Purple carpets. Even the dress Jelena Jankovic is wearing for Wednesday night's player party on South Beach was custom-made in the ''bougainvillea purple'' from Sony Ericsson's official corporate palette.
Big-time tennis is getting some groove back
- Linda Robertson, Miami Herald
No easy road for Federer
- Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald
Nadal arrived in Miami in the wee hours Monday on a private plane from Indian Wells, Calif. Among the passengers on the plane was Ana Ivanovic, the Serbian world No. 2, who won the Indian Wells final on Saturday. Nadal lost in the semis to Novak Djokovic and decided to fly private. He had an extra seat on the plane and offered to let Ivanovic hitch a ride.
Reynolds outduels Young for spot in main draw
- Charles Bricker, South Florida Sun-Sentnel
His win might have been billed as The Battle of Atlanta, except that Reynolds and Young don't see anything of each other away from tournaments.
Williams sisters mum on father's controversial remarks
- Charles Bricker, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Two tennis tours are not better than one
- Charles Bricker, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
President Djokovic?
- Charles Bricker, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
It was during a conversation a week ago with the tough little Serbian Janko Tipsarevic that he suggested, possibly seriously, that Novak Djokovic ought to be the next president of their country. It wasn't until later that it occurred to me that there's probably a minimum age to hold such a high office, just as there is (35) in the U.S. So I asked yet another Serb, Ana Ivanovic, this morning if she knew how old you have to be to be president, and she giggled. "I don't know," she said, surprised by the question. And then she added, brilliantly: "You have to have some wisdom and some grey hairs."
Djokovic, Ivanovic surge at Pacific Life
- Matthew Cronin, Foxsports
Ivanovic and Djokovic used to practice and play hide and seek together as kids. If anyone had told them they would be cashing a collective $887,000 in checks on a sunny Easter Sunday, Djokovic would have said, "You're joking with me. But this is something I think that we absolutely deserve. We've been working very hard to throughout our lives and this is just a crown for our work."
These little guys belie conventional wisdom that bigger is better
- ESPN
Rochus strung together solid back-to-back seasons starting in 2005, reaching a career-high ranking of 24th and winning in Munich for his second career title.
Death Of A Player
- Joel Drucker, Tennis Channel
upside of this sport is a wonderfully democratic form of self-reliance, the downside is a brutal form of loneliness. This is a sport for individuals. It's not one where you can lay blame on others or take solace in the bosom of a team. In this sense, for all the ways tennis is perceived as the province of the rich, in large part it is supremely fair, exquisitely American - and ruthless in its democratic flavor. As Alexis de Tocqueville wrote in Democracy in America, "Thus not only does democracy make every man forget his ancestors, but it hides his descendants and separates his contemporaries from him; it throws him back forever upon himself alone and threatens in the end to confine him entirely within the solitude of his own heart."
“It’s something powerful to receive all this love,” he said earlier this month. “In the street. In Congo, everywhere. But it’s also hellish at the same time. When all that comes at you from one day to the next, it’s really destabilizing.”
...“When I see what I can do without much feeling and by adjusting my footwork rather badly, I tell myself that I’ve really got a chance to do something on clay,” Tsonga told reporters in Hamburg. “At the moment, I have the impression that I’m not hitting a single ball where I want to, and that’s even when it stays in. But the more I play on clay, the more effective I’m going to be.” What about those who govern the sport, the ATP? “There is this council, that council and basically all the big decisions have nothing to do with the players. It's the same bull****. Someone represents the players then gets $5,000 [£2,500] more and moves over to the tournament side. I don't care, whatever happens, happens.”
"I always thought Wimbledon was a great tournament but I preferred the US Open, probably because I won the junior title there. I didn't realise how much I loved Wimbledon until I missed it last year. Now I can't wait to play again."
ANA IVANOVIC: So much talent yet so inconsistent. The Serbian has a clay-court upbringing, but speed and defense are not her forte, two very necessary elements on dirt. If she displays a little more patience and is fortunate enough to get a dose of hot and dry weather, this '07 finalist is true contender. Her losses at Berlin and Rome were disturbing, but if she loses her head like she did at the Aussie Open, she'll be the bridesmaid once again.
...ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Forgotten by many, the tireless Russian speedster and '04 finalist still believes she can win a Slam and reach No. 1. While the top ranking appears out of the question, she did reach the Berlin final and has been raising her level with each passing week. When she's locked into her relentless baseline game, no one wants a piece of her. But, can her zany serve hold up under pressure?
ANNA CHAKVETADZE: Of course she's been down in the dumps since her December mugging and has lost almost all of her confidence, but she's had a few decent wins lately and has the smarts and variety to do major damage on dirt.
Nor is he taking his Paris success for granted.
Asked if he ever looks in the mirror and pinches himself over his unbeaten record in this major, he says, "No, I only look at the mirror … to comb my hair. I have had a good run in Roland Garros, and I feel privileged. I know it is not easy."
''As soon as she started walking, she started playing tennis,'' said her mother, Olga Anisimova. ``We used big soft balls and a very, very small racket.''
...Her sister, Maria, is a sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania and -- of course -- a member of its tennis squad. The family followed Maria as she took part in tournaments nationwide. Amanda couldn't wait to get her hands on a racket and imitate her older sister.
No fooling? "Knowing what I know now, yes," The Shark said, noting that tennis better suits his aggressive nature, something that's both helped and hindered him on the golf course. "I get that way on the tennis court. I like to hit the ball hard. ... If you miss a point, you can win the next two points to win the game. Golf, you miss that one shot, you take a triple-bogey, see you later."
...Not that he's in Evert's league. "No, she doesn't take it easy on me," Norman said with a laugh. "We get into a halfway decent rally that I think is great and it's probably boring to her. So she will just put it in or put a certain shot across the net and it's all over."
It was more like 250 rounds. Golf gave me something that tennis couldn’t give me any more. I need to compete. I had been trained to compete all my life and I couldn’t just walk away from that. I would have bitten my dog.”
..."At Roland Garros, I gave everything and I had achieved my goal, my dream," Noah explained in an interview 20 years after his victory, in 2003. "And after I had managed it, I didn't have any other dreams. I never imagined myself during the night with the trophy from Flushing Meadows or Wimbledon, which were totally inaccessible in any case for me. And that day on Court Central in Paris, nothing was missing. There was all my family, all my friends, all the people of Roland Garros. I was in my country, in the stadium where I had lived and grown up, dreamed and kissed a girl for the first time. All my life was on this court."
...Leconte, in particular, was a sight to behold, slapping winners from seemingly everywhere as he seized the moment and the young Sampras most assuredly did not. France and Noah won, putting an end to another historic drought, one that had lasted 59 years... Understanding the impact of this in France may be difficult for someone now accustomed to seeing French teams win major titles, including soccer's World Cup and Euro, when Zinédine Zidane was at the controls. But Noah the player and Noah the captain set the tone for a new era in French sports and society, one in which victories, even big victories, were well within reach.
How much longer, then, before Noah can hand over the Coupe des Mousquetaires, as Bernard handed it over to him? "There was a time when it honestly would have bothered me that some other Frenchman win Roland Garros," Noah said. "But I've moved on. It would now be a pleasure."
...WERTHEIM: By the way, did anyone notice the top seed in the ATP event, sponsored by bet-at-home.com was - wait for it - Nikolay Davydenko?
TEBBUTT: I can just imagine the victory speech, thanking the sponsor.
...STAUFFER: Wawrinka has beaten David Nalbandian five times in a row. He is fit, strong and relaxed. The quarters should be possible with his new seeding. But he won't disturb the Big Three. No worries.
...WERTHEIM: Philippe, is Jo-Wilfried Tsonga reaching the middle weekend?
BOUIN: Very difficult to say. He is trying hard to get in shape and is even playing Casablanca this week. Before this year his last tour match on clay was his loss in Roland Garros to Andy Roddick...in 2005!
...CLAREY: Speaking of talented Frenchman, what really has happened to Gasquet? You'd think his buddy Tsonga breaking through would have taken pressure OFF him and let him swing away. Instead, he has the yips and the blues and has changed coaches from Eric Deblicker to Guillaume Peyre, the same man who coached Baghdatis when he reached the Australian Open final.
Philippe Bouin, many Francophones' favorite tennis writer, has been covering the game for L'Equipe, the French sports daily for nearly 30 years and has typed his way through many a French Open. Jon Wertheim writes about many things for Sports Illustrated in the United States but has built a devoted tennis following on and off line for his coverage of the major events and his witty and insightful dialogue with readers on his mailbag at SI.com. Rene Stauffer is a highly regarded Swiss sportswriter who has specialized in tennis in recent years and recently wrote an unauthorized yet hardly muckraking biography of Roger Federer. Tom Tebbutt is Canada's leading voice on the game: covering tennis for The Globe and Mail in Toronto and making his views known in French and English on Canadian radio.
But enough about you guys. Over the next five days, I'll be posting excerpts from our discussion at iht.com, and I'd like to begin with the biggest surprise of the tennis season.
This is a welcome kind of inflexibility, given the way the other tournaments, for various reasons including split-sessions and Sunday starts, spread the first-round action out over three or more days (depending on weather), and half-a-dozen sessions.
There is speculation that Sheik Mohammad may not have been the only QTF leader to "resign."
Suspicions about internal changes within the Qatari Tennis Federations were aroused when Ayman Azmy, the Egyptian who has been tournament director of all the professional events that have been held in Doha over the past several years, failed to show up for a scheduled press conference at the end of the ATP Masters Series event in Hamburg last weekend.
"It had an indoor basketball court, but we did go out a couple of times and we didn't get much sleep, said Fish, who joked that he couldn't offer the R-rated version of the all-boy's gathering. "He set it up real nice and we had a great time and it was so nice having everybody around." There's no better proof of that axiom than Kerrie Brooks, who has served as the siblings' physical trainer for the past eight years. Brooks, a lithe brunette who looks as though she was separated at birth from French player Nathalie Dechy, became way more than just a traveling trainer for the Williamses -- she became a friend, confidante and as close as another sister. Brooks has been on board for the larger part of the Williams sisters' success -- Serena has won eight Grand Slam titles and Venus has won six majors. So when Brooks and her husband, tennis photographer Ron Angle, decided to start a family, both sisters supported the decision. "They get it," said Brooks. Although it meant that Brooks would have to seriously cut back her travel schedule, the Williamses remained steadfastly loyal, choosing to work within Brooks' new restrictions.
...Dent does core exercises or "regular maintenance" and tries to lift weights three times a week. Recently, he's hit serves for anywhere between 30 and 45 minutes a day. He hasn't been able to train fully, though it's not because of the back. A nagging injury to his right wrist kept him from going full tilt on the baseline, and a right knee injury surfaced, too.
Jordan, who died Tuesday at his Atlanta home at 63, led the formation of the men’s professional tennis circuit in the late 1980s. He served as the first chief executive of the ATP Tour when it began operations in 1990.
"Four years ago, even though we were not playing together we decided to put country first, made an effort to talk, built a team and played some events on Tour in preparation. Despite doing all that we lost a heartbreaker for the bronze, which personally took me a long time to get over," Bhupathi wrote.
He added: "I was willing to give it a shot again. You assured me you would make it happen, but seeing that I've received absolutely no communication from either you or Leander in the last four weeks I'm guessing it's not on the agenda. We're not magicians. A medal will not happen just because we step on court. The field is stronger than four years ago and just going to the Olympics for the sake of it, and not making the most of it by putting all that is required to win doesn't interest me at this stage of my career."
"We are quite satisfied with our training programmes and looking at nothing but the gold in men's doubles in the Beijing Olympic Games," the 34-year-old Leander said here today.
...One of Jankovic's rivals at the academy was Maria Sharapova. "I don't remember who was beating who but we were competitive. There was cheating..."
Jankovic breaks into her jangling laugh. "I remember those balls close to the line. She would never give them to me. I don't think I was cheating. But as kids we were doing so many things just to win matches. Now, when I look back, I want to laugh." She shrugs when asked if Sharapova is more amiable now. "Not really. She is more on her own, with her team. She is not speaking to many players - if anyone."
...Jankovic is candid when describing the complexities of her personal life. "My boyfriend used to be a basketball player but now he's finished university and he's involved in business. So he's quite intelligent; he speaks five languages. But the long-distance thing is hard. We have been in this relationship two-and-a-half years - with some breaks in between. But if you like each other and you understand your priorities, it can work. I have had to say to him: 'At the moment my No1 priority is my career.'"
Immenga was unavailable for comment last night but an ATP spokesman said: "He is well within his rights to appeal but it will greatly increase the amount of time this process takes."
French tennis authorities questioned the extent of cooperation with police and sports bodies in the UK and beyond and the Gunn-Rees report considered those concerns well-founded. Tennis believes there might be more political will to tackle the issues if a worldwide all-sports body were in place.
Krajicek Update: This dispatch from tennisreporters.net crack European correspondent, Abe Kuijl:
“Michaela’s little brother Peter (15) had a rare, life-threatening infection (there's only a rare chance you can get it) and underwent surgery over Christmas (in which a part of his neck veins got removed), Krajicek said last week in an interview with the "Algemeen Dagblad", a leading Dutch newspaper that her brother was in a in a coma for two days. Peter is still weak now, but healthy. ...What can we take from Hamburg as we get ready to go to Paris? This weekend both Djokovic and Federer got closer than they had in the past to solving Nadal on clay. In the end, that only made them seem farther away than ever.
It is an almost superhuman focus that also manifests itself in the extreme physicality of his play. Both Djokovic and Federer frequently looked dazed by Nadal's retrieving and some passing of the shots he produced. Nadal took anti-inflammatory medication for his leg problem and later said: “I did a medical test. There was something but it was small. I think, if I can play all the matches like this, it can not be an important injury.”
For the moment, Nadal is unconcerned. "I'm sure it'll help them but three weeks or a month of work, in my case at least, wouldn't be enough to produce any benefit," he said
..."Of course I'd swap a Roland Garros for a Wimbledon," he says after barely any hesitation. "If you win in more tournaments you're regarded as a more complete player but I've been close to winning Wimbledon before...
...Even Justine had quietly told one Belgian reporter last week, in response to the inevitable question about whether her retirement was permanent: "I don't have a crystal ball". When I asked Thomas about the possibility of her making a comeback, he left the door open too: "Maybe, I don't know. In six months to a year, if she hasn't found happiness in real life, it is possible. We don't know about the future."
...One of the reasons that bitter feud lasted so long was the fact that Justine did not return home for the funeral of Thomas's six-week-old son Emilien, who died of lung failure in 2001. She was too busy playing tennis in the US. Thomas has since remarried and has a baby daughter called Kiara, to whom Justine is godmother. But last autumn tragedy struck again in the Henin family when Justine's younger sister, Sarah, was told that the baby son she was carrying had no chance of long-term survival because of a heart defect... As that son, Romain, was born prematurely and died, Justine was playing in Madrid at the WTA tournament she eventually won by beating Maria Sharapova in an epic battle. She had seriously considered pulling out, but her father, Jose, told her to win it for Sarah and Romain. Justine obliged in dramatic style, but felt so mentally and physically shattered by being torn in different directions that she knew the end of her career was close.
...She divorced Pierre-Yves Hardenne a few months ago and thought she might have found her knight in shining armour during a hush-hush winter romance. Instead, her lover, a South African doctor, proved to be anything but Mr Right, and they went their separate ways a few weeks ago. A Home-Court Disadvantage
- Christopher Clarey, New York Times
But Tsonga had not won more than two matches in a row since his Australian run until he reached the semifinals of a minor tournament Thursday in Morocco. He has admitted to being drained by the attention and new responsibilities.
Hewitt confident of playing French Open
- AAP
“I should be fine to play,” Hewitt told the French Open website after his workout under the watchful eye of coach Tony Roche.
Glorious, grotesque? Which Marat Safin will it be?
- Neil Harman, The Times
Ask Safin about the state of men's tennis and he shrugs. Who excites him? “Nobody.” What about Nikolay Davydenko, his fellow Russian, who remains at the centre of inquiries over a match that raised suspicious betting patterns? “It's his life, his brain, I don't want to be in his shoes. I don't owe anything to anybody. Nobody bends me, no one can influence me. I have freedom and not everyone has that.”
French Open stage is set for Maria Sharapova
- Mark Hodgkinson, The Telegraph
So Sharapova could be about to make some history on the terre battue of south-west Paris. Watch out, Carla Bruni, for here comes the wannabe First Lady of Paris. "I think that even if Justine was in the draw, a lot of players would still have had a shot at the title," Sharapova has observed. "This year has been different, results-wise, from last year. I think Justine was the one dominating throughout most of last year, especially in the latter stages. This year it's been a couple of players, including myself. It's a grand slam stage. I think everybody has a chance. You know, I probably sound like a broken record player, but it all comes down to whoever takes chances. Hopefully that will be me."
Murray eager to make his play at Wimbledon
- Steve Bierley, The Guardian
"Wimbledon was not my favourite slam before, but I really ended up missing it last year," he said. "You really want to be playing there because although there are a lot of demands leading up to it, the atmosphere and the support once you get on court are fantastic.
Corrections and clarifications
- The Guardian
We were wrong to suggest in two articles, based on an agency report, that Robert Dee has not won a professional tennis match in three years. We accept that Robert Dee has a British ranking of 4.2 with the Lawn Tennis Federation and that he regularly wins professional tennis matches in Spain
Murray works to end 'misery' tag
- Paul Newman, The Independent
'08 Roland Garros women's picks
- Matthew Cronin, tennisreporters.net
SERENA WILLIAMS: Sure, she was stunned by Dinara Safina in Berlin, but before that the US' top woman had put together a 17-match winning streak, including a green clay-crown in Charleston. The '02 champ has played as much as she's had in six years and is reaping the benefits. At crunch time, if she's clocking her groundies, it's tough to pick against her, especially considering that amongst her main rivals, only Henin was a clay-court dominator.
King Rafa readies for return to clay-court palace
- Douglas Robson, USA Today
"It's no special feeling," Nadal said via e-mail last week. "I look at it just like I look at another tournament. Things could go well or wrong, but as I say, I will always try to give everything on court."
On-court powerhouse, 6, aims for pro tennis career
- Miami Herald
She is so good that she competes in tournaments against girls as old as 10 after running out of opponents in her own age bracket. She is so good, in fact, that she is currently 82nd in the U.S. Tennis Association's Florida rankings for girls 10 and younger.
The Shark develops a 'luv' for tennis
- AP
"I never played tennis up until about a year ago in my whole life," said Norman, who plays with Evert about three times a week. "I actually wish I had taken up tennis instead of golf. I really do enjoy tennis."
‘I’m going to try and qualify for the US Seniors’ Open’
- Sports Star
“Obsession is too strong a word,” says the 48-year-old who was once said to have played 300 rounds of golf in a single year as he attempted to improve his game. “My attitude was to see how good I could get. The 300 rounds a year was an exaggeration.
'Leander Sports' ties up with Omaxe
- PTI
Focus on Olympics, not differences, Paes tells Bhupathi
- IANS
25 years after his French Open victory, life is still Noah's song
- Christopher Clarey, International Herald Tribune
What is remarkable is to think how close it came to not happening at all. If at age 11 Noah had not managed to hit a couple of flashy shots at just the right moment, the American star Arthur Ashe might not have noticed him during his goodwill tour of Yaoundé, Cameroon, and might never have recommended him to Philippe Chatrier, who was then the president of the French federation.
IHT Global Sports Forum: French Open 2008; Part Three - The Men's Tournament
- International Herald Tribune
PHILIPPE BOUIN, L'EQUIPE: He can be beaten by his body. But not by his buddy Roger.
IHT Global Sports Forum: French Open 2008; Part Two - The Women's Tournament
- International Herald Tribune
IHT Global Sports Forum: French Open 2008; Part One - Thoughts On Henin
- International Herald Tribune
CHRISTOPHER CLAREY: Welcome back to the IHT Global Sports Forum, our ongoing look at the world of sport through the eyes of experts from around the world. With Roland Garros starting on Sunday (call it the French Open at your peril in France), we've assembled a distinguished panel from both sides of the Atlantic.
Evaluating Henin's place in history
- Jon Wertheim, SI.com
For the dermatology portion of today's show: It's an enflamed gland, I'm told. Now stop asking!
Green Thoughts on a Red Day
- Peter Bodo, TennisWorld
It may seem like Wimbledon is continuing to play British roulette with the weather (the UK version being to put five bullets in the chamber, leaving just one blank) but there's no doubt that Wimbledon presents better, more defensible scheduling than any other Grand Slam event, and its ironclad scheduling philosophy looks better and better with each passing Grand Slam. There are two reasons for this: There is no night play, which ensures that each day's schedule is packed with premium matches. More important, Wimbledon clings to the "alternate day" regimen that, under normal circumstances, gives every player a day off between matches.
Upheaval In Qatar; WTA Says It Won't Impact Season-Ending Event
- Tennis Week
"I can confirm that Sheik Mohammad, who was the head of the QTF, resigned," a WTA Tour spokesman told Tennis Week today. "We have met with the new QTF leadership and all is on track for a great year-end Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha."
Success fleeting for many at French
- Sandra Harwitt, ESPN
Taking time out for a little fun recently, Fish was treated to a spectacular Bachelor's party organized by Andy Roddick, who didn't skimp on any of the plans. The pre-wedding ritual was held for 12 or so of Fish's closes friends in the 10,000 square foot, two-floor Hardwood Suite at The Palms casino in Las Vegas.
American men anxious to end clay-court anguish
- Joel Drucker, ESPN
Robby Ginepri
In theory, he's the American with the most obvious set of clay-court tools. In the tradition of two-time French champ Jim Courier, Ginepri's anchors are fitness, patience and forceful groundstrokes off both sides. This, after all, is a man who on his way to the '05 U.S. Open semis won arduous five-setters against '04 French finalist Guillermo Coria, French hopeful Richard Gasquet and veteran Tommy Haas. A focused Ginepri can do wonders on clay. But when his confidence takes a dip, he can get dark like few in the sport. Hopefully, the work he's done in recent months with the wise Jose Higueras will keep him positive and eager to hit yet one more ball in every rally.
Federer has work cut out to displace Nadal at French
- Bonnie D. Ford, ESPN
An outsider on the inside with the Williams sisters
- Sandra Harwitt, ESPN
One truism appears to be an absolute when it comes to Venus and Serena Williams: If you become an insider with the superstar sisters, it's a guarantee they'll consider you just like family.
Federer ready to tackle the elusive French Open title -- again
- Greg Garber, ESPN
While the potential (but difficult) four-peat of Rafael Nadal and the abrupt retirement of Justine Henin have occupied most of the headline writers, Federer has been positioning himself for a breakthrough at Roland Garros, despite a bout of mononucleosis and intermittent confidence.
Dent hoping effort, medical science get him back on track
- Ravi Ubha, ESPN
After more than two years out of the game with a back injury that required three surgeries and left him bedridden or glued to the sofa, Taylor Dent is a week away from returning to the pro circuit -- something his famous father likened to a miracle.
Initial ATP Tour CEO Jordan dies at 63
- AP
Hamilton Jordan, a political strategist behind Jimmy Carter’s successful 1976 run to the White House, was later a prominent figure in the world of tennis.
No change in Lee-Hesh team: AITA
- PTI
All India Tennis Federation today categorically turned down Mahesh Bhupathi's proposal of teaming up with Rohan Bopanna instead of Leander Paes for the Beijing Olympic Games, saying there would be no change in the team.
Rohan ready to partner Mahesh
- Times of India
Bopanna, ranked 50, third among the Indians in doubles, said, "I've spoken to Mahesh about it. I know that Leander and Mahesh are big names on paper and that will help with seedings, but tennis is more than being big names on paper. It's common knowledge on the circuit that they don't get along."
Lee-Hesh tango faces Beijing breakpoint
- Times of India
There has been absolutely no communication between Leander and myself since the Doha Asian Games even though I have reached out at various times through different avenues," he stated in a letter to Khanna. The communication was marked to IOA president Suresh Kalmadi.
Nothing less than a gold medal, says Leander
- PTI
Paes, who won the bronze medal in Atlanta Olympic Games, onTuesday vowed to come out with no-hold-barred efforts to fetch the highest honour for India alongwith Mahesh Bhupathi.
Report Urges Tennis Match Fixing Investigation
- New York Times
Tennis 'is clean' but cannot be complacent
- Neil Harman, The Times
Anne Keothavong breaks into top 100
- Mark Hodgkinson, The Telegraph
Tennis betting inquiry picks out 45 suspect professional matches in last five years
- Mark Hodgkinson, The Telegraph
It is understood that around five matches have come under suspicion since Sopot, so that would take the total to around 50.
No evidence to back Mafia links in tennis
- The Telegraph
The face of Serbia returns from ruin
- The Guardian
"It's really a cool thing," Jankovic says, "to have a stamp with my face on it. Now, when people want to post a letter they can stick my face on the envelope. It's quite an honour for me. I think people in Serbia appreciate that coming from a small country without any tennis tradition and becoming one of the best in the world is a big achievement."
Davydenko's appealing lawyer plays it long
- The Guardian
Davydenko's lawyer, Dr Frank Immenga, disputes that the organisation has any right to such records. He has threatened legal action over the failure to expedite a verdict, a delay that has caused Davydenko to "suffer financially". But sources close to the investigation talk of "frustration" at the claims and insist the inquiry has been protracted as a result of the player's legal team's actions: "The lawyer has been appealing since January the right of the ATP to have access to the telephone records but he has also appealed against the right of the independent hearing officer's jurisdiction over the appeal."
Tennis serves notice of global ambitions against corruption
- The Guardian
Rees and Gunn, both Britons, stated the case for tennis's own anti-corruption unit in London because the city is a global centre for betting, has offices for all four professional tennis bodies and because of its specific legislation relating to gambling offences. Although the Gambling Act, which came into force last year, set out a specific offence for cheating by sportsmen and women, there is widespread scepticism about its efficacy.
Panel move to investigate 45 'suspicious' matches
- The Independent
Environmental Review of Integrity in Professional Tennis
- ITF
We have examined some 73 matches which have been identified as having suspect betting patterns over the past five years and leading up to the ’Sopot Match’ on 2.8.07. We have examined more closely 45 of those matches as a result of specific enquiries arising out of the ‘Sopot Match’ and have identified specific concerns from a betting perspective which would warrant further review. The initial assessment of those matches, supported by other intelligence, indicates that a number of account holders are successfully laying higher ranked players to lose/backing lesser ranked players to win. The betting patterns give a strong indication that those account holders are in receipt of ‘inside information’, which has facilitated successful betting coups both on ‘in-play’ as well as ‘match’ betting. Because of the sensitive nature of these issues, the Report does not go into detail on those matches but we have shared further confidential information on them with the Professional Tennis Authorities. In view of the circumstances, we consider there is merit in reviewing those matches in an effort to identify whether the initial suspicions raised did indeed affect the integrity of Professional Tennis, whether there may have been other tennis reasons for the outcome of such matches and, importantly, to identify any intelligence leads for future reference. The scale of the allegedly suspicious matches indicates there is no room for complacency.
Finally the first general rehearsal!
- Eurovision website
Afterwards there is a small break where images from Belgrade is shown. Here tennis star Ana Ivanovic also appears.
The Hit List: The Injury Plague
- Matthew Cronim, tennisreporters.net
Wrist Injuries Plague WTA: The WTA has chock full of injuries amongst the stars for the past decade, but here’s a disturbing pattern – this year alone, four notable, young players have had significant wrist problems: Nicole Vaidisova, Sania Mirza, Julia Vakulenko and Michaella Krajicek. Three are in terrible, injury-plagued slumps, and the other, Mirza, just pulled out of the French.
The Closer They Get...
- Steve Tignor, TennisWorld
The experience must have stuck with him, because once he got his teeth into the first set against Federer, Nadal became hellbent on hitting as many forehands as possible and negating the effect that his opponent's own forehand was having. For his part, Federer kept moving forward but without the same dauntless quality he had shown at the beginning. While Djokovic became slightly less consistent on Saturday, Federer became slightly less insistent—both times it was enough to allow Nadal to set up and begin to steer the rallies with his forehand.
Men's Big Three peaking at right time
- Tom Tebbutt, The Globe and Mail
Nadal, who joined Gustavo Kuerten and Marcelo Rios as the only men to have won all three Masters Series events (Monte Carlo, Rome and Hamburg) on clay since 1990, said about the plot twists against Federer: “It was a strange match, for sure. But the important thing is I was focused all the time.”
Nestor, Zimonjic turn the table on Bryan brothers
- Tom Tebbutt, the Globe and Mail
With Paris Around Corner, Nadal Looks Unstoppable
- Tom Perrotta, New York Sun
Bend, don't break: It's a simple, well-worn phrase, but when describing Rafael Nadal on clay, there's none more fitting. In the last three years, Nadal has found himself in several seemingly impossible situations, yet he recovered to win. In Rome in 2005, he lost the first three games of the fifth set to Guillermo Coria before prevailing in a tiebreaker. A year later, he did the same to Roger Federer, recovering from a 4-1 deficit in the fifth set and saving match points. Nadal has played the part of magician in a French Open final, too. In 2005, Mariano Puerta had a 5-3, 40-15 lead in the fourth set — but he couldn't push Nadal to a decisive fifth.
In Hamburg this week, Nadal added two more gems to his comeback collection, achieving back-to-back wins over Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer to win the Hamburg Masters, the only major clay tournament whose title trophy he had yet to hold in his career.
Nadal ready to defend perfect Paris record
- Reuters
Federer recently started work with Jose Higueras, the Spanish clay-court guru, while Britain's Andy Murray has taken on Alex Corretja in a bid to improve his game on the surface.
Henin could play again 'if she can't find happiness in real life'
- The Independent
Having shocked the world with the announcement of her retirement from tennis, Justine Henin, the former world No 1, spent yesterday behind closed doors... playing tennis... She played her brother Thomas at his new tennis club in Rocourt, Liège. It was a knockabout game, just for fun, and no media were invited. For once in Justine's extraordinary life it did not matter who won and lost.
Magazines this Month
Roger and out? - ESPN
the Magazine
The man who makes the tennis world nervous - ESPN the Magazine
January-February issue - Tennis magazine (table of contents plus some links)
First Serve: The Man Could Not Avoid Beauty - Bill Simons, Inside Tennis
The Buzz - Inside Tennis
World Top 10 Stories - Matthew Cronin, Inside Tennis
Changes - Inside Tennis
Say It Ain't So - Bill Simons, Inside Tennis
The Best Damn Tennis
Crib Sheet - Period!: Men - Matthew Cronin, Inside Tennis
The Best Damn Tennis
Crib Sheet - Period! - Matthew Cronin, Inside Tennis
Ana Ivanovic: Leads the Serbian Charge - Alix Ramsay, Tennis Life
Hall of Fame: Pete Sampra goes home for the first time - Bill Dwyre, Tennis Life
Roy Emerson Now - Tennis Life
Cookie Quandry: Superstitions Are Serious Business - Tennis Week
February issue - Australian Tennis (table of contents)
Warriors Ready to Battle for Their Honor - Deuce
Andy Roddick: The Road Ahead - Joel Drucker, Deuce
Ferrer Steps Out of the Shadows - Deuce
Kiefer's Comeback & The Getting of Wisdom - Deuce
ATP's 'FEEL IT' Set for Global Rollout in 2008 - Deuce
Erlich & Ram Share Dreams On and Off Court - Deuce
The Last Time... with Tommy Haas - Deuce
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