Tennis World International N° 1 by Coppini Trading

www.tennisworldsa.com October 2009 Launch Edition

INTERVIEW WITH

Del Potro WINNER OF THE US OPEN SPECIAL REPORT ON

FEDERER All 15 Slams – part one

DAVIS CUP SOUTH AFRICA VS INDIA

FROM THE EDITOR… Greetings tennis fans! Tennis has always been part of my world, first as a player and then a coach. My passion for tennis got me thinking of other ways to live the game and the idea to create a magazine was born. I am delighted to introduce you to the very first edition of Tennis World. The name of the magazine captures my vision of offering insightful news, views and results from all over the world and the local South African tennis scene. It is the only tennis magazine in South Africa and will be available monthly at most news retail outlets. When I decided to create the magazine I asked myself two questions… what value would a printed magazine have in a world of instantaneous electronic media? ... and what type of content would appeal to those who love the game of tennis as much as I do? The answers I came up with are that a printed magazine offers a superior platform through which rich insightful content and interesting information about all aspects of the game and its players, both locally and internationally, can be offered to South African players, fans and fanatics! Tennis is a lifestyle and Tennis World captures this lifestyle in its fresh design and quirky comments. I hope that you find much joy in these pages and please, feel free to email your comments to me. A special thanks to everyone that contributed to this edition, especially SATA, our advertisers, local commentators and Daniele Azzolini of Matchpoint Tennis Magazine (Italy)…and last but not least our dedicated team of designers, writers and organisers! In this edition we hone in on international news, including Federer and the 15 slams under his belt, the US Open featuring Del Potro and the return of Clijsters, the “stadium” war between the slam and Tiriac’s claim to enter the Madrid tournament as a fifth Slam…and on the local scene we speak to Kevin Anderson and take an in-depth look at South Africa’s Davis Cup disappointment in Johannesburg.

EDITOR Matchpoint Tennis Magazine is represented in South Africa by Federico Coppini. info@matchballtennis.com CONTRIBUTORS Tennis World is published in collaboration with Matchpoint Tennis Magazine (Italy). Special thanks to director Daniele Azzolini and his editing team. Matchpoint Tennis Magazine, Via Santa Giovanna Elisabetta 36/F 00189 Roma Tel: + 00 39 063 638 2189 segreteria@mpmtennis.com MARKETING AND PR Nicolette Booyens 082 856 0209 marketing1@matchballtennis.com DESIGN AND LAYOUT Greymatter & Finch info@greymatterﬁnch.com BUSINESS DETAILS MatchballTennis (Pty) Ltd 85 Jonkershoek Road Stellenbosch, South Africa

I look forward to hearing your comments and suggestions. Yours in tennis

FC Federico Coppini info@matchballtennis.com

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GENERAL 8

Health Talk

Junior tennis players

Gossip

US OPEN

Overview

Ratings

Highlights

Interview with Del Potro

Del Potro

Kim Clijsters

Rino Tommasi – a perspective

Marin Cilic

Yanina Wickmayer

The Federer-Nadal diarchy

Passage to India

Marsel Ilhan

Olivia Rogowska

Serena Williams

US Open men’s draw

US Open women’s draw

US OPEN VS SLAM

89 92

US Open vs Slam

The perfect stadium

Formula Tiriac

FEDERER SPECIAL 58

The greatest of all time!

Wimbledon 2003

Australian Open 2004

Wimbledon 2004

US Open 2004

Wimbledon 2005

US Open 2005

Australian Open 2006

DAVIS CUP 88

Overview

South Africa vs India

India comfortable after ﬁrst day

Devverman

Draw and results of 2009

Davis Cup draw of 2010

HALL OF FAME 96

Think Big – Bill Tilden

RANKINGS

100

ATP ranking

102

WTA ranking

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THE COLOUR OF TENNIS THE BEST PICTURES CHOSEN FOR YOU 4

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Photograph by Angelo Tonelli

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Photograph by Angelo Tonelli

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HEALTH TALK

JUMPER’S KNEE

ONCE THE PLAYER DEVELOPES SYMPTOMS THEN A SPECIFIC PROGRAMME MUST BE FOLLOWED • REST AND ICE • PATELLAR TENDON TAPING TO ACT AS A COUNTERFORCE • STRETCHING • PHYSIOTHERAPY • BIOKINETIC ASSESSMENT AND ECCENTRIC QUADRICEP STRENGTHENING (IN THE PAIN-FREE ZONE) • RESTRICT PLAYING ON HARDCOURTS OR HARD SURFACES • CROSS-TRAINING

D A N IE M O R K EL

I THINK THAT IT IS JUST RIGHT TO START OUR MONTHLY ARTICLES ON SPORTS INJURIES TO LOOK AT THE MOST COMMON AND DEBILITATING INJURY THAT I HAVE SEEN IN OUR TOP PLAYERS, NAMELY THE JUMPER’S OR RUNNER’S KNEE.

THE MOST COMMONLY AFFECTED AREA is the tendon (patellar tendon) between the kneecap (patella) and the lower leg (tibia)

his injury is most common among the top players and the sole reason why Rafael Nadal has lost his number one ranking. It has curbed many top players’ performances and has ended many professional tennis careers. Runner’s knee is an injury due to overuse and can therefore be prevented, but if it is allowed to progress too far, it can be very difficult to treat. Runner’s or jumper’s knee is an overuse injury of the tendon (patellar tendon) between the kneecap (patella) and the lower leg (tibia). (You can easily identify this tendon by feeling below the kneecap. It is usually about 3 cm wide and 7 mm thick.) Like all overuse injuries the basis of the injury is small micro tears that develop in parts of the tendon that is overstretched through overuse. This heals with scar tissue and, like all scar tissue in the body, has less flexibility. This obviously will lead to more micro tearing in the adjacent tendon tissue and more scarring. In this way an area of scarring developes that softens and causes runner’s knee or patellar tendinosis. Two areas are usually affected, the most common area is just below the kneecap or just above

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its insertion in the lower leg. The micro tears occur in the central or deeper surface of the tendon. The pain caused by runner’s knee can vary, but it usually comes on after training, during which focus was placed on quadriceps, like jumping. It is aggravated by playing or training on hard surfaces. In some cases it can ease a little when the player warms up a bit. The knee would feel stable and should not swell up as the affected area is outside the knee capsule. In severe cases a localised swelling can develop over the most painful area. Like all overuse injuries they can be classified in four grades according to the severity which will determine the treatment.

of the studies on American basketball players, changes in the patellar tendons were found in 14% of players.

Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4

Once the player developes symptoms then a specific programme must be followed.

Pain after activity Pain subsides after warming up Pain throughout activity Pain constantly

The pain is aggravated by extending the knee against resistance and is also more tender when the knee is extended. The treatment consists mainly of conservative methods. Once again prevention is better than cure. In one

Muscle inbalances must be found, the correct strengthening programme followed and constantly checked. An eccentric or isometric exercise programme needs to be followed and load reduced.

• Rest and ice • Patellar tendon taping to act as a counterforce • Stretching • Physiotherapy

• Biokinetic assessment and eccentric quadricep strengthening (in the painfree zone) • Restrict playing on hardcourts or hard surfaces • Cross-training Steroid injections should be avoided in this condition, although platelet-enriched plasma injections are showing promising results. If conservative measures fail, especially in grade 3 and 4, then the amount of degeneration must be visualised and quantified by ultrasound and/or magnetic resonance imaging. A relative indication for surgery is a raised area of inflammation or swelling.

Surgery entails excision of the diseased scar tissue and repair through increased bloodflow. Progressive resistance is started in the pain free zone (0-30° flexion). The recovery period usually lasts nine to 12 months. Jumper’s or runner’s knee is a difficult condition to treat and should be prevented at all cost. Players should diligently follow a stretching programme and an eccentric training programme. Coaches must be wary of overtraining with too many concentric or plyometric exercises, especially in our country where all the training is done on hard courts.

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FREDERICO COPPINI

MOTIVATING KIDS ON THE COURT WHAT EXCITES KIDS?

Remember when you were a kid; how excited you were about new toys, pleasurable things like certain foods, trips, surprises, recognition, attention and appreciation? (These things probably still excite and motivate you.) This excitement always seemed to provide the courage to overcome any obstacle. Kids like fun and pleasure, new things and excitement. They also like to achieve things and to gain some sort of success. So how do we motivate kids on the tennis court? Obviously, it would become expensive and time consuming to provide new toys for every kid every time they stepped on the court. But you can provide the opportunity for them to “use new toys” like a ball machine, different types of balls (foam, beach, balloons, etc.), and other new and exciting teaching aids. Here are some other tennis specific examples: • Trips – trips to college or pro matches or just practising at different facilities or on different surfaces • Fun – make use of games, targets, competitions and variety • Surprises – guest appearance, special refreshments, costumes, new games or drills • Rewards – take something home, examples: “golden ball” (paint a tennis ball) or a “silver ball” (wrap a ball in aluminium foil), stickers, player of the week certificate, etc. • Success – base it on effort, different types of games (on and off-court) Some other ideas to motivate kids, keeping different ages in mind, are as follows: Ages 6-8 At this stage a lot of these kids are still trying to master fundamental physical

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KIDS NEED TO LEARN HOW TO FAIL, AS EVERYONE FAILS ON THE TENNIS COURT, SOONER OR LATER. IF KIDS DO NOT LEARN HOW TO DEAL WITH THEIR FAILURE IT WILL PREVENT THEM FROM TRYING AND COMPETING.

skills – jumping, throwing, kicking and catching; so use a variety of activities and games with the greatest focus on fun. All the games or activities don’t necessarily have to be tennis related. These kids may not be ready for the pressure of competition or complex strategy. Place emphasis on the basics, encourage them often and create a TEAM atmosphere. Ages 9-12

One of the most important things you need to do as a coach is to make your match practice as realistic as possible. Great match practice allows you to see your players in action – and to pinpoint exactly what is and what is not working in their games. However, creating match conditions is not always easy – particularly if you coach a group of players who practise together regularly. Often, match practice can become stale, because your players play the same faces, at the same venue, week in and week out. The following tips will help you make match practice mean more to your players. By creating more realistic match tension, you will be able to observe and analyse your players’ performance more effectively.

These ages will understand the rules. It’s important for them to learn how to handle setbacks and losses, but tennis should still be fun. They will feel frustrated by failure, but will begin to learn from their mistakes. Consider the child’s temperament when teaching and developing their game. Often kids will look for role models during these ages.

1. DRESS THE COURT

Change the way the court looks by tidying away any equipment (including spare balls), placing one chair to either side of the net for the players to sit on at changeovers, putting single sticks in the correct position, and checking the net height.

STUMBLING BLOCKS

Kids need to learn how to fail, as everyone fails on the tennis court, sooner or later. If kids do not learn how to deal with their failure it will prevent them from trying and competing. You can speak to kids using professional sports teams as examples. Ask them about their favourite sports teams and how losing doesn’t permanently defeat the pro players, because the team will learn from and accept the loss, but not stop trying. How often will kids fail on a tennis court because they quit trying? It’s usually more about the “fear” of failure than the failure itself. Many kids blow failure out of proportion. You usually don’t take it literally when a player says, “If I lose to her (a much lower ranked player), I’d just die.” But that fear is real, and it will often have a negative effect. Kids must learn to use “I want to do the best I can” as motivation rather than “I must win”. Kids of all ages must learn to accept failure as part of tennis (and life) and learn to bend rather than break under pressure.

A combination of fun and learning from failures on the court will help motivate kids. A motivated player will often practise and play more, which leads to improvement and success, often increasing their motivation. Start this “motivation ball” rolling and your job will get easier!

2. MATCH CLOTHES ONLY

Ask your players to come to match practice wearing their best match outfit. Simply by wearing the proper attire, instead of practice clothes, will increase their level of competitiveness. 3. NEW BALLS PLEASE

WHAT EXCITES KIDS? Remember when you were a kid; how excited you were about new toys, pleasurable things like certain foods, trips, surprises, recognition, attention and appreciation?

I’ve found that many players struggle with the introduction of new balls during a match. New balls can change the feel of the court entirely, and it is fascinating to see which players react best to the change in playing conditions. Therefore, don’t introduce new balls until the match is well under way. This is a great technique if your budget can allow it!

4. QUIET PLEASE

One of the things that reduces practise match reality is when players talk to each other at changeovers. I think it’s really important for them to experience the silence of a match, and this means staying quiet and learning to manage their thoughts. Allowing players the same time allocation between points and games as they would have in a match is also crucial.

they plan to do in the upcoming practise match. Again, this creates a higher sense of accountability and responsibility within each player. When doing this, it is important to stress that it doesn’t always matter that an opponent knows the game plan, since it is often the player who executes his/her game plan best who wins – irrespective of whether the opponent knew what to expect! 9. GET TO THE ‘CRUNCH’

5. WHAT’S THE SCORE?

I’ve found that the simple act of putting a scoreboard on the court can be enough to dramatically increase the focus of my players. A scoreboard brings accountability, since it announces the score in public. This can be a great way of increasing the ‘edge’ to match practice. 6. YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!

Ask someone to umpire the match practice. Again, this increases the realism of the session, especially if the umpire is unfamiliar to the players (perhaps a club member or another coach). I have found that match practice immediately becomes more formal this way. 7. YOU’RE ON IN 20 MINUTES

You learn a lot about players from watching what they do before and after their matches. A good idea is to ask them to practise their pre- and post-match routines by giving them notice of when their practice match is going to start. This allows them to experiment, and settle upon, their favourite way of approaching and reacting to their performances. 8. WHAT’S YOUR GOAL?

Another way of enhancing player responsibility is to ask them to write down their goals for the upcoming practice match. Break the goals down into outcomes (i.e. where do you want to be?), performance (i.e. what do you need to get there?), and process goals (i.e. how are you going to do it?).

Play with different scoring systems to keep your match practice interesting. For example, starting sets from two games all will get your players to the business end of the set more quickly. Perhaps ask the winner of the set to start from 0–2 down in the second set, or vice versa. If you don’t have time to play a full match, ask the players to play a set and two games. These extra two games will allow them to practise responding to the result of the set just played. This is crucial since many inexperienced players will lose concentration at the end of a set – no matter who won! 10. GET ON THE ‘TOUR’

Finally, linking your match practice sessions together to form some kind of ‘tour’ is a great way of keeping every player motivated throughout the season. Allocate ‘tour points’ for every performance and victory, plan a series of practice match dates, and perhaps offer prizes at a season ending ‘masters’ event. By doing this, you are educating the player how tennis is run at the highest level, as well as reinforcing the importance of keeping a consistently positive attitude throughout the season. Realistic match practice will often highlight a player’s strengths and weaknesses. Seeing these will allow the coach to teach in a more relevant and specific way, because they will have a clearer understanding of what the players need to develop their game further. Such practice is a vital ingredient to any successful tennis programme.

Alternatively, ask your players to set public goals before the session starts. This means telling each other, the coach, and anyone else who may be interested, what

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Racism in the game Eastbourne is a quiet, if not boring English seaside town, which was awoken by a shout of racist slander during the recent ATP 250 AEGON tournament. It was here, during the last qualifying round that the 19-year-old Australian Brydan Klein (number 185) yelled racial expletives at his adversary, the South African Raven Klassen (number 335). Until that moment it had been a match fought almost with a knife between the teeth, as only those qualifying matches on the central scoreboard can be. Entering in the main draw means points for the classifiers and overall it means money to those who classify beyond the hundredth position. The Australian had lost the first set, but was ahead 4–2 in the second. After a lost point he screamed madly and hurled the insult that was heard in the adjacent court. The referee, not understanding the meaning of the slang word ‘kaffir’, did not take the necessary disciplinary measures.

THE REFEREE, NOT UNDERSTANDING THE MEANING OF THE SLANG WORD ‘KAFFIR’, DID NOT TAKE THE NECESSARY DISCIPLINARY MEASURES. Klassen, the South African, says he was astounded, unnerved by the importance of his turn to serve and shocked by the referee’s lack of action. It was his coach, Stephen de Kock, who took charge of the situation and immediately informed the referee. Normally it should not be the coach who brings anything to the referee’s attention, but given the gravity of the accusation, Lars Graff (in his capacity as referee) decided to verify what had happened.

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No decision was taken during the match which the Australian won 6–7 7–6 7–6, but everything was left until after the match. After an initial ATP investigation Klein was found guilty of unsportsmanlike conduct and fined €10 000 (the maximum as layed down by the ATP), though he was not disqualified. He had to reach the quarterfinals in order to re-enter the tournament. After paying the fine, he still won €850. A subsequent ATP investigation resulted in his suspension for six months, two of which he will spend at seminars on isssues of racism. On the evening of the incident Raven Klassen received two phone calls. The first was from the Australian Federation, who apologised profusely and probably did so willingly after the incident last year with Tomic. Klein was immediately suspended from the Australian Institute of Sport’s Pro Tour, a programme that offers study scholarships, training programmes, physical preparations and coaching to young Australian players. The second call was from Klein himself! He declared, “It wasn’t my intention to insult my opponent or to cause such an offense. I am extremely embarassed for my behaviour. I am sorry for erring in using that word. I am sorry for what happened to you and your team because of my behaviour.” Neither Klassen nor his coach was able to accept what happened on the court: “If it had happened to Tsonga or even to Monfils, the Australian would not have finished the match! It is not fair. It was a racist comment and he should not have qualified. I didn’t think I would have to say certain words, it is as if we have returned to the seventies,” vented the South African player.

The Australian was not disqualified from the tournament, but his subsequent victory over Gabashvili as well as his defeat against Tipsarevic was refereed by the Swede Layani – one of the best referees in the world and under the watch of Graff. Klein’s behaviour in the game was unacceptable. For Klassen, however, the apologies of the Australian were not enough. “If it so happened that I would have to play another match against him, I would play the match of my life.” Whilst the ATP and the Australian Federation moved quickly, Klein is still left with the law of the changing room. Even if nothing is leaked from behind the doors of the players’ changing room, the reality is that no-one has trained with the Australian since. Maybe the strongest disqualification is the one inflicted by his colleagues. – FC

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US OPEN 2009

US OPEN

gave Delpo his vote of confidence: “Juan Martin can win more Slams, because he has room for improvement. I know him well because he trains at my club in Buenos Aires, as well as at Tandil, and he often asks for my advice. Between us there is some form of continuity.”

F E DERI CO COPPI NI

THE WOMEN’S FINAL PLAYED BY WOZNIACKI AND WON BY A MOTHER WHO, AFTER 27 MONTHS AS A HOUSEWIFE, SATISFIED A WHIM AND BEAT BOTH WILLIAMSES ON THEIR HOME TURF.

his year’s Slam had some surprises! Nadal won in Australia but lost at Roland Garros. At the start of the season a halfdead Federer conquered all… and just one step away from his sixth success, he let the US Open slip through his fingers, at the hands of a boy. The women’s final played by Clijsters and Wozniacki was won by mother Kim who, after 27 months as a housewife, satisfied a whim and beat both Williams sisters on their home turf. Juan Martin Del Potro, the tower from Tandil – who had already made himself known in Australia – enjoyed a good tournament up to the quarterfinal. On the Paris clay, where he lost the semifinal only at the fifth set against Federer, Delpo sent out a decisive message: As if to say… I’m here too! His announcement had turned into a drum roll during the summer. With a win in Cincinnati, Nadal scalped along the way, and a final in Montreal – the crescendo of his rise happened in New York. It started with the brotherly derby against Monaco in the first round, then Melzer, Koellerer, and Ferrero in the third round, Cilic in the quarterfinals and Rafa – before turning his attention to the seemingly unfathomable deed. Del Potro was the best player at Flushing Meadows, with the most consistency and with an unexpected determination, above all. He arrived at the final – his

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first in a major and not yet 21 – a little curled up by the tension, almost allowing Mister Immortality make light of him for one set.

his two on-court forms – the human, fallible Federer and the iconic idea of the perfect tennis player which he can embody at his best moments.

When Federer positioned his first break, with a polished cross-court forehand of heavenly perfection at the end of a breath-taking exchange, Delpo stared at him in disbelief, then uttered to himself a fuming “hijo de p…ta!” which was luckily drowned by the applause.

Nothing should detract from the absolute quality of Delpo’s victory. A victory achieved in perhaps the first great final seen at Flushing Meadows, both in terms of emotions and uncertainty and since the days of Sampras and Agassi. The Argentinian is the sixth finalist to meet Federer in New York in the past years. He is also one of only two players (Nadal being the other) to stop his fluidity in a Slam final since 2003, by destroying him mentally in two tie-breaks. No mean feat, come to think of it.

The match could almost have ended there – six or eight months ago it may have, Palito held out instead. He won the first tie-break and did not lose heart, even when he offered Federer the third set with two suicidal double faults. Again, the match appeared lost, though once again Delpo reopened it. Playing his best tennis, a Federer-busting tennis, hanging on a forehand that (when smashed from his 198 cm height) can cross the court like a lightning bolt! The more Del Potro upped the pace and found confidence and corners, the more embittered Federer became – losing control and measure of his backhand and hitting repeated wood shots – ultimately taking his performance from a hall of fame to a ‘hall of frame’. Delpo did not melt the way he had in the fifth set in Melbourne, when he almost gave up playing, irritated and wounded. This time it was Federer who lost his ability to focus, to align and synchronise

In fact, Delpo’s potential (so evident from a young age) has positioned him to be an undisputed champion. One, who at a closer look, has met all his targets, at times forging ahead, but often having to deal with unrealistic expectations, especially at home. Think of last year’s Davis Cup drama, when Argentina lost to Spain, despite Nadal’s absence. It looks as though this giant with tranquil manners and a faint drawl has very clear ideas and may be destined for more important wins. In 1977, Guillerno Vilas played number one ranked Jimmy Connors and became the last Argentinian to have triumphed in New York. Those days the match was played on the green clay of Forest Hills. On the Monday of the final, Vilas applauded from the stands and

It would not be kind to flunk Federer, at his 21st Slam final, his fourth this year, having rounded the point of an almost insane 22 consecutive major semi-finals. As has been the case in the past, he has suffered at the hands of those who do not bend to his domination, those who rebel and try to disperse his aura. Having said this: he remains firmly and indisputably the world’s number one. What remains mined is who the actual to be determined number onee is. In terms of ranking and titles, it is definitely Rafa Nadal. However, his condition on in New York was far from optimal as he was slowed down by an abdominal muscle sprain turned microtear. It prevented ented him from serving properly and, nd, for the time being,, does not allow him to compete at top level – as he admitted. d. May the god of tennis nis preserve him m and return him to us in his usual full and bouncy uncy form, as soon on as possible. Behind him m there’s Djokovic, who in the semifinal has once again shown some of his limits ts (more mental than technical) ical) and wasted the numerous ous chances that Federer granted anted him to reopen a match – which was nevertheless very well balanced alanced in all three sets. Then there’s ’s Murray, who slid away against Cilicc in a dull, inexplicably submissive day. He had been the hottest man n of the summer, but after last year’s final final he missed a few steps, especially on the main stages.

King Federer’s most probable successor is Del Potro... Delpo has certainly cleared the chasm that separates the best from the pursuers – leaving behind Roddick (who fell against giant Isner), an emerging Cilic and the little platoon of leaders made up of Gonzalez, Soderling, Verdasco, Monfils and Tsonga. If the surprise in men’s tennis came from a new name, then in women’s tennis it came from a renewed one. Kim Clijsters played in the Open’s best fairy tale, culminating in her victory over Wozniacki in the final – a happy ending celebrated on court in the presence of enchanting little Jada.

The tournament also unwound through a series of earthquakes (small and big) which might have opened a generational fault in women’s tennis, a division of the game seemingly without a hierarchy. The premature crashes of Safina (against Kvitova!), of a half-healed Sharapova, of Kuznetsova, Jankovic, Ivanovic! The extended breakdown in Dementieva’s tumble and above all the defeat of both Williamses have created an opening, allowing the emergence of two or three interesting novelties, or semi-novelties: Oudin, Wickmayer and then Wozniacki, the Danish-Polish pin-up who came close to a big coup. Unpredictable as the outcome might have seemed on the eve of th the tournament, the success of a mother who has devoted herself to diapers and ba baby bottles for two and a half years say says a lot about the state of the women’s cir circuit. The return who seized the of a true champion – w American Slam only three months after the first real thought of a comeback – is a major recovery for tennis. rec Kim is an eexceptional lady and in indeed one such champion. champion Her victory and the im imminent return of her gre great rival, Justine Henin, might show that perhaps perhap the Williams era is on th the wane. The exasperated exasperat nerves of Serena – who vverbally (and unforgivably) abus abused poor lineswoman lineswom Shino, seemingly seemin ‘guilty’ calling a rather of ca obvious foot fault obv – are a one of the symptoms of sym a growing state a g of fr frustration. Until recently – in order to dominating over continue d the scattered troops of the t post-Henin era – Serena and Venus only o needed to their minds train adequately and switch sw Fortunately for them, on and off the tour. Fort as people say, there is only on one mum.

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THE # 1 SELLING GRIP IN THE USA IS BACK IN SA!

US OPEN 2009

US OPEN ratings SODERLING 7+

CILIC 7+

Clashes with his majesty for the third consecutive time in a Slam and experiences (in the first and partly in the second set) a sensational Federer. His progress is sustained, his results are flowing in and at this point he shouldn’t change his book, he should just turn the page.

“Enough with honourable defeats, it’s time I took some matches,” he said to himself after his loss to Haas at Wimbledon. No sooner said than done, he worked relentlessly on improving his lateral footwork, exploiting the accomplished heaviness and extraordinary depth of his shots.

RODDICK 5-

DJOKOVIC 8

The first eminent casualty of the tournament – overwhelmed by Isner’s service and not supported by adequate returns. Once more his pride did not let him down, but he did fail in the decisive moments – perhaps crushed by expectations and responsibility.

With a semifinal under his belt, the historic Serb keeps up with the best in his class. He does not struggle with bounce shots, enhances his athletic qualities... but he fails in the more unusual play and lacks proactiveness, to the point where he avoids even the simplest of volley shots. An enlightened coach such as Todd Martin will surely lead his work in the right direction.

MURRAY 5 His defeat was unexpected. His defensive, parasitic game may not have been enthralling and the vampire did not feast, as he hoped to, but he will have other chances to make up for it.

VERDASCO 6+ The true Verdasco appeared only intermittently. Some of his solutions were dazzling, some stylistically impeccable and many accelerations were irrefutable. At the same time he was lacking continuity and the guts which has always been the trademark of Iberian tennis.

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GONZALEZ 7 His was an honest tournament, achieving the quarterfinal. What he lacks though is the tactical wisdom at the right moment and the heart to clear the surmountable hurdle of today’s Nadal. If brute force was enough, he would be a top player – but alas, class cannot be recycled like beer cans.

NADAL 6+ He bluffs until the semifinal like a poker player. Del Potro’s ‘all in’ unmasks him at the most critical moment and he exits the scene in a state of exhaustion, due to his

many ailments. A review of his calendar is needed in order to trim down his commitments and thus alleviate (if not resolve) his problems.

DEL POTRO 10 His clever planning, quality of his returns and mental toughness allow him to play superb tennis and thus reap his first Slam win of his young career. He drowns his opponents with a blow-byblow approach and only deviates at the beginning of the final, when he needs to unravel Federer’s tactical tangle. He fights like a lion, turns the match into an armwrestling competition and he changes the spin on his serve so as to open up the way for his devastating forehand. In the end he lifts the trophy. He is a player of pure substance and (at just 20 years of age) has now stopped knocking on the Fab Four’s door – since he just smashed it down.

Strings, grips, accessories and court equipment

FEDERER 8+ Everything seemed to point to a final victory. But in the final moments, perhaps due to excessive presumptuousness, he abandoned his tactical game plan as if he was owed the win. His impeccable elegance still remained, but his balletdancer movements gradually gave way to heavier footwork in a futile attempt to stalk his opponent. It was a final that mirrored the Australian Open earlier this year. Nevertheless, his two wins and two finals remain achievements that many can’t even dream of. – FC

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highlights of the

US OPEN Minar retires: under investigation for doping The AP agency reports that Czech tennis player Ivo Minar, who retired from the US Open on the eve of the tournament, is under investigation for the alleged use of a banned substance. Ivo Kaderka, president of the Czech Federation, has told CTK agency that the case is now outside of the national jurisdiction and in the hands of ITF.

The last Marat takes it out on Djoko Last Slam appearance for Marat Safin, eliminated at the first round in four sets by Jurgen Melzer. At the press conference a journalist informed him that the previous day Djokovic had updated them on his future commitments. According to the Serb, Marat would be planning to climb the mountains of South America. A perplexed and slightly annoyed Safin replied: “It seems that Djokovic has fresh news. He should mind his own tennis rather than other people’s business.” We will miss you, Marat!

The most painful match point Out went all the top seeds in the first quarterfinal: Dementieva eliminated by Oudin, Jankovic by Shvedova (the Serb’s head was not really on court, as her maternal grandmother had died the night before). The only survivor Dinara Safina, taken to the third set by the German Barrois. The last one to exit was Sabine Lisicki, forced to leave the court in a

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wheelchair owing to a sprained right ankle caused by a fall on her opponent’s match point.

a 7–6 to Dent, it saw a total of 255 net approaches (109 by Dent and 146 by Navarro), a true rarity in present times.

And Shvedova talks to the wall

Sharapova, queen of double faults

None of the Russian journalists turned up at Yaroslava Shvedova’s press conference. They clearly haven’t forgotten the player’s “betrayal” when she took up Kazak nationality in order to play in Fed Cups and Olympics. An American journalist asked – on behalf of the Russian press – that she say a couple of words about her match in Russian. Not knowing what to say or who to address, she first looked at the wall in front of her, but after a minute she burst out laughing in embarrassment.

Maria Sharapova was eliminated by Melanie Oudin in the third round. Would you say that it had something to do with her 21 double faults?

Michelle Larcher de Brito: destination Paris Young Michelle Larcher de Brito has signed a contract with the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy in Paris. The new professional deal has been arranged by Michelle’s father Antonio, who looks after her management. The Portuguese player will join the Academy’s Elite Team, together with Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova

Dent and Navarro, 255 times at the net The match between Taylor Dent and Ivan Navarro in the second round was a classic throwback to bygone days. Lasting four hours and ending in the fifth set with

How does it feel without the Russians?

The match is suspended? “You cannot be serious”

For the first time in 29 Majors, no Russian women players made it to the quarterfinals. The last time this happened was at Roland Garros in 2002.

The evening session ends with the official’s announcement: “The match between Nadal and Gonzalez is suspended because of rain and postponed to tomorrow.”

Djoko’s latest impersonation is for Mac

“If I got critiqued by a 10 year old for my career,” Roddick replied, “I’d be pretty pissed off.”

At the end of his victorious fourth round against Radek Stepanek, Novak Djokovic invited John McEnroe (who had been commentating the match for ESPN) to join him on the Arthur Ashe and hit a few balls. Whilst waiting, the Serb entertained the public with an impersonation of McEnroe. The two then played a few points, trading comic impressions of each other.

Melanie Oudin, the Russian Killer

Nice ﬁgures: Mom Kim

The 17 year-old from Marietta eliminated four Russians in a row before her run was ended by Wozniacki in the quarterfinal. After beating Pavlyuchenkova in the first round, Dementieva in the second, Sharapova in the third and Petrova in the fourth, she could have played against Kuznetsova – the fifth Russian – in the quarterfinals. Instead, Sveta was beaten by Wozniacki. Who knows... had Melanie met her fifth Russian she might have made it to the semifinals...

Kim Clijsters signed off her 14th consecutive win at the US Open between the 2005 and 2009 editions. Of course, the period includes two and a half years of inactivity for the Belgian (from 6 May 2007 to 10 August 2009) and her wrist injury of 2006. The overall score for her three latest appearances (2003, 2005 and 2009) is 20 wins to one defeat. Sixth consecutive semifinal in a Slam tournament: US Open 2005, Australian Open 2006, Roland Garros 2006, Wimbledon 2006, Australian Open 2007, US Open 2009.

Roddick replies to Roddick Following his defeat by fellow countryman John Isner, Roddick was asked what the very young Andy Roddick would think of Roddick and the career he’s had.

A chorus of disappointment rises from the spectators and John McEnroe concludes his live commentary with his famous words... “You cannot be serious.”

Ivanovic on the run: no tennis until 2010 Former world number one, Serb Ana Ivanovic decided to end her season in advance. The reason is the crisis that the Serbian player is experiencing, which culminated in her exclusion from the WTA top ten, to the benefit of Italian Flavia Pennetta. As the season wound to a close, Ana’s diary had just two more appointments left – the Tokyo tournament and that in Beijing – but she opted to retire instead following her disappointing elimination from the US Open at the hand of Ukrainian Bondarenko. Her break will be used to recharge her batteries and try and better understand the reasons for her poor performance. Ivanovic’s only final in 2009 was Indian Wells, which she lost against Vera Zvoraneva. “You know, I haven’t had proper holidays in years. So I’m looking forward to that. I am sure that some time off will get me back on track .” – FC

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People call him Palito (‘stick’), Delpo, or Enano – ‘midget’ – as a joke because he is 1,98 m tall from where he unleashes devastating forehands and serves. Juan Martin Del Potro (20) is the ﬁfth man in world tennis, the latest product of the noble Argentinian school. Until last year, they looked at him with some concern. Now they are already comparing him to Vilas. “It all changed last year when I won four tournaments, 23 matches in a row. It was the moment I had been waiting for. From there on, my life has changed.”

Del Potro THE INTERVIEW

You were born in Tandil, as were other tennis players such as Guillermo Perez Roldan, Mariano Zabaleta, Maximo Gonzalez, Juan Monaco, and coaches like Panajotti, Infantino and also Mauro German Camoranesi. Is it something in the air?

Is it hard to stand the comparison to great Argentine champions such as Vilas, Clerc and Nalbandian? “Sometimes I feel the pressure. About four or five years ago there were more Argentines at the top. Today I am the only top 10 and sometimes as I step into the court I can feel the expectation of so many people on my shoulders, as I did in the Davis Cup. But the pressure is good, it’s stimulating. I speak to Vilas often; he even came to advise me before the Paris semifinals. He told me to play my tennis: relaxed, fearless.”

“Yeah, maybe, or maybe it’s something in the meat, which is so good at our place! Tandil is a small town with a population of 200 000, a great climate and good sports facilities. A couple of characters such as Raul Perez Roldan and Marcelo Gomez set up a school and the kids slowly got keen on tennis. Everyone plays tennis in Tandil, that’s the reason.”

So many Argentine tennis players have been involved in doping in the past. Why?

Instead Mariano Gonzalez and Camoranesi chose soccer…

“It’s true, it happened. But they all paid their dues.”

“Soccer is also very popular, obviously, there are lots of teams. I know Camoranesi well; we’re friends because in Tandil everyone kind of knows everyone. And he’s the reason I support Juventus in Italy, whereas my team in Argentina is Boca Juniors.”

Do you prefer Federer or Nadal? “My idol has always been Lleyton Hewitt.”

People say that despite your calm shyness you are truly capable of causing some headaches for the world top 4 who are dominating the season. Is this true?

Who is more popular in Tandil now, you or Camoranesi? “I’d say it’s still Camoranesi. I am still young, I haven’t won much. In Tandil I am an ordinary person, nobody stops me in the street.”

Could you too have become a soccer player? “Yes, until I was 13 I used to play in the junior team of the Tandil Independiente. I used to play defender, number five, same as Mascherano. Then I had to choose between soccer and tennis and I think I made the right choice. But if I wasn’t a tennis player today I am sure I would be a soccer player. Or maybe even an architect.”

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“I might have the game, but I still lack some experience. But I will try, I promise.”

Not a rugby player like your father? “No, no, too much hard work, not for me.”

Why is Argentina so strong in almost every sport? “It’s because there are excellent coaches, in all disciplines. And because Argentine kids prefer to play sports rather than going to school.”

Even here in New York people are already talking about a possible semiﬁnal against Murray. “This is my favourite Slam. I love the city, the surface, the people, the public. I have been waiting for the moment to play great tennis here. My goal is to become number one, but with Rafa and Roger it’ll be hard…”

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surrendering to none other than Murray in the big match.

aniel Panajotti, Schiavone’s former coach, had warned us: watch out for Del Potro! Delpo to his friends, he was in fact rather well known to us already through his victory (at age 15) at the 2003 Avvenire against Fognini and the final at Bonfiglio. The previous year he had taken the Orange Bowl and two years later he would take off into the world of the tennis greats. Born and bred in Tandil – a magical place and the Mecca of Argentinian tennis – he is a genuinely certifiable phenomenon. “It must be in the meat we eat,” he says jokingly. Here the teachings of Raul Perez Roldan and Marcelo Gomez have produced a true legion of top tennis players the past twenty years – from Guillermo to Perez Roldan to Franco Davin and from Mariano Zabaleta to Maximo Gonzalez to Juan Monaco. Del Potro left that world of little wonders soon after losing in the quarterfinals at Roland Garros in 2005 to Andy Murray. In 2006, not even 18, he was able to snatch one set from Juan Carlos Ferrero at Roland Garros. In 2007 he made his debut in the Davis Cup and reached the semifinals in Adelaide. Then the rocket from Tandil stopped for a few months, after which in 2008 it literally exploded: semifinals at Hertogenbosch and four consecutive wins in Stuttgart, Kitzbuhel, Los Angeles and Washington – unprecedented in ATP tour history. He had a 23-match winning streak until the US Open quarterfinals, where Delpo came to a halt against an old (so to speak) acquaintance of his: Andy Murray. By then everyone could tell that Delpo, now a Top 15, would not stop there.

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This thin gangly boy had turned into a 1,98 m basketball playing look-alike, with a considerably improved serve and the ability to eradicate anybody from the baseline, using his awesome groundstroke combination as a sort of retractor. He had overcome the muscular decompensation caused by his sudden growth spurt of 35 cm between 14 and 17, just like Krajicek. Enano, the son of a rugby player, has proved many right – as have the likes of Panajotti, Edoardo Infantino and his present coach Franco Davin. They had rather appropriately foretold a future of great heights for the young man. “Juan Martin is a complete player, isn’t he?” commented Nadal in New York to those asking him for an opinion on the lanky cowboy. “In the past he could not serve too well, but now his serving has improved a lot. He is solid from the baseline. He makes no mistakes. He is very tall, but even if his movements are not perfect, he is very, very... long, so he can reach everywhere. His footwork is not bad at all for someone his height.” This year Delpo did very well almost everywhere. In Australia Federer might have doled a harsh punishment in the quarterfinals (which he commented on with great self-irony: “I had fun until the 0–0”), but on clay in Paris he came very close to a sensational revenge. He took Federer to the fifth set in the semifinal, after leading two sets to one. He stumbled on grass in the second round against a resurgent Hewitt, but bounced back in the US by beating Roddick twice in the final in Washington. In Montreal he even defeated Nadal before

His humiliation in Melbourne, where he literally froze against Federer, has convinced some that Delpo’s true limitations may hide behind his small, seemingly gentle sky-blue eyes. Behind the appearance of a quiet boy focused on self-improvement, the big midget hides a character that is far from easy. “Great character and aggressive tennis,” states Franco Davin. “Therein lies Juan Martin’s strength. His tennis is modern, but the mindset is still the Argentine one, or Latino if you prefer, solid and determined.” And what about Federer then? “Federer’s match tactics annoy him. As they do many others...,” replies Davin. “But mentally Juan Martin has no problem. Of course he is very young and he has room to improve. We are working on making him a ‘universal’ player, one capable of achieving the very best on any surface. This year, for instance, we have focussed on clay, where he was not feeling comfortable. The Paris semifinal has proved that we are on the right track.” The young man seems to be doing all right on hard surfaces; all that remains to be conquered is grass. “That is next year’s goal,” continues Davin. “I am convinced that he can also do well on green, because he has great potential. But he has to improve his net play. He hits the volley too far, as is often the case. It’s a matter of working on the details.” As usual, Argentines can be more concrete than Italians. “Italy is in my heart and in Juan Martin’s. I love your country so much I could live there. In Salsomaggiore I have friends like Luigi Cenci and Tino Aliani who organise the junior tournament and whom I consider as my second family. The problem is that Italians have too good a life and don’t feel like leaving their country. For us Argentines it’s different.” Argentines know true phenomena too well. – FC

US OPEN 2009

Kim Clijsters TENNIS HAD BECOME SOMETHING SHE WOULD TURN TO WHEN SHE NEEDED TO SHED SOME BABY FAT. A TRUE EX PRO, NO LONGER DEDICATED TO HER FOREHAND, BACKHAND, TOURS OR FIGHTS, BUT TO BREASTFEEDING, BABY FOOD, HOME AND CHURCH.

ou may call her “KimPossible,” “Mother Superior” or whatever you like. Fact is, by winning the US Open Kim Clijsters has relaunched working moms but flunked women’s tennis. In the absents of the true queen Justine Henin, with the Russians and Serbians in crisis (if not already overtaken in the race to superathleticism) and the Williams sisters still in a precarious condition (clinging only to their pride and hysteria) – the former “Kim-Kong” has spanked old and new, dishing out lessons in tennis and life on the cement in New York. Not only has she come out with a personality and variety she has never had, but she has also opened up a debate: how can a player come back after two and a half years and win a Slam at just the third tournament? She is good, and lucky, with the build of a natural athlete. But a similar feat would not have been possible in men’s tennis. The only similar case of a wildcard winning a Major by surprise was that of Goran Ivanisevic in 2001, who had a shoulder injury at the time. Having never really quit tennis, Goran had three unlucky finals on the magical grass at Wimbledon behind him. Clijsters’ case is instead far more complex. The Flemish girl had left slamming the door behind her (five Slam finals and just one victory at the 2005 US Open), tired and disillusioned by tennis. She was at first discouraged by

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At some point though the ‘call of the wild’ became irresistible. The official turning point had been the friendly double with Tim Henman against Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf for the unveiling ceremony of Wimbledon’s new roof. The first positive signs, defeating Kuznetsova and Azarenk and taking Jankovic to the third set, soon followed.

injuries, then by personal events: her dad Leo (a former Belgian soccer national) was terminally ill with cancer and passed away in January this year whilst her great love (Australian colleague Lleyton Hewitt) had cheated on her just before they were to get married. However, she soon found comfort in another marriage and a child. She had been absent from Flushing Meadows since the time of her win against Mary Pierce four years ago. In the meantime, she has realised her dream to “achieve other things in life, to be a wife and a mother.” She and her husband, former US basketball player Brian Lynch, now has cute little Jada. Tennis had become something she would turn to when she needed to shed some baby fat. A true ex pro, no longer dedicated to her forehand, backhand, tours or fights, but to breastfeeding, baby food, home and church.

“After taking Jankovic to 5–3 in Toronto I felt that I could compete with the best players.” In fact, what really pushed Kim to come back 18 months after giving birth to her baby daughter was the feeling of an incomplete tennis career, as well as a revelation – one that may or may not be true. “Friends of my father told me that he could be sure he would see me again on the tour, racquet in hand.”

Justine and even myself, even if we’re not playing our best game, we still have a plan b, we try to change the game and find different solutions. It is also this characteristic – our ability as stronger players – that pushed me to try again.” This is quite a change in tune for one who was a typical ‘battery chicken’ – incapable of winning without her relentless forcing. She had made her debut among the pros at 14 and rose to world number one six years later. “I think the amount of time I put into my tennis today is shorter, but the quality is a lot higher. Even if I wasn’t playing tennis and just being at home, I’ve become a much better planner and thinker. As a mother and a wife, I have to plan and I see things from a different perspective.” So much so that she now escapes to the zoo with her family during breaks, as opposed to chilling in a hotel room, playing with her cell phone, iPod or TV remote. At 26 she is not biologically old, but in tennis terms she is. “When I look around in the change rooms and see these young girls, I say to myself: ‘they are so young.’ They are like I was when

I started playing tennis. I understand it better each day because I now have a weapon that I did not have then, experience.” So it is that the new Kim does not lose her nerves after her achievement in the fourth round against Venus Williams – albeit with a problem knee, but still Venus. “What a great feeling after that weird match (6–0 0–6 6–4), I finally managed to stay focused without my thoughts drifting who knows where, and only thinking of the next hurdle, Li Na. It never used to be so easy in the past.” Once upon a time Kim would come and go, she would fail the most incredible shots and then reap amazing partial scores, with a psychophysical intermittence worthy of analysis. But then she would soften it all with her bright smile, with such unique likeability and humanity that her colleagues could not help but love her – then and now. It is because she is truly sorry for Serena Williams losing her cool and offering her a match – already lost – with that infamous double fault and controversial abuse of the linesman. It is because she is

sincerely affectionate towards 19-year-old Caroline Wozniacki, whom she dispensed with in the final and then hugged (almost maternally) at the net. It is because she is a real apprehensive mom when she summons her little blonde Jada – “the most beautiful thing that could have happened to my husband and I” – first to the player’s stands (from a private suite), then onto the court, for the best photo shoots of her life. The records of first wildcard to secure a US Open and second mother in the Slam (after Evonne Goolangong at Wimbledon in 1980) were not enough. She needed her husband’s blessing: “I wasn’t surprised when Kim told me she wanted to give her tennis career another go. I knew she was young enough, and the more she picked up the racket for a show or a tournament, the more the competitive bug bit her. She is such a beautiful person and I’m excited and happy for her – that our family has a chance to go on this adventure together.” She needed Serena Williams: “Maybe I should also have a child to get back to the top. Maybe we can get together and have some calming lessons.” Above all, she needed that bright smile of Jada’s. – FC

Kim claims that it was also a sign (albeit a mysterious one) that she was able to line up Kutuzova, Bartoli, Flipkens, Venus Williams, Li, Serena Williams and then Wozniacki in the final – a diverse cocktail of opponents, both in terms of tennis and personalities. She observed that: “A lot of the girls these days play a very similar game. They play aggressive tennis, stepping in and just really hitting the ball over the net and not giving their opponent a lot of chances. But if things don’t go their way, if they can’t hit you off the court in 40 minutes, plan b is not always there. Whereas Venus, Serena,

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ASIDE FROM WOZNIACKI, WHO WAS ALREADY KNOWN, THE REAL NOVELTY OF THE TOURNAMENT WAS WICKMAYER, WHO HAS HEIGHT AND MUSCLE AND WILL START MAKING HER MARK AS SOON AS SHE GAINS SOME EXPERIENCE.

he latest US Open gave us two presents. It gave us back a champion, Kim Clijsters and introduced us to a new champion, Juan Martin Del Potro. I think that Roger Federer has missed a win that in all likelihood would have been his, had he closed the second set on 5–4, 30–0. He missed something that is not in his gentlemanly character, the knockout punch. He allowed Del Potro back into the match because he chose to remember the encounters in which he had dominated over the Argentine (6–3, 6–0, 6–0 at the Australian Open!) rather than the risks that he had run at Roland Garros. Del Potro did well in staying a wheel’s length behind him and especially in seizing those two tiebreaks that ultimately determined the final result. It is also interesting to note that the two Slam finals lost by Federer this year both ended in a heavy 6–2 in the fifth set. This is a score that contradicts my theory, according to which Federer gets less tired than his opponents because his tennis is more fluid and less strenuous. In fact I don’t think that Federer lost due to tiredness (although one should not rule it out) but rather because he was not able to forget that he had let the opportunity to close the match in just three sets slip out of his hands. I suppose it is the same thing that happened in Australia, where he had lost

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two sets (the first and the third), both of which he could and should have won. I believe that Federer had played his best tennis in the semifinal against Djokovic, and perhaps the best tennis I have ever witnessed. After an unconvincing season, Djokovic had found his good form and determination again. He had dominated Stepanek and extinguished a tough opponent such as Verdasco. As far as Del Potro is concerned, he had missed two sets along the way: the one against the difficult Austrian Kollerer, the other against Cilic – in a derby between the best products of the 1988 generation. In addition to failing to serve out the second set, I also believe that Federer lost because he could not find the support that he needed in his service. Let us remember that at Wimbledon Federer had needed as many as 50 aces in order to beat Roddick for 16–14 in the fifth set, a figure that proves that Federer had not played his best tennis on that occasion. Thirteen aces were not enough against Del Potro. In spite of all this, Federer is on track to end a season in which he has achieved two wins and two finals in the four Slam tournaments, a result that few players have managed to reach. I think that one could be optimistic about Del Potro’s potential. He may be lacking in net play, but his forehand acceleration seems to suffice.

All in all it was an edition that remained rather faithful to most predictions, at least in the men’s sector. Murray was disappointing in his lack of the kind of athletic resources that his game requires, but on a good day he can be with the best and win something significant. Roddick was caught by surprise in that sort of clay pigeon shooting with a racquet that was his match with giant Isner. The French didn’t reap much – as a matter of fact Tsonga and Monfils didn’t make it past the fourth round. Simon is increasingly paying for the limitations of a weak body.

rankings, a situation that is also beginning to affect the two young Serbs Jankovic and Ivanovic. For the first time in many years there were no Russian players in the quarterfinal: Sharapova’s recovery is proving to be slower than anticipated; Kuznetsova lost to Wozniacki and Dementieva was the second of the four Russians to be lined up by Oudin – the latest discovery in American tennis. Besides Wozniacki, who was already known, the real novelty of the tournament was Wickmayer, who has height and muscle and will start making

her mark as soon as she gains some experience. It is hard to believe that a country such as Belgium, having just rediscovered Clijsters, may already have another top player waiting in the wings. Not to mention that Clijsters’ deed might encourage Henin to consider a possible return. As for Clijsters (who was confirmed as the most welcome player in the ladies change rooms – notably a vipers’ nest) the decisive factor was the calm with which she played and her talent which she clearly never lost. She came back for the right reasons, she did not set any

goals for herself and she did not concede a single set from the quarterfinal onward. As one might expect, the incident surrounding the conclusion of the match between Serena and Clijsters received much coverage. I think that in such circumstances all involved – from the chair umpire, to the judge and also the poor linesman, berated by a Serena who had by then lost her cool – could do nothing else but apply the rules of the game. Having said this, one should not forget that Clijsters was by then one point away from the match, with no help at all.

Which leaves Nadal. His athletic qualities (which remain unchanged) allowed him to defeat two such excellent players as Monfils and Gonzalez, without too much difficulty. Against Del Potro he was never really in the game, but two months of inactivity can’t be overcome too easily. I prefer to defer my comment on his chances to return to his past form. Compared with the overall regularity of the men’s tournament, the women’s was a fair of surprises – which is in line with a trend that had emerged in the other tournaments of the season. Just consider this: 16 of 32 seeds were eliminated before the third round, and more importantly only one (Serena) in the top eight reached the quarterfinal. In the Slam, Safina continues to suffer the burden of over-generous computer

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survived two matchpoints wasted by the German, and had also been given a couple. As play resumed the following day, Cilic paid for the inexperience of his 20 years and surrendered 10–8 in the fifth set. “The defeat against Haas,” says Bob Brett “made him reflect a lot. The match against Murray is a good sign. I think he is ready now.” His victory over the Scotsman was the first over a top 3 for the Croat who had lost all six previous matches. “I am really happy for him because

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Many have been wondering how it can be that a small country such as Croatia – with a population of just 4,5 m – coming out of a war for independence, has been able to produce so many champions. Soccer, basketball, handball, water polo, ski, athletics and more – the Croatian sports brand is always in vogue. Sufﬁce it to think of the basketball Olympic silver won by the newly-born Balkan republic in Barcelona in ’92, against the American Dream Team, or of the third place in the ’98 Soccer World Cup and the Olympic and World gold in handball. Not to mention a high jump specialist such as Blanka Vlasic, or a former ski queen such as Janica Kostelic, and her brother Ivica – two super champions in a sport that can’t even count on a ski slope at home. The equivalent is true of tennis. Despite the lack of suitable facilities, there is no shortage in Croatian successes or champions. Just under twenty years of age, the little Balkan state can boast a Davis Cup – won in 2003 – two Slam winners (Ivanisevic at Wimbledon in 2001 and Iva Majoli at Roland Garros in ’97), a top 2 such as Ivanisevic, a top 3 (Ivan Ljubicic), a top 4 (Iva Majoli) and a top 10 such as Mario Ancic.

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e is the man who shattered the US Open dream of a “Fab Four” semifinal, the only one to shake up that ordinary regularity that is typical of men’s tennis, thanks to his success at the expense of Andy Murray. Marin Cilic was born on 28 September 1988 in Medjugorje, the place itself a significant omen. This is the Bosnian town that has been world renowned since 24 June 1981, when six young boys then aged 10 to 16 first claimed to have witnessed apparitions of the Virgin Mary, presenting herself as the ‘Queen of Peace’. Mrnja, as his family calls him, soon moved to Zagreb where he got used to playing with balls and racquets, like many other children his age, in the hope to emulate the great myth of Goran Ivanisevic. “He was the one who took tennis to a high level in Croatia – says Cilic – and everyone still looks up to him as a hero. For us youngsters he was also big help money wise, with all the sponsors’ interest coming towards tennis and the federation. He also played with me when he was finishing his career. He definitely helped me a lot, and he is a really nice guy.” The last time that a Croatian reached the quarterfinals at Flushing Meadows was in 1996, and that Croatian had been Ivanisevic, who spent the last part of his career in Zagreb practising with Cilic. It was

indeed Ivanisevic who introduced Cilic to his former coach Bob Brett – the former mentor of Boris Becker and Mario Ancic – perhaps the last of the great Australian coaches and disciples of Harry Hopman. “Marin is a bit like Goran and Mario,” says a smiling Bob as he winks his deep, clear blue eyes. “But he is also very different. Goran was an extrovert, a bit crazy, with a mighty serve, but he remained an incomplete player. I would have liked to have trained him since he was 14. Ancic for me is unfinished business, as he no longer trains with me. Cilic is very serious, perhaps a little introverted, but he has two great qualities. He works hard and learns fast. On the court he’s one of those players who can add the last pieces to the technical and tactical puzzle that the coach laid out for them.” His brilliant career as a junior – a Roland Garros win in 2005 (after defeating Murray in the semifinals) and number two in the ITF rankings – foreboded a rapid rise through the professional ranks. Yet, the results in the big tournaments have not been forthcoming. Four fourth rounds at Slam level in the last year and a half seem to have consigned Cilic to a space that is well below expectations. At Wimbledon he was part of a memorable match against Tommy Haas, in which his recovery from two sets down was stopped by the suspension of play due to bad light, after he had

criticism was mounting back in Croatia, because of the expectations placed on him,” stated Ivan Ljubicic. Not even Bob Brett escaped some criticism at home over a service that could be much sharper and more effective. “I don’t think I’ve got completely into his head,” explains Bob as he continues to dish out pearls of wisdom from his Academy in Sanremo. “It is easier to get into the head of someone 1,8 m tall, than that of a 2 m beanpole. Cilic has had some trouble in the past with closing certain matches. One thing is to have an advantage over someone like Murray; another is to keep it until the end of the match. We have spoken about these issues at length.” Looking good against the great is not enough. One has to take the match. It’s one thing to bag one set; another to walk out of the court as a winner. In addition to improving on his service, Cilic can, and should, put on a few kilos in order to compete at top levels. There is no doubt that he is a future champion; perhaps not a top 5, but definitely someone who can comfortably enter the top 10. On a bad day, his volley play is week and he can suffer from a wavering forehand – especially if the ball bounces half a metre from the line and is moderately fast. When that occurs, his opponents might as well buy shares in his forehand directly from “Bank Cilic”. Still, a Bank to which nobody would deny credit right now... – FC

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camp), and had also seen her involved in a rather controversial event early in the year.

his is the story of a young girl who, following the tragic loss of her mother at the tender age of nine, decided to leave everything and move to the States accompanied by her father. “I wanted to get away from home and put my sad memories behind me. I needed a change, to be with people,” explains Yanina Wickmayer, 1,82 m of determination and power, at the end of her victorious match against Kvitova, after beating the world number one Dinara Safina in the previous round. At a press conference in which she showed full command of three languages (Flemish, French and English), Yanina tells of her father’s complete, crazy and unconditional impulse: “He had a building company in Belgium. He decided overnight to leave everything and follow me to America. He went to his staff and said: guys, I’m leaving,” explains Yanina as she looks up while rubbing together her long hands, adorned by a carefully applied red and blue nail polish. “He just gave up his whole life for me. He sold our house, the car and we left together. I guess he had always believed in me, in my dreams, but he didn’t give up his work and his whole life because he thought I’d be a champion. He did it just because he wanted to make me happy.” Pressure would have been considerable in her home country. In spite of a population of just over 10m, Belgium

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boasts an extraordinary recent history in women’s tennis. Henin – with whom Yanina has the tragic loss of her mother to cancer in common – and Clijsters had decided to retire just as fast as they had climbed to the top of WTA (both number one and winners of a total of nine Slams). The burden of responsibility for a country accustomed to the successes of the recent past rested squarely on the shoulders of the talented young girl from Deurne near Antwerp. The attention at home would have been too much for the young girl who indeed became first known when she was called up to represent her country. Having been summoned to the Fed Cup in 2007, at the age of 17, Wickmayer had to face none other than Venus Williams. Her loss to the American did not dishearten her; in fact quite the opposite. The following year she was the one to lead her team – orphaned of Henin who would retire shortly thereafter – to the success over the Bondarenko sisters of the Ukraine, the younger of whom would be a frequent reoccurrence in Yanina’s history. It was indeed against Kateryna that Wickmayer played her first WTA final in Birmingham. And it was against the same Ukrainian that the Belgian played her first quarterfinal at Slam level, in that very US Open that propelled her into the Olympus of world tennis; in that very US that had witnessed her professional growth in Saddlebrook (in what was once Hopman’s and Jennifer Capriati’s

The ITF tournament was on at Clearwater, Florida, with US$50 000 prize money and a final featuring the two top seeds, French Julie Coin and Yanina Wickmayer. Following a first set won 6–3, the Belgian responded on the 1–1 of the second set. A failed serve by the French, stopped and awkwardly hit backwards by a highly nervous Wickmayer, ended up hitting a linesman on the shoulder. The supervisor had no choice but to disqualify the tall girl, even though a number of versions of the events exist, none of which is supported by any visuals. According to Yanina, it was just unfortunate that the linesman should have been hit by her response to Coin’s serve. According to her opponent, instead, Wickmayer had shown some edginess prior to that, repeatedly hurling her racquet on the ground and throwing the ball into the stands. As a matter of fact, Wickmayer’s anger had been apparent throughout the week. The Belgian had in fact received a code violation during the semifinal for grazing a referee with a return and two more warnings in previous matches for her behaviour towards the ball boys. It may be that the girl with the great future has too impulsive a temperament, and that her energy could be better channelled. Many of her matches are at the whim of her moodiness. Her Flemish colleagues describe her as a girl who is utterly devoted to tennis. Her daily routine consists of training, massage, dinner and in bed by half past nine. To those who ask her if there is any other love in her life aside from tennis she answers firmly, “Definitely not… and I wouldn’t talk about it anyway.” The young girl has clear ideas, tons of personality and a determination which, albeit excessive at times, will enable her to get her big break in a few years, and to become firmly established in the Olympus of women’s tennis. – FC

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uan Martin Del Potro’s victory in the US Open might not pose an immediate threat to the leadership of Roger Federer; it does however reveal some new aspects that are worthy of noting. Let us start with Federer. His defeat may be explained both by his poor serving performance (low percentage of first serves, few aces, unusually high number of double faults) and the uncertainty he displayed in some critical moments of the match. Aside from the numerous break-points not taken, it is surprising that he should have lost both tie-breaks, especially when one considers that his tie-break record in Slam tournaments stood at 72% (86 won in 120 played) before the final. A percentage that reached a staggering 86% in the finals (18 tiebreaks won in 21 played: five in eight against Nadal, 13 in 13 against other opponents!). Without detracting from Del Potro’s merit, Federer lacked the ability to ‘kill’ the match when he was offered the opportunity. I would have thought that winning Roland Garros and overtaking Sampras’ record would have given him even greater self confidence. On the contrary, it might have taken something away from him, in terms of his competitiveness and hunger for victory.

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More on Federer (and on Nadal). The Basel champion has so far only been beaten in the closing act of a Slam by

the left-hander from Mallorca. The other nine opponents that he had played against in 13 victorious finals had gathered a joint total of six sets. So overwhelming has his domination been over the past few years that there have been very few new entries in the exclusive club of players capable of winning at least one Grand Slam.

ONLY FOUR NEWCOMERS IN 24 TOURNAMENTS SINCE 2004, THAT IS ONE EVERY SIX SLAM MATCHES Statistics provide some irrefutable data in this respect. Since the beginning of the open era, there have been 48 new winners in 167 tournaments: that is a newcomer every 3,48 tournaments. Federer’s arrival changed the picture quite dramatically: only four newcomers in 24 tournaments since 2004, that is one every six Slam matches. If one then considers the period following Nadal’s first win, there has been only one new winner (Djokovic) in 17 tournaments before the US Open. Clearly, the Swiss cannibal’s successes – and those of his Spanish ‘accomplice’ – have for a long time blocked the way for other players to the doors of tennis immortality which is only achieved with a Slam victory. Nor could it have been otherwise when someone has firmly occupied the court for more than five years, with a stable places in the

semifinals and only one final missed in 18 due to mononucleosis. And – let’s not forget – the other player in the court who has claimed six Slams before turning 23, something only Borg had achieved before him. Well, Del Potro did not only emulate Nadal by overtaking Federer in the final, but he was capable of a feat that had never been accomplished in the Majors before: beating them both in the same tournament. It may be too soon to tell if this is a sign of the end of the Federer-Nadal diarchy. I think that in the future there will be more frequent openings for new entrants, despite the continued presence at the top of the two undisputed champions. I will conclude with a brief technical observation. Although their style may differ, all best players – Del Potro among them – adopt aggressive strategies, in the constant pursuit of a point. So much for the decline of offensive play! The fact is that aggressive play today doesn’t necessarily equate net play. Thanks to the example set by Federer (the best interpreter of such strategies), and thanks to the use of new materials, attack has become an all-court game, with players always striving for control of the exchange and hardly ever playing a pure waiting game. Federer is thus contributing to the evolution of the game, and to the technical improvement of his opponents. I doubt that they may be grateful to him. We, the fans, certainly are.

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Devvarman’s tennis is nothing new; rather, it fits perfectly within the solid and somewhat predictable American school of pressure from the baseline. Devvarman has a mission: to become the first American college champion in a long time to win an ATP title. Something that hasn’t happened since 1997.

THE YEAR 2009 HAS SEEN A COUNTRY AT THE MARGINS OF MAINSTREAM TENNIS ENTER THE NEWS HEADLINES A FEW TIMES. DEVVARMAN, BHAMBRI, PAES, BHUPATHI: A JOURNEY INTO THE INDIA OF TENNIS. WHICH IS APPROACHING CENTRE STAGE.

he television studio seems to make no effort to hide its deliberate intent of imitating the better known settings of CNN. Only the colour scheme is in slightly more pastel hues, those same hues that Danny Boyle chose to tell of India in his blockbuster ‘Slumdog millionnaire’. And then there is the presenter, who is not exactly the standard CNN anchorwoman: but a cross between a TV network professional journalist and a potato, the lady seems more inclined to vaguely resemble the spud. The journalist introduces a news story and her calm ways lift the professionalism of the whole scene. The story shot in New Delhi opens on a hard court, where a young journalist approaches a practising player with the air of someone who intends to be a nuisance – and generally succeeds. The story is meant to be a practical tennis lesson by Somdev Devvarman to the whole of India. The young man explains most effectively what topspin on the forehand is. The words ‘topspin increases the power and precision of the shot’ appear as a sort of mantra on the TV screen. The explanation is not so convincing when the bothering journalist asks him to talk of the backspin backhand: Devvarman is unable to produce an acceptable version of the shot and describes it

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as a groundstroke which, well...is but shouldn’t be... As a result it is almost too easy to imagine swarms of young Indians trying to replicate a terrible two-handed backhand. A few snippets gathered from around the web, in an effort to better understand the Devvarman phenomenon, Indian of America, class of 1985. A young boy directed towards tennis at nine by his mother who was concerned by his peculiar knack for getting into typical street trouble. A boy for whom Brian Boland, the chief coach of the tennis team at Virginia University, travelled all the way to Chennai in 2002 in order to persuade him to play in his team and convince him that his professional career could wait. This is why Devvarman had to wait until he was 24 before capturing some of the sport’s media attention, except for those highly informed American journalists that follow university sports. He became a sort of legend in the American college: virtually unbeaten for two years, protégé of the Dave Matthews Band’s violinist – a band whose songs he would often cover when playing with his own band in the bars around campus. The story of Somdev Devvarman is a tennis story like no other. He was not a teenager who aged on the courts prematurely, but was tempted by the fascinating

world of American university tennis. This universe played a crucial role in the development of talent hailed from a country that is far from the obvious crossroads of world tennis. Devvarman reached his first ATP final in 2009, in his own Chennai, where he lost to Cilic. He got his revenge in the Washington tournament, during the American summer, where he unexpectedly defeated the respected Croat. And following this last US Open he has become the first Indian since Amritraj (in 2002) to qualify to the main draw of a Grand Slam. He went even further, making mince meat of the more experienced (in professional tennis terms) Federico Gil in three sets at the first round, before launching into a second round which he fought against the number 23 seed in the tournament, that rising player Philipp Kohlschr who beat the Indian in four sets, but had to suffer the shame of a ‘love’ in the third. The 24-year-old Indian predominantly distinguished himself in the Futures and Challenger tours, by gathering five successes, and with two consecutive titles and one final in the NCAA championships where he built up an astonishing record of 44 wins and just one loss in a tour where the ‘big guys’ such as Levine, Isner and South African Anderson were playing.

Defined by Leander Paes as the future on which to base Indian tennis, Devvarman is not alone. In the last years Indian tennis has meant two things: doubles and Mirza. Doubles with Bhupathi and Paes who have safely hoisted themselves into the top 10 of the speciality thanks to their successes, in addition to having established the longest ever winning streak in the history of Davis Cup: 23 undefeated matches. Mirza...that is Sania Mirza, the image girl of Indian tennis who, after making herself known both on and off the court (for her confident ways which a few orthodox Muslims found inappropriate for a good Indian female role model) has deflated to the point of drifting beyond world’s seventieth place. Yet, Indian tennis is doing something that many other countries with a supposedly stronger tradition (such as Italy for instance) cannot do: finding new names. Look at Devvarman. And look at young Bhambri, the winner of the Junior Australian Open. Yet another product of the Bollettieri Tennis Academy is junior number one Bhambri who won two consecutive futures on the pro tour in New Delhi in April after demolishing his opponents in Melbourne and then went on to win a third future in June in his homeland. Just one match in the major tour, played and lost to Junqueira in Miami, and the potential to take his time to grow, given his 16 years of age. In New York he was top seed of the baby tournament.

New names being churned out of a kitchen with two ovens: the American academies and Indian tradition, a country where players often return for extended training periods. This Indian cuisine with a touch of ketchup, this American fast food flavoured with Far Eastern spices seems to turn out promising dishes. Let’s see if it will deliver the results once cooking is complete. The ingredients are definitely there. – FC

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istory is sometimes made by small deeds, such as winning a tennis match. But at times history unfolds along the most bizarre and winding of paths and Marsel Ilhan is proof of this. Ilhan will always be remembered as the first Turkish player to have ever won a match in a Slam tournament, though he is Uzbekistani by birth. Ilhan was born on 11 June 1987 in Samarkand, to the Khamdamov family, and he had a dream to become a professional tennis player. He would train with his mother Madina, using a wooden racquet and old tennis balls, made green and hard by over-use. Thanks to his talent he was able to participate in a few local tournaments and earn enough to pay for his travels and equipment. His family income was little more than $50 a month – not quite the fortune required to develop a tennis player. That aside, simple things such as stringing a racquet, buying practice balls or sportswear were often a mission. There was only one indoor court in Samarkand and one had to queue to get in. His first win earned him the best possible prize: a professional racquet – and the awareness that he wouldn’t get anywhere without a sponsor.

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Following the loss of his father when he was 14, Marsel decided to relocate to Istanbul and change his surname to Ilhan (ancient Turkish for emperor). With the support of the Turkish federation, he was able to train at the Taç Spor Club with Can (John) Usner, the charismatic coach regularly decked out in the colours of Galatasaray. He soon began to tour Futures and Challengers and realised that if he wanted to make it, he would have to fight hard. His defeat in the final of the national championship taught him a hard lesson: he lost 4–6 7–6 6–3, wasting as many as 13 match points. A right-handed, two-handed backhand player, Ilhan favours fast surfaces on which he can exploit the heavy serve that his 1,9 m height affords him. He reached the world 171 rank in May this year and his record of achievements features six Futures victories (mostly at home) and one Challenger in Ramat, Israel in 2008.

in 1929 and died last year – became the first player in his country to play in a Grand Slam match. Ilhan only had to pass the first round in order to earn his place in history. Standing in his way was Christophe Rochus, a known choker but also a more experienced veteran player. The Belgian had the match in hand as he served on 5–3 of the fourth set and again on 5–3 of the fifth. Ilhan fought back, ran, secured the last point and earned the headlines and the respect of the nation that adopted him. His defeat two days later at the hands of Isner, the 6’9” American, was an inevitable event, which does in no way detract from Ilhan’s merits. In fact, Isner went on to beat no less than Andy Roddick in the following round. Those fans of Ilhan’s who had been following his journey on Facebook celebrated his achievement. – FC

Ilhan landed in New York having virtually played no matches on cement during the summer of 2009. In spite of this, he was able to outperform Harrison, De Chaunac and Mello in the qualifying rounds and enter the draw. It was in New York that in 1963 Ottoman tennis icon Nazmi Bari – who was born

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F E DE R IC O C O P P IN I

oland has a peculiar way of earning its reputation as one of the most competitive countries in the tennis world, through second-generation immigrants. Following the trail of Wozniacki in Denmark, Lisicki in Germany, Wozniak in Canada, in comes Australian 18-year-old Olivia Rogowska. Rogowska was born in Melbourne on 7 June 1991. Her Polish parents had immigrated to the ‘land down under’ the previous year.

coach of Jarmila Gajdosova (now Groth). Nicole Pratt (former world’s 35) was to join the coach pool at a later stage. Unlike many other Australian players, Rogowska grew up on clay. The red dirt has become her favourite surface to the point that she does not hesitate in naming Roland Garros as her favourite tournament. In spite of having grown up admiring the achievements of Steffi Graf, Rogowska admits to taking inspiration from Ana Ivanovic, the 2008 Paris winner.

In New York Rogowska came close to causing a major upset as the first women’s player in history to beat a world’s top seed in the first round. After winning the first set on tie-break, she was leading 4–2 in the third against a crumbling Dinara Safina who was struggling to serve. In the end, the Russian’s experience and Rogowska’s nerves put the match back on its ordinary track, but spectators were left with a taste of what it feels like to witness the birth of a star.

The year 2007 brought along the Junior Fed Cup team win in Reggio Emilia, Italy. Rogowska played only one single, which she lost, but she capitalised on the experience and began to line up good results in the ITF tournaments. In 12 months she climbed more than 600 positions and by the end of 2008 she had reached number 491 in the WTA rankings, thanks to her first Challenger win in Sorrento, Italy. Her tour debut was in January 2009 at the Hobart tournament, courtesy of a wildcard against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

Having attended St Kilda Park Primary in Melbourne, Rogowska switched to home schooling in order to keep up with her studies once she embarked on the path of agonistic tennis. Her tennis formation was at Royal South Yarra Tennis Club in Melbourne, under the guidance of Andrew McLean. At 16 she entered the Pro Tour Programme at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra where she worked with Chris Johnson, the former

Rogowska saved her top notes for the Slam tournaments where she was invited: at the Australian Open – her main debut – she snatched one set from Alona Bondarenko; at Roland Garros she beat Maria Kirilenko 6–4 6–4 in the first round, but then bowed to Kateryna Bondarenko in a tight encounter (4–6 7–5 7–5); in New York she came dangerously close to eliminating Safina.

Rogowska plays a ‘classic’ modern tennis, with two-handed backhand and flat, deep shots. Her serve could still use some improvement, as could her mental toughness. She may not be accustomed to the big stage yet, but she has no shortage of personality and initiative. Melanie Oudin, another class of 1991, has cleared the path; it is now up to Rogowska to follow her to the top. 38

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Serena

WILLIAMS FED ER IC O C O P P IN I

he last US Open will be remembered by tennis enthusiasts for the epic victory of Juan Martin Del Potro over Roger Federer and the triumph of mom Kim Clijsters. A few days after the event, these can already be defined as two of the moments that will go down in the annals of tennis history.

IN THE SPACE OF A FEW HOURS, THE VIDEO OF SERENA LOSING IT HAD BECOME THE MOST WATCHED VIDEO ON YOUTUBE...

For those who only follow tennis on the big media, instead, the most unforgettable event will in all likelihood be a colourful remark made by Serena Williams, while she waved her racquet in the direction of a petrified line judge. The images of the infamous incident featured nationally in the United States, but it didn’t stop there. In the space of a few hours, the video of Serena losing it had become the most watched video on YouTube, and remained so for seven days. It occupied the top positions in Twitter’s ‘Trending Topics’ from the moment it happened until the following Monday. In a flash, it went from a tennis/sports event to a general topic of conversation, even for those who don’t know much about tennis. Let us revisit the facts, for those few who have not followed the event. It was Saturday night in New York. Little more than a month had passed since Kim Clijsters returned to competitive tennis, after two years spent being a wife and mother. The Belgian, who was given a wildcard entry to the US Open, spectacularly fought her way through the draw to the semifinals, even beating Venus Williams along the way. Now,

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Serena was waiting for her, a favourite for the title and ready to avenge her sister’s defeat. After a wait of more than 24 hours, the rain finally stopped and the women’s semifinals could get under way. But events didn’t follow the script: Kim played a fluid tennis, with lightningfast footwork, and kept a tense and pressurised Serena’s head under water. The title holder’s frustration exploded at the end of the first set and her unfortunate racquet was shattered bearing the brunt of the 4–6 taken by its owner. According to the rules, Williams received a code violation warning for ‘racquet abuse’ from the chair umpire, Swedish Louise Engzell. As the match continued, it became increasingly challenging for the American. Until her serve at 5–6, 15–30. Second serve. The baseline became the edge of the abyss. Serena serves, lifting her feet off the ground a second too soon and...the plunge. In that split second her left foot crosses the line before the racquet hit the ball: foot fault, promptly called by a brave line judge. A foot fault in the second equals double fault; a double fault on 4–6 5–6 15–30 equals double match point to Clijsters. In the immediate – seemingly unperturbed – reaction to the call, one can see a sequence of thoughts going through Serena’s mind. A most classical example of ‘calm before the storm’. No sooner had Williams realised what happened than she turned towards the line judge and, whilst gesturing menacingly with her racquet in one

hand and crushing a ball in the other, she spouted onto her all the rage over a match that had actually slipped out of her hands long before the incident. The diminutive Asian woman suffered the stout player’s abuse passively, her eyes petrified. But, as soon as Williams turned away to serve, the lady left her post and ran to report to the chair umpire what her ears had heard. As she was about to return to her position, Serena noticed and shouted something else at her. The line judge immediately turned to seek further protection under the high chair. At this point, in a situation heavily compromised, tournament referee Brian Earley stormed onto the court to listen to the complainant’s version of the facts. As Williams realised that she was being accused of having uttered a death threat (“I will kill you”), she acted surprised and almost outraged: “I didn’t say I would kill you. Are you serious? I didn’t say that.” In theory, the player is probably right. In practice, less so. A transcript of her remarks goes more or less this way: “If I could, I would take this f... ball and shove it down your f... throat.” It is hard to imagine a different outcome to the one described by the poor lady. In the end, that harmless warning sanctioned by the smashed racquet an hour earlier turns out to be the safest refuge for the referee and chair umpire, definitely less courageous than the line judge. In order to avoid further inconvenience (such as more improper reactions by Williams and/or the Arthur Ashe public, the obligation to follow through with further and heavier penalties against the most popular figure in women’s tennis, etc.), the two decided to avoid Williams’s disqualification and rather opt for a more convenient penalty point which ended the match and made everybody happy – so to speak.

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Having heard of the outcome, Serena made her way towards an oblivious Kim who turned towards the back of the court in order to keep her concentration and isolate herself from the rumpus that was happening around her. The Belgian watched in disbelief as her hand was shaken by her opponent who told her that she is in the final. One thing is sure: that evening Clijsters would have deserved to win by taking her match point on court. Behaviour such as displayed by Serena is all the more disgraceful as the perpetrator is a role model for someone. And it goes without saying that Serena is not only a role model, but also an idol for millions of girls, in America and throughout the world. Perhaps with some effort, one can try and comprehend the adrenaline of the moment, the tension of the match, the frustration over an incident that compounds a situation already heavily compromised. But it is absolutely impossible to condone the reluctance

Williams has shown in conveying an apology that she owed to the line judge, her opponent, the public and her fans. Firstly, she did not use the opportunity of the post-match press conference. The following day she issued a statement to make people understand how her reaction was a consequence of “her passion for her job”. Signs of remorse in either occasion: none. Only on the Monday, shortly before stepping into the court for the doubles final – which many believe she should have been excluded from through the disqualification that USTA did not have the guts to impose – was the statement finally issued, with long overdue apologies: “I want to sincerely apologise first to the lines woman, Kim Clijsters, the USTA and mostly tennis fans everywhere for my inappropriate outburst. I’m a woman of great pride, faith and integrity, and I admit when I’m wrong.” Considering the guilty delay with wich the statement was issued and the lack of repentance displayed on many occasions, one could – perhaps

with a touch of malice – try and guess to what extent the choice to apologise was influenced by Serena’s own will compared with that of USTA, her sponsors and her press office. Williams was levied a $10 000 fine, the maximum permissible in such cases, and an additional $500 for the smashed racquet. From Virginia Wade to John McEnroe, through Mary Joe Fernandez and Justin Gimelstob, virtually everybody openly criticised Serena. Not so much for the incident itself, but rather for the behaviour that ensued. In the end, during the double post-match press conference, certain statements in the right direction were made, among which this one: “I would like to give her a big hug.” Apparently the lineswoman – whose name has been kept tightly under wraps by the organisation – has no desire to end up in Serena’s arms.

The Williams case has drawn much attention throughout the US, but it wasn’t the only one. America seems to have been hit by a wave of mistakes lately. In the space of one week, first Senator Joe Wilson interrupts President Obama while he is delivering a speech in front of Congress, shouting, “You are lying!” Then Kanye West, the renowned hip hop artist, storms the stage at the MTV Video Awards taking the microphone from the hands of newly acclaimed Taylor Swift to say that Beyonce is more deserving. A few days later, Obama himself comments on the incident with a laconic: “He’s a jackass.” Predictably, there have been many comparisons and parallels drawn overseas across the four incidents. Some are asking: “Is there something in the air?”

NEW YORK – Roger Federer has been fined $1 500 for using a profanity while arguing with the chair umpire during the US Open final. CBS microphones picked up the exchange during its live broadcast of the match.

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Widmaier says a total of $31 500 in fines is being collected by the tournament, topped by Serena Williams’s $10 000 for unsportsmanlike conduct. She was also fined $500 for racket abuse. Daniel Nestor was docked $5 000 for unsportsmanlike conduct toward a fan.

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Tournament spokesman Chris Widmaier says Federer is being docked the same amount as two other players – Vera Zvonareva and Daniel Koellerer – for audible obscenity.

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1st Round

TSONGA, Jo-Wilfried FRA BUCHANAN, Chase USA NIEMINEN, Jarkko FIN FOGNINI, Fabio ITA CIPOLLA, Flavio ITA BENNETEAU, Julien FRA LUCZAK, Peter AUS TROICKI, Viktor SRB BERDYCH, Tomas CZE ODESNIK, Wayne USA BERRER, Michael GER ZEBALLOS, Horacio ARG OUANNA, Josselin FRA RAM, Rajeev USA MASSU, Nicolas CHI GONZALEZ, Fernando CHI MONFILS, Gael FRA CHARDY, Jeremy FRA KOROLEV, Evgeny RUS BECK, Andreas GER DANIEL, Marcos BRA ACASUSO, Jose ARG MARTIN, Alberto ESP FERRER, David ESP ALMAGRO, Nicolas ESP DARCIS, Steve BEL GINEPRI, Robby USA PAVEL, Andrei ROU LLODRA, Michael FRA KIEFER, Nicolas GER GASQUET, Richard FRA NADAL, Rafael ESP DEL POTRO, Juan Martin ARG MONACO, Juan ARG MELZER, Jurgen AUT SAFIN, Marat RUS CUEVAS, Pablo URU GUCCIONE, Chris AUS KOELLERER, Daniel AUT MACHADO, Rui POR FERRERO, Juan Carlos ESP SANTORO, Fabrice FRA PETZSCHNER, Philipp GER STAKHOVSKY, Sergiy UKR BELLUCCI, Thomaz BRA LU, Yen-Hsun TPE GIMENO-TRAVER, Daniel ESP SIMON, Gilles FRA CILIC, Marin CRO SWEETING, Ryan USA GABASHVILI, Teimuraz RUS LEVINE, Jesse USA ISTOMIN, Denis UZB EVANS, Brendan USA LAPENTTI, Nicolas ECU WAWRINKA, Stanislas SUI KARLOVIC, Ivo CRO NAVARRO, Ivan ESP LOPEZ, Feliciano ESP DENT, Taylor USA CAPDEVILLE, Paul CHI CRIVOI, Victor ROU GULBIS, Ernests LAT MURRAY, Andy GBR

1st Round

FEDERER, Roger SUI BRITTON, Devin USA LAPENTTI, Giovanni ECU GREUL, Simon GER CHELA, Juan Ignacio ARG HERNANDEZ, Oscar ESP ALVES, Thiago BRA HEWITT, Lleyton AUS BLAKE, James USA RAMIREZ HIDALGO, Ruben ESP ROCHUS, Olivier BEL KUNITSYN, Igor RUS POLANSKY, Peter CAN GARCIA-LOPEZ, Guillermo ESP YOUNG, Donald USA ROBREDO, Tommy ESP SODERLING, Robin SWE MONTANES, Albert ESP ZVEREV, Mischa GER GRANOLLERS, Marcel ESP KIM, Kevin USA SELA, Dudi ISR YANI, Michael USA QUERREY, Sam USA MATHIEU, Paul-Henri FRA YOUZHNY, Mikhail RUS STARACE, Potito ITA CHIUDINELLI, Marco SUI HERNYCH, Jan CZE SCHUETTLER, Rainer GER KINDLMANN, Dieter GER DAVYDENKO, Nikolay RUS DJOKOVIC, Novak SRB LJUBICIC, Ivan CRO BRZEZICKI, Juan Pablo ARG BALL, Carsten AUS BECK, Karol SVK GONZALEZ, Maximo ARG WITTEN, Jesse USA ANDREEV, Igor RUS KOHLSCHREIBER, Philipp GER SEPPI, Andreas ITA DEVVARMAN, Somdev IND GIL, Frederico POR GOLUBEV, Andrey KAZ MAYER, Leonardo ARG BOLELLI, Simone ITA STEPANEK, Radek CZE VERDASCO, Fernando ESP BECKER, Benjamin GER SERRA, Florent FRA TIPSAREVIC, Janko SRB KENDRICK, Robert USA VASSALLO ARGUELLO, Martin ARG FALLA, Alejandro COL HAAS, Tommy GER HANESCU, Victor ROU ISNER, John USA ILHAN, Marsel TUR ROCHUS, Christophe BEL GICQUEL, Marc FRA TURSUNOV, Dmitry RUS PHAU, Bjorn GER RODDICK, Andy USA

[2]

(W)

[19] [27]

(W)

[9] [16] (W)

(Q)

(L) [24]

(W)

[3] [6]

(W)

[18] [32]

[11] [13]

(Q) (Q) (Q)

(L) [30] [17]

[7] (W)

[5]

(Q)

(Q) [20] [28]

[15] [10]

(Q)

(Q) [29] [23]

(Q) (Q)

(Q) [8] [4]

(Q)

(Q) [22] [26]

(Q) [14] [12]

(Q)

[31] [21]

[1] (W) (Q)

2nd Round

J TSONGA [[7]] 6-0 6-2 6-1 J NIEMINEN 7-5 7-6(6) ( ) 6-4 J BENNETEAU 4 4-6 66 6-1 16 6-3 36 6-3 3 V TROICKI [[30]] 6 6-3 36 6-3 31 1-6 62 2-6 66 6-1 T BERDYCH [17] [ ] 7-5 56 6-4 6 6-4 H ZEBALLOS 6 6-3 3 7-6(7) 6(( ) 3 3-6 6-0 J OUANNA 7-6(4) 6( ) 6-4 6 3 3-6 66 6-3 3 F GONZALEZ [[11]] 6 6-3 36 6-3 36 6-3 3 G MONFILS [[13]] 6 6-1 16 6-4 4 6-3 A BECK 6 6-3 36 6-4 42 2-6 62 2-6 6-4 J ACASUSO 6-2 6-4 6-3 D FERRER [18] [ ] 7-5 55 5-7 6 6-3 36 6-3 3 N ALMAGRO [[32]] 6 6-2 6 6-4 2-6 6 7-6(8) R GINEPRI 5-7 6-2 6-4 6-0 N KIEFER 6-3 6-4 6-4 R NADAL [3] [ ] 6 6-2 26 6-2 26 6-3 3 J DEL POTRO [[6]] 6-3 6-3 6-1 J MELZER 1-6 66 6-4 6 6-3 3 6-4 P CUEVAS 6 6-4 7-6(4) 6( ) 6 6-0 0 D KOELLERER 6 6-2 26 6-4 42 2-6 66 6-2 2 J FERRERO [[24]] 6 6-4 46 6-3 36 6-3 3 P PETZSCHNER 7-6(3) 6(3) ( )6 6-7(6) (6) ( ) 6-4 4-6 6-3 T BELLUCCI 6 6-4 6 6-2 6 6-3 3 G SIMON [[9]] 6 6-4 7-6(3) 6(3) 6 6-3 M CILIC [[16]] 7-6(2) ( ) 6-4 7-6(4) J LEVINE 7 7-5 56 6-1 16 6-2 2 D ISTOMIN 6 6-4 6 6-4 7-6(3) 6(3 ( N LAPENTTI 4-6 63 3-6 6 7-6(6) 6(( 7-6(3) 6-3 I NAVARRO 6-4 7-6(8) ( 7-6(5) T DENT 4-6 6 7-6(6) 6(6) 6 6-3 3 7-5 P CAPDEVILLE 6 6-3 36 6-0 0 7-6(2) 6(( ) A MURRAY [[2]] 7-5 6-3 7-5

2nd Round

R FEDERER [1] [ ] 6 6-1 16 6-3 37 7-5 5 S GREUL 6 6-3 3 4-6 63 3-6 6-0 7-6(9) J CHELA 6-4 6-4 6-2 L HEWITT [[31]] 6-0 6-3 6-4 J BLAKE [[21]] 6 6-1 6 6-4 7-5 5 O ROCHUS 6 6-3 36 6-0 06 6-2 2 G GARCIA-LOPEZ 6 6-4 46 6-4 45 5-7 73 3-6 66 6-1 1 T ROBREDO [[14]] 6 6-4 3 3-6 66 6-2 6 6-3 3 R SODERLING [[12]] 6 6-1 3 3-6 66 6-1 6 6-4 M GRANOLLERS 2-6 7-5 3-6 6-4 6-0 K KIM 6 6-3 30 0-6 66 6-2 26 6-2 2 S QUERREY [[22]] 6 6-3 37 7-5 56 6-4 4 M YOUZHNY 2-6 6 7-5 56 6-0 06 6-2 M CHIUDINELLI 7-6(3) 6(3) ( ) 7-6(2) 6(( ) 6-0 J HERNYCH 1-6 6 7-6(5) 6(5) 6 6-4 2-6 66 6-3 N DAVYDENKO [[8]] 6 6-3 36 6-4 7-5 5 N DJOKOVIC [[4]] 6 6-3 36 6-1 16 6-3 C BALL 7 7-6(5) 6(5) ( )6 6-3 36 6-4 4 M GONZALEZ 2-6 1-6 6-1 6-4 6-3 J WITTEN 6 6-4 6 6-0 06 6-2 P KOHLSCHREIBER [23] [ ] 6 6-0 06 6-4 6 6-4 S DEVVARMAN 6-3 6-4 6-3 L MAYER 6 6-4 44 4-6 67 7-5 56 6-3 3 R STEPANEK [[15]] 6 6-4 46 6-4 46 6-4 4 F VERDASCO [[10]] 7-5 56 6-4 7-5 5 F SERRA 7-6(8) 6(8) 7-6(5) 6(5) 7-6(5) R KENDRICK 6 6-3 36 6-2 6 6-2 T HAAS [[20]] 7-5 5 4-6 6 7-6(7) 6-2 J ISNER 6 6-1 7-6(14) 6(( 7-6(5) M ILHAN 3 3-6 66 6-3 33 3-6 6 7-5 7-5 M GICQUEL 6 6-2 5 5-7 6 6-3 36 6-3 3 A RODDICK [[5]] 6-1 6-4 6-2

Champion: DEL POTRO, Juan Martin ARG 3-6 7-6(5) 4-6 7-6(4) 6-2

J ISNER 7-6(3) 6-3 3-6 5-7 7-6(5)

F VERDASCO [[10]] 3-6 7-5 7-6(8) 1-6 6-4

R STEPANEK [[15]] 4-6 6-2 6-3 6-3

N DJOKOVIC [[4]] 6-7(2) 6-3 7-6(2) 6-4

N DAVYDENKO [[8]] 6-4 7-5 7-5

R SODERLING [12] [ ] 6-2 7-5 6-7(6) 6-1

T ROBREDO [[14]] 7-6(2) 6-4 6-4

R FEDERER [1] [ ] 4-6 6-3 7-5 6-4

1/8

A MURRAY [2] [ ] 6-2 3-6 6-0 6-2

T DENT 6-4 5-7 6-7(1) 7-5 7-6(9)

D ISTOMIN 2-6 6-4 4-6 7-5 7-6(4)

M CILIC [16] [ ] 4-6 2-6 6-0 6-3 6-0

G SIMON [[9]] 6-3 6-2 6-4

J FERRERO [[24]] 1-6 3-6 6-4 6-2 6-4

D KOELLERER 3-6 6-2 6-1 6-4

J DEL POTRO [[6]] 7-6(6) 6-3 6-3

R NADAL [3] [ ] 6-0 3-6 6-3 6-4

N ALMAGRO [[32]] 6-7(7) 6-2 6-3 4-6 6-4

J ACASUSO 6-3 3-6 1-6 6-3 6-2

G MONFILS [[13]] 6-3 7-5 6-3

F GONZALEZ [[11]] 6-4 6-7(5) 6-3 6-4

T BERDYCH [17] [ ] 6-3 6-7(3) 7-6(2) 6-2

J BENNETEAU 6-1 3-6 6-1 6-0

J TSONGA [[7]] 7-5 6-3 6-4

3rd Round

A MURRAY [2] [ ] 6-3 6-2 6-2

M CILIC [16] [ ] 6-1 6-4 6-3

J FERRERO [[24]] 1-6 6-4 7-6(5) 1-0 Ret

J DEL POTRO [[6]] 6-1 3-6 6-3 6-3

R NADAL [3] [ ] 7-5 6-4 6-4

G MONFILS [[13]] 6-3 6-4 1-0 Ret

F GONZALEZ [[11]] 7-5 6-4 6-4

J TSONGA [[7]] 7-6(4) 6-2 6-4

1/8

US Open 2009 Men’s Singles Championship

A RODDICK [[5]] 6-1 6-4 6-4

J ISNER 6-3 6-4 7-6(1)

T HAAS [[20]] 6-4 6-4 7-6(3)

F VERDASCO [[10]] 6-3 6-0 6-3

R STEPANEK [15] [ ] 7-6(5) 6-3 6-4

P KOHLSCHREIBER [[23]] 6-3 6-4 0-6 6-2

J WITTEN 6-7(3) 6-4 7-5 6-2

N DJOKOVIC [[4]] 6-3 6-4 6-4

N DAVYDENKO [[8]] 6-4 6-1 6-2

M CHIUDINELLI 2-6 7-6(4) 6-4 6-3

S QUERREY [[22]] 7-5 6-7(6) 6-4 6-4

R SODERLING [[12]] 2-0 Ret

T ROBREDO [[14]] 6-2 4-6 6-2 6-4

J BLAKE [[21]] 6-4 3-6 7-6(6) 6-3

L HEWITT [[31]] 6-3 6-3 6-4

R FEDERER [1] [ ] 6-3 7-5 7-5

3rd Round

US Open 2009 Men’s Singles Championship

M CILIC [16] [ ] 7-5 6-2 6-2

J DEL POTRO [[6]] 6-3 6-3 6-3

R NADAL [3] [ ] 6-7(3) 6-3 6-1 6-3

F GONZALEZ [[11]] 3-6 6-3 7-6(3) 6-4

1/4

F VERDASCO [[10]] 4-6 6-4 6-4 6-4

N DJOKOVIC [[4]] 6-1 6-3 6-3

R SODERLING [[12]] 7-5 3-6 6-2 Ret

R FEDERER [1] [ ] 7-5 6-2 6-2

1/4

J DEL POTRO [[6]] 4-6 6-3 6-2 6-1

J DEL POTRO [[6]] 6-2 6-2 6-2

R NADAL [3] [ ] 7-6(4) 7-6(2) 6-0

1/2

N DJOKOVIC [[4]] 7-6(2) 1-6 7-5 6-2

R FEDERER [1] [ ] 7-6(3) 7-5 7-5

R FEDERER [1] [ ] 6-0 6-3 6-7(6) 7-6(6)

1/2

US OPEN 2009

US Open Men’s Draw

TENNISWORLD

46 TENNISWORLD

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64

1st Round

AZARENKA, Victoria BLR DULGHERU, Alexandra ROU DOMACHOWSKA, Marta POL ZAHLAVOVA STRYCOVA, Barbora CZE BRIANTI, Alberta ITA VOEGELE, Stefanie SUI MEUSBURGER, Yvonne AUT SCHIAVONE, Francesca ITA LI, Na CHN OLARU, Ioana Raluca ROU LARCHER DE BRITO, Michelle POR JOHANSSON, Mathilde FRA KIRILENKO, Maria RUS KORYTTSEVA, Mariya UKR MAYR, Patricia AUT RADWANSKA, Agnieszka POL BARTOLI, Marion FRA DE LOS RIOS, Rossana PAR KUTUZOVA, Viktoriya UKR CLIJSTERS, Kim BEL FLIPKENS, Kirsten BEL DOKIC, Jelena AUS BRODSKY, Gail USA MEDINA GARRIGUES, Anabel ESP KANEPI, Kaia EST CHANG, Kai-Chen TPE RYBARIKOVA, Magdalena SVK TETREAULT, Valerie CAN MATTEK-SANDS, Bethanie USA BENESOVA, Iveta CZE DUSHEVINA, Vera RUS WILLIAMS, Venus USA ZVONAREVA, Vera RUS LLAGOSTERA VIVES, Nuria ESP SEMA, Yurika JPN CHAKVETADZE, Anna RUS GULLICKSON, Carly USA CRAYBAS, Jill USA HRADECKA, Lucie CZE VESNINA, Elena RUS MAURESMO, Amelie FRA MALEK, Tatjana GER WOZNIAK, Aleksandra CAN GRANVILLE, Laura USA GOVORTSOVA, Olga BLR MIRZA, Sania IND GALLOVITS, Edina ROU PENNETTA, Flavia ITA STOSUR, Samantha AUS SUGIYAMA, Ai JPN KING, Vania USA YAKIMOVA, Anastasiya BLR BACSINSZKY, Timea SUI MANASIEVA, Vesna RUS SHAUGHNESSY, Meghann USA HANTUCHOVA, Daniela SVK BAMMER, Sybille AUT MARTINEZ SANCHEZ, Maria Jose ESP KERBER, Angelique GER PETKOVIC, Andrea GER CZINK, Melinda HUN CAMERIN, Maria Elena ITA GLATCH, Alexa USA WILLIAMS, Serena USA

1st Round

SAFINA, Dinara RUS ROGOWSKA, Olivia AUS RADWANSKA, Urszula POL BARROIS, Kristina GER GARBIN, Tathiana ITA CECIL, Mallory USA KVITOVA, Petra CZE KLEYBANOVA, Alisa RUS SCHNYDER, Patty SUI SAFAROVA, Lucie CZE ERRANI, Sara ITA RUS, Arantxa NED PENG, Shuai CHN GROTH, Jarmila AUS WICKMAYER, Yanina BEL RAZZANO, Virginie FRA IVANOVIC, Ana SRB BONDARENKO, Kateryna UKR PERRY, Shenay USA NICULESCU, Monica ROU RODIONOVA, Anastasia AUS DOMINGUEZ LINO, Lourdes ESP REZAI, Aravane FRA LISICKI, Sabine GER BONDARENKO, Alona UKR KUDRYAVTSEVA, Alla RUS DULKO, Gisela ARG MAKAROVA, Ekaterina RUS SHVEDOVA, Yaroslava KAZ ZEC PESKIRIC, Masa SLO VINCI, Roberta ITA JANKOVIC, Jelena SRB DEMENTIEVA, Elena RUS PIN, Camille FRA PAVLYUCHENKOVA, Anastasia RUS OUDIN, Melanie USA HERCOG, Polona SLO MCHALE, Christina USA PIRONKOVA, Tsvetana BUL SHARAPOVA, Maria RUS ZHENG, Jie CHN GROENEFELD, Anna-Lena GER CORNET, Alize FRA ADAMCZAK, Monique AUS HRDINOVA, Eva CZE COIN, Julie FRA SREBOTNIK, Katarina SLO PETROVA, Nadia RUS WOZNIACKI, Caroline DEN VOSKOBOEVA, Galina KAZ MARTIC, Petra CRO BREMOND BELTRAME, Severine FRA MLADENOVIC, Kristina FRA DUBOIS, Stephanie CAN MORITA, Ayumi JPN CIRSTEA, Sorana ROU SZAVAY, Agnes HUN PEER, Shahar ISR LEPCHENKO, Varvara USA SUAREZ NAVARRO, Carla ESP TANASUGARN, Tamarine THA SEVASTOVA, Anastasija LAT GOERGES, Julia GER KUZNETSOVA, Svetlana RUS

(W) [2]

(Q)

[22] [28]

(Q)

(W)

[10] [15]

[31] [17]

(Q)

[3] [7]

(Q)

(W) [20] [25] (Q)

(W)

[12] [14]

(Q)

(Q) [26] [18]

(Q) (Q)

[8]

[6]

[24] [32]

(W)

(Q)

[13] [9]

(Q) (Q)

[29] [21]

(W)

[5] [4] (Q)

[23] [30]

(Q)

[16] [11]

[27] [19]

(W)

[1] (W)

2nd Round

V AZARENKA [[8]] 6 6-1 6 6-1 B ZAHLAVOVA STRYCOVA 2-6 66 6-2 6 6-3 3 S VOEGELE 6 6-7(10) 7(10) ( 0) 6 6-1 16 6-3 3 F SCHIAVONE [[26]] 6-1 6-2 N LI [[18]] 7-6(4) 6(( ) 6 6-3 3 M LARCHER DE BRITO 1-6 6 7-5 56 6-1 M KIRILENKO 6 6-2 6 6-1 A RADWANSKA [12] [ ] 6 6-1 6 6-2 M BARTOLI [[14]] 6 6-1 16 6-0 0 K CLIJSTERS 6 6-1 16 6-1 1 K FLIPKENS 6 6-3 36 6-4 A MEDINA GARRIGUES [[20]] 6 6-4 6 6-4 K CHANG 6 6-0 0 2-6 66 6-2 M RYBARIKOVA 6 6-3 3 4-6 66 6-1 B MATTEK-SANDS 6 6-3 36 6-4 4 V WILLIAMS [[3]] 6 6-7(5) 7(5) ( )7 7-5 56 6-3 3 V ZVONAREVA [[7]] 6 6-0 06 6-4 A CHAKVETADZE 4-6 66 6-1 6 6-2 J CRAYBAS 6 6-3 3 7-6(5) 6(5) E VESNINA [[31]] 6 6-4 47 7-6(5) 6(5) ( ) A MAURESMO [[17]] 6 6-3 36 6-4 4 A WOZNIAK 6 6-1 7-6(7) 6(( S MIRZA 6-2 3-6 6-3 F PENNETTA [[10]] 6 6-0 06 6-4 S STOSUR [15] [ ] 6 6-4 4-6 6 6-4 V KING 2 2-1 1 Ret e T BACSINSZKY 6 6-3 36 6-4 4 D HANTUCHOVA [22] [ ] 6 6-2 4-6 66 6-1 M MARTINEZ SANCHEZ 6-4 1-6 7-6(5) A KERBER 6 6-4 5 5-7 6 6-3 M CZINK 6 6-3 36 6-4 S WILLIAMS [[2]] 6-4 6-1

2nd Round

D SAFINA [[1]] 6 6-7(5) 7(5) ( )6 6-2 26 6-4 K BARROIS 6 6-4 6 6-4 T GARBIN 6 6-0 06 6-1 P KVITOVA 6 6-7(4) ( )6 6-3 36 6-2 P SCHNYDER [19] [ ] 4-6 66 6-3 3 7-6(6) 6 S ERRANI 6 6-0 06 6-3 3 S PENG 6 6-2 26 6-3 3 Y WICKMAYER 6 6-4 6 6-3 3 K BONDARENKO 2-6 66 6-3 3 7-6(7) 6 S PERRY 6 6-4 6 6-2 A RODIONOVA 6 6-0 04 4-6 66 6-1 1 S LISICKI [[23]] 7 7-6(4) 6(4) 6( ) 6 6-7(4) 7(4) ( )6 6-1 1 A BONDARENKO [[30]] 3 3-6 66 6-3 36 6-2 G DULKO 6 6-3 35 5-7 6 6-4 Y SHVEDOVA 6 6-3 36 6-3 3 J JANKOVIC [[5]] 6-2 6-3 E DEMENTIEVA [[4]] 6 6-1 16 6-2 2 M OUDIN 6 6-1 16 6-2 2 C MCHALE 6 6-3 36 6-1 M SHARAPOVA [[29]] 6 6-3 36 6-0 0 J ZHENG [[21]] 6 6-3 36 6-2 A CORNET 4-6 66 6-4 7-5 J COIN 6 6-3 36 6-3 3 N PETROVA [[13]] 6 6-3 36 6-3 3 C WOZNIACKI [[9]] 6 6-4 6 6-0 0 P MARTIC 6 6-4 6 6-2 S DUBOIS 6 6-0 06 6-4 S CIRSTEA [[24]] 6 6-1 6 6-3 3 S PEER 6 6-2 26 6-2 2 C SUAREZ NAVARRO 2-6 66 6-3 36 6-2 A SEVASTOVA 6 6-3 3 7-5 5 S KUZNETSOVA [[6]] 6-3 6-2 S KUZNETSOVA [[6]] 7-5 6-1

C WOZNIACKI [[9]] 6-3 6-2

N PETROVA [[13]] 6-4 6-1

M OUDIN 3-6 6-4 7-5

G DULKO 6-3 6-4

K BONDARENKO 7-6(4) 6-4

Y WICKMAYER 6-3 6-4

P KVITOVA 6-4 2-6 7-6(5)

1/8

S WILLIAMS [[2]] 6-1 6-1

M MARTINEZ SANCHEZ 7-5 6-3

D HANTUCHOVA [22] [ ] 5-7 6-2 6-1

V KING 7-5 6-4

F PENNETTA [[10]] 6-0 6-0

A WOZNIAK 6-4 6-0

E VESNINA [[31]] 7-6(6) 6-1

V ZVONAREVA [[7]] 3-6 6-1 6-1

V WILLIAMS [[3]] 6-4 6-2

M RYBARIKOVA 4-6 6-2 6-2

K FLIPKENS 6-1 6-3

K CLIJSTERS 5-7 6-1 6-2

M KIRILENKO 6-4 2-6 6-4

N LI [[18]] 6-1 6-3

F SCHIAVONE [[26]] 6-4 6-4

V AZARENKA [[8]] 6-2 6-1

3rd Round

S WILLIAMS [[2]] 6-3 7-5

D HANTUCHOVA [22] [ ] 6-2 6-2

F PENNETTA [[10]] 6-1 6-1

V ZVONAREVA [[7]] 6-2 6-4

V WILLIAMS [[3]] 6-2 7-5

K CLIJSTERS 6-0 6-2

N LI [[18]] 6-4 6-2

F SCHIAVONE [[26]] 4-6 6-2 6-2

1/8

US Open 2009 Women’s Singles Championship

Champion: CLIJSTERS, Kim BEL 7-5 6-3

S KUZNETSOVA [[6]] 6-4 6-2

S PEER 6-2 6-0

S CIRSTEA [[24]] 6-4 5-7 6-4

C WOZNIACKI [[9]] 6-1 6-0

N PETROVA [[13]] 6-4 7-6(3)

J ZHENG [[21]] 1-6 6-3 6-3

M SHARAPOVA [[29]] 6-2 6-1

M OUDIN 5-7 6-4 6-3

Y SHVEDOVA 6-3 6-7(4) 7-6(6)

G DULKO 6-4 6-0

A RODIONOVA 6-3 3-6 7-5

K BONDARENKO 6-1 6-1

Y WICKMAYER 2-6 6-1 6-4

S ERRANI 7-5 6-2

P KVITOVA 6-1 6-3

D SAFINA [[1]] 6-7(5) 6-2 6-3

3rd Round

US Open 2009 Women’s Singles Championship

S WILLIAMS [[2]] 6-2 6-0

F PENNETTA [[10]] 3-6 7-6(6) 6-0

K CLIJSTERS 6-0 0-6 6-4

N LI [[18]] 6-2 6-3

1/4

C WOZNIACKI [[9]] 2-6 7-6(5) 7-6(3)

M OUDIN 1-6 7-6(2) 6-3

K BONDARENKO 6-0 6-0

Y WICKMAYER 4-6 6-4 7-5

1/4

S WILLIAMS [[2]] 6-4 6-3

K CLIJSTERS 6-4 7-5

K CLIJSTERS 6-2 6-4

1/2

C WOZNIACKI [[9]] 6-2 6-2

C WOZNIACKI [[9]] 6-3 6-3

Y WICKMAYER 7-5 6-4

1/2

US OPEN 2009

US Open Women’s Draw

TENNISWORLD

ST EFAN O SEM ER AR O

US OPEN VS SLAM

THE WAR OF THE MAJORS HAS MOVED TO THE STADIUMS, WHICH ARE BIGGER, MORE MODERN, COVERED AND EXPENSIVE... WIMBLEDON INAUGURATED THE ROOF OVER CENTRE COURT, MELBOURNE IS READY TO SPEND $500M, PARIS REPLIES WITH A NEW CENTRAL “ANTI-RAIN” COURT 500 METRES AWAY FROM THE CURRENT FACILITIES. ONLY THE US OPEN, FOLLOWING LAST YEAR’S RECORD ATTENDANCE OF 720 000, SITS STILL. BUT FOR HOW LONG?

aris – everyone knows – is always Paris. But for tennis, that might no longer be enough. The charm of the Ville Lumiére, the magic of velvety evenings along the Seine, the beauty of red clay under an indigo sky at Roland Garros, are no longer enough. In order to continue being Paris – that is, a Slam, a tournament that attracts interest and generates revenue – Paris needs a new centre court. Rather, a Central with a roof to keep up with the Australian Open and Wimbledon and beat the slow Americans who are now deeply regretting having rejected the roof twelve years ago and considering some (costly) remedial measures. Today, the future of great sporting events depends on great facilities – not only with regard to capacity, but also technology and services. There is no future without a mega-stadium, with an entertainment park arena, that can keep the spectators amused with side shows, provide food and merchandising so as to relieve them of as much money as possible. Proof of this is the rise of the new Wembley, the new Yankee Stadium,

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and the Emirates Stadium. And without a roof overhead (and racquet), to protect TV cameras from the rain, a ‘meteoric’ sport such as tennis has little chance of maintaining a place in TV fixtures. This is why a safe and comfortable abode is non-negotiable in the battle between the great tournaments. Ion Tiriac, the Madrid master, says that he is no longer interested in organising a fifth Slam, and that he’d rather have a smaller but more selective event, with the world’s best 32 on the board. Until a few years ago, when Mark Miles still reigned the ATP, the neo-Slam project was ready to go: Madrid would have moved to May, with two full weeks available and 128 places on the board. So much for a combined effort. Someone (the French) put a spanner in the works, the project was postponed, but since then no one can rest at ease at Bois de Boulogne. This is why the French Federation has recently announced that by 2013 or 2014 at the latest, Roland Garros will have a new Central with a roof that can deploy in 10 minutes and has

14 600 seats (just 400 less than the new Wimbledon Centre Court; 200 less than Philippe Chatrier). The total cost of the project, assigned to architect Marc Mimram (who designed Solferino Bridge in Paris), amounts to €116m (including about €20m for the Paris Municipality, who is still to give its go-ahead, and the Sarkozy government). The project was initiated at the time of Paris’ bid for the 2012 Olympics; the newly elected President of the FFT Jean Gachassin has decided to revive it: “This is a very important project for French tennis.” he explained, “The future of our tournament largely revolves around it.” Even at the risk of making le nouveau Roland Garros (already covering over 23 acres) a most uncomfortable monstrosity. The site earmarked for the new stadium is that of the George-Hebert sports complex, some 500 m away from the current facilities, beyond the botanical gardens and towards the Porte d’Auteil. “The distance between the GeorgeHebert and number one,” replies Gilbert

Ysern, the tournament director, a bit resentfully, “is not greater than the current distance between the Central and number 17. I don’t think that having to cross the Poets’ Garden and the serre d’Auteil to get from one stadium to the other would be such an unbearable punishment.” What Ysern does not point out, however, is that moving from number 17 to the new central court would involve a kilometre-long trek, a tournament for hikers after all, and we are not talking about the athletes. Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the Channel and in Spain, the English and Tiriac are having a good laugh. Two new covered jewels have been unveiled in the same week. Wimbledon did not need to build a new central court, as a plan had been in place for some time to put a roof over the legendary Centre Court, which has remained as beautiful and relentless since 1922 and whose capacity has been increased to 15 000 seats. The long-term plan to recontruct the Church Road area was approved in 1997, and in 2000 the new number one court was built. The see-through roof unveiled on Sunday 17 May with the exhibition of the Agassi family, Henman and Clijsters was the cherry on top of the long awaited cake. The new sky above Centre Court

is supposed to serve as a model for its future Parisian copy, built in Tenara, the material is resilient, waterproof (even though some drops fell on those present at the unveiling during the afternoon downpour), and 100 per cent recyclable; the roof leaves lighting conditions unaltered, hardly affects acoustics and offers the same cover as 7 800 umbrellas! It closes entirely in 10 minutes and carries with it a lighting system that is not too invasive and allows play to continue until 22:00 (because Wimbledon will have a true night session sooner or later…).

MEANWHILE, ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE CHANNEL AND IN SPAIN, THE ENGLISH AND TIRIAC ARE HAVING A GOOD LAUGH. Neil Harman, a Times correspondent, gave us a very British explanation of the roof mobilisation procedure: “Who decides to close the roof?” “The referee.” “And how does it close?” “At the push of a button.” “So, who will press the button?” “The designated button-pusher.” Clear, logical, linearly British. Spain has also lost much sleep over the last few years. In the days of the indoor autumn tournament in Madrid, Tiriac and his

trusty assistant Gerard Tsobanian came up with model ballgirls, which earned them worldwide press coverage. From this year on, the ATP1000 can count on the Caja Magica, the Magic Box, whose surface covers 17 hectares, hosts three courts with retractable roofs – with 12 500, 3 500 and 2 500 seats respectively – as well as four additional courts and eight clay training courts that are sensationally coloured blue instead of red. “ATP has not allowed me to use them for matches yet, and there are players like Nadal that don’t appreciate it,” roared Tiriac in his deep voice. “The surface is the same as the red clay courts; just wait and see…next year…” Tiriac’s ideas may be questionable at times, but he certainly has an unparalleled knack for business and the entertainment business. He was very smart in taking advantage of the building of the Caja Magica, originally designed in view of Madrid’s 2012 Olympic bid, and now for 2016. Quite the opposite is true of USTA, the American tennis federation, which could have planned a roof for the Arthur Ashe (Flushing Meadows’ central court) from the outset in 1997. But then, the effects of climatic changes, as influenced by El Nino (the atmospheric one, not Nadal’s nickname, obviously…), had not yet manifested themselves.

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US OPEN VS SLAM

The month of August and early September had been dry periods for centuries in New York, but in the past few years this period has become a rainy season. Spending money over and above the $254m already disbursed to build the enormous, senseless central with 24 547 seats, had appeared a waste in the late 1990s. Today it has become a necessity. To tell the truth, the first assessment was made in 2003 and then dropped. The main problem is that the gigantic structure of the Arthur Ashe poses obvious difficulties to the installation of a commissioned cover. In addition, a new ventilation system would have to be incorporated and the stands would require some rearranging. All in all a big job, which would also pose logistical and timing problems. The estimated cost amounts to $100m, which could drop to $60m if the smaller, more compact, Louis Armstrong court were covered instead of the old central court. USTA started consulting with architects last year, and approached a few basketball and football teams – like the New Jersey Nets – in order to explore the possibility of sharing the costs and the usage of the covered arena. The opening of the Mets’ new baseball stadium, the CitiField, which has replaced the old Shea Stadium a short distance from the courts of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center of Flushing, has prompted the city of New York to purchase land for development in the area. USTA is therefore considering if investing in a stadium that can be used

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year-round and in any weather condition, thus also for concerts, would be the right move in an area of Queens that is bound to be developed. Lastly, Australia. The competition posed by Shanghai’s Masters Cup (now also a part of the ATP1000), the aggression of large markets, such as China, and rich countries, such as the Middle East, and even the internal pressure from brand new facilities such as the Queensland Tennis Centre in Brisbane, has convinced the Victoria management that even a facility like Melbourne Park needs a few touch-ups. Albeit futuristic at its inception in 1988 and still more than functional, it is showing signs of ageing, despite its two courts with mobile roofs. As a matter of fact, it had been designed with a capacity of 300 000 people in mind, whereas each edition is now exceeding the 600 000 mark. A restructuring plan was presented in January. It envisaged the expansion of the Rod Laver Arena to 15 000 seats, a new semi-covered square in the centre of the village, new spaces for amusement and shopping areas, (possibly) a roof for the Margaret Court Arena, a museum, and a larger, modernised press conference and players’ rooms, with an estimated cost of $300m to $500m. A major investment indeed, but in all likelihood a necessary one to prevent the Oceanian Slam from emigrating elsewhere after 2016, that is once the agreement between Tennis Australia and Melbourne to host the Open expires. Gordon Bennett Avenue is certainly a lesser threat, but be warned those of you resting on your seasoned laurels: Paris is well worth the building site.

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shuts down the Sunday after the final, but rather one that remains alive, even if through events that have little to do with tennis (or perhaps a lot, considering the above association with rock stars).

US OPEN VS SLAM

The perfect stadium

Lastly, because ambition counts – having the stadium, the perfect venue for everyone: players, spectators, TV, sponsors and various other stakeholders (in no particular order).

GI A NL UCA COM M E NT UCCI

THE ELDORADO OF TENNIS? MARKETING, CAPACITY, MULTIFUNCTIONALITY

THE CAJA MAGICA On Sunday 17 May 2009 Wimbledon unveiled the roof that has enraged most conservative tennis fans.

adrid has just opened its box of wonders to the world, the Caja Magica. On Sunday 17 May 2009 Wimbledon unveiled the roof that has enraged most conservative tennis fans. The concept ‘tennis stadium’ has been revisited everywhere in the last few years, in an attempt to create something unique, as if in a race towards the unknown frontier: that perfect place, the ‘Eldotennis’. The most popular ingredients in the mix are architectural designs, fit for ingenious jugglers, rock stars and splashes of glamour in massive doses. That’s why, when Lenny Kravitz inaugurated the Magic Box of tennis with a concert in Madrid on 8 May 2009, everything was in the ‘right place’. The main roof opens by lifting 20 m and sliding 70 m horizontally. Including the two roofs of the smaller central courts, the Magic Box boasts 27 opening and closing combinations. The stadium holds 20 000 spectators in the three main courts and has air-conditioned VIP stands,

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all for a tournament that, one should bear in mind, is not even one of the four Slams. But the past five years or so megastars have developed an affection for the stadium, which proves to be mutually satisfactory. What drives organisers from five continents to get involved in more ambitious projects? Firstly, marketing: an event hosted at a recognised stadium generates more revenue. Considering that Central Court at Wimbledon was already the world’s most recognisable venue for tennis enthusiasts, it remains to be seen whether the restyling has brought any benefit.

But then, which is the perfect stadium? The first leap towards the future took place, as is often the case, in the United States with the Arthur Ashe Stadium that opened in 1997. This stadium holds 22 000 seats, 90 luxury boxes (a concept borrowed from basketball, baseball and the like) and a shower of restaurants. In 2008 it hosted a basketball event, the WNBA. But it doesn’t have a roof, something the Australians had first (for once) considered with their Rod Laver Arena, in 1988. Albeit smaller, it was the first stadium able to ‘open the umbrella’ in case of rain or excessive heat. Something that TV likes, a lot. We shall call it media adaptability: no matter what happens, play goes on. Let’s go on. In Melbourne people say you never know what might happen in the Rod Laver Arena: rock concerts, musicals, tennis, rodeos… the past twenty years have seen just about anything, except for tug-ofwar. Once again, multi-functionality is a fundamental concept of modern tennis architecture. Which has two motivations: the first is economy, as mentioned already (“I am not prepared to spend millions of dollars on a structure that has to shut down for eleven months of the year.”).

The second motivation is architectually and environmentally driven, in that new structures need to blend into their surrounding and complement the aesthetics of the city. From this point of view, Madrid looks like a colossal flop as it is more akin to a white elephant than the city’s highlight, but time might change this perspective. To recap, multifunctionality and integration are key. We should also add the ability to attract numbers, which we have already covered to some extent. The organisers smiling at the end of the day are those who were able to increase their ticket sales compared to the previous year.

ALTHOUGH MANY MAY FORGET, PROFESSIONAL TENNIS IS IN THE END SOMETHING THAT CONCERNS ATHLETES AND ENTHUSIASTS. Then, poetry. Yes, poetry, albeit genuine or fake. Let me explain. Not all courts are born Wimbledon’s Centre Court. Many have to acquire a profile, a style. Which is what they tried to do in Shanghai, with a peony-shaped retractable roof for which all sorts of meanings have been found (sometimes I wonder if someone didn’t just type “peony” on Google and cut-paste all the returns).

And since the peony had already been snatched by Shanghai, Beijing had to make do with a lotus flower. They didn’t add a roof; perhaps due to greater consideration given to the challenging climatic conditions and to the spectators’ and players’ needs (visibility, ease of use and ventilation), especially since professional tennis is of great concern to athletes and enthusiasts alike. This is why, when designing the perfect stadium, one should also consider another characteristic I would call friendliness. The last characteristic of the perfect stadium, as many will have guessed since this is about selling a product, is the shopping mall effect – the element that makes you walk into the stadium never wanting to leave (like children in a playroom). Restaurants, shops, wellness centres and cinemas are just some of the features that I found listed on the brochures and websites of many stadiums that I have researched. After all, we shouldn’t forget that we may well be tennis enthusiasts and human beings, but in the end what matters most is that we don’t forget that we are all consumers. Media adaptability, multifunctionality, integration, poetry, friendliness and total usability are the ingredients for the Eldotennis. Megastars can rest assured that no stadium has yet managed to integrate all these functions, so there is no shortage of work. And Rome? In the midst of all this grandeur, the new central is at risk of being born old.

Secondly, capacity: obviously more seats means more tickets sold. The primary requirement for the four Slams in particular is to have bigger stadiums in order to beat attendance records year on year. Thirdly, multifunctionality: Wimbledon aside, a stadium shouldn’t be a place that

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US OPEN VS SLAM

FORMULA TIRIAC

S T E FA N O S E M E RA RO

THE FIFTH SLAM? THE ROMANIAN IS PREPARING A TRANSFORMATION... STARTING WITH THE CLAY, WHICH WILL BE BLUE, “BECAUSE IT IS BETTER THAN THE RED.” AND THE PLAYERS: “I WANT ONLY THE BEST ON COURT.” HIS PHILOSOPHY? “PEOPLE WANT WHAT THEY CAN’T FIND IN THE SUPERMARKETS.” AND HE CHALLENGES TENNIS TOP MANAGEMENT. “ATP, WTA, ITF, TOO MAY ACRONYMS, THEY STIFLE INNOVATION.”

Mister Tiriac, when are we going to see blue clay in Paris? “Tennis must be just about the only sport that has remained virtually unchanged for the past twenty years, whereas soccer has changed, Formula 1 has changed. That is because it is a sport ruled by too many acronyms: ATP, WTA and ITF. Then you have people like me trying to do something new. We have been testing blue clay in Madrid for two years, we have spent huge amounts of money and it’s good, in fact, better quality than red clay. It is better for the players, the spectators and also for TV, which has become our master. This is why I was so shocked when the ATP blocked blue clay courts without a valid reason. Having been in tennis for fifty years, I may respect others’ views but that doesn’t mean that I share them. And I am convinced that we will soon be able to use blue clay too.”

Do you really want to make Madrid the ﬁfth Slam? I have great respect for the Slam tradition. But nobody plays in long white trousers

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anymore. Slams are far from perfect; 128 players are too many. I want to do something better than a Slam, a tournament with only the best. Not every European team plays in the Champions League, only the best. People want what they can’t find in the supermarkets.”

Which rules would you change in tennis? “I would change the scoring system for points and games. And I would make slower balls, so that the game would be more enjoyable to watch for the spectators.”

You quoted Formula 1 (F1). Which side do you take in the controversy around the budget cuts: teams or Federation? “The economic crisis is real. Limiting the budget is an elegant idea, but not a feasible one. Nobody can prevent Montezemolo (Ferrari President) from testing in the wind tunnel as much as he likes. And if there is one team that should stay in F1, that is Ferrari. Mercedes should

rather quit, spending €500m or €600 a year and not winning is ludicrous.”

good thing about communism was that sports and schooling were free for everyone and of a good standard too. I seized my opportunities. I never had much talent so I had to work hard. As a tennis player, Pietrangeli would send me from right to left and I had to run. Nastase could train for just one hour, and have fun too; I had to train for six and struggle. But I have tried my best every single day of my life.”

How does someone hailing from Brasov, Romania become Ion Tiriac? “You people forget that Romania is a great country. Before World War II it was the fifth country in Europe – from an industrial, political, and social point of view. Then we had the misfortune of being under communism for three generations. I was privileged because of sports. Only 0,001% of the population was allowed to travel in and out of the country and I was among those. The

“He is a good number mber one, and he can still improve. Plus,, the second week at Wimbledon is played yed almost entirely on clay, which makes his task easier.”

Who is the greatest test player you have come across in your life? “Roger Federer.”

What would you not do again? How come some of the historical tennis countries have no champions? Is it a lack of sacriﬁce? “I wouldn’t call it sacrifice. It’s not as if they ask you to go down a mine, or to Siberia. All they ask you is to hit a ball, and if you do it well you could earn more than your whole family would ever earn in a hundred years. Having said that, look at Germany. It had no tennis players for 50 years. Then, out came a 14-year-old from a little village: Boris Becker. Some say that he would have been stronger without me; others that he would have ended up washing windows. But there are cycles too.”

Is sport all about business today? “In the last few years sport has become an industry. And in each industry there are entrepreneurs and employees. Only in tennis do you find a ‘communist party’ bringing together employers and workers. That’s very hard, but one should not forget that without sport there would be no sport industry. Sport has to remain central, but it must keep up with the times.”

Will Nadal ever ﬁnish a Grand Slam?

How do you discover a champion? “I have always looked more at the work than the talent. And I have never been wrong.”

Years ago you wanted to re-launch the Rome tournament, then you switched to Madrid. Why? “I had no interest in Rome. I was taken for a ride there. I invested three years and got nothing out… But we are all Latin, aren’t we?”

“I have no regrets.. I was born after the war, I suffered d real hunger for years, and I am alll the stronger because of it. But I have always put work before anything nything else, and that is not right. ht. If I had to start again, I would ould do more for myself.”

What is your next xt project? “Devoting more time to my children, especially the youngest two.”

Some have said you have thirty children… “Thirty of my children ldren have left the orphanage that I founded 18 years ago in Brasov, where ere I was born. I took them in when hen they were this small. They alll have degrees and are working. Sixty are still in the village. I did not father them, but I consider them m all as my children. And I am m proud of them.”

What advice would you give to a youngster wanting to become a tennis player? “You can’t give advice to a four year old, but to his parents I would say: put him in a school where he studies for four hours a day and plays tennis for five. Every day.”

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55 55

SPECIAL REPORT / FEDERER

FEDERER THE BEST TENNIS PLAYER EVER?

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SPECIAL REPORT / FEDERER

FEDERER THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME! FRANCESC O P O S T E R A R O

DRAWING UP CLASSIFICATIONS AND MAKING COMPARISONS BETWEEN ATHLETES OF DIFFERENT ERAS IS VERY DIFFICULT, OFTEN ARBITRARY AND GENERALLY A DEBATABLE EXERCISE. THIS APPLIES TO EVERY SPORT.

ven such apparently objective data as attained results cannot provide certain and undisputable answers. In fact, each success carries a different weight, which is related to the significance of the competition in which it was achieved. Even the significance of the opponents each athlete has faced in the course of their career is different. Finally, one should establish whether only victories shoud be considered or placements as well and, if so, to what measure.

(1949), Sedgman and McGregor (1952), Trabert (1955), Rosewall (1956), Hoad (1957, immediately after winning Wimbledon), Cooper, Mal Anderson and Rose (1958), Olmedo (1959), Gimeno (1960), Laver (1962) and Stolle (1966). In most cases the move was made by young athletes like Gonzales, who was just 21, Vines, Rosewall, Hoad and Cooper were 22, Budge, Riggs, McGregor, Mal Anderson, Olmedo and Gimeno 23, Laver 24 and Sedgman and Trabert 25.

In spite of this premise, I am convinced that Roger Federer should be regarded as the most qualified claimant to the title of greatest tennis player of all times, if not the title holder. My conviction is prompted not only by Federer’s record of 15 Slam tournaments won – extraordinary though it may be – but rather by the exceptional continuity in performance at top level that he has displayed during the span of time that has witnessed his successes.

As far as tennis is concerned, such difficulties are compounded by a few specific factors. First of all, the official tournaments, prior to the start of the open era in the spring of 1968, didn’t disclose the whole truth.

Moreover, unlike other sports whose main competitions are concentrated in a limited geographic area, the four Slams of tennis are dispersed across three continents. Until air travel became the norm, this factor had a negative effect on the make-up of the participants’ pool, especially in the Australian Championships. Even in more recent times, the latter have continued to suffer from insufficient participation due to the perception of a lower importance than the other three (“the lame leg of the Slam,” according to Rino Tommasi’s effective definition). Edmonson’s victory in 1976, Teacher’s in 1980 and those of Kriek in 1981–82 demonstrate this best.

VICTORY RECORD

In order to appreciate the impact of crossovers towards professionalism, one only has to scroll through the lists of the Slam winners who, over the years, abandoned amateurism, predominantly at the end of a winning season. Some of the winning names are Tilden (1930), Cochet and Vines (1933), Perry (1936), Budge (1938), Riggs (1941), Kramer and Pails (1947), Gonzales and Parker

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Having reached this target in terms of results achieved puts Federer ahead of any other player whose career evolved entirely in the open era, which is in the past four decades. As far as the players of previous eras are concerned, it is widely accepted that Rod Laver and Ken Rosewall (winners of 11 and eight big tournaments respectively) would have bettered Federer’s performance, had they not been excluded from the Slams – Laver for five seasons and Rosewall for as many as 11. But then, in the absence of the ban on professionals, it is unlikely that Laver would have completed his first Grand

Slam in 1962 and secured as many as six big tournaments before abandoning the amateur level. Suffice to say that on his debut among the pros, Hoad beat him six consecutive times. It is just as unlikely that Rosewall would have won four Slam tests between 1953 and 1956 if he had to face Kramer, Gonzales or Sedgman, who had already turned pros. One might also ask if his career would have been as long – seeing as he won his last Slam 19 years after his first! Had his absence from the big tournaments for more than a decade not implied a reduced expense of psychophysical energy, aside from a smaller number of successes?

held (15 of 25); he reached the final in 80% of cases (20) and the semifinal in 92% (23)!

Therefore I think it would be fair to conclude that the two undisputed Australian champions might have been able to win more than the Swiss has – at least up to this point. If Federer’s 15 victories in Slam tournaments cannot be regarded as a sign of superiority to the great players whose careers unfolded – entirely or in part – before 1968, they do grant him the right to be considered second to none, at least in principle. More in-depth assessments need to rely on a thorough analysis of Federer’s results and their comparison to the performance of other players who had dominated the world of tennis in their own era.

FEDERER HAS ACHIEVED HIS SLAM SUCCESSES IN ONLY SIX YEARS, BETWEEN WIMBLEDON 2003 AND WIMBLEDON 2009

Federer has achieved his Slam successes in only six years, between Wimbledon 2003 and Wimbledon 2009. In this period, he won 60% of the tournaments

If one considers 2004 to 2007, which is when he ranked first consecutively, the percentage of tournaments won rises to 69% (11 of 16). If then only the tournaments played on fast surfaces during the same seasons are considered, his victories reach an amazing 92% (11 of 12, with a single defeat in the semifinal of the 2005 Australian Open, after a match point was gained by his opponent on his own serve in the fourth set tie-break).

In the last 17 Slam tournaments Federer has reached the final 16 times (94%), thus establishing an astounding record of 10 consecutive finals – from Wimbledon 2005 to the 2007 US Open – eight of which he won (80%). Equally astounding is his other record run of 21 consecutive semifinals, which started at Wimbledon 2004 and has not ended yet. One could go on to point out that Federer has been victorious at Wimbledon for four consecutive years as well as the US Open. A feat realised by

champions such as Tilden, Perry, Budge, Laver, Connors, McEnroe and Sampras – not more than twice in their entire career. The Basel phenomenon has also sustained an extraordinary continuity in performance outside of the Slam tests. Suffice to say that, in the period from 2004 to 2006, Federer won 247 matches and lost only 15, with a success rate approaching 95%, prevailing in 69% of the tournaments played (34 of 49). COMPARISON TO THE GREAT

The bare significance of such numbers paints a very impressive overall picture, that can rarely be found in the careers of these other great champions who marked the history of tennis. Setting aside the tennis of the pioneers and starting with the period between the two World Wars, the first undisputed champion is Bill Tilden, who completely dominated the years 1920–1925. He won each of the Slam tests he participated in, six US Championships and two Wimbledons. Such a feat may be compared to Federer’s eight consecutive wins in the same tournaments between 2004 and 2007, or the 11 successes achieved by the Swiss in the 12 tests on fast surfaces in the same years. However, many factors play against Tilden. Firstly, the small number of his opponents, as evidenced by the fact that he faced

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SPECIAL REPORT / FEDERER

ROGER FEDERER HAS WON 247 MATCHES He has lost only 15, with a success rate approaching 95%, prevailing in 69% of the tournaments played (34 of 49).

the same opponent in five of his six Championship finals. victorious US Champ Secondly, the fact th that in the second Wimbledon he could take advantage c of the Challenge Challen Round, which gave him direct access to the d final (then (the guaranteed to the title titl holder). Lastly, that (unlike Federer) he was unable to secure wa a Slam on clay in the remainder of his re career. c The T two champions that put an end to Tilden’s supremacy, the ‘Musketeers’ René Lacoste and Henri Cochet, both stood out in b seven Slam tests, se without ever taking w part in the Australian pa Championships. As a Cha matter of fact, nor did mat American. Lacoste the A the ultimate regular was th player and Cochet pure talent – their results did however not compare to those of Federer’s. Perhaps cclearer was the supremacy of Fred Perry, suprema who was able to score eight wins out of 12 appearances tournaments between in big to Championships of the US C and those of 1936. 1933 an Perry too had an advantage limited pool of the in the lim competition he faced. In competit particular, he was greatly particula helped by Ellie Vines’ 60

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premature exit from amateur level, which proved to be superior to the British even when the latter joined the ranks of the pros. A place of honour among the greatest must be reserved for Don Budge, the author of the first Grand Slam and current holder of six consecutive victories in the big tournaments – from Wimbledon 1937 to the 1938 US Championships. What is true for Perry is nevertheless even more so for Budge. His successes were facilitated by the absence of Perry and Vines from the competitions, and after the 1938 Australian Championships, the absence of von Cramm who was arrested by the Gestapo. Once turned pro, Budge prevailed in the direct encounters with his main opponents – albeit not in a striking way (18–11 against Perry and 21–18 against Vines) – until he surrendered his pro leadership to Riggs in 1942. The first big champion of the post-war period, Jack Kramer, dominated the scene among both amateurs and pros. In the years 1946–47 he stood out in three of the four big tests in which he participated (one Wimbledon and two US Championships). As a pro, he first ousted Riggs (69–20), then he rejected Gonzales’ attacks (96–27) and, with greater difficulty, those of Sedgman (54–41). Although studded with successes, Kramer’s career was limited by being confined entirely to fast surfaces. Federer’s performance was not worse on the latter, as we saw; but the Swiss has also played four consecutive finals at Roland Garros, a tournament which Kramer never even took part in.

Pancho Gonzales was the player affected most by the exclusion of pros from the big tournaments. Having turned pro at 22 after two wins in the US Champions, he was beaten on his debut by the more experienced Kramer. Once he reached full athletic maturity, he dominated the tour for a long time, triumphing over opponents like Sedgman, Trabert, Rosewall and Hoad. He remained competitive until the beginning of the open era (he was a semifinalist at Roland Garros in 1949 – his last season as an amateur – and then again in 1968 at 40!). Gonzales’s career unfolded mostly away from the Slam which offers few reference points to allow a comparison with that of Federer. It is therefore harder than in the previous cases to deliver an assessment that is free from doubt. HOPMAN’S JUDGEMENT

Harry Hopman regarded Lew Hoad as the strongest of his pupils, who was literally irresistible when in the mood. Though Hoad had an extraordinary technical ability he was unable to maintain a consistent level of performance. After missing the Grand Slam title at the last stage in 1956 and winning his second Wimbledon the following year, he came close to threatening Gonzales’ supremacy as a pro without ever succeeding in outperforming him. His career was cut short by back problems. Ken Rosewall on the other hand had a most consistent performance. He blossomed early and had a longer career than any other player to date. It has been said that he might have been able to secure a higher number of Slam titles than Federer had the ban on professionals

not existed. Yet Rosewall never really dominated tennis. As an amateur, his battle against Trabert and Hoad had its ups and downs. As a pro, he was always at the top, but he lost in the overall score of his direct encounters with Gonzales (59–101) and Laver (49–62). In spite of his outstanding results in the early years of the open era, he was unable to stop Laver from retaining the overall leadership. It is indeed Rod Laver who is generally regarded as one of the most qualified candidates for the title of best player of all times. His credentials are based mostly on a record that has not been equalled. He completed the Grand Slam twice, in 1962 and 1969. If his first Slam was assisted – as in Budge’s case – by the absence of the professionals, in 1969 the participants’ pool was full, and fit for the challenge. In-between the two achievements after an initial period of acclimatisation, Laver also reaped laurels in the pro tour, of which he became the main protagonist. Between the 1960 Australian Championships and the 1969 US Open he competed in 18 big tournaments of which he won 11 (61%) – a success rate almost equal to that of Federer’s. But his overall performance was indeed inferior to the Swiss’. Even when his two best seasons are considered – the two Grand Slams – Laver’s performance has lagged behind Federer’s period of 2004–2006. He won 60% of the tournaments in1962 (18 of 30) and 50% in 1969 (9 of 18). As far as the open era champions are concerned, a clearer selection can be made based largely on Slam successes due to a greater reliability of official

rolls. Certain exclusions, such as Connors and Agassi, are motivated by their contemporaries who have stronger careers. This leaves only Borg and Sampras, to whom I would like to add McEnroe by virtue of his enormous talent and a touch of allegiance, which I hope will be forgiven. Bjorn Borg’s five consecutive Wimbledon wins appear to defy the most tried and tested rules of the game, because the Swede’s technique seems so inadequate. He set a record on the clay of Roland Garros, where he reaped six successes in eight appearances. Only Adriano Panatta was able to beat him. Borg’s career, which was marked by a consistency at top level, ended prematurely. This career was, however, not sufficient to equal Federer’s results. Between the 1974 and 1981 tournaments at Roland Garros, Borg won 11 of the 21 matches he took part in (52%: a respectable percentage, but inferior to that of the Swiss). In his three best years, between 1978 and 1980, he stood out in approximately 92% of his matches: a very high rate, but not equal to Federer’s between 2004 and 2006. John McEnroe did in fact surpass the Basel champion’s performance in percentage terms, but only for one season – 78 wins in 81 matches during 1984, when he won 13 of the 15 tournaments he played! McEnroe’s immense talent, alternative style and ever-exposed nerves – not to mention his genius and recklessness – caused him to lose his already unsteady balance after that magical year. His booty of Slam titles (three at Wimbledon and four at the US Open) is less sensational than many

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of the shots in his inimitable repertoire. It may seem surprising that such

Lastly, Pete Sampras – the former record holder just ousted by Federer. I do not believe that the choice between the two champions should depend on just one additional success in the big tournaments. It is significant in my opinion that the Swiss – unlike the American – has demonstrated an ability to win on every type of surface. And it is even more significant to observe that the statistics relating to Sampras’s career cannot withstand being compared to Federer’s, as previously summarised. Federer has literally dominated the world of tennis; Sampras just reigned it. Even during his best time, Sampras won less than half the number of Slam tests he played (10 of 21 between Wimbledon 1993 and Wimbledon 1998). If one looks at his overall activity, the comparison is even less favourable. In each of the six seasons in which he topped the ATP rankings, his success rate has always been far from Federer’s stellar averages, hovering between 88% and 78% of matches played.

a long analysis should be devoid

In conclusion: Federer’s superiority stands out with sufficient clarity against all the undisputed champions of the past, except for Gonzales and Laver.

way easier to beat. McEnroe, less

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refrained from them for a number of reasons. Firstly because technical assessments are obviously much more subjective, and thus more results. Furthermore, because it is difﬁcult to compare a game of tennis played with wooden racquets to that engaged in with today’s space instruments. Lastly, because technical comparisons cannot be based on other people’s judgement, which I would need to rely on with respect to players of the more distant eras. Those of the last 40 years I have however watched in person. In this respect I can conﬁdently state that Laver and Federer have been the most complete, almost as strong in all aspects of the game, although both are more suited to fast surfaces. On the latter, Sampras has been just as effective, albeit weaker in the backhand, and in no complete than Laver and Federer, less powerful and less solid than Sampras, has been sublime in his

high percentage of wins (over both the total matches and tournaments) which have characterised his best years. As for now, I will conclude that no other player is as much entitled to being considered the greatest player of all times as Federer. Should the Swiss champion still significantly improve his personal record in the future, then any remaining doubt would definitely dissipate.

touch and at times irresistible in his offensive game. Borg has been the best on clay and the more consistent in defence. Together with the other champions whom I have not mentioned due to space constraints, all have contributed – with their deeds and duels, their victories and defeats – to draw ever increasing crowds of players and fans towards this wonderful sport.

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debatable than those based on Rafael Nadal (Esp) Aeropro Drive racquet, Pro Hurricane string - Dinara Saﬁna (Rus) Aero Storm racquet, Pro Hurricane string #1 ATP & WTA as of April 20th 2009 - Photos G. Livin - R. Angle

In Gonzales’ case, as we saw, the uncertainty is mostly due to the lack of comparable data. For the same reasons, Gonzales cannot be ranked above champions such as Tilden, Kramer or Sampras, against which Federer displays more robust credentials. As for Laver – their Slam performance being equal – what plays in Federer’s favour is his greater capacity for top performance for an entire season, as witnessed by the

of technical considerations. I have

T A L O B Dinara

BwitAh Rafa and

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WIMBLEDON 2003

THE TOTAL TENNIS PLAYER • A PERFECT SEMIFINAL AGAINST RODDICK • A MERCILESS FINAL AGAINST PHILIPPOUSSIS • A MOST BEAUTIFUL TOURNAMENT HAS CROWNED FEDERER THE MOST COMPLETE OF PLAYERS

The perfect final

“In the final against Philippoussis, the golden arm from Basel gave an impressive demonstration of class. With a simplicity typical of champions, he tamed the devastating power of one of the most formidable bombers of modern tennis.”

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The scorecard The quotes

“Messrs Lee, Koubek, Fish, Lopez and Schalken could not have worried him. But Andy Roddick could, against whom Federer played such a perfect match that he drew many an applause for this new pupil of Brad Gilbert. Even a standing ovation in Centre Court, something that had not been seen since the BorgMcEnroe era.

Roger Federer – 10 cum laude Could Switzerland have won the America’s Cup and Federer not win at Wimbledon? It is easy to tell now, but in Paris Federer had discouraged us. But in London a masterpiece of a tournament, punctuated by a stellar semi and first set during the final. Merci, danke, thank you Federer. And what a sigh of relief… Federer after the final/1 “I had fun watching myself play, it has been the best match of my life.”

Federer after the final/2 “After winning the second set, I thought of Alinghi, when they reached a 3–0 advantage in the America’s Cup final and everyone thought it was a done deal. Well, I also thought so.”

The numbers

The comment

“Tennis had already won even before Mark Philippoussis and Roger Federer crossed racquets for the final number 117 at Wimbledon. With such a draw, the most famous tournament had already secured a signature of quality on the Cup and a non-trivial touch of class for the final show. The Australian Phillippoussis’ serve against the elegance and perfection of Sampras’ heir. A smooth path, that of Federer’s – always with his coach Lundgren and his fiancée, former pro Miloslava Vavrinec – by his side.

1: Federer is the first Swiss to have won a men’s Slam. 12: 0... Federer’s 2003 score on grass. 4: Tennis players that have won in London as both juniors and pros: Borg, Edberg, Cash and Federer.

The final

ROGER FEDERER’S PERFECT FINAL STIRRED THE SAME KINDS OF EMOTIONS AS A FLAWLESS DIAMOND, SOMETHING UNACHIEVABLE AND UNEQUALLED, WHICH MOVED TENNIS VIEWERS INTO STUNNED ADMIRATION.

Roger Federer’s perfect final stirred the same kinds of emotions as a flawless diamond, something unachievable and unequalled, which moved tennis viewers into stunned admiration.

It was only after the match had ended that the event earned a small humane tribute. It was then that Federer realised how authoritarian his entrance into the world of the great had been. When he was asked what he felt towards the many fellow countrymen, who had hurriedly boarded the first flights in order to be with him for this last effort, Federer put his hands to his face and allowed himself that little bit of sentiment. Those tears filled Centre Court with emotion, as many Swiss friends were as moved as he was. Even Peter Lundgren (the coach) and Miroslava Vavrinec (the fiancée) were sniffing as they hugged each other. Wimbledon had been looking for an heir to Sampras and has now found it. Perhaps this win has done more – it has led tennis by the hand into a new era. On these very courts two years ago Federer had revealed himself, by attacking Sampras with his own weapons. The precise and withering serve, the ease of the volleys, of the touches but also a forehand that leaves his opponents astounded – a devastating weapon (even in the shots that cross diagonally across the court).

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He won on that occasion, and it was he who made Sampras realise that his career had reached its end. Then he faded again, among a few good wins and many unexpected tumbles. “I wasn’t ready. Too many people told me I would become number one, but my shoulders weren’t big enough yet, I had to complete my journey. People ask me if I am going to be the new Sampras, if I will win as much as he did… Who can tell? I think I am like him in some ways and I have always enjoyed watching him play. But believe me, I enjoy watching myself play too…”

The perfection of his accomplishment is revealed in the final score – such that even Philippoussis may want to forget, despite having played his match that did not end in complete humiliation. Yet how can one resist a tennis player who, according to the official score, made only three unforced errors in the first two sets, a total of nine at the end of the match? And how could one oppose someone who scored 100% of the points with his serve in the second set? And those 21 aces? Seven more than Philippoussis, whose best weapon is his

starting shot… Federer did not offer the Australian even one match point. Only once – on the Swiss’s serve – did Philippoussis cross the 30-point mark… “He was so much stronger than I was.” admitted Philippoussis. “Perhaps he was truly unbeatable. I did the best I could, but it wasn’t easy to see one’s every attempt being blocked. But I am proud of my tournament nonetheless.” And who could fault him? He went back to playing tennis in spite of the doctors’ prognosis of a wheelchair-bound life.

Federer’s journey 1st Round 2nd Round 3rd Round 4th Round Quarterfinal Semifinal Final

(4)Roger Federer (SUI) b. Hyung-Taik Lee (KOR) (4)Roger Federer (SUI) b. Stefan Koubek (AUT) (4)Roger Federer (SUI) b. Mardy Fish (USA) (4)Roger Federer (SUI) b. Feliciano Lopez (ESP) (4)Roger Federer (SUI) b. (8)Sjeng Schalken (NED) (4)Roger Federer (SUI) b. (5)Andy Roddick (USA) (4)Roger Federer (SUI) b. Mark Philippoussis (AUS)

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6–3 6–3 7–6(2) 7–5 6–1 6–1 6–3 6–1 4–6 6–1 7–6(5) 6–4 6–4 6–3 6–4 6–4 7–6(6) 6–3 6–3 7–6(5) 6–2 7–6(3)

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AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2004

The Russian Marat Safin was the great hero of the tournament, in spite of his (justified) defeat in the final. Now he is a menace for Federer & Co, who can’t help liking him nonetheless. “We are all happy for him, but we are also a bit worried,” declared new King Federer at the end of the tournament. Because Safin has power and technique, niceness and humanity, serve and return – he is show and emotions. He is the kind of personality that the sport really needs, a sport that, until two years ago, was running the risk of being outshined

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Safin is the ultimate tennis player, one of the few who can stand up to the most powerful from the baseline, and then pull a winning game out of his hat, be it with the backhand or forehand. Winning accelerations that earn him more admirers. Roger Federer, 10 He wins the Australian Open, after Wimbledon and the Masters, and can finally wear that crown of number one. A crown which many had attributed him for a couple of years, but his results kept denying him. He did it with the way he refuted the taboos against Hewitt and Nalbandian, the coldness with which he dominated Ferrero and the way he held Safin at bay in the final. He demonstrated that he has reached that tactical maturity which allows him not to have a coach and aim for the Grand Slam. Be brave Roger! The hardest part is near, on the red clay of Roland Garros.

Safin to the public urging him to engage Federer “Hey, I wasn’t playing against a yo-yo. The boy can play tennis...”

Federer on his decision not to have a coach “McEnroe told me that in the past there were no coaches. But I didn’t know that. It wasn’t my intention to do something unusual.”

NUMBER ONE FEDERER WINS HIS SECOND MAJOR, CONQUERS THE WORLD’S TOP POSITION IN TENNIS AND IS HERALDED AS THE NEW LORD OF THE SLAMS. THE TOURNAMENT ALSO REDISCOVERS MARAT SAFIN’S TENNIS, POWER AND WHIMSICALITY.

There are plenty of good reasons to lose to Federer. The Swiss player seems to have found the right place for the many pieces of his game, those same pieces that until some time ago had prevented him from building the mysterious puzzle, which makes him the absolute genius of tennis.

The final

by women. What with the advent of the Williams sisters and the proliferation of the young European ladies?

The scorecard

The comment

“Federer,” or “the most talented tennis player on the planet,” according to Roddick. “One who is likely to become the greatest of all times,” according to Peter McNamara. “Sampras’s heir,” according to many. And yet, those who have watched the Swiss from up close in Melbourne, like Marat Safin, have put the comparison between the two in these terms: “Sampras and Federer have nothing in common. I don’t want to belittle Pete, who was mentally the strongest and had the most devastating serve. His forehand was extraordinary and he had a special touch in the volleys. But at times his backhand would let him down. Roger instead has all that Sampras had, plus the backhand.”

The quotes

New lord of the slams!

Such good reasons – ranging from ingenuity to a consolidated consistency, from the ease of play to the bold solutions that his opponents aren’t always able to read – Safin has tried them one by one, with an almost voracious nihilism, and without resisting. The signs emerging from these tournaments are beginning to paint future scenarios that are in contrast to those tournaments of the past. We emerge with a renewed number one and one more contestant for the top placements. It is with a feeling that Agassi may still have something to say and that

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Roddick has not yet completed that process of maturation that his victory in the American Open had hastily attributed him. The project of a new, lasting leadership after Pete Sampras’ recent end bears the signature of the Swiss – now an all-round champion, self-assured without ever being arrogant and gifted with such tennis finesse most can’t even dream of. Safin ran up against such qualities and came out in a bad way; so much so that in the two conclusive sets of the final (after he had at least managed to reach tiebreak in the first, snatching three

set points from the Swiss on 5–4) he showed no ability to oppose Federer, or even come close to that. In his defence, allow me to quote the only significant data point from his tournament: 147 games won and 129 lost in seven matches. Although we cannot tell how many wasted kilojoules this resulted in, we know that it certainly could not have made his life any easier. Federer can now set course for the Grand Slam… But it is a journey paved with question marks.

Let’s see… But the coachless champion has the capacity to win on any type of surface, and this too is a novelty that tennis had awaited for a long time. “I could still reconsider and look for a coach,” Federer says prudently, “but it is not easy. McEnroe tells me that there aren’t many around.” And this is a brand new problem: in the tennis of all is equal, who can advise a young man who was born a champion?

Can he do it? “Let’s see what happens in Paris,” is the answer for the time being.

Federer’s journey 1st Round 2nd Round 3rd Round 4th Round Quarterfinal Semifinal Final

(2)R Federer (SUI) b. (q)A Bogomolov (USA) (2)R Federer (SUI) b. (q)J Morrison (USA) (2)R Federer (SUI) b. (WC)T Reid (AUS) (2)R Federer (SUI) b. (15)L Hewitt (AUS) (2)R Federer (SUI) b. (8)D Nalbandian (ARG) (2)R Federer (SUI) b. (3)J Ferrero (ESP) (2)R Federer (SUI) b. M Safin (RUS)

A D V E N T U R E

6–3 6–4 6–0 6–2 6–3 6–4 6–3 6–0 6–1 4–6 6–3 6–0 6–4 7–5 6–4 5–7 6–3 6–4 6–1 6–4 7–6(3) 6–4 6–2

the deﬁnitive guide to the best adventures in southern Africa

Find your adventure!

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Blue skies, white water, big surf, warm rock, lots of snow ... and Dirty Boots!

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WIMBLEDON 2004

“The problem with Roger is that he makes it all look so easy.” Andy Roddick said it; many of us believe it. In fact it’s not that easy.

In order to make it look easy, one has to be intelligent, able to see inside things. Roger Federer is very intelligent, with his ability to look inside a match and turn it inside out, when charm is not sufficient and when his magic fails – as happens even to Harry Potter… Just think of the way he tamed – not dominated – this year’s tournament.

And listen to this: “Before the final I asked myself: ‘Why should I change tactics just because I am playing against Andy?’ But in the end I had to do it because he is the strongest player I have

ever met.” Federer is a genius, but a genius that adapts. One that reflects. A genius that is able to look at himself in a match and see things clearly, even without a coach. Roddick had a 0plan A to beat him on Sunday 4 July: “Prevent him from doing his thing, coming up with spectacular shots.” In other words: bombard him, play bumper cars and leave him breathless. But he didn’t have a plan B. So when, after the second interruption, he went back onto the court, he found a different Federer, a chameleon capable of reinventing himself and finding his way to the net, he stumbled. He got lost. Federer, instead, is capable of finding a way, any way, to slip through the match and find victory. Even when his backhand is unsteady, when his timing isn’t as clean as usual. When he is not in the mood.

The quotes The scorecard

The comment

Any tennis war can be won by reasoning, patience and good talent... Roger Federer, 10 He dominates even when he is not in the mood, and he does so against the best Roddick too. He has a most impressive ability to shift into a higher gear when he needs to. We applaud him, a little stunned. Andy Roddick before the final “He is more flash, sensitive, artistic. My advantage is that I can hit the ball harder. All I have to do is work on my strengths.”

Andy Roddick after his defeat by Federer “Pity, I would have liked to go to the party and see how short Sharapova’s skirt is.”

The final

IF ONE COULD DRAW A RULE FROM THIS FINAL, IT WOULD BE THAT THERE IS NO TENNIS WAR THAT CANNOT BE WON BY REASONING, PATIENCE AND GOOD TALENT.

Private Roddick goes to war; he does not fight against the world, only against the world’s number one.

It is a personal war, and above all, a war of tennis, which doesn’t hurt. But Roddick takes it like a true marine: a landing in every run, a raid in every advance, a surgical procedure in every forehand and backhand. He wears his cap like a helmet and vigorously shakes the net when it gets in the way of the target, as if it was a trench or an outpost. Federer’s talent is of a different nature, and at 23 it is no small thing. In these first few months of a supremacy that is bound to last, he has demonstrated that he knows that it is not a walk in the park and that points and victories cannot be taken for granted. One needs to go against the flow and sometimes stay cool when circumstances become pressing or threatening. It is then that one needs to find the right shots, muster and stroke them until they start coming in. If one could draw a rule from this final, it would be that there is no tennis war that cannot be won by reasoning, patience and good talent. Private Andy Roddick had a deep desire in his heart to knock Federer down, to break him. “He may have talent, but I have power and I had to use it.”

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WIMBLEDON 2004

His games have been celebrations of heavy blows, a perfect display of strength. And yet Roddick didn’t make it. Federer took risks, he got close to a tumble and in the third set, lagging by 2–4, he could have lost the thread of the match. Instead, he found the calm needed to repair the damage and restitch the web. The match was decided by two or three shots, no more, it was intense and well played. It was the seventh episode in a challenge which Federer led comfortably (six to one), but which had never before seen the two so close.

With a first set at top levels, Roddick showed off not only his forehand as fast as an arrow, or his serve, consistently over 220 km/h, but also a confident, assaulting, extremely precise backhand. “He surprised me,” commented Federer, “and that’s when I had to change something.” He lowered his bounces, made them more slippery, and that was the key to the accomplishment of this second ‘herbivore’ success, his third career Slam.

The celebration was mostly like last year’s. A brief liberating weep, far from the flood that followed his first victory, his thanks to Mirka Vavrinec – his partner and manager – and a confession: “I am even more excited this time, it feels impossible to win at Wimbledon twice.” But it isn’t. The championship surrenders only to the strongest. And this is the rule.

Through hard work, the Swiss opened the way for his deeper shots and, at the right moment, got the points he needed.

Federer’s journey 1st Round 2nd Round 3rd Round 4th Round Quarterfinal Semifinal Final

(1)R Federer (SUI) b. (WC)A Bogdanovic (GBR) (1)R Federer (SUI) b. (q)A Falla (COL) (1)R Federer (SUI) b. T Johansson (SWE) (1)R Federer (SUI) b. I Karlovic (CRO) (1)R Federer (SUI) b. (7)L Hewitt (AUS) (1)R Federer (SUI) b. (10)S Grosjean (FRA) (1)R Federer (SUI) b. (2)A Roddick (USA)

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6–1 6–3 6–0 6–1 6–2 6–0 6–3 6–4 6–3 6–3 7–6(3) 7–6(5) 6–1 6–7(1) 6–0 6–4 6–2 6–3 7–6(6) 4–6 7–5 7–6(3) 6–4

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THE “R” FACTOR

US OPEN 2004

R as in Roger, R as in Russia: the last Slam of 2004 conﬁrms that Federer and the Cossacks are the true great protagonists of the season.

Three small sets and three Slams in one season...

The New w York final against Hewitt has so far been the best em embroidery by the Swisss artist. Yet the hardest hur hurdle for the Roger ger Express had been Andre Agassi – “The The king of concrete and wind – beaten in his own lair.”

Hewitt on Federer “He has a chance to become the best ever, especially if he goes on playing like he did this year. He can win any Slam, French Open included.”

Federer on the US Open “America has always been hard for me. tough. But if you can Americans are to you can handle win in New York, then yo anything, can’t you?”

The final

The scorecard

Roger Federer – 10 cum laude To tell the truth, he would deserve higher marks. I can no longer find a suitable attribute to define him. I spoke to him before the final and he was complaining that he was unable to find his form after Wimbledon, of not playing well, that he had not liked himself against Agassi... And then he wins like this. What should we tell him?

TThe quotes

The comment

Nobody else resembles Rod Laver as much as Roger Federer. Others, from Borg to Lendl and until Sampras, have dominated on certain surfaces and during certain years – but nobody has done it with such class, ease and imagination. Covering every part of the court with each shot like the Swiss has done for the last one and half years. No one had won all four of his first Slam finals; the last one to have won three seasonal tournaments out of four was Mats Wilander in 1988.

AND THE US IS WATCHING

Just three small sets... But there won’t be a shortage of consequences.

Federer’s placid confidence hides the hottest fire in tennis: the three small sets are three loud messages to the entire tour, but also three worrying breaches in the solid safety of the most relentless defender of all, Lleyton Hewitt. It is now total, certain domination, with no ifs or buts. Would you say it was so before? Well, you may be right. Federer was expected to triumph; being in revenge since Athens, he was the only one to bet on. And when he got to the final, after lining up Costa and Baghdatis, Santoro and Pavel, Agassi and Henman who had almost always beaten him, we all thought it couldn’t be so. And yet, his final left everyone aghast in disbelief, wondering how such a big gap, such a tangible difference could possibly exist between two tw finalists of the same age, both unbeaten in the Slam finals played to date. In fact, two number ones of tennis. Three Thre small sets and three Slams in one season, only three players before him seas were w able to achieve the same. Mats Wilander was the last one, sixteen years W ago. Three is the perfect number, and Federer’s absolute domination seems to

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A match to be remembered

Roger Federer beats Andre Agassi 63 26 75 36 63

It was a match like no other, even before it was played – even more so after the suspension because of rain, which upset all plans. Roger and Andre facing each other, the best tennis of the nineties and (maybe) of the new century. Federer won the first round, two one. Then came the rain… And the second ended one all. Thus the final score was in favour of Federer, three two. Right? Hard to tell. Sometimes it is a pity that a draw should not exist in tennis. But Agassi missed his big chance in the first round, or rather in the third set. He had two break points in the second game. The match could have turned…

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US OPEN 2004

be built upon it. Yet, all seems to indicate that this may just be a passing moment, an exploratory phase, and that the best is yet to come. Rather, the sensation is sharp. He was overflowing opposite Hewitt, when the Australian only gathered five points during the monologue in the first set. Young Roger looked like one who was still exploring his game, trying out shots, solutions and geometries – just the same way as some ladies try out hats in front of a mirror.

His backhand may need some finetuning. And also in the continuity of his game, for deep inside, Federer is a bit lazy and he would end up resting on his laurels, were his opponents less determined. But then if Federer weren’t like this, what would have been of Hewitt? First and third sets were dominated, but the second too (had it not been for that temporary absence) would have ended with a sharp score. Before beating him in tiebreak, Federer led two nil, he had three

Federer’s journey 1st Round 2nd Round 3rd Round 4th Round Quarterfinal Semifinal Final

(1)R Federer (SUI) b. A Costa (ESP) (1)R Federer (SUI) b. (q)M Baghdatis (CYP) (1)R Federer (SUI) b. (31)F Santoro (FRA) (1)R Federer (SUI) b. (16)A Pavel (ROM) (1)R Federer (SUI) b. (6)A Agassi (USA) (1)R Federer (SUI) b. (5)T Henman (GBR) (1)R Federer (SUI) b. (4)L Hewitt (AUS)

TENNISWORLD

7–5 6–2 6–4 6–2 6–7(4) 6–3 6–1 6–0 6–4 7–6(7) w/o 6–3 2–6 7–5 3–6 6–3 6–3 6–4 6–4 6–0 7–6(3) 6–0

occasions for a 5–2 and then three set points. It could have ended 6–0 6–2 6–0. There is now only one Slam to go. Paris. And for the first time in many years there is no apparent reason why Federer shouldn’t win there too. He has already won on clay; just think of Hamburg, earlier this year in fact. It will no doubt be harder; there are indeed a number of clay specialists, but then…why not? “When he plays the way he did against me, believe me, there is nothing one can do,” apologised Hewitt, and so doing he painted a picture of that very divide that exists today between Federer and his competition. “Each victory is different,” said Federer. “The first time at Wimbledon, then the Australian Open without coach. And this year again at Wimbledon, where I was defending a title for the first time. I knew that the US Open would be even harder and I am just as surprised by what I was capable of doing. But it won’t be the last time. I feel that I still have a lot to say in tennis.”

SPECIAL REPORT / FEDERER /

WIMBLEDON 2005

Aristocratic and magical tennis

The fact is that a true contestant for Federer on grass has not yet been born to tennis. Thus it is easy to predict that his Wimbledon titles will continue to pour in for many years to come, perhaps in equal or greater measure to Sampras’ (although Bjorn Borg’s achievement of fifth consecutive titles will remain the biggest ever). The truth? The Swiss plays tennis of such a high standard that it would take someone else with many of his same qualities to beat him (not occasionally as can easily happen, but with some consistency).

TENNISWORLD

The scorecard

Roger Federer – unmarked His aristocratic and magical tennis made of fluid and elegant movements should be outlawed. He can dance as lightly across the court as a ballet dancer and find inspiration at the most critical times like an true artist. To have a positive influence on such a phenomenal player was no easy feat, but Tony Roche manage to improve both his stance and his volley game. Hewitt’s analysis after the semifinal was clear and cold: “I felt like the best player in the world because Roger is from a different planet.”

The quotes

The comment

So, Tony Roche won at Wimbledon. At last, one should say, after six bitter finals. One loss as a player in 1968, against Laver five more suffered as a coach, alongside Chris Lewis, Ivan Lendl and Pat Rafter. This is the real news, you will agree, since after any victory by him – what should we call him? Disciple? Friend? Kindred spirit? Well, Federer, doesn’t surprise us anymore. His extraordinary achievements leave us spellbound, and speechless – like Roddick and Hewitt, left with no answers on the court. We no longer know what to tell them.

Roddick on Federer “I told Roger too: I wish I could hate you. But you’re a nice guy.”

The final

WHEN FEDERER PLAYS LIKE HE DID IN THE FIRST SET OF THE FINAL, ALL YOU CAN DO IS WATCH HIM IN SILENCE, HOLDING YOUR BREATH SO THAT NOTHING CAN DISTURB THE MAGIC OF THE MOMENT AND BREAK THE SPELL.

When Federer plays like he did in the first set of the final, all you can do is watch him in silence, holding your breath so that nothing can disturb the magic of the moment.

It’s a tennis that only exists in a dream world: every ball a point, each volley clear and transparent, passing shots that follow rigorously defined paths. Perfection. Tennis as an exact science… Roger can afford to do what is impossible to other humans, even challenging Roddick on his home ground. And for a moment the two turn Centre Court into a huge ping-pong court: ever faster shots, relentless, spirals of 10 or 12 at a time and in the end, Federer’s punctual close with an unstoppable slap.

Federer after the final “It was a strange feeling. I didn’t even feel like I was playing. It all worked, with minimal effort, in the first set, in the second and after the rain too. I almost had the feeling that I was doing something wrong.”

Interestingly enough, Federer says that he spent the last days of the tournament in some anxiety, worrying about the outcome. Two semifinals were feeding Federer’s uncertainty. The first was at the Australian Open, when Safina beat him. The other in Paris, with the defeat at Nadal’s hand…

Roddick on what he should do to beat Federer “Maybe... I could hit him over the head... I tried everything, I’m afraid the only way is to kill him.”

Few could see it, but Federer feared that the defeat could be repeated, that something in his game might suddenly give in and drag him down.

The Swiss hid his emotions well, and Roddick tried his very best, changing his match tactics at least twice. He started attacking more in the second set, after watching Federer’s performance in the first, which lasted just 22 minutes and saw a single unforced error by Federer. And if possible, he attacked even harder in the third, pure power was his extreme measure, in the hope to make his every shot a definitive one. But Federer was transformed, as if by magic, into a player with perfect returns and unbeatable

passing shots. Yet another revelation afforded us by the Champion. No longer just architect and magician, but unrelenting defender too. A few figures… It is his third victory on grass – and not only at Wimbledon – Federer has been unbeaten for three years. It is also his fifth successful Slam final, and his twenty-first consecutive final.

stopped at 11. Lastly, it is his tenth win in 11 matches opposite Roddick. “Ours is not a great rivalry,” said the American with a touch of sadness, “as he is always the winner.” His glory is only made less sparkling by those two semifinals lost in the first Slams of the season. But Federer will do his best to erase them from memory. Now he knows for certain: his only true opponents are Safina and Nadal. The others can only admire him.

With eight successes so far this year, he is on track to beat last year, when he

Federer's journey 1st Round 2nd Round 3rd Round 4th Round Quarterfinal Semifinal Final

(1)R Federer (SUI) b. P Mathieu (FRA) (1)R Federer (SUI) b. I Minar (CZE) (1)R Federer (SUI) b. (25)N Kiefer (GER) (1)R Federer (SUI) b. (23)J Ferrero (ESP) (1)R Federer (SUI) b. (21)F Gonzalez (CHI) (1)R Federer (SUI) b. (3)L Hewitt (AUS) (1)R Federer (SUI) b. (2)A Roddick (USA)

6–4 6–2 6–4 6–4 6–4 6–1 6–2 6–7(5) 6–1 7–5 6–3 6–4 7–6(6) 7–5 6–2 7–6(2) 6–3 6–4 7–6(4) 6–2 7–6(2) 6–4

TENNISWORLD

SPECIAL REPORT / FEDERER /

US OPEN 2005

It has nothing to do with age, nor with his opponents. Before meeting Federer in the final Agassi had beaten only Karlovic, Malisse, Blake and Ginepri. Just one top seed, number 32, Berdych. Little stuff. And yet, at over 35 Agassi’s tennis still has something powerfully innovative. It is a tennis that has changed its references over the years; it has accelerated its pace and exchanges, and the very rhythm of matches. And that very tennis he played against Federer for a good two sets, the worst for him in a long time. Rather, it was Federer who did not look his best, even though what Agassi himself said of him says it all... “In just a moment,” said Agassi, “Federer is capable of breaking both the match and his opponent in two.” It sometimes seems that the Swiss may be experimenting on the court, that he may be exploring new solutions so as not to get bored with his own game. Agassi pressed him hard on his backhand, only to then sneak in on his forehand. And Hewitt did the same – it had been

TENNISWORLD

The final

Federer won and Agassi won too, difficult as may be, it is hard to picture a beaten Agassi on this occasion. What the former boy from Las Vegas was capable of has something to do with the incredible.

months since Federer given Hewitt a set. Notwithstanding all this, nobody was able to even dent him.

The quotes The scorecard

The comment

Capable of breaking both the match and his opponent in two

Roger Federer – 10 cum laude He is the first one to be surprised, to be unable to describe himself. From a record perspective he has officially started his chase after Sampras. From a game perspective he may have already overtaken him. Andre Agassi on Federer “You know, with all the players I met I could always find a safe place, a shot where I could find shelter and limit the damage, even in the hardest times. There is no such place with Roger.”

Federer’s tribute to Agassi “This is probably the most special Grand Slam final in my career,” Federer said. “To play against Andre in New York, it’s a dream.”

One could not look at it as just another tennis match. Indeed, it was far from that.

But in New York, 11 September is a day like no other and nothing seems the same. The city is not over the emotion and never will be; memories linger heavily, and that horrible hole at the end of Manhattan looks more and more like the gaping wound that it truly represents, and always will.

ROGER

CHALLENGES HISTORY WITH HIS SIXTH SLAM, WHICH HE WON BY BEATING THE LEGENDARY AGASSI IN HIS OWN BACKYARD, FEDERER HAS REGALLY REAFFIRMED HIS DOMINATION. HIS TRUE BATTLE IS NOW AGAINST THE TENNIS IMMORTALS.

On 11 September, more so than on any other day, the America of sports loves to see pride, acts of courage, the will to endure and not give up. How could it not love someone like Agassi? In yet another final in his career, Agassi has displayed all this, together with everything else that his career has given him – a lasting place in the history of tennis, an aura of legend. It doesn’t really matter that all he had wasn’t enough to beat a champion that has already earned a significant place in that very history, with an aura of legend now starting to surround him. The public in the stands flying fiftystar flags (celebrating and at the same time remembering) applauded him as if he had been the one to raise the most important trophy. Expecting him to win his ninth Slam and thanking him for playing and enduring, for fighting

TENNISWORLD

SPECIAL REPORT / FEDERER /

US OPEN 2005

sportingly as any good American is expected to – if not more so. Federer the star, the winner, took notice – but still beat him in the end. And he did so from the height of a game that has no equal, neither today nor in days gone by. “Anything one may come up with, any shot or strategy,” said Agassi with sincere admiration, “Federer has the answer to. At times he may need to search for it among his thousands of options, but in the end he finds it and inevitably the match is on his terms again.” And so it was, in fact. Because Agassi didn’t play like a 35 year old, he didn’t lose due to fatigue nor because his shots had lost the shine of past times. Quite the opposite… Agassi kept Federer under check for a long time. He was once

again magically hitting the ball with that same persistence and speed that had once astonished all tennis masters, and made people speak for the first time of ‘ping-pong tennis’. A full hour of great play – of frantic shots, and after that first hour more of the same for almost another hour. It is hard to tell if Federer had ever struggled so much to find the clues that would resolve the encounter in his favour, not even opposite Nadal who beat him only on the one surface that Federer has not yet tamed: red clay. Agassi attacked him on his backhand, thus creating the space to then plunge onto his forehand. But in the end Federer made it, he solved the enigma and created two or three moments of the purest near-perfect tennis, during

Federer's journey 1st Round 2nd Round 3rd Round 4th Round Quarterfinal Semifinal Final

(1)R Federer (SUI) b. I Minar (CZE) (1)R Federer (SUI) b. F Santoro (FRA) (1)R Federer (SUI) b. (27)O Rochus (BEL) (1)R Federer (SUI) b. N Kiefer (GER) (1)R Federer (SUI) b. (11)D Nalbandian (ARG) (1)R Federer (SUI) b. (3)L Hewitt (AUS) (1)R Federer (SUI) b. (7)A Agassi (USA)

6–1 6–1 6–1 7–5 7–5 7–6(2) 6–3 7–6(6) 6–2 6–4 6–7(3) 6–3 6–4 6–2 6–4 6–1 6–3 7–6(0) 4–6 6–3 6–3 2–6 7–6(1) 6–1

which everything seemed to withdraw and disappear, even Agassi, and he was alone in the court. One shot, one point. Repeating… Agassi stole one set away from Federer, and he did so without concessions. Then he led in the third, until that beautiful and daring serve of his first game suddenly deserted him. He managed however to take refuge in the tiebreak. From then on, all of Federer’s inspiration became focussed and started pushing in one direction. From that tiebreak onwards (lost 7–1), all but a few points went to the Swiss. At 24, Federer is worth a Sampras. At the same age, Sampras only had one more Slam under his belt, having won the Open at 19. Federer started at 21, but he has time to catch up, equal him and possibly even do better. Meanwhile, he takes home his sixth title, his twenty-third consecutive final victory, the Wimbledon-US Open combination, first achieved in 2004 and repeated in 2005 (another piece of history – previously achieved only by Don Budge in the late thirties). He won the challenge with Nadal, which had attracted much interest and many bets in this Open. He lost just three times – the season belongs to him.

A warm & friendly Italian welcome!

THE STABLES LODGE T

he Stables Lodge is situated in an exclusive area of Stellenbosch, less than five minutes from the picturesque town centre. The lodge offers panoramic views of the surrounding mountains, with accommodation in six comfortable en-suite rooms. All rooms are equipped with air-conditioning, coffee/ tea making facilities, Radio/CD players as well as towels for the pool. One self-catering unit is also available. We also offer secure parking, a spacious public area, honesty bar with soft drinks and snacks as well as wireless internet.

Enjoy a leisurely breakfast before heading out to explore the famous winelands, or discover the area through many available excursions and day trips! Should you wish to relax then our quiet and welcoming garden around our lovely swimming pool is just the place. A beautiful atmosphere with a fusion of Italian and African styles, make this affordable stay one to be repeated!

Italian and English spoken. German in progress!

TENNISWORLD

SPECIAL REPORT / FEDERER /

AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2006 serve, for instance, which the Swiss has had to resort to a few times. Yet, once the night was over, Federer found himself again next to Baghdatis, but with so much more energy, whereas the boy had given it all in his desperate forcing of the first two sets. That’s when Roger took off, his tennis again unattainable and straight out of a dream world. A long sparkling solo, which brought him even closer to that history that, our man feels destined to. Even the conclusion was endowed by that little touch of humanity that never does any harm. Free from all anxiety and in the presence of true history in Rod Laver, Federer let himself go to emotion, and with him the whole Arena. Tears flowed, unveiling the soul of a boy who is more sanguine than many would think and

But above all it was Laver’s presence that caused those tears and all the anxiety. It was as if Roger was looking at himself in the Master and feeling like his closest pupil. Roche maintains that the two are very much alike. And Laver said two very important things: that he admires Federer for his ability to handle pressure and get through the hardest of times; and that his greatest quality is his control of the court. Federer plays forward and he can exploit his opponents’ uncertainties better than anyone else, even from the baseline. Just like Laver used to. Federer played well until all the stronger players were out, then he almost got stuck. He felt that he had to win. His career to date matches Sampras’, with three Wimbledon wins in a row and his seventh Slam at 24. But the two are worlds apart. Victories aside, Sampras was hardly visible; his interviews were trivial, the anecdotes hardly there. Federer is the opposite; he makes interesting observations and has an air of importance

Roger Federer – 10 Those who said he was cold and like a robot have been proved wrong. Being Swiss, the young man is not one to show his feelings easily, but he can certainly feel the pressure of being number one. Everyone has been telling him for years that he will become the Greatest of All Times. When he saw Laver hand him the Cup he saw himself in a mirror… And the mirror smiled back at him. He also wept because in the second week in Melbourne he had played rather poorly, except for the first two sets against Haas and the last two in the final. He might have feared he was not going to make it. In the absence of great opponents, he had to overcome himself, his own doubts. And that is always the hardest of tests. Federer on his seventh Slam “I left Edberg and Becker behind, I am truly honoured. But Stefan and Boris continue to be my heroes.”

Part human, part miracle, Roger Federer has seized the deed of winning his seventh and hardest Slam final in two exact halves, most different, but each complete and perfect in its own way. On one side the fight, the opposition, the resistance – on the other the unattainable, ingenious, yet colourful tennis that only he is able to produce. An unusual incentive to assembling such a masterpiece was having an opponent who seemed to know his every weakness and target them with rage, brandishing his halberd to clear his way, ready to gore him if only he had had the opportunity.

The final

about him. Men’s tennis owes some of its comeback to the humane qualities of its major player.

The scorecard

Federer wept. And we were all moved. It was an evening of tears that sparked a chain reaction. Federer had a lot at stake in this tournament. He had not gotten over last year’s defeat by Safin, he could feel the tension, and winning can be a tough job if one has to do it all the time.

The quote

The comment

Winning his seventh and hardest Slam final

has to keep his feelings in check in order to keep that clear-sightedness that his artistic sketches, his perfect geometries need. “It went well, I took risks, Baghdatis was a great opponent,” said Federer referring to the third game in the second set, when the Cypriot, already in the lead by one set and one break, took two balls for the 3–0. The match could have taken a sharp turn then, shifting away from Federer’s control. Instead that’s where the Swiss came back, with some difficulty to start with, then with increasing conviction. Until he drew and was able to relax, ready to initiate his magnificent sequence: from the five all of the second set, Roger accomplished 11 consecutive games and only lost two of the last 16.

Federer's journey 1st Round 2nd Round 3rd Round 4th Round Quarterfinal Semifinal Final

Among his many opponents, the hardest and perhaps most surprising was Marcos Baghdatis, the boy from Cyprus with the funny big nose that makes you want to smile.

(1)R Federer (SUI) b. (WC)D Istomin (UZB) (1)R Federer (SUI) b. F Mayer (GER) (1)R Federer (SUI) b. (30)M Mirnyi (BLR) (1)R Federer (SUI) b. T Haas (GER) (1)R Federer (SUI) b. (5)N Davydenko (RUS) (1)R Federer (SUI) b. (21)N Kiefer (GER) (1)R Federer (SUI) b. M Baghdatis (CYP)

6–2 6–3 6–2 6–1 6–4 6–0 6–3 6–4 6–3 6–4 6–0 3–6 4–6 6–2 6–4 3–6 7–6(7) 7–6(5) 6–3 5–7 6–0 6–2 5–7 7–5 6–0 6–2

A MATCH TO BE

REMEMBERED Federer beats Haas: 64 60 36 46 62 There is something grand and yet unfinished in Tommy Haas’ tennis, something that may never allow him to win a Slam, but will have him go down as the most dangerous ‘number two’ of all times. Two sets to Federer, which the Swiss had dominated but not to the extent that a comeback by Haas could be ruled out. And come back he did. Suddenly his game found a new depth – with some help from Federer who had perhaps lost a little focus – Haas tried everything, and he is one of those players who play best when all is lost. Federer did well in finding the right pace of his game again, in the fifth set. It was a victory that came from his head more than from his shots. Seldom had we seen him in such trouble.

TEARS OF JOY FEDERER’S TEARS WET HIS SEVENTH SLAM. THE CUP MARKS THE CONSECRATION OF AN EXCEPTIONAL CHAMPION

Harder than Roddick, whom we had seen stupefied at Federer’s greatness at Wimbledon. Harder than Hewitt, who had been dealt one of the hardest lessons in tennis at the US Open. It was a bit like facing Nadal… That same way of fidgeting, being elated and jumping after each point. Like Nadal, Baghdatis understood that Federer needed to be attacked in any and every way, for as long as possible. On the backhand, of course, and even better if on the second

TENNISWORLD

Davis Cup ELLIS PARK INDOOR ARENA South Africa Johnnesburg Surface: Hard (Greenset) – Indoors Ball type: Wilson US Open

South Africa defeated India in both their previous meetings. They last met in 1994, also at this stage of the competition, with Marcos Ondruska completing a 3–2 victory in the deciding rubber. South Africa has defeated FYR Macedonia and Belarus in this year’s Europe/Africa Group I competition while India defeated Chinese Taipei and then received a walkover against Australia. South Africa has won its last 10 ties in the competition and has reached the World Group play-offs for the first time in 10 years. It has made four World Group appearances, the last in 1998. Best Davis Cup Performance: Champion – 1974 South Africa last competed in World Group from 1995-98. ALL-TIME TEAM HEAD TO HEAD 2

Total

Clay

Grass

Hard

Carpet

Unknown

Indoors

Outdoors

SOUTH AFRICA Official Team Nominations Wayne FERREIRA Pieter NORVAL Marcos ONDRUSKA Grant STAFFORD Team Captain Frew McMillan INDIA Official Team Nominations Asif ISMAIL Leander PAES Gaurav NATEKAR Team Captain Jaidip Mukerjea TIE COMPLETED South Africa defeated India 3–2 in India R1 – L PAES (IND) def. G STAFFORD (RSA) 6–4 6–3 5–2 – Retired R2 - W FERREIRA (RSA) def. A ISMAIL (IND) 6–4 6–2 6–2 R3 – W FERREIRA / P NORVAL (RSA) def. G NATEKAR / L PAES (IND) 6–4 6–4 6–1 R4 – L PAES (IND) def. W FERREIRA (RSA) 6–3 6–4 7–5 R5 – M ONDRUSKA (RSA) def. A ISMAIL (IND) 6–4 6–3 6–3

Jai Club Tennis Complex, Jaipur, India 23 September – 25 September 1994 Surface: Grass – Outdoors Ball type: Cosco

TENNISWORLD

TIE COMPLETED South Africa defeated India 5–0 in Spain R1 – B HEWITT (RSA) def. R KRISHNAN (IND) 3–6 6–3 6–2 2–6 8–6 R2 - C DRYSDALE (RSA) def. J MUKERJEA (IND) 6–1 6–0 6–0 R3 – B HEWITT / F MCMILLAN (RSA) def. R KRISHNAN / J MUKERJEA (IND) 6–2 7–5 6–2 R4 – C DRYSDALE (RSA) def. R KRISHNAN (IND) 7–5 6–4 3–6 6–3 R5 - B MAUD (RSA) def. J MUKERJEA (IND) 6–1 6–2 6–3 ALL-TIME RECORDS First year played Years played

Barcelona, Spain 10 November – 12 November 1967 Surface: Clay (red clay) – Outdoors INDIA Official Team Nominations Ramanathan KRISHNAN Jaidip MUKERJEA

Years in WG

Davis Cup World Group Qualifier

SOUTH AFRICA VS INDIA

THE SOUTH AFRICAN TEAM SHOWED A MIX OF TALENTS THAT NEED TO GROW AND MORE EXPERIENCED PLAYERS THAT NEED TO RISE TO LEADERSHIP.

SOUTH AFRICA Official Team Nominations Cliff DRYSDALE Frew MCMILLAN Bob HEWITT Bob MAUD Team Captain tbc

Ties played win loss INTER-ZONAL 1967

WORLD GROUP, 1994

Team Captain Jimmy Mehta

PIETIE NORVAL

DAVIS CUP

1913 52 126 (78–48) 4 (3–4)

Most total wins

FERREIRA (41–18)

Most singles wins

DRYSDALE (32–12)

Most doubles wins

MCMILLAN (23–5)

Best doubles team

HEWITT & MCMILLAN (16–1)

Most ties played

MCMILLAN (28)

Most years played

FERREIRA (13)

South Africa started this very important tie against India with the hope of qualifying for the World Group for the first time in many years. Unfortunately for the South Africans, India had the same intentions and at the end of the tie, it was clear the Indians were the hungrier of the two proud tennis playing nations for success. South Africa’s number one player, Rik de Voest, got of to a very early start in the first rubber against Bopanna and won the first set comfortably. At a critical moment early in the second set, de Voest was not able to put his opponent away and Bopanna started gaining confidence, which led to him winning the next three sets reasonably easy. South Africa’s number two player, Izak van der Merwe, came up against India’s number one player, Devverman, in the second rubber on Friday. Van der Merwe fought bravely until the end of the first set tie-breaker, which was won by Devverman. The next two sets were dominated by the Indian and resulted in a comfortable 2–0 lead in India’s favour at the end of day one. India’s two top doubles players played against each other in the final of the US Open the week before and this was always going to be a difficult match for

South Africa’s top team of Jeff Coetzee and Wesley Moodie. Leander Paes withdrew from the Indian team a few days prior to the start of the tie, which weakened the Indian team significantly. Mahesh Bhupathi ended up having to take on the very strong South African duo of Coetzee and Moodie with the young Bopanna. Coetzee and Moodie dominated from the start to win the first set easily. The Indians came back and got the crucial break at 4–3 in the second set to take control and level it at one set all. South Africa got an early break in the third set and after securing a second break to lead 4–0, Bhupathi withdrew from the match because of injury. South Africa thus managed to keep the tie alive going into Sunday 1–2 behind, but giving de Voest a chance to level the tie if he could find some form and beat his regular training partner Devverman.

De Voest played two very good sets to lead the match two sets to love and leading 2–0 in the third. Devverman hung in and broke back to force the match into a third set tie-breaker. The Indian won the third set and also dominated the fourth set to take the match to a very tense deciding fifth. Devverman showed a lot of character to win the final set 6–4 and also secure the win for India to move into the World Group next year. The final match on Sunday was a dead rubber between Izak van der Merwe and India’s very young world junior champion, Ukri Bhambri. Van der Merwe looked in control leading one set to love and a break-up in the second, but the young Indian came back to level the match and then took control in the third set to win the match for India for a final humiliating defeat for the South Africans 1–4. South Africa would have hoped to use this very favourable draw against India to play in the World Group next year, but now they will have to wait another year and have to deal with possibly playing a few ties away from home. Their away record has been dismal in the past and one wonders whether an opportunity like this will come around again in the next five years.

TENNISWORLD

DAVIS CUP

“The first game in the second set was crucial I think for me to hold one love down and then after that once I got momentum going on my serve it was much better and much easier for me,” he admitted.

Van der Merwe did not agree that the first set was as crucial. “I don’t think it was the turning point of the match. I mean you are playing five sets, so you know you can lose a set. You have to win three sets to win a match,” van der Merwe said.

Bopanna then carried that momentum into the third set taking the two break point opportunities that he had to go 2–1 up.

In the end Devvarman won three sets after which he expressed his joy at giving India a winning start. “I felt like I was playing well, I had really good preparation. I am really happy I did what I did and played the way I did. I just knew that after the first set van der Merwe had to work really hard to win three sets off me, and I was just willing to make him work as hard as possible.”

Photograph by Reg Caldecott

BOPANNA HOLDS OFF LATE CHARGE FROM DE VOEST

India comfortable after first day INDIA HAS TAKEN A 2–0 LEAD IN ITS WORLD GROUP PLAY-OFF TIE AGAINST SOUTH AFRICA, AFTER ROHAN BOPANNA CAME BACK FROM A SET DOWN AGAINST RIK DE VOEST TO WIN THE SECOND RUBBER 2–6 6–4 6–2 6–4.

ollowing fellow countryman Somdev Devvarman’s straight sets victory over Izak van der Merwe, Bopanna made a welcome return to competition after a three month injury lay-off. The singles pair has now taken India one giant step closer to the elusive World Group.

The South African captain John-Laffnie de Jager said: “We just didn’t play well today, we executed badly, we made so many first serve errors and you can’t do that when you play at high altitude.”

FIRST SET BREEZE FOR SOUTH AFRICA

BOPANNA FIGHTS BACK

Bopanna felt this win was quite significant for him and his team: “Davis Cup wins are always very special. After Somdev came through that first and now giving India a 2–0 lead, I can definitely rate it pretty high up there in the wins which I have had.”

De Voest found things relatively easy in the first set, shooting to a 5–0 lead with two breaks of serve. Even though Bopanna was able to get a break back he still couldn’t stop De Voest from attaining yet another break to give the South African the first set 6–2.

After being made to look a pretty ordinary singles player in the first set, Bopanna fought back valiantly taking the second set 6–4 and not allowing De Voest a single break point opportunity.

TENNISWORLD

“That was probably one of the best first sets I have played ever, especially at altitude. He was serving big and I was making my return comfortably and making my serves,” said De Voest.

It took Bopanna four break point opportunities before he could break the South African’s serve in the third game of the fourth set. De Voest then gave South Africa a tiny glimmer of hope when he broke back in the eighth game to level things at 4–4, but he could not consolidate this and was broken in the very next game to give Bopanna a chance to serve for the match. A chance he gratefully accepted. Bopanna’s first serve percentage in the fourth set stood at 48% before that last game. He then served up four massive serves to take the set 6–4. “I played probably the best game serving 5–4, serving almost four aces there. I can’t ask for anything better,” said Bopanna.

INDIA TAKE THE FIRST RUBBER IN STRAIGHT SETS

South Africa’s Izak van der Merwe had a tough task in trying to beat Somdev Devvarman in the opening rubber and get the hosts off to a winning start. It wasn’t to be for the tall South African and he succumbed in straight sets 6–7(5) 3–6 4–6. Devvarman seemed to struggle a bit in the early stages of his match but after winning the first set tie break, he started to read the South African’s game. When asked whether winning the first set was important he said: “I think it definitely helped. As the match wore on I started getting a better read on his serve. He started missing a few balls here and there and I took advantage of that.”

DE VOEST LOSES HIS OPPORTUNITY

Rik De Voest, South Africa’s number one, played second on the opening day for the 11th tie in a row. This time he faced India’s no. 2 Rohan Bopanna, after Somdev Devvarman attempted to get India off to a winning start against South Africa’s number two Izak van der Merwe. De Voest said that “it has been a good omen in the past” for him to play second considering that South Africa won all ten those ties. South African captain de Jager, added that they were very happy with the draw and that “it’s worked for us in the past, and we hope that it will do the same for us this weekend”. Following Leander Paes’s withdrawal, Rohan Bopanna was nominated to play alongside Mahesh Bhupathi in the doubles, which took place on Saturday. The Indian captain, Shiv Prakash Misra, feels that “with him (Paes) not being here it does make a difference, but the boys are charged up, and they think they will play well without him.”

BHUPATHI FEELS NO PRESSURE

Mahesh Bhupathi, who lost to Paes and Lukas Dlouhy in the US Open final, said that there was no extra pressure on him to perform without Paes, and that “the team of Wesley Moodie and Jeff Coetzee are now expected to win, so the pressure is on them”.

During the week the South African team looked completely relaxed and have the time of their lives. De Voest stated that it is “kind of ironic to compare us to the Indian team at the moment, with different players arriving at different times,” but he feels that for the South African team “the atmosphere is very relaxed, everyone is very supportive and that’s been built up with a core of the team throughout all these ties”. That’s not to say that South Africa is not feeling the pressure and that this tie will be a walk in the park for the home team. De Voest added that “this is the one before the World Group, so obviously there is a little added pressure because of what’s at stake”. The Indian team is, from the outside, looking just about the opposite. On Tuesday their Captain Shiv Prakash Misra stated categorically that Leander Paes would be playing this weekend even though it had been reported in the Indian Press that Paes had pulled out. In the end the original squad did not stand, and Paes will not be taking his place next to Mahesh Bhupathi in the doubles on Saturday.

INDIAN RETIREMENT GIVES SOUTH AFRICA HOPE

An injury to Mahesh Bhupathi in Saturday’s doubles rubber has given South Africa its first point in the Davis Cup World Group play-off tie in Johannesburg. The injury started in the third set of the second game. So Bhupathi tried to play another two games but he felt so bad he had to stop. SOUTH AFRICA INDIA

1 2

R1 – S DEVVARMAN (IND) def. I VAN DER MERWE (RSA) 7–6(5) 6–3 6–4 R2 – R BOPANNA (IND) def. R DE VOEST (RSA) 2–6 6–4 6–2 6–4 R3 – J COETZEE / W MOODIE (RSA) def. M BHUPATHI / R BOPANNA (IND) 6–3 3–6 4–0 – Retired

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World Group 2009

DAVIS CUP

DEVVARMAN

THE HERO as India reaches World Group Somdev Devvarman has successfully helped India back into the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas World Group after beating South Africa’s Rik De Voest 3–6 6–7(3) 7–6(5) 6–2 6–4. The match lasted four hours 44 minutes with Devvarman coming back from two sets and a break down in the third.

“The way Rik was playing, he was really coming out firing, so yes to come out with a win the way I did is definitely one of my better performances,” reflected Devvarman after his crucial win. India went into the third day’s play leading 2–1 and needing just one more point to make its way back into the World Group for the first time since 1998. BRIGHT START FOR DE VOEST

After initially being content to battle things out from the baseline De Voest decided to change things up and play more attacking tennis, making various trips to the net. This earned De Voest two opportunities to break, and he duly accepted both chances. “I was a little nervous in the first couple of games, and I managed to get the break of serve,” said De Voest. “But if you look at that first set he had a lot of break points. The thing I didn’t do well in my first match was play the big points well, and today I did – especially in the first set.” Both players lost their serve twice in the second set but the significant drop came at 5–6, when Devvarman was broken to force a tiebreak. De Voest continued the momentum and required just one set point to wrap up a two-set lead, winning the tiebreak 7–3.

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Photograph by Reg Caldecott

DEVVARMAN FIGHTS BACK

Devvarman broke De Voest’s serve in the fourth game of the third set to come back from a break down, eventually forcing a tiebreak. Both players held serve in the breaker until Devvarman forced an error to gain a decisive 6–5 lead before clinching the set a point later. “I was pretty unhappy with myself, the way things were going,” said Devvarman, who was clearly disappointed with the way he began the match. “He just looked as if he was cruising. Then to get back that break to take him to two all, I think that was just huge.” Devvarman breezed through the fourth set with two breaks of serve helping him to a 6–2 score line. De Voest looked tired and in some ways powerless to do anything about his opponents late charge. DEVVARMAN HAS THE LAST SAY

1ST ROUND

QUARTERFINAL

SEMIFINAL

FINAL

6-8 March 2009

10-12 July 2009

18-20 September 2009

4-6 December 2009

Argentina Netherlands

5 (s) (c) * 0

France Czech Republic

2 (s) 3 (c)

United States Switzerland

4 (s) (c) 1

Croatia Chile

5 (s) (c) * 0

Israel Sweden

3 2 (s) (c)

Romania Russia

1 (c) 4 (s)

Austria Germany

2 3 (s) (c)

Serbia Spain

1 4 (s) (c)

Argentina Czech Republic

2 (s) 3 (c) Czech Republic Croatia

United States Croatia

4 1 (s) (c)

2 (s) 3 (s) (c) Czech Republic Spain

Israel Russia

4 (c) 1 (s) Israel Spain

Germany Spain

(s) (c)

1 4 (s) (c)

2 (s) 3 (s) (c)

Winning nations qualify for World Group 2010

Key (s) Seeded (c) Choice of ground * Choice of ground decided by lot

Results

Devvarman seemed to summon extra energy out of nowhere to play an almost flawless fifth set. He broke de Voest’s serve in the fifth game and never looked back as his opponent failed to catch up.

Czech Republic defeated Croatia 4–1 in Croatia

“Obviously it was very physical, I was obviously doing a lot of work, I was running a lot. Towards the end my tactics were to start running him a lot,” said Devvarman, who was thankful to teammate Rohan Bopanna for his singles win on Friday. “I think I owe Rohan a big favour more than anything. He turned the whole tie around with the way he played on Friday.”

R3 – T BERDYCH / R STEPANEK (CZE) def. M CILIC / L ZOVKO (CRO) 6–1 6–3 6–4

In the fifth rubber, Yuki Bhambri came in to India’s line-up to face Izak van der Merwe. Playing in his first ever Davis Cup tie, Bhambri impressively came from behind to claim a 36 63 64 win and give India a 4–1 victory in Johannesburg.

R1 – R STEPANEK (CZE) def. I KARLOVIC (CRO) 6–7(5) 7–6(5) 7–6(6) 6–7(2) 16–14 R2 – T BERDYCH (CZE) def. M CILIC (CRO) 6–3 6–3 3–6 4–6 6–3

R4 – J HAJEK (CZE) def. R KARANUSIC (CRO) 7–6(4) 6–4 R5 – L ZOVKO (CRO) def. L DLOUHY (CZE) 6–3 6–4

Play-offs World Group, 2009 – Play-off Chile v Austria

3–2

Belgium v Ukraine

3–2

Spain defeated Israel 4–1 in Spain

Brazil v Ecuador

2–3

R1 – D FERRER (ESP) def. H LEVY (ISR) 6–1 6–4 6–3

Netherlands v France

1–4

South Africa v India

1–4

R2 – J FERRERO (ESP) def. D SELA (ISR) 6–4 6–2 6–0

Serbia v Uzbekistan

5–0

Sweden v Romania

3–2

R3 – F LOPEZ / T ROBREDO (ESP) def. J ERLICH / A RAM (ISR) 7–6(6) 6–7(7) 6–4 6–2

Italy v Switzerland

2–3

R4 – D FERRER (ESP) def. A RAM (ISR) 6–3 6–1 R5 – H LEVY (ISR) def. F LOPEZ (ESP) 7–5 6–2

TENNISWORLD

HELD AT THE BNP PARIBAS OFFICES IN GENEVA, THE DRAW FOR THE 2010 DAVIS CUP BY BNP PARIBAS REVEALED THAT SPAIN, THE REIGNING CHAMPION, WILL FACE SWITZERLAND IN THE WORLD GROUP FIRST ROUND.

Spain and Switzerland have met on five previous occasions, most recently in 2007 when the Spanish side, captained by Emilio Sanchez, claimed a narrow 3–2 victory. This win increased the Spaniards’ lead to 4–1 in their headto-head count with Switzerland’s only triumph in 1946.

1ST ROUND

QUARTERFINAL

SEMIFINAL

FINAL

5-7 March 2010

9-11 July 2010

17-19 September 2010

3-5 December 2010

Spain Switzerland

(s) (c)

Germany France

(s)

Russia India

(s) (c)

Argentinia Sweden

(s)

Ecuador Croatia Serbia USA Chile Israel Belgium Czech Republic

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Czech Republic, placed at the bottom of the draw as second seeds, faces a tricky away fixture against Belgium in the first round. The Belgian team will be hoping that its current number one, Kristof Vliegen, will be available to return to action after missing his country’s play-off win over Ukraine.

(c)

* (c)

(s) (c) *

France, who retained its World Group place via the play-offs, hosts Germany with Guy Forget’s young team looking to get its campaign off to a winning start. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the star of the show in September’s win over Netherlands, will enter this tie with a perfect Davis Cup record – won six, lost none.

(s)

* *

(c)

However, not in any of these ties have the world’s current top two players, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, been on opposite sides of the net. The ‘Federer v Nadal’ factor will no doubt be the major talking point in the run-up to this tie although Spain has other priorities before turning its attentions to Switzerland.

Key (s) Seeded (c) Choice of ground * Choice of ground decided by lot

India’s reward for qualifying for the World Group, the first time it has reached this stage of the competition for over

a decade, is a trip to Russia. With old pros Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi still available alongside some talented young players, the Indian team will be hoping for an upset against the 2006 champion. Argentina, runner-up in 2008, travels to seven-time champion Sweden, the fifth time these two nations will have met. In the previous four ties, all coming since 1983, home advantage has proved the determining factor with two wins apiece. Sweden’s victories, in Stockholm and Gothenburg, both came on an indoor carpet court while Argentina selected an outdoor clay court in Buenos Aires for their home fixtures. Following Nicolas Lapentti’s heroics in Porto Alegre, Ecuador faces a trip to Croatia, the 2005 champion. Lapentti, who has now played a total of 93 Davis Cup rubbers, added his name to the history books against Brazil by winning his 13th five-set singles match in the competition, surpassing Frenchman Henri Cochet’s previous record. One of the more intriguing first round clashes involves Serbia and USA, the venue drawn by lot in Serbia’s favour as the two nations have never previously met. If Andy Roddick’s recent record against Novak Djokovic is anything to go by – he has defeated him three times in 2009 – then the Americans will enter this tie as marginal favourites.

In the only tie being played outside of Europe, Israel travels to Chile looking to build on its best ever Davis Cup performance, a semifinal appearance against Spain. Chile edged past Austria in the play-offs to retain its place in the World Group with Nicolas Massu, the Athens Olympic gold medallist, rolling back the years to win the decisive singles rubber.

The full draws for the 2010 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Zonal Group I are as follows: EUROPE/AFRICA ZONE

First Round Austria (s) v BYE Slovak Republic v BYE Netherlands (s) v BYE Belarus v Italy (c)(*) Finland v Poland (c) BYE v South Africa (s) Ukraine (c) v Latvia BYE v Romania (s)

TENNISWORLD

HALL OF FAME

DURING THE GREAT WAR TILDEN WAS REJECTED (DUE TO HIS FLAT FEET) AND SENT TO THE AUXILIARY CORPS. He was still largely unknown and well over 26, when in 1919 he reached the US Nationals ﬁnal and lost 6–4 6–4 6–3 to William Johnston.

STEFANO SEMERARO BIG, IN EVERYTHING! IN HIS TECHNIQUE AND CHARACTER, HIS VICTORIES AND DEFEATS, IN HIS LIFE AND THE LEGACY HE LEFT BEHIND. TENNIS, AMERICAN TENNIS IN PARTICULAR, OWES MUCH TO THE MAN WHO USED TO SEE HIS SPORT AS AN ART FORM – AND NEVER STOPPED FEELING AS IF HE WAS ON A STAGE.

orge Luis Borges, the great Argentinean writer, used to believe that the entire universe was contained in a single letter - the aleph. Somewhat similarly (albeit more modestly) we can look to Bill Tilden and recognise every story and every face of tennis – summarised and reflected in a single human experience. Because Tilden was as arrogant and ingenious as McEnroe, as unbeatable as Borg, as sportsmanlike as Edberg; more theatrical than Nastase and the Williams sisters, a greater perfectionist than Lendl and longer-lived than Rosewall. He was as controversial as Navratilova, as fastidious as Connors, more famous and charismatic than Agassi, a greater socialite than Perry – and more lonesome than Gonzalez. His glory outshined that of Sampras and his end was sadder than Althea Gibson’s.

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A TEENAGER IN THE SHADE

William Tatum Tilden II was born in Philadelphia on 10 February 1893, to a well-off family of old English decent that soon dissolved around him. Dad William Tatum senior was a wool merchant connected with big politics and as a child Bill would crawl between the feet of Theodore Roosevelt and William Taft – both tenants in the White House. Mum Selina was a very gifted pianist. The Tildens lived in the ‘VIP’ suburbs, although not rich enough to afford a cottage in Newport, they were sufficiently well off to spend their summers in Catskills. But the Tildens’ happiness was short-lived. Three of Bill’s sisters died in their childhood and his beloved mother in 1911, leaving Bill distraught. His father and brother Herbert – Bill’s first and only tennis coach – both died in 1915.

Bill was left with his aunt Selena, his father’s beloved sister, and just enough funds to cover his college fees. Growing up as the youngest child in the family, Bill had developed a moody character and an admiration of his older brother and mother. Almost two metres tall, an equine face crossed with a sardonic sneer, his slightly effeminate ways did not exactly make him the idol of his schoolmates. Tennis was a strange vocation for him – initially diluted, then almost toxic. He started handling racquets at six, and even gave a few lessons to cover his school fees, but following a few victories as a teenager he lost interest. As a ball boy at Germantown Cricket Club, he was able to observe from close the likes of Bill Larned, Holcombe Ward, Beals Wright and Norman Brookes and he was truly struck by Maurice McLoughlin’s ‘common’ energy. Despite the affinity on a social level, he could feel a sense of detachment from the Club’s polite and soft tennis. “Nobody would really hit the ball,” he wrote. “Nobody would even sweat, and I could feel that somehow there was something wrong with that.”

He preferred reading, writing and listening to opera. He found a job as a journalist at the Philadelphia Ledger, specialising in theatre and music. Until he turned 25 he was little more than a mediocre athlete, albeit capable of occasional brilliance in varsity matches. He never had a coach. “Keep them away from me,” he would say. “I know tennis as well as anyone else. And what I don’t know yet, I will learn by myself.” And so it was. FROM LITTLE BILL TO FRED PERRY

During the Great War Tilden was rejected (due to his flat feet) and sent to the auxiliary corps. He was still largely unknown and well over 26, when in 1919 he reached the US Nationals final and lost 6–4 6–4 6–3 to William Johnston. Johnston was to become his most stubborn opponent and most recurring victim, as well as one of his best friends. He was Tilden’s shadow, even in his nickname ‘Little Bill’. Johnston was slight and pale and only 1,68 m tall, but he was capable of hitting a phenomenal forehand.

In Gianni Clerici’s words: “Western grip, wide opening and an unbelievable speed, and with a closing slap well to the left of the body.” The clear defeat pushed Tilden into choosing to withdraw to Rhode Island where, according to legend, he spent a whole winter chopping wood in order to strengthen his muscles. In fact, he took apart and rebuilt his own game. “He let go of the over-defensive slice which he had been using up to that point,” wrote Al Stump. “And he began to turn every backhand into a violent and flat drive. He perfected a series of misleading rotations and changes of rhythm. He sweated hard in order to develop a cannon-ball serve ‘McLoughlin-style’ which was impossible to respond to.” When he returned to the tennis courts in the spring of 1920, his opponents were faced with an almost unbeatable master of the game. Tilden began to win everywhere. Rather, for almost a decade he literally refused to lose – especially in the heavy matches. Seven finals in as many US Championships, including that of 1919 played against Johnston. Not to mention a further seven Davis Cup wins and

three Wimbledon triumphs – where he happened to be the first American to break the domination by the citizens of the British Empire. He won twice at Worple Road (in 1920 and 1921) and once at Church Road in 1930, at 37 years of age. Between 1912 and 1930 he conquered 138 of the 192 tournaments in which he took part as an amateur, with an overall tally of 907 victories and 62 defeats (93%). Once turned professional and, until 1937, he accumulated one success after another, beating Vines (at 41, in front of a crowd of 41 000 at Madison Square Garden), Cochet, Perry (at 52) and also Budge. All whilst heaping up a fortune – some $500 000 – which he squandered almost entirely while chasing his acting dreams. According to his biographer Frank Deford, any of today’s champions would have serious difficulty in facing a reincarnation of Tilden. “At times he would play slowly, at times fast,” wrote Fred Perry. He would alternate top spin and slice. He would always look for new solutions. And when he entered the court, he was king. He would dominate the scene. Richard Evans recalls that one

TENNISWORLD

HE WAS BOTH LOVED AND HATED BY THE PUBLIC, WHICH WOULD NONETHELESS CROWD THE STANDS FOR ANY OF HIS MATCHES

day during training Tilden asked Perry to play low and wide on his forehand. “After studying your style for some time,” Tilden said to him at the end, “I realise that a continental grip, rather than my eastern one, is the most appropriate for that type of shot. I could not consider myself a complete player until I mastered it.” Tilden was 40 then. Manuel Alonso remarked that to watch him play was “like watching Nijinsky dance on the other side of the net.” The serve was his best shot, together with his forehand. People said his cannon ball could reach 124 mph, and he was capable of alternating it with a very high kick and a very heavy slice. He could drop and lob with precision, he had phenomenal legs, an exceptional mobility for someone of his height, and he developed a solid backhand. The only shot in which he did not excel was the volley. He was the ultimate theorist of the game. One work among his 12 literary accomplishments stands out – a technical manual that became a bible for most: ‘The art of tennis

TENNISWORLD

and the spin of the ball’. In 1922, when he had to overcome the partial amputation of his right middle finger due to an infection that nearly cost him his hand, he emerged from the experience having perfected a new grip. “Everyone was so keen to see me finished,” he commented mockingly, “but of course I couldn’t give them such satisfaction.” ARROGANT AND GENEROUS

To watch him play was a true show, and not only because of the tennis. Arrogant and dramatic, bordering on grotesque, he would verbally abuse linesmen and judges, managers, photographers and journalists. He would demand – and often successfully – to be his own umpire. Hysterical and sarcastic, unpredictable and capricious – to the point that in Côte d’Azur he once forced a linesman to leave the court. He was both loved and hated by the public, who would nonetheless crowd the stands for any of his matches. His

opponents would instead adore and admire him (except Borotra and Lenglen, also supreme narcissists) for both his absolute fair play and determination in seeking victory. During a Davis Cup in 1923 he deliberately lost the entire third set against the Australian James Anderson, in order to compensate for a mistake he made – was the opinion of a linesman on the set-point of the second. In the Challenge Round of the 1921 Davis Cup Tilden found himself lagging behind by 7–5 6–4 5–3 against the Japanese surprise Zenzo Shimizu. Whilst feverish and plagued by a blister on his foot he miraculously managed to close the third on 7–5, and then threw himself fully clothed under a cold shower in the change rooms of the Forest Hills West Side Tennis Club. When US captain Sam Hardy saw him, he was ordered, “Undress me!” Once changed in dry clothes and with his abscess incised, Big Bill returned to the court and gave Shimizu three games in the remaining two sets. His matches are endless sources of anecdotes, more or less dramatic. At Wimbledon in 1921, after beating Gerald Patterson the previous year, he arrived at the Challenge Round sick and hardly trained. After losing the first two sets to the South African Babe Norton, he withdrew to the back and to his drop shots. The public booed him, Norton let the situation get to him and he conceded the third and fourth sets before coming back in the fifth and reaching two match points on the 5–4. Following an ace, Tilden hit a long forehand, and convinced he had lost, he made his way to the net. But the ball landed inside and, in the confusion, his opponent failed an easy passing shot, thus delivering him a victory. In 1927, during one of his rare expeditions to London (where in 1930 he had last won against all odds) Big Bill managed to lose an incredible semifinal against Crochet. On advantage 6–2 6–4 5–1, he lost 17 consecutive points and the match. During the 1920 Forest Hills final against Johnston – who would end losing his health and dying prematurely whilst attempting to regain his lost supremacy – an airplane even crashed some 150 m from the stadium. But the two went on playing, with the encouragement of the umpire

who feared a disastrous stampede, and only some fifty spectators – among the thousands present – decided to leave the stands before the end of the match. PERSECUTED IN HIS HOMELAND

Tilden would feed the legend also in the Davis Cup. His wins resulted in an endless feud with the USLTA – who did not tolerate the independent, irreverent and protagonist spirit of their own best player. They persecuted him for a long time, cutting his expenses and disqualifying him many times. After tearing the salad bowl away from an Australia bereft, Wilding, in 1920 – but then in the Domain Cricket Club of Auckland that old wizard of Brookes snatched him one set – Tilden continued to defend it for six consecutive years next to Johnston. He only capitulated to the Musketeers in Philadelphia in 1927, during a match poisoned by the usual controversy with the US Federation – and following two failed attacks by Lacoste & Co. It was indeed against the Crocodile, who had already beaten him that year in the Paris final, that Tilden lost his first important match in eight years of Davis. In 1928, when the USA showed up in Paris to take the salad bowl back, a diplomatic affair erupted. Of course, Tilden was at the centre of it. In 1924, in order to protect the amateurish purism, the USLTA had forbidden its members from engaging in journalistic activities. Tilden had responded by signing a columnist contract for $20 000 a year and had been excommunicated. A Bill Tilden Fair Play Society was started in his support, which many celebrities joined from outside the tennis world and the USLTA was forced to accept a compromise. Writing was allowed but not about any tournaments that the writer was taking part in. But Bill did have some fun commentating Wimbledon in the San Francisco Chronicle in 1928. Again USLTA banished him, just on the eve of the Cup semifinal that the Yankees won over the Italians. The final was scheduled to take place in the new stadium named after Roland Garros, but without Tilden it was bound to be a box office disaster.

Bill turned up in Paris and organised a media show hailed by journalists and opponents. The French turned to the American ambassador in Paris, Myron Merrick who, after consulting with President Coolidge, reinstated Tilden to the team. The 35-year-old champion was unfit and Lacoste had beaten him in the previous four direct encounters. On a windy day, the former unbeatable lost the first set 6–1, then decided it was time to change roles and tactics and started slicing every shot. The French went into a total state of confusion and lost in the fifth. In his biography of the champion, Frank Deford so recalled the match: “Tilden could not beat Lacoste Tilden’s way. So he beat Lacoste the Lacoste way.” THE ACTOR’S SUITCASES

It was a useless victory, the only one scored by the Americans in that Challenge Round. Big Bill led two more Davis expeditions to Paris and came out defeated both times. After winning his third Wimbledon against Wilmer Allison, he accepted a contract with Warner Bros to act in a couple of silent films and four sports pictures, and then he turned professional. Tilden had always been histrionic, also outside the court. “When he would walk into a room,” recalls George Lott who also loathed him, “there was a sort of electrical shock. Everyone was in a daze and one had the impression of being in the presence of something regal.” Tilden was far from handsome. He would often walk around in frayed blue V-neck jerseys (hence the nickname ‘Blue Grizzly’), old golfers and oversized raincoats, but he would charm everyone – common people and movie stars alike. He was a friend of Douglas Fairbanks, King Alfonso of Spain, Noel Coward, Greta Garbo, Mary Pickford, and Betty Grable. When, after the death of his aunt Selena (with whom he had continued to live) he relocated to a one-room flat in Los Angeles, one would often find him on Charlie Chaplin’s personal court or as a guest in Joseph Cotton’s villa in Santa Monica. He was the kind of man who would send $400 worth of flowers to his friend Pola Negri, to celebrate a premiere. As a tennis player, together

with Lenglen and Kramer before that, he turned his sport into a business, filling stadiums and newspaper front pages. “He literally sold tennis to America,” according to Stump. In ’46, with Budge, Riggs and Perry he founded the Professional Player Association. “As a tournament director,” recalls Riggs, “he commanded admiration. He would sell the show in all cities, sign the contracts and take care of advertising. He worked relentlessly.” As an actor, he was truly mediocre – if not worse. He acted in a couple of plays on Broadway (The kid himself and They all want something) and he wrote one himself – New shoes – which was briefly on stage at the ‘El Patio’ theatre in LA. His most accomplished role, according to both his fellow actors and detractors, was that of Dracula, in a piece that toured the minor towns for 16 weeks. His ‘soft’ homosexuality had remained in the shade during the golden years – in spite of his passions, platonic though they were, for many young team mates such as Arnold Jones, Art Anderson and Vinnie Richards – but it became problematic during his decline. In ’46 he was arrested for an affair with an under-age gigolo. In ’49 he was sentenced to 10 months imprisonment for having engaged with a 16 year old whom he had picked up in the street. He triumphed in a ’51 Associated Press survey on the greatest sportsmen of the first half of the 1900s, despite the prejudice of the impending McCarthy era. Of 393 votes, 253 went to Babe Ruth in baseball, 210 to Jesse Owens in athletics and 310 to Tilden in tennis. But the end was near. In 1953, while he was packing for a trip to Cleveland, a coronary thrombosis cut his life short. He was 60 years old. Many tennis clubs denied him access and almost all of his old friends had deserted him, except for Chaplin. Of the considerable fortune he had amassed with his art he only had $88,11 left, his old Packard, a few evening suits and an unlikely collection of old jerseys and tennis racquets.

TENNISWORLD

100

TENNISWORLD

-1

3 550

6 Moodie, Wesley (RSA) / Norman, Dick (BEL)

3 115

7 Kubot, Lukasz (POL) / Marach, Oliver (AUT)

3 050

-2

8 Cermak, Frantisek (CZE) / Mertinak, Michal (SVK)

2 320

9 Soares, Bruno (BRA) / Ullyett, Kevin (ZIM)

2 220

10 Damm, Martin (CZE) / Lindstedt, Robert (SWE)

2 125

11 Fyrstenberg, Mariusz (POL) / Matkowski, Marcin (POL)

2 080

-1

12 Parrott, Travis (USA) / Polasek, Filip (SVK)

1 395

13 Aspelin, Simon (SWE) / Hanley, Paul (AUS)

1 370

14 Knowle, Julian (AUT) / Melzer, Jurgen (AUT)

1 330

15 Melo, Marcelo (BRA) / Sa, Andre (BRA)

1 225

16 Fish, Mardy (USA) / Roddick, Andy (USA)

NAME & NATIONALITY

MATCHES

5 590

5 Mirnyi, Max (BLR) / Ram, Andy (ISR)

773 753 739 580 522 489 481 481 458 427

38 59 64 61 35 52 58 65 55 43

1ST SERVE PERCENTAGE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Starace, Potito Verdasco, Fernando Roddick, Andy Monaco, Juan Davydenko, Nikolay Hanescu, Victor Nadal, Rafael Ferrero, Juan Carlos Kunitsyn, Igor Vassallo Arguello, Martin

MATCHES

Karlovic, Ivo Roddick, Andy Querrey, Sam Federer, Roger Isner, John Tsonga, Jo-Wilfried Del Potro, Juan Martin Murray, Andy Chardy, Jeremy Almagro, Nicolas

NUMBER

5 740

4 Bhupathi, Mahesh (IND) / Knowles, Mark (BAH)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

NUMBER

3 Dlouhy, Lukas (CZE) / Paes, Leander (IND)

PLAYER

24 26 23 23 23 22 24 21 27 24 20 25 28 27 21 27 31 13 30 29

RANK

2 2 -2 -2 0 1 -1 0 0 0 3 -1 -1 -1 2 -1 -1 0 1 -1

PLAYER

8 745

10 760 10 760 9 750 9 750 7 440 7 030 6 920 6 710 5 760 5 315 4 550 4 520 4 170 4 080 3 690 3 682 3 592 3 275 3 000 2 860

RANK

9 010

2 Bryan, Bob (USA) / Bryan, Mike (USA)

RANK

TOURNAMENTS PLAYED

POSITION MOVED

POINTS

74 71 70 70 69 69 67 67 67 67

34 58 59 43 50 47 60 48 36 33

890

19 Aspelin, Simon (SWE) / Moodie, Wesley (RSA)

870

-1

20 Pavel, Andrei (ROU) / Tecau, Horia (ROU)

690

MATCHES

Murray, Andy Davydenko, Nikolay Monaco, Juan Nadal, Rafael Cilic, Marin Djokovic, Novak Ferrer, David Robredo, Tommy Del Potro, Juan Martin Verdasco, Fernando Hewitt, Lleyton

35 35 35 34 34 33 33 32 32 32 32

65 50 43 60 48 73 57 60 58 58 45

POINTS WON RETURNING 2ND SERVE MATCHES

965

18 Bolelli, Simone (ITA) / Seppi, Andreas (ITA)

NUMBER

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 9 11

NUMBER

PLAYER

1 000

17 Blake, James (USA) / Fish, Mardy (USA)

RANK

POINTS WON RETURNING 1ST SERVE

PLAYER

NAME & NATIONALITY

RANK

1 Nestor, Daniel (CAN) / Zimonjic, Nenad (SRB)

Nestor, Daniel (CAN) Zimonjic, Nenad (SRB) Bryan, Bob (USA) Bryan, Mike (USA) Knowles, Mark (BAH) Bhupathi, Mahesh (IND) Dlouhy, Lukas (CZE) Paes, Leander (IND) Moodie, Wesley (RSA) Ram, Andy (ISR) Mirnyi, Max (BLR) Ullyett, Kevin (ZIM) Matkowski, Marcin (POL) Fyrstenberg, Mariusz (POL) Norman, Dick (BEL) Kubot, Lukasz (POL) Marach, Oliver (AUT) Fish, Mardy (USA) Aspelin, Simon (SWE) Soares, Bruno (BRA)

RANK

17 17 19 22 23 22 25 24 23 27 25 18 20 20 21 28 24 28 25 16 23 21 26 20 29 17 28 29 29 23 24 29 29 24 29 29 24 29 21 28 25 25 31 25 31 27 25 20 30 27

1 2 3 3 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

ACES TOURNAMENTS PLAYED

0 1 -1 0 1 -1 0 0 1 -1 1 -1 0 0 2 -1 -1 0 0 1 4 -2 1 -1 -3 6 0 1 6 3 -3 -1 1 3 4 7 4 -2 16 -2 3 3 -13 -4 -3 2 4 -2 3 3

TOURNAMENTS PLAYED

POSITION MOVED

POINTS

11 240 8 845 8 390 7 480 6 825 5 310 3 950 3 535 3 430 3 090 3 015 2 885 2 355 2 225 2 195 2 045 2 030 2 025 1 785 1 780 1 670 1 555 1 530 1 460 1 390 1 375 1 330 1 286 1 244 1 225 1 220 1 215 1 207 1 205 1 172 1 159 1 110 1 090 1 084 1 080 1 072 1 064 1 040 998 992 991 986 985 963 930

DOUBLE ATP RANKING – 14/09/2009 POSITION MOVED

Federer, Roger (SUI) Nadal, Rafael (ESP) Murray, Andy (GBR) Djokovic, Novak (SRB) Del Potro, Juan Martin (ARG) Roddick, Andy (USA) Tsonga, Jo-Wilfried (FRA) Davydenko, Nikolay (RUS) Verdasco, Fernando (ESP) Simon, Gilles (FRA) Soderling, Robin (SWE) Gonzalez, Fernando (CHI) Monﬁls, Gael (FRA) Nalbandian, David (ARG) Cilic, Marin (CRO) Robredo, Tommy (ESP) Stepanek, Radek (CZE) Berdych, Tomas (CZE) Ferrer, David (ESP) Haas, Tommy (GER) Ferrero, Juan Carlos (ESP) Wawrinka, Stanislas (SUI) Kohlschreiber, Philipp (GER) Blake, James (USA) Querrey, Sam (USA) Hewitt, Lleyton (AUS) Mathieu, Paul-Henri (FRA) Hanescu, Victor (ROU) Sela, Dudi (ISR) Almagro, Nicolas (ESP) Karlovic, Ivo (CRO) Troicki, Viktor (SRB) Chardy, Jeremy (FRA) Lopez, Feliciano (ESP) Petzschner, Philipp (GER) Benneteau, Julien (FRA) Monaco, Juan (ARG) Tursunov, Dmitry (RUS) Isner, John (USA) Melzer, Jurgen (AUT) Santoro, Fabrice (FRA) Becker, Benjamin (GER) Andreev, Igor (RUS) Beck, Andreas (GER) Kunitsyn, Igor (RUS) Montanes, Albert (ESP) Ljubicic, Ivan (CRO) Gasquet, Richard (FRA) Vassallo Arguello, Martin (ARG) Zverev, Mischa (GER)

DOUBLE TEAM RANKING – 31/08/2009

POINTS

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

NAME & NATIONALITY

RANK

SINGLE ATP RANKING – 14-09-2009

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 7 9 10

Nadal, Rafael Murray, Andy Ferrer, David Davydenko, Nikolay Garcia-Lopez, Guillermo Djokovic, Novak Del Potro, Juan Martin Verdasco, Fernando Ferrero, Juan Carlos Stepanek, Radek

58 56 55 54 54 53 53 53 53 53

60 65 57 50 45 73 58 58 48 47

TENNISWORLD

101

102

TENNISWORLD

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Saﬁna, Dinara Williams, Serena Wozniacki, Caroline Dementieva, Elena Kuznetsova, Svetlana Williams, Venus Azarenka, Victoria Zvonareva, Vera Jankovic, Jelena Pennetta, Flavia

RUS USA DEN RUS RUS USA BLR RUS SRB ITA

7 652 7 437 5 570 5 365 4 773 4 316 4 171 3 301 3 111 3 060

TOURNAMENTS PLAYED

POINTS

18 5 17 13 11 14 10 12 12 9

NATIONALITY

8 500 6 750 6 145 5 042 3 923 3 642 3 286 3 206 3 031 2 203

NAME

USA USA ESP AUS ESP JPN TPE USA RUS RUS

RANK

Huber, Liezel Williams, Serena Martinez Sanchez, Maria Jose Stosur, Samantha Ruano Pascual, Virginia Sugiyama, Ai Hsieh, Su-Wei Raymond, Lisa Petrova, Nadia Kleybanova, Alisa

TOURS

NAME

NATIONALITY

ZIM USA ESP AUS ESP SVK CHN CZE USA RUS

POINTS

Black, Cara Williams, Venus Llagostera Vives, Nuria Stubbs, Rennae Medina Garrigues, Anabel Hantuchova, Daniela Peng, Shuai Peschke, Kveta Mattek-Sands, Bethanie Makarova, Ekaterina

NATIONALITY

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

RACE TO THE SONY ERICSSON CHAMPIONSHIPS SINGLES STANDINGS

16 16 21 17 16 14 14 17 16 21

MIXED

TOTAL

Williams, Serena Saﬁna, Dinara Kuznetsova, Svetlana Williams, Venus Wozniacki, Caroline Azarenka, Victoria Clijsters, Kim Dementieva, Elena Zvonareva, Vera Stosur, Samantha

DOUBLES

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

SINGLES

SONY ERICSSON WTA TOUR PRIZE MONEY NATIONALITY

22 22 6 6 18 17 16 18 21 22 20 19 17 12 19 23 21 17 20 23

NAME

9 420 9 420 6 900 6 900 6 260 5 655 5 520 5 305 5 230 4 960 4 960 4 635 4 630 4 215 4 190 3 925 3 880 3 850 3 700 3 640

CURRENT

ZIM USA USA USA AUS ESP AUS ESP JPN ESP ESP RUS CZE BLR TPE GER USA SVK CHN RUS

NAME

17/02/79 21/08/76 26/09/81 17/06/80 26/03/71 31/07/82 30/03/84 21/09/73 05/07/75 16/05/80 12/08/82 08/06/82 09/07/75 31/07/89 04/01/86 04/06/85 10/08/73 23/04/83 08/01/86 25/01/87

CURRENT

TOURS

Black, Cara Huber, Liezel Williams, Serena Williams, Venus Stubbs, Rennae Medina Garrigues, Anabel Stosur, Samantha Ruano Pascual, Virginia Sugiyama, Ai Llagostera Vives, Nuria Martinez Sanchez, Maria Jose Petrova, Nadia Peschke, Kveta Azarenka, Victoria Hsieh, Su-Wei Groenefeld, Anna-Lena Raymond, Lisa Hantuchova, Daniela Peng, Shuai Kirilenko, Maria

POINTS

1 1 9 9 7 3 4 5 6 11 12 14 13 17 15 18 8 19 16 22

NATIONALITY

1 1 3 3 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

DATE OF BIRTH

16 16 21 17 16 14 14 17 16 21 17 20 19 3 19 13 14 16 20 18 14 16 18 18 22 21 14 19 20 20 20 17 17 22 19 21 18 19 17 20 24 20 19 21 18 17 20 12 20 19

NAME

7 652 7 437 5 570 5 365 4 773 4 316 4 171 3 301 3 111 3 060 2 632 2 575 2 400 2 310 2 301 2 077 2 066 2 053 1 945 1 898 1 880 1 878 1 859 1 702 1 662 1 660 1 641 1 625 1 621 1 610 1 595 1 511 1 492 1 440 1 413 1 395 1 388 1 308 1 303 1 276 1 251 1 215 1 210 1 171 1 165 1 154 1 148 1 142 1 090 1 084

TOURS

RUS USA DEN RUS RUS USA BLR RUS SRB ITA AUS FRA POL BEL FRA FRA SRB CHN SVK RUS RUS BEL SVK RUS ITA ESP GER CHN ESP RUS ARG ESP UKR UKR ROU CZE HUN SUI FRA CAN ITA AUT CZE SVK RUS RUS FRA USA ISR EST

CURRENT

POINTS

Saﬁna, Dinara Williams, Serena Wozniacki, Caroline Dementieva, Elena Kuznetsova, Svetlana Williams, Venus Azarenka, Victoria Zvonareva, Vera Jankovic, Jelena Pennetta, Flavia Stosur, Samantha Bartoli, Marion Radwanska, Agnieszka Clijsters, Kim Razzano, Virginie Mauresmo, Amelie Ivanovic, Ana Li, Na Hantuchova, Daniela Vesnina, Elena Sharapova, Maria Wickmayer, Yanina Cibulkova, Dominika Petrova, Nadia Schiavone, Francesca Suarez Navarro, Carla Lisicki, Sabine Zheng, Jie Medina Garrigues, Anabel Kleybanova, Alisa Dulko, Gisela Martinez Sanchez, Maria Jose Bondarenko, Kateryna Bondarenko, Alona Cirstea, Sorana Benesova, Iveta Szavay, Agnes Schnyder, Patty Rezai, Aravane Wozniak, Aleksandra Errani, Sara Bammer, Sybille Safarova, Lucie Rybarikova, Magdalena Pavlyuchenkova, Anastasia Dushevina, Vera Cornet, Alize Oudin, Melanie Peer, Shahar Kanepi, Kaia

RACE TO THE SONY ERICSSON CHAMPIONSHIPS DOUBLES STANDINGS

DOUBLE WTA RANKING NATIONALITY

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

NAME

CURRENT

WTA SINGLE RANKING 14/09/2009

USA RUS RUS USA DEN BLR BEL RUS RUS AUS

$3 997 212 $3 471 100 $2 295 090 $1 630 520 $1 990 675 $1 567 820 $1 627 200 $1 595 431 $1 249 850 $752 570

$589 274 $6 768 $145 651 $589 274 $46 858 $281 716 $1 585 $825 $142 659 $271 047

$0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $8 997

$4 586 486 $3 477 868 $2 440 741 $2 219 794 $2 037 533 $1 849 536 $1 628 785 $1 596 256 $1 392 509 $1 032 614

TENNISWORLD

103

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104

TENNISWORLD