Tennis World 8

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INTERNATIONAL www.tennisworldsa.com Issue number 8 ISSN 2075-6526

Francesca Schiavone An Unlikely Champion

We interview the new Queen of Paris

The Return of the King Rafael Nadal reclaims his French Open crown and top ranking

Also in this issue Venus Williams’ fashion statement The future of Roland Garros The backhand, forehand and serve Fed Cup Diary Quotes and facts from sa Paris TennisWorld A

A warm & friendly Italian welcome!

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Tennis World South Africa Published by Matchball Tennis

Editor’s Letter

Editor & director Federico Coppini federico.coppini@matchballtennis.com

Roland Garros – Between surprises and confirmations

Contributors Pietie Norval, Danie Morkel, Matt Traverso, Jaco Burger, Wendy Chadwick (SATA) Collaboration Tennis World SA is published in collaboration with Matchpoint Tennis Magazine (Italy).

Special thanks to director Daniele Azzolini and his editing team.

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By the time you read this several weeks will have passed since the last ball was struck at Roland Garros. However, it is always good to wait some time before properly reflecting back on an important tournament, so that you can have a more objective perspective of events.

This year’s French Open was one of contrasts, confirmations and surprises.

The confirmation came with Nadal’s fifth Roland Garros crown – something which most of us were expecting. The surprise came with Francesca Schiavone’s unprecedented and historic run to the title. After 2009 brought Nadal to his knees quite literally, this year has proven to be the Spaniard’s salvation. Back at world number one and winning everything on clay, he seems to have returned to being his old self.

Nadal Nobody before him had won Monte Carlo, Rome, Madrid (or Hamburg until 2008) and Paris in the same year, making his recovery all the more miraculous. His tears after winning his favourite tournament say a lot about Nadal: not just how happy he was to again be clutching the cup, but also how relieved he was that the trials of the past 12 months are now behind him.

He is now just one win short of Bjorn Borg’s record haul at the Parisian Slam, and his 7th Major win has brought him to the same level as Mats Wilander and John McEnroe. His return to number one is also well deserved, and it looks like he’ll be staying there for a while, seeing as he has no points to defend at Wimbledon. Can he break Federer’s record for total Slam victories?

It is an interesting question, since his Swiss rival had only five trophies at Nadal’s age.

Francesca Schiavone’s victory was one of the most surprising in the history of women’s tennis (bookmakers had her at 150:1 before the tournament). She always had a great game, but her new mental fortitude really shone through during those two weeks in France. Thanks to the women’s fantastic performance during the Fed Cup and now this, it is truly a great time for Italian tennis. But of course in sport there is no time to stand still and reflect, and Schiavone will face entirely new tests as the expectations for her performances grow.

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As always, I’d love to hear what you guys think about the magazine and welcome any feedback. If you’d like to see an entirely new section, or perhaps more of an existing one, feel free to write to me at federico. coppini@matchballtennis.com.

Marketing & PR Nicolette Booyens marketing1@matchballtennis.com

I hope you enjoy this month’s issue!

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In this issue

Federico Federico Coppini federico.coppini@matchballtennis.com

Schiavone

Serena and Venus Williams

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Contents

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32 PLAYER FEATURES 17 22 24 32

Teimuraz Gabashvili Venus Williams Francesca Schiavone Shvedova Yaroslava

ROLAND GARROS 10 12 14 16 20 34 36 37 38 39

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Ten Things About Roland Garros Hurricane Nadal Rafael Nadal – The Return of the King The Landlords of Clay Draw Men Draw Women The Future of Roland Garros Junior Tournament Quotes from the French Open Statistics

FEATURES 30 48 54 56 60

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Schiavone and Italian Tennis The Backhand Basics for a Great Modern Forehand Communication in Doubles Paying Attention to your Opponent’s Movements Tips for Hitting the Perfect Serve Fed Cup Diary

INTERVIEWS 26 Francesca Schiavone 70 Neville Godwin 86 Ronnie van’t Hof PRO TALK

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49 50 52 68 73 72

Upper Limb Injuries in Young Players Core Training Attentional Skills My Africa John-Laffnie de Jager Greer Leo-Smith

RANKINGS 44 ATP Rankings 46 WTA Rankings

© 2010 TWSA. Permission Required to re-use any information in printed or digital format.

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The colour of Roland Garros

Ten things that make the French Open stand out from the other Slams.

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he French Open might be the smallest of all the Grand Slams – a fact that was once again repeatedly highlighted this year – but it is by far the most stylish. In Paris it is more about quality than quantity, and almost everything about the event is designed to evoke a feeling of elegance and style. We took a stroll around the grounds at Roland Garros and made a list of the things we think make the Parisian Slam unique.

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Who are the four musketeers of French tennis? No, it’s not Gasquet, Tsonga, Monfils and Simon. The four beautiful statues that stand in the small square between Court Philippe Chatrier and court one are instead of some much older French tennis legends. René Lacoste, Jacques Brugnon, Jean Borotra

and Henry Crochet won the Davis Cup six times in a row between 1924 and 1929, and these statues commemorate their incredible achievements. Vito Tongiani was commissioned to create these masterpieces, and he was also responsible for a fantastic bas-relief of the famous Suzanne Lenglen, which stands in front of the court that bears her name.

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There’s nothing like a nice ice cream cone in the summer, but if you happen to be at the French Open you’ll likely have to settle for watching the more stylish citizens among us eat theirs. A small cone costs no less than four Euros, with a bigger one fetching more than six. In one of the most deliciously ironic signs we’ve seen at a tennis tournament, a notice at the kiosk reads: “We do not accept credit cards or cheques.”

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At the very same kiosk you can also buy a Belgian waffle, though you’ll likely have to take out a second mortgage to do so. You can enjoy them with a choice of ice cream or melted chocolate, but it will set you back nearly five Euros.

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As is the case with the other Slams, people who couldn’t manage to get a ticket for centre court gather around a massive television screen to catch a glimpse of the action.

There’s no lying down or camping out here, however, and everyone conducts themselves with a great deal of restraint and elegance.

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colouring books to keep them busy: instead there is a stateof-the-art gaming exhibition for them to enjoy.

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If you wander along the small roads that take you to the different courts, you’ll notice that the grounds are sprinkled with boutique shops featuring some of the most expensive brands in the world. It feels like a miniature version of the ChampsElysées, and one feels quite grand just looking through the windows of these temples of fashion.

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All of the other Slams have museums that showcase the history of the tournament, but only Roland Garros has its very own “Tenniseum.” It is presented with all the panache and flair of the Louvre, and for three Euros visitors can admire photos and mementos of the tournament winners throughout the years. Every year there is a central exhibition with a particular theme, which makes use of some interesting technology to tell its story.

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At the other Slams, there are often rock bands that entertain the crowds inbetween matches. At the French Open there is also some musical entertainment, but nothing as unsophisticated as rock, rap or pop.

Instead the crowds are treated to some exquisitely dressed figures who deliver pitch-perfect renditions of famous classical and operatic numbers. Very stylish indeed.

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If you are looking for a typical French baguette – one which seems like it’s a metre long, filled with all sorts of interesting, unhealthy ingredients – you won’t find it at Roland Garros. Here there are only small baguettes that are extremely expensive, and they exclusively feature healthy organic ingredients. No wonder the French look so good!

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When you are in Paris it feels like you’re at the centre of the world. Nowhere is this feeling more apparent than at Roland Garros. Throughout the grounds there are signs pointing to certain worldwide destinations, especially the other Slams. Melbourne is 16,950 kilometres away, Flushing Meadows 5,839 kilometres and Wimbledon a mere 365 kilometres.

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For youngsters who have had their fill of tennis, there is an entire area dedicated to them where they can go to get away from it all.

This being the French Open, however, they won’t just find

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Hurricane Nadal Sweeps Through Paris

Is There Any Stopping Him?

by Francesco Posteraro

N

ow that the dust has settled after Roland Garros we can finally reflect on the clay court season, which officially ended in Paris. On the surface, however, there is isn’t much to reflect on: it was all about one man and the trail of destruction he left in his wake as he ploughed through the European clay court events. That man, of course, is Rafael Nadal, who made history by becoming the first man to win all three clay Master Series events in the same season.

He also won his fifth French Open crown and reclaimed the number one ranking from Roger Federer, preventing his great rival from breaking Pete Sampras’ record for most weeks at number one (the Swiss maestro fell short by just one week). With only 2665 (out of 8745) points to defend for the rest of the year, it seems that Nadal has that number one position locked up as well.

So not a bad couple of months for Nadal, then, and all things considered it was pretty easily done as well. Part of that has to do with luck – the Spaniard had a very easy

draw at Roland Garros, and had to face only one Top 20 opponent on his way to the title.

That is of course not Nadal’s fault, and he can do no more than win his matches in straight sets, but it does raise an interesting question: is he back to his 2008 best? In that year he was an absolute bulldozer, not even letting anyone get close to tasting a set. This year he also didn’t drop a set, but he was pushed hard in some of his matches. Probably he isn’t playing the same level of tennis he was back then – the 2008 Nadal was a monster that probably appears only once in a generation at most – but he’s still playing well enough to break some records, especially considering how poorly the rest of the field is performing.

He’s now only one title short of Borg’s legendary haul at Roland Garros, and is also close to eclipsing the number of Grand Slams Borg managed to win by the age of 24 (Nadal has seven, Borg had 10). Nadal has also won at least one major for the past six years, only two short of Federer, Borg and Sampras, who all managed to win at least one for eight straight years. In short, the Spaniard is quickly carving out a place for himself among the all-time greats, and is certainly already firmly entrenched in that category when it comes to playing on clay.

Of course there is one record that Nadal will likely never even get close to: Roger Federer’s unreal streak of 23 consecutive Grand Slam semi-finals.

He was prevented from adding to that incredible run by Robin Soderling, who handed the defending champion a devastating defeat in the quarter-final. As has so often been the case during the 2010 clay court season, the weather conspired against Federer on that gloomy

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Wednesday afternoon.

With rain falling and the clay muddy, he was unable to assert his authority over Soderling, whose extra power gave him a huge advantage in the heavy conditions.

While the past few months have been wonderful for Nadal, they’ve been equally miserable for Federer. Struck down by a lung infection after the Australian Open, he suffered a string of unnecessary defeats, and many say his early exit in Paris is a continuation of that decline. Wimbledon should give us a good idea of where Federer’s game is at the moment, and the grass courts in London might very well determine how the rest of the season plays out.

Indeed, Wimbledon will be a good barometer of whole Tour’s strength. Nadal will want to prove he can reproduce his clay success on other surfaces, Federer will want to prove that he still has some fight left in him and everyone else will want to prove that they are still alive. The year’s first two Slams were very disappointing in terms of the younger players’ performances, especially considering how high expectations were for the

new generation after Juan Martin Del Potro’s win at the US Open last year.

Since the French Open of 2005, 21 Slams have been played. Federer has won twelve of those, with Nadal winning seven and Del Potro and Djokovic each claiming one.

Not since the establishment of the four Grand Slams has such dominance been seen by two players, and by the looks of things nothing is going to change that anytime soon.

For a while it seemed as if Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic would inherit the FedererNadal Empire, but such hopes have been repeatedly dashed over the past year. Since his demoralising defeat at the hands of Roger Federer in the Australian Open final, Murray has gone into freefall, not reaching a single semi-final.

Djokovic has been in poor form for even longer than that, and hasn’t reached a single Slam final since his triumph in Melbourne in 2008. His disastrous meltdown against Jurgen Melzer at Roland Garros this year seems to indicate that it will be a long time until we see him in a championship match of a Major again.

Paris this year.

We have been expecting a lot from this young man for a very long time, and after beating Federer in Miami it looked as if he was finally ready to do justice to his enormous talent. His tremendous run at the

French Open was definitely a step in the right direction, and his win over Andy Murray was particularly impressive. He finally ran out of steam against Soderling, but not before pushing the Swede to his absolute limit.

Despite these promising developments, it seems unlikely that anyone will be able to break the stranglehold that Federer and Nadal have over the Majors. For the foreseeable future, at least, it looks as if their reign will continue.

There was some hope in the French capital, however, as Robin Soderling proved that his magical run to the final last year wasn’t a fluke. For the second year in a row he defeated the defending champion at a Slam event, a truly astonishing feat that few can boast of.

He fell apart in the final, but hopefully he will eventually learn to play his very best tennis during these situations. The Swede certainly has the talent to win a Slam, and has proven that he can beat the very best players in the world if the mood strikes him. He just needs to be able to time his moods better.

Tomas Berdych was another revelation in

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Roland Garros

What a difference a couple of months can make. After brutally losing all of his matches at the World Tour Finals in 2009, many people though Rafael Nadal’s best days were behind him. His withdrawal from the Australian Open seemed to confirm such speculation, and after nearly a year without a title it didn’t seem as if he would ever reclaim his place at the very top of men’s tennis. But after a stellar clay season Nadal is back – and he’s better than ever.

by Stefano Semeraro

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he history of tennis is written with many “ifs” and “buts.” What if Nadal had never been injured last year? Would he have prevented Roger Federer from finally claiming that elusive French Open title?

Would the Spaniard have stayed at number one? It’s fun to speculate, but of course we’ll never know.

What we do know, however, is that at this year’s Roland Garros he was not injured, and instead of losing to Soderling in the fourth round, he beat his old nemesis in the final. It is a beautiful symmetry, really, that he should exorcise all those old demons on the very same court, against the very same opponent, a full year after the lowest point of his career.

His cathartic victory on Court Philippe was his fifth in six years on the Parisian clay –

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his second without dropping a set – and brings him to within one title of Bjorn Borg’s legendary haul at Roland Garros. It also means that he now has seven Grand Slam trophies, which brings him level with legends like John McEnroe and Mats Wilander. He also regained the world number one ranking, and although he didn’t face his rival Roger Federer in the tournament, he still managed to hurt the Swiss maestro by leaving him one week short of breaking Pete Sampras’ record for most weeks at number one (Federer has 285, he needed 286 to equal Sampras).

It is true that Nadal had a very easy draw this year at Roland Garros, but the terrible irony is that Federer is to blame for that – literally. It was with his own hand that he drew the names before the tournament started.

Looking back, it was an ominous start to an

event that would end badly for Federer in so many ways.

Yet even in his demise Federer left one major hurdle for Nadal to overcome: Robin Soderling. The Swede looked like an unstoppable force from the very first match he played, losing only five games in that first contest.

By the time he reached Federer he was razorsharp, and even before they stepped on court there was a strange feeling in the air. That strange feeling turned out to be rain, which started lightly falling on Court Philippe Chatrier after the first set. With heavy conditions setting in, Soderling sensed his chance. He ripped every ball that came close to him, and Federer was unable to put up with the pace.

Having conquered Nadal’s great rival, there was reason to believe that the final would be a contest of epic proportions – one that the

Spaniard might very well not win.

Yet after the first set had been played on the final Sunday, the crowd started sensing that the contest they were hoping for would never materialise. Nadal is 94-1 in Grand Slams after winning the first set, and once he’s ahead he’s almost impossible to stop. Soderling had his chances though, but of the eight break points he earned he couldn’t convert a single one. The Swede never really got into the match, and the killer groundstrokes that had taken him to the final were nowhere to be seen. He still made Nadal cry, however, but this time they were tears of joy.

“I was a bit nervous,” a clearly relieved and relaxed Nadal said after his victory. “I think everybody has doubts, and I am not an exception. Sometimes I also have doubts. Rather, I always do.” But with his emotions spilling over for everyone to see, and the Queen of Spain cheering from the stands, there was no doubt: the king had reclaimed his throne – something that many people thought would never happen. “It was a difficult year for me the last year. For me it was 11 months without winning a title, so a lot of tournaments going back home without a victory, the disappointment of missing Wimbledon. Sometimes it is a big frustration when you are in the US Open and you break your abdominal one week before and you are in Australia and have to retire during the quarter-finals. If you think about the pain, you can’t think about the ball. I was very nervous during all the tournaments, because I knew before that I was ready to try to win another time, and I saw the chances there. When I was crying after the match, it was for me and my people.

Winning in Paris is always special, but this is one of the most important titles because I had a difficult year. This trophy is the most important thing for me. After the trophy, the number one is there.”

Though he downplayed the significance of the number one ranking, it must have meant a great deal to him to recapture what tendinitis stole from him last year. An added comfort will be the fact that he’s likely to keep that number one ranking for a long time, seeing as he has almost no points to defend in the coming months, while all the other top players do.

Yet these are all short-term concerns. What about Nadal’s place in history? His peers seem to be in agreement, as Andy Roddick said on his twitter page: “rafa nadal best ever on clay…period.” But Nadal doesn’t like talk like that. “No, that’s exactly the kind of question I don’t like,” he said when was asked if he’s the best ever. “Because then people say I’m arrogant, that I’m fat headed, which I’m not. I’m very lucky, and I was very fortunate in life to have had the opportunity of experiencing all this at the age of 24.

Never in my wildest dreams would I have dreamt of such beautiful presents. Life was very kind to me. I will tell you at the end of my career.”

As much as the victory meant to him, Nadal didn’t even set aside time to properly celebrate it. “There is no time now, but I will organise it after Wimbledon, and I can assure you it will be special.” Who knows? Maybe it will even be a double celebration…

Rafael Nadal in Numbers

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The number of Grand Slams Rafael Nadal has won (Five French Open titles, one Wimbledon and one Australian Open). He is tied with Mats Wilander and John McEnroe in the Open Era.

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Unforced errors committed by Nadal in the French Open final.

Robin Soderling made 45.

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Number of consecutive matches Nadal won during the 2010 clay court season. During that time he lost just two sets, one to Ernests Gulbis in Rome and one to Nicolas Almagro in Madrid.

With his five French Open titles Nadal is just one short of Bjorn Borg, who won six between 1974 and 1981. Like Borg in 1978 and 1980, Nadal has won Roland Garros twice without dropping a set. Nadal has won 29 clay court titles, which is just one shy of Borg’s total and 16 short of Guillermo Vilas, who is the all-time leader with 45.

There are some areas, however, where Nadal has already surpassed Borg’s achievements. He has won Monte Carlo six times (to Borg’s three) and Rome five times (to Borg’s two). He also reached 200 clay court wins with only 16 losses, whereas Borg suffered 25 losses before he reached 200 wins.

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THE LANDLORDS OF CLAY “La Terre Leur Appartient.” So read the front page headline of the L’Equipe, the famous French sports newspaper, on day two of the French Open. On the left was Bjorn Borg, with Rafael Nadal in the centre and Ivan Lendl on the right. The best clay courters in the history of tennis – according to them at least. And inside the newspaper was a headline just for Nadal: “Champion de la Terre” (“Champion of the Earth”).

At the time it seemed like a risky move. The tournament had only just begun and already the press was acting as if Nadal had won the tournament. However, they would ultimately be proven right, and many people would argue that the result was never in doubt. But can we really, at the age of just 24, call Nadal the best clay courter of all time?

According to Vittorio Selmi, the esteemed ATP Tour manager and someone with a deep understanding of both the champion and the man known as Rafael Nadal, this can be true if we consider Nadal “in the context of his time.” Selmi goes on to explain that “anyone can be considered the best in their own era and, especially in the case of Nadal, it is not only the five Roland Garros wins that make the difference, but also his six victories in Monte Carlo and his five in Rome and Barcelona, not to mention his success in Madrid. With the additional consideration that Rafa still has crucial years ahead of him, during which he

can find more success on the clay.”

“Moreover,” Selmi says, “no one said that it is less difficult to win in Rome or Monte Carlo compared to Paris. Sure, putting together in one ranking players of the same era and others no longer active is never simple, but it is also true that what Nadal has achieved between 2005 and now is something that nobody else had achieved and which will be very difficult to match. And, as I said before, it’s not over yet.”

However, many claim that times are different now, and that players like Bjorn Borg had many tougher opponents to deal with, such as John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors. Selmi disagrees: “This is not the case. Today we only look at Nadal and Federer because they are players who, thanks also to their victories and their rivalry, have completely stolen the scene.

I can assure you, though, that there are many others. [Tomas] Berdych and [Fernando] Verdasco are examples of players who play very well but do not have the same resonance with the media as Rafa and Roger. This, however, does not mean that they are not competitive, and especially on clay where, results at hand, they have demonstrated that they can do very well.”

Corrado Barazzutti, the Italian Davis Cup captain and clay court expert, has a different opinion: “In the times of Borg and Lendl,” he explains, “there was much more competition.

With all due respect to Nadal who remains a great champion, Borg’s six victories in Paris have in my opinion a different weight. In those days there were players such as Nastase, Orantes, Lendl, McEnroe, Vilas, Connors, and after them Wilander, Muster, Bruguera, Ferrero, Agassi and Courier, who seriously raised the bar for the competition. Today, on clay, Rafael Nadal has no rivals. There are no players who can stand up against him in a certain way. Even Federer here at Roland Garros has always lost to, and in some cases been embarrassed by, the Spaniard. Moreover, in my days tennis was played with different materials and this cannot be overlooked when rankings such as those of L’Equipe are compiled. Rankings should be done for each era, then they will make sense. The way they have been done, in my opinion, does not reflect the truth.”

On the subject of equipment Nicola Pietrangeli, who won Roland Garros twice before the Open Era, believes that “Rod Laver, with his wooden racquet, would have gobbled them all up, even Nadal, who in my opinion is still a phenomenon. But trust me, Laver was in a different league.” He has a low opinion of the rankings that are drawn up to show the supposed best players of all time. “They have forgotten myself and many others. The history of tennis is before and after and cannot be limited to a period. Between the late 50s and the early 60s I lost very few matches on clay and believe me, there was plenty of competition.”

Roland Garros

The Wonderful Madness of ing to find some combination of power and prudence that will give him steady results. He is a strange character: his swaggering walk speaks of unlimited confidence, but there is a timidity in his eyes and his constant on-court outbursts seem to indicate that uncertainty haunts his every step. He’s earned himself a reputation – perhaps unfairly – for being a bit crazy. But such silly perceptions don’t seem to bother him, and he has no problem reinforcing that image of himself: when asked if he is really a little crazy, he smiles slightly and says simply “Yes, I am.”

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e’s never even been ranked inside the Top 50, yet Teimuraz Gabashvili enjoys the same kind of fame as his more successful colleagues. His flashy and often spectacular style of tennis makes him a joy to watch, and his colourful on-court temperament is reminiscent of his countryman Marat Safin’s. But his entertaining exploits have never earned him much in the way of results, and he is yet to reach his first Tour-level final.

However, he came a few steps closer to marrying his explosive shotmaking with match wins when he reached the Fourth Round of the French Open this year. His unlikely run started at the qualification stages, and he was the only qualifier to make it to the Round of 16.

At 6.2” and 85 kilograms, the Russian has the perfect build for tennis. He spends most of his time playing on the Challenger circuit (one rung below the top-tier ATP World Tour), hop16

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Yet all professional tennis players need to be slightly mad to commit themselves to the sport. It’s an unstable life – one in which you have to live with the knowledge that even a small misstep could cause a career-ending injury. But Gabashvili’s look is not one of a man who fears injury, it is of a man who fears failure. It is of a man who does not seem quite sure of what he wants to be when he grows up, or how he can make the most of the immense talent he’s been endowed with. It is the look of a child born in Tbilisi, Georgia. Of a young boy who grew up in Russia, and eventually moved to Spain to try and sharpen his tennis game.

In his home country he was taught to play aggressive tennis, never really learning the art of defence. In Spain, it was all about defence, and the young Russian struggled to adapt. It is this contrast of desires, culture and philosophy that seems to be at the heart

of Gabashivili’s struggles. “I was born in Georgia, so I have south blood mixed with north,” he says. “They say it’s very aggressive blood. Sometimes I go out of my mind even in the match, start screaming, you know, up and down always. This my biggest problem, you know. That’s why I know I can play very well tennis, but it was bothering me, you know. So maybe I was winning 3-1, and then it depends. I miss one crazy shot...Then I lose it. That’s why they call me crazy, because of this.”

His time on the Spanish clay courts doesn’t seem to have taught him much patience. On the court, his tactics are always the same: go for winners every time, no matter what the situation. This all-or nothing approach results in fantastic wins when he’s on, or crushing defeats when he’s not. For many years he’s experienced more of the latter than the former, but in Paris this year his luck started changing. Ranked 114 in the world, he started from the qualifiers and won 15 consecutive sets. His run seemed destined to end in the Third Round, however, where he faced former US Open champion and current Top Ten player, Andy Roddick. Against all odds, the Russian came out and played some of the best tennis of his life. In a 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 victory, he hit an astonishing 58 winners – that’s more than two per game on average.

He could do no wrong, and even though Roddick played a great match, he just couldn’t find an answer for the inspired Gabashvili’s magical touch. After the biggest win of his career, Gabashvili for some reason seemed happy to downplay his incredible achievement: “It wasn’t even the best match of the tournament. Against Roddick I just played very well. However, in the second round of the qualification stage against Ascione, I won 6-2 6-0, playing my best match.”

It is that spark of madness and eccentricity that Gabashvili’s fans love about him, and hopefully he can use his Parisian success as a platform for finally launching himself into the Top 50.

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Roland Garros

ANDY AND DJOKO, THIS IS NO GOOD

Men Scorecard

by Patrick Mouratoglou

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he end of Roland Garros also marks the end of the clay season. Rafael Nadal has won his fifth title at just 24 years of age, and his dominance is undeniable. If anything, I have been disappointed by the weakness of his opponents. Rafa prevailed without losing a set, and that says a lot about the level of tennis being played by the other guys on the Tour right now. Even though Rafa is a monster in terms of ground coverage, he offensive game remains ineffective when he up against big hitters.

He was bullied by Gulbis in Rome and Almagro in Madrid, but in Paris nobody really stepped up to the challenge. Soderling failed completely in the final, both because of Nadal’s tactics and his own inability to play his best tennis when it really mattered.

So Rafa reclaimed his crown – and deservedly so – but it is a pity that none of his opponents managed to employ an aggressive game plan to counter his defensive one.

I don’t think that Roger Federer is going through a slump in terms of his form, but his choice to play only right before Slams is starting to catch up with him. He needs to really elevate his game if he wants to win Wimbledon. Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray are, as always, steering a middle course. Grass and the faster surfaces are more suitable to their style of play, but I must confess that I am rather concerned for them: Novak is always at odds with his serve, and the technical changes that he’s made have resulted in a real mess. Murray, on the other hand, continues to lack something elemental in his game: whenever he is put under pressure, he completely loses his bearings.

Though the women served up an unprecedented final, it was ultimately not that much of a surprise. We all know that the Williams sisters struggle on clay, so the road was open for two other deserving athletes to make it to the final. Francesca Schiavone has shown everyone the way to win a Slam: with a mix of spirit, courage, willpower and determination. She truly has the spirit of a champion, and it was a victory of great perseverance.

Worth noting is the total defeat of last year’s

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Roger Federer 4/10

What can we say? Roger blames the rain. It rained in Rome against Gulbis, in Estoril against Montanes and in Paris against Soderling…but is that a valid excuse? Yes, it was bad luck that he had to play in such poor conditions during the clay court season, but as the number one player in the world (at least back then), he should be able to fight through those matches. We hope he gets his game back for Wimbledon.

Robin Soderling 8/10

finalists, the Russians Dinara Safina and Svetlana Kuznetsova. The former has had some trouble since her separation from Zeljko Krajan, the coach that helped her claim the number one ranking last year. Kuznetsova, however, is searching for some new motivation to jump-start the final phase of her career. As for the others: Jelena Jankovic and Elena Dementieva are always in the mix, but never victorious. Caroline Wozniacki lacks the aggressiveness to win her first Slam – her results since the beginning of the season have been disappointing, and her growth seems to have stalled.

There are a number of talented young female players who can reignite the competition in the women’s game and raise the overall standard of the sport. In my opinion, these are the most promising: - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (19 years old/ ranked 30 WTA): She has enormous potential with her attacking game and great strategic mindset.

- Dominika Cibulkova (20/47).

A good mover on the court who could become very dangerous.

- Viktoria Azarenka (20/15). Not playing her best at the moment, but knows how to fight and is a great athlete.

When he is playing well he is almost unstoppable. His huge serve and booming groundstrokes can destroy opponents without ever giving them a chance respond. But when he isn’t playing well, things can get ugly very quickly, as they did in the final against Nadal. Soderling did well to

come through a tough draw and reach the final again, it’s just a shame he couldn’t play his best tennis when it really mattered.

Novak Djokovic 5/10

What happened, Novak? This performance can only be described in one way: meltdown.

For the world number three to squander a two sets to love lead in a quarter-final of a Slam, against a player who he has never lost to before, is unthinkable. The serve, the confidence, the groundstrokes… all gone, and we don’t know if he’ll ever find them again.

Andy Murray 5/10

Considering how poorly he’s been playing lately, Murray was lucky to make it to the fourth round here. There was no pressure, since nobody was expecting him to do well, but that’s about to change

with Wimbledon on the horizon. He’ll have to pull off some sort of miracle to rediscover his game and take his first Grand Slam. If he doesn’t, people will start questioning if he ever will.

Rafael Nadal 8.5/10

The King of Clay reclaims his crown. Was there ever any doubt? Well, maybe just a bit.

But Nadal had a couple of lucky breaks in Paris, starting with his easy draw. He never had to face a Top 20 opponent until the final, and with Federer eliminated the Spaniard only needed to reach out and grab the trophy. While Soderling was a threat on paper, the Swede never showed up on centre court that Sunday, and Nadal did well to help him implode. The only question now is whether Nadal can replicate his clay success on other surfaces.

Nicolas Almagro 7/10

His mental strength has always been a question mark, but Almagro did very well to keep himself together and make a deep run at Roland Garros. Had one or two points gone his way, he might very well have taken Nadal to five sets. Pushing his countryman to two tie-breaks is still a good achievement, though, and he should be applauded for his efforts.

Jurgen Melzer 7.5/10

The Austrian further developed his image as a late bloomer in Paris, and played some incredible tennis to make it to the quarter-finals.

Beating David Ferrer was already quite an achievement, but grinding out that win against Djokovic was nothing short of extraordinary. We hope he can keep up his form for the rest of the year.

- Caroline Wozniacki (19/3). Very talented, but has had a disappointing 2010.

- Aravane Rezai (21/23). A great work in progress. Her firepower is exceptional.

- Yanina Wickmayer (20/16). Athletic and determined, but the start of her season was interrupted by an elbow operation.

- Melanie Oudin (19/35). There is some progress, albeit a bit too slow.

- Andrea Petkovic (22/34). I really like her for her mindset and athleticism. She will be a Top 10 player sooner or later.

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MATTEK INTERVIEW

The Colour of Roland Garros

Venus Williams Fights Fashion With Fashion If there’s a Slam during which it’s a good idea to introduce an outrageous new outfit, the French Open is certainly it. The Parisians know good tennis when they see it, and the same is true of good fashion – if you can impress them you know you’ve done well. Whether Venus Williams succeeded in impressing the spectators was never quite clear, but one thing is certain: she definitely surprised them.

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nly a corset could have added further to the evocation of Moulin Rouge and the tantalising outfits that the ladies wear at that infamous cabaret. Williams’ skimpy dress made headlines around the world, and people were much more interested in her attire than her tennis. Even she was preoccupied by her dress on court, constantly tugging at various bits of it to make sure that it would stay in place for the next point – something that never seemed certain.

Of course she is not the first woman on the WTA Tour to draw attention for her dress sense. Players like Maria Sharapova, Elena Dementieva and Bethanie Mattek-Sands are all known for pushing the limits of the sport’s dress code, and Williams has been trying to join that group for a while now. She succeeded to a certain extent at the Australian Open, but her outfit at Roland Garros took things to a whole new level.

The dress itself was revealing already, but as soon as the first ball was struck it was clear that Williams had another trick up her sleeve to cause some extra controversy. Instead of wearing tights underneath her dress – which is the norm for most other players – she wore flesh-coloured underwear, creating the illusion that she was naked under her outfit. There was an immediate chorus of “ooohs” and “aaahs” from the crowd, and photojournalists

outfit seemed clinically designed to evoke the desire of the male audience, as well as the wrath of more traditionalist tennis fans.

It seemed a direct challenge to the tournament officials, who took no action. This was in stark contrast to their Australian Open counterparts, who instituted a new rule in 2010 stating that all outfits need to be approved before players go out on court.

“This is completely my design,” Williams said of her dress. Her passion for fashion has long been known to the public, as has her desire to design her own clothes. “It was one of my old sketches and it kind of got recycled and I kind of sat on it for a while. Finally it came out. The whole idea is nearly fell over each other to get good shots of what would become one of the major stories of the tournament.

Williams had dropped hints in the weeks leading up to the Parisian Slam that she was planning to wear something unique, but nobody expected anything like this. Her

just about an illusion.”

Her old design has opened up some old wounds as well, and the debate over proper sporting attire is sure to flare up again later in the year. It won’t be an issue at Wimbledon, however, since the tournament features perhaps the strictest dress code of any tournament on the tennis calendar.

Their philosophy is simple: if you don’t dress in a way we approve of, you won’t be playing on our courts. The real test of William’s resolve will likely come at the US Open, where officials have a history of fining players for wearing outrageous clothes – a fact that Bethanie Mattek-Sands is all too familiar with.

Bethanie Mattek-Sands is no stranger to strange outfits – she’s got a reputation for being one of the most creative dressers on the WTA Tour, often sporting colourful, interesting and even outrageous clothes in her matches. However, at this year’s French Open it was another American, Venus Williams, who grabbed the headlines with her skimpy dresses. But Mattek-Sands didn’t mind playing second fiddle to her higher ranked countrywoman, and said she quite admired her taste. “I like Venus’ outfit,” she said at the tournament. “The pink one reminds me of my dress at the US Open a couple of years ago. It’s cool. She plays on the illusion, covering her bottom with flesh-coloured underwear. She will end up on the front pages, good for her. The rule says you can only wear ‘proper tennis attire’. In other words, your ability to express yourself could depend on the supervisor, the tournament you’re in.

Some are more lenient, others less so. I’ve pushed the line a few times. It’s really a hazy line. I think it brings more interest. Tennis is getting in the news.

Why stop us?”

Mattek-Sands has had numerous run-ins with tournament officials over the past few years, and to her surprise the strictest ones were in her own country.

“I was fined ten grand for wearing a hat at the US Open five years ago,” she recalls. “I was fined two grand I think for a shirt that was like sheer. For a while I actually had to bring my clothes in and get them approved. Since this last year I’ve been a little more conservative as far as the clothing goes.

But it won’t last long. This year I’m wearing Under Armour. They’re pretty conservative right now, but they’re getting some cooler stuff and different cuts for the next year.”

The outspoken American likes to choose different themes and dress based on those themes.

“The high socks have kind of been my theme for this year. I’ve brought out different colours, and I’ll continue to do so for the rest of the year. I’ve stuck to body art actually now. It’s kind of my thing for this year. The tattoos. So that’s what I’ve added.”

Staying at the cutting edge of fashion is not easy, however, which becomes very clear when she has to try and fit all her clothes in one case. “In Europe I got to pack for five tournaments. But I’ll at least have half a dozen outfits, all different. I’ll try and change it every match. The mood I’m in, that’s what I’ll wear. I think it’s fun and the public likes it too. It puts tennis a little more out there.”

She has repeatedly come to the defence of Venus Williams, who many have criticised for taking things too far with her revealing dresses at Roland Garros this year. “Venus? I like her new way of dressing. They can’t stop her. If it’s ok for Maria [Sharapova], why should it not be ok for her?”

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Francesca Schiavone

TOURNAMENT HISTORY

A TRIUMPH 34 YEARS IN THE MAKING Nevertheless, Francesca’s chances and our expectations increased round after round and victory after victory. It may not be particularly elegant to quote oneself, but I would like to note that the title of my piece for the Gazzetta on the day of the final read: “She is living a magic moment, she can make it!”

Sadly, a line was cut out from that article, but it remained on my computer. I had written: “I want to say, and on this observation I base my prediction and my hopes, that Francesca Schiavone has never played so well in her entire life. Those who are in this business know that these kinds of things happen.” I would like

All of this is to say that I cannot recall such a steady journey and one so constantly in progress as Francesca’s run to the title. Few noticed that, in seven matches, Schiavone lost only one set (in the first round against Regina Kulikova). After that she won 13 consecutive sets in six matches, four of which were played against higher ranked opponents (Na Li – 11, Caroline Wozniacki – 3, Elena Dementieva – 5 and Samantha Stosur – 7).

by Rino Tommasi

I

was already a veteran of the press room at Roland Garros when, in 1976, Adriano Panatta won the French Open. When I was asked to compare that great event with this year’s Italian triumph, I easily remembered how Panatta’s success had appeared, if not certain, at least highly likely after he beat Bjorn Borg in the quarter-finals.

There were still some nervous moments, however, such as his diving backhand volley to save match point against Pavel Hutka, and his tough matches against Eddie Dibbs and Harold Solomon, who were rather similar in their style and thus within reach of the eventual champion. I think it is appropriate to remind younger fans, who never watched Panatta play, that he used to prefer defensive opponents over aggressive 24

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to think that the very competent colleague at the Gazzetta who cut that line may have found my prediction too optimistic and toned it down, without changing the essence of my thoughts.

ones. The backhand passing shot was not his favourite, and his opponents used to know that – but few players knew how to defend the net quite like him.

Panatta played as the favourite both in the semi-final against Dibbs (by far one of his best matches ever) and in the final against Solomon, in which he took some big risks. I still wonder how things would have ended had he not won the tie-break in the fourth set, when his tank was running on empty. In any event, it ended well for him and Italy.

This time around, Francesca Schiavone’s journey was marked by an exceptional confidence and calmness, especially when you consider that she wasn’t at all expected to do well here.

Of course luck was on Schiavone’s side at times – as it was with Panatta when he saved that match point – and Dementieva’s withdrawal was one such instance. I also like to recall another sentence (this time uncut) that I wrote as a comment to the final: “You need not be in a class by yourself to have class, and Francesca had plenty.” In the more important matches Francesca did not make a single bad choice. All of us underestimated to some extent her performance against Na Li, who had badly beaten Fran-

cesca at the US Open last year. We followed with some concern, but with optimism too, the match against Kirilenko. The rest was a triumphal march, and the final a masterpiece.

For some years I have had the habit of compiling a points-based ranking system for each Grand Slam tournament. Well, for the first time in its tennis history, Italy features at second place in the women’s section and as high as fifth in the ranking that includes the results of both main draws. It is evident that Francesca’s extraordinary and surprising deed has contributed to this.

But while Schiavone did Italy proud in the main draw, the performances of those who would follow in her footsteps – the juniors – were much less impressive. Italy didn’t even have a female presence in the Junior draw, and the male representative quickly fell out. This is where the Schiavone effect could reawaken some enthusiasm and initiative in Italian tennis players. It has been rightfully pointed out that Italy failed to capitalise on Panatta’s success in 1976, and to repeat that mistake would be unforgivable.

By winning the French Open, Francesca Schiavone has done a lot for Italian tennis and women’s tennis in general. Hopefully it will inspire other players who never thought they’d be able to break the Williams deadlock to launch fresh assaults on the established Queens of Tennis.

And as far as Italian tennis goes, here’s hoping that it won’t be another 34 years. Thank you, Francesca.

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An Interview With Francesca Schiavone

Let’s start from the end. After the victory, the prize-giving ceremony, the party on court and in the pizzeria, the night spent in the disco and the return to the hotel the next morning…Right at that moment, did your thoughts go back to the tie-break that has changed your life?

“In my opinion, it wasn’t only that tie-break, but a variety of things. Since the first round, when I started to fight point after point, bringing out that pluck that you can only show if you have it within. My thoughts went back to the match in the third round against Li Na, when I played one of the best matches of my life, back to the fourth round, when the danger lay more in the powerful tension that I was feeling within rather than the technical level of the match itself, back to the quarter-finals when I defeated Wozniacki, the world number three, who had won more matches than all the others in the last year and a half, back to the semi-final when, thanks to my compactness and solidity, I managed to make a player like Dementieva give up, to the final against Stosur which I planned to win since the very beginning.”

Still, that tie-break remains the symbol of fifteen extraordinary days – when the real Francesca Schiavone emerged. And so did her way of being a woman, her way of life, her unbridled desire to win, her way of interpreting tennis…

“Actually it was a moment that gave rise to true emotions, mainly in those who live off and for tennis.

I think I have put in all that I have ever since I started playing tennis. My tennis life can be summarised in that tie-break, in that match, in emotions and jumps of joy. I think about it, and still I feel a thrill over that backhand dropvolley. At that point I felt that the match was mine, that I wanted it, that whatever was happening to me then was priceless, that it would be unique: mine, ours. And also of all the people who, right then, both on Court Philippe Chatrier and at home were sharing with me that extraordinary moment.”

Life is made of phases. A year ago you 26

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used to ask yourself questions about your present and your future, and in Wimbledon you mentioned a new chapter in your life, and the fact that you were at last happy to get up in the morning, to train, to get on the tennis court and play. Today do you ask yourself why you are happy?

Now that the world smiles at you, do you wonder why?

“I do wonder why, and I have also given myself some answers. I am happy for two reasons.

First because each of us chooses to be and

to feel what we want, trying to get on well with ourselves. Then because I have made a dream come true, a dream that I had to attain, but that, in some way, was also given to me.

Obviously if I had not been so realistic as I am, I would have never been able to wish for it, nor would I have looked for it.”

Unfortunately there are people who – in order to live the same emotions as you do, to charge themselves with pure adrenalin – do the wrong things, thus

putting their lives at risk. Unlike them, you succeeded in finding this enthusiasm acting on what you have within, on yourself, playing and doing what you have always wished for. Can yours be a message of hope for others?

“I think it can. I believe and hope that I’ll be able to embody an important message in this sense. I know where I’ve come from and how far I’ve walked to reach this point, and this is because we all can be what we want to be.

No matter where we start from, no matter the colour of our skin or what religion we believe in, no matter whether we love sex or rock ’n roll, no matter if we own nothing or everything. From a material point of view we can move from anywhere, but what we really are, nobody can take away from us. Nobody can ever rob us of what we are.”

Can you explain to us why you are like that?

“Because I know where I’ve come from, I’m aware of that. And I’ve always lived at 100% any stage in my life.”

Yesterday, today, tomorrow. In other words, from the 5th of June onwards. Do you feel that your friends are always the same or not?

“Of course they are the same, and it is unbelievable that they should have come all the way to Paris. Some of them came by car, without sleeping because they couldn’t do otherwise. These things touch me more than anything else. Having seen them, having hugged them, knowing that they understand nothing about tennis, that in the stands they kept asking: “what is a tie-break?”, “what is a match point”, “then she is winning, go for it” and so on. I’ve been told all that, and this makes me crazy, crazy with joy at the thought that all this is part of my life.”

Right now, how much do you feel a woman, or a champion, or Francesca?

“Without being a woman and without being Francesca, I could have never become a champion. One thing is linked to the other. I feel a woman, so that I can show the others that I am one. I am a champion because now I sleep with the Roland Garros cup at my bedside and therefore I hope to share the trophy with myself. I feel Francesca, because I act as a tennis player, but I am not a tennis player. I must rejoice at what I do, but not be its slave…this is what my great master used to say.”

Do you feel more loved or rather envied right now?

“Loved.”

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Does the fact that you are too good or generous make you hide the opposite at times, maybe even unconsciously?

“I don’t agree. To be good doesn’t mean to be naïve or stupid. To be good means to be generous, to know how to love, share, accept others and accept yourself. And I think I can communicate love.”

It is beautiful to communicate love.

“I know, but if I were to communicate envy, it could be the end. I would die before the others.”

prove anything else.

“Give me time to learn, because now I’m going to discover new things. Of course, otherwise I wouldn’t have done all this. And then because I am naturally curious. I’m looking forward to playing on grass, playing my first match, going to Wimbledon, feeling the same emotions as last year or having new ones. If I were not so curious, I wouldn’t be what I am.”

Do you know that your difficulties are about to begin?

“Why?”

Let’s go back to Saturday the 5th of June.

The lights of popularity are turned off.

In your room, with silence around you, which was your first thought?

“I was alone in my room. I can’t tell you what my first thought was. I was alone, nothing, unfortunately nothing…”

Because you have won Roland Garros, because you are number six of the world, because Italy is a peculiar country.

“Because you must win and convince, always.”

Come on…

“No. Jokes aside. I think I have sensed peace rather than thought about it. Peace with myself. I think that I felt I had become the champion of Roland Garros.”

That’s right. Win, win and win again. And yet Roland Garros has been won only by Nicola Pietrangeli, Adriano Panatta and Francesca Schiavone.

“Give me time to learn it. Now I can’t tell you if it’s going to be more difficult or easier. I must still learn it.”

A year ago you were living a very delicate moment. You were wondering about your present and your future. Do you realise that, since that Wimbledon – which you are going to live again as an absolute protagonist – a lot has changed?

“A year ago I was going through a very difficult, special moment. Managing to find my balance, choosing to remain alone, not having a permanent coach any more: I took a very important and responsible stand, one that made me grow a lot. Therefore going back to a place where I have new and fresh pleasant memories is wonderful.”

But we believe that Schiavone need not

You have received incredible congratulations from genuine tennis legends like John McEnroe and Martina Navratilova.

Now that all is over, do you realise the magnitude of what you’ve done?

“Yes I do, I’ve made a mess. The first thing I told McEnroe was not to tease me, to be serious. Words such as honour and emotion for all that I’ve done can only be trivial responses that do not belong to me…But actually it is so.”

Then with Martina…..

“We went to Novotna, who lives in a very beautiful house. Forty of us went there, they welcomed me and we enjoyed a wonderful party. Then a disco, and another one, but that party, I swear Carlè [Carlo Tessier, the hairdresser who shared this interview with us and who prepared Francesca for her meeting with Silvio Berlusconi in the afternoon] that party was marvellous. Martina and Novotna, the winner of Wimbledon, congratulated me.

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I asked myself: I am talking to two legends of tennis, and they drink a toast to me, isn’t it incredible? And I toasted to them and to what they had given me when I was a child.”

Do you realize that the children who will approach tennis now will do it thanks to you and to what you did? Will they have your poster in their room, the same as you had Martina’s?

“It may be true, but can you picture me hanging from a wall? Anyway it’s good to think that they may approach tennis thanks to me.”

Is friendship or love more important for Schiavone?

“They go together, arm in arm. But love comes and goes.”

Friendship stays if it is true friendship.

“Yes, but if you don’t love your friend, there can’t be friendship, and if you are not friendly with your lover, love is incomplete.”

So many things have been written and said since you won. Of these, which has made you happiest, and which has annoyed you?

“The thing that I appreciated most is that people thanked me for the emotions that I stirred up in them.

Whereas the thing that most annoyed me is that they touched me, that people want to touch me, whether I like it or not. Perhaps because I am not used to it. I swear, I am not fussy, but all this bothers me.”

So many questions, hundreds of interviews. Is there one that you wish someone had asked you, one to which you could have given a reply you had been thinking about for a long time?

“I should have time to think. I don’t know now.

Yours is a beautiful question, surely something that I’ve always had in mind. But I don’t know, I need time to think, and I’m afraid we don’t have all this time left.”

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Francesca Schiavone in Numbers 21

How past Italian greats measure

up to Schiavone’s success

Name

Year

Event

Result

Francesca Schiavone

2010

Roland Garros

Won

Maud Levi Rosenbaum (*)

1930

US Open

Semi-final

Annelies Ullstein (**)

1949

Roland Garros

Semi-final

Silvana Lazzarino (***)

1954

Roland Garros

Semi-final

Lucia Valerio

1933

Wimbledon

Quarter-final

Maud Levi Rosenbaum

1934

US Open

Quarter-final

Lucia Manfredi

1947

Roland Garros

Quarter-final

Annelies Ullstein

1948

Roland Garros

Quarter-final

Annelies Ullstein

1950

Roland Garros

Quarter-final

Sandra Cecchini

1985

Roland Garros

Quarter-final

Raffaella Reggi

1987

Roland Garros

Quarter-final

Laura Golarsa

1989

Wimbledon

Quarter-final

Francesca Schiavone

2001

Roland Garros

Quarter-final

Silvia Farina

2003

Wimbledon

Quarter-final

Francesca Schiavone

2003

US Open

Quarter-final

Flavia Pennetta

2008

US Open

Quarter-final

Francesca Schiavone

2009

Wimbledon

Quarter-final

Flavia Pennetta

2009

US Open

Quarter-final

Lucia Valerio

1931

Roland Garros

Fourth Round

Lucia Valerio

1934

Roland Garros

Fourth Round

Adriana Serra Zanetti

2002

Australian Open

Fourth Round

The number of wins Schiavone has over Top Ten opponents, of which only five came at Grand Slam tournaments: Victoria Azarenka (ranked number 9, 2009 U.S. Open), Agnieszka Radwanska (10, 2010 Australian Open), Wozniacki (3), Dementieva (5) and Stosur (7) at Roland Garros in 2010.

1-10

Schiavone has beaten the world number 1 twice (Amelie Mauresmo and Justine Henin), the number 2 twice (Svetlana Kuznetsova and Serena Williams), number 3 twice (Amelie Mauresmo and Caroline Wozniacki), number 4 twice (Serena Williams and Amelie Mauresmo), number 5 once (Elena Dementieva), number 6 once(Amelie Mauresmo), number seven once (Sam Stosur), number 8 once (Elena Dementieva), number 9 six times (Petrova, Schnyder, Bartoli, Radwanska, Azarenka and Kuznetsova) the number 10 six times (Tauziat, Sugiyama, Kuznetsova, Dementieva, Radwanska and Bartoli).

29 Years, 11 Months

Schiavone’s age when she entered the Top Ten. She is one of the oldest women to achieve this feat. Nathalie Tauziat did it in 1998 at the age of 30 years and two months, and Betty Stove

also did it in 1976 at the age of 31 years and three months. The oldest woman ever to appear in the Top Ten was Margaret Court at 33 years and three months.

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Francesca Schiavone’s ranking after her French Open triumph. It is the highest ranking ever achieved by a female Italian player.

Adriano Panatta still maintains the record for the highest ranked Italian ever to play the game. He reached number four in the world on August 24, 1976.

6,395,986

Total prize money (in US Dollars) that Francesca Schiavone has won in her career.

4

The number of titles that Schiavone has won in her career: Bad Gastein in 2007, Moscow in 2009 and Barcelona and Roland Garros in 2010 .

10

The number of times Schiavone has played in the French Open

(*) Annelies Ullstein, born in Dresden, Germany on November 3, 1919, became Italian by marriage after wedding Renato Bossi. (**) Maud Rosenbaum, born in Chicago on January 13, 1902, became Italian in 1927 when she married George Levi. (***) Silvana Lazzarino, born in Rome on 19 May,1933, was the last Italian woman to reach the semi-final of a Grand Slam (Roland Garros, 1954). She Won 11 national titles (7 singles, 2 doubles and 2 mixed doubles) and 4 international tournaments (Monte Carlo in 1954; Buenos Aires, Barcelona and Stuttgart in 1954 and 1959).

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Yaroslava Shvedova

A Wise Investment Y

aroslava Shvedova is the first player from Kazakhstan to break into the Top 30. She is also the first player from that country to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final. On her way to the last eight at Roland Garros she beat two seeded players in the form of Agnieszka Radwanska(8) and Alisa Kleybanova (28), and only barely lost to an inspired Jelena Jankovic.

Not bad for someone from a country that’s not exactly renowned for the quality of its tennis players.

However, a quick investigation soon reveals that Shvedova’s tennis pedigree is much more impressive than her current nationality would imply. Born in Moscow, she played tennis at the famous CSKA club, which was also frequented

by Elena Dementieva and Anastasia Myskina.

In 2008 she was approached by officials from the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation, who wanted her to change her nationality and join their ranks. It was part of a recruitment drive aimed at strengthening Kazakh tennis – the country is rich in oil but poor in talent, and they have been looking to secure good players from outside sources.

They made her an offer she couldn’t refuse, and she gladly accepted. It’s tough for young Russian tennis players, because the country is so large and filled with promising young stars that

very few get help from tennis federations. For Shvedova, the Kazakh offer was a way for her to pursue her tennis dreams. “I accepted because I wanted to play in Fed Cup and the Olympics,” she says of her decision.

The Kazakh Federation now pays for her travel expenses, and she also receives a “salary” each month.

Even though she still lives in Moscow she is officially considered a citizen of Kazakhstan, and the fans in her adopted country have wholeheartedly embraced her. After her recent run at Roland Garros she received a call from the president, and the heads of the tennis federation flew out to cheer her on.

Shvedova’s success is hardly surprising. At nearly six feet she is one of the taller women on the tour, and her physical build is ideal for the sport. She comes from a family of athletes, and her mother Nurzia was a world champion 100m runner when she was younger. “When I was little my parents had no money for a babysitter, so I went with them to the stadium while they trained.

Growing up I practiced every kind of sport: basket-

Women Scorecard

by Raffaella Reggi

Francesca Schiavone 11/10

ball, swimming, skiing. I could not live without sport.”

As far as her tennis is concerned, Shvedova sees herself as an all-round player. “I am powerful, I can play both defence and offense. I train hard to improve every aspect of my tennis.” She turned pro in 2005, and since then has steadily improved her ranking from 764 to 29.

But cracking the Top 30 and reaching a Slam quarter-final is only the start of her ambitions, and she wants to go all the way to number one in the world. “I have confidence in myself. Hard work pays off and I’m getting results,” she says enthusiastically.

Her passion for tennis is perhaps best illustrated by her first victory on the WTA Tour at Bangalore in 2007. “I entered the main draw as a lucky loser and I won the tournament. For the first time in my life I cried with joy. The only problem was that I could not stop crying and they had to postpone the ceremony.”

Whenever someone wins a Grand Slam title, they make a bit of history. However, Schiavone made more history than most by becoming the first Italian woman in history to win a Slam. It was perhaps the most unbelievable run that the women’s game has seen in decades. Schiavone played like a member of the Top Ten, and most importantly kept her composure as if she was world number one. A job truly well done.

Samantha Stosur 9/10

She left a trail of potential champions in her wake – Justine Henin, Serena Williams and Jelena Jankovic all fell before he mighty groundstrokes, and the Australian seemed unstoppable for the better part of two weeks. Unfortunately she couldn’t play her best tennis when it mat-

tered most, but she did herself and her country proud. Hopefully we’ll see the Aussie in many more Grand Slam finals in the coming years.

Jelena Jankovic 7/10

For a while it seemed as if she might be on her way to Grand Slam glory, but she well woefully short in the semi-finals.

Her counterpunching game just couldn’t keep up with Stosur’s incredible power. This is a step in the right direction for the Serb though, and she just needs to keep working hard.

Serena Williams 6.5/10

It isn’t often that Serena Williams is outmuscled on a tennis court, but that’s exactly what happened in her match against

Stosur. Silly mistakes didn’t help the American, either, and the third set in particular was a poor effort.

Venus Williams 5/10

Her dress created quite a stir and made Venus the centre of attention for a while, but a dress won’t get you to the final of a Grand Slam. Her match against Nadia Petrova

was awful, and she needs to do much better than that if she is ever to triumph in Paris.

Nadia Petrova 7/10

A solid performance from the Russian, who for once was able to conquer her nerves and finish off tight matches.

The one against Rezai was particularly tough, and she did incredibly well to come back the day after the match was suspended and beat a French opponent in front of a partisan crowd.

Justine Henin 6/10

She was looking mighty solid until she ran into Sam Stosur, but her nerves obviously overwhelmed her in that match.

She said that this is a transitional year and that the loss doesn’t mean that much to her, and we hope that’s true.

Wimbledon should be interesting for her.

So if you’re a tennis fan and happen to be present when Yaroslava Shvedova plays in a Grand Slam final, you might want to take a life jacket with you, just in case she floods the stadium.

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End of an Era?

The Future of Roland Garros Expansion or eviction? That is the question facing organisers at one of the world’s most prestigious tennis events. Since 1928 the tournament has been held at the Stade de Roland Garros in Porte d’Auteuil, but it has become so popular that it has outgrown its current home in the heart of Paris. In order to keep up with the times a decision has to be made about the future of Roland Garros, but it’s not an easy one.

Need to Renew While everyone involved has for many years been turning a blind eye to the crisis facing the French Open, the situation has reached the point where it can no longer be ignored.

Roland Garros has fallen far behind its other Slam rivals, and the numbers tell a sobering

story. The Parisian Slam is located on grounds that cover about 8.5 hectares, while the other Majors cover 14-20 hectares each. That’s more than twice as much in certain cases, which means that those other tournaments can get many more people through the turnstiles over the course of two weeks. In 2009, the French Open accommodated 424,340 spectators overall, which pales in comparison to 511,043 for Wimbledon, 653,860 for the Australian Open and a staggering 721,059 for the US Open. The differences are vast, and the reason for the disparity is simple: there is no more space at Porte d’Auteuil.

Another major concern is the weather in Paris, which was again an issue in 2010. The French Open has no covered courts, which means that there are long periods where no tennis can be watched at the stadia and, more importantly, where no live tennis can be broadcast on TV. If tennis is to grow, it needs to be able to compete with others sports that aren’t affected by the weather. The Australian open has already addressed this concern, and features two (soon to be three) roofed arenas. Even Wimbledon,

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Roland Garros – The Juniors Tournament

Eleven years after Guillermo Coria’s triumph, Argentina once again has a junior French Open champion.

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a tournament notorious for its stubborn adherence to old traditions, has capitulated and built a roof over centre court. The US Open also has no covered courts, but organisers are scrambling to try and find a solution.

The ideal scenario would see the French Open stay put and simply extend its grounds into the surrounding area. But as Gilbert Ysern (the director of the French Tennis Federation) has pointed out, there are many problems with such a proposal. Perhaps the biggest hurdle is the fact that the beloved Jardin des Serres d’Auteuil (a vast botanical garden that almost surrounds Roland Garros) lies in the way of any expansion. There has been pressure from politicians to drop the idea of converting a part of the gardens, and the notion of ripping up one of Paris’ most beloved landmarks doesn’t sit well with too many citizens. If organisers somehow got the go-ahead, they would likely build a new stadium to replace Court Suzanne Lenglen, which would boast an additional 5000 seats (increasing the capacity to about 15 000). Building a roof over the existing main courts, however, is a hugely difficult undertaking, which will require – among much else – moving the press centre to another location.

The French Open at Versailles?

If political pressure and practical difficulties prove insurmountable, the tournament would likely seek a new home somewhere within Paris or on its outskirts. There seem to be two sites that are being considered

at the moment: Versailles, which was the home to many of France’s kings and queens for centuries, and Marne-La-Vallée, where Disneyland Paris is located. The former is widely regarded as being the favourite at the moment, and many commentators have said that it’s the only viable location if the French Open is to retain any of its charm. Regardless of the possible locations, most players seem content to keep Roland Garros exactly where it is. Roger Federer has said that he hopes the tournament won’t move, but if it does that it happens after he’s retired. Rafael Nadal has also voiced his dislike of the idea.

The fate of the championship will finally be decided in February of 2011, when all the decision makers will meet to discuss the situation. Until then, we can only speculate as to the fate of the venerable French Open.

hile everyone was talking about the Soderling-Nadal rivalry in the main event’s draw, a possible future rivalry was playing out on Court 2 at Roland Garros.

The Argentine Agustin Velotti had a good record against his countryman Andrea Collarini going into the final, having beaten him soundly in the final of the 2008 Torneo dell’Avvenire.

Two years later, the result would be the same, with the only difference being that Collarini is now a US citizen, having permanently relocated to Florida. It was still a tight contest, but Velotti ultimately prevailed 6-4, 7-5 to become the first South American to lift the trophy in more than a decade. “It is always difficult to play a match against an opponent that you know so well,” said Velotti, who did not drop a single set throughout the course of the tournament.

“Roland Garros is my favourite tournament, together with Wimbledon.”

in the third round and the reigning Internazionali d’Italia champion Beatrice Capra in the quarter-finals. With her newfound confidence she played some outstanding tennis, exacting revenge on the Tunisian Ons Jabeur in the final, who had defeated her a few weeks earlier in the Astrid Bowl. The score was 6-2, 7-5, and

Svitolina never looked as if she was going to lose. “This victory will change my life,” she said after her win.” I spent all night thinking how to play this opponent who upsets me with her game made of constant changes of pace, but I was able to keep up the tension without giving in to anxiety.”

In the Girls’ singles, the Ukrainian Elina Svitolina also made a bit of history, becoming the first girl in her country’s history to win the French Open Junior Championship. The 16 year-old from Kharkov was not even seeded and had a tough road to the finals. She was pushed to three sets on several occasions, and had to face some very experienced players along the way. She defeated the fourth seed Nastja Kolar TennisWorld sa

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Quotes From Roland Garros “He hit anything at me. He left me on the ground. I had the impression of being his pigeon…”

Josselin Ouanna after being crushed 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 by fellow Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga “Disappointed? Yeah, of course I’m disappointed. I prepared really good for this tournament, but it’s okay. It’s a Grand Slam, it’s a big tournament. But I have maybe nine, eight more years of my career, I will have 20 Grand Slams in front of me, and if I concentrate on one, which wasn’t that good, I will get nothing, but it’s okay.”

Ernests Gulbis after being forced to retire in his first round match due to an injury “For a while I actually had to bring my clothes in and get them approved” Bethanie Mattek-Sands on having to tone down her eccentric look “I mean, of course you want to win, and especially when I saw her, she’s cramping. Then I just started to look at her instead of thinking what I was doing until 4‑1. And then I was thinking more about her than about myself, what I had to do. I lost the momentum”.

Dinara Safina after her loss to the 39 year-old Kimiko Date-Krumm “I was in worse situations, and I mean, that’s life. After rain, the sun always comes. I will do my best”.

Safina on her recent poor form “Because of my husband. He’s a racing driver. He loves the sport and he loves tennis.

So he always asked me, why don’t you play tennis one more time? This is just for fun, not serious. Then he wanted to see me. Because when I met him, already I was retired. Then he pushed me very hard. I just decided to come back on the tour …”

The 39 year-old Kimiko Date-Krumm speaks about why she returned to tennis after more than a decade in retirement “When I was a child, I used to hit every ball as hard as I could.

That is why I was sent to Spain, to learn how to construct points.”

Teimuraz Gabashvili on his attempts to tame his aggressive nature “I have never been so close to winning at Roland Garros!”

Nicolas Mahut after reaching the second round for the first time in eight attempts “I will have to go onto Google when I’m back in my hotel room, to try and see how he plays” Andy Roddick on Blaz Kavcic, his opponent in the second round “I felt a bit embarrassed sliding and finding myself lying on the ground. I tried to lift my spirits by doing a few push-ups”

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ROLAND GARROS

Robby Ginepri confesses he isn’t very comfortable with sliding on clay “If I hadn’t believed in my game, I would have caught a plane and I would be with my fiancée, having a barbecue at home” Nicolas Almagro on his self-belief before facing Rafael Nadal “Monica Seles was my favourite player when I was ten. If I scream on court today, it’s her fault” Venus Williams defends her screaming during matches “I never play two points with the same ball. Never” One of Rafa Nadal’s many idiocynracies “It would be great to make the Grand Slam in doubles with Serena, especially for our CVs” Venus Williams on the prospect of making doubles history “I hardly had any sleep. As soon as I closed my eyes, I could see the match again playing in front of my eyes” Nadia Petrova after her match against Aravane Rezai was suspended due to bad light “My nerves were simply not strong enough today. I felt very nervous, very upset, which is normally not the way I am” A disappointed Justine Henin after her loss to Sam Stosur “I have believed that I’m a good tennis player. It was just a few links here and there were missing. I have enough game. I played good matches. I remember the Murray match when he made the finals at the US Open, I had him there. Then I won in Vienna. I started to believe in myself. I started to actually believe I can win those big matches”.

Jurgen Melzer on what has kept him motivated through years of mediocre results “Today, it wasn’t me. It wasn’t my game out there.”

Jelena Jankovic after being crushed 6-1, 6-2 by Sam Stosur “I think beating the calibre of players that I have played the last three rounds definitely helps. I’ve beaten all those, so why can’t I win one more”?

A confident Sam Stosur before the final “I mean, I respect everyone, but I’m always honest enough with myself that I know I can win them all. I felt confident going into the match knowing that if I play well, if I play solid, I’d probably win this match” Roger Federer reflects after being defeated by Robin Soderling in the quarter-finals “No, I haven’t watched it, actually. I know my dad watched it a lot, but I haven’t. So, you know, normally I don’t watch tennis that much. I play so much. When I’m not playing, I try to do other stuff” Robin Soderling on taking breaks from tennis

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Number of games it took Lukas Lacko to overcome Michael Yani: 4-6, 7-6, 7-6, 6-7, 12-10.

Their match equalled the record for number of games played in a match at Roland Garros since the introduction of the tie-break (1973). Two other matches have also gone to 71 games since 1973: Ronald Agenor vs. David Prinosil (1994) and Arnaud Clement vs. Fabrice Santoro (2004).

0

The number of left-handed players – with the exception of Rafael Nadal – who have beaten Roger Federer over the past seven years. The last one to do so was the Argentine Franco Squillari in Sydney in January 2003.

4

Match points saved by defending champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in her match against Andrea Petkovic. She won the contest, but would go on to lose against Maria Kirilenko in the next round.

71

Minutes it took Robin Soderling to beat the American Taylor Dent (6-0, 6-1, 6-1).

23

The number of consecutive Grand Slam semi-finals Roger Federer had reached when Robin Soderling put a stop to his streak in Paris.

5

The number of French Open titles Rafael Nadal has won.

4

The number of times Roger Federer has reached the French Open final (all consecutive).

0

The number of clay court matches Andy Roddick had played in the time leading up to the French Open.

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HEAD-TO-HEAD Francesca Schiavone vs. Sam Stosur

2–4

2005 – Hasselt, Hard court, Winner: Schiavone (6-3, 6-2) 2007 – Rome, Clay, Winner: Stosur (6-3 6-4) 2009 – Indian Wells, Hard court, Winner: Stosur (6-1 6-4) 2009 – Roland Garros, Clay, Winner: Stosur (6-4 6-2) 2009 – Osaka, Hard court, Winner: Stosur (7-5 6-1) 2010 – Roland Garros, clay, Winner: Schiavone (6-4 7-6)

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Serena and Venus Williams won their second French Open doubles title this year, beating Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik in the final, 6-2, 6-3. It was their fourth consecutive Slam doubles title, having won at Wimbledon and the US Open last year and in Australia earlier in 2010. The sisters have now collected twelve Slam doubles titles: they have won the Australian Open four times (2001, 2003, 2009 and 2010), the French Open twice (1999 and 2010), Wimbledon four times (2000, 2003, 2008 and 2009) and the US Open twice (1999 and 2009).

List of female winners at Roland Garros Year

Winner

Runner-up

1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940-45 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965

Suzanne Lenglen K. McKane Suzanne Lenglen M. Browne Kea Bouman I. Peacock Helen Wills E. Bennett Helen Wills S. Mathieu Helen Moody H. Jacobs Cilly Aussem B. Nuthall Helen Moody S. Mathieu Margaret Scriven S. Mathieu Margaret Scriven H. Jacobs Hilde Sperling S. Mathieu Hilde Sperling S. Mathieu Hilde Sperling S. Mathieu Simone Mathieu N. Landry Simone Mathieu J. Jedrzejowska Tournament not held Margaret Osborne P. Betz Patricia Todd D. Hart Nelly Landry S. Fry Margaret duPont N. Adamson Doris Hart P. Todd Shirley Fry D. Hart Doris Hart S. Fry Maureen Connolly D. Hart Maureen Connolly G. Bucaille Angela Mortimer D. Knode Althea Gibson A. Mortimer Shirley Bloomer D. Knode Susi Kormoczi S. Bloomer Christine Truman S. Kormoczi Darlene Hard Y. Ramirez Ann Haydon Y. Ramirez Margaret Smith L. Turner Lesley Turner A. Jones Margaret Smith M. Bueno Lesley Turner M. Smith

Score 6-1 6-2 6-1 6-0 6-2 6-4 6-1 6-2 6-3 6-4 6-2 6-1 8-6 6-1 7-5 6-1 6-2 4-6 6-4 7-5 4-6 6-1 6-2 6-1 6-3 6-4 6-2 6-4 6-0 6-3 6-3 8-6 1-6 8-6 7-5 6-3 3-6 6-4 6-2 0-6 6-0 7-5 6-2 6-4 4-6 6-2 6-3 -36 6-3 6-4 6-4 6-2 -64 6-4 6-1 2-6 7-5 10-8 6-0 12-10 6-1 6-3 6-4 1-6 6-2 6-4 7-5 6-3 6-4 6-2 6-1 6-3 3-6 7-5 2-6 6-3 7-5 5-7 6-1 6-2 6-3 6-4 TennisWorld sa

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1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 42

Ann Jones N. Richey 6-3 6-1 Francoise Durr L. Turner 4-6 6-3 6-4 Nancy Richey A. Jones 5-7 6-4 6-1 Margaret Court A. Jones 6-1 4-6 6-3 Margaret Court H. Niessen 6-2 6-4 Evonne Goolagong H. Gourlay 6-3 7-5 Billie Jean King E. Goolagong 6-3 6-3 Margaret Court C. Evert 6-7 7-6 6-4 Chris Evert O. Morozova 6-1 6-2 Chris Evert M. Navratilova 2-6 6-2 6-1 Sue Barker R. Tomanova 6-2 0-6 6-2 Mima Jausovec F. Mihai 6-2 6-7 6-1 Virginia Ruzici M. Jausovec 6-2 6-2 Chris Evert Lloyd W. Turnbull 6-2 6-0 Chris Evert Lloyd V. Ruzici 6-0 6-3 Hana Mandlikova S. Hanika 6-2 6-4 Martina Navratilova A. Jaeger 7-6 6-1 Chris Evert Lloyd M. Jausovec 6-1 6-2 Martina Navratilova C. Evert Lloyd 6-3 6-1 Chris Evert Lloyd M. Navratilova 6-3 6-7 7-5 Chris Evert Lloyd M. Navratilova 2-6 6-3 6-3 Steffi Graf M. Navratilova 6-4 4-6 8-6 Steffi Graf N. Zvereva 6-0 6-0 A. Sanchez Vicario S. Graf 7-6 3-6 7-5 Monica Seles S. Graf 7-6 6-4 Monica Seles A.S. Vicario 6-3 6-4 Monica Seles S. Graf 6-2 3-6 10-8 Steffi Graf M.J. Fernandez 4-6 6-2 6-4 A. Sanchez Vicario M. Pierce 6-4 6-4 Steffi Graf A.S. Vicario 7-6 4-6 6-0 Steffi Graf A. Sanchez Vicario 6-3 6-1 Iva Majoli Martina Hingis 6-4 6-2 A. Sanchez Vicario Monica Seles 7-6 0-6 6-2 Steffi Graf M. Hingis 4-6 7-5 6-2 Mary Pierce C.Martinez 6-2 7-5 Jennifer Capriati Kim Clijsters 1-6 6-4 12-10 Serena Williams Venus Williams 7-5 6-3 Justine Henin Kim Clijsters 6-0 6-4 Anastasia Myskina Elena Demetieva 6-16-2 Justine Henin Mary Pierce 6-1 6-1 Justine Henin Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4 6-4 Justine Henin Ana Ivanovic 6-1 6-2 Ana Ivanovic Dinara Safina 6-4 6-3 Svetlana Kuznetsova Dinara Safina 6-4 6-2 Francesca Schiavone Samantha Stosur 6-4 7-6 TennisWorld sa

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ATP SINGLES RANKINGS 26 June 2010 Nadal, Rafael (ESP) Age: 23 POINTS 8,745 Federer, Roger (SUI) Age: 28 POINTS 8,525 Djokovic, Novak (SRB) Age: 22 POINTS 6,545 Murray, Andy (GBR) Age: 22 POINTS 5,155 Davydenko, Nikolay (RUS) Age: 28 POINTS 4,785 Soderling, Robin (SWE) Age: 25 POINTS 4,755 Roddick, Andy (USA) Age: 27 POINTS 4,510 Del Potro, Juan Martin (ARG) Age: 21 POINTS 4,395 Verdasco, Fernando Age: POINTS 3,645 Tsonga, Jo-Wilfried (FRA) Age: 24 POINTS 3,185 44

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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 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100

Ferrer, David (ESP) Cilic, Marin (CRO) Berdych, Tomas (CZE) Youzhny, Mikhail (RUS) Ljubicic, Ivan (CRO) Melzer, Jurgen (AUT) Ferrero, Juan Carlos (ESP) Almagro, Nicolas (ESP) Isner, John (USA) Monfils, Gael (FRA) Querrey, Sam (USA) Gonzalez, Fernando (CHI) Wawrinka, Stanislas (SUI) Bellucci, Thomaz (BRA) Stepanek, Radek (CZE) Hewitt, Lleyton (AUS) Baghdatis, Marcos (CYP) Monaco, Juan (ARG) Gulbis, Ernests (LAT) Lopez, Feliciano (ESP) Montanes, Albert (ESP) Simon, Gilles (FRA) Karlovic, Ivo (CRO) Haas, Tommy (USA) Kohlschreiber, Philipp (GER) Robredo, Tommy (ESP) Llodra, Michael (FRA) Hanescu, Victor (ROU) Garcia-Lopez, Guillermo (ESP) Benneteau, Julien (FRA) Petzschner, Philipp (GER) Troicki, Viktor (SRB) Dolgopolov, Alexandr (UKR) Zeballos, Horacio (ARG) Tipsarevic, Janko (SRB) Berrer, Michael (GER) Stakhovsky, Sergiy (UKR) Gasquet, Richard (FRA) de Bakker, Thiemo (NED) Schwank, Eduardo (ARG) Chela, Juan Ignacio (ARG) Mayer, Leonardo (ARG) Kubot, Lukasz (POL) Giraldo, Santiago (COL) Chardy, Jeremy (FRA) Cuevas, Pablo (URU) Andreev, Igor (RUS) Starace, Potito (ITA) Mayer, Florian (GER) Falla, Alejandro (COL) Chiudinelli, Marco (SUI) Greul, Simon (GER) Malisse, Xavier (BEL) Serra, Florent (FRA) Sela, Dudi (ISR) Mathieu, Paul-Henri (FRA) Nieminen, Jarkko (FIN) Rochus, Olivier (BEL) Seppi, Andreas (ITA) Istomin, Denis (UZB) Becker, Benjamin (GER) Ginepri, Robby (USA) Fish, Mardy (USA) Marchenko, Illya (UKR) Lacko, Lukas (SVK) Robert, Stephane (FRA) Korolev, Evgeny (KAZ) Riba, Pere (ESP) Beck, Andreas (GER) Fognini, Fabio (ITA) Golubev, Andrey (KAZ) Lu, Yen-Hsun (TPE) Luczak, Peter (AUS) Gabashvili, Teimuraz (RUS) Schuettler, Rainer (GER) Clement, Arnaud (FRA) Granollers, Marcel (ESP) Beck, Karol (SVK) Gil, Frederico (POR) Hajek, Jan (CZE) Gimeno-Traver, Daniel (ESP) Mello, Ricardo (BRA) Ram, Rajeev (USA) Przysiezny, Michal (POL) Anderson, Kevin (RSA) Lorenzi, Paolo (ITA) Dent, Taylor (USA) Brands, Daniel (GER) Massu, Nicolas (CHI) Phau, Bjorn (GER)

ATP DOUBLES RANKINGS 26 June 2010

11 12 13 14 15 15 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

Nestor, Daniel (CAN) Age: 37 POINTS 12,160 Zimonjic, Nenad (SRB) Age: 33 POINTS 12,160 Bryan, Bob (USA) Age: 31 POINTS 10,360 Bryan, Mike (USA) Age: 31 POINTS 10,360 Dlouhy, Lukas (CZE) Age: 27 POINTS 6,420 Paes, Leander (IND) Age: 36 POINTS 5,870 Bhupathi, Mahesh (IND) Age: 35 POINTS 5,290 Knowles, Mark (BAH) Age: 38 POINTS 5,045 Marach, Oliver (AUT) Age: POINTS 4,140 Kubot, Lukasz (POL) Age: POINTS 4,070

Ram, Andy (ISR) Mirnyi, Max (BLR) Matkowski, Marcin (POL) Fyrstenberg, Mariusz (POL) Cermak, Frantisek (CZE) Mertinak, Michal (SVK) Aspelin, Simon (SWE) Hanley, Paul (AUS) Norman, Dick (BEL) Moodie, Wesley (RSA) Granollers, Marcel (ESP) Knowle, Julian (AUT) Querrey, Sam (USA) Lopez, Marc (ESP) Robredo, Tommy (ESP) Melzer, Jurgen (AUT) Lindstedt, Robert (SWE) Isner, John (USA) Benneteau, Julien (FRA) Melo, Marcelo (BRA) Soares, Bruno (BRA) Tecau, Horia (ROU) Kohlmann, Michael (GER) Llodra, Michael (FRA) Damm, Martin (CZE) Butorac, Eric (USA) Ram, Rajeev (USA) Cuevas, Pablo (URU) Polasek, Filip (SVK) Kerr, Jordan (AUS) Zeballos, Horacio (ARG) Tsonga, Jo-Wilfried (FRA) Qureshi, Aisam-Ul-Haq (PAK) Kas, Christopher (GER) Skupski, Ken (GBR) Clement, Arnaud (FRA) Fleming, Colin (GBR) Ventura, Santiago (ESP) Brunstrom, Johan (SWE) Rojer, Jean-Julien (AHO)

NATIONAL ATP Singles The national ranking is the average ranking of the 3 best players of each country

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Spain: USA: Croatia: France: Russia: Argentina: Switzerland: Serbia: Germany: Czech Republic:

7,3 15,6 20 20,6 25,3 26,6 28,6 30 40,6 42,6

South Africa:

204,6

NATIONAL ATP Doubles The national ranking is the average ranking of the 3 best players of each country

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Usa: Poland: Czech Republic: Austria: India: Spain: France: Serbia: Brazil: Australia:

9,6 12,3 18,3 19 21,6 23,3 35 37,3 39,6 40,6

South Africa:

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Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Singles Rankings 26 June 2010 Williams, Serena (USA) Age: 29 POINTS 8,475 Williams, Venus (USA) Age: 30 POINTS 6,506 Jankovic, Jelena (SRB) Age: 25 POINTS 5,780 Wozniacki, Caroline (DEN) Age: 20 POINTS 5,630 Dementieva, Elena (RUS) Age: 29 POINTS 5,570 Stosur, Samantha (AUS) Age: 21 POINTS 5,045 Schiavone, Francesca (ITA) Age: 30 POINTS 4,920 Clijsters, Kim (BEL) Age: 27 POINTS 4,010 Radwanska, Agnieszka (POL) Age: 21 POINTS 3,950 Pennetta, Flavia (ITA) Age: 28 POINTS 3,450 46

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11 11 12 12 13 13 14 14 15 15 16 16 17 17 18 18 19 19 20 20 21 21 22 22 23 23 24 24 25 25 26 26 27 27 28 28 29 29 30 30 31 31 32 32 33 33 34 34 35 35 36 36 37 37 38 38 39 39 40 40 41 41 42 42 43 43 44 44 45 45 46 46 47 47 48 48 49 49 50 50 51 51 52 52 53 53 54 54 55 55 56 56 57 57 58 58 59 59 60 60 61 61 62 62 63 63 64 64 65 65 66 66 67 67 68 68 69 69 70 70 71 71 72 72 73 73 74 74 75 75 76 76 77 77 78 78 79 79 80 80 81 81 82 82 83 83 84 84 85 85 86 86 87 87 88 88 89 89 90 90 91 91 92 92 93 93 94 94 95 95 96 96 97 97 98 98 99 99 100 100

Azarenka, Victoria Li, Na Bartoli, Marion Petrova, Nadia Peer, Shahar Henin, Justine Sharapova, Maria Wickmayer, Yanina Kuznetsova, Svetlana Rezai, Aravane Zvonareva, Vera Safina, Dinara Martinez Sanchez, Maria Jose Zheng, Jie Hantuchova, Daniela Safarova, Lucie Kleybanova, Alisa Kirilenko, Maria Shvedova, Yaroslava Bondarenko, Alona Dulgheru, Alexandra Pavlyuchenkova, Anastasia Petkovic, Andrea Errani, Sara Oudin, Melanie Bondarenko, Kateryna Bacsinszky, Timea Govortsova, Olga Medina Garrigues, Anabel Lisicki, Sabine Vesnina, Elena Dulko, Gisela Suarez Navarro, Carla Peng, Shuai Ivanovic, Ana Cibulkova, Dominika Parra Santonja, Arantxa Bammer, Sybille Vinci, Roberta Szavay, Agnes Hercog, Polona Baltacha, Elena Garbin, Tathiana Kerber, Angelique Cirstea, Sorana Dushevina, Vera Sevastova, Anastasija Schnyder, Patty Flipkens, Kirsten Wozniak, Aleksandra Benesova, Iveta Kvitova, Petra Rybarikova, Magdalena Date Krumm, Kimiko Arvidsson, Sofia Zakopalova, Klara Makarova, Ekaterina Zahlavova Strycova, Barbora Kulikova, Regina Czink, Melinda King, Vania Goerges, Julia Barrois, Kristina Rodionova, Anastasia Brianti, Alberta Martic, Petra Cornet, Alize Zahlavova, Sandra Razzano, Virginie Kanepi, Kaia Voracova, Renata Pironkova, Tsvetana Meusburger, Yvonne Chan, Yung-jan Larsson, Johanna Kudryavtseva, Alla Voegele, Stefanie Scheepers, Chanelle Chang, Kai-chen Gallovits, Edina De Los Rios, Rossana Groth, Jarmila Amanmuradova, Akgul Malek, Tatjana Coin, Julie Lapushchenkova, Anna Molik, Alicia Groenefeld, Anna-lena Lepchenko, Varvara Craybas, Jill

Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Doubles Rankings 26 June 2010

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

Williams, Serena (USA) Age: 29 POINTS 10,160 Williams, Venus (USA) Age: 30 POINTS 10,160 Huber, Liezel (USA) Age: 34 POINTS 8,530 Black, Cara (ZIM) Age: 31 POINTS 7,715 Martinez Sanchez, Maria Jose (ESP) Age: 28 POINTS 7,470 Llagostera Vives, Nuria (ESP) Age: 30 POINTS 7,470 Stubbs, Rennae (AUS) Age: 39 POINTS 6,295 Stosur, Samantha (AUS) Age: 26 POINTS 5,745 Dulko, Gisela (ARG) Age: 25 POINTS 5,420 Pennetta, Flavia (ITA) Age: 28 POINTS 4,960

Petrova, Nadia Srebotnik, Katarina Peschke, Kveta Kleybanova, Alisa Kirilenko, Maria Yan, Zi Zheng, Jie Raymond, Lisa Makarova, Ekaterina Schiavone, Francesca Mattek-sands, Bethanie Medina Garrigues, Anabel Chan, Yung-jan Ruano Pascual, Virginia King, Vania Niculescu, Monica Benesova, Iveta Zahlavova Strycova, Barbora Kudryavtseva, Alla Radwanska, Agnieszka Peng, Shuai Hradecka, Lucie Hsieh, Su-wei Chuang, Chia-jung Govortsova, Olga Rodionova, Anastasia Peer, Shahar Groenefeld, Anna-lena Hlavackova, Andrea Garbin, Tathiana Vesnina, Elena Rosolska, Alicja Vinci, Roberta Errani, Sara Hantuchova, Daniela Dushevina, Vera Bondarenko, Alona Jans, Klaudia Shvedova, Yaroslava Shaughnessy, Meghann

NATIONAL WTA Singles The national ranking is the average ranking of the 3 best players of each country

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Russia Usa Belgium Italy China Spain France Slovakia Czech Republic Ukraine

12 12,6 14 17 26,6 35 36,6 44,6 49,6 62,6

South Africa

324,6

NATIONAL WTA Doubles The national ranking is the average ranking of the 3 best players of each country

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

USA Spain Russia Australia China Czech Republic Italy Taipei Poland Belarus

1,6 11 13,3 17 21,3 22,6 23,3 30 40 52

South Africa

227,6

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The Backhand One-Hander vs. Two-Hander T

• The two-hander allows greater control when hitting in both directions. This gives more consistency to one’s game.

• It’s easier to get on the front foot for the two-hander while going forward, which makes transition from defence to attack more effective.

• More effective on the high ball and also the open stance, which helps in defence.

he debate over which of the two backhand options is better has been going on for the past two decades. Ever since Bjorn Borg came onto the scene in the mid1970s, the two- handed backhand has slowly become more and more popular among tennis professionals. In modern times, most players on the men’s side use it and almost all female players do as well. With the rise of Roger Federer and Justine Henin, however, a few more players seem to prefer the single-handed option. Let’s look at the pros and cons of both:

The one-hander 5 Advantages: • The first advantage is reach. A player can reach more balls out wide is generally able to stay in rallies longer.

• Players that use the one-hander are normally much stronger with the right arm on

portant shot in tennis and they get hurt in this area.

• One-handers seem to have less control compared to two-handers.

• The one-handed backhand isn’t as powerful as the two-hander. This is probably because two arms are stronger than one, especially on the high ball.

3 Disadvantages: • The two-hander seem to “go off” more often than the one-hander, which is a result of trying to get the arms working together day in and day out.

• The lack of power on the slice and the backhand volley.

• Less reach out wide.

the backhand side, and this helps them play the slice much more effectively. The slice seems to be making a comeback at pro level, which makes the advantage even bigger.

• Players using the one-hander are normally stronger on the backhand volley, making them more effective at the net • The one-hander seems to have more rhythm and flow, mainly because a player does not have to worry about two limbs trying to work together.

• More topspin can be created with one hand.

3 Disadvantages: • The Biggest disadvantage for a one-hander is the clear weakness on the return of serve.

The return of serve is the second most im48

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The two-hander 5 Advantages: • The biggest advantages are more power and control, as well as effectiveness on the return of serve.

• The shot allows more power with the two arms working together. With most power coming from the hips, it is easier for the two-hander to utilise the hips compared to its counterpart.

So, which one is better? I believe one tries to copy the pros and the results they get. More pros on the men and ladies side are using the two-handed backhand, but the ones that are using the one-hander are doing so effectively enough to compete with the best.

Players that are stronger in the back of the shoulder area have the option to use the onehanded backhand at a young age. Good luck with that choice.

Upper limb injuries in growing tennis players

By Danie Morkel

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n this month’s article we want to highlight upper limb injuries in the growing tennis player.

The weakest part of growing bones is their growth plates (physis). This is the area of the bone most likely to fail under excessive strain.

Repetitive traction on the growth plates will lead to widening and this causes pain. In tennis players most injuries are repetitive strain injuries and in the upper limb the growth plate that are most at risk is at the inside of the upper arm (humerus). The shoulder blade arch (acromion) can also be at risk in growing tennis players and that is because it is one of the growth plates that fuse the latest, even after 20 years of age.

Wrist injuries are associated with different grips on the forehand. Extreme western forehand grips will lead to a higher incidence of wrist injuries according to study in Italy.

To prevent injuries in growing players it is important to start with a sound stroke technique and also respect for the growing body. Young players, their parents and coaches must be patient in their approach to be the best players that they can be. Core muscle training is essential to prevent injuries but also to achieve a mature game. A stable core will

also be the key in stroke power and endurance that is needed to be competitive senior player. Eccentric muscle training is essential in preventing injuries.

Once a young player is injured an adequate active rest program will allow for the quickest return to competition, but rehabilitation is not complete before biomechanical faults in the game or core muscles are addressed.

Not only is the growth plates an area of temporary weakness in growing bones, but the bones themselves are also at risk for stress fractures. Insufficiency injuries due to overload of the bone are called stress fractures and they vary in severity from oedema (swelling) to a complete break (fracture).

The upper arm (humerus) is most commonly involved in tennis players.

Stress fractures of the ribs have also been described in studies of tennis players.

There is a stage in bone growth of all young players when there is a growth spurt and bones are more at risk to fail with repetitive strain. This age might differ slightly for certain bones and growth plates, but generally girls are most at risk 12-41 years of age and boys from 14-16 years old.

Service induced shoulder pain is the most common upper limb injuries in senior and junior tennis players. The cause is muscle in balance and capsule stiffness at the back (posterior) side of the shoulder joint in most cases. Posterior capsule stretches and rotator cuff strengthening is the basis of treatment in service induced shoulder pain. It is interesting to note that the dominant shoulder will start to adapt to the demands of tennis at an early age.

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A Balancing Act, Part One:

Core Training

by Jaco Burger

Tennis is a sport that relies heavily on a player’s ability to holistically control his/her body to perfection. This includes a range of fitness components, as well as specific and functional training. In this article and in the coming months I want to focus on the areas directly related to producing and maintaining exceptional balance on court. The players who can do this effectively are the ones that produce the “wow factor” when you watch a tennis match. Beautiful tennis is balanced tennis. I don’t know if it is only me, but there aren’t many things in tennis as hurtful to the eye as someone who is falling around the court, unable to maintain their balance. I just can’t watch it, but in the same breath I want to help them correct it. And that is the good news: it can be corrected with very specific training.

trunk (mid-section). This is what most people term “The Core”.

The first area on which I will be focusing is Core Training. I can almost hear you saying, “aah, not another article on core training.” But before you stop reading, hang on a second and hear me out. “Core” training has become one of the most popular buzzwords in training circles today. It is difficult to find a magazine that does not have an article about it. The interesting fact is that very few people, including athletes, actually know what the core is and how it works. Let me tell you that without effective core training you will never be the tennis player you can be. I hate putting certain training component above others, because I believe that the body works as a unit and needs to be trained holistically and functionally in order to perform optimally. Therefore I can’t break down fitness components and say that one is more important than the other, but I will say this: if your core is not developed properly you will not see effective strength gains, and you will not see balance, stability and several other key athletic abilities. Therefore, I am not going to single out core training as the most important, but it certainly forms a very important base for success in many ways.

Let me tell you a little story. Remember I referred to the core as being the bridge between the upper and lower extremities – well let me explain it in another way. If you are planning on buying a brand new car, you expect the chassis (framework) to be brand new and in working condition. Well, you get a great deal on a second hand vehicle which looks new, has a brand new V8 engine in it and the interior looks like the car has just been pulled out of the showroom. You can’t believe your eyes because it is almost half the price of a new one. On the surface you can’t see anything wrong with it and therefore buy it. But what you don’t know is that the chassis is rusted and 20 years old.

You are all excited to take your new vehicle for a drive on a weekend road trip. The first day goes well. On the second day you decide to see what the car can do. Suddenly, after about ten minutes, you feel something is not right. You have no idea what is going on, because the engine is running perfectly, everything inside the car looks and feels amazing, it even smells new, but the car feels unstable. The chassis couldn’t handle the vibration, speed and drag of the engine and it starts falling apart. The next thing you know, the rear wheel breaks off and you have an accident.

There is an important “secret” regarding core training, and this is where most people go wrong: core training is integrated training, and not isolated training as most people make it out to be. But before I get carried away, let me start from the beginning. What is the core exactly? Below you will see a diagram showing the different muscles in the anterior (front) 50

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In many articles and literature you will read that the core is considered to be the muscles that make up the mid trunk. It is here where the first misconception creeps in. Please get that misconception out of your head immediately!

The core must be seen as a bridge between the upper and lower extremities. It includes all the muscles of the trunk, anteriorly and posteriorly, as well as all the muscles attached to the hips.

I am not going to confuse you by listing all of them here. It is a lot of muscles, believe me.

Therefore, we have to take our idea of core training a bit further and realise that it is not limited to a few pilates, yoga or bridging exercises.

OK, maybe this story is a exaggerating the concept a bit, but the same principle applies. Your core is like the chassis of a car. It needs to be in top shape in order for the car to run safely for years to come. What am I saying? If your core is weak, your arms and legs will be weak.

The strength of your core will determine how strong your extremities will be. When the core is strong the rest of your body will function effectively and functionally as an integrated unit.

So what is the fuss all about? Will having a strong core really benefit you that much?

The core has two main roles, and they get confused with one another: 1. Stability: What keeps you standing, balanced and gives you a strong base from which to perform 2. Generates movement: It’s what drives our bodies in any direction with speed, power and balance Let’s have a closer look at what a strong core will give you and you can decide for yourself whether you want to use it or lose it: - If your core is weak, basically, your upper and lower extremities are “dislocated” from each other in a certain sense. Imagine you have to change direction quickly and suddenly. Everything comes under immense stress when you put your foot down to stop. You stop dead, and force shoots through your ankles and knees to your hips and pelvis through the mid section to the upper body. Momentum does its work and wants to take you even further on the road you were heading.

- If the core is strong, a tight unit is in place which connects the lower extremities to the upper extremities and everything can change direction quickly and effectively with relatively low risk of injury. With a weak core the opposite is true. You will be slow and off-balance, and the risk of injury is high due to the lack of support around your mid section.

- A strong core will improve functional movement.

- A strong core can prevent back pain. The myth around lower back pain is that it is due to a weak lower back. In many cases weak abdominal and core muscles causes low back pain.

- A strong core can also help you lift heavier loads. When lifting heavy loads a very important technique to use is “bracing” or “activating”. Imagine you are going to be punched in the stomach. Instinctively you would contract your abdominal muscles by pushing them out and down. That creates a wall of muscle and will have the effect of connecting your entire body, like a pillar of rock. The next time you lift a heavy weight try it – you will feel and

be stronger. Lift the same weight without that technique and you may need a doctor.

OK, so you get the message. It is important.

Now how do you go about strengthening your core? Unfortunately it is not as easy as doing a couple of abdominal crunches. Effective Core training is a structured and integrated process which must be followed with precision and patience. I am not going to bore you with technicalities but you need to understand the basics, otherwise this article will mean nothing when it comes to applying what you have read.

Although isolation training has its place, in order to build a strong core it is important to move the body as a unit through all planes (sagittal, transverse and frontal). You might have heard of functional training before. Functional training and real core training, in my opinion, cannot be separated. The body needs to function as a unit on court. Therefore it needs to be trained in all planes of movement and challenged in functional positions against loads while maintaining perfect posture.

There are three stages of core training core to take note of: - Core stabilisation In core stabilization we are referring mainly to core exercises that are done statically without any joint movement in the pelvis and spinal column. This is the first level which needs to be strong enough before advancing to core strength. My suggestion is that you spend 4-8 weeks on Core Stabilisation before advancing to Core Strength.

Type of Exercises • Planks/Bridges (Front, Side, Back – No leg raises) • Kneeling/4-point alternating arm and leg raises Prescription • 1-4 exercises • 1-3 sets of each exercise • Mostly isometric (holding) exercises. Hold each set for 30-60 seconds. If reps have to be done, like arm-leg raises, do 12-20 controlled reps • 60 seconds rest in-between sets - Core strength Core strength exercises involve more dynamic movements of the spine and pelvis through a full range of motion. These exercises are designed to improve dynamic core stabilisation, force production, force reduction, and efficiency of the entire body.

I also suggest you spend 4-8 weeks on core

strength before advancing to core power.

Type of Exercises • Swiss Ball Prone Draw-Ins • Swiss Ball/Bosu Planks/Bridges • Single-Legged, Stiff-Legged Deadlift Prescription • 1-4 exercises • 2-3 sets of each exercise • If isometric (holding) exercises, hold each set for 60-120 seconds • If reps have to be done, like arm-leg raises, do 8-12 reps at medium tempo • 60 seconds rest in-between sets - Core power Core power exercises now take the stabilisation and strength base we have established and utilises its full capacity. This is done by making training tennis-specific at velocities and speeds specific to the game, at loads specific to the game.

Type of Exercises • Back Extension with Medicine Ball Throws • Weighted/Medicine Ball Corkscrew • Kneeling Overhead/Side Medicine Ball Throws Prescription • 1-2 exercises • 2-3 sets of each exercise • If isometric (holding) exercises, hold each set for 2-3 minutes • If reps have to be done, perform 8-12 reps at an explosive tempo • 60 seconds rest in-between sets These next activities are two exercises I suggest you add to your core program from the start. These exercises are given by Paul Chek in his article “The inner Unit: A New Frontier in Abdominal Training” If you have the ability to do the following two exercises for the prescribed volumes with perfect form you are able to activate your inner unit. This will allow you to effectively start advancing and following the program as set out above, starting with core stabilisation and working your way through to core power.

FOUR POINT TRANSVERSE ABDOMINUS TRAINER Assume the above position as the start position • With the spine in neutral alignment, take a deep breath in and allow your belly to drop towards the floor • Exhale and draw your navel in towards your spine as far as you can. Once the air is completely expelled, hold the navel towards your spine for ten seconds, or as long as you comfortably can without taking a

breath (no longer than ten seconds) • Throughout the breathing pattern keep your spine motionless • This process should be repeated ten times to complete a set • Rest for one minute after completing a set.

When you are able to do so, build up to complete three sets of the exercise HORSE STANCE VERTICAL • Place your wrists directly below the shoulders and your knees directly below their respective hip joint • The legs are parallel and the elbows should remain turned back towards the thighs, with the fingers directed forwards • Place a dowel rod along your spine and hold perfect spinal alignment. The rod should be parallel to the floor.

• The space between your lower back and the rod should be about the thickness of your hand • Draw your navel inward towards your spine, just enough to create a space • It is advisable to find a spotter who can assist you with feedback about your body position. When not training with a spotter, it is highly recommended that you train in front of a mirror to make sure you stay in the correct position throughout the exercise. When you are checking your body position in the mirror, do not move your head, just look up with your eyes • The Horse Stance Vertical is initiated by lifting one hand off the floor just enough to slide a sheet of paper between the hand and the floor or mat. The opposite knee is then elevated off the floor to the same height. Keep the dowel rod level at all times. Hold this position for ten seconds. After ten seconds, alternate hands and knees, again just lifting them enough to slide a sheet of paper between the extremity and the mat.

• The target number of repetitions is ten reps on either side with a ten second hold in each position. Perform three sets with a one minute rest between sets As always, it is such a pleasure giving some tips that will help you in your journey in becoming the best tennis player you can be. I am looking forward to hearing your stories and testimonies. If you want to contact me for any reason, feel free to do so via email at jaco@ quickeningpulse.co.za . You can also join our Facebook page to see what we are up to, and get some more regular updates and communicate with us there.

Fitness Greetings Jaco Burger TennisWorld sa

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Attentional Skills

• You feel well, very well, calm and tranquillity surround you Visualisation of attentional focus •

• •

•

•

•

•

• •

by Marina Gerin Birsa, Sports Psychologist

Attention is the mental process through which athletes direct and maintain awareness of the stimuli detected by their senses.

The three main attentional skills are: > Selecting the right stimuli to focus on > Shifting attention from one group of stimuli to another > Sustaining attention and concentration The orientation response is our automatic attention regulator, but it can be controlled, directing our attention towards whatever we choose. People’s attention follows their interest – coaches can increase the attention of athletes by making training sessions interesting and stimulating. Attentional demands vary from one sport to another, and thus need to be evaluated and studied by the sports psychologist during the preparation of a mental training programme.

Let’s consider, for example, the needs of a swimmer training for a 100m race that lasts a few minutes: > >

> >

The start is of paramount importance, as this is a very fast sport The athlete can only check the pace of the swimmers on either side of him His attention is focused on only a few aspects His concentration must remain heightened for the duration of the race

Let’s now move to analysing the specific attentional requirements of a tennis player who, as we all know, plays a match of undetermined duration, but definitely much longer – a matter of hours rather than minutes: > The start (the initial serve) is one of the most important moments

>

>

>

of the match, but it isn’t necessarily of critical importance. The moments in which the player needs to recover, on the other hand, are A tennis player must check the opponent’s movements regularly in order to accurately read the action, thus ignoring the detail and focusing instead on the more important aspects His attention fluctuates: at times he only focuses on his movement (e.g. the serve), while at others he needs a broader perspective during the faster rallies His concentration rises and drops throughout the match depending on the importance of the actions taking place on court

Athletes need to learn when to shift their attention from one stimulus to another. The mistake of being distracted at a crucial moment is the source of many failures. Stress can have damaging effects on athletes, as it restricts their attentional focus to the point that they cannot pay attention to the important stimuli, allowing distraction to set in. Stress causes a shift of attention from outside to inside, and the athlete focuses on an unproductive self-evaluation just as he is facing the demands of the task. Concentration cannot be improved by forcing the mind to pay attention. Instead, the mind must be freed from distractions so that it can immerse itself in the present moment.

Let us remind ourselves that physical fatigue causes the breakdown of all attentional mechanisms.

Attentional style Athletes focus on their opponents’ actions in order to read their pace and their intentions. They analyse the entire scope of play and then focus their attention on a single detail. Athletes are alert and ready shortly before starting, and concentrate intensely for a few moments before carrying out a significant athletic action. Each of these examples requires attention, but it is a different type of attention each time – let us see why. Attentional style is made up of two dimensions: width (broad/narrow) and direction (external/internal).

1)

2)

3)

4)

Attentional style: Broad-External – This style is focused on environmental stimuli, such as athletic actions of opponents. One shouldn’t broaden the focus too much, but limit oneself to necessary stimuli.

Attentional style: Narrow-External – This style is focused on fine movements, such as the change of pace during a match.

Attentional style: Broad-Internal – This style is focused on planning and setting goals to aim for during competition (e.g. placing in the first three or winning the match).

Attentional style: Narrow-Internal – This style is focused on accurate movement.

The focus of attention should be narrowed or broadened depending 52

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Now begin to imagine yourself as you step on the court: it is a cold day and you can feel the cool air on your face You are taking part in a very important competition Pay attention to the scene, the colours. Observe the landscape that surrounds you, and listen to the sounds around you. Feel your emotional and physical inner feelings Now you are watching your opponent’s movements at a crucial time: your attention is broad, and you can take in all the details (broad - external) Picture yourself as you are changing pace: your attention is focused only on the movement you are performing (narrow - external) Now concentrate on the goal you want to achieve in the match (broad - internal) Focus on a precise movement you need to carry out (narrow internal) You feel well – very well Slowly, begin to stretch and open your eyes

Training Session

on the requirements of the environment. This avoids errors of distraction and the loss of precious time. Every athlete can practice to eliminate irrelevant signals and focus on the more important ones.

Let’s look at a few examples of relevant and irrelevant signals: Relevant signals: > >

>

Maximum concentration when serving Culminating phase of the competition, moving ahead of the opponent, exploiting a situation to your advantage Decisive action to recover from a situation of disadvantage in a match

Irrelevant signals: > Crowd noise > Spectator movements > Previous positive or negative actions > Score and time remembered obsessively Examples of how attentional skills can be trained Relaxation and tuning into one’s own body • •

•

•

Close your eyes. Breathe in and out slowly Your body becomes heavier and heavier and relaxed. Focus on your feet, which are relaxed and heavy Now slowly turn your attention to your calf muscles, which you feel are relaxed and heavy. Your legs are relaxed and heavy Continue to stretch all the muscles in your body moving from toe to head – your torso, arms, hands, neck and all the way to your facial muscles

Evaluate how effective you are at shifting your attention in each of the situations described below, using the appropriate score.

Evaluation scale: 1 = very weak, 2 = weak, 3 = medium, 4 = strong, 5 = very strong 1. From broad internal to broad external: from analysing your training method to observing the reactions of other athletes – 1 2 3 4 5 2. From broad internal to narrow internal: from developing a gameplan to reflecting on the start of an action – 1 2 3 4 5 3. From broad internal to narrow internal: from analysing the key phases in the match to observing the particular skill of an athlete in performing a certain action – 1 2 3 4 5 4. From broad external to broad internal: from observing a match played by other athletes to mentally returning to your game plan –12345 5. From broad external to narrow internal: from watching yourself lose at the end of the match to thinking about how it makes you feel – 1 2 3 4 5 6. From broad external to narrow internal: from watching the training to focusing your attention on the technique of a single movement –12345 7. From narrow internal to broad external: from focusing on your feelings of anxiety to detecting signs of stress in your body –12345 8. From narrow internal to broad external: from thinking about a game to watching yourself play – 1 2 3 4 5 9. From narrow internal to narrow external: from thinking about a new game to watching your opponent perform – 1 2 3 4 5 10. From narrow external to broad external: from listening to your coach’s advice to integrating it into your game plan – 1 2 3 4 5 11. From narrow external to broad external: from observing only your opponent to watching the entire match – 1 2 3 4 5 12. From narrow external to narrow internal: from observing an athletic movement to considering what correction to implement –12345

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Basics for a Great Modern Forehand

by Scott Mitchell

Scott, a former #1 Mixed Doubles player in the United States, is the Head Tennis Professional at Charlotte Country Club (CCC) in North Carolina.

CCC is ranked one of the Top 14 country clubs

by Platinum Clubs of America-Club Forum.

Scott was the Assistant Coach for Georgia Perimeter College when the team won four straight National Championships. In 2009, he was named PTR Clinician of the Year.

He is currently working on a tennis DVD.

I

f you are looking to take your game to the next level this season, try adding the modern or open stance forehand to your game. I’ll show you some tips to help you add this stroke to your game.

Without these basics you’ll find yourself losing control and lacking the power you need for a great modern forehand.

The grip used most often is the semi-western grip, and some players use the full western grip. Roger Federer is one of the only players using more of an eastern forehand grip, but he uses his wrist to generate some extra spin and power through his motion. These next five pictures will show you some of the basics of the modern forehand.

With the open stance forehand, your weight and energy should be loaded on the back or outside leg and transferred onto the opposite leg during the swing. Notice the shoulder rotation looks very similar to the traditional forehand. This is a very important step in providing some of the energy needed to complete the forehand, as both arms move together to begin the shoulder rotation. Most intermediate players don’t get enough shoulder turn during the open stance forehand, and their shoulders remain square to the net. It then becomes more of an arm swing with very little power and control.

Also notice that when the shoulders turn to begin the swing, this positions the racquet at about shoulder height, and allows for a small circular motion that keeps the racquet head moving throughout the swing. This will add to the racquet head speed, which is vital in adding spin to the modern forehand.

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The point of contact in this picture is a bit further back in the stance than in the traditional forehand. Notice that the racquet head has dropped down below the path of the ball and below wrist level. This will allow the racquet to travel up the back of the ball quickly to generate topspin. If the racquet head were more parallel with the ground or wrist in this photo then the shot being attempted would be more of a flat forehand.

In this photo you can see the feet are beginning to come off the ground as a result of the force pushing off the ground and into the ball. This should not be a forced “jump,” but a result of the force generated from loading and exploding into the ball. The player’s eyes are looking at the point of contact after the hit.

The forward part of the swing has started, as the non-dominant arm begins to rotate around the body. This will begin the rotation of the upper body into and through the swing. With the energy stored and transferred through the legs and the rotation of the upper body, there is a great deal of power being forced through the body and into the shot.

Lastly, the racquet is travelling from low to high and brushing up the back of the ball to create the topspin needed when playing the modern forehand.

Notice in this picture the traditional forehand groundstroke.

The hips are square to the sideline and not open towards the net.

In both the modern and traditional strokes the follow-through extends towards the target. Once the racquet extends out, it can then relax to the opposite shoulder or midsection and sometimes up and over the dominant shoulder as you see more and more these days. For recreational or club players this is one of the biggest problems, because they don’t extend far enough forward and don’t properly follow through at all. For advanced players, the follow-through may not extend as far forward depending on the amount of spin and angle being created. Notice that the racquet face stays closed during the swing. The side of the racquet that made contact with the ball is pointing away and slightly down to the court.

With the modern or open stance forehand the lower body or hips face the net as mentioned before.

The upper body must rotate as if you were hitting a closed or squared stance forehand. During the swing the upper body rotates quickly to generate a great deal of power. Notice the follow-through has already reached shoulder height and can relax from here or continue up and over the opposite shoulder.

The racquet face is now almost pointing towards the target. The back of the hand of the racquet arm is beginning to point towards the head and ear. This is caused by the brushing of the racquet up the back of the ball.

The follow-through can finish in several different ways depending on what kind of shot is being executed. Notice at the end of this modern forehand the elbow is pointing towards the target. The back of the hand of the dominant arm, right, is pointing towards the head and not away from it. By keeping the back of the hand towards your ear, this will allow you to generate topspin as your racquet comes up the back of the ball.

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Communication in Doubles

An Essential Part of a Team’s Expertise

by Dr. Domagoj Lausic

The event was the US Open Women’s doubles final in 2005, in which Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur met Elena Dementieva and Flavia Panetta. In an exciting three set match, both teams had their ups and downs. While admiring the teams’ athleticism, shot selection, effective court coverage and shot making, we cannot help but wonder if there is another, less obvious, skill that is essential in doubles. If one were to chart the communication that took place during that final, would there be a relationship between the amount and/or quality of the communication and the performance of the teams?

Good communication is commonly considered a critical asset of successful doubles teams.

As such, communication should be measured and related to team performance. However, unlike other aspects of human behaviour in sports, communication has not been extensively studied. Researchers have been predominantly interested in the mental aspects of performance, and are in general more concerned with individuals rather than teams and their processes. Finally, limited attention has been given to team coordination, which has possibly the greatest potential to help us understand how teams function.

Recently, a study of communications during doubles matches was undertaken between winning and losing NCAA Division I teams.

Teams were video and audio taped and all statements were transcribed and coded as one of six categories: (a) action statements, (b) acknowledgments, (c) emotional, (d) factual statements, (e) non-task statements and (f) uncertainty statements. Winning and losing teams played an equal amount of points and therefore had equal opportunity to communicate. In spite of this, analysis of results showed that winning teams communicated twice as much as losing teams.

Besides quantity, we wondered if the quality of communication influenced the eventual outcome of the match. To answer this question, the winning and losing teams’ communication patterns were analysed.

Domagoj Lausic earned his Ph.D in Sport Psychology at Florida State University. His research includes team communication and the development of expertise. Dr. Lausic has been a PTR National Tester since 1999, and currently works as a Coach and a Sport Psychology Consultant with juniors in Atlanta, Georgia (USA). During 2005-06, he worked and travelled part-time with a WTA Pro, who reached a Top 20 doubles ranking and a US Open doubles semi-final.

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To explain, patterns are comprised of two statements. For example, a possible pattern consists of an action statement followed by an acknowledgment (e.g., “I will serve down the T” followed by “Okay, sounds good”) or an uncertainty statement followed by action statement (e.g., “Should we go after her backhand?” followed by “Yes, let’s hit a heavy kick to her back-

hand”). Of course, numerous other pattern combinations are possible. Some patterns occur more frequently than others. Some patterns are also more likely to be used by winning teams, while others are utilised by losing teams. Results of the statistical analysis revealed that winning teams had a more homogenous and simpler model of communication, which made message interpretation more reliable. On the contrary, the model of the losing teams was more complex, which made message exchange ineffective.

Also, winning teams used more action statements, as well as fewer non-task statements (e.g., “I can’t believe I have three exams tomorrow”), than the losing teams. Both results made sense. The action statements are proactive and apply to tasks on court,

while non-task statements relate to something outside the match and cannot contribute to coordination and ultimately performance.

Overall, both winning and losing teams used mostly emotional and action statements (58% and 27%, respectively). Smaller percentages were used for factual and acknowledgement statements (6% and 5%, respectively). Emotional statements were positive, motivational and uplifting in nature. Nonverbal behaviour such as high fives, pats on the back, and hand claps were also recorded as emotional statements. Examples of factual statements are “The wind is really strong today” or “The court plays fast.” Statements such as “Yes”, “Okay” and “Sounds good” are examples of acknowledgments. In summary, this particular study presents a novel approach to investigating communication that will provide insight into processes that mediate performance.

One has to be cautious with interpretations of these results. It suggests that teams will benefit from increased communication. This may be true for players with limited or modest amounts of experience, such as collegelevel athletes playing together for two semesters, or newly-formed WTA or ATP doubles teams, but not for experienced veterans such as the Bryan brothers. However, early in their careers even they communicated after each point.

Over time they developed, through experience, a shared understanding about what to do or what court space to cover based on a certain scenario/play. They already communicated relevant information (e.g. knowledge and plans) numerous times, so additional communication would help only to a point. Nevertheless, if a challenge presents itself and they have to change tactics, they are more likely to increase communication.

Communication captured in this study took place between the points. Of course, teams communicate before and after the match, during changeovers, and even during the points, with calls such as “Yours” and “Mine”. Prior to the match, teams will discuss general strategy, as well as whether they will communicate verbally or with signals. After the match, the goal is to say something positive, regardless of the outcome, in order to build a lasting relationship. Furthermore, tactics could be analyzed.

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“The importance of money flows from it being a link between the present and the future.”

John Maynard Keynes Tennis is a sport unlike others. In tennis nobody gives you anything. You are not salaried by a company, all expenses are for your account and every defeat weighs more than in other disciplines. Being able to emerge and enter into the Gotha is a Titanic undertaking, even for those who have plenty of talent.

Tennis is not a sport for all.

Thanks to the collaboration of Fabio Colangelo, a former professional tennis player (he only retired a few months ago), we undertook an interesting journey in the world of the challenger, futures and Open tournaments, doing a 360 °analysis of the work of the professional tennis player.

Challenger, the Promised Land If you ever have a chance to speak with a player that has been on the tour for a few years, you will always hear the same words: “My aim is to get close to the 250 ATP ranking, so as to be able to dispute the Slam qualifiers and enter the draws of most of the challenger tournaments.”

Finally, different things should be said in case you win (e.g. address positives and negatives of the match) or if you lose (e.g. make sure that you communicate to your partner that you enjoyed playing with him/her, rather than blame and criticise).

Communication of action statements (such as tactics) should be a subject of another article.

In his book Maximum Tennis, Nick Saviano wrote a chapter on doubles and discussed communication of tactics in more depth than space here allows.

Finally, what happened during the final mentioned at the beginning of this article?

Dementieva and Panetta were broken early during the first set and point by point they physically went apart. After each point, their physical and verbal contact was at a minimum. On the other hand, Raymond and Stosur were chatting and giving high fives regularly.

They talked to each other between the points and games, regardless of winning or losing points, and eventually they won the first set.

Early in the second, Dementieva and Panetta won one of the most exciting points of the match. When the point was over, they gave

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each other a high-five, and from that moment on they started to communicate much more.

Soon, they broke for a lead and got themselves back in the match. The result was one set all. Early in the third, Dementieva and Panetta played several bad points and gradually started to communicate less. In contrast, their opponents did not cease communicating.

Soon, Raymond and Stosur went up a break and held serve until the end of the final set, walking away with the title.

Would Dementieva and Panetta have won that match had they communicated more? It’s hard to say, but from the observable behaviour of top teams, as well as the recent research, a rise in quality and quantity of communication with your partner gives you a better chance of success in doubles.

As teachers and students of the game, we invariably focus on doubles tactics, footwork and stroke production. At the same time, we tend to ignore a skill which differentiates the more and less successful teams (assuming that players’ individual skills are identical). Communication is an area in which we can surely make an impact on our students.

Teaching them about the ins and outs of communication (such as signalling, being supportive and acknowledging messages) will make them better communicators and better doubles partners. Problem solving via communication makes sense since communication is a natural skill. As such, it does not require extensive training since we are, after all, a social species.

Proficiency in communication and coordination presents an enormous advantage. This is precisely why a specialist doubles team has a higher chance of winning against a team of singles superstars. This holds true for other sports as well. In basketball or soccer, a wellrehearsed and coordinated team is rarely the underdog against an all-star team. Yet, this is contrary to what common sense would imply.

Due to the communication and coordination abilities, teams ultimately have a capacity to become more than the sum of their parts.

Reprinted with Permission of TennisPro Magazine, the official publication of Professional Tennis Registry

The challenger tournaments, the second division of tennis, are the Promised Land for all youngsters that are approaching this sport.

“If you start to play with continuity in this kind of tournaments “- tells us Colangelo“you are able to support yourself with tennis. In 98 % of the challengers, hospitality is provided for; you have a double room (which includes the coach) for at least 5 days and very often meals are also included. An eventual defeat in the first round, both in singles and in doubles, secures earnings of about

400-500$, depending of course on the prize money for the tournament. Unless one needs to play on the other side of the world (i.e. pay for intercontinental flights), one is always able to break even and very often to score a good gain. In short, if one can play in the challengers, one is safe. The problem, obviously, is to be able to stay around position 200-250 without ever going beyond 300, because at that point the issues increase exponentially. “ The Futures nightmare The Futures can easily be considered as the third division of tennis (although an ATP number 500 can’t even dream of the salary of a third division footballer!). These tournaments, which are useful to create a ranking from scratch and then rise up to the challenger level, have very small jackpots, around 10,000 to 15,000 dollars, all without hospitality. “The player who takes part in a future” - explained to us again Fabio Colangelo-”knows right from the outset that the maximum he can aspire to is to balance his accounts! Let me explain better: in a future, everything is for the player’s account: travel, coach (many do not take their coach in futures for precisely this reason), meals, accommodation, restringing, without forgetting the taxes to be paid on the prize money. The only way to avoid leaving the tournament out of pocket is to win it. A victory brings just over 1000$, but for example a singles quarter-final earns 290$, while a doubles semi-final earns 180$. Hospitality is hardly ever provided and asso-

ciated hotels are usually of two types: one of a good standard and another of a much poorer standard for those who try to save a few euro. To be able to recover costs, some tennis players plan things in such a way as to be able to play 2-3 consecutive tournaments in the same country.” Fabio’s words show just how hard it can be to make it in these conditions, if one doesn’t have the support of an important sponsor or a wealthy family. Paradoxically, the real difficulty is not so much in bridging the gap between number 250 and the top-100, but rather in climbing the rankings from 1000 to 250 ATP. Future tournament Gain result I Round 117$ II Round 200$ Quarter-finals 290$ Semi-finals 480$ Final 900$ Win 1300$

Points 0 1 2 5 9 17

Pressure or motivation?

Tennis is one of the more difficult sports to manage from the psychological point of view.

Stepping into the court in a future tournament with the awareness that a defeat could jeopardise the participation in the next tournament is not simple. “This kind of pressure is a constant in the futures tournaments.

There are players who are able to translate it into positive pressure giving their whole selves point after point. This motivation, this much talked about hunger, can be seen clearly in the futures tournaments, more so than in others with greater jackpots. But there are also tennis players who suffer from this kind of situation from a mental point of view; they block completely and are unable to obtain results. It is a really tough world.”

Conclusion The words of Fabio Colangelo made us understand just how difficult it is, in modern tennis, to be able to support oneself through international competitive activity.

In the light of these data and these facts, the criticism levelled at professional players seems exaggerated to say the least.

They are young men who are aiming for a goal, who are chasing a dream; only for this they should be supported.

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Paying attention to your opponent’s movements This is a critical component of the sport, since the most basic element of tennis is playing the ball into an area left exposed by your opponent. In order to do this, experienced tennis players use their peripheral vision to remain aware of their opponent’s movements at all times. This allows them to quickly formulate a strategy to take advantage of their opponent’s court position.

During a rally you must pay close attention to the opposing player’s preparation for their next shot. This includes both their movements and the positioning of the racquet head as they strike the ball. Last-second changes in grip or racquet positioning usually reveal surprise tactics like drop shots.

You must also learn to sense what your opponent is trying to do during rallies. If you can detect, for example, that your opponent is looking for a way of coming forward, you can remain aware of their intentions and be prepared when they finally make their move.

Staying focused during long points is only part of a good tennis player’s abilities. One of the most difficult things in the sport is staying focused during the downtime that follows each point. Those 25 seconds often contain many sources of distraction, which can be both exogenous (external) or endogenous (internal).

importance of maintaining one’s concentration on the court, and the words of the great Rod Laver ring particularly true: “There are no secrets to building up concentration in a player. It is a skill that is developed in the same way as the other components that together make up the game. The mistake many players make is that they don’t practice their concentration while they practice their shots. If the mind of a tennis player begins to wander during a training session, you can be certain that the same will happen during a match. When I used to train in Australia, as soon as I would begin to feel tired, I would

try and increase my concentration. At the end of any tough training session I would force myself to work for a further 10-15 minutes in order to improve my concentration when under a physical kind of stress. I have always believed that I got more benefit from those extra minutes than from the entire training session.”

So remember, being a great tennis player is not just about hitting winners or serving well, it’s about being focused 100% of the time, and like everything else perfecting that element of your game takes lots of practice.

Exogenous distractions are usually related to sight and hearing, such as listening to and watching things going on next to the court or in the stands. Things like a bad call or an aeroplane passing overhead are silly examples that can seriously change the course of the match (as happened to Ivan Lendl in the Italian Open of 1988, when he got sidetracked by the noise of a jet). These distractions can also be related to your opponent’s attempts to break your rhythm and concentration by doing strange things (as was often the case with Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe).

Endogenous distractions are more abstract, and can be anything from a lack of confidence to a fear of failure. They are not always related to tennis either, and are often a result of off-court worries. Events of the previous day, plans for the evening and other everyday concerns often creep into one’s thoughts on the tennis court, and these must be ignored at all costs.

Many professionals have emphasised the

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Tips fortheHitting Tips for Hitting Perfect Serve

By Federico Coppini

1 GRIP: Continental. Even though some players use the Eastern grip (such as Boris Becker), it is not advisable.

2 STANCE: The stance depends on the dominant eye. If the left eye

is the dominant one, then the stance will be more closed (i.e. more perpendicular to the baseline). If the right eye is the dominant one, then the stance will be more open. You must remember that the point begins before you hit the ball – you must concentrate from the instant you start positioning yourself for the serve. Getting your stance right is essential to effective and consistent serving. Great champions often perform some sort of “ritual” before beginning their serve. The reason for this is that they then know exactly which movements are necessary to prepare them for their serve, and it is an effective way of getting focused.

Here are some basics to focus on when stepping up to serve: - Feet must be a shoulder-width apart, with the right foot

parallel to the baseline and the left foot at an angle.

This angle varies depending on whether you are serving

from the right or the left.

- Shoulders must be at the same angle as the feet.

- Legs must be naturally stretched.

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the Perfect Serve

The left hand (if you are right-handed) must hold the ball in its first three fingers.

Eyes must be looking at the opponent and the court.

Body weight must be distributed across both legs, but slightly favouring the back leg.

3 TROPHY POSE: The hip must enter the court first, with the racquet

straight up and a 90° angle between forearm and arm. The palm must face outwards with a straight line from the elbow to the ball (see figure 1). The body is pushed upwards with the left hand and the chest rises to catch the ball (see figure 2).

4 IMPACT POINT: Must be forward with the whole body forming a single straight line (see figure 3).

5 PRONATION: The elbow ends up high with the palm facing outwards.

6 BODY WEIGHT: After impact, the body weight shifts forward enough to take the player into the court with the right or left foot.

figure 2

SLICE SERVE

This is the type of serve that imparts an anticlockwise sidespin on the ball because impact occurs with both a downward and lateral movement to the right. The racquet comes in with a partial cut, hitting the ball with a brushing stroke.

GRIP: Close to the eastern backhand grip. This allows the racquet to cut more easily.

BALL TOSS: Slightly off to the right and backwards.

PRONATION: Almost none with regard to the forearm during the strike.

DISCHARGE: The torso is accentuated during the striking phase.

KICK SERVE (suitable for a second serve) figure 1

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This serve imparts two rotational components to the ball: lateral and forward. The racquet strikes the ball both laterally and with a wrapping movement (a typical example of this serve is Stefan Edberg’s). The parabola is very wide but drops sharply to the ground and then bounces high.

figure 3

GRIP: Eastern backhand.

PRONATION: Forearm pronation is absent.

BALL TOSS: Above the head.

BENDING THE KNEES: Flexion of the torso (dorsal arc) and an exaggerated knee bend are important to increase the upward push into the ball.

IMPACT: Occurs while the ball is in the ascending, as opposed to descending, phase.

MISTAKES AND FIXES LOW TOSS Cause: The ball leaves the hand too soon.

Consequence: The striking movement is rushed, incomplete, tight and uncoordinated. The ball usually ends up in the net in this case.

Fix: 1. Practice ball toss with only the left arm (if you are right-handed) 2. Measure the height of your ideal ball toss and then mark that spot on a high wall. Then practice the full service motion, ensuring that the ball

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Tips for Hitting

the Perfect Serve

reaches that height every time.

HIGH TOSS Cause: Lack of sensitivity in the throwing arm.

Consequence: Serve is slow.

Fix: See above.

TOSS TOO FAR FORWARD Cause: Body weight shifts too far forward during movement, causing the ball to leave the hand too early.

Consequence: The ball ends up in the net because the body loses its balance.

Fix: Draw a circle on the ground with a 50 cm diameter extending from the left foot. When the ball is tossed at the right height, it should land inside the circle.

TOSS TOO FAR BACKWARD Cause: Body weight shifts too far backward during movement.

Consequence: Ball is worked with the fingers during toss, usually ending in a serve being long.

Fix: Same as above, draw a circle.

TOSS TOO FAR TO THE RIGHT Cause: The arm does not toss the ball towards the left foot so it follows a rightward trajectory.

Consequence: No control on the serve.

Fix: Same as above.

BACKWARD SHIFT OF BODY WEIGHT DURING TOSS Cause: Lack of balance causes body weight to shift backwards.

Consequence: Serve is too weak because there is no thrust.

Fix: Carry out just the toss movement and hold the position to check that the weight is properly balanced and leaning slightly forward.

INSUFFICIENT UPPER BODY CONTORTION Cause: Right shoulder is not moved back sufficiently during toss.

Consequence: Serve is weak because the striking movement cannot use the push produced by the contortion of the upper body.

Fix: Carry out the tossing movement and hold the position to check that the torso and shoulders are being discharged correctly.

IMPACT TOO LOW Cause: 1. Ball toss too low.

2. Interruption of the throwing movement resulting in excessive lowering of the ball.

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3. Incomplete extension of one or more body parts.

4. Slow execution of the second phase of the serve.

5. Delay in the movement of the racquet on the ball.

Consequence: Ball ends up in the net because the resulting serve is incomplete and rushed.

Fix: Dangle a rope or plastic string from the ceiling or another support at a height corresponding to the maximum extension of the racquet arm.

Standing underneath it, carry out the complete serve movement and try to hit the dangling target. The same exercise can be carried out under a tree, trying to hit leaves at the right height.

INSUFFICIENT PRONATION OF THE FOREARM Cause: Insufficient control and sensitivity of the racquet arm.

Consequence: The serve ends too far to the left because the racquet comes in with a cut.

Fix: From the starting position, with your side to the net and your left

foot approximately 30-40 cm away, carry out your entire serve movement and hit the net. Hold that position and check that the racquet is flat and not at an angle.

INCOMPLETE CLOSURE OF THE WRIST Cause: 1. Incorrect grip.

2. Delay in aligning racquet and forearm.

3. Elbow coming into play too early compared to the racquet.

4. Ball toss too low.

Consequence: The resulting serve is high and slow.

Fix: Only the head of the racquet, and not the face, should come into contact with the net. With your feet on the service line, carry out a few tight serves within the service court across the net.

EARLY CLOSURE OF THE WRIST Cause: 1. Ball impact too low and forward.

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the Perfect Serve 2. Early alignment of racquet and forearm.

Consequence: The serve ends up in the net.

Fix: Throwing a racquet into the air as high as possible, carrying out the striking motion.

NO WEIGHT SHIFT ONTO THE BALL Cause: 1. Ball toss is too far backward.

2. Impact occurs with weight discharge to the back as opposed to forward and upward.

3. Back foot does not rotate and does not lift off the ground.

Fix: Hold the final stage of the serve and carry out a few checks: 1. The right shoulder should be further forward than the left.

2. The front foot should be well anchored to the ground and carry the body weight.

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3. The back foot should be turned forward and completely discharged.

LOSS OF BALANCE Cause: Taking a step forward before or during the striking of the ball.

Fix: 1. Serve with parallel feet, in front of the net.

2. Serve with parallel feet, to the side of the net.

3. Change position of the feet: right foot forward and left foot backward.

TOSSING ARM TOO FAST Fix: After the toss, keep your hand in the air and count to two.

STIFF ARMS Fix: Serve with two fingers.

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FED CUP DIARY

By Chanel Simmonds

By Salvatore Sodano Eustace Fannin (born in Ixopo, South Africa, in 1914) won the SA Junior Championships in 1931, and by 1940 had risen to third place in the national rankings. He would go on to play 16 Davis Cup matches for his country, and was instrumental in the famous 4-1 victory over a strong British team in 1947. In the same year he also won the French Open doubles competition, partnering Eric Sturgess in a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory over Tom Brown and Bill Sidwell in the finals.

Frew Donald McMillan (born in Springs, South Africa, on May 20, 1942) was one of South Africa’s greatest ever doubles players.

He won five Grand Slam doubles titles in his career, including three Wimbledon titles with Bob Hewitt (1967, 1971, 1972). His other Ma-

The pair of McMillan and Hewitt remains one of the most successful in the history of tennis, and McMillan’s 63 doubles titles make him part of an elite group of players that include Tom Okker (who won 69) and John McEnroe (who won 71).

Our team was very young and consisted of four under-18 players: myself, Christi Potgieter, Natasha Farouclas and Madrie le Roux. Greer Leo-Smith accompanied us as our coach, and with her vast experience in international travel could assist us mentally and physically during the trip.

We arrived five days before the start of the Fed Cup in order to get used to the clay conditions. However, it rained almost every day before the tournament so we ended up practicing very little on the clay. We managed one indoor session on hard court.

Percy Sherwell (born in Isipingo, Natal, on August 17, 1880) was raised in England, where he eventually studied engineering. He

jor wins were the French Open in 1972 and the US Open in 1977, both partnering Bob Hewitt.

McMillan was a major part of South Africa’s Davis Cup team, and he played 30 matches for his country, losing only five. He still holds the record for most doubles wins by a South African Davis Cup player (23). He was also part of the squad that won the country’s only Davis Cup trophy in 1974. McMillan was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island in 1992. Today he works as a tennis commentator for Eurosport and BBC Radio 5 during Wimbledon.

Once the tournament started it rained for the first two days, which resulted in the organisers changing surfaces to hard court. Our group consisted of Luxemburg, Lichtenstein, Greece and ourselves.

The players from the other teams were extremely strong. We beat Lichtenstein but lost against the other teams and ended in the bottom half of our group.

Although we struggled in the tournament and the weather was terrible, I have to say that the experience of participating in the Fed Cup was unbelievable. You play against the best players of each country and learn so much. Hopefully next year’s Fed Cup team will improve on our results and come out on top.

is best known as a cricketer, but this was quite a common overlap for many of South Africa’s tennis players in the early 20th century. He was the captain of the South African cricket team between 1905 and 1906, and enjoyed many successes in the sport. He won the South African National Tennis Championship in 1904, and also represented South Africa in the Davis Cup team that played against England in 1909-1910.

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Neville Godwin A Career Cut Short

N

eville Godwin kindly agreed to take time out of his schedule to meet me for lunch at The Wanderers, his current base. As a 21 year-old, he first hit the headlines in the tennis world when he progressed to the Fourth Round at Wimbledon in 1996.

His Third Round opponent was three-time champion Boris Becker. The South African did not, however beat the famous German. “I remember it was 6-all in the first set. I was serving in the tie-breaker and he caught his return late and ripped a tendon in his wrist.

I didn’t actually see it happen. After serving I turned around and so missed the moment that probably made me more notorious than it did famous,” Godwin recalls with a smile.

Later that season Godwin reached the

quarter-finals at Washington, beating Jim Courier along the way – and the American did not withdraw! “My best results include my Second Round win at Wimbledon in ’96 over Grant Stafford. I had never beaten him before but did so on that day 6-4, 7-5 and 6-2. I also fondly remember beating Gustavo Kuerten in the Australian Open Third Round in 1997 6-7, 6-3, 6-1, 6-0.” The Brazilian went on to win three titles at Roland Garros.

Godwin looks back at his career as something of a hit-and-miss. “I suffered with injuries unfortunately. 1996 was a great year for me and I had a few good seasons when I reached a point where I averaged between 50 and 70 in doubles and 90 and 130 in singles.”

An emergency appendix operation was the

first injury to curtail Godwin. At the end of 1999 he suffered a stress fracture in his foot which kept him out for five months. It was also at the start of the new century that the ATP introduced rule changes to the rankings system in terms of earning points. “I felt like I wasn’t getting any reward and it kind of demoralised me,” Godwin recalls, as he was playing singles and doubles at the time. He fondly remembers winning his only singles title at Newport in 2001, but it was just two years later that a ligament tear in his left knee forced him out of action. “I came back after rehabilitation but realised I was only operating at about 60% and after that decided that I had just had enough.”

It was then that he opted to take up coaching

and today also appears on television as a pundit from time to time. There is also an element of bitterness as the 35-year old recalls his time as a Davis Cup player. “I really feel like I could have done more if I had been afforded more of an opportunity. It’s water under the bridge now but at the time there were moments that really hurt. Unfortunately there was a lot of politics involved as is often the case in team sports. I remember first making the team in 1997 and felt I deserved a place against Russia after having beaten Andrei Chesnokov just a few weeks earlier. I could understand though as Wayne Ferreira, Grant Stafford and Marcos Ondruska were all ahead of me in the ATP singles rankings.”

Godwin feels the biggest disappointment was being overlooked to play Belarus for David Nainkin. “I was ranked higher than David plus I had a good record against Max Mirnyi.

There was also the time I was snubbed to play Germany. Look, we got hammered anyway but just a week afterwards I played Tommy Haas on the Tour and beat him, which I found rather ironic.”

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There is also no fooling Godwin on the topic of who is the greatest male singles tennis player of all time. “The statistic that stands out for me is Roger Federer reaching 23 consecutive Grand Slam semi-finals.

No one else has done that.

It’s unbelievable consistency. I think it’s a great and fair way to compare eras.”

After I completed my seafood pizza (an odd choice at a Johannesburg restaurant, I know) and Neville swallowed the last remains of his chicken-and-mayo tramezzini, he tells me he has to get back to work. He has been coaching since 06:30, but before I let him go I ask him which his favourite Grand Slam is. He says there are two, “I loved the Aussie Open

There are a few people out there who still feel Federer has to beat Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros to cement his position as the greatest of all time. Godwin sees the validity in the argument but is not

On the class of 2010 Godwin feels that South Africa will go to Germany in September as the rank outsiders. He backs this up by the fact that the Germans have five players in the Top 50 whereas South Africa has nobody in the top 100 save for the elusive Kevin Anderson, who Godwin is ambivalent about.

“I don’t think he’s had the kind of experience I had. I felt I deserved more exposure whereas he’s been an integral member of the team. That said maybe he feels like he is bigger than the team as the main member.

That’s possible unfortunately. I also think he’s received bad advice along the way. I myself have tried to speak to him but it’s not been easy to get hold of him.”

Neville Godwin also feels that South Africa’s ageing Davis Cup squad is a concern. He is not convinced the likes of Fritz Wolmarans and Andy Anderson are ready to step up if needed. Godwin feels the current system in South African tennis means that the country is nothing more than a feeder system for American colleges. “We don’t lack expertise in this country. It’s related to kids not having fun. If you have fun, you’ll become competitive and when you’re competitive you’ll have fun. It’s how the cycle works. We need to stop copying other countries. We’ve got the talent here and I don’t doubt that for a second. The problem is we lose kids to other sports plus other distractions like phones, computers, socialising and social networks

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even.” Godwin also feels many schoolchildren are being misled. He believes that too many kids are leaving school to play tennis when they lack the ability to go on and do well.

convinced. “It’s clutching at straws if you ask me. For my money it’s not entirely accurate.

Nadal is the number two clay courter of all time and Federer has been the second-best player on clay over the last five years while being the best on every other surface. I also think that if the grass courts at Wimbledon were still what they once were Nadal wouldn’t have a hope of beating Federer there. I remember being 16 and I could easily serve-and-volley my first and second serves.

By the time I reached 27 I had to serve out of my shoes to make a serve-and-volley. It’s sad how they’ve slowed the courts and the balls down at the All England Club.”

because of its geography. It may be a lowerkey Slam but it’s fantastically organised with a lot of knowledgeable people all around. The other is Wimbledon. I loved playing on grass.

It suited my game and I played my best there.

I even still have a flat around the corner from Wimbledon.”

We shake hands and bid one another adieu.

After the conversation I cannot help but feel that had it not been for injuries, Neville Godwin may have enjoyed a far richer tennis career. Equally, with a bit of luck he may even have been remembered as a Davis Cup hero for South Africa. Life can be cruel that way.

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Greer Leo-Smith

Memories of Wimbledon

The Lighter Side of Davis Cup Competition

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y the time you read this, Wimbledon 2010 will have already started. It has always been a very special tournament for me, as it has been for many South Africans.

We do tend to prefer the grass to the clay and I am no different.

Of all the Grand Slams, Wimbledon has a unique magic about it and it always has. The feeling you get there is unlike anything you get at the other tournaments. You walk in there and you just get a feeling about the kind of stories you could tell. There’s always been that x-factor, which goes along with the event’s wonderful traditions dating back to the 1840s.

In your first year you get a dungeon locker room without any lighting. As you become more of a regular you get a middle locker room where you can actually see, and eventually the top locker rooms.

I was very lucky to go over to England before my first Wimbledon and managed to win tournaments and therefore never had to play qualifiers for the event. My first year in 1974 was a dream come true. In fact, I was so bewildered that I did not even know who I was playing!

Sandy Stap of the United States was my first opponent, as I would eventually find out, and judging by the other players’ reaction she was considered really tough. Well I went down 6-1 in the first set but after that I thought to myself that there was no way I was losing my first match at the 72

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All England Club. In a dramatic turn of events I won the next two sets 6-1, 6-1 and eventually made it into the Last 16. I am very proud that I never did worse than reach the Last 16 at Wimbledon.

I also recall making a Centre Court appearance in the doubles. More than that you really cannot ask for at your first Wimbledon.

There were so many wonderful experiences, but winning the Mixed Doubles title with Bob Hewitt in 1979 was unbelievable, especially after my knee injury the year before. For me that put a lot of self-doubt to rest. It was made even sweeter by knowing there were those who said I would never play tennis again.

It really was a blessing when I think back

about some of the players I competed against.

I played Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Virginia Wade, Billie Jean King, Tracy Austin and Pam Shriver. Believe me there were some really, really good players in that era and they could all serve and volley. Most were more aggressive than the clay courters. A big difference between those days and today is that you did not specialise – you played singles, doubles and mixed doubles. So on most days you would play three matches in a day.

The intensity of the schedule now is much tougher, to be fair. In my day we played a lot of tournaments over a lengthier period of time. Possibly the current schedule is just too intense.

ince we last spoke it has been revealed that we will face Germany in the Davis Cup World Group play-off. As if that is not daunting enough, the tie will also be away from home. Even so I have enough belief in my players to get the job done. This month though, I am not going to analyse our opponents – we can do that closer to the time. Right now I thought

I would share some of our lighter moments on tour with you.

I’ll never forget in 1999 we were playing Belarus in Cape Town. I was playing doubles with David Adams and we were up against Max Mirnyi and Vladimir Voltchkov. It was in the middle of the second set, and Max crossed and hit a forceful forehand that hit me right in the

genitals. I dropped down in pain. Our physio was a female so that added to the funny factor (for everyone except me!) Eventually I got up and as I was about to serve someone in the crowd yelled out, “new balls, please!” How can you not laugh at that?

Bizarre moments seem to come when Belarus is involved. We were playing them away, and forgetting the problems we had leaving the country with passports and visas and spending more than £3 000 just to get away from Moscow, the strangest moment occurred on the flight in. Before I get to that I should mention that in Belarus we were followed, almost manmarked, by the KGB. We were coming from Gatwick. Ironically we were staring out of the airport at the huge Boeings but we ended up on a small, old craft that resembled a fighter-pilot plane that you see in the old war movies. The roof was so low that I could not stand up and to add to the weird factor as I sat down the tray fell off. We were all very nervous as you can imagine.

There were funny times for all of us in Birmingham when we played Great Britain in 1999.

Craig Tiley was still the captain at the time.

Tiley was always full of practical jokes and I was not short of pranks myself. He and I had an agreement that we would never gag each other. On this occasion in the United Kingdom, however, I changed the rules a little. It was his birthday in the middle of the week, and with all the other distractions I knew he would not suspect anything. After practice the whole team got together. I had arranged a special birthday cake for him and held it in my left hand while my right hand rested on Craig’s shoulder. I made a speech thanking him for his work as captain as well as his friendship and wished him all of the best. That was before I smashed the cake into his face. That was the million dollar moment of course, but I knew I had to run for cover after that as I was a marked man. That was not the end for Craig though. He would later find a blow-up doll in his bed as well.

Even though we do not always win, the team spirit we have had in my time as a player and as captain have been outstanding, and I can promise you that it has carried us through some difficult ties. It breeds team spirit, and that is crucial especially in the Davis Cup.

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