Tennis World 15-2014

n째 15 - April

TENNIS WORLD April 2014 - issue 15

FLAVIA PENNETTA The Life Of A Bestseller

ANDRE AGASSI The eight-time Grand Slam champion shared his thoughts with Tennis World

MISSING PEARLS The Failures of the great champions

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Flavia, the Life Of A Bestseller The life of Flavia Pennetta reads a bit like a bildungsroman. That most noble of genres shares the life of a character with the reader, from a young child to an adult and beyond. All the highs and lows that someone experience, and how they deal with those, can often make for some fascinating reading. And indeed, Flavia’s tale would make for the perfect bestseller.

You could start at the end, with a victory at Indian Wells that seemed so unlikely that it could only be fiction. But then, reality is often stranger than anything our imaginations can cook up.

We could start our tale with an illness, one that almost kept Flavia out of the sport altogether.

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While the operation itself was not too serious, how it would affect her ability to play was unclear

Or with a love affair with Carlos Moya, the number one tennis player in the world. A love affair that ended badly, when talks of marriage faded into an ugly breakup, one which left her emotionally distraught for months. Then we could talk how she slowly dragged herself out of that pit of despair to ultimately return to the Tour with renewed vigor.

But let us start our tale instead with an injury. A very bad one, at that. It was 2012, and Pennetta was not in a good place. Just three years before she had been in the Top 10, the first Italian woman to ever rise that high in the world rankings. She had even been ranked number one in the doubles for a time. It seemed as if she would stay near the top of the game for years to come, but things had not gone to plan.

Her wrist had been giving her trouble for months, and as a result her ranking had plummeted. Tournament after tournament, she was forced to withdraw without even hitting a ball, until she finally had to admit that something drastic had to be done. She underwent wrist surgery, always a risky procedure.

While the operation itself was not too serious, how it would affect her ability to play was unclear. “It will be a trivial procedure,� she said at the time. “But in tennis to have a wrist failure is like a violinist having an

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injury on her fingertips."

The rehab took many weeks, and combined with the months she had lost earlier in the year, she was out of competition for a very long time indeed. Even once she was ready to return, she did not know if she would be able to compete.

She was also afraid of getting hurt again.

"I was really lonely," she remembers.

But Flavia has always been a fighter, and she bounced back with tremendous force. Even though she was barely in the Top 100 going into the 2013 US Open, she was feeling confident, and for two weeks she played the best tennis of her life. She had to defeat higher ranked players every step of the way, but managed to beat Sara Errani, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Simona Halep and Roberta Vinci to eventually reach the semi-final, the first of her career. She lost her final four match against Victoria Azarenka, but she was sure that she was back on track, despite all the

setbacks of the previous year.

She took that confidence into the 2014 season, reaching the quarter-finals at the Australian Open before stunning the tennis world by winning the prestigious event at Indian Wells.

This run of success saw her reach number 12 in the world, just a few spots shy of where she was in 2009. Even her love life seems to be falling into place, with many reports linking her to Fabio Fognini.

The novel ends here. More or less. "I was looking for myself," says Flavia, "and I found me. It cost me a lot, but I think things will be better from here on."

Flavia has almost no points to defend until Wimbledon, so it seems likely that her ranking will improve even more. Once she gets back to the Top 10, she will be even happier than she was after winning Indian Wells. And an ending like that would be worthy of a bestseller.

by Daniele Azzolini

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Loving Life NMM. These are the three capital letters that Flavia Pennetta wrote under her signature on the camera lens. It is tradition for players to sign the camera lens after a victory at a Masters event, but the three letters say much more than the signature. They have become the symbol of the Italian’s rebirth. After her win, she texted Fabio Fognini.

They are just friends, they insist.

"We've known each other for a lifetime, and at this time we support each other," reads the official line on their relationship. But close observers of her career know better. Not that anyone is not happy for the couple – for that is surely what they are. Pennetta has an army of loyal followers, who love her fight and spirit.

Just a few years ago it seemed as if she would never play tennis again, when a bad wrist injury sidelined her for months. She eventually had to have surgery, and at age 30 few would have thought that she would be able to make any sort of comeback. But that is exactly the kind of challenge she loves. From being outside of the Top 150, she has fought her way back to within an inch of the Top 10. A truly incredible achievement.

It might very well be that Fognini has taken inspiration from Pennetta’s renaissance, for he has also shot up the rankings with tremendous speed. While he has always been talented, it is only in recent months that he has tamed his temper and posted consistent results.

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Fognini is known as a bit of a playboy, and not too long ago was linked to Svetlana Simeonova, a model the same age as Pennetta, 32.

He is also now within reaching distance of the Top 10, a milestone no Italian man has reached in many years.

Fabio did not do very well himself in Indian Wells, falling to Dolgopolov early on, but he happily accepted the role of assistant coach to Flavia when his official tournament duties ended. He had done the same in Melbourne, where Flavia reached the quarter-finals.

Fognini is known as a bit of a playboy, and not too long ago was linked to Svetlana Simeonova, a model the same age as Pennetta, 32. Fognini is almost 27. Flavia was also briefly linked to a model, Andrea Preti, who is 26 years old, but for her it was more the exception than the norm.

Of course, her most famous relationship was with Carlos Moya. The pair openly spoke of marriage, before they went through an ugly breakup. Moya would marry Cerezuela Carolina a television presenter, a short time later. Pennetta was crushed, and took a long time to recover.

But even there she bounced back and started over. In tennis, she bounces back quickly, but less so with men. She reportedly did have a relationship with Potito Starace, a childhood friend, but that also did not last.

But then, the court promotes some strange relationships.

It was always much more difficult to maintain anything, however, since men and women rarely played at the same events.

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Combined events are getting more common every year, giving players hope that they might see their partners more often.

Evert and Connors is a famous example. These days though, things are getting a little easier.

Combined events are getting more common every year, giving players hope that they might see their partners more often.

Serena and Mouratoglou are certainly giving it a go. So are Sharapova and Dimitrov, the couple of the moment.

Let us hope that Pennetta and Fognini can also make it last. Italian fans will certainly be happy.

They would make a really good mixed doubles team, if nothing else.

by Daniele Azzolini

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Picture Perfect Pictures of a life that rushes along the rectangle of a tennis court.

Flavia Pennetta’s incredible win at Indian Wells capped an incredible comeback. It might just be the start of things to come.

At Indian Wells she realized once again what a valuable asset maturity is. Being able to stay steady during the low moments as well as the high ones is very important if you are going to win. And win she has, more so than anyone would have thought possible 12 months ago.

"I found my back to the wall, my head full of thoughts. I had to make a choice, not once but a thousand times. Yes, it is true, I thought about quitting, but I was right to continue. And today I am happy, because I was myself, because I grew up on and off the court, because in every game is something beautiful, very beautiful, to be discovered."

At Wimbledon last year she did not seem so certain.

In room 2 of the All England Club, she seemed dark and depressed in her interviews. Her answers were vague and evasive. The Pennetta of today is like another person. She also seems to have a smile on her lips.

"In Indian Wells all I did was laugh. I was drunk with happiness, and I could not stop."

When exactly this started is hard to tell. At Flushing Meadows last year she was already much happier and more positive about her life in general, and tennis in particular.

“I'm happy and I cannot wait to play,” she said back then. It was a phrase that perfectly summed up her new approach to life.

Pictures of a life that rushes along the rectangle of a tennis court. Clear snapshots, sometimes marked.

Flavia Pennetta looks ahead. Even more so after the first Grand Slam of the season, four months after reaching her first career semi-final at the US Open.

Italian tennis has had a good run the past couple of years, especially on the women’s side. Flavia’s name has not really been associated much with that success. That is, until now. By winning the prestigious event at Indian Wells, she has captured the second biggest tournament in recent Italian tennis history. Only Schiavone’s win at Roland Garros in 2010 ranks higher.

But it has not been an easy journey. As recently as Wimbledon last year she reportedly mulled walking away from the sport.

"I think at Wimbledon, there was a time when I might have thought enough is enough. But I still had the desire, and I found that I can be competitive. My coach, Salvador Navarro, certainly has helped me a lot. Then of course came the semi-finals at the US Open, and recently the quarters in Australia. And this victory is very important. I feel I still have a lot to give tennis. "

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She is much more aggressive than she ever was on the court, much of which can be ascribed to her new coach There is not much dialogue between us, because she knows what she must do."

At age 32, Pennetta is defying almost everything that we know about tennis after 30. She seems younger now than she did 10 years ago. From April 2013 to March 2014, she has gone from nothing to everything. And the possibilities for this year seem endless. With no points to defend until Wimbledon, she is almost certain to reach the Top 10. Even the Top 5 does not seem out of the question at this point.

Not bad for someone who nearly walked away from the game just 12 short months ago.

We should all be happy and thankful that she didn’t, because she has made the WTA Tour a much more exciting place.

After her semi-final at the US Open, she joked that she had no intention of trying to get back to the Top 10, where she first landed in 2009. But now, at 12 in the world, she is within striking distance of that most prestigious of places.

Her new style of play has certainly helped. She is much more aggressive than she ever was on the court, much of which can be ascribed to her new coach. She fights for every ball, and hits it hard.

She takes risks on her first serve, as well as on her backhand. Even the occasional foray to the net is encouraged. "It's my philosophy, it is my belief," Navarro says of her aggression. "Flavia must always push.

By Gianluca Atlante

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Chinese Spring China has one of the largest economies in the world

You have to follow the river of money to understand what is happening to tennis in Asia.

Even Jacob's Creek wine got in on the act. They were aimed at that audience, which represented only 15% of the total admissions to the tournament, but had millions of viewers watching TV at home in China.

The Chinese economy is growing faster than the Australian one. It's time to invest. ANZ has opened 28 branches in Asia, five of them in China. The market in these regions is worth $73 billion, with profits of $6.3 billion in 2012 alone.

Not bad. And tennis as a promotional vehicle is an ideal way to get the message across to a vast market.

China has one of the largest economies in the world. It is one of the protagonists of the twenty-first century, and its products have invaded every continent. Every field, from computers and mobile phones to banking has felt the touch of China. The country has a prominent role throughout Asia, the Arab world, Africa and Latin America. In short: money. So much money.

Some observers marveled that at the last Australian Open, some ads were written with Chinese characters. To me, it seemed the natural progression of things.

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Girl power Women play an important role in our story.

Since 2000, Chinese women have had a significant impact on the WTA Tour.

But the tale begins some time before that. At the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 1984, in fact.

Until then, thanks to isolation, China had achieved almost nothing in the Olympics. But suddenly, they found themselves as the proud owners of 15 gold medals, along with 8 silvers and 9 bronzes.

Back then, athletes were still doing poorly in China, but the government decided to invest heavily in sporting disciplines. In exchange for food, housing and education, athletes gave

themselves over fully to the wishes of the government.

Table tennis, badminton, gymnastics and diving reigned as the most important sports for a long time. These were eventually followed by swimming, athletics, ice skating and fencing. For the most part, it was women who reaped the greatest benefit from these new initiatives.

Tennis soon became part of the agenda, and a goal of having a number one woman in both singles and doubles became a priority.

Two on the podium The plan, such as it was, has almost reached fruition. Shuai Peng is a top doubles player, with Li Na close to the top of the rankings in singles.

Mountains of dollars have been invested in the development of Chinese tennis talent. Some reports have the government spending $1 million per season to coach the girls at an Academy in Delray Beach, Florida.

In Qixhoug, you can find China’s National Tennis Center. There are 11 courts, a stadium with room for 15 000 spectators, a retractable roof and Hawkeye technology.

Chinese women's tennis is still growing, but it is already very big.

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Businessmen have spent billions on the construction of the Singapore Sports Hub that will host the 2018 Women's Masters.

Businessmen have spent billions on the construction of the Singapore Sports Hub that will host the 2018 Women's Masters. The WTA has created subsidiaries in Asia and has increased the number of tournaments on that continent. Today there are 16, half of them in China.

Asia is a growing market. A few years ago, only the Slams were of interest in China. Today, thousands of hours of tennis are broadcast every year. The final of the doubles at the 2004 Athens Games was watched by 80 million viewers in China. The French Open final in 2011, between Na Li and Francesca Schiavone, was about 400 million.

Finally acceptable Tennis is no longer considered to be a bourgeois sport in China. Although many people in rural areas earn only $755 a year, the government of Hubei province reportedly gave Li Na 800 000 Yuan ($96 000) for reaching the Australian Open final. A large sum, to be sure, but considering that racket sales are up 41% yearon-year, it is rather reasonable.

Chinese tennis players have gone from 10 000 in 1980 to 30 million today. The turning point was 2011, the Year of the Rabbit on the Chinese calendar, when Li Na won the French Open.

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Li Na is managed by IMG, and she pays 12% in taxes to China. So far, she has brought home almost sixteen million dollars, excluding sponsors. She has, for the most part, decided to go it alone in her career, without relying on Chinese sports authorities for help. "Sport can change everything," she said at the French Open, where she won, echoing the words of Nelson Mandela.

It was not taken well by many people in China, but Na has stuck to her guns. After she started winning, most forgot about her shunning of the national system. After all, winning fixes everything.

But for the Chinese men, things are not going so well. China has nine players in the Top 300 on the WTA Tour, including three in the Top 50.

The men have only two in the Top 300: Di Wu Zhong Ze is 212, and the other player comes in at 229. However, three of the five men’s tournaments in Asia are hosted in

China: Shenzhen (250), Beijing (500) and Shanghai (1000).

A fifth Slam In the school curriculum, there are sixteen million Chinese children who play tennis. The Federation has begun to send students abroad also, as well as brining in foreign coaches.

But apart from developing local talent, China has another major tennis-related objective: to host a fifth Grand Slam. Beijing and Shanghai have been proposed as sites. They say that the Australian Open cannot alone represent Asia and the Pacific. They are prepared to commit

substantial capital to kick start the initiative.

They also have strong support from former players, including Australian John Newcombe.

"China can pay a billion dollars to the other Slams, which they will divide into equal parts.

The four will be able to consolidate their position and China will have its Grand Slam.

They deserve it."

There is even a hypothetical date: between late February and early March, just before Indian Wells. Now we have to wait. It might seem unbelievable, but so did a Chinese world number two just a few years ago.

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Tennis soon became part of the agenda, and a goal of having a number one woman in both singles and doubles became a priority.

It is interesting to note that Rios was number one in the world without having a Federation in Chile. Federer and Wawrinka were born in Switzerland, a country that does not have highquality tennis projects that come to the aid of young players. Guga Kuerten came from Brazil, which is also lacking tennis resources. Yet, they all have been incredible successes. Just imagine the kind of player China could produce, with a population of 1.4 billion people and endless resources. The possibilities are endless.

by Dario Torromeo

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The Year Of Peng Shuai According to the Chinese calendar, 2014 is the year of the Horse

It promises great fortune in business, love and everything else. winning a title (180).

But alongside her new coach, Frenchman Guillaume Peyre, and paired with Hsieh SuWei, she has won five doubles titles (including Wimbledon and the WTA Championships).

"Becoming number one was my goal for this year. Last year we came very close to Errani and Vinci. In Australia, we had a great chance, and we did it. Now I'm glad I managed to play in Doha."

According to the Chinese calendar, 2014 is the year of the Horse. It promises great fortune in business, love and everything else.

So far, the tennis season seems to line up with those predictions. At least for Chinese players. In January, Li Na won her second Grand Slam title and reached number two in the rankings. Never has a Chinese player risen that high. But in February, things got even better, as Peng Shuai climbed even higher, reaching the top spot in the WTA doubles rankings. She is the first Chinese player to ever do so.

“No, I did not know!” she laughed afterwards.

“After the match my coach came up to me and said: ‘Congratulations! You're the number one.’ And I said...’Are you sure?’

Peng Shuai has played the most singles events of any active player without ever

Playing her own way Peng likes to play from the baseline, while Hsieh prefers the net. Peng admits that she is not too comfortable with her volleys, and prefers to hit normal groundstrokes. That being said, they do not have much of a strategy when they go out on court.

"Every match is like a workout for us," Peng says.

The best strategy? To not have strategy.

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Peng and Hsieh are aware that their paring is strange from a political point of view, but they do not care about the unfriendly politics between their countries Peng and Hsieh are aware that their paring is strange from a political point of view, but they do not care about the unfriendly politics between their countries.

Until recently, Peng was not widely known to casual tennis fans. Her more famous colleague, Li Na, got most of the headlines.

Na famously shunned the Chinese tennis system to strike out on her own.

Like Na, Peng has not had a straightforward path to success.

She started playing tennis when she was eight, with her uncle as her coach. She was not a very healthy child, and had a number of physical problems.

Her right shoulder, left hand, left ankle and right elbow all variously gave her problems, and she also had a number of heart-related issues.

But she made up for her physical fragility with a strong mental approach. She used this mental strength when dealing with Chinese Tennis Federation, when she wanted more freedom than they would allow. The main cause for her rebellion was that she wanted to choose her own coach, something they did not want her to do.

"I need a coach for the technical part, one for the physical part and a hitting partner," she says.

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"I believe that the help of a coach is not a superficial issue.

In addition to the technical part you also need psychological help."

A professional tennis player must be surrounded by talented professionals, and this is expensive. With the Federation not helping her, things were difficulty, especially early on in her career. But she stuck to her guns.

"I believe that the help of a coach is not a superficial issue. In addition to the technical part you also need psychological help."

Tranquility is not easy to find when you are being criticized by the national media. They said she needed to lose weight to become quicker. She hit back by pointing out a number of successful players, like Davenport and Kuznetsova, were certainly not skinny.

Smile and the world smiles with you Peng has learned to smile, even when things are not going her way. But that does not mean she is not willing to stand up for herself. At a national tournament, for example, she did not show up for the semi-finals, because the officials did not tell her that her match time had changed. At that time she was in Shanghai to do her visa, since the CTA (Chinese Tennis Association) did not even provided help with

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bureaucratic problems. Adding insult to injury, she received an official warning from the federation for not showing up. The eighteen year-old Peng, with her raging temper, could not accept that. She called a press conference to tell her side of the story, and spoke of conspiracy against her.

On another occasion, she was taken to task

by Fed Cup captain Jiang Hong. She had not submitted a list of her tournaments for the year, as is required by the Federation. She hit back, saying "the list of my tournaments is public and can be found on the website of the WTA.

These are not things I concern myself with.

What interests me is to play well and improve my ranking."

Peng had to live with a lot of doubts and uncertainties throughout her career. "I started playing as a child, I had a heart operation at the age of 12. Sometimes I feel fortunate and sometimes not so much. As a junior I played well, but it was not easy on the Tour. When I was 18 I even thought about quitting."

But in 2005 she suddenly entered the Top 30, and expectations were high.

"Tennis was originally a sport for the nobility," Peng said then, "and I need to play with more grace, and be less reckless. I need more patience. I need to do this at a young age so I can flourish when I'm older."

The “no� year The following year was a disaster in terms of injuries. She also had the same tensions with the Federation. The event in Beijing in 2007 was very important to her, and she wanted to do well. Peng won her match in the first round, and celebrated as if she had

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won the tournament. She blew kisses to the crowd.

"It was the first time I did it," she recalls, almost apologetically. "I just wanted to thank everyone who had supported me. That day I thanked a lot of people, my parents, the fans." But not the CTA. "How I could even include them? To be honest, usually I like to see my photos, read articles about tennis and me. But at that time I did not have the courage to go online. I felt horrible, empty.

There was more pressure on me than I care to describe."

The hardest part was not her falling ranking, but being so misunderstood by everyone.

Her clash with Federation officials about control of her career caused an uproar. After Li Na, Peng became the new dissident.

"Now I feel much better. I understand that there is no way to be understood by everyone, but it is enough if at least someone understands you. Growing up I learned to deal with problems independently."

A poetic soul Li Na and Peng Shuai share something else: neither gives standard or trivial responses to questions. Peng describes the life of a tennis player: "Flying in the sky, running along the ground and finally going home. A career as a nomad."

Words well assembled, almost with a touch of poetry. But that is Peng Shuai.

She also likes to talk about her long phone calls with friends and her mother. He smiles fondly as she recalls the advice from her mother to rest well and eat more.

"It just seems that no matter where I go, no matter how old I am, I am in her heart. I will always be her little girl."

For a while, she wrote a blog for a Chinese website. It was an experience that she enjoyed, since it allowed her to be in contact with her fans.

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"I think it is important to spend ten minutes writing about what happened during the day and then reflect on it."

"I think it is important to spend ten minutes writing about what happened during the day and then reflect on it."

After so many years of controversy, she is finally ready to move on from it.

"Too much talk about what is right or wrong is useless.

In the end only your results speak loudly. Or maybe it's better to say that the results speak for you.

"As soon as she became number one, she announced that she would start training Mouratoglou Academy in Paris, the same academy where Serena Williams trains.

Fourteen years later...

In 2000, Peng Shuai was 14 years old, playing her first ITF tournament.

She reached the semi-final, where she lost to Li Na. Fourteen years later, they are still competing, but they stand together as two rebels who made their own way in a world that was trying to control them.

It is somewhat ironic that they are writing the history of Chinese tennis.

by Franca Angelini

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Double Delight "It is our friendship that gives us strength."

Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci, after their last splendid triumph in Australia, have now undeniably become one of the top ten doubles pairs of the Open Era. Court/Virginia Wade (1972-75), Kathy Jordan/Anne Smith (1980-81), Jana Novotna/Helena Sukova (1989-90) and Cara Black/Liezel Huber (2005-08).

But sixth place is not good enough for these girls, as their ambitions stretch deep into the Top Five. They are hoping that they can move up in those rankings at Roland Garros this year. If Sara and Roberta managed to win another Slam, they would tie with Casals/J.King (1968-74) in fifth place. Their most important goal, however, is to win Wimbledon. That title will give the two Italians their Career Grand Slam.

Only four teams since 1968 have achieved this feat: Martina Navratilova/Pam Shriver, Gigi Fernandez/Natasha Zvereva, Serena and Venus Williams and, finally, Kathy Jordan/Anne Smith.

This would be an incredible achievement indeed, as these names are some of the most hallowed in tennis history. It will be interesting to see if their ambition is matched by their level of play, and if they can keep their nerves at bay when it most matters.

"It is our friendship that gives us strength." This has always been the motto that Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci like to throw around in interviews.

The top ranked doubles team in the world, like all the teams below them, has gone through trials and tribulations, but they say ultimately their will to go on has more to do with a loyalty to each other than with riches and championships.

It has certainly paid off for them over the years, especially the last few seasons, when they absolutely dominated the WTA Tour. They have now won four Grand Slams together (Roland Garros and the US Open in 2012, and the Australian Open in 2013 and 2014) and can officially be seen as one of the best doubles pairs in the history of the Open Era. In fact, after their win in Australia, they are now the sixth most successful doubles pair in the Open Era, tied with Margaret Court/Judy Tegart Dalton (1969-70), Margaret

by Laura Saggio

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After Olympic Winter Games, arrives Fed Cup After the recent Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, the city is not going to run out of watching sports

After the recent Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, the city is not going to run out of watching sports.

The Play-Off match of Federation Cup between women's national teams of Russia and Argentina will be held in Sochi on the "Adler-Arena".

This will be the third meeting between both teams. In past, Russia was proclaimed champion with relative comfort. In 2004, Gisela Dulko was able to convince Argentine's fans taking the first match against Svetlana Kuznetsova, but the

reaction ability of the Russian was immediate and they finally won 4-1. The other meeting, held on neutral territory in 2001, resulted very easy, 3-0 in favor of Russia.

Fed Cup will be the first event after the Olympic Winter Games which held under the arches of Indoor Skating Palace. The matches will take place from 19 to 20 April 2014.

by Stefania Grosheva

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Better Late Than Never This year’s tournament at Indian Wells was full of surprises, and made a mockery of nearly all the predictions made by experts and fans before the action started.

It seems crazy to say that nobody thought Djokovic and Federer would reach the final, but there is no denying that few thought this would turn out to be the championship match in California this year. Of course, Federer had won Dubai just a few weeks before and Djokovic, despite not performing well overall this season, did reach the semis in Dubai. But the smart money was definitely on Nadal, especially since he was in the same half of the draw as Federer.

But the Spaniard, still struggling with some back problems, lost to Dolgopolov, who

turned out to be the revelation of the tournament. Murray, who was also in that half of the draw and not at his physical peak, fell to Milos Raonic in the fourth round.

The Swiss that everyone thought would make waves in the event – Australian Open champion Stanislas Wawrinka – seemed fatigued and off his game, losing his first match of the year against Kevin Anderson in the fourth round.

These departures left the field pretty open for Federer, who played some incredible

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tennis to march to the final.

Djokovic, despite having a much easier draw than Federer, at least initially, struggled from the start. He played the likes of Hanescu, Gonzalez, Cilic, Isner and Bennetau, who are solid players but not exactly world beaters. Still, he had to squeak out tight victories more often than not.

Tomas Berdych, who might have given the Serb a hard time, fell early to the talented Roberto Bautista-Agut, while another potential hurdle was removed in the form of Juan Martin Del Potro, who continues to

struggle with wrist injuries and did not compete.

The final was a good match. Federer showed some real flair in the first set, but Djokovic hit back strongly in the second. The third was a classic, with both men pushing each other to the brink. Djokovic had a chance to serve it out at 5-4, but the Swiss broke back and eventually forced a tie-break.

Even though he couldn’t hold on in the tiebreak, Federer had a great tournament, which will give him further confidence in his start to the year. His work with Stefan Edberg really seems to be paying off, and the Swiss will definitely be a threat at the big events moving forward.

Interestingly, while the relationship between Federer and Edberg is progressing smoothly, the one between Becker and Djokovic is not faring as well. The German was absent due to health reasons at Indian Wells, and the fact that the Serb won further fuels the argument that Becker is not doing that much for Djokovic.

But all is not well even without Becker at his side.

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With Murray having split with Lendl, Djokovic still wobbly and Nadal not quite free of his back injury, the next few months should be very interesting. The Big Four seem vulnerable at the moment, and we might see a few unlikely candidates stepping up.

Djokovic did not play his best for most of the tournament, and indeed played horribly at times, especially against Cilic in the first set.

His match against Bennetau was a workout, and Isner pushed him hard as well. In the final, he was unable to find solutions in the first set, but did manage to eventually turn it around. He did not show much tactical variation, and settled for simply attacking Federer’s backhand, so it’s hard to tell if Nole is really back to his best. That being said, a win is a win, and it will definitely boost his confidence.

by Alex Bisi 28

The Dog Has His Day There is a hunger for talent in sport, and not only in tennis.

Alexandr Dolgopolov is a rare commodity, and one who should be protected.

In such a world, someone like Alexandr Dolgopolov is a rare commodity, and one who should be protected. Of course, there are errors, and sometimes the period between one winner and the next drags on a little too long, but Dolgopolov will not change his style, not for anyone.

For his entire life, he has always lived a little differently from most other tennis pros. At the age of three years old, he was already hitting balls with Andrei Medvedev. Alex’s father coached him, and through that connection the youngster played with the likes of Andre Agassi and Boris Becker from an age when he could barely walk.

This exposure no doubt had a tremendous effect on the young man. “Alexander started playing when he was three years old. He could not even walk properly when he started amusing himself with a racket and ball,� his mother recalls.

If all that tennis talent was not enough to get young Alex thinking about a career in professional sports, having such sporting

"He's a crazy player, he can do everything. He can play very aggressive, he can play very fast, has a great service and the ball sometimes goes away so fast that I almost did not see it. He can beat you and you cannot do anything about it. He's a special player, one who can hit a winner from every part of the court."

(Rafael Nadal) There is a hunger for talent in sport, and not only in tennis. Boredom is the ultimate enemy, and one that professional tennis is in ever-increasing danger of. Take a look at the draw of any tournament in the world, and you will increasingly see that almost all the players are playing exactly the same style of tennis.

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It was his father who would assume the role of coach for Alex, from a very young age. The relationship was not always straightforward parents certainly helped. His mother, Elena Devetyarova, was a successful gymnast, and won gold and silver at the European Championships. His father, Olexandr, was both a tennis player and coach.

In fact, it was his father who would assume the role of coach for Alex, from a very young age. The relationship was not always straightforward, and the pair argued quite often. Olexandr was demanding on the court, a perfectionist who required hard work every day. In 2008, they had such a bad fight that they did not speak for six months. When they finally made up, Alex had hired a new coach.

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He grew a ponytail, and developed an almost irreverent attitude on the court. His cheeky smile after every point became a trademark.

He had also changed his name, from Olexandr to Alexandr.

At the age of 22, he was ready to take his destiny into his own hands. No longer under his father’s thumb, he embraced a more relaxed philosophy, one that he was convinced would pay off in the long run. He grew a ponytail, and developed an almost irreverent attitude on the court. His cheeky smile after every point became a trademark.

His new coach, an Australian from Adelaide, was describe by the press as the type of guy who went everywhere with an ample supply of cigarettes and beer in his case. His also had long, curly hair, and a

face that spoke of many ears in the sun. He moved from Australia to Europe to play tennis in Italy and Germany. Friends who knew him used to joke that he always had one hand on the racket, and another on the back of a beautiful girl.

The relationship worked out from the start, and Dolgopolov spent a lot of time training by doing rock climbing and swimming. He also spent a lot of his spare time behind the wheel of a Subaru. He likes to say that if he did not become a tennis player, he would have become a rally driver.

The two often found themselves in some hilarious situations.

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When travelling from Nice to Paris in 2011, in preparation for the French Open, Reader had bought some extremely cheap plane tickets on the internet. The catch was that the offer valid only for gay couples. The lady at the check-in counter then asked them, "Do you have any proof that you're a couple?"

Jack simply smiled and said “Certainly.”

When they weren’t getting into trouble, Reader and Dolgopolov spent most of their time working on the latter’s game, and it has certainly paid off in recent years. In 2012, Dolgopolov went as high as 13 in the

rankings, the best position of his career.

Dolgopolov has an unpredictable game, and while his forehand and backhand are top quality, and his service can be devastating, his consistency has always been a problem.

But with Reader’s help, he has become one of the Tour’s most dependable players.

Reader likes to say that he wants Dolgopolov to use all of his fingers when he plays the instrument of tennis. Most other players, he says, use only one tone, but the Ukrainian is capable of stringing together any combination of notes. He is, for example, one of the only players who can properly use the drop shot.

But all of this talent and training must, of course, lead somewhere. The question is exactly where he is headed. Dolgopolov likes to play a carefree game, but is that enough to get him to a Slam final? Sometimes his eccentricity seems to border on madness, and appears to directly contribute to his destruction.

Apart from concerns about his game, there are also worries about his health.

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It could be seen that the young man suffers from Gilbert's syndrome, a hereditary disease of the liver that produces fatigue, sudden weakness and abdominal pain.

Despite these fears, however, Dolgopolov is positive about the future. He now lives in Monte Carlo, although he is Ukrainian. He never wants to comment about the troubles his country is currently undergoing, but he did wear a black ribbon during the riots in Kiev to commemorate the fallen.

In 2012, Reader and Alex parted ways. For a very short period, Fabrice Santoro was thought to be his new coach, but their relationship did not last long.

Then, to everyone’s surprise, his father reappeared in a coaching capacity. Whether this arrangement will stand the test of time remains to be seen, but so far it seems to have worked out relatively well.

o date in 2014, Dolgopolov has reached two quarter-finals (Sydney and Miami) two semifinals (Acapulco and Indian Wells.

In the latter tournament he defeated three Top 15 players in Nadal, Raonic and Fognini) and one final in Rio De Janeiro. After seeing his ranking fall last year, Dolgo is back in the Top 30 once again and playing well.

Now 26 years old, many pundits expect Dolgopolov to play his best tennis in the next few years.

He seems to be truly hitting his stride heading into the clay season – which is one

of his favorite times of year – and all signs are looking good. The question is simply whether he can keep up this newfound consistency, or if he will fall back into the talented-but-unreliable category within a few months. We certainly hope it’s the former, since the Tour is a much more interesting place when he is playing his best.

by Federico Coppini

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One Step From The Best Tomas Berdych has been near the top of the ATP rankings for some years.

He is a dark horse at almost every single Slam he enters, and has qualified for the ATP World Tour Finals for a number of seasons.

Tomas Berdych has been near the top of the ATP rankings for some years. He is a dark horse at almost every single Slam he enters, and has qualified for the ATP World Tour Finals for a number of seasons. Although the Czech does sometimes struggle with consistency during the year, when he is on he can beat anyone on any day. He has never been higher than fifth in the rankings, and his biggest tournament win came way back in 2005, when he beat Ivan Ljubicic in the final of the ATP 1000 event in Paris.

Despite the fact that Berdych had posted some good results before then, 2010 can be considered as being his breakthrough year.

After losing the final of the Miami Masters 1000 against Andy Roddick, he was one match away from reaching the final of the French Open. He lost in the semi-final there to Robin Soderling, even though he was up two sets to one. A month later, at Wimbledon, he built on the momentum from Roland Garros to achieve the impressive feat of beating Roger Federer in the quarterfinals and Novak Djokovic in 34

His best Grand Slam result of the year was at the US Open, where he reached the semi-finals the semi-finals, before losing to Rafa Nadal in the final. These results allowed the Czech to finish the season at number six in the ATP rankings.

2011 was even better than the previous year for Berdych, as he won fifty matches for the first time in a season. He only managed to win one tournament, in Beijing, but he did qualify for the ATP World Tour finals. He won his group, and two of three matches, before falling in the semis.

2012 was another very positive year for the Czech, and he won two titles in Montpellier and Stockholm for the first time. He also won an incredible 61 matches over the

course of the season. His best Grand Slam result of the year was at the US Open, where he reached the semi-finals after beating Federer in the quarters. At Masters 1000 level, he reached the final in Madrid and the semi-finals in Monte-Carlo and Shanghai. He also enjoyed success with his Davis Cup team at the end of the year.

Last year, Berdych again enjoyed Davis Cup success, but did not have many individual triumphs. He reached the finals at Montpellier, Dubai and Bangkok, but did not manage to earn a trophy. At Masters 1000 level, he did show a lot of consistency, with four semi-finals at 35

Given how well he is playing, it would not surprise us if he made a return trip to the Wimbledon final. If he manages to do that, he might very well find himself in the Top 3.

Indian Wells, Madrid, Rome and Cincinnati, which allowed him to reach number five in the rankings, a career-high for him. He also scored a memorable victory in Rome over world number one Novak Djokovic, after being down 2-6, 2-5.

Berdych got off to a fast start in 2014, reaching the semis in Melbourne, and winning the trophy in Rotterdam before reaching the Dubai final. Unfortunately, he had to withdraw prior to his semi-final match against Nadal due to an illness, but he still enjoyed a very good tournament there.

by Marco Di Nardo

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High Hopes Once upon a time, South Africa was host to some truly spectacular tennis talent. singles titles, and ended up with a record of 512 victories and only 330 defeats.

He won his last title on 4 August, 2003 in Los Angeles. South Africa would have to wait quite a while before seeing a player of similar quality again. Today, however, they have just such a player in Kevin Anderson. Like Ferreira, Anderson is also from Johannesburg, and began playing tennis when she was just 6 years old. He eventually went to the US to play on the American college circuit, where he did very well.

Though he started slowly on the pro Tour, he has improved each and every year, and recently ascended to his best-ever ranking of 18 in the world. He has also reached the Top 20 in August of last year, following in the footsteps not just of Curren and Ferreira, but also the likes of Johan Kriek, Cliff Drysdale and Christo van Rensburg.

Once upon a time, South Africa was host to some truly spectacular tennis talent. Kevin Curren and Wayne Ferreira immediately come to mind on the men’s side, alongside Amanda Coetzer on the women’s side.

Though, to be fair, it must be said that Curren became an American citizen in 1985, shortly before playing against Boris Becker in the Wimbledon final and becoming the fifth ranked player in the world.

Ferreira, however, never gave up his national colors, and competed alongside Edberg and Becker in the late 80s and early 90s, and then against Agassi and Sampras for many years afterwards. Ferreira remained near the top of the game for many years, going as high as six in the world in 1995. Unlike Curren, Ferreira never reached the final of a Grand Slam, but he did win 15

But what are his goals for the year?

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“I work hard all the time and I try to improve day after day.."

"My next step is get to the Top 15, and start to reach the latter stages of Masters Series and Grand Slam events," he said recently. He wants to keep his goals realistic and achievable, which has worked out well for his so far. At 2.03 meters tall, he has a massive serve, but wants to improve his consistency.

“I work hard all the time and I try to improve day after day. I'm trying to play more tournaments, to try to feel more and more comfortable against the guys ahead of me in the rankings.”

He already has some experience in beating higher ranked opponents, but wants to do

so more often.

“Beating Novak Djokovic in Miami in 2008 was memorable. It was the first time I defeated one of the greatest players in the world. I do not know if it was my best tennis, but it sure was a match I will never forget."

Anderson has had a good start to the year, reaching the final in Delray Beach and Acapulco, though he lost to Marin Cilic and Grigor Dimitrov respectively. He is a player very much in tune with hard courts, the surface on which he has won his two titles (Johannesburg in 2011 and Delray Beach in 2012).

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He loves to read, listen to Eminem, and enjoy holidays on the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia.

That being said, Anderson quite enjoys playing on clay, and even reached the final of the event in Casablanca last year. He travels with his coach, his physical therapist and his wife Kelsey O'Neal. When he gets some time off, he enjoys watching cricket and television, as well as movies. He also loves to read, listen to Eminem, and enjoy holidays on the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia.

If Anderson could change any rule, it would be the one relating to let chords.

"I'd like it to be taken away, similar to college rules.

Sometimes you serve well enough and the ball touches the net slightly, but you have to serve again. We tried last year [in the first three months of Challenger tournaments, lets were removed] and it did not work, but it is something that I would really like to see.�

Well aware of South Africa’s proud tennis history, Anderson is determined to equal, and hopefully surpass, the records of those who have come before him.

by Marco Avena

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Roger the immortal After an almost disastrous 2013, just a few expected to see Roger Federer competitive again in the beginning of this season. Even though the Swiss surprised everybody once again.

Someone already thought he was over in 2008’s end of the season, after a series of defeats on the summer hard court of NorthAmerica. Then in 2009 it arrived the dubblewin Roland Garros – Wimbledon and the come back at the first place of the world’s ranking. At the beginning of 2002 after the home defeat in Davis Cup against John Isner on clay, the foresaw that his star was on the wane, but in the same year it arrived the success at Wimbledon and the new come back at the top of the Atp ranking. Roger Federer was already able to

rise again more than once after he let think he wasn’t able anymore to compete at the best levels, but probably after his very hard 2013 no one would have bet on him for a 2014 as protagonist. Despite of this also time King Roger has come back, and the results obtained in this beginning of the season let think he could still be one of the favourites for the next Major tournaments, and that maybe that number 17, which represents the Slam’s successes of the Swiss, could be modified.

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And it was his ability to come back on top after suffering a lot to make incredible Roger Federer’s career, even more of the fact of having dominated non-stop for the four seasons from 2004 to 2007. Because when things go relatively well it is relatively easy being able to win, but when problems start, being able to overcome them is much more harder. If the career of the Swiss would have been ended in 2007, indeed, Roger would have been anyway one of the best players of history, since he had already won 12 tournaments of the Grand Slam, and ended four seasons in a row on the top

of the world’s ranking. But they were the successes obtained after that season to really make him unique. Starting from the victory at US Open in 2008 arrived after a very difficult season, with many premature defeats right during the preparation tournaments to the US Open, like the one at the opening round against Gilles Simon in Canada and against Ivo Karlovic at the eights of Cincinnati. Then it is impossible not to remember the amazing success at Roland Garros in 2009, after suffering the superiority of Nadal during the first months of that season and the two last wins at Wimbledon, the first one in 2009, the second one in that amazing 2012 which brought him again even at the number 1 of the world after a 2011 with no Slams’ successes.

In this beginning of 2014 Federer hasn’t been able to be back to succeed at Major level, but after a 2013 with just one won tournament (Atp250 of Halle) and many physical problem, it has been very surprising his ability to be back to play against every one.

In the firs week of the year he has reached the final of ATp 250 of

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At the Australian Open he gave a tennis lesson to JoWilfried Tsonga at the eights final, and he dominated Andy Murray at the quarters.

Brisbane, stopping just in final against the eternal Lleyton Hewitt. At the Australian Open he gave a tennis lesson to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at the eights final, and he dominated Andy Murray at the quarters before begin defeated at the last but one act by Rafa Nadal. But at the Atp 500 of Dubai, Federer came back to success, showing that he still is one of the best tennis players of the world: overcame without great problems Benjamin Becker, Radek Stepanek and Lukas Rosol, Roger made the greatest thing of this beginning of season, beating with a remount in the semis Novak Djokovic, before completing the work with the 42

In Miami the Swiss made the little undertaking of reaching the quarters losing just 18 points at serve affirmation on Tomas Berdych in final, again with a remount.

Conquered the 500 points at stake at the Emirates, Federer didn’t stop even at the Master 1000 of Indian Wells, arriving again at the finale, and giving up this time to Djokovic, after a great battle ended at the tie break of the decisive set.

In Miami the Swiss made the little undertaking of reaching the quarters losing just 18 points at serve (3 against Ivo Karlovic, 7 against Thiemo De Bakker and 8 against Richard Gasquet), even if he was defeated by Kei Nishikori at the level of the best eights.

Included also the match won in Davis Cup against Bozoljac, Federer has then won 22 matches out of 26 in these first months of 2014, conquering a title, two finals, one semis and a quarter. Seeing again Roger so competitive is a good thing for tennis, which is keeping not to lose one of the best players of all times.

by Marco Di Nardo

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Davis Cup Dream Team Roger Federer has said that he plans to play in Davis Cup competition throughout the whole season.

When is the right time? Roger Federer has won basically everything tennis has to offer.

Everything, that is, except one its most important and venerable trophies: the Davis Cup. Though he has won 17 Grand Slams, 6 Masters Cups and an Olympic gold medal in doubles, he has never even come close to winning the Davis Cup. This has been mostly because he has rarely tried to win it, preferring instead to focus on his singles career.

If he were to win, it would not only provide the last big prize he has not won, but it might spur Federer on to greater things in his singles career as well.

In the first round against Serbia in Novi Sad, Federer joined his newly-crowned Australian Open champion teammate, Stanislas Wawrinka, to easily advance their nation to the next round. For Swiss fans, it was a dream come true, for finally these two talented players were making a serious run at winning the sport’s most prestigious team event.

Given the absence of Djokovic, Roger and Stan had little trouble in dispensing with Bozoljac and Lajovic within two days.

Chiudinelli and Lammer cleaned up with the dead rubbers on the third day.

The timing of this coming together seems perfect. Federer has recently played some of his best tennis in years, and appears to be newly confident in his game. Wawrinka, on the other hand, has finally lived up to his tremendous potential, winning the Australian Open and rising to number three in the rankings.

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It has been a strange year so far for the Davis Cup, with three of the four semi-final teams from 2013 already having been eliminated (Serbia, Argentina and Canada) In the next round, Switzerland will host Kazakhstan which, thanks to the excellent form of Golubev, was able to contain Belgium’s comeback in the first round. Still, we can safely assume the Swiss will be the favorites for that tie as well.

If Switzerland were to go through, they would meet either Italy or Great Britain in the semi-finals. Meanwhile, at the top of the draw, Japan enjoyed its first success since 1981 thanks to the unpredictable Kei Nishikori, who took home three points. They next face the Czech Republic, who seemed vulnerable against the Netherlands.

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Whatever happens, this year is set to be the most interesting one the Davis Cup has seen in some time!

It has been a strange year so far for the Davis Cup, with three of the four semi-final teams from 2013 already having been eliminated (Serbia, Argentina and Canada). This is mostly due to the absence of big stars thanks to either injury or indifference. Yet stranger things may happen if Roger Federer continues to take the tournament seriously.

Will his presence spur on other big stars to attend Davis Cup ties again? Perhaps a victory for Switzerland will finally cement Federer’s legacy as the greatest player of all time.

by Laura Saggio 46

Chasing Davis Cup Glory Two men are on the brink of Davis Cup, two men who can perhaps bring back some of the glory that the Cup enjoyed a few decades ago as the last time, when Chiudinelli and Lammer was on the team that won without Federer.

But this year feels different. Without Djokovic, Serbia proved to be easy pickings, and with Wawrinka coming off a win at the Australian Open, the Swiss team has never felt so strong. And Federer, for once, was not deaf to the pleas of his Swiss teammates.

Severin Luthi and Claudio Mezzadri have always tried to convince the superstar to play more Davis Cup matches, but one cannot help but believe that Wawrinka, fresh off his triumph Down Under, played a large part in convincing his fellow Olympic Gold medalist to finally participate.

For years the pleas have fallen on deaf ears, with Federer opting to focus on his singles career instead. But now, with the former world number one approaching 33, he might finally have realized that his opportunities to win the most coveted team trophy in tennis are limited.

Two men are on the brink of Davis Cup, two men who can perhaps bring back some of the glory that the Cup enjoyed a few decades ago.

Roger Federer and Andy Murray are at different points in their careers, but they both want to win the Cup. Whether it is for the love of the trophy itself, or the feeling that it is one of the few prizes in the sport they do not yet own – they both want it all the same.

Federer has, of course, avoided the Davis Cup for a number of years, playing only when Switzerland was in danger of relegation. This year, however, he was persuaded to play the first round, and after an easy win over Serbia, he has promised to be available for the quarters against Kazakhstan in April. It is not the first time these two nations have met, and Switzerland will hope for a similar outcome 47

Se Federer e Wawrinka dovessero riuscire nell'impresa diventerebbero eroi a tutto tondo, nazional-cantonali, campioni del cuore oltre che del tennis.

Number one in the rankings might now forever be gone, and a Slam doubtful, but he could still win the Davis Cup. Switzerland has never won the coveted Cup, and come close only once. In 1992 they reached the finals against the United States, with the help of the efforts of Rosset. But Federer and Wawrinka represent the most realistic hope the small country has ever had of Davis Cup glory. Wawrinka seems to understand this, and relishes the opportunity. "You may not know it, but for me the Davis Cup is very important," he said recently.

Roger did play quite a bit of Davis Cup

competition when he was younger. He played against Italy in 1999, but his priorities soon changed. It is a reality that today’s tennis stars view their singles careers as their top priority, and Federer was no different.

But now, with Wawrinka as Switzerland’s number one, things are different. The last time a nation boasted two Grand Slam champions in Davis Cup was 2005, when Rafael Nadal and Juan Carlos Ferrero led Spain to a first round exit in the competition.

Ferrero didn’t play in that tie, but did in the playoff, where he won a key match against Andreas Seppi to save his nation from relegation.

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But while Federer and Wawrinka can shoulder the burden of Davis Cup expectations together, Andy Murray is in a completely different situation. The Scot is expected to everything on his own for Britain, and the expectations are just as high as they are for Switzerland. Against the United States in the first round, the vulnerability of the team was fully exposed when Murray had to sit out the doubles.

Without the Scot, it was clear, there was very little hope. Luckily he managed to win a decisive victory on the Sunday, but it was clear to all that he was basically the only

thing the team had going for it.

Daniel Evans (ranked 124) is the second member of the British Davis Cup team, and while he has talent, he is not exactly a world beater. But perhaps Murray can draw inspiration from Bjorn Borg, who in 1975 won the Cup almost single-handedly for Sweden yet (although, to be fair, he had a pretty experienced doubles partner in Ove Bengtson, who won 5 titles in his career, and was also a Top 50 singles player).

Andy knows that Britain is unlikely to win the title, and has hinted in past years at the lack of talent in British tennis. He has not always participated in Davis Cup, but this year also perhaps saw the opportunity for victory, given that neither Novak Djokovic nor Rafael Nadal committed to Davis Cup for 2014.

The UK has not won the Cup since 1936, when Fred Perry and co. were running wild.

The Brits reached the semi-finals in 1981, but lost to Argentina on that occasion. That year, they beat New Zealand and Italy, with the latter falling on the grass in Brighton, 3-2 with the decisive rubber won by Mottram against Barazzutti.

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Murray and Federer, with different motivations and goals, have given the Cup a bit of a boost this year.

Murray sees the chance to rekindle national pride for Davis Cup play, but he knows that the journey will be tough.

"The Italians are tough to deal with on clay and are much more accustomed than us to the dirt," he admitted frankly.

"I've played several times against Italian tennis players in Italy, and I know that the public is very enthusiastic and passionate. Fabio Fognini at the moment is in great shape, has talent and can play on all surfaces. I've known him since he was 12 years old, and he has always been a bit of a showman. But now he has grown mentally into a great player, who might soon be in the Top 10. It will be a challenge not easy for us." Well said. Murray and Federer, with different motivations and goals, have given the Cup a bit of a boost this year. It would be ironic if, even with the absence of Djokovic and Nadal, they manage to bring some excitement back to the competition, but we certainly hope they do so.

by Stefano Semeraro

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Dominic Thiem The new which is moving forward They say that the talent in a tennis player is immediately recognizable There some features so evident that for an expert observer barely some rallies are enough to understand if what he has in front of him is a potential star or just a gregarious

They say that the talent in a tennis player is immediately recognizable, that there some features so evident that for an expert observer barely some rallies are enough to understand if what he has in front of him is a potential star or just a gregarious. And it’s true. One does not create talent. You can work on it and shape it, but just on the condition that the pliable substance is a first quality one. And, when it is the case, the result could be impressive.

This is the case of Dominic Thiem, one of the most interesting talents of the ATP circuit. Austrian 20years old with a one hand backhand that you could watch for

hours and hours and with a game whose improvement edge seems to be exponential.

Son of two tennis coaches, the 20 years old from Wiener Neustadt approached to the world of the racked when he was a child. So, just for fun, without great claims and without being oppressed by the great expectations of those pseudo-obsessive parents who want to turn their son into the next Edberg or the new Sampra no matter what. And, maybe right this serenity, this will not to force the faith, represented the key of Thiem’s success. A success that has arrived almost for coincidence. That coincidence which has in this case an exact name: Gunther Bresnik. Bresnik is a coach from Vienna, former Davis captain, famous most of all for the many partnership with high level tennis players of the circuit: from Boris Becker to Patrick McEnroe, swinging from Leconte and Mansdorf, until the most “recent” Voltchkov and Koubek.

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One who has tons of experience and who can boast in his table, together with Thiem, a certain Ernests Gulbis, another pure talent, genius and farce of the ATP circuit.

Bresnik enters into the life of Thiem almost by chance, just to satisfy a request of daddy Wolfgang to have a glimpse on the at that time 11years old Dominic, value him a bit, understand if there is a base to work on.

There is the base and it is very good, and Bresnik notices it immediately. The problem is that, sometimes, talent needs to be accompanied to the construction of a game, make the fundamentals stronger

and, in some other cases, the elimination of some game’s mechanisms that could be turn out to be more deleterious than productive.

Bresnik understands that this is the case of Thiem and that there is the need of a complete transformation, almost a destruction of the game of the Austrian, necessary to concretize all that potential in the young boy. And it is Dominic himself underlining it: “When I started to train with Gunther I used to play two hands backhand and I used to express a type of game purely defensive. He completely transformed me, making me switch to a one hand back hand and to style of game much more tending to attack. It was hard at the beginning, but I trusted him, I knew he was a great coach”.

Assimilating the automatisms, absorbing a style of game that not only is not yours, but it’s almost the antithesis of what you practiced until that moment, it is extremely hard. The risk and the chances of failure are very high. But, up to Bresnik, it is an unavoidable passage.

The first years of the Bresnik era are of settlement. Thiem begins to acquire the new schemes imposed by the coach, 53

There are still some aspects to work on. On the serve and on the mobility on court there are good improvement edges. The forehand itself that has turned from weak shot into a true attack weapon. distorting his style of game and, at least at the beginning, the results find it hard to arrive. Defeats came one after another, without affecting Dominic’s aim though, convinced about the method adopted by coach Gunther and sure that successes will be arrived sooner or later.

The shake arrives in 2011, with the final at Roland Garros junior. Thiem gives up 8-6 at the third set with the American Bjorn Fratangelo, another relevant young still unexploded until today. It is the beginning of an exorbitant course of growth which leads him to end his junior career with three titles post-Paris and to face into the

senior world. The crash with the major reality is, surprisingly, everything but destabilizing: Thiem fights at square with Nieminem (giving up 7-5 at the third set) in Bangkok and wins his first match in an ATP tournament, imposing in Vienna on Thomas Muster, now about to end his second career as tennis player, in what it appears a symptomatic generational handover.

Since that moment, the road is, paradoxically, easier and easier. The biennium 2012-2013 sees him climbing 500 positions in the ranking, leading him to close 2013 season at #139 of the world

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ranking. So many successes at challenger level and not only: in Kitzbuhel he concedes himself the honor to beat Jurgen Melzer, his absolute idol, while in Vienna he fights head to head with Tsonga, giving up just at the tiebreak of the third set.

His game becomes more solid and expectation unavoidable grow and leads him, in this beginning of 2014, to picks never reached before. Thiem decides to leave definitely the challenger circuit, willing to focus exclusively on the major tournaments: “Maybe I will obtain less successes, but I will learn much more�.

The ambition and the awareness that to obtain great results one has to think big. In the first five tournaments of the year (Doha, Australian Open, Rotterdam, Acapulco and Indian Wells) he starts from qualifications and for four times he gets into the main

draw. He wins his first Slam match against Sousa, he concedes some important scalp like Nieminen and Simon and he fights, in Rotterdam, with a coming back Andy Murray, showing tennis qualities of first quality. The recent third round conquered at Indian Wells led him this week to the #86 of the ranking, his best ranking. He is currently the youngest tennis player among the top 100.

A course that seems not to have to stop also during the next months and that let predict the entrance of the Austrian boy in the tennis which counts.

Facts seem more than positive.

Even if he is clay lover born and despite he himself confirmed to feel better on the clay, it seems pretty clear how his type of game could be easily adapted also to faster courts, which is demonstrated also by this start of season. he versatility state reached, on which it is clear the quality of the work done by Bresnik, makes him a complete element.

by Giovanni LaRosa

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Chasing Hewitt’s Shadow After winning two straight Futures event, Luke Saville former world number one junior is trying to make a name for himself on the pro circuit.

Australia is hungry for a new champion. This proud tennis country has a long tradition of excellence in the sport, but recently there has been a bit of a drought. Lleyton Hewitt cannot compete among the top players anymore, and so far the young Australians on the Tour have proved to be disappointing.

Bernard Tomic is extremely inconsistent, and has many off-court issues, while the jury is still out on Kokkinakis and Krygios.

However, there is a new hope for Australian tennis fans in the form of the junior Australian Open and

Wimbledon winner, Luke Saville.

Of course, success on the junior circuit is no guarantee of success on the pro Tour. Many former junior world number ones completely failed to make it as professionals, and abandoned the sport altogether.

For Saville, 2014 started just fine: he won two Futures 2 tournaments in a row, and has broken into the Top 300. While it is true that the level of these tournaments is not really high, his consistent results (he won 14 of 15 matches between late

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“He has such great concentration,” his former coach. “He was able to change his game when needed, combative, never gave up."

February and mid-March) at the very least provide him with a solid foundation moving forward.

Born in Berri on 1 February, 1994, he started playing Futures events at the age of just 15. His dad, Mick, started him off with a paddle and ball when he was only 3 years old. He has an aggressive style, and plays more like Hewitt and Tomic than Krygios and Kokkinakis.

Saville is from a family of tennis players, and from the start it was clear to everyone that he had as special talent. “He has such great concentration,” his former coach, Mike Horseman, recalls. “He was able to change his game when needed, combative, never gave up." Saville recorded his first official victory September of 2009 against Steven Goh, number 839 in the world.

He tried to qualify for the Australian Open, but did not make the main draw. In 2010 he did not have much success away from the Juniors, though his Junior career flourished.

In May of 2012, after two triumphs at Wimbledon (2011) and Melbourne (2012), he scored his first success at a Futures event in Thailand. Later that year he won another event, this time in Cairns.

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“When I played at the junior level I felt I had a very solid game... but to go to the next level, you must have more.

You need two more weapons in particular" Over the course of twelve months, he would reach the final of a Futures event a total of eight times, winning five of those tournaments.

Unfortunately, he was unable to translate that success onto the main Tour. His greatest success at that level was winning a qualifying match in Brisbane against Alex Bolt. In 2013, he did get a wild card for the main draw of the Australian Open, but was defeated by Go Soeda in the first round.

It is a problem that he is very aware of.

“When I played at the junior level I felt I had a very solid game,” he explained recently. “At that level the most important

thing is to make as few mistakes as possible, but to go to the next level, you must have more. You need two more weapons in particular: the serve and the forehand. So I need to train and improve those shots."

He is a young man with a plan, then, and though the improvements have been slow in coming, they have been steady. With his ranking climbing every month, it seems like only a matter of time until he starts making waves on the ATP Tour. Whether or not he will be Australia’s next big star, however, remains to be seen.

by Alessandro Varassi

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High Hopes Down Under Lleyton Hewitt does not quit

Even at 32 years of age, and after countless operations on various parts of his body, he is tireless

Lleyton Hewitt does not quit. Even at 32 years of age, and after countless operations on various parts of his body, he is tireless. It has been twelve years since the golden Wimbledon trophy passed through his hands. It was, of course, the perfect time for him to make a run at a Slam, as Sampras had faded from view and Federer had not yet started his domination of the sport.

Since then, the proud tennis nation of Australia, whose former glories are depicted in the statues at the entrance of the grounds that host the year’s first Slam, has not had much cause for joy as far as men’s tennis is concerned.

After the initial excitement about Bernard Tomic came realization and disappointment, as the young man’s bizarre exploits both on and off the court prevented his game from progressing. Experts have since turned their attention to Thanasi Kokkinakis and Nick Kyrgios, two youngsters of Greek extraction.

Seventeen and eighteen years old, respectively, they hail from Adelaide and Canberra, and represent Australia’s tennis hopes for the future. It seems they were born ready. Kyrgios received a wild card into this year’s Australian Open, and even won a round, but could not hold on to a huge lead of two sets against Benoit Paire. His lack of experience was telling in Melbourne, but there is definitely something in the young man that hints at a cause for optimism.

Kokkinakis, on the other hand, had the misfortune of running into Rafael Nadal at the year’s first Slam. It did not go well, but nobody expects him to be at the point where 59

“I love being out there and entertaining the audience.

I do not just play tennis, I want to engage people"

he can beat the world number one, at least not yet.

A penchant for basketball Kyrgios has only been playing tennis for about four years. Before that, he was much keener on basketball, and still loves the Boston Celtics. In such a short time, he has managed to post some impressive results. His technique is not yet exactly refined, but at nearly two meters tall, he has a monster serve and some strong ground strokes.

There has been a great deal of expectation surrounding the young man for quite a while, and that pressure has not always been easy to deal with. He is forced to deal with the weight of being a star before he has actually become one. However, despite the difficulties, he is determined to make his mark.

“I love being out there and entertaining the audience,” he said recently. “I do not just play tennis, I want to engage people. I think I have learned a lot from my match against Paire. You just have to get to that point where you cannot contain your excitement. Once you get to that point, I think great things will come. The public wants me to do well, and I want to give them something to cheer about. I will do my best to make it happen."

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He has a Greek father and Malaysian mother, but feels more Australian than ever. Around his neck he wears three different charms: a cross, a racket (a gift from mom) and a jade trinket, given to him by his father as a lucky charm. Already sponsors are interested in the youngster, and there is a definite sense that he can become a brand, just like Federer, Nadal and Sharapova.

"Nike might be interested, but we have to consider all our options," he manage, John Morris, says of the situation.

Kyrgios Kokkinakis is a good friend, and they try to encourage each other as much as

possible.

"We push each other to the limit, and if we continue to do this, and do well in the Grand Slams, we can achieve something important."

Kokkinakis has the face of a member of One Direction, but is more focused on his tennis than any sort of music career. During the offseason, he spent much of his time training with Sam Querrey. He started playing tennis at the age of eight, and his favorite player is Gael Monfils.

“Because he’s fun,” he says. “But I also grew up with the legend and power of Marat Safin."

Bewitched by Nadal Against Nadal, Kokkinakis showed a lot of courage and spirit, and felt good about the encounter, despite losing in straight sets.

"He's a beastly athlete, I know I still have a long way to go to reach that level of athleticism and strength."

It was quite a difference, going from defeating Igor Sijsling in the first round to coming up against Nadal. Kokkinakis was inspired after his match against the Spaniard, and he is not afraid to share his 61

They also show a great deal of maturity for their ages, which is very important in the modern game world, to win the Davis Cup and Grand Slams."

But right now, he is just focused on winning matches and getting his ranking up. After all, you cannot fly before you can even crawl, and he knows there is a lot of hard work to be done before he can compete at an elite level.

Both he and Kyrgios are two perfect prototypes of the modern tennis player: strong, tall and capable of hitting incredible serves. They also show a great deal of maturity for their ages, which is very important in the modern game.

Unlike Tomic, who has had serious injury troubles this year, Kyrgios and Kokkinakis are very serious about their tennis, and travel

an entourage that is very business-minded.

Still, they are just teenagers, and enjoy hip hop and other youthful pursuits when they get some time off.

The transition from the junior circuit to the ATP Tour is a difficult one to make, and is a step that trips up many prospective tennis stars. It can take months, or even years, of grinding through matches on the lower tennis tiers before any success is forthcoming on the main circuit. Both Milos Raonic and Grigor Dimitrov, two of today’s brightest young tennis stars, spent years on the Futures and Challengers circuits, before they could play full-time on the ATP Tour.

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Australia loves the fighters as much as the winners.

An Australian newspaper during the two weeks of the Open affirmed that "Australia loves the fighters as much as the winners."

If Nicholas Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis prove to be both, maybe one day they can dream of being immortalized as statues, alongside Margaret Court and Lew Hoad.

But Australian tennis fans have learned to be patient, and they will have to be so for a little while longer, while these two young men hone their craft.

by Federico Coppini

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The years that have marked the history of the ITF The ITF received sponsorship to organise Grand Prix tournaments allowing players to compete openly and legally for money.

1972: As television coverage of tennis events grew, the use of yellow balls was allowed for easy viewing on the screen.

1979: Brad Parks and David Saltz founded the National Foundation of Wheelchair Tennis. In 1980, a circuit of ten tournaments was set up in USA, and the following year the Wheelchair Tennis Players Association (WTPA) was formed to represent the players.

2002: BNP Paribas took over as Davis Cup's title sponsor. In 2005, increased its partnership with the ITF by also becoming the title sponsor of Fed Cup.

The "International Tennis Federation" is the apex body of the organization and representation of tennis. This organism is the one who set the rules and the organizational structure of the courts to be as we know it today.

Last year it celebrated 100 years and today I invite you to relive their most important years.

1924: The ITF became the officially recognised organisation with authority to control lawn tennis throughout the world.

1968: After ten years of division and struggle within the ITF an emergency meeting was called in Paris on 30 March, when 47 nations agreed in principle to the issue of "Open" tennis. A breakaway tennis circuit was organised called World Championship Tennis (WCT).

by Stefania Grosheva

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Prime Numbers The desperate search for the famous GOAT (Greatest Of All Time)

Searching for the greatest players of the Open Era

The desperate search for the famous GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) in tennis has, in recent years, become akin to the search for the Holy Grail. And, like that famous chalice, no one seems able to find it.

What makes things particularly difficult is that it is almost impossible to compare players from the different eras in the 130year history of tennis. So many things have changed over that period of time, that it boggles the mind. For that reason, most people try to deal exclusively with the years following 1968, or the so-called Open Era.

At that time, tournaments were opened to both amateurs and professionals, hence the term “open.� In 1973, computerized rankings were introduced for the men, and the women followed two years later. These statistics are often quoted by people when making their argument for one GOAT or another.

But despite the importance of being number one in the world, most experts argue that winning Grand Slams are more important.

Of course, people who win Slams often end up as number one, but not always.

Only the Chilean Marcelo Rios has ever 65

topped the men’s rankings without winning a Slam. This phenomenon is more common on the women’s Tour, with Caroline Wozniacki, Dinara Safina and Jelena Jankovic all spending time as number one without ever lifting a Grand Slam trophy.

Between the 1968 edition of Roland Garros, which was the first open Slam, and the 2014 Australian Open, there have been 53 male winners and more than half of them (29, or 54%) were never at the top of the rankings.

On the women’s side we see a similar situation, where 42 people who won Slams never managed to get to number one.

Of course, some players (Laver and Rosewall among the men, King and Court among the women) spent the bigger part of their careers before 1968, and only a small part of it in the Open era, before computerized rankings.

One can easily argue that they would have been ranked number one had they played in the rankings era.

It is reasonable to say that winning a Slam is easier than becoming number one. It could not be otherwise: many people can play the tournament of their lives and win a Slam, but keeping it up for months and years is another matter altogether.

Another thing to consider is that the 184 Grand Slam tournaments played in the Open Era were not all accorded the same level of importance.

The Australian Open was not taken seriously by top players until relatively recently, and Roland Garros also suffered some dark years where it was not considered to be particularly prestigious.

That said, we want to rely on statistics to see who, when considering all of these factors, comes out on top.

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Bjorn Borg holds the best winning percentage against players of the same quality MALE - Bjorn Borg holds the best winning percentage against players of the same quality, with 142 wins and 56 defeats. The Scandinavian boasts a 71.7% conversion rate, and is followed closely by Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard, who is still active, has a 69.5% conversion rate (116-51) and Roger Federer comes in third with 65% (167-90). From fourth to sixth place we find a trio separated by a few decimal points: Pete Sampras (64.6%, 168-92), Boris Becker (64.5%, 13675) and Ivan Lendl (64.2%, 199-111). The top ten is rounded out by Rod Laver (63.4%), Andre Agassi (59.4%), John McEnroe (59.2%) and Jimmy Connors (58.4%).

This ranking changes if we consider only comparisons when it comes to Grand Slams.

The leaders become, thanks to only a few matches player, Rod Laver with 83,3% (102), while Borg comes in second place with 77.8% (35-10). The big surprise here is the inclusion of the Brazilian Gustavo Kuerten, who boasts a resounding 75% conversation rate, with only 5 losses against 15 wins (he lost twice to Safin and Agassi, and once to Alberto Costa and Kafelnikov). Nadal drops to fourth place with 73.9% (34-12) followed

by Federer with 70.7% (53-22) and Sampras (69.8%, 44-19). Completing the top ten are John Newcombe (68.2%), Ivan Lendl (59%), Jim Courier and 67

Andre Agassi, the latter separated by a mere tenth of a percent (57.8% versus 57.7%).

In short, looking at these two lists we would say that Borg is the best ever, but that his leadership could be affected in the coming years by Nadal.

Martina Hingis (60.8%) and Venus Williams, who comes in tenth with and 59.1%.

Again, the perspective changes if we consider only the matches played in Slams. The best remains Graf (77.9%, 67-19) but Margaret Court is in second place with 75% (21-7).

Serena Williams comes in a distant third place with 58 wins and 24 defeats (70.7%).

Fourth and fifth are Evert-Navratilova, separated by a pittance (64.4% versus 64%) and sixth is Clijsters (63.3%), which is better than Monica Seles (61.8%) and Billie Jean King (61.5%). Justine Henin (60.7%) and

FEMALE – With the women, the race can be affected by the activities of Serena Williams. In the first place we have Steffi Graf, who won 179 of her 239 matches against top ranked players (74.9%). Serena Williams is currently at 73.3% (162-59), and is still active and therefore able to improve her record. Third is Chris Evert (259-103, 71.5%), while at the foot of the podium we find Martina Navratilova (67.6%) and, surprisingly, Kim Clijsters. The Belgian has a record of 116-64, and a percentage of 64.4%, higher than that of Margaret Court (63%), Justine Henin (62.7%), Tracy Austin (61.7%),

Martina Hingis (59.3%) round out the Top 10.

While judging the winner for the men was a bit more difficult, for the women it is simple, as Steffi Graf tops every list. Serena Williams is still playing, but for how long we do not know. Despite the Grand Slam in 1970, Margaret Court cannot be considered at the same level, especially considering how few matches she played. One step below, penalized in part by the amount of matches they played, are Evert and Navratilova.

by Brent Krouger 68

A Long-Awaited Revolution It seemed inevitable that boredom would set in

For almost a decade, the names on the biggest trophies in tennis were always the same All of a sudden, the many promising youngsters who have been waiting in the wings for years seem all the more threatening. Dimitrov, Gulbis, Dolgopolov…they have already showed that they can beat the top players, so why can’t they do it in a Slam? Why not in a Slam final? Janowicz and Raonic are also knocking on the door of greatness, even though they might have a little longer to wait. Djokovic, Murray and Nadal have struggled to play their best tennis this year, for one reason or another. A window of vulnerability has been opened. The opening might not be very big, but it is there. Roger Federer took advantage of it, and seems to have again found the elixir of youth. And if anyone knows how it can be done, it is Roger Federer. A similar process is underway on the women’s circuit, with Li Na being the protagonist there. She has had her struggles with injuries and inconsistent play, but like Federer has managed to turn things around of late.

Given that the year has started off with such a series of surprises, we are hoping that 2014 turns out to be the most interesting tennis season we’ve seen in a while.

by Adrian S.

For almost a decade, the names on the biggest trophies in tennis were always the same. Yes, it is always exciting to watch truly great champions at work, but like a football team that has an unassailable lead in the standings only halfway through the season, one tends to lose interest if the domination is too complete.

Records might make headlines and create interest, but only up to a point. But it seems that, perhaps, tennis has reached the kind of turning point it has not seen for many years. The men's circuit has found a new hero in Stanislas Wawrinka, an unexpected symbol of the revolution.

"If they did it, why can I not do it myself?"

This attitude, so simple and yet so powerful, saw the Swiss win his first Grand Slam championship in Australia this year. It has not only changed how he views the game, but also how his peers and even the fans view it. Everyone now believes that they can do the impossible, because Stan did it Down Under.

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Stefan Edberg personality is also style Bjorn Borg, Mats Wilander, Stefan Edberg, Magnus Norman, Thomas Enqvist, Thomas Johansson, Robin Soderling. Tennis fans all around the world know these names It seems like the magic worked out. With 806 winnings in the career, 41 singles titles including 6 Slams, 18 doubles titles, being #1 ranked player for 72 weeks, 4 times Davis Cup winner, Olympic bronze medalist , “the extraordinarily graceful attacker” from Västervik ended up his adventure with professional tennis in year 1996. “Tennis will miss Stefan Edberg. If not for his quiet wit and subtle charm, then for a brand of tennis that just isn't played enough anymore” – we could read in September 1996 when he retired from tennis. He joined Tennis Hall of Fame in 2004. “It was a tough year for me, '89, losing two Slam finals and losing another five finals. It wasn't until I won the Masters, or what's now called the ATP Finals, that things changed again. Suddenly I won seven tournaments in 1990 and became No. 1” – said Stefan back in the days. What will tennis be like without Edberg? "It will continue, with more and more tall and strong players, as it has been for ten years now. When I started I was a kind of white fly, now I pass almost

Stefan Edberg was one of the most prominent serve and volley player ever. The 48-year old Swede is now back in the game as coach of Roger Federer and the team is called “Fedberg”. His impact on Roger’s caused the title in Dubai #78 in the career.

The recent one before was in Halle last year and then most of the observers stands for being skeptical about next achievements of Swiss Maestro especially for winning Slam… and then came Stefan! One of the common points of these two gentlemen is style of elegance and fair play as well as on and off the court. Roger was honored many times to gain the special ATP Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award like the last year at the end of the season. The Swiss, after couple of training sessions with Swede, believed in him and that he will rebuild his game, attitude, motivation and will to win next matches.

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“Stefan Iceberg”, “Blonde Adonis”, “The Graceful Elegance” these are the nicknames of the Swede during his time on the court. It’s nice to see him in the Roger’s box.

Does the King return to the throne? unnoticed". These words were said 18 years ago and are still important.

Stefan’s show close to the net, wonderful one-handed backhand and elegance meant that he was one of the most watched tennis virtuosos in the world in the days of great rivalry with Boris Becker and the Americans.

“If you serve well, your volleys are going to be so much easier. It has got to do with confidence, obviously” – used to say the Roger Federer’s childhood idol. The Swede from the beginning stated that Roger must attack more at the net.

By Jan Stanski 71

Andre Agassi The eight-time Grand Slam champion shared his thoughts with Tennis World

Few players understand the complex psyche of a tennis player better than Andre Agassi, one of the most talented ball-strikers of his generation but a deeply introspective individual who battled self-doubt for much of his lengthy career until he eventually found inner peace with the help of his close-knit team and wife Steffi Graf.

Many believe that Agassi’s microscopic understanding of the unique mental challenges posed by the sport could one day see him become a legendary coach and he believes that at some point in the future, it will

be an appealing prospect, but he’s not quite ready to join former rivals Stefan Edberg, Boris Becker and Michael Chang back on the circuit. “At a different stage in my life I can see myself enjoying it because I really do fundamentally appreciate the game, respect it, and like it,” he said. “The thing for me is as long as I’m not subjected to the drama of it which I wouldn’t be anymore. I love that interaction with players and that problem solving aspect of it, so I can see the inspiration one has to do it. Just probably not at this stage.”

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“Coaching is about learning too. We all know how to play the game, we all know what people need to do to make themselves more effective but the question is, ‘Why does that person you’re working with, not do what they themselves know they should be doing?

In many ways, Agassi’s career was a journey as he sought to solve the many demons in his head. He believes that being a successful coach requires a similar journey, in order to understand exactly what makes your protégée tick. “Coaching is about learning too,” he said. “We all know how to play the game, we all know what people need to do to make themselves more effective but the question is, ‘Why does that person you’re working with, not do what they themselves know they should be doing? You have to get inside somebody’s head and figure out how to get them from point A to point B. That’s the exciting part but that’s also time and

commitment. And at this stage in my life I don’t have that luxury. When I get close to an empty nest, kids are gone, that’s when I’ll start to consider it.”

But unlike Becker, Edberg and Ivan Lendl, don’t expect to see Agassi teaming up with one of the game’s established stars. He would derive the most satisfaction from helping a talented underachiever, turn their career around and he suggested that he would consider working with some of America’s leading players.

“If I was a coach, I’d be focused on someone who’s not maximising their game really,” he explained. “It wouldn’t be about coaching the 73

“Until we start teaching the kids how to play long, arduous points growing up on the red clay like they do in Europe, we’ll always be at a disadvantage,”

best in the world, it would be about coaching the person that’s furthest from their potential. That would be the most challenging thing for me. How do you get somebody to really think outside the parameters that are limiting their game. When I think of that, I think of interesting players that have something on the table that’s not really utilised – a John Isner, someone who has that much to bring to the table and really help them cover some distance that they’ve yet to do.”

Isner is currently flying the flag for US men’s tennis but the dearth of male players capable of doing some serious damage at the majors is startling and Agassi believes that sizeable changes need to occur at the grassroots level in order for America to catch up the European contingent who’ve stolen a march over the past decade.

“Until we start teaching the kids how to play long, arduous points growing up on the red clay like they do in Europe, we’ll always be at a disadvantage,” he said.

“There’s a lot to be said about the recognition of when you have to take a point over, play the transition game and then abort, and be willing to start that point all over again. There’s a mental and physical discipline which you gain by growing up on the slower courts versus the hard courts and the green clay of American where you

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“Do I worry about whether the next generation are going to be able to replace the guys at the top right now?” he said. “No!" just hit one good shot and think you’re in a pretty good position till you go decide to play everybody else in the world.”

Instead the brightest prospects for the next generation come from Bulgaria and Poland right now, in the shape of Grigor Dimitrov and Jerzy Janowicz. Whether those two players are capable of developing into global stars in the same way as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have done over the past decade remains to be seen but Agassi has no doubt that tennis will continue to churn out household names in the future.

“Do I worry about whether the next generation are going to be able to replace the

guys at the top right now?” he said. “No, I think that kind of takes care of itself. That question was actually around when Pete [Sampras] and I turned pro. Looking at [Jimmy] Connors, [John] McEnroe, Lendl, all the guys who brought tennis to the place it was at, it then fell on our shoulders to do the same but we achieved that.”

“And after us has come what probably is going to be considered the golden age in tennis. If Djokovic wins Paris, you’re looking at 3 guys in the same generation who’ve won everything and it took 50 years for five of us to manage that. But what that shows is tennis is a sport which constantly evolves and it’s easy to question how it can get 75

"It’s a pretty amazing time and it’s very easy to wonder how it can get better but I’m gonna bet on evolution and I’m gonna say that it will get better.”

I know I questioned that every time I played Pete – it’s impossible that somebody can do this again, this kind of tennis is unseen. And then you see it. Fed comes along and you think that’s impossible, and he has a losing record against Rafa! And then Djokovic, and then Murray steps up to the equation. So it’s a pretty amazing time and it’s very easy to wonder how it can get better but I’m gonna bet on evolution and I’m gonna say that it will get better.”

by David Cox

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Interview with Younes El Aynaoui Former professional tennis player from Morocco.

Five-time singles winner on the ATP Tour. He reached his career-high singles ranking in the world #14 in March 2003, at the age of 31.

You speak 6 languages. Arabic, English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish.

When did you learn them and how it is possible to have so big talent not only for tennis but also for languages?

Yes, most of them I learn by traveling around the world. Nobody spoke arabic on tour, so to communicate I had to speak the other languages to players. Spanish I learn when I was leaving for 8 years in Spain and also had an Argentinian coach for a few years. My mother is French, so it’s my second language. Learned italian by talking to people, even if I didn't know the language that good, I was trying.

You were in Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy for two years (1990-1992). We found information that you were working hard to pay for your stay there. You drove the bus, cleaned the gym, watched kids in their room, strung rackets, tossed practice balls to campers, and helped to babysit younger players. What can you say more about this period in your life?

What’s your memories? Maybe some funny story from that time in Florida?

It was good and difficult at the same time. My parents could not effort my stay there, so I had to work a lot, but at the same time it was a great experience for me and I met some very good people over there, they became a good friends of mine! I had a chance to see a great players as well. And I learn a lot from that time. Funny stories... when I drove the student bus and I had no license :))) Once, Agassi needed a hitting partner at 10pm, so they called me and during the practice at 6-6 he just left the court...

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"It's a big interest in general from population in Morocco, but not very accessible yet, more for elite people"

Please tell about your foundation.

My foundation is developing tennis in Morocco. We want to make tennis accessible to pure neighborhood all over the country and make it more popular. Help the kids to make their dreams come true.

What is going on right now about tennis in Morocco? Any perspective players?

It's a big interest in general from population in Morocco, but not very accessible yet, more for elite people. The country has a lot of expectation since we had a very good and strong Davis Cup team previous years. Now Moroccan players we have, trying to be based somewhere else. Like Spain, France etc.

What is the future for tennis in Africa in general?

Any prognoses?

Big physical potential, but not enough resources to the youth.

What are your activities?

I collaborate with federation, working for Minister of Sport as an adviser. Also advise one Erfurt club in Germany, for which I was playing many years and the owner is my very good friend. But most important is learning to be a good dad for my kids!

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When you exactly finished your professional tennis career?

2007. But last match I played was in 2010 officially in Doha, where I won one match.

You have three sons. Do they play tennis?

Yes, they do a little bit. My oldest son (Ewen) is playing basketball. Medium (Neil) plays football and Little one (Noam) plays football and basketball.

Could you please tell some funny story from your career?

Once, me and Goran (Ivanisevic) we were in Germany and stayed in the hotel on the 10th floor. We had a bet: that I will not throw his fancy shoes out from the balcony, which I did:) so I had to go and pick them up in the garden.

While I was doing it, Goran wanted to joke and scare me by throwing the empty bottle in the garden from the balcony. And it hit me right in the head! So, when I came in the room, my head was bleeding all around...

Which match from your tennis career you remember the most? Which one was your biggest success?

Quarterfinal in Australian Open against Roddick.

You were member of ATP Players Council. Tell us something about this.

I've been a member for 10 years. It was a great chance to be in the first lane of all what happening and be a part of organization. Even do I think it's a shame that the tour is ruled by tournaments directors, not enough players are making money. Only 150 men can make a leaving from tennis, which I think is ridiculous!!!

Which player from your career you can describe as difficult to play with and why?

Federer. We played 5 times. I won 1 match and lost 4 . He is a great player. Very good behave on court and off court. Great personality and perfectionism, what else I can say about him :) 80

Your life idea for living is?

No aggression or anxiety, spending time with your love ones and thanking the Lord every single morning when I open my eyes.

Maybe hire a physical and tennis coach a little bit earlier in my career, if I could effort it before.

What’s your impressions and thoughts about current situations in the world of tennis?

It's nice to see more new players now playing big finals and not only Federer - Nadal finals. Tennis changed a lot for the last few years, it became more aggressive, more powerful. Less tactical but only playing faster and faster than the opponent!! The entourage is much bigger. You see player with 3 or 4 people around the best players now which I think limit the friendship.

During the old days many guys were travelling alone.

Person in the world you most admire.

My parents The sportsman in the world you most admire or admired?

Ivan Lendl.

Your hobbies?

Motocross, moto in general! Surfing and playing with my kids.

Your favourite movie?

I like Al Pacino movies If you could have change something in you tennis career from the perspective of time what it would be?

Why tennis? Tell us what was going on before your stay in Florida when you were 18 years old?

Me and my brother we started to play together.

He is 2 years older than me, so he played better and I was lucky to play with him at that time.

Tennis courts were not so far from our home in Rabat, so we played after the school. But at that time in my family nobody really believed that tennis will take such a big place in my life and that I will make a living from it.

by Jan Stanski

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The Professor I would like to talk about a guy who I admired very much: Jaroslav Drobny was a Czech tennis and hockey star I was also struck by the atmosphere of the stadium, packed with fans, who followed the match closely. The silence during the exchanges was complete, punctuated only by the sound of the tennis ball hitting the racket and the players grunting. Professor Gentile, as my coach liked to call him, won the match, and the next day we were back for a clash between our hero and the Italian Fausto Gardini, a strange little chap with a very effective game. Drobny won, but lost the first set, which caused me quite a bit of worry. Meanwhile, my coach had taken the trouble of telling me more about my new favorite player. From that day onwards, I followed the career of Jaroslav Drobny very carefully, and spent many hours discussing him with my coach and other people. Drobny wore strange round sunglasses when he played, which is why he was called the Professor. Born in Prague on October 12, 1921, his father was a member of a tennis club where, during the winter, the tennis courts were flooded in order to create

I would like to talk about a guy who I admired very much. Jaroslav Drobny was a Czech tennis and hockey star, and I first saw him when I was just 12 years old. I was in Igea Marina when my coach said that tomorrow we would be going to see the tournament in Riccione. An international tournament! I ended up going with him and his daughter, Maurina. Our other companions had in the end preferred to go to the beach. Before we even arrived, by coach started telling me about someone we were going to see. “I want you to get an idea out of what you'll see,” he told me. “Remember that he, Drobny, does not leave anything to chance. He is always calculating where the ball will go, and where he will go."

I was immediately won over by both the grace and power of this terrific player. The first thing I noticed was his sturdy legs.

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He became an incredible tennis player in the summer months, while also growing into a talented hockey player in the winter hockey rinks. He became an incredible tennis player in the summer months, while also growing into a talented hockey player in the winter. In fact, he was so good that he was part of the Czech national team at the Olympics in St. Moritz in 1948.

But he was, above all, a tennis player. His father made his first racket himself, and Jaroslav was so happy he took it to bed with him at night. Many players came to train at their club, even the great Bill Tilden at one point, and Drobny tried to learn as much as he could from them. He even got Tilden to sign his racket for him.

Playing hockey gave him a very elastic

muscles, which helped him a lot in tennis, especially when hitting smashes. Despite his short legs, Drobny had great strength him them, which allowed him to hit the ball with tremendous force.

His first serve was huge, but his second displayed another quality that often surprised people: great sensitivity and accuracy. He used the same feel at the net, where he was the master of the stop volley.

No matter how hard his opponent would hit the ball, he could gently caress it so that it dropped just over the other side of the net, where his opponent could never reach. Drobny also had great mobility, and 83

could chase down anything, which was also made easier by his tremendous anticipation.

But above all, the Czech was known for his charm and charisma.

One of the reasons Drobny is not better remembered today is that his country was part of the Soviet bloc. Indeed, the political situation in his homeland weighted heavily on Drobny, and the effect on his game was often visible. He never quite felt that he belonged on the circuit, and towards the end of important tournaments one could observe a certain mental fatigue about him.

He suffered some heartbreaking defeats as a result of this. In 1946 he lost in the semifinal of both the French Open and Wimbledon, and continued his run of reaching the latter stages of the Slams without ever truly competing for the title in 1947, 1948 and 1949. After another loss at Wimbledon, he finally decided that he would not return home, and in effect defected. His doubles partner at the time decided to do the same.

From that moment onwards, he was like another man. No longer did he reach the semis or the final of big events, only to lose.

Instead, he started winning: in '50 and '51 he won Rome, beating Tony Trabert and Cucelli Gianni respectively. He also won Roland Garros in 1951.

"It was as if he was liberated," my coach once told me. Indeed, Drobny said the same thing at the time. Faiwza, the beautiful princess of Egypt and Sudan, the sister of King Farouk (and former wife of the Sha of Persia), granted him the Egyptian passport. Jaroslav was no longer stateless. At 29, he had a new home, and had only one thing to focus on: tennis.

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Wimbledon, however, continued to give Drobny trouble. That year, Tony Mottram defeated him in the third round. But he did manage to play an epic final in Paris in 1952 against the reigning champion, Australian Frank Sedgman. A light rain was falling that day, and the serve and volley of Sedgman was tough to handle. Jaroslav, although he was annoyed by his fogged lenses, eventually won out with his accurate passing shots.

Sedgman would bounce back quickly though, winning Wimbledon a short while later.

Another meaningful and memorable match came in the third round of Wimbledon in 1953, against Budge Patty, who was also in his thirties. On June 25, they went on the court at 16:30, and played for nearly five exhausting hours. After three hours, Patty was up two sets to one, but in the 4th made the mistake of lobbing Drobny a number of

times. He did not count on the fact that Droby had such a strong smash, which helped him eventually win the set 8-6. "We both knew that anything could happen in the fifth," Drobny recalled later. And everything happened. Crippled by cramps, both began to ask the chair umpire, Colonel John Legg, to suspend the match for darkness, but it was only at 10-10 that he said they would play two more games before calling it a day. At this point, the fragile Drobny turned into a lion, gathering his last strength two win the final games against the emptied Patty.

The exceptional nature of the event prompted the Duchess of Kent to give the two players a gold cigarette case engraved with the score of the meeting: 8-6, 3-6, 8-6, 16-18, 12-10. The case, however, was not enough to help Drobny win the tournament.

He reached the semi-finals exhausted, and surrendered to the unknown Dane Kurt Nielsen. That year he also reached the final in Paris and, for the third time, won the International of Italy in Rome. He beat the nineteen year-old Lew Hoad in the final.

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Meanwhile, in the spring, he had married Rita Anderson in, a sweet and lovely English tennis player who would give him a son. This marriage accelerated his quest for English citizenship, which Drobny got a few years later. It also led him to decline an offer of $50 000 from Jack Kramer to turn pro. It was not a lifestyle that The Quiet Man wanted. At Wimbledon, he had not yet found a way to overcome the kind of ill fate that seemed to haunt him. His first involvement dates back to 1938. He had reached one quarter-final, three semi-finals and two finals, but had never won.

He was 33 years old and, in 1954, the organizers gave him the 11th seed. In spite of this he reached the final. The bookmakers had him as an underdog, but he seemed more confident than ever.

His opponent was the nineteen year-old Australian Ken Rosewall, who along with Lew Hoad was considered to be the future of tennis. For four sets, Drobny fought off the onslaught from Rosewall before finally prevailing. The crowd that filled Wimbledon’s Centre Court cheered, and gave Drobny a standing ovation for five minutes.

The Duchess of Kent said: "I ​have prayed for you, Mr. Drobny. No one deserved this win more than you." The Czech champion confessed that Wimbledon had weighed heavily on his mind, and that he was glad to finally conquer it.

That year, 1954, Drobny also reached the top spot in the world rankings. He obtained it as a result of other successes, but he said that "Winning Wimbledon means reaching the culmination of a career, whatever comes afterwards is gravy." After his Wimbledon win, he played and won for many more years, displaying a competitive longevity 86

that was quite extraordinary. He made his last appearance in Rome in 1963 where, at age 42, he lost to Yugoslav Jovanovic in the quarter-finals.

Drobny was also a constant presence at the Davis Cup between 1946 and 1949, which often saw him often as the protagonist. He won as many as 37 matches, but never the Cup. After he retired from competitive tennis, he settled in London and returned to Wimbledon later to play some doubles in the veterans’ draw. It was mainly as a promotion for his tennis shop, which was called "Old Drob," the nickname that the English had given him. It was also a reference to the drop shots that Drobny was so famous for.

Later on, he consulted for the Italian Davis Cup team that featured Pietrangeli and Sirola, which played Australia in the final.

He was also involved with teams from South Africa and Sweden. He retired permanently from the sport and lived in Sussex, where he enjoyed a lot of quiet fishing. He died in London on 13 September, 2001, at the age of 80.

Rosewall became an absolute champion, but it seems that Drobny had some lasting impact on the Australian, as he was never able to win Wimbledon. His last attempt was at age 40, when he played against a young Jimmy Connors in the final. It could easily have been a replica of the victory of the "old" Drobny on the rising young star,

but Rosewall could not complete the say fairytale. A large part of it was, perhaps, the changes that the game was undergoing in terms of courts and rackets. The age of the wooden racket was coming to an end, and a new wave of young power players were taking over. I saw this great champion play two matches when I was 12 years old, and I was enchanted. Since then, I have always had a passion for the sport, but my fondest memories of tennis will always be from those days with my coach and his daughter.

by Roberto Tumminelli 87

The Ice Borg who broke our hearts The series, offers a nostalgic glimpse into the past, featuring olden day legends.

Bjorn Borg - the sangfroid Swede was an icon and iconoclast, both, in the history of tennis.

He was different from the lot in his demeanor and playing style. Perhaps he took that idiosyncrasy a bit too far when he decided hung up his racket for good at 27 at the prime of his career when he had 11 Grand Slam to his credit - in a period spanning eight years. Had he played a few more years, he could have upped that number, but Borg had lost his passion for the game by then. When the nonchalant ‘Ice Borg’ decided to walk away, he took with him

something that belonged to tennis, a void that haunted his fans for long.

When the ‘Viking God’ evolved from ‘Teen Angel’ to ‘Angelic Assassin’ and finally the ‘Martian’, he also changed the way people perceived the game back in the 70s. Then, tennis was more about offensive serve-andvolleyers, with the exception of players like Jimmy Connors. The unconventional Swede often played from 10 ft behind the baseline, returning even the impossible shots with his signature two handed-backhand loaded with heavy topspin.

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It was a sensational start for the young Swede when hundreds of female fans attacked and dragged him on to the ground in a frenzy On the court, he was no strategist, but he made up for that with his clout, command and control of the ball.

Borg, the enigmatic blonde with long locks was a sex-symbol of those days. If the 60s was about ‘Beatlemania’, the 70s was about ‘Borgasm’! He had always been a favourite of British girls ever since he made his debut at Wimbledon as a shy 17-year-old. It was a sensational start for the young Swede when hundreds of female fans attacked and dragged him on to the ground in a frenzy.

His presence created such a furore on court that the authorities were compelled to request the schools to keep a check on their

teenage girls who come to watch the young man play. Blessed with both looks and talent, it seemed Bjorn Borg had everything a tennis player could ever dream of. He had an aura of invincibility around him as he surprised the spectators with his amazing comebacks from the brink of failures. Borg had great footwork and he butchered his opponents with his power-packed groundstrokes as well as his imperturbable countenance. Like his moves, it was difficult to comprehend his moods, much to the frenzy of his opponents, especially Jimmy Connors, whose major ploy was to provoke the enemy.

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Borg won five consecutive Wimbledon titles from 19741980, a record that remains unbeaten till now Borg won five consecutive Wimbledon titles from 1974-1980, a record that remains unbeaten till now, although Federer succeeded in equalling the same. He won back-to-back titles at French Open and Wimbledon for three consecutive years another record which remains unbroken. He opted not to play at Australian Open, something that he never regretted in later life, for he had his own reasons. Back then, Aussie Open was played on grass and also happened at the end of the season. Hence, Borg preferred taking ample rest to burning himself out in the excruciating schedule. The US Open, however, remained as his jinxed

surface, where he had to be contended with the runners-up plate for four times.

For many of us, the greatest match ever in the history of tennis is the 2008 epic Wimbledon final between Federer and Nadal; those who witnessed the 1980 final between Borg and McEnroe on the same ground would beg to disagree. During that hair-raising match, Borg made an incredible comeback after losing the first set 1-6. The final score read 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-7, 8-6. In the deciding set, McEnroe was unable to break Borg’s serve even once, and the latter walked away with the crown after clinching five love games against his rival.

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When Borg ventured into entrepreneurship, he thought he could duplicate his success on court in business as well.

Much to his dismay, that endeavour was a big failure.

McEnroe retaliated at the US Open final which followed, and also at the Wimbledon final next year. The same year, he toppled Borg once again at the US Open final, after which the latter walked off into retirement.

By then, he had 11 Grand Slams in 27 appearances and 62 titles from 88 tournaments, against his name.

When Borg ventured into entrepreneurship, he thought he could duplicate his success on court in business as well. Much to his dismay, that endeavour was a big failure. By 1989, Bjorn Borg Design - which made sports gear, clothes and aftershave lotion went bankrupt.

To make the matters worse, the Swedish government pursued him for $40,000 in taxes. He made an unsuccessful comeback attempt to the circuit in the early 90s, but failed to win even a single set against his opponents. When he eventually got bailed out in 1997, creditors pursued him for around $1m. A desperate Borg then tried to sell his his five Wimbledon trophies, along with the rackets he won with, including the one he beat McEnroe with in 1980 final.

Following an outcry from fans and players like McEnroe and Agassi, Borg halted his move. Unfortunately, having already given them to the auction house, he had to buy 92

“If you came to my house, you would not see one thing associated with tennis. You would not know that I played tennis." them back. Thus, Borg once again proved that he was a poor decision maker.

On the personal front too, three marriages, two divorces, two children and two stepchildren, added to the share of expenses.

Borg’s decisions paid off only on the court, not in life. Late, Borg rose from the ashes to make an impressive comeback, amassing great profit out of his Bjorn Borg underwear, shoes and glasses venture.

Once, in a interview to ‘The Boston Globe’, Borg said: “If you came to my house, you would not see one thing associated with tennis. You would not know that I played tennis.

I don’t keep things. I give away cups and rackets for charities.” It’s hard to fathom why Bjorn Borg wanted to run away from that one thing that defined his life - tennis. His untimely retirement and decision to sell off his prized possessions seems perplexing. It is absurd to think that Borg was afraid of success, but he alone knows why he decided to walk away when everything looked good in the picture. For him, tennis is a distant past, but for his fans, he is still the King. Those memories can never be erased from their hearts.

by Princy Janes 93

Life of Kamal Dedicated to Mansour Bahrami

Kamal (perfection) was born with a smile. His eyes always springled an incredible positivity and joy for life.

Kamal (perfection) was born with a smile. His eyes always springled an incredible positivity and joy for life. Despite of this Kamal was born in extreme poverty. He used to live, together with his five brothers, in a farmers village out of the way, where his father Hassan (good) and his mother Farah (joy) grew them up with loads of love and little, very little bread.

When Kamal was a child, he used to spend his days with his best friend Iman (loyal) continuously making up games from nothing.

One day Kamal was running by the house of the “fat cat” of the village, the only one who used to own even a very old black and white television.

The two friends got curious about the shouting and applause coming from the inside of the house. Kamal forced Iman to put him on his

shoulders and clung onto the window sill to peep inside of the room and saw four men who were watching excitedly a game in television, a game where two players, rigorously dressed in white, were rallying with mastery a ball with a wooden racket above a net. Kamal kept on watching for some minutes that game, hypnotized by those two very good players, especially the left handed and reddish one that he just understood was named Rod something.

Kamal would have stayed for hours watching that game, which, as he discovered afterwards, was called tennis, but he was called back to order by the moans of his unlucky friend who was about to faint under his weight. Kamal explained to his loyal friend what he had just seen and the two friends decided to practice that game by themselves. With some old rags they made a fabric ball which didn’t bounce a lot, and badly so, and used as rackets two rudimental wooden boards found in an old hayloft and spent the days of the following months practicing their new game.

However, surviving in that far and out of the way village forgotten by God was harder and 94

harder day after day. So Hassan decided to move with all his family to the main town of the country to look for a better future. And he was lucky, because he found almost immediately a job as a gardener in the only tennis club of the city.

During the afternoons after school, Kamal always went to visit his father at the club being able to gather some tip coins working as bellboy for the aristocratic members of the club, who used to have the only and absolute usage of the tennis courts. Despite this absurd prohibition, during the hot hours around midday the boy sneaked onto the courts together with his new ball boy friends and played with some old

ball stolen from the members and some piece of wood found in the storage room of the club.

In that kind of tennis Kamal was a true phenomenon and outclassed all his mates, remembering with nostalgia the neverending hours spent to his home village playing with the fabric ball together with his dear friend Iman, whose traces he had lost, with enormous regret.

One hot and sunny summer afternoon, while Kamal was furtively training with his mates at his usual “almost” tennis, he was noticed playing

by Habib (friend), one of the few good hearted aristocratic members of the club. Habib was incredibly impressed by Kamal’s ability to return the ball onto the other side of the net, even though he was using a gear which forced him to challenge every time the laws of physics. Habib decided to give him a very old wooden racket of his and Kamal thanked him on his knees crying out of joy and excitement and decided to immediately try his new “weapon”. Obviously with his new phenomenal “brand new” instrument the boy was immediately able to produce new and incredible shots and Kamal impressed and stunned by his own instantaneous improvement, super excited, kept on playing without realizing the arrival of the court’s genitors who beat him to blood and in order to punish his incredibly arrogant and disrespectful behaviour towards the club’s rules, 95

Kamal discovered that day, one more time, how unfair and cruel life could be. But he didn’t lose his smile and his natural optimism they broke his racket into thousand pieces.

Kamal discovered that day, one more time, how unfair and cruel life could be. But he didn’t lose his smile and his natural optimism and he carried on with his secret tennis at “almost” tennis nevertheless. When he was almost sixteen he was accidentally noticed while training by an executive of the Federation of his Country, who was visiting the club and immediately decided to talk to the club’s management because he felt that they had to give a chance to train to that extraordinarily gifted and always smiling kid, they had to give him a the chance for real.

Obviously Kamal discovered that news with incredible joy and finally started to seriously train at tennis.

In a little more than a year he reached the level

much that the federation decided to repay him by enrolling him in the Wimbledon junior tournament. Kamal was out ofh is head thinking about getting the chance to step into the temple of the world’s tennis and he was astonished at the news that the federation would have offered him a free flight ticket and even the stay in a hotel. hen he arrived full of enthusiasm in England, he realized that there was a little problem though: the hotel was paid, but meals were not included and he was almost out of money And as if this wasn’t enough his match was planned three days later; physically empty and weak he wasn’t able to win a single game.

However, not even this time Kamal lost his optimism and smile and back in his homeland 96

So one day he was able to collect right… 200 $ and a navy ticket and he left for Europe looking for a new beginning. He arrived in France, in Nice, and he immediately realized that with his little money he could have survived for just some days. Aimlessly walking around the city he swinged by a Casino and the idea of taking his chances to try to multiply his poor budget, flashed into his mind… but he lost everything.

And also this time life seemed to turn him her back and he found himself desperate, with no money and food and sleeping in the open. This time Kamal really felt to be in a hopeless and dead-end situation, alone, with no money, no job, no visa, in a country which he didn’t know and without knowing the local language.

continued to train dreaming about stepping again into the Wimbledon’s courts one day, but with more luck and maybe in the senior tournament.

Bad luck didn’t have the intention to leave him, however, and when he had almost reached the level to play the Davis Cup for his country, a civil war burst out and the power was seized by the absolutely reactionary, anti-western forces that forbade also tennis, a game considered a proAmerican sport. For almost three years Kamal couldn’t play tennis, as if all the wasted years of his childhood weren’t enough…

But not even this time he lost his optimism and smile and kept on dreaming to be able to do in his life what he felt to be talented for and for which he had an immense passion: to become a professional tennis player.

The day after Kamal was walking disoriented through the ciy streets and incredibly bumped into Rashid (brave), an old friend of his who he had met some years before in his Country and who had found a job in France a short time ago.

Rashid took to heart Kamal’s faith and introduced him to the local club’s president proposing him as coach. Kamal was able in this way to have a visa of six more months and tried to make ends meet with the few tennis classes he was able to do. At the expiration of the six months Kamal had just one opportunity to extend his visa in the France: declaring himself a politic exile.

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With love Kamal’s life changed for the better and, although he was almost 30, he was finally able to realize his dream to become a pro tennis player.

But he had never been interested in politics and had too much dignity to lie. So he decided to rush to Paris to continue to pursue his tennis dream. There he met Fariba (fascinating) a beautiful girl of Iranian roots, who was working as secretary in an office. Kamal felt he had instantly fallen in love and got close to her with his smiling eyes which kept on, despite everything, to express joy and respect for life and others. Fariba immediately understood that this man was different from anyone else she had met during her life, wonderfully different… With love Kamal’s life changed for the better and, although he was almost 30, he was finally able to realize his dream to become a pro tennis player. But his story, which moved to tears all his colleagues, who recognized that Kamal,

without such a difficult life would have become a champion in their sport. For this reason at the end of his career Kamal was invited to play at the same condition of the great champions of the past in the senior tour and still today he is travelling around the world with his family staying in five star hotels (this time with meals included), giving incredible shots and his marvellous smile to everyone who has the luck to see him play and to whom he always reminds that life is a wonderful gift and that it is not important weather you win or lose, but that it is important to always keep on playing and smiling…

by Andrea Guarracino 98

Missing Pearls The Failures of the great champions At other times, the reason for a drop in prestige is financial or practical. Hamburg, for example, was for long a premier clay court tournament, but since losing its status as a ATP Masters 1000 events, its importance has dwindled.

In any case, as we shall see, basically nobody has managed to win everything of import.

Teacher without a degree - For someone who won the Grand Slam twice, you would not expect Rod Laver to have any empty spaces in his trophy cabinet. Yet, the great Australian still remembers the two finals he lost to Ken Rosewall in Dallas in 1971/72. On both occasions, the two men were contesting for a wad of dollars and the title of master of the WCT circuit, the breakaway league started by oilman Lamar Hunt. The "Rocket" from Rockhampton had little luck with the Master of the Grand Prix, and could not win this elusive title on either occasion.

Which prestigious trophies are lacking from the cabinets of the stars of the Open Era? More importantly, is there anyone who can claim to have won everything that is worth winning? Prior to identifying and analyzing the many bugbears that the greatest players of the past 45 years harbor, it is important to note that all tournaments have not maintained the same prestige throughout the years. For example, while the Grand Slams are at the top of every player’s wish list, the Davis Cup has definitely lost some of its luster in recent decades. Just fifty years ago the Davis Cup was considered more important than the Australian Open.

The opposite applies to what has now become the ATP Masters 1000 events. These were often ignored by many top players, but today are second only to Grand Slams in terms of prestige.

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Jimmy Connors always struggled when it came to the European clay courts Jimbo in 1974 - Like many of his countrymen, Jimmy Connors always struggled when it came to the European clay courts. Yet at the French Open, out of a total of thirteen attempts, the lefthander reached the semi-finals four times and the quarter-finals another four times. That makes what happened in 1974 so much more ironic. It was a year where Connors won three out of the four Majors, with the French Open being the only missing one. The reason? He didn’t even participate, because he had a conflict with World Team Tennis which he could not get out of. Given how well he was playing that year, it is entirely conceivable that he might well have won the Grand Slam if he had shown up at Roland Garros.

Ten years on - The theater is the same but the actors have changed. Another American lefthander, this time John McEnroe, played Ivan Lendl in the final of the French Open. Lendl had already reached four Slam finals by this point, and lost all of them. McEnroe was having the best season of his career, and was the overwhelming favorite. Many pinned their hopes on the American to bring back the trophy to the US for the first time in many decades. Johhny Mac dominated the first two sets, and led 4-2 in the fourth, but a drop in concentration from McEnroe combined with a surge from Lendl denied the American his only chance to ever win the title. Had he won there, it is possible that he might have won not only the Grand Slam, but recorded the perfect season, 101

By destroying McEnroe’s dream, Lendl officially arrived as a top player

without ever losing a match.

What goes around comes around – By destroying McEnroe’s dream, Lendl officially arrived as a top player. By the end of his career, Lendl would play 19 Grand Slam finals, winning eight of them, along with 86 other tournaments. Yet, we are almost certain that Ivan would have bartered several of these trophies if he could have a Wimbledon one instead.

Lendl won twice at Queen’s, and even missed Roland Garros on occasion in order to train for longer on the grass, but could never conquer the courts at SW 19. He came close, but in 1990 was defeated in the semi-finals by Edberg, and the following year was upset by Wheaton in the third round. He even reached the final in 1986 and 1987, but lost without much fight to Becker and Cash respectively.

Scorched Earth - McEnroe was not the only tennis star to be denied the trophy at Roland Garros. Boris Becker is another famous example, having reached the semi-finals in Paris three times. However, he was unable to convert and complete the career Grand Slam. He ended his career with 49 titles, but none on clay. In total he lost all six finals he played on the surface. Of these, three were particularly hard-fought and painful to lose: Monte Carlo in 1989 (7-5, 2-6, 7-6, 7-5 against Alberto Mancini), 1991 (5-7, 6-4, 7-6, 7-6

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against Sergi Bruguera) and 1995 (4-6, 5-7, 6-1, 7-6, 6-0), the latter being a contest in which he had match points but failed to convert. He also lost in Hamburg in 1990 against Aguilera, and in 1994 in Rome against Sampras. Boris made ​a last attempt to fill the gap by going to Gstaad in '98 for the first time in his career, but even there, even after defeating Mantilla and Rios, found a specialist (Corretja) who blocked his way to the finish line. A result of an offensive game that, in the years between the 80s and 90s, did not have to deal with the uniformity of the surfaces and the technological advancement of balls and rackets, Stefan Edberg managed to win three titles on clay (Madrid, Hamburg and Gstaad).

He finished his career with 138 wins on clay, against only 64 defeats. However, for the elegant Scandinavian, he would trade all those wins for one in the French Open final, where he was ahead two sets to love against Michael Chang but ultimately lost. He went on to win Wimbledon the next year, but that loss haunts him to this day.

Two other Swedes - In addition to Edberg, Sweden has had two other world number ones: Borg and Wilander. Borg, who triumphed six times at Roland Garros, and five times at Wimbledon, never wanted to travel to the US Open or Australian Open. When he did attend, which was not often, he did not play very well.

His best result at the US Open was the final, and the one time he played in Australia he reached just the third round.

Wilander, on the other hand, distributed his seven Grand Slam titles on three different surfaces. However, despite having won twice in Melbourne when it was still played on grass (1983/84), he never went beyond the quarters at Wimbledon. It would remain the only missing Slam tournament on his CV. Scorched Earth (2) - Here we go again!

Roland Garros broke the hearts of many a great champion, and we are not done with them yet.

Pete Sampras is the most obvious one.

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The American just could not get a hold of the clay in Paris, although he did come close at times. 1996 seemed to be his year, when the draw fell his way, but he lost in the semi-finals to Kafelnikov, a player who beat him only twice in his career, but that day was one of them. The score was 7-6, 6-0, 6-2, and it spelled the end of Pete’s French Open ambitions.

Perhaps the most varied trophy cabinet is that of Andre Agassi. He won a total of 60 titles in his career, which stretched from 1987 to 2005. He won at least one title every year except for 1997, a truly incredible achievement. He also won each Slam at least once, as well as the Davis Cup and gold at the Olympics. He also won the four Masters 1000 events that are played on hard courts, as well as the clay event in Rome. Two that are absent, however, are Monte Carlo and Hamburg. He never did like these tournaments it seems, playing there only occasionally and never doing very well.

But despite not winning those two events, we will see that he has perhaps the strongest CV of

all the players we will discuss.

His two most obvious rivals are Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Though both men have extraordinary records, and still have time to improve them, each man has some annoying empty spaces in the cabinet. Both men have completed the career Slam, but Federer never won Monte Carlo or Rome (he lost to Nadal in the final of each event many times). Nadal, on the other hand, has never won the ATP World Tour Finals, and has fallen at the hands of Federer three times (twice in the semis, once in the final). Federer has never won the Davis Cup (although this year he seems willing to go all the way) or the singles gold medal at the Olympics, while

Nadal on the other hand has not triumphed at the ATP Masters 1000 events in Miami and Shanghai.

The third musketeer – This year, Novak Djokovic wants more than anything else to win Roland Garros. A four-time semi-finalist and one-time finalist, he will have to become the first person since 2004, other than Federer and Nadal, to win the trophy. Last year, Nole seemed to have Rafa beat in the semis, but threw away a near-certain victory in the fifth set. Since that time, Rafa has been the best player on the Tour, and Djokovic will have to 104

Another trophy that still eludes Novak is Cincinnati, where he has lost four finals step up his game if he is to dethrone the King Of Clay. But we must also remind ourselves of the fact that he ended the Spaniard’s reign in Monte Carlo last year, so he might draw inspiration from that for his French Open campaign this year. Another trophy that still eludes the Serb is Cincinnati, where he has lost four finals. So while he has still quite a lot to do before he joins Nadal and Federer in terms of career completeness, Nole has a lot of time to flesh out his CV. The way he has started this year, by winning both Indian Wells and Miami, we think he might finally be able to fill some of those holes on his shelf.

by Brent Kruger 105

A Fashionable Sport Fashion invading tennis or just tennis being fashionable?

Fashion invading tennis or just tennis being fashionable? Most of the time, it is impossible to tell, the two worlds have always been related. Even early on the fashion world showed its influence on the courts, just think of famous "V-neck" popularised by Sergio Tacchini, or RenÊ Lacoste’s Jersey Petit Pique from the 1930s. With the passage of time, all the major sports brands have imposed themselves on the sport, exploiting the bodies of the fine athletes we watch compete. Especially the female ones. Feeling beautiful on the court

seems to be a desirable situation for most female tennis players, and these days it is a top priority for most of them.

But it has not always been easy to look fashionable on court. For years ladies opted, not always by choice, for practical outfits above all else. That changed in the 1990s, when the importance of aesthetics assumed a central role. Pioneers in this field include the likes of Martina Navratilova, who believed that if the men can wear pink shorts, so can the women.

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Andando avanti con i cicli, i confini tra la “passerella” e le “linee del campo” sono andati sempre più assottigliandosi No boundaries What changed then in such a short time?

Well, a big part of it is that the lines between fashion and tennis have been blurring for quite a while. We have now reached a point where the two fields act as a springboard for one another. Even names like Giorgio Armani are getting into the act. “Fragility, courage, grace and brute force, all mixed together,” he said of tennis. “This is the way I see this sport.”

His name has been linked with Seles, Vinci and Errani, and indeed official collaborations between high profile fashion designers and sports brands has been

increasing. Stella McCartney’s famous collaboration with the German brand Adidas is an example, and Martina Hingis working with Yonic Lifestyle Apparel is one in reverse. "I wanted to change what I saw," McCartney said of her clothing line. "The shades were too basic and there was not a lot of variety. I saw a real opportunity to change this. I worked with some cutting-edge technology that allowed me to create clothes that are high performance and a complete pleasure to wear."

A simple claim of her ability as a stylist, or the birth of a new industry?

Probably both. But having nice clothes won’t 108

C’è chi preferisce dedicare più tempo alla chioma, chi ai vestiti, chi al make up. Dal rimmel al lucidalabbra, il trucco è tangibile e complice amico.

get you very far if you can’t do all the other things that women like to do to look pretty. Makeup, for example, has also adapted, and there are waterproof products that the players can wear. Companies like Shiseido, Max Factor and Kiko all have ranges suitable for sportspeople now, along with online tips on how to use it effectively.

These products have become indispensable to these ladies, who spend so much time in the sun every day.

Tournaments have also grown more aware of the needs of the female players, and there are an increasing number of "beauty spots" available to the players around the grounds. There they can get head massages, as well as shampoos and hair treatments to keep them looking their best. There are also a number of beauty professionals at hand to address any needs the players might have.

Being on court with a well-kept appearance seems to have become a real must. Hairstyles are always trendy and hair is always perfect, even on the practice court and in post-match interviews.

“I have long hair, so I need to take care when I go on the court. Before I have to separate my hair into three

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sections, and then create a long braid,” Maria Kirilenko shared about her beauty routine.

There have been many other braids on the court, but none more memorable than Anna Kournikova’s.

Indeed, the braid has become quite fashionable in women’s tennis, and some of them are so long that they almost become a third player on the court.

It is becoming like the "country style" plait that Chris Evert made so popular in the 1970s.

Sisterly eccentricity For some players, the clothes being produced by major brands is not good enough, so they are creating their own. "Eleven" is a brand of clothing created for sportspeople. It was started in 2007 by Venus Williams. With its fluorescent shades, side slits and revolutionary design, it is every bit as eccentric as its creator.

Her sister Serena has also gotten into the act.

Everything from shoes that resemble boots more than trainers, to the waterproof bag that she sported at Wimbledon in 2008, Serena’s outfits always make a statement.

A little excessive? Perhaps.

But who are we to say where the line should be drawn? With fashion, as with art, it is very difficult to distinguish between the beautiful and the hideous. It is all too often simply in the eye of the beholder.

But that hasn’t stopped traditionalists from putting up a fight. Margaret Court in particular, who always has something to say about anything that is not strictly conservative, has made her views on the subject well known.

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“The courts of tennis are certainly not the appropriate places to show off like that,� she said some time ago. “We're not at the beach.

If you are brave, you do not need to be flashy."

The tournaments themselves are also wary of women wearing inappropriate clothing on the court, and many of them insist on viewing outfits before they are allowed on court. Bethanie Mattek-Sands, for example, has often been taken to task for her eccentric outfits. Wimbledon in particular is a stickler for their dress code, and heavily fines players who do not properly comply with their standards.

Women are increasingly wearing whatever they want on court, and it seems unlikely that any significant regulations will be enforced to curtail that trend.

Progress is part of our history, of our system.

Players like Maria Sharapova and Ana Ivanovic have blazed a trail for the next generation of players (and we cannot forget Ana Kournikova).

Today, many players are models as much as they are tennis players, and the court is their catwalk.

It is clear that most of the fans enjoy the

The Era of those who dare While the argument is still raging in some quarters, it does seem that the battle has been mostly won.

outfits that they wear while they play, and at the end of the day, the fans more than anyone dictate what is allowed.

by Sara Di Paolo

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Alfonso's eyes Praise of humility

Shortly after I am on the court for the match, but I am still too nervous and I am playing really bad. I lose the first set and I am losing 4-1 also the second one. During the side change, sitting on my chair, suddenly Alfonso’s eyes and his words come to my mind and I feel something arousing inside me. The match changes and I get to flatly win it at the third set.

After a few weeks Alfonso dies and I find myself one morning at the cemetery, crying alone on his grave.

January 1998: I am in Formia on the Grand Hotel Fagiano fast courts where I have organized some tennis courses for children.

As soon as the lesson finishes I go to the hotel hall to book the courts for the following week. There, sitting alone in a corner, there’s the great Mario Belardinelli who is reading the newspaper and drinking coffee. I would really like to go there and say hello but my innate shyness and discretion

July 1992: I am at the tennis circle and I am slowly running trying to warm up. A few minutes later I will be on the court to play the final match of the federal tournament that my Club organizes every year. I am quite nervous and worried and I try to break the tension doing some exercises. Alfonso, the old circle’s keeper, one of the most humble and kind persons that I have had the honor to meet in my life, comes up to me with his already slow and unsteady pace. Alfonso has a terminal cancer of the larynx, he stops near me, he looks at me with his gentle eyes, full of sensitiveness and humanity and with a whisper he tells me with difficulty: “Andrea, I’ll root for you!”

Due to the emotion I feel a sudden and very strong lump in my throat and I barely get to answer him: “Thanks Alfonso”.

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stop me because I’m afraid I might disturb him. Many years before I had a tryout with him and I think to myself: “He can’t remember me”. Our eyes meet for a second and the great Master with his incredible sensitiveness and humanity understands everything, suddenly stands up and comes to me to say hello.

I find out with pleasing incredulity that he remembered everything about me and that he was following my career as a teacher.

Almost in his 80s our Master of Masters teaches me a humility, humanity and lucidity lesson that leaves me speechless even today

when I think about it. Few days later Belardinelli passes away on the night of January 19th, leaving a deep pain in my heart.

November 2003: I am in Cividino with one of my junior players for a meeting of the best Italian junior players. The technical manager is Renzo Furlan, former ATP number 19, who I had never had the pleasure to meet in person. At the end of the meeting, my junior and I were about to leave and I wanted to say goodbye to Furlan who I had the honor to have some conferences with, together with the other convened guys. I look for him, I see him from the restaurant’s glass wall sitting at the table behind me while he is eating his meal. Also this time I stop at the restaurant’s entrance, afraid to disturb him Furlan suddenly turns his head, almost as if he sensed my presence behind him, he reads on my face my hesitating will, he suddenly stands up, comes up to me, he holds out his hand and he says determined: “Honored to meet you!”. I, surprised by such a sudden sensitiveness and humility demonstration, can barely reply: “My honor!”

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Over the course of my career as a tennis teacher I have heard hundreds of teachers and players formulate their theory on which quality is fundamental to become champions in our sport.

Over the course of my career as a tennis teacher I have heard hundreds of teachers and players formulate their theory on which quality is fundamental to become champions in our sport. Some underlined the technical aspects, others pointed out the tactical ones or the athletic and mental ones. Each of them underlined, in my opinion, only a part of the truth. I think that the fundamental quality is to have, and above all to be able to keep, the necessary amount of humility and simplicity without which one is intended to get lost during the difficult climb, nullifying all the gifts that the Nature or God, for those who are believers like me, gave us.

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Developing An Effective Serve With The Help Of Mental Coach Mauro Pepe

coaches. On this site, in fact, you will find many fine articles about technique. But there are mental training techniques that make the training of the serve much more effective and successful.

As I explain in the article on mental strength for tennis players, the serve is a very delicate movement, and you have to perform it perfectly to get the desired results.

From the point of view of mental preparation, there are three steps in the act of serving: 1. The thoughts and emotional state before serving 2. The preparation (or ritual) 3. The technical act Professional tennis players have an extraordinary ability to hit strong and effective serves at almost any time. But knowing this, why do so many miss a lot of their serves, especially first serves?

The answer to this question lies in the thoughts and emotional state of the player.

When I started to follow tennis, I was fascinated by the Sampras’ grace, Chang’s tenacity, Muster’s strength, Edberg’s backhand volleys and particularly Agassi’s returns.

Other players also fascinated me, usually because they seemed to specialize in a particular aspect of the game and then dominate through that. Ivanisevic, Rusedski and Lendl come to mind, with the way they won matches with their serves.

The game today is definitely different, especially when it comes to the rackets and preparation. Tennis players are getting faster, stronger and more physically prepared.

But how do you train to serve? How can you make your serve effective and successful?

There are many training techniques for the serve, and the tennis world is full of good 116

The second step to a winning service is to have a ritual (or good preparation) that is really effective There are many reasons for errors, for example: • Not being able to mentally reset after a point is won or lost, which leads to concentration issues.

• Worrying about the rest of the match, your opponent or even what people think of how you play.

• Fear of making mistakes.

• Concern of not being able to find solutions against an in-form opponent.

• Self-esteem issues.

really effective. The ritual must have the following characteristics: • It must allow the athlete to get into a productive and positive frame of mind.

• It must involve a sequence of movements that is simple and repeatable.

• It should help clear the thoughts of the athlete and provide a simple and effective way of controlling the positive unconscious. • For some players, it may be useful to imagine the result of the serve in a positive way.

Finally, there is the technical act itself. After a good preparation for the serve, and with

The second step to a winning service is to have a ritual (or good preparation) that is 117

an effective preparation ritual, you need to actually hit the serve.

I know what you're thinking. This is interesting, but how can I improve my serve? Through mental training. A set of visualization techniques, anchors, and a focus on personal growth for sharpening your self-esteem and your winning mentality. To start, I can teach you a useful visualization technique to increase your awareness of your movements.

diaphragm, fill your lungs and exhale naturally. Do it for some time, and as you breathe in this way, clear your mind of all thoughts and feel your body relax with every breath. Starting from the muscles in your head, passing through the torso, arms, legs and feet.

STEP 1: RELAXATION Close your eyes. Breathe with your

STEP 2: AWARENESS (dissociated) While still breathing deeply, imagine that you see your service motion on a big screen.

Split the moments into small chunks: choosing a ball, bouncing the ball, throw it in the air, and then hitting it. For each of these moments, imagine the muscles of your body and what they are doing. Try feeling the energy in your muscles from those movements.

STEP 3: AWARENESS (associated) While still breathing deeply, imagine from a first-person perspective that you are hitting the serve, from the preparation phase to where you strike the ball. Imagine and physically test the feeling of the muscles and their movements. This is the time to focus on your emotions, bodily sensations, etc...

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This view is preparation for mental training. In fact, it helps you to become aware of your body and the technical movements involved STEP 4: RETURN TO REALITY Concentrate on your breathing again and feel calm/relaxed. When you are ready, open your eyes and compliment yourself for a job well done.

This view is preparation for mental training.

In fact, it helps you to become aware of your body and the technical movements involved.

For mental training to be effective, you have to calibrate the specifics of each exercise according to your objectives.

Mauro Pepe - Mental Coach www.vinciconalmente.it

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Flower Therapy Flower Therapy is an exceptional tool that allows the athlete to find, and keep, a psycho-physical balance, even under heavy stress. ”The essences extracted from flowers and plants have no side effects and can be combined with any other therapy or medical use. Flower Therapy has been recognized by the WHO since 1976.

Flower Therapy comes from the study of the psyche and is based on the creation of vibrational remedies that have the ability to act in the mind. Flower remedies are of a psychophysical nature. What makes us lose strength or energy during an athletic performance is the psychic conflict that is introduced to the body.

By balancing the "zone" of the conflict, the body will respond with a more proactive, coordinated energy. The remedies can be taken during the day and/or during the matches or training, depending on the athlete’s need. These are the most common fears and anxieties that occur during a competition: fear of winning, fear of losing, fear of judgment, performance anxiety, excessive aggression, disorientation, confusion, lack of confidence, pessimism, hopelessness, intolerance, impatience, superficiality, indecisiveness, self-injury, need for recognition, insecurity, control, fear of losing control.

Thanks to Kinesiology you can test, and find, the flower supplement that is right for you.

Through Flower Therapy, it is possible to address mental issues that cause psychological imbalance and physical disharmony. They help in the integration of work that has been done with the various bodies (physical, emotional and mental), and also assist with athletic performance. The cornerstone of Bach flower therapy is that it seeks to reduce psychological noise, which ultimately affects us physically (symptoms of any kind, from cramps, tears etc.)

When we speak of psychological disorder, we do not mean mental illness but, instead, we are talking about the mental challenges that we all face on a daily basis, such as trauma, conflict, etc. Sooner or later these things lead to the development of physical symptoms. Flower Therapy takes the individual into account as a whole and unique being. The effectiveness of Flower Therapy is the fact that it addresses the "disease," as well as the reactions and symptoms the person experiences because of the “disease.

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For those who constantly experience fear before a match.

It helps to reactivate energy to overcome panic.

FEAR MIMULUS, fear of winning/losing/fear of judgment Difficult to get into the game.

Agitation in dealing with challenging situations.

Fear of travel, aircraft, the future, tachycardia, nervousness. For those who withdraw in defense when challenged. It helps to have courage to face your fears, to take responsibility for victory or defeat coming into the fight. It helps to learn to love.

It helps to find and develop safety awareness. At a higher level it helps to have faith.

ASPEN, performance anxiety/excitement/panic /trauma Undefined fear, distress, fear of fear, newness, change. For hypersensitive individuals, who tend to develop negative prophecies, like imagining a match going poorly.

ROCK ROSE, panic/trauma/disorientation/confusion Emergency situations that cause panic and terror and have limited duration. To be taken before going to sleep in case of restless sleep, for example, the night before an important match.

CHERRY PLUM, need for recognition/fear of losing control For anyone who is rigid and tends to rationalize the intuitive part of their game.

For those who tend to have outbursts of anger and sudden violence. It helps with acceptance, spontaneity and to use the best of a person’s psycho-physical energies.

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They help in the integration of work that has been done with the various bodies (physical, emotional and mental)

DEPRESSION WILD ROSE, not present/disorientation/superficiality/indecision For those suffering from apathy, resignation without struggle, lack of joy. For those who believe that everything is useless.

Unhappiness, tiredness. Someone who does not complain about his condition because he considers it normal. Helps to find interest and motivation for their sport. It helps to contact the joy given by the game, to find interest and motivation.

SWEET CHESTNUT, fear of losing/judgment/panic For those athletes who believe they cannot win any more.

Suffering from exhaustion, melancholy, a sense of anxiety.

For those who want to cross a deep crisis, a tunnel with no exit. It helps to go through the pain without giving up. It helps to regain confidence. At the end of the tunnel, you will start to see the light.

HERE AND NOW HONEYSUCKLE, not present/loneliness/disorientation For those who live in the past, for those who remember past victories and cannot not let go; regrets and recriminations.

For those who remember only the good things. For those who struggle to live in the present. It helps to be in the "here and now," to remember the past as part of their experience

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without, however, continuing to live in the past CHESTNUT BUD, performance anxiety/disorientation/confusion/self-harm Does not evolve mistakes and tend to repeat the same patterns. Little humility, inattentive and distracted. Helps to make the best of game situations, to live the experience as something enriching, whatever the result. It helps to learn from mistakes.

ability to control one’s own thoughts, helps to live in the present.

WHITE CHESTNUT, selfharm/hardness/obsession Obsessive thoughts, is fixed on a particular facet (e.g. dropping a point because of a dispute and not because of a missed return). Helps to find peace of mind and

FATIGUE OLIVE This remedy is recommended for mental and physical fatigue, after an illness or convalescence.

UNCERTAINTY WILD OATS, not present/disorientation/confusion For those who feel frustrated because of unmet goals, unsure what to do, living in doubt and conflict. People who have talent, curiosity and many interests, but are inconclusive and an eternal teenager. It helps them find their own way and their own talent, to make things clear.

THE MEANING OF MISTAKES PINE, fear of defeat/ fear of judgment/fear of losing control/guilt/self-harm Dissatisfaction with results, feelings of inadequacy, selfcriticism, limitation of power and personal strength, for those who often fall into accidents.

It helps to express potential, power and strength.

Free energy.

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CRAB APPLE, guilt/obsession Obsessed with perfection. To hide a sense of guilt and inadequacy. Tends to get lost in the detail, while not grasping the overview of the match. It helps

to see things in perspective and to broaden the vision of the game, it helps to remedy addictions and obsessiveness.

IMPATIENCE IMPATIENS, fear of losing control / excessive aggression Adrenaline, difficulty staying still, difficulty in collaborating with others (team spirit), for those who find it hard to "see" the solution to a tactical match, impulsivity. It helps to regain control of themselves, to take time to reflect, to have clear vision. Useful for muscle aches, cramps, anti-inflammatory action.

POLARITY SCLERANTHUS, agitation/excitement/indecision For those who have a lack of balance and psychomotor coordination; never know or decide between two things (e.g. whether to defend or attack during a match), mood swings, tends to suffer a different symptom every day. Fragile and nervous. It helps to find balance and coordination, as well as greater decisiveness.

SELF-LOVE WATER VIOLET, loneliness/non-presence Loneliness voluntarily sought but unconstructive, sense of superiority, pride (difficulty admitting mistakes), detachment from elements of the team as they are

ROCK WATER, control/hardness/intolerance For those who are very rigid and tend towards self-repression; never satisfied and uncompromising, stubborn, intolerant, very focused on the result instead of performance; perfectionist who follows strict rules. It helps to focus on the pleasure of the "journey" of the match.

considered inferior; inability to confront others, lack of humility. It helps to break down social barriers, to accept others and listen to advice, to work on humility. It helps with bone pain or muscle aches.

FRAGILITY AGRIMONY, fear of winning or losing/fear of losing control/lack of confidence/performance anxiety Those who want everything to flow smoothly and without shocks, restless, do everything to hide their fears, anxious, dependent. Helps to let go, to take responsibility for oneself.

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CENTAURY, insecurity/dependence/performance anxiety Weak will, easily influenced, those who fail to assert themselves (e.g. against the misconduct of an opponent). Humble but does not do what he wants. Helps to impose will on the court by taking the responsibility, helps with gaining firmness letting go of the judgments of others.

WALNUT, insecurity/disorientation Hit and miss, give up the struggle, hypersensitive, rejection, difficulty adapting, stuck in the past. It helps one let go of the past, and helps to resolve conflicts on the court, to go towards a goal without being influenced by the opinion of others.

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ANGER HOLLY, fear of judgment/anger/hatred/excessive aggression/frustration/jealousy You think that others are better, suspect that everyone is plotting behind your back, touchy. In game situations tend to get angry and not very polished, while fearing the judgment of others. It helps to trust other people and to let go of frustration.

realistic world view. Work on optimism and helps to analyze failures in a constructive way.

WILLOW, self-pity/self-harm/frustration/fear of judgment Feels targeted by misfortune, blaming everything and everyone. Does not forgive, does not let go, and has a distorted view of reality. It helps to work a sense of responsibility, to have a clearer and more

EXPECTATIONS OF BANKRUPTCY LARCH, fear of winning/losing fear/frustration/performance anxiety/unoccupied/indecision. Focuses on negative experiences from the past and does not think he can improve. Helps to develop spare capacity. It helps to deal with the game step by step, with a broader vision of how to solve problems and difficulties as they arise.

DISEASES OF THE LEADER ELM, fear of winning/panic/fear of losing control Constant thoughts of not succeeding, overload, too many voluntary commitments and responsibilities. Feeling of not being able to finish the game or tournament, you do not feel up to the performance. Efficient and courageous person who feels collapse. It helps to review and understand difficult situations. Promotes confidence and awareness. Helps in cases of joint stiffness.

OAK, obsession/control. Never give up, do not complain because they do not want to seem weak. It helps to take steps needed to start relaxing.

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Through Flower Therapy, it is possible to address mental issues that cause psychological imbalance and physical disharmony BEECH, judgment/excessive aggression/anger/intolerance/hardness Hypercritical attitude, judging the opponent and seeing only his mistakes. Thinks he is better than he is. Resistant to change. It helps to be more tolerant of others, relieves tensions and promotes empathy.

RESCUE REMEDY, panic/trauma/nonpresence/confusion/tension/stress/anxiety/fear of losing control. In the event of a sudden shock or trauma. Works fast and effectively to relieve mental and physical trauma. It features a combination of flowers that work together to powerful effect.

VINE, hardness/control. Inflexible attitude, thinks only to achieve goals. Thinks he is always right and will not listen or accept the opinions of others. Thinks he is infallible, has a great force of will that brings hardness and selfishness. It helps to empathize with others and take their opinions into account.

by Amanda Gesualdi

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Consistency And Variation In Doubles In tennis, hitting high-percentage shots are of the utmost importance.

With every ball that we hit, we are faced with various different choices. More often than not, club players make the wrong choice.

They choose shots that are both tactically and technically incorrect, which usually leads them to losing the point.

In most cases, the best shot to hit is a highpercentage one that will allow you to stay in a strong position in the rally.

Consistency is key in tennis, and choosing the right shot is the first step in being consistent. Most people think that technique is much more important than tactics, but

this is not so. Do you think that Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal would be able to win Grand Slams using your tactics? Even with their extraordinary talents? Of course not!

Often you hear club players lament that "my shot was so close!" or "did you see how hard I hit that ball? It was almost a winner!" The amateur tennis player still lives with his "ifs" and "buts"...which is no way to live!

Great players do not think like this, because they always know that they are making the right decision for the situation.

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Professionals construct points using carefully considered shots, while amateurs just hit whatever shot comes to mind.

Professionals construct points using carefully considered shots, while amateurs just hit whatever shot comes to mind.

Let us use an example. Let's say both your opponents are at the net. Now, you have many choices: you can lob them, play low, try and hit though the middle or try and hit down-the-line. You can even try and hit straight at their bodies.

Club players will often try and hit a winner straight off the bat. This will almost never work. Professionals will make their opponents hit 4, 5, 6, 7 volleys (often in the middle) to see how the situation evolves.

Amateurs will also often intervene in a rally at an inopportune moment. If a player is standing at the net for too long, they try and poach the ball even if the opportunity isn't there. Pros never do this – they wait for their chance.

There are certain guidelines which, if followed properly, will give you the upper hand in most rallies. You must take advantage of your own strengths as well as your opponents' weaknesses. Court placement is also very important – if you are in the wrong position, almost nothing can save you from losing the point.

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You should never hit at an opponent who is at the net if you are on the baseline.

If you can push your opponent deep into the court you will open up lots of empty space to hit into. This can be quite difficult, but if you play high percentage shots and use your head it can be achieved without too much trouble.

One thing to keep in mind is that you should never hit at an opponent who is at the net if you are on the baseline.

However, if the opponent is on the service line (and not against the net) it is actually quite a good tactic to his straight at them.

Also, use the lob sparingly! More often than not, against experienced opponents, they will simple hit a smash winner.

Always making the right choice is, of course, not possible. But if you concentrate on your shot selection and opt mostly for high-percentage play, you will come out on top more often than not.

by Marco Mencaglia

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Read them....

Knowledge is power In today's article, Lisa explains all the basic steps involved in hitting a proper serve. Having the right information before implementing any technical change is extremely important, and Lisa helps you turn your serve into a mighty weapon!

Read the article

Wrong choices One of the themes that I like to emphasize when coaching is how to correctly identify the type of error that you have just committed.

Knowing what kind of mistakes you are making is, in my opinion, a very important part factor in the growth of a tennis player.

Read the article

Your Backhand Many people tend to think of the court and all the shots that we play as symmetrical. In essence, they believe the forehand is much like the backhand, and both are equally important. This, however, is a mistake, and we should never consider the two shots as equal, as they are completely different from a technical point of view. Read the article 134

Roger's Forehand

Step 1: Preparation Notice how Roger's eyes are already holding the ball.

Here start the socalled "short swing" while the left hand is being separated from the racket and the legs are completely bent.

Step 2: Coordination This is the moment before the impact.

The racket's head is down and will rotate in a quick moment to give top-spin effect to the ball.

The shoulders start to turn and the legs seek to give full force ahead, from right to left.

Step 3: Impact The ball touches the center of the racket while the Swiss is going up with his legs. The right shoulder is in the forward position trying to speed up the arm, while the left starts to go backwards. A typical feature of Federer is the movement of the eyes that do not stand apart from the ball until the tennis player does not finish his shot.

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Step 4: Final The right arm terminates the acceleration of the shot and the body weight goes backward. Due to the inertia of the shot, the shoulders move to the opposite side and the racket goes backwards without picking it up with the left hand.

Jinji Tennis Centre A world of Tennis Jinji Tennis Center Tokyo embraces Japan with an international tennis experience, encouraging present and future tennis players of all ages and levels, to astound to new heights.

Based in the heart of Tokyo, Jinji Tennis centre offers you the opportunity to experience tennis in Tokyo with fantastic International coaches that have over 20 years’ experience.

If you have never picked up a racket, or you are a seasoned player, Jinji offers an international environment with skilled professionals who will teach you the game or improve your performance while working on your fitness at the same time, allowing you to stay in shape, gain new skills and have fun while doing it.

Shai Gigi, founder and head coach believes in being a mentor of tennis as a lifelong commitment for both physical and mental wellbeing.

As part of this mission Jinji places specific emphasis on the tennis education of young children and so the GO PRO program was developed.

GO PRO is a uniquely developed program with the goal to discover and raise future tennis stars.

We welcome youth between the ages of 13 and 18 with the purpose of nurturing every aspect that turns a good player into a great player. We have a dedicated team of coaches with an abundance of knowledge that are inspired to create well rounded players. Moreover, by utilizing our networks with tennis academies all throughout the world, we hope to raise future professional tennis players in 136

GO PRO is the only tennis program in Japan that offers such a wide range of qualities and strengths in one center.

Japan. We pride ourselves in our networks in Spain, Israel, New York, Serbia, and Australia.

GO PRO is the only tennis program in Japan that offers such a wide range of qualities and strengths in one center.

Using innovative and modern techniques, we equipped our students with the ability to adapt with ease to every situation. They learn the principles that are true for pros as well as beginners and that can be adapted to their own individual game style.

So what makes our GO PRO so unique?

Jinji recognises the responsibility towards on and off court development of junior players, creating a strong platform for future professionals. We educate young players and give them the opportunity to learn about all

aspects of tennis either as a future career or recreation activity. We believe effective player development is not only a matter of quantity but quality as well and, with this focus, we strive to improve the quality using both the science of player development (what skills to develop) and the art of player development (the order they are developed) that makes the path successful.

Tennis is a multi-faceted game that requires a player to use everything they have. To develop all that is required, our coaches use an approach and integrates the psychological, physical, tactical and technical components in their training. Fully equipping players for the demands of modern tennis. It is a scientific process that is sequential and systematic.

Anything less is a disservice to players learning 137

In order to accomplish this goal and provide our students with a strong basis as a well-rounded, “complete” player, we focus on these 4 main categories In order to accomplish this goal and provide our students with a strong basis as a well-rounded, “complete” player, we focus on these 4 main categories: * Psychological - Ensuring the player is equipped with the necessary skills to handle all the demands of the game and exhibit strong attributes of emotional control. * Physical - Training players to be good athletes and develop physical qualities such as agility, balance coordination and speed among others. * Tactical - Using a game-based approach to recreate actual situations to promote effective problem solving and quick witted decision making to not be caught off guard in any situation and, if it does occur, to be able recover efficiently. * Technical- Using the techniques learnt to constructively counteract, combat and implement solutions to problems encountered. How to use the learned skills and when to use them to the most efficient outcome.

Going the extra mile… To offer our junior students greater opportunities, we encourage them to participate in our Bruguera Tennis Academy Camps held in Spain -- an alllevels tennis camp for young people located in the picturesque Barcelona countryside.

Shai Gigi - Jinji Tennis Center Phone :81- 080-4141-1300 www.jinjitennis.com - shai@jinjitennis.com "Just Play The Jinji Way "

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MegaFon Dream Cup 2014 The top of any training activity is participation in the competitions м– isn’t more senior 12.

The competitions «Dream Cup Pro-mixt» among the mixed couples were held from the 2008th to the 2011th year. On the «Dream Cup Pro-mixt 2011 St. Valentine’s Day in Tennis» tournament the prize fund made 125 000 rubles.

In «pro-mixt» almost all professional players of St. Petersburg took part.

Including Mikhail Elgin — the outstanding Petersburg tennis player, the only representative of our city on the international scene who managed to win the ATP tournament (A Kremlin Cup 2013, in the pair category together Denis Istomin). In «Dream Cup Pro-mixt Summer 2010″ took part the Russian tennis-player Lina Krasnorutskaya known for the whole world. And in February, 2012 the «Dream Cup St. Valentine’s Day in beach tennis» tournament took place. One of the most significant events of Dream Cup – professional female tournaments of the category ITF with a prize fund of 10 000 USD which were organized four times (the last — in 2010). For last years tens Petersburg tennis-players took part in competitions: for example, in 2009 from 64 sportswomen 18 were from the Northern capital.

Thanks to tournaments it is possible to increase interest of people to tennis and healthy lifestyle.The tournaments «Dream Cup» take place since 2006. Then the children’s competitions «MegaFon Dream Kids Cup» on courts of the Children’s tennis center were for the first time organized. In the 2008th the charitable competitions «Childhood Cup Summer with Megafon» took place. In this tournament took part not only children, and also the strongest juniors of Petersburg, amateur tennis players, cultural figures and politicians.

Among participants of tournament were: Olympic champion Svetlana Zhurova («Cup of Dream 2007″), known artist Ivan Slavinsky (2009, 2010), participants of the musical project «Fabrika» (2008).

In 2011-2012 the children’s tournament «Grand Palace Sport Dream Cup» has passed which enters a calendar of the Russian tennis round.

In the fall of the 2011th year it carried out for boys 10 years aren’t more senior, and in 2012139

Then ITF «MegaFon Svetlana Dream Cup2009″ final (it is called in honor of Svetlana Kuznetsova) was reached by the talented Petersburg tennis-player Polina Vinogradova. In 2013 the international tennis tournament of ITF of the category Futures «Dream Cup Old Shcool» in which tennis players from Russia, Republic of Belarus, Italy, Germany and the USA participated took place. The Petersburger Alexander Vasilenko (17 years) and the pupil of VDTA Timur Razmaitov (16 years) reached to a floor — and a quarterfinal of competitions, respectively. After that Vasilenko’s success got to number 900 of the best tennis players of the world, and Razmaitov became the youngest professional

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tennis player of Russia. In this tournament Andrey Cherkasov — the legendary Russian tennis player, took part in the past entering the twenty of the strongest players of a planet.

For years of existence more than 900 athletes took part in tournaments of the Dream Cup series from 23 countries of the world. Now «Dream Cup» will be organized by professional competitions of the NEC ITF Wheelchair Tennis Tour series, competition for tennis players wheelchair invalids. People participate in these tournaments with the damage musculoskeletal device (DMD). ITF Wheelchair tennis tour passes in more than 30 countries of the world. It is considered the most important Paralympic tournament, then on the importance four tournaments of a series of the Grand Slam follow. The first international tournament for people with damage of the musculoskeletal device took place within female Petersburg «tenchiliarch» of ITF «MegaFon Dream Cup 2010″ on courts of the sports Zhest complex. Athletes took part in those competitions from Russia, Baltic, Ukraine and Israel. Anatoly Yakovlevich Polyatykin – «engine» of the Petersburg tennis on carriages became the winner. This person brought a huge contribution to development of this sport in our city. For the first time, not only in Petersburg, but also in the All-Russian history of tennis on carriages, the International professional

competitions among men, women and juniors took place on courts of the Vsevolozhsk Nursery of Tennis Academy in 2011.

Competitions were initiated by the director general of the Petersburg newspaper editorial office «SportExpress» Sergey Syrov and the Megafon company.

The Petersburg tournament of the ITF series was included in the category Futures and its prize fund made 2000 dollars.

However this year the International federation of tennis raised tournament level to Grade 3 – in the new status of competition will take place in the fall of 2014, and the prize fund will make already 10 000 USD. Athletes took part in NEC ITF Wheelchair Tennis Tour «MegaFon Dream Cup» from Russia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Moldova, Israel, Poland and the Czech Republic. The age of participants of tournament was from 16 to 64 years.

Games for tennis players wheelchair invalids take place in single and pair categories among men, women and juniors. All meetings consist of three sets with «time-breaks», and are built on Olympic system with draw of all places. Rules same, as in usual tennis, except one exception: it is authorized to «wheelchair invalids» to return a ball after two

rebounds. Points scored with players at competitions, can give the chance to them to participate in the international tournaments and even Paraolimpiysky games. The most successful Petersburg tennis-player on a carriage – Polina Shakirova who in 16 years became the winner of the first NEC ITF Wheelchair Tennis Tour «Megafon Dream Cup» tournament in 2011, passed in VDTA. She also became the champion of Russia in couple and the finalist in the single category, won on Australian Open and many other prestigious international competitions. n the 2013th year Polina was awarded awards of «the Russian Cup» as the best Russian tennis-player. To Polina Shakirova the similar award was handed over to exclusively great tennis-players: To Anastasia Myskina, Elena Dementieva, Maria

Sharapova, Svetlana Kuznetsova and another. Polina finished the 2013th year on the 1st position in a junior rating of ITF and in the rank of the 28th racket of the world among women.

All tournaments «Dream Cup» were organized and carried out proceeding from requirements of the Petersburg tennis for the concrete period of time.

Our team hopes that our tournaments helped and will help tennis development as a whole

by Ivan Syrov

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