Australian Tennis Magazine - April 2011

APRIL 2011

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Del POTRO DELIVERING AGAIN

Raonic • Roddick • DELLACQUA •

rediscovering

dokic

LLEYTON HEWITT

BATTLING ON?

Prize money priorities

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Your Game

MARIA SHARAPOVA

Backhands with bite Volley like Stefan Edberg Mealtime advice Modelling on Djokovic

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Fashioning a revival

APRIL 2011 VOL 36 No. 4

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FEATURES

14

Unfinished business She’s claimed three Grand Slams and the world No. 1 ranking but Maria Sharapova is concentrating on the gaps, not the highlights, on her record.

17

The sleeping giant awakes ith the nightmare of serious W injury behind him, Juan Martin del Potro is showing shades of his former top-five self.

29

24

American ideal A ndy Roddick is struggling to live up to the expectations of American predecessors, yet still a strong force in the world’s top 10.

The long road back T ime off tour can result in physical and mental battles for the big-name players trying to find their way back.

42

Does the lion have one last shot?

L leyton Hewitt has suffered yet another injury blow – but does he still have one last ma jor lurking within?

Australian Tennis Magazine | April 2011

3

APRIL 2011 REGULARS 7

Topspin

13

Your Serve

35

Court Talk

48

FROM THE EDITOR mpions that respect grows when cha e all admire a classy winner, but – as Rafael in defeat as they do in a victory demonstrate the same grace man David injury-affected loss to country Nadal did so superbly after his

W

My Game

56

My Coach

68

Rankings

70

Scoreboard

1.

Ferrer at Australian Open 201 s we routinely expect y of class altogether, when star Then there’s another categor s suddenly stalled – ecting trophies find their career to be contesting finals and coll seen with many big loss in form or, as we’ve recently be it through an inexplicable

names, by injury or illness. st people struggle nds only to lose to names mo Struggling through early rou achieved Grand renching for a player who has to remember must be heart-w of players like Maria 1 ranking. So the commitment Slam success or the world No. r a career-threatening pletely rebuild her game afte Sharapova, who had to com shoulder injury, is admirable. demoralising loss templated retirement when one Dinara Safina admitted she con top 100. The former No. 1 and she dropped outside the followed another for months, nt upset of Sam Stosur. wins together, including a rece is now starting to string some eback – after missing even bigger steps in his com Juan Martin del Potro is taking rned to No. 51 in 2011. already claimed a title and retu has ine ent Arg the 0, 201 of st mo mature retirement of don’t always come, as the pre Rewards for that persistence dular fever, recently d top form after he suffered glan Mario Ancic, who never regaine amazing resilience. mpions continue to show an showed. Yet time and again, cha jor health scare of be back on court after the ma Serena Williams insists she’ll ton Hewitt, now 30, lted in emergency surgery. Lley blood clots on her lungs resu operations and other surgery, which follows two hip is equally adamant that foot ular career. problems, won’t end his spectac , such players ing achieved so much already hav t It’s tempting to suggest tha w when the next kno fessional arena. But you never should consider quitting the pro re’s class in winning such superstars and just as the big achievement can come from in simply competing. and losing, there’s also reward

VIVIENNE CHRISTIE, Editor

20

EDITOR CONSULTING EDITOR ASSISTANT EDITOR ART DIRECTOR ADVERTISING MANAGER ADMINISTRATION & SUBSCRIPTIONS MANAGER MY COACH CONTENT PHOTOGRAPHS

COVER PHOTO

Vivienne Christie Alan Trengove Daniela Toleski Naomi O’Bryan Jackie Cunningham

*NOTE: Look out for the promised feature story on Australia’s top wheelchair players in our May issue.

Ben Carenco Karen Clydesdale, Mark Edney Getty Images, John Anthony (All photographs by Getty Images unless specified) Getty Images

Australian Tennis Magazine is published monthly by TENNIS AUSTRALIA LTD, Private Bag 6060, Richmond, Vic 3121. Ph: (03) 9914 4200 Email: editor@tennismag.com.au Distributed by Network Distribution Company Printed in Australia by Webstar The views expressed in Australian Tennis Magazine are not necessarily those held

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4

Australian Tennis Magazine | April 2011

With the nightmare of a serious wrist injury behind him, Juan Martin del Potro is showing shades of his former top-five self in his return to the upper echelons.

By Jeremy Styles

T

:47 04(.,:

hey were giddy heights, even for a young man who already topped 198 centimetres. Juan Martin del Potro hadn’t even celebrated his 21st birthday in September 2009 when he recorded the biggest one-two punch of recent tennis history, stunning Rafael Nadal in a onesided US Open semi-final, then backing it up with a five-set win over Roger Federer to claim his first Grand Slam title.

There was a new star on the world tennis stage and when del Potro returned to his hometown of Tandil, Argentina, more than 40,000 fans – close to a third of the city’s population – lined up for a tickertape parade to celebrate it. “I don’t have

16

AUSTRALIAN TENNIS MAGAZINE | April 2011

the words but of thanking,” said the newly crowned champion, humbled despite the widely expressed experts’ views that he was only getting started on what promised to be a spectacular career.

The giant Argentine was soon to learn, though, how precarious such heights could be. After entering the 2010 season with realistic intentions of claiming the world No. 1 ranking, del Potro felt the first twinges of a right wrist injury that would require surgery in May, and effectively force him out of the game for an entire year, his two comeback tournaments in October barely registering as he recorded quick exits and returned home to Tandil to focus further on recovery.

The heroic homecoming of the

previous year might never have happened.

It was, says del Potro, a harsh reality check: “When you are winning you are a hero, when you are losing, or something happens, you are nothing.”

Rumours that del Potro was suffering depression and an anxiety issue swirled.

If there was any element of truth in them, it was that such conditions could naturally follow the uncertainty of an injury that prevented him from defending that US Open title and for a time, at least, appeared to have no real explanation.

“I had a very bad year,” del Potro commented on his return to Australia earlier this season. “For three or four months nobody knows about my wrist. I think that’s a bad thing for my mind.”

One of the few bright points was the support of his family and friends, as well as regular contact from his colleagues on

After starting his season on Sydney Harbour, the recovering Argentine is so far experiencing smooth sailing in his return to top form.

AUSTRALIAN TENNIS MAGAZINE | April 2011

17

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1992 (Jan) (Feb) (Mar) (Apr) (Jul) (Aug) (Sep) (Oct)

ATM Calendar, Edberg, Ivanisevic, Seles.

Seles, Ivanisevic, Woodbridge.

McEnroe, Agassi, Seles, Graf, Courier.

Grand Slam Greats, Cash, McQuillan.

Seles, Sanchez Vicario, Masur, Courier.

Edberg, Agassi, Seles, Borg.

Becker, Graf, Carillo.

Capriati, Bollettieri, Alexander.

1993 (Jan) Graf, Zvereva.

(Mar) Graf, Courier, Seles, Fernandez.

(Apr) Sabatini, Ashe, Navratilova, Stoltenberg.

(May) Jubilant Aussies Poster, Pierce, Woodies.

(Jul) Pierce, Graf, Sabatini, Seles.

(Oct) McEnroe, Alexander, Newcombe, Seles.

(Dec) Ivanisevic, Majoli, Austin.

history

1994 (Jan) Seles, Wilander, Fitzgerald, Maleeva, Courier.

(Feb) Graf, Edberg, Fraser, Stich, Sampras.

(May) Rafter, Seles, Cash, Alexander.

(Jun) Rafter, Agassi, Woodies, Ivanisevic, Graf.

(Jul) Pierce, Rafter, Sanchez Vicario.

(Aug) Sampras, Martinez, Woodies, Rafter, Agassi.

(Oct) Stoltenberg, Chang, Graf, Edberg, Sampras.

1995 (Jan) Sampras, Graf, Seles, Capriati.

(Mar) Agassi, Sampras, Chang, Rafter, Pierce.

(Apr) Pierce, Sanchez Vicario, Navratilova.

(Jul) Muster, Graf, Navratilova.

(Sep) Graf, Seles, Sampras, Agassi.

(Oct) Seles, Graf, Ivanisevic.

(Dec) Sabatini, Agassi, Krajicek.

1996 (Feb) (Mar) (Apr) (Jun) (Jul) (Aug) (Nov) (Dec)

Agassi, Graf, Philippoussis, Sanchez Vicario.

Seles, Agassi, Becker, Philippoussis, Huber.

Chang, Hingis, Rubin, Muster, Woodforde.

Hingis, Sampras, Rubin, Capriati.

Edberg, Pierce, Graf, Kafelnikov.

Graf, Krajicek, Seles, Woodies.

Philippoussis, Kournikova, Sampras, Edberg, Seles.

Huber, Philippoussis, Fraser, Edberg.

1997 (Feb) (Jun) (Jul) (Oct) (Dec)

Moya, Sampras, Hingis, Woodies, Chang.

Rafter, Majoli, Woodies, Sampras.

Navratilova, Hingis, Woodies, Becker, Graf.

Rafter, Reid, Hingis, Kuerten, Rafter.

Coetzer, Kournikova, Williams, Agassi.

1998 (Jan) Hingis, Rafter, Spirlea, Sampras.

(Feb) Hewitt, Korda, Hingis, Ivanisevic, Lucic.

(Mar) Lucic, Coetzer, Bjorkman, Philippoussis.

(May) Rios, Agassi, Kournikova, Cash.

(Jun) Agassi, Rafter, Philippoussis, Illie, Sampras.

(Jul) Williams, Moya, Lucic, Seles, Dokic.

(Aug) Ivanisevic, Sampras, Novotna, Philippoussis.

(Sep) Kournikova, Graf, Dokic, Agassi.

(Oct) Rafter, Philippoussis, Woodies, Davenport, Ivanisevic.

(Nov) Williams, Pierce, Kournikova, Courier.

(Dec) Sampras, Hingis, Moya, Eagle, Haas.

1999 (Jan) Corretja, Davenport, Rafter, Molik, Fromberg.

(Feb) Hingis, Australian Open, Lucic, Summer Circuit.

(Mar) Hewitt, Corretja, Safin, Schnyder.

(Apr) Draper, Enqvist, Rubin, Woodforde, Korda.

(May) Krajicek, Agassi, Kafelnikov.

(June) Arazi, Schnyder, Philippoussis, Agassi.

(July) Davis Cup, Hewitt, Sampras (Aug) Dokic, Williams, Sampras.

(Sep) Dokic, Rafter, Dokic, US Open.

(Oct) Seles, Steffi, US Open, Authurs.

(Nov) Kournikova, Martin, Davis Cup, Grand Slam Cup. (Dec) Chanda, Davis Cup Final, Laver, Court.

MARCH 2011

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(Mar) Djokovic, Ivanovic, Davis Cup. (Apr) Dellacqua, Hantuchova, Tsonga, Nadal.

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(Nov) Murray, Safina, Davis Cup, Sharapova.

(Dec) Nadal, David Hall, Rising Stars.

2009 (Jan) Hewitt, Ivanovic, Aus Open preview.

(Feb) Dokic, Safin, Australian Open.

(Mar) Nadal, S. Williams, Fed Cup. (Apr) V. Williams, Verdasco, Davis Cup. (May) Hewitt, Ivanovic, Safina.

(Jun) Murray, Dokic, Stosur.

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(Nov) Sharapova, Del Potro, Safin.

(Dec) Molik, Stosur, Luczak.

2000 (Jan) 25 Years, Davis Cup, Australian Open.

(Feb) Ilie, Summer Curcuit, Australian Open Souvenir.

(Mar) Capriati, Kiefer, Hewitt, Federer.

(Apr) Williams, Norman, Graf, Rafter, Davis/Fed Cup. (May) Rafter, Davis Cup, Philippoussis, French Open.

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(Sep) Gambill, Williams, Rafter, Davis Cup, Wilander.

(Oct) Kuerten, Gladiators, Kournikova, Seles, US Open.

(Nov) Pierce, Courier, Dent, Medvedev, Olympics.

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(July) Capriati, Federer, Kuerten, Hingis.

(Aug) Ivanisevic, Capriati, V. Williams, Agassi.

(Sept) Rafter, Hingis, Roddick.

(Oct) Hewitt, US Open Souvenir poster, Molik.

(Nov) Kournikova, S. Williams, Goolagong Cawley.

(Dec) Rafter, Clijsters, Davis Cup, Fitzgerald.

2002 (Jan) Agassi/Hewitt/Capriati, Rafter, Australian Open.

(Feb) Capriati, Aus Open, Hewitt, V. Williams.

(Mar) Agassi, Seles, Philippoussis, Davis Cup. (Apr) Gambill, Gambill, Molik.

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(July) Williams Sisters, Roddick, Haas.

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(Nov) Williams Sisters, Siblings, Capriati.

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