Australian Tennis Magazine - December 2010

DECEMBER 2010

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STAR GAZING

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WHO’S HOT, WHO’S NOT

BONUS: DECEMBER SHOWDOWN SPECIAL

PATRICK RAFTER

A LEGEND RETURNS

DEMENTIEVA • DARREN CAHILL • RODIONOVA •

YOUR GAME SET THE MATCH SCENE STOSUR’S HIGH VOLLEY SURVIVE SUMMER HEAT FITNESS & NUTRITION

• • • •

ANA IVANOVIC

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DECEMBER 2010 VOL 35 No. 12

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FEATURES

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Back to her best fter her late-season A resurgence, Ana Ivanovic is committed to more success in the Australian summer.

18

Turning points Many players will look back

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on season 2010 knowing there were key junctures that shaped their playing careers.

Look who’s back …

P at Rafter returns to the fold as captain of Australia’s Davis Cup team – and Australia’s tennis supporters couldn’t be happier.

30

A year to remember fter a year of personal and A

professional highs, Anastasia Rodionova is relishing the thought of contesting her home Grand Slam in Melbourne.

32

Killer Instinct E steemed analyst Darren Cahill considers the success stories of 2010, and the players to watch in 2011.

45

December Showdown special our guide to the December Y Showdown at Melbourne Park.

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DECEMber 2010 REGULARS 7

Topspin

13

Your Serve

36

Court Talk

40

Rankings

61

My Game

68

My Coach

78

Club of the Month

FROM THE EDITOR

ry one of ite player, and practically eve very tennis fan has a favour pted a e to tell you that they, too, ado those players would be abl e. gam y rose to the top of their prominent role model as the ments, but also the standard in actual achieve These players not onl y set uired to attain them. l and personal qualities req demonstrate the behavioura players get ired from afar, so when the Role models are generally adm results can be time with their heroes, the a chance to meet and spend r Pat Rafter’s that this will be the case afte spectacular. Many are hoping Davis Cup captain. appointment as Australia’s Rafter’s passion figures in Australian tennis, Still one of the most popular ng the new wave and his credentials in nurturi for the game is contagious, en champion table. The two-time US Op of local champions are indispu role models own also learned plenty from his and former world No. 1 has ently elected to John Fitzgerald, who was rec – including outgoing captain right by his side – and will have another one the board of Tennis Australia returning to the taincy, with Tony Roche also throughout the Davis Cup cap coaching role. ember Showdown, me during this month’s Dec Role models will also be a the coveted Australian tralian Open Play-off for the which culminates in the Aus structured so that l of tennis has been carefully Open wildcard. The carniva have a chance ing their own events, they also while some juniors are contest them. players who’ve gone before to watch and learn from the and also provides t, bes s’ bring out the player It’s a formula that will help ry to Melbourne ortunities (along with free ent some wonderful spectator opp on page 45 – if December Showdown starts Park). Your full guide to the tralian names , at least take note of the Aus you can’t get along in person role models, while are still learning from their to remember. Many of them follow. standard for other players to others are already setting the

E

VIVIENNE CHRISTIE, Editor

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 Ben Carenco Travis Atkinson, Karen Clydesdale Getty Images, John Anthony (All photographs by Getty Images unless specified) Courtesy of Verano

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

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Distributed by Network Distribution Company Printed in Australia by Webstar The views expressed in Australian Tennis Magazine are not necessarily those held by Tennis Australia. While the utmost care is taken in compiling the information contained in this publication, Tennis Australia is not responsible for any loss or injury occurring as a result of any omissions in either the editorial or advertising appearing herein.

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Look who’s bac Almost a decade after he officially hung up his racquets, the overwhelming enthusiasm for Pat Rafter’s appointment as Australia’s Davis Cup captain proves he’s still one of the most popular members of the Australian tennis community. JEREMY STYLES reports

S

o what IS it about Pat Rafter?

Yeah sure he is good looking. Alright, VERY good looking.

Yep he was the number one tennis player in the world. And ok, so he won two Grand Slams and made two Wimbledon finals.

But he did retire at the end of 2002. That’s nearly a decade ago. Yet when Tennis Australia announced he was the new Davis Cup captain, the reaction was incredible.

The Twitter and Facebook universes were full of pats for good old Pat. Online comment sections flooded with adoration. Past players and coaches keenly sang his praises.

All of them said the same thing. Brilliant move.Why? There were several common themes that have come through.

He was a great talent but a good thinker.

He got the most out of his game. He summed up opponents well. He will inspire a new generation. He will not put up with any rubbish. And ... he is just a really good guy.

Remember when Rafter beat Greg Rusedski in four sets for his breakthrough Grand Slam title in the 1997 US Open in 1997, a sceptical John McEnroe described him as a one slam wonder. Some of us would not have reacted too kindly to that. It was the sort of comment that can start a never-ending

side, the unashamedly With Tony Roche by his hopes for Australia’s high has ter Raf ic patriot re. futu Davis Cup

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war of words and impair relationships for generations.

Obviously Rafter went on to prove McEnroe wrong. But along the way he has well and truly won him over to the point where the New Yorker’s reaction to the Rafter’s Davis Cup appointment could not have been more glowing.

“I think Patrick Rafter is a fantastic appointment, absolutely first class,” said McEnroe, on his way to finishing runner up to the local favourite at the Champions Downunder seniors’ event in Sydney.

“There’s not a single guy on the tour that doesn’t like this young man, he’s a mate’s mate as you say in Australia. I think he’s going to do a great job.”

McEnroe is talking about so much more than forehands and backhands. Maybe this is the real genius of the Rafter appointment.

His talent, experience, knowledge, communication and skills for the job are undisputed, but his unashamed national pride might just be the thing that puts Davis Cup and indeed tennis in general front and centre in the hearts and minds of Australian sports fans.

(Note: If you want to pause for a moment and get an understanding of

just how deep the love is for this Australian tennis legend, fire up the computer and log on to You Tube. Type in “Pat Rafter does a Federer in his undies” and you’ll see a very funny video of Rafter, during a break in the filming of his latest Bonds commercial, emulating Federer’s famous William Tell shot.

Once you have finished watching, take note of how many people have already had a look prior to you. Last check the figure was just over 380,000!)

Rafter’s patriotic streak was definitely on show as he and Tony Roche fronted the media throng (rather appropriately while standing on Brisbane’s Pat Rafter Arena) resplendent in their Davis Cup gold jackets.

“I see it (the captaincy) as a big honor. It’s going to be a real challenge, but it’s a great challenge, something we are really looking forward to. I really would love to have been a part of a winning Davis Cup team.”

Perhaps that also partly explains his desire to take on such a big task. That and wanting to put back into the sport and help kids win Grand Slams and Davis Cups.

“Davis Cup is really important to Australia.

It’s Australian culture you know, it’s one of those things if you get selected for your country it’s a big honour to be part of it. So we want to make sure we establish that again with the kids,” he explained.

But if any of those kids think that part of Rafter’s good guy image is a soft touch, be warned.

“So if you get a phone call it’ll be: ‘Do you want to play?’ and it’s a ‘yes’,” he said, adamant there can be no umming and aaaahing. “If it’s a hesitation, I don’t want to be part of any hesitation ...these kids have gotta say ‘yes I want to play’ straight away. It’s a big honour.”

Seeing the pair of Australian legends standing there surrounded by television cameras, photographers and reporters was enough to make even the most cynical tennis fan start to forget that the Australians lost to Belgium in September and are destined for

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back … another year outside of the Davis Cup World Group.

Especially when Roche, who has helped resurrect Australia’s Davis Cup fortunes before, sounds so assured.

“I think Pat’s going to do a great job he should be an inspiration to the young kids. We’re very much looking forward to the challenge, it’s a big challenge, we’ve got a long way to go we have no doubt about that there’s a lot of hard work to be done over the next few years.

“I’m sure with Pat being the captain the young players are going to look up to him and learn from him and we’ll get back to the good old days.”

Of course, one of those kids from the good old days is now the veteran of the team and the new leadership team are adamant that Lleyton Hewitt is still very much required.

“He’s the man we need,” Rafter said adding “hopefully all the young guys will be able to feed off him.”

There are many of these young guys that Rafter already knows well. While he may not have been on the tour for eight years, he has still conducted numerous training camps with our best youngsters, had a stint as a Junior Davis Cup captain, was on the coaching staff for the Davis Cup tie in Cairns recently and has had innumerable informal hits with these top kids over the years.

Again, one could ask why...as in why bother?

Well, maybe here is the answer to the secret to Pat Rafter’s incredible popularity. It seems that he cares.

Whether it is his mates, his family, his sport or his country, he genuinely seems to give a damn. And now, with him very much involved in Davis Cup, so do a lot more Australian tennis fans. n

Fan Focus: Pat Rafter

was put to the test with a range of questions from Aussie tennis fans. Hear what he had to say at www.youtube.com/ watch?v=pQ3d0IFqKs

Fittingly, Rafter’s first media appearance as Australia’s Davis Cup captain occurred on Pat Rafter Arena in Brisbane.

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