Mondays with Bob Greene
DAVIS CUP
World Group Final
Switzerland beat France 3-1 at Lille, France
OTHERS
Diego Schwartzman beat Guilherme Clezar 6-2 6-3 to win the Challenger Tour Finals in Sao Paulo, Brazil
An-Sophie Mestach beat Shuko Aoyama 6-1 6-1 to win the Dunlop World Challenge Tennis Tournament in Toyota, Japan
SAYING
“This one is for the boys. It’s not for me. I’ve won enough in my career and did not need to tick any empty boxes. I’m just happy for everybody else. I’m happy we could live a great tennis historic moment in our country.” – Roger Federer, when asked what the Davis Cup title meant for him personally.
“I’ve been dreaming of this Davis Cup for years. I’ve been trying everything I can to win this competition. This year, maybe, was the ideal year. It started off very well in Serbia. It ends up perfectly well here in France. We made many sacrifices during the years to be able to win it. We did it now. We are very happy.” – Stanislas Wawrinka.
“He was not unbeatable today, but he only made a few mistakes. It’s a shame I could not get any break points.” – Richard Gasquet, whose loss to Roger Federer clinched Switzerland’s Davis Cup victory.
“I always said that it was very good for Federer to win the Davis Cup and very good for Davis Cup to have Federer’s name engraved on it.” – Francesco Ricci Bitti, International Tennis Federation president.
“Stan has put in so much effort over the years and played an unbelievable weekend that gave me the opportunity today.” – Roger Federer, noting Stanislas Wawrinka had a hand in two of Switzerland three points, winning the first singles match and teaming with Federer to win the doubles.
“We saw how quickly things changed. At the start of the week, the papers were full with stories about Roger’s back and the French team being ready to go to war. At the end of the day, we saw the opposite. We handled the tie as usual, with a lot of discussions between us.” – Stanislas Wawrinka, who teamed with Roger Federer to give Switzerland its first Davis Cup title.
“Let’s be serious, they are stronger, it would have been quite an achievement to beat them.” – Arnaud Di Pasquale, France’s technical director.
“Arnaud Clement has our confidence and our trust as a captain. Of course we lost, but many teams would like to be in the final. If every time we lost we should change captains, many captains would be fired in the world.” – Jean Gachassin, French Tennis Federation president, when asked if he would replace Clement as France’s Davis Cup captain.
“At the end, it’s a tennis match, you feel great emotions. You’re unbelievably happy and relieved. We wanted this clearly very badly, especially being up 2-1. You inch yourself closer and closer. Clearly seeing Stan (Wawrinka) out there, the rest of the team supporting you, gives you an extra push. It was definitely one of the better feelings in my career, no doubt about it. So much nicer to celebrate it all together.” – Roger Federer.
“It’s an amazing feeling. The best. We all know how it’s great to watch such an amazing player when he’s playing good tennis.” – Stanislas Wawrinka.
“He was playing fast. He was very focused and making very few mistakes. I was not even able to have a break point. It was difficult for me to give him problems. We are all disappointed. I would have liked to do more for the team because the crowd was ready, ready to support me to the end. In that situation, the only thing you want to do is play a fourth or fifth set just to please the crowd.” – Richard Gasquet, after losing to Roger Federer.
“I think I’m getting really close. I beat Roger (Federer) this year and also Novak (Djokovic), too. It’s not like I can’t beat them.” – Kei Nishikori.
“I hope to use December to prepare well. I’ll have a month before things start in Australia. I hope and believe that’s enough to get me to my best level.” – Rafael Nadal.
“As highly committed players and leaders among the French tennis players, Henri Leconte and Guy Forget played a pivotal role in building the success of the French Davis Cup team. As we gather here in France for another dynamic Davis Cup Final, it is a pleasure to honor Henri and Guy for their important contributions over the years by presentation of the Davis Cup Award of Excellence.” – Francesco Ricci Bitti, International Tennis Federation president.
SWISS CAPTURE CUP
Roger Federer was at his best when the Davis Cup title was the prize. Producing a vintage performance, Federer crushed Richard Gasquet 6-4 6-2 6-2 to give Switzerland its first Davis Cup title with a 3-1 win over France. There were no signs of the back problems that forced him to default the ATP World Tour Finals title match a week ago. And there were no signs of any reported conflict between Federer and teammate Stanislas Wawrinka. Instead, the world’s second-ranked player showed how he had won 17 Grand Slam tournament titles as he dominated his French opponent before a record crowd of 27,448 at Stade Pierre Mauroy in Lille, France. “It’s the first time Roger plays at this level against me,” said Gasquet, who has only beaten Federer twice in 15 career meetings. Switzerland becomes only the 14th nation to win the Davis Cup in its 115-year-old history. And with his title-clinching victory, Federer becomes the most successful Swiss player in Davis Cup history, recording his 50th Davis Cup victory in both singles and doubles. What possibly made it even sweeter was that Federer lost his opening singles to Gael Monfils in straight sets. But Wawrinka had started the tie with a victory over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, then teamed with Federer to win the doubles, beating Gasquet and Julien Benneteau, and set the stage for Federer’s title-clinching win over Gasquet. The fifth match between Wawrinka and Monfils was canceled. “I’ve been playing this game for almost 15 years and clearly I had never come as close than this past weekend,” Federer said.
SUBS FOR TSONGA
When Roger Federer took to the court for the first reverse singles, he expected to face France’s Jo-Wilfred Tsonga. Instead, his opponent was Richard Gasquet, who had beaten Federer only twice in 14 matches. Of course, one of Gasquet’s wins over Federer came at the 2011 Rome Masters on clay, the same surface the Davis Cup final was contested on. French Tennis Federation president Jean Gachassin said Tsonga was suffering from pain in his elbow. Arnaud Clement, the French captain, said Tsonga had aggravated an existing injury in his right arm. “I was just not able to go on the court and be the best chance on the court,” Tsonga said. Federer gave the French another pain by crushing Gasquet 6-4 6-2 6-2 to clinch Switzerland’s first Davis Cup title.
SIBLINGS’ COACH HELPS
Although he had two of the world’s top four players, Switzerland Davis Cup captain Severin Luthi felt he needed a little more help. So he hired the coach of American twins Bob and Mike Bryan to help the Swiss prepare for the doubles. Dave Macpherson, who had helped the Bryans finish atop the doubles rankings for a record 10th time this year and for the sixth consecutive season, may have played a big part of Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka’s straight-set victory over Frenchmen Julien Benneteau and Richard Gasquet. “I think he’s been very helpful for us,” Federer said about Macpherson. “We had a good long conversation about doubles. Not just yesterday and today, but in previous days.” Although Federer and Wawrinka had teamed to win the Olympic gold medal at the Beijing Games in 2008, they had not won a Davis Cup doubles match since 2011. “I think we were perfectly prepared,” Federer said after the Swiss beat the French duo. “Obviously you have to be able to execute it. I think Stan did that unbelievably well today. I tried to keep up.”
SMILES IN LOSS
Although Roger Federer was battered in his opening singles match by Gael Monfils, the Swiss star still found something to smile about. Monfils, playing marvelously, routed Federer 6-1 6-4 6-3 to knot the best-of-five contest at one match apiece. Federer, however, wasn’t worried. “It wasn’t all negative,” he said. “I started to feel better as the match went on. That’s very encouraging.” Federer had suffered a back injury last week and had to default the ATP World Tour Finals title match against Novak Djokovic. The Monfils match proved to Federer that his back was much better. “You don’t have to be in unbelievably excruciating pain, but it takes a while for it to leave your mind,” he said after the loss. “It’s like a ghost. But that’s why it was good for me to play three sets today. It definitely gives us a lot of information. I would think that I’m going to get better as the weekend goes on. … So I’m making myself available for the team as much as I can, 100 percent, not only as a player but in whatever role I can play.” The next day, Federer teamed with Stanislas Wawrinka to win the doubles in straight sets. Then he gave Switzerland its first Davis Cup title by crushing Frenchman Richard Gasquet in straight sets in the reverse singles.
SET FOR JANUARY
Recovering from an appendicitis operation, French Open champion Rafael Nadal says he hopes to be ready for the Australian Open in January. “As ever after a period when things haven’t gone well, you’re a bit more eager to (prepare) well, although there is uncertainty about how things will go,” the 28-year-old Spaniard said. “I hope to use December to prepare well. I’ll have a month before things start in Australia. I hope and believe that’s enough to get me to my best level.” Nadal last played in October and underwent the surgery at the beginning of this month. He said he would start 2015 with an exhibition event in Abdu Dhabi before defending his title in Doha, then go to the Australian Open.
SEES NEW CHALLENGE
Katrina Adams has been a player, a television analyst and executive director of the Harlem Junior Tennis and Education Program in New York City. Beginning in January she will become the new president of the United States Tennis Association (USTA). A native of Chicago, Illinois, USA, Adams played on the tour from 184 to 1999 and was ranked as high as eighth in the world in doubles, winning 21 career WTA doubles titles. She has served on the USTA board of directors for 10 years and is currently completing a two-year term as First Vice President. She will become the first African American and first former professional tennis player to serve as the association’s Chairman of the Board, CEO and President. She also serves on the board of directors of the USTA Foundation and the International Tennis Hall of Fame (ITHoF), and is a member of the Grand Slam Board and the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Davis Cup Committee.
Also nominated were Alexander Boyd (Andy) Andrews IV as First Vice President; Thomas S. Ho as Vice President; Donald L. Tisdel as Vice President; Patrick J. Galbraith as Secretary-Treasurer; David A. Haggerty as Immediate Past President; Fabrizio Alcobe-Fierro, Joan E. Baker, Mark D. Ein, Michael J. McNulty III, Andrew A. Valdez, Kathleen J. Wu and Lauren Barnikow, Directors at Large; Todd C. Martion, Elite Athlete and Director at Large; and Chanda R. Rubin, as an Elite Athlete and Director at Large.
SUCCESSFUL TEAM
The heroes of France’s recent rich Davis Cup history – members of its winning teams of 1991, 1996 and 2001 – were honored just before the reverse singles rubbers of this year’s final. Arnaud Boetsch, Olivier Delaitre, Nicolas Escude, Guy Forget, Henri Leconte, Cedric Pioline, Guillaume Raoux and Fabrice Santoro participated in the ceremony before a crowd of 27,000 at the Stade Pierre Mauroy. The most memorable of those three victories came in 1991 when Forget and Leconte combined to defeat the United States 3-1 to clinch France’s first Davis Cup title in 59 years. Forget and Leconte were earlier honored with the Davis Cup Award of Excellence by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and the International Tennis Hall of Fame (ITHoF). Boetsch, Raoux, Pioline and Forget led France over Sweden in 1996, a tie noted for being the first Davis Cup final to be decided in the fifth set of the fifth match. That was when Boetsch saved three championship points in the decisive rubber against Niklas Kulti, winning 10-8 in the fifth set to complete nine hours of play on the final day. In 2001, Escude won the decisive fifth rubber to give France a victory over an Australian team featuring Lleyton Hewitt and Patrick Rafter.
SERGIO’S CADDIE
Former French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero has a new job in his retirement. He will be the caddie for fellow Spaniard Sergio Garcia when he attempts to defend his title at next month’s Thailand Golf Championships. Also in the field will be Bubba Watson, a two-time US Masters champion, US Open champion Martin Kaymer and former world number ones Lee Westwood and Ernie Els. Ferrero was ranked number one in the world in tennis in 2003 and retired two years ago after 14 years on the ATP World Tour. “I’ve played golf with him many times, but he never caddied for me before,” Garcia said of Ferrero. “We just talked about it and he mentioned about it and we decided to do it. He is excited about it. … It is good fun to be able to enjoy golf and have a good time with a good close friend.”
SELECTED
Geneva, Switzerland, will be the site of an ATP World Tour 250 tournament beginning next year. The tournament, which had been held in Düsseldorf, Germany, will be staged at the Tennis Club de Genève at the Parc des Eaux-Vives, the oldest and largest tennis club in Switzerland. The Geneva Open will be held May 16-23, 2015, returning to the Swiss city for the first time since 1991.
SYDNEY BOUND
Three of the top six women in the world will in the battle at the Sydney International in January. Romania’s Simona Halep, ranked third in the world, Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic and Australian Open semifinalist Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland will headline the field. Kvitova is ranked fourth and Radwanska sixth. The Sydney International will be held January 11-17 at the Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre.
SERENA THE MODEL
Tennis champion Serena Williams has shown another side of her talents. The 33-year-old is part of a new television advertising campaign for an Australian lingerie company, Berlei. Her photo shoot came in Miami, Florida, USA, right after she captured the WTA Finals Championships in Singapore last month. The 33-year-old American said she felt comfortable while posing for the underwear ads. “I’m a normal woman,” Williams said. “I can get self-conscious. But I think that is just natural for women to feel that way. I have learned to be proud of my curves and to embrace them. It’s important to love who you are and realize that you’re beautiful, no matter what society says.” Kellie Warwick, senior marketing manager of Berlei, said Williams was a natural model. “She was without a doubt a natural behind the camera and was an absolute delight to work with,” Warwick said. “She is such a professional.” The ad is scheduled to be released in time for Williams’ appearance at the Australian Open in January, when she will be seeking her 19th Grand Slam tournament singles title. It is the first ad Williams has done for the label since signing on as a sports bra ambassador in 2013.
SAD NEWS
Pablo Llorens, former president of the Spanish Tennis Federation, died on November 18. Llorens was an honorary International Tennis Federation (ITF) vice president. He also served as chairman of the ITF Olympic Tennis Committee and along with former ITF President Philippe Chatrier was instrumental in re-establishing tennis as an Olympic sport in Seoul, South Korea, in 1988. Llorens had been a member of the Spanish Olympic Committee since 1971 and in 1975 founded the European Tennis Association together with federation presidents of France, Switzerland, Germany and Great Britain. In 2001, Llorens was awarded the ITF/International Tennis Hall of Fame Golden Achievement Award.
Arturo Grimaldi, president of the Argentine Tennis Association, is dead at the age of 63. He had been suffering from cancer. A lawyer, Grimaldi was ranked number one in the junior under 14 category in 1963 and was Argentine’s seventh-ranked junior in the under 18 age group in 1967. After serving as president of the Tenis Club Argentino, Grimaldi became a board member of the Argentine Tennis Association (AAT) in 1996 and AAT president in 2009. He also was president of the South American Tennis Confederation (CASAT) between 2011 and 2013. “We at the ITF worked closely with Arturo and his team on successful Davis Cup and Fed Cup ties over many years and we thought of him as both friend and colleague,” said Francesco Ricci Bitti, ITF president. “He will be missed by all of us in the tennis family and we send our condolences to his family and his friends around the world.”
SHARED PERFORMANCES
Toyota: Eri Hozumi and Makoto Ninomiya beat Shuko Aoyama and Junri Namigata 6-3 7-5
SURFING
ATP: www.atpworldtour.com
WTA: www.wtatennis.com
ITF: www.itftennis.com
World Tennis Magazine: www.worldtennismagazine.com
TOURNAMENTS WEEK OF JAN. 5, 2015
(All money in USD)
MEN
$1,195,500 Qatar ExxonMobil Open, Doha, Qatar, hard
$511,825 Brisbane International presented by Suncorp, Brisbane, Australia, hard
$459,140 Aircel Chennai Open, Chennai, India, hard
WOMEN
$1,000,000 Brisbane International presented by Suncorp, Brisbane, Australia, hard
$500,000 Shenzhen Open, Shenzhen, China, hard
$250,000 ASB Classic, Auckland, New Zealand, hard
