Mondays with Bob Greene
STARS
BNP Paribas Open (First Week)
Robin Haase beat seventh-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka 6-3 3-6 6-3
Heather Watson beat seventh-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska 6-4 6-4
Timea Bacsinszky beat eighth-seeded Ekaterina Makarova 3-6 7-5 6-4
Juan Monaco beat 10th-seeded Marin Cilic 6-4 6-4
Elina Svitolina beat 10th-seeded Lucie Safarova 7-6 (5) 7-5
DAVIS CUP
First Round
World Group
Argentina beat Brazil 3-2 at Buenos Aires, Argentina
SAYING
“I traveled the world in the last 14 years. I won 18 Slams and I had some great memories around the world. There was just that one memory. It has been worth it coming back and being able to step back out here on the court and create some new memories.” – Serena Williams, ending her 14-year boycott of the Indian Wells, California, USA, tournament.
“Tennis has taken me further than I ever imagined and I can’t wait to get to Newport to share this wonderful honor with my family and friends.” – David Hall, after being elected into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
“Some players do feel great from the beginning, but I’m the kind of player that needs a few matches to get into it.” – Marin Cilic, playing his first match after being sidelined for three months by a right shoulder injury.
“Great performance against a quality opponent, against somebody that was a former Top 10 player and that knows how to play on a big stage. No complaints. Everything was working well from the beginning to the end.” – Novak Djokovic, following his 6-1 6-3 victory over Marcos Baghdatis.
“Last week in Scotland was arguably one of the lowest moments in my tennis career. I felt like I let my team down over there. It was disappointing. I tried my hardest but it wasn’t good enough. I had to put that behind me as hard as that was.” – John Isner, who won the first two sets before losing to James Ward in Great Britain’s first-round Davis Cup win over the United States.
“I admire the fact that even though she’s achieved everything she has, that she still has the passion and desire to keep getting better. From a woman’s perspective, at one point when you’ve achieved so much and you’re so good at what you do, there’s always an option or an easier way. But she’s chosen the toughest way. It takes a lot of work and sacrifice to keep doing what we do.” – Maria Sharapova, showing her respect for top-ranked Serena Williams.
“I really hope I can play well and stay here for a while.” – Ana Ivanovic, the 2008 champion and 2009 finalist, after winning her first match at this year’s BNP Paribas Open.
“Romania is a small country and we don’t have like many top tennis players in this moment. I’m like I can say a star. Everyone is recognizing me on streets everywhere I go in Romania. It’s not easy, but it’s nice. I have to enjoy this moment. It’s the best moment of my life, so I really want to thank them for coming and for supporting me.” – Simon Halep, saying she will continue to live in Romania even though other players have moved away.
SHOCKS STAN
Robin Haase had lost all six main draw matches he had played this year. Then came the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, USA, where the Dutchman rediscovered the game that once took him to 33rd in the world rankings. No surprise when Haase beat qualifier Alex Bolt in his first-round match. But he then shocked seventh-seeded Stan Wawrinka 6-3 3-6 6-3 to advance to the third round. It was the first time in seven career meetings that Haase had beaten the 2014 Australian Open winner. Currently ranked 104th in the world, Haase took advantage of Wawrinka’s poor serving. The Swiss star was only successful on 46 percent of his first serves.
STUNNER
Great Britain’s Heather Watson turned the tables against Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska. The 22-year-old Watson had never taken a set off the seventh-seeded Radwanska. At Indian Wells, Watson came away the winner 6-4 6-4, her first victory over a player ranked in the Top 10. “I knew I was going to have to play my best, and that’s what I did,” she said. After falling behind 2-4 in the second set, Watson won four straight games to close out the match. “For three years I didn’t win a match here, and then last year I won a couple. And here I’ve won a few more, so hopefully I can keep going.”
SERENA RETURNS
Returning to Indian Wells after boycotting the tournament for 14 years, Serena Williams has shown why she’s the world’s top-ranked player. Following an emotional win in her first match, Williams crushed Zarina Diyas 6-2 6-0 in just 53 minutes to blast her way into the fourth round. “This is going in the right direction,” Williams said. “I was able to be a little more consistent today. I feel glad to still be in the tournament.” In her first match, against Monica Niculescu, Williams appeared to be tight. No so against Diyas, who is ranked 32nd in the world. Williams slammed six aces and broke Diyas six times. This is the first tournament Williams has played since winning a sixth Australian Open crown in January, her 19th Grand Slam tournament singles title. She won Indian Wells in 1999 when she was just 17, and again in 2001 when she beat Kim Clijsters in the final. That match followed a controversial walkover when her sister, Venus Williams, pulled out of the semifinal at the last minute with an injury. Serena said she is trying to forget the events of 2001 when she was booed during the final with Clijsters and some fans accused her of rigging matches against her sister.
SELECTED FOR HALL
Amelie Mauresmo of France is one of the four newest members of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Joining Mauresmo in the Class of 2015 will be David Hall of Australia, a six-time Paralympic medalist, and tennis industry leader Nancy Jeffett. “I’m honored and humbled to be selected for induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame,” said Mauresmo, a two-time Grand Slam tournament singles winner and now Andy Murray’s coach. “Tennis has been my passion for as long as I can remember. … It’s an extraordinary honor to have my career celebrated alongside the greatest champions of our sport, people who I have admired so greatly all my life.” In 2006, she won both the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
Hall, an Australian, was ranked number one in the world in singles and doubles, winning every major title in the sport. He is the fourth wheelchair player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Earlier this year, he was inducted into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame.
Jeffett was elected to the Hall in the Contributor Category. She teamed with Maureen Connolly Brinker to begin the Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation (MCBTF). In 1972, she was director of the first women’s professional tournament. She also served as a member of the United States Tennis Association Executive Committee from 1973-1994 and on the International Tennis Federation Fed Cup Committee 1988-1996. Additionally, she served as chairwoman of the Wightman Cup, 1978-1990, and chairwoman of the Federation Cup, 1981-1990.
The three will be inducted into the Hall in ceremonies held July 18 at the ITHoF in Newport, Rhode Island, USA.
STUTTER STEP
Marin Cilic’s return to tennis took a step backward at the BNP Paribas Open, thanks to Argentina’s Juan Monaco. The reigning US Open champion, Cilic played his first match of the season after being sidelined by a right shoulder injury. Monaco made sure the Croat’s return was brief, beating Cilic 6-4 6-4. “It’s getting there,” Cilic said of his current form. “I didn’t feel completely painless. I felt that it’s a bit rusty still. I felt that even on the serve I wasn’t able to pop it, to hit it at full speed. So that was giving him a little more opportunity and more freedom in the game as I wasn’t getting too many free points from the serve.” Monaco converted on four of five break opportunities in the 85-minute contest.
STILL FIGHTING
Mardy Fish is still fighting – and, despite the score, he’s still winning. The 33-year-old Fish was ranked as high as seventh in the world in 2011. That was before he suffered from heart trouble and anxiety attacks which forced him off the ATP World Tour. After withdrawing from the 2012 US Open, Fish had a panic attack on a plane and had to be taken off the flight. Once home, he went long stretches without leaving his home. Last year, Fish spent time playing semi-pro golf. After practicing for five or six days a week for more than three months, Fish played an ATP-level match for the first time in more than 18 months, losing a third-set tiebreak at the BNP Paribas Open to fellow American Ryan Harrison. “I worked extremely hard to put myself in the best position to not have to worry about things when I was out there,” Fish told reporters after the match. “Because if I was out of shape, or if I didn’t feel well, or if it was going to be a long match or a hot match, or something like that, a lot more things creep into your head.” He also lost his first-round doubles match. But he is planning to play the Miami Open later this month. That is a victory for Mardy Fish.
SUCH A TRAGEDY
Romania’s Simona Halep almost pulled out of the Indian Wells tournament. Ranked third in the world, Halep said she almost didn’t come to the tournament because of the suicide of her 29-year-old cousin, Nicica Arghir. “It’s a painful situation for everyone, for me and for my family,” Halep said. “I just wanted to play this tournament because he loved tennis. He played many years tennis. So I just decided to stay here, because I think it was a little bit easier for me to pass this situation. It’s hard to speak about this, and I just want to dedicate this match to him because he loved tennis and he was very talented.” Refusing to say more, Halep said: “I don’t think I want to speak about this. It’s too painful. It’s a big tragedy in my family.”
SURFING
Indian Wells: www.bnpparibasopen.com/
Irving: http://irvingtennisclassic.com/
Miami: www.miamiopen.com/
International Tennis Federation: www.itftennis.com
ATP World Tour: www.atpworldtour.com
WTA: www.wtatennis.com
TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK
(All money in USD)
MEN
$5,381,235 BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells, USA (second week)
$125,000 Irving Tennis Classic, Irving, Texas, USA, hard
WOMEN
$5,219,780 BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells, USA (second week)
TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK
MEN AND WOMEN
Miami Open Presented by Itau, Miami, Florida, USA (first week)
