2004 olympic games

MARDY IS THE GOLDFISH IN NEWPORT

July 12, 2010 by WTM

By Randy Walker

NEWPORT, R.I. – In a tennis tournament where one of the title sponsor’s most popular snack products is “GoldFish” it seems only appropriate that the singles champion also be named Fish.

In one of the most entertaining and well-played finals in the 34-year history of the only professional grass-court tournament in the United States, Mardy Fish of the United States defeated Olivier Rochus of Belgium 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 Sunday in the final of the $442,500 Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships.

Fish earned $75,500 for his fourth career ATP World Tour final and the first grass court championship of his career.

“It means a lot to me to win here,” said Fish, whose first of eight appearances in Newport was in 2000 on a special invitation from Hall of Fame tournament director Mark Stenning. “This is a special place for me.”

Fish, 28, continued to improve his ranking after undergoing knee surgery last fall. The Olympic silver medalist from the 2004 Olympic Games will see his ATP World Tour ranking move from No. 79 into the top 50 after peaking at No. 17 in 2004.

Fish had been the top-seeded player in Newport the last three years but this year was the first time he was able to reach at least the semifinals at this New England coastal town. Fish was the top seed in Newport in 2007, where he lost in the first round to Aisam Qureshi of Pakistan, in 2008, when he lost in the second round to Rohan Bopanna of India, and last year, before pulling out of the event after the start of the tournament to replace Andy Roddick on the U.S. Davis Cup team in the USA’s match against Croatia. Fish did, however, win the doubles title here in 2008 with John Isner.

Rochus won the first by breaking Fish’s serve at 5-5, after Fish did not play a backhand shot hit by Rochus, believing it had landed out. Fish complained vigorously to the linesman and chair umpire Steve Ulrich, but to no avail.

Fish stayed focused and broke Rochus to take a 3-1 lead and held on to force the third set. Both players battled valiantly in the third set, exchanging service holds until the pivotal ninth game of the final set. After Rochus fought off three break points, the Belgian tossed in a damaging double fault, giving Fish a fourth break point chance, which he converted with a briskly hit backhand approach shot and forehand volley into the open court.

Serving for the match at 5-4, Fish dug himself out of a 0-30 hole and saved two break points before converting.

Fish and Rochus both said that Fish’s serve was the difference in the match. The American hit 24 aces in the two hour, 3 minute match.

“I served great when I needed to,” said Fish. “I came up with some big serves.”

“Mardy has a huge serve. What can I say?” said Rochus, the 29-year-old ranked No. 66 “I made a few double faults here and there and he hit 24 aces. It was just one of two points (that made the difference).”

Sunday’s attendance was 2,815. Australians Chris Guccione and Carsten Ball won the doubles title, defeating Travis Rettenmaier of the United States and Santiago Gonzalez of Mexico 6-3, 6-4.

Randy Walker is a communications and marketing specialist, writer, tennis historian and the managing partner of New Chapter Media – www.NewChapterMedia.com. He was a 12-year veteran of the U.S. Tennis Association’s marketing and communications division where he worked as the press officer for 22 U.S. Davis Cup ties, three Olympic tennis teams and was an integral part of USTA media services team for 14 US Opens. He is the author of the book ON THIS DAY IN TENNIS HISTORY (www.TennisHistoryBook.com).

THE FISH IS GOOD IN NEWPORT

July 9, 2010 by WTM

By Randy Walker

NEWPORT, R.I. — One thing you can say about Newport, R.I. is that the fish is very good.

Cod, Salmon, Grouper and … Mardy.

Mardy Fish, America’s No 5 ranked player and the No. 5 seed at the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Championships advanced into the semifinals Friday with a 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-4 victory over Canada’s Frank Dancevic.

Fish, the silver medalist in singles at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, will face Richard Bloomfield of Great Britain Saturday. The other semifinal will feature Olivier Rochus of Belgium against Brian Dabul of Argentina.

Fish was the top seed in Newport last year, but received a last minute call up to the U.S. Davis Cup team that was competing in Croatia and withdrew from the Hall of Fame Championships to answer his nation’s call of duty.

In seven previous appearances in Newport, Fish had reached the quarterfinals three times (2000, 2002, 2006), but was not able to break through into the final four.

“I have always played well here,” Fish said of Newport. “I just have not been able to win three (matches) in a row here.”

Bloomfield may be the biggest surprise of the week, reaching his first career ATP semifinal with a 5-7, 7-6 (3), 7-5 win over heralded 18-year-old American Ryan Harrison. Bloomfield is the No. 12 ranked player in talent-deprived Britain sitting at a ranking of No. 552. If he wins the tournament this weekend, Bloomfield would become the lowest ranked player to ever win an ATP World Tour singles title. He is ranked two spots worse than Lleyton Hewitt, who was ranked No. 550 when he won the singles title in Adelaide, Australia in 1998 as a 16-year-old.

Entering this week, Bloomfield had won only one career ATP World Tour level match – a 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 first-round win at Wimbledon in 2006 over Carlos Berlocq of Argentina – a victory that attracted world-wide attention due to the suspicious betting patterns during the match. Due to irregular betting patterns, suspicious amounts of money was bet on Bloomfield, alleging that perhaps Berlocq could have been injured or was paid to “tank” the match to allow for profiteering among gamblers. Coincidentally, Bloomfield’s first-round win here in Newport over Christophe Rochus also attracted similar unwanted gambling attention.

Online gambling exchange Betfair told The Associated Press on Friday that Bloomfield’s 7-6 (1), 6-3 win over Rochus Tuesday attracted an unusual $1.5 million in wagers and was the subject of dramatic price movement.

Bloomfield was rated even money against his Rochus, ranked No. 160. In the hours before the match, the odds on Bloomfield winning were shortened to 1-4. After he won the first set, the odds shorted to 1-8.

“If people are willing to risk 4 pounds to win one, that is indicative of a substantial gamble,” Betfair spokesman Tony Calvin said to the Associated Press.

Notification of the irregular betting pattern was reported to the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU), an independent body created by the sport’s governing bodies to lead the fight against corruption.

It is standard procedure for the betting industry to share irregular activity on its markets with the TIU.

“It is not operational policy of the TIU to make any comment about an investigation that it may or may not be involved in,” TIU spokesman Mark Harrison told the AP

Randy Walker is a communications and marketing specialist, writer, tennis historian and the managing partner of New Chapter Media – www.NewChapterMedia.com. He was a 12-year veteran of the U.S. Tennis Association’s marketing and communications division where he worked as the press officer for 22 U.S. Davis Cup ties, three Olympic tennis teams and was an integral part of USTA media services team for 14 US Opens. He is the author of the book ON THIS DAY IN TENNIS HISTORY (www.TennisHistoryBook.com).

GREAT STORIES, PERSONALITIES – AND TENNIS – ABOUND IN NEWPORT

July 6, 2010 by WTM

By Randy Walker

NEWPORT, R.I. – In a newspaper article from the Newport Daily News posted in the media room at the International Tennis Hall of Fame, ITHOF CEO Mark Stenning is quoted about the field of players competing this week in the 2010 Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships.

“I think it’s the strongest, most interesting draw we’ve had in a long time,” Stenning is quoted as saying in a large out-quote prominently displayed on the paper’s front page.

The beauty of the field in the only professional grass-court tennis tournament in the United States is the interesting and quirky storylines of the competitors. The event is the lowest-level ATP World Tour event (250 level) and features only $442,500 in prize money, with its highest-ranked competitor ranked No. 19 in the world. However, the 2010 player field is filled with some fascinating characters of professional tennis who have – or about to have – their Andy Warhol-allotted 15 minutes of fame if not more. The lawns of Newport are historic – the modern day U.S. Open was played here from its first tournament in 1881 until 1914 – and the tournament is played in a charming garden-party type atmosphere that is worth the price of admission itself. Like any good cocktail party, great stories abound and competing players have plenty of tales, anecdotes – and in some cases legends – that will more than fill conversations and entertain. A let’s not forget the intrigue of watching the almost lost art of grass court tennis.

Some of the 2010 storylines are as follows…

Mardy Fish was the surprise Olympic silver medalist at the 2004 Olympic Games. He was the top seed in Newport last year, but after Andy Roddick lost his epic 16-14 in the fifth set Wimbledon final against Roger Federer, Roddick was unable to play Davis Cup for the United States against Croatia and Fish was summoned to Europe to answer the call of the U.S. Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe. By virtue of Fish’s withdrawal, Rajeev Ram of the United States entered the 2009 Newport field as a “lucky loser” (having lost in the qualifying rounds of the tournament) and went on to have the week of his career and win his first ATP World Tour singles title. If you watch Ram play tennis, you will swear you are watching Pete Sampras as the former Univ. of Illinois standout’s game was patterned after the seven-time Wimbledon champion. It is almost eerie watching Ram hit serves, forehands and backhands that are almost a dead imitation of Pistol Pete.

If Wimbledon is the premier grass court tournament in the world, then the pre-Wimbledon event at Queen’s Club should be considered No. 2 grass event. Sam Querrey, the top seed this week in Newport, won the Queen’s title this year defeating Fish in the final. Querrey will look to end the “Casino Curse” at the Newport Casino this week as the tournament’s top seed has never won in Newport in the 35 years of the event. Last fall, Querrey fell through a glass-top table and suffered a gruesome three-inch cut on his right arm, coming millimeters away from severing a nerve that would likely have ended his career. He still has a photo of the injury on his cell phone. If you see Sam, do yourself a favor and don’t ask to see the photo.

Alejandro Falla and Santiago Giraldo are members of the Colombian Davis Cup team that is going to give the United States a heap of trouble in September in Bogota in the Davis Cup Play-off Round. Falla also made headlines at Wimbledon serving for a first-round upset of six-time champion and No. 1 seed Roger Federer at Wimbledon, before falling in five sets after leading two-sets-to-love. It likely would have been considered the greatest upset in the history of the sport.

Nicolas Mahut of France was a singles finalist in Newport back in 2008, but returns to the International Tennis Hall of Fame as a much bigger celebrity following is record-breaking 11 hour, 5 minute marathon 70-68 first-round loss to John Isner at Wimbledon. Mahut presented the shirt and a shoe he played in during the historic match to the Hall of Fame’s museum on Saturday upon arriving in Newport.

Ryan Harrison is one the bright hopes of American tennis. The 18-year-old, who had an impressive 6-1, 6-2 win over Slovak Davis Cupper Karol Beck on Monday, was one of the youngest players to ever win a match on the ATP World Tour when he beat Pablo Cuevas in the first round of the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships in 2008. Other 15-year-olds to win ATP World Tour matches in their careers include Rafael Nadal and Richard Gasquet.

The Rochus brothers from Belgium – Christophe and Olivier – are two of the shortest players to ever play on the ATP World Tour (they stand at 5’7” and 5’6” respectively) Christophe is the answer to the quirky trivia question; who was the first player Roger Federer ever beat at Wimbledon? (Federer beat him in the first round at Wimbledon in 2001 6-2, 6-3, 6-2.) Three years earlier in 1998, Federer won his first Wimbledon title – the junior doubles title – partnering with Olivier.

Chris Guccione is a hard-serving lefty from Australia who once belted 50 aces in a best-of-three set qualifying round match at Wimbledon in 2005. Consider that Roger Federer hit 50 aces in the 2009 Wimbledon final against Andy Roddick that he won 16-14 in the fifth set.

Ilija Bozoljac of Serbia is flashy player from Serbia who nearly extended Roger Federer to five sets in the second round of Wimbledon this year. His match did not receive much air-time in the United States as it was played at the same time as the historic Isner-Mahut match, but Bozoljac hits with such tremendous ferocity that if he can find consistency, look for him to post some strong results very soon. He is my sleeper to play the weekend in Newport.

Sergei Bubka of Ukraine, the son of the famous Olympic Soviet pole vaulter by the same the name, qualified for the main draw of the tournament Monday defeating Simon Stadler of Germany 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(2) and will make his ATP World Tour debut Tuesday against Guccione. Here’s a great article on Bubka from the ATP World Tour website: http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2010/07/27/Newport-Monday-Bubka-Qualifies.aspx

Dustin Brown is a rarity in the world of professional tennis as he is one of few professional athletes who hail from Jamaica. Brown, who sports the Bob Marley-esque dreadlock hairstyle that is a symbol of his country, won his first-round match on Monday defeating Bjorn Phau of Germany 7-6(3), 6-7(7), 6-4.

Kevin Kim has played what is believed to be a record 213 career Challenger-level tennis tournament (equivalent to AAA professional baseball). The 31-year-old has been playing professional tennis for 12 years and has earned over $1.5 million in career prize money. Charlie Bricker profiled Kevin earlier this year in this article: http://www.worldtennismagazine.com/archives/1823

Taylor Dent, a champion in Newport in 2002, is fresh off hitting a 148 mph serve at Wimbledon, the fastest ever recorded delivery in the history of the most famous tournament in the world. Dent, however, was upset in the tournament opening round on Monday, falling to Japan’s No. 1 player Go Soeda 6-4 3-6 6-4.

Read more about the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Championships and the International Tennis Hall of Fame at www.TennisFame.com

FEDERER-BERDYCH REPRISE IN KEY BISCAYNE

March 30, 2010 by WTM

By Randy Walker

Who is Tomas Berdych?

That was the refrain from many people at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece when a 19-year-old Berdych, an relative unknown to almost anyone outside of Czech tennis circles, provided one of the biggest upsets in Olympic tennis history when he shocked world No. 1 and two-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 in the second round of the Games

The loss was devastating for Federer as it ended his hopes for an Olympic gold medal, one of the highest goals of his career. (He since went on to win Olympic doubles gold four years later in Beijing).

Since their debut meeting in Athens in 2004, Federer and Berdych have played eight more times, Federer winning all matches entering Tuesday night’s round of 16 match-up at the Sony Ericsson Open. Their last meeting was also an epic, a 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 Federer win in the round of 16 at the 2009 Australian Open.

Rene Stauffer, author of THE ROGER FEDERER STORY: QUEST FOR PERFECTION ($24.95, New Chapter Press, www.RogerFedererBook.com) takes readers back to Federer’s Olympic experience in 2004 in this book excerpt below;

In Cincinnati, Federer lost in surprising fashion in the first round to Dominik Hrbaty of Slovakia, ending his 23-match winning streak. The winning streak was the longest in professional tennis in five years and the loss was Federer’s first in the opening round of a tournament since the French Open in 2003—a stretch of 15 months.

Federer, however, was quick to see the positive side of his early defeat —it gave him more time to prepare for the Olympic Games. The two-time Wimbledon champion was the star of the Swiss Olympic delegation and was considered certain to bring home a medal. He was highly motivated and he talked for months of the importance the trip to Greece was for him. Said Federer, “I’ve been looking forward to this tournament for four years.” He said he dreamed of winning the gold medal and toasting to his victory—and to his partnership with Mirka, which, like the Olympic flame, was ignited under the Olympic flag four years earlier at the Sydney Games. After his disappointing loss to Arnaud DiPasquale of France in the bronze medal match in Sydney, Federer was especially motivated to step on the medal podium.

He lived modestly in the Olympic Village—in contrast to many other tennis professionals who preferred hotels. He received the honor of leading the entire Swiss Olympic delegation as the Swiss flag-bearer at the Opening Ceremonies. Yet, like most of the tennis players at the Opening Ceremonies, he stood out in the enormous mass of athletes from all around the world, who sacrificed much through the years for this one chance at glory. While many athletes soaked in the atmosphere of the Opening Ceremonies from the infield of the Olympic stadium, Federer found himself forced to entertain a constant stream of photograph and autograph requests from his fellow Olympic athletes.

The International Tennis Federation was charmed that Federer held the Olympic tournament in such high esteem. Many Olympic followers and representatives from different Olympic sports held the opinion that the highly-paid professional tennis players had no business at the Olympics (tennis had once again became an Olympic sport in 1988) and that they did not take the event as seriously as it deserved to be treated.

In an Olympic tennis competition that featured many surprises, Federer’s second-round loss to the unknown 19-year-old Czech Thomas Berdych was perhaps the most unexpected result. To make matters worse, hours after his devastating 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 loss to the No. 79-ranked Berdych, he was also eliminated from the doubles competition with partner Yves Allegro, losing to India’s Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi.

Federer’s losses were major disappointments not only to himself, but to the Swiss Olympic delegation, which received another medal blow on the same day when its medal-contending judo athlete Sergei Aschwanden, also was eliminated from medal contention. Federer appeared well-composed in the media center—but he was at a loss for an explanation. He said he felt somewhat pressured and was tired after the long season, it was difficult playing against a young player like Berdych whom he didn’t know. A few months later and viewing his Olympic experience with some perspective, he quipped, “At least I carried the flag well in Athens.”