World Tennis Magazine

Unique Tennis Perspectives

bank of the west classic

The Venus Williams Pro Debut at the 1994 Bank of the West Classic

by

There probably has never been a more anticipated pro tennis debut than when Venus Williams played at the 1994 Bank of the West Classic.

The tournament was then an indoor event played in the fall and Williams, then 14-years-old, was given a wild card into the event to test her skills against the pros after not playing junior tennis at all, outside of a handful of 10-and-under local tournaments in Southern California.

Rick Macci was the coach of Venus Williams – and her younger, then overlooked little sister Serena – at the time and takes readers behind the scenes at this historic event in tennis in his new book “Macci Magic: Extracting Greatness From Yourself And Others.”

Called the “coach of phenoms,” Macci has coached five players who have gone on to rank No. 1 in the world (Venus and Serena Williams, Jennifer Capriati, Andy Roddick and Maria Sharapova.) His book “Macci Magic” – available here: http://www.amazon.com/Macci-Magic-Extracting-Greatness-Yourself/dp/1937559254/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1406548188&sr=8-1 Macci shares his secrets to success both on and off the tennis court, mixed in with stories of his most famous pupils and a list of his famous motivational “Macci-isms.” The excerpt discussing the 1994 Bank of the West Classic from Macci’s revealing chapter on Venus and Serena Williams and their father Richard is found here:

 

In 1994, the WTA made an age eligibility rule change where you could not turn pro at age 14. They called it the “Capriati Rule.” They didn’t want kids to get burned out and all this nonsense. I told Richard, “Listen, now you have to make a decision, your first real decision in this whole situation. Either Venus has to turn pro or you’re going to let the WTA dictate to you how many tournaments she can play at 15, 16, 17 years old. Richard didn’t like to be told what to do by anybody. He said, “OK, we’ve got to work on getting a wild card. Let’s play.”

And if they hadn’t made that rule change Venus wouldn’t have turned pro at 14 and made her debut. The only reason she did that was to get under the clock so she would be grandfathered in this rule change. So it was very ironic. That wouldn’t have happened. She wouldn’t have made her debut in 1994. History would play out a little differently. Timing in life is everything and determines everything.

Now the debut was going to happen. This was June and we got her a wild card into the Bank of the West Classic played in November of 1994 in Oakland, California, and run by IMG. I told Richard, “Now we’ve got to amp it up. We’ve got to practice a little more, turn up the volume, a little more intense.” He said, “I agree. I agree.”

The next day after this decision, Venus doesn’t show up for practice. A day later he calls me and says, “We’re at Disney World.” The guy went to Disney World for a week. I want to turn the volume up, he turns it down. This is Richard!

Then they come back and we start practicing a little harder, a little more focus. Think of it – she hadn’t played a real tournament in three-and-a-half years. She’s playing boys and is getting bageled and getting crushed every day. She hasn’t beaten anybody in three-and-a-half years. She has not won a match in three-and-a-half years in practice. She’s played boys 16, 17 and 18 years old.

I knew when she made her debut that people would be very, very impressed in how she tried to play. But I didn’t know if she was going to spray every ball out or if she would be so nervous she couldn’t play. I didn’t know how she would respond to the fans in the stands. But I knew all the players and media would see this girl for her coming out party and say, “Wow, I’ve never seen anything like that. Wow, she’s tall and she has a great serve.” And she had a lot of open stance, she played very different, but does that mean she’s going to win? I had no idea. But was she going to be great? I said, “Yes, no doubt!”

We take her to Oakland. The year before, I believe there were 24 media credentials given out for the tournament, and this year there were 252. Venus was coming. It was almost like Elvis arriving in the building. There had never been anything like it. We go to the practice court on the outside and there are 300 people watching her practice. And she’s out there practicing better than she ever had in three years. Venus was so ready to tee it up! I was so proud of her. She was stoked and dialed in! Venus Williams was ready to compete!

This was like a lion being in a cage, and now you’re going to let this lion out and she gets to perform. I couldn’t believe how she was hitting the ball with the hitting partner. She was so pumped up and I was really pleased she turned up the volume. The next day we were going to play a practice set and she’d never beaten the hitting partner named Gerard. I actually told Gerard, “Make it close, let her win in the tiebreak.” Usually, he beats her like a drum 6-0, 6-1. They played and Venus won 7-6 and she had a smile on her face ear to ear. She was always smiling but she was so happy and said, “Rick, I’m playing so unbelievable. For the first time ever I beat Gerard.” So mentally she didn’t realize that he didn’t go 100 percent and you couldn’t tell it. I don’t know if Richard or Oracene could tell it but mentally I was getting her ready. I wanted that confidence to be at an all-time high. Venus was ready to go into orbit!

The draw put her against Shaun Stafford, who was a former NCAA singles champion who had been ranked as high as the 20s but was now ranked No. 57 in the world. She had a good serve, good power, but was a little inconsistent and had a shoulder injury. It was a match that Venus was definitely going to get games. What was unfortunate, I just felt, everybody at this tournament wanted her to lose. There was so much hype that this was the best thing since sliced bread and Richard could rub people the wrong way. And people love to see people fail in our society. Too much hate! Not cool.

She went out to play the match and Richard had her racquet painted with no logo. It was almost like “I’m available for rent.” He bought clothes for her from JC Penney that had no logos. He might have put a “for rent” tag on there too! It was the funniest thing. All I cared about was Venus enjoying the competition and show the world her wiring and greatness. It was an incredible thing. I can picture point by point even today this girl going out there running like Bambi and using an open stance on every shot and having no fear….just no fear. All in 100 percent! Moreover, the match was played on Halloween night and the scariest thing out there was her serve.

It was 115 miles per hour at age 14. (At age 10 it was 74.) She played so smart, so aggressive, winning 6-3, 6-4. When she won, she was jumping up and down at the net and there was a smile ear to ear. I had never seen her that happy! And everybody was in shock that this girl can walk off the street after not playing a competitive tournament — junior, college, no matter, nothing — right into the pros and beat the No. 57 in the world. It had never been done. It will never be done again. Now the media was going out of control because they’re already anointing her that she’s going to be greatest — except the players. Martina Navratilova said, “Ah, she’s tall. She’s got a good serve. Wait until she feels the pressure.” I’m thinking sour grapes. But I’m also thinking Venus loves pressure. It’s her best friend. Venus is all about the battle. Bring it on. Pressure is Compton. This is fun! Pressure is an honor to a competitor.

Venus did the press conference, and it was all about her being happy and being 14 and loving to play and she really enjoyed it. But next on the menu was Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, who was No. 1 in the world. Steffi Graf had a knee injury so Arantxa had moved up to the top ranking. What was interesting was when Venus played the match against Stafford she stood up the whole match on the changeovers and was bouncing like a boxer in the corner of a ring, because at the academy we never allowed the kids to sit down during practice. And there’s a chair there on the side, as there is at every tournament, and Venus didn’t even know what it was for because she hadn’t played any matches! She just stood up and kept bouncing. Is that crazy or what? Crazyeee!

I’ll never forget Bud Collins on ESPN said, “Her coach Rick Macci said, ‘There’s a chair there, you’re supposed to sit down. This isn’t like at the academy.’ And now she knows what that chair’s for.” As Bud said, “This is unprecedented. It really sets junior tennis back. They might as well shut it down because no one’s ever done it like this.” He said it best. No junior competition in three and a half years. Stone cold raw and bang, bang, I beat No. 57 in the world!

The next day she plays Sanchez-Vicario and everybody is expecting 6-0, 6-0. I knew if she played her forehand 24/7 and just came in a little bit, anything can happen if someone feels pressure. Venus was up 6-3, 3-1 and I’m sitting there with Bud Collins and he said, “Rick, I’m telling you right now, this will be the greatest upset in the history of sports. Forget tennis. Forget Ali-Frazier. Forget the 1969 Mets. The history of sports. A girl walks off the street, never playing a junior tournament in the last three and a half years, never played a pro tournament and beats the No. 1 player in the universe. If you think of it in that context, it’s make believe.” And he was right. Only in women’s tennis, because there’s the age thing the kind of comes into play in that.

The next game was real close — ad, ad, ad, ad – and she lost it. Next game — ad, ad, ad, ad — lost it. At 3-all, Sanchez makes a bathroom break and takes 10 minutes. Venus thought she probably left to go eat dinner! She didn’t know what was going on. Venus is waiting out there, Sanchez comes back. I have no idea what happened. It was 6-3, 6-0 in about 20 minutes. Venus became a 14-year-old. But at the end of the day, she came to the net 33 times. I had her playing a game that was so different and people were just shocked.

That night, both Nike and Reebok came calling. Seven or eight months later after a lot of negotiations and discussions Reebok won the sweepstakes and Venus got $12 million, $2.5 million a year for five years guaranteed. On top of that, she only had to play three tournaments a year. Unreal. Can you say lottery?

 

Venus Williams, Serena Williams and Rick Macci
Venus Williams, Serena Williams and Rick Macci

Serena Williams is back in the swing after winning Bank of the West Classic – Mondays with Bob Greene

by

STARS

Serena Williams beat Marion Bartoli 7-5 6-1 to win the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, California, USA

Ernests Gulbis beat Mardy Fish 5-7 6-4 6-4 to win the Farmers Classic in Los Angeles, California, USA

Marcel Granollers beat Fernando Verdasco 6-4 3-6 6-3 to win the Crédit Agricole Suisse Open in Gstaad, Switzerland

Alexandr Dolgopolov beat Marin Cilic 6-4 3-6 6-3 to win the ATP Studena Croatia in Umag, Croatia

Nadia Petrova beat Shahar Peer 7-5 6-2 to win the Citi Open in College Park, Maryland, USA

Mikhail Kukushkin beat Sergei Bubka 6-3 6-4 to win the President’s Cup men’s singles in Astana, Kazakhstan

Vitalia Diatchenko beat Akgul Amanmuradov 6-4 6-1 to win the President’s Cup women’s singles in Astana, Kazakhstan

Serena Williams and Marion Bartoli

SAYING

“Coming back and hearing the claps when I walk out there are moments that I truly missed. It’s so awesome to be back and to be a part of those moments. Not everyone can be a sports – I don’t know if ‘star’ sounds full of myself, but I’ve worked hard for that title. So, yes, I say it and I take pride in it.” – Serena Williams, after winning her first title since the 2010 Wimbledon.

“Serena, she already can improve from one day to the other. So you can imagine from one match to the other. I knew before the match started it was different than Wimbledon.” – Marion Bartoli, who beat Serena Williams at Wimbledon.

“I feel like a kid again. When I was younger I had the goal of being in the top 100, then qualifying for a Grand Slam without a wild card. I have those goals again.” – Serena Williams, following her semifinal win over Sabine Lisicki at the Bank of the West Classic.

“I’m sure she’s going to tell you that she can play even better. And I’m sure that she will.” – Marion Bartoli, on Serena Williams.

“I have never played her before so I did not know what to expect. I’m not used to having the ball come back at me so hard. It was a new experience, a learning experience.” – Sabine Lisicki, after losing to Serena Williams.

“When I had chances to change things around, I couldn’t do it. Her biggest strength is her power and you don’t see so much of that in the top 10. It really makes her dangerous.” – Maria Sharapova, after losing to Serena Williams at Stanford, California.

“You both develop as people and players, and have great moments as well as tough ones … but at the end of the day she has 13 Grand Slams and I have three.” – Maria Sharapova, on the differences between her and Serena Williams.

“A lot of people say that (they don’t mind losing if they play well). I lie when I say that.” – Serena Williams, admitting that winning is more important to her than satisfaction with her performance.

“I’m really pleased with the way things went this week. We haven’t had a Croatian in the final here for 21 years and it was a relief I think for all the tournament organizers and also for me to reach the final and be playing well at home.” – Marin Cilic, who lost the final at Umag, Croatia.

“I have been waiting for this one patiently and I’m very happy to come away with my 10th title. It’s a good achievement.” – Nadia Petrova, after winning her first tournament in nearly three years when she beat Shahar Peer in the Citi Open final.

“Last week was bad for me because I felt a lot of pain in my arm, which I had felt since Wimbledon. I went home and rested for five days without any practice, and I came here on Sunday and started to feel better and better. Now I have won the tournament and so it’s amazing.” – Marcel Granollers, after beating Fernando Verdasco to win the Crédit Agricole Suisse Open.

“Of course it’s better to lose in the final than before the final. You always want to win, so it’s not easy to lose the final.” – Fernando Verdasco.

“The second set was quite difficult as the conditions were pretty windy. Everybody was a bit nervous at the end and I am just happy we won it.” – Filip Polasek, who teamed with Frantisek Cermak to win the doubles in Gstaad, Switzerland.

“It was painful when I played Marina (Erakovic), but I was able to get through that match. I thought it would be better in the morning, but I saw a doctor and he recommended not playing since the injury could worsen…” – Dominika Cibulkova, who withdrew from the Bank of the West Classic semifinal with a strained abdominal muscle.

“Serena’s a great champion. She has won so many tournaments and has a huge amount of experience. She didn’t play for a year and comes back and is winning again. You have to be so tough to do that.” – Maria Kirilenko, before losing to Serena Williams at Stanford, California.

“I knew Shahar wasn’t able to hurt me with her serve, especially her second serve, so even though I was broken early in each set I knew I could turn it around. I’m happy with my record against her. And today was an important match, going for the title – all I had in my mind was to fight for every point and at the end of the day walk away with the trophy.” – Nadia Petrova, who beat Shahar Peer to win the Citi Open.

“It was a great wedding! It was the best wedding I’ve ever been to. Elena and her husband were always with the guests, talking to us a lot, singing and dancing … Normally at weddings the pair just sits and watches, and it’s kind of boring. But Elena and Maxim were interacting with us. They even sang a song together – I wish I could listen to them one more time! I think they practiced a lot for that. It was a Russian song, about love and being together – I don’t remember all the words. I was surprised, she sang well!” – Maria Kirilenko, about Elena Dementieva’s wedding.

SERENA POWER

She’s back – and with a vengeance. Serena Williams captured her first tournament title since Wimbledon in 2010 when she pounded Marion Bartoli to win the Bank of the West Classic. The victory was doubly sweet, since Williams had missed 11 months with two foot operations and blood clots on her lungs. And the win over Bartoli was sweet revenge since she had lost to the Frenchwoman in the fourth round at Wimbledon this year. Bartoli led 4-2 in the opening set and served for the set at 5-4 before Serena reeled off eight straight games. Williams became the first American woman to win on home soil since she captured the 2008 US Open. Serena entered the tournament unseeded and ranked 169th in the world, but the victory will vault her into the top 80. “I hated those triple digits,” Serena said. “Now I’ve got to get to single digits.”

STREAKY GULBIS

Ernests Gulbis continued his brilliant play at the Farmers Classic in Los Angeles, California, USA, by besting top-seeded Mardy Fish and winning his second career ATP World Tour title. It was only the second time Gulbis has reached a final; the first time was in February 2010 in Delray Beach, Florida, where he also was victorious. The first Latvian to win at Los Angeles, Gulbis is the first European and the first unseeded player to annex the title since Radek Stepanek in 2007. His victorious run was even more noteworthy considering Gulbis entered the Farmers Classic carrying a five-match losing streak. Three Americans – Fish, Ryan Harrison and Alex Bogomolov Jr. – reached the semifinals for the first time since 2002 when Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick and Jan-Michael Gambill reached the penultimate round.

SMOOTH SAILING

Marion Bartoli of France had smooth sailing to the Bank of the West Classic final, where she fell to Serena Williams. Ranked ninth in the world, Bartoli won her quarterfinal match when Ayumi Morita of Japan withdrew with an ankle injury while trailing 6-1. Bartoli advanced to the title match when her semifinal opponent, eighth-seeded Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia, withdrew with a left abdominal muscle strain. Cibulkova said she had been troubled by the injury all week. “This has never happened to me but there’s not much I can do about it,” Bartoli said. “It’s a shame Dominika had to be put out.”

SINGULAR PERFORMANCE

Aleksandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine won his first ATP World Tour title and handed home favorite Marin Cilic his second defeat of the week at the Croatia Open. It was only the second time the second-seeded Dolgopolov had reached a final. Earlier this year he lost to Nicolas Almagro in Costa do Sauipe, Brazil. “I feel great after winning my first title,” the 22-year-old Dolgopolov said. “I hope more victories are to come.” Cilic lost his serve to open the match and Dolgopolov was in charge most of the way after that. Cilic was the first Croat to reach the Umag final since Goran Prpic defeated compatriot Goran Ivanisevic in 1990. “Dolgopolov was better tonight and deserved to win,” said Cilic, who also was on the losing team in the doubles final.

SHARING THE SPOILS

In just the second time they have teamed up, Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini won their first ATP World Tour doubles title, defeating home favorites Marin Cilic and Lovro Zovko 6-3 5-7 10-7 (match tiebreak) in the final of the ATP Studena Croatia Open. The winners squandered three match points when they were up 4-5 15-40 in the second set on Cilic’s serve. In the match tiebreak, the teams were tied 7-7 when Bolelli and Fognini took the first three points for the victory. “Every match was tough … the last three went to a match-tiebreak, so we are happy,” Bolelli said. “This is my second title this year and in my career. The doubles this year has given me a lot of confidence, even for the singles.” With the defeat, Zovko dropped to a 0-5 record in doubles title matches, including his third defeat in Umag.

STARTING OUT

Two players made their ATP World Tour main draw debuts at the Farmers Classic in Los Angeles, California, USA. Both Daniel Kosakowsi, who lives in Los Angeles and Lithuania’s Laurynas Grigelis came through qualifying to gain spots in the main draw. Grigelis lost to Alejandro Falla of Colombia in the opening round, while Kosakowski beat fellow American Tim Smyczek, who also was a qualifier, before losing a second-round match to eventual champion Ernests Gulbis 6-2 6-4.

SINGLED OUT

Tracy Austin, Brad Parks and Pam Shriver are the latest to receive their rings from the International Tennis Hall of Fame. They were presented the rings at the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, California, USA. The rings are given to honor their induction into the Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, USA.

Peter Fleming was honored in a special ceremony at the Farmers Classic in Los Angeles, California. Better known for his doubles play, Fleming won the Farmers Classic singles title in 1979 and the doubles crown in 1983. In his career, Fleming won 66 career doubles titles, teaming with John McEnroe to capture four championships at Wimbledon and three at the US Open.

SUSPENDED

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has banned Robert Kendrick for one year after he tested positive at the French Open for a banned stimulant. The 31-year-old Kendrick said the stimulant got into his system because of a capsule he took to combat jet lag, and denied that he was trying to enhance his performance. The ITF accepted the American’s explanation, but said a player is responsible for any banned substance in his body. The ITF backdated the beginning of Kendrick’s suspension to the date of his test, meaning he will be able to return to tennis on May 21, 2012. Kendrick tested positive for methylhexaneamine, which has been at the center of several doping cases in recent months. Two South African rugby players recently tested positive for the stimulant, while last year a dozen Indian athletes – including wrestlers, weightlifters and swimmers – tested positive for methylhexaneamine just prior to the Commonwealth Games.

SELECTS COACH

Guillermo Canas, who once was ranked in the top 10 in the world, is the new coach of Latvia’s Ernests Gulbis. Canas agreed to work with Gulbis at Wimbledon and also trained him during a three-week mid-summer break. Gulbis returned to tennis by snapping a five-match losing streak when he beat Xavier Malisse in the opening round at Los Angeles. He continued his winning ways, capturing his second WTA World Tour title. Hernan Gurny stepped down as coach for Gulbis to spend more time at home with his family. Canas once was suspended for two years after testing positive for the banned substances, but was acquitted of all charges after taking his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

SOCK TURNS PRO

Jack Sock, last year’s US Open junior boys champion, has decided to skip college and turn pro. The 18-year-old native of Nebraska went 80-0 in singles competition during his high school career, including four individual state championships and three straight team titles. He signed a multiyear deal with adidas and immediately began training with fellow adidas-backed players Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Juan Monaco. “I feel like I’m ready to turn pro,” said Sock, who was close to joining his older bother Eric on the tennis team at the University of Nebraska. “Ultimately, it was my decision and what I feel like is best for me. It’s sad that I won’t get the chance to play college tennis and won’t be able to see my brother play or be on a team with him one more time, but I just felt like my game was ready.” Sock who turns 19 in September, has played a number of professional events already, but forgoing the money so he could keep his amateur status. “I’ve been playing Futures events for a year and a half now,” Sock said. “I’m used to the competition. The only difference is accepting the money now. It’s no different in terms of the mind-set.”

SCHOLARSHP

Pakistan’s top woman player, Sarah Mahboob Khan, has received an athletic scholarship from the University of New Mexico where she will play tennis. She made history when she became Pakistan’s youngest national tennis champion at the age of 14 and has gone on to win 59 national titles in her country. The university has agreed to allow Khan the freedom to represent Pakistan in Fed Cup competitions.

SISTERS RADWANSKA

Sisters Agnieszka and Urszula Radwanska are no longer coached by their father, Robert. In recent months there had been tension and several arguments between the sisters and their father. “On court he’s still dad and coach, and then sometimes he brings tennis off the court and it’s too much,” Agnieszka said. “That’s why we are trying to have a break.” Into the breech has stepped Poland’s Fed Cup captain Tomasz Wiktorowski, who began working the sisters at the Bank of the West Classic in Los Angeles, California, USA. Agnieszka has not won a WTA title in three years.

SISTERS RODIONOVA

Arina Rodionova has successfully applied for residency in Australia, pending a physical clearance. The younger sister of Anastasia Rodionova, Arina will be able to represent Australia in International Tennis Federation (ITF) events. Two years from now, she will qualify for citizenship. Anastasia is now an Australian citizen after living Down Under with partner Lorne Padman since 2005. The elder sister has represented Australia in both Fed Cup and Commonwealth Games play. The Rodionovas were born in Russia.

SO PERFECT

World TeamTennis history was made when the Washington Kastles completed the first undefeated 16-0 record in the league’s 36 seasons. Because of three rain delays, the Kastles needed nearly eight hours to overpower the St. Louis Aces 23-19 in the WTT Finals in Charleston, South Carolina, USA. Anastasia Rodionova was named the WTT Finals most valuable player after winning her singles and teaming with Rennae Stubbs to capture the doubles. Stubbs made history by becoming only the fourth player in WTT history to be on five championship teams. The others were Martina Navratilova, Richie Reneberg and Craig Kardon, whose fifth title came as coach.

SET FOR A DAY

National Basketball Association star Carmelo Anthony will join with defending champions Rafael Nadal and Kim Clijsters and well as Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic to participate in the annual Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day at the US Open. Also taking park in the tennis and music event on the eve of the year’s final Grand Slam tournament will be former Open champion Andy Roddick. Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day will be held on August 27.

SALUTED

Mark Miles, the former chief executive officer and president of the ATP Tour, will be inducted into the USTA/Midwest Section Hall of Fame in December. Miles, who headed the men’s tour from 1990 to 2005, served as president of the Indianapolis Tennis Championships – formerly known as the RCA Championships – from 1985 to 1989. He also was the volunteer tournament director of the Indianapolis Tennis Championships in 1988 and 1999. The induction ceremony will be held December 3 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Astana (men): Konstantin Kravchuk and Denys Molchanov beat Arnau Brugues-Davi and Malek Jaziri 7-6 (4) 6-7 (1) 10-3 (match tiebreak)

Astana (women): Vitalia Diatchenko and Galina Voskoboeva beat Akgul Amanmuradov and Alexandra Panova 6-3 6-4

College Park: Sania Mirza and Yaroslava Shvedova beat Olga Govortsova and Alla Kudryavtseva 6-3 6-3

Gstaad: Frantisek Cermak and Filip Polasek beat Christopher Kas and Alexander Peya 6-3 7-6 (7)

Los Angeles: Mark Knowles and Xavier Malisse beat Somdev Devvarman and Treat Huey 7-6 (3) 7-6 (10)

Stanford: Victoria Azarenka and Maria Kirilenko beat Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond 6-1 6-3

Umag: Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini beat Marin Cilic and Lovro Zovko 6-3 5-76 10-7 (match tiebreak)

SURFING

Segovia: www.teniselespinar.com

Kitzbühel: www.bet-at-home-cup.com/de/

Washington: www.leggmasontennisclassic.com/

Vancouver: www.vanopen.com

Carlsbad: www.mercuryinsuranceopen.com/

San Marino: www.atpsanmarino.com

Montreal: www.rogerscup.com/men/english/home.php

Toronto: www.rogerscup.com/women/english/home.php

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$1,165,500 Legg Mason Tennis Classic, Washington, DC, USA, hard

$563,400 Bet-at-Home Cup, Kitzbühel, Kitzbühel, Austria, clay

$122,323 ATP Open Castiolla y Leon, Segovia, Spain, hard

$100,000 Odlum Brown Van Open Presented by Ivesco, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, hard

WOMEN

$721,000 Mercury Insurance Open, Carlsbad, California, USA, hard

$100,000 Odlum Brown Van Open Presented by Ivesco, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, hard

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$2,430,000 Rogers Cup, Montreal, Canada, hard

$122,323 San Mario CEPU Open, San Marino, clay

WOMEN

$2,050,000 Rogers Cup, Toronto, Canada, hard

Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams bring back entertainment to WTA Tour

by

Double fault, long, and on break point. Double fault again, long — again on break point. And there would be five more doubles for Maria Sharapova in this extremely disappointing performance against Serena Williams in the Stanford quarterfinals late Friday night.

Maria Sharapova

I haven’t watched much women’s tennis since Wimbledon because the spirit hasn’t moved me to tune into a herd of players who are, yes, pretty good but who don’t have the qualities necessary to be great.

But now, at last, here was Williams vs. Sharapova with more than a dozen Grand Slam singles titles between them and, more importantly, two players equipped to finally get women’s tennis moving again. They are the two biggest personalities on the WTA Tour and they were playing each other for the first time since the fourth round at the 2010 Wimbledon, which Williams also won, by 7-6 (9), 6-4.

This latest match, played under the lights at Stanford University, wasn’t nearly as close at 6-1, 6-3, and it was a letdown for just about everyone except the Williams camp.

Yes, the WTA seriously needs more Williams vs. Sharapova matches to re-pique interest in its product, but the women’s tour would get a lot more bounce out of this coupling if these two major personalities could play them a lot closer.

Williams was close to perfect in the opening set, aggressively hitting both corners with ground strokes off both sides to tear off to a 5-0 lead while Maria could put only 50 percent of her first serves into play.

“It’s sport. You win some, you lose some. You move on,” Sharapova said in her post-match press conference, trying to minimize the devastation of this loss.

More was expected in this first tournament for her since she reached the Wimbledon final, losing to surprise champion Petra Kvitova. She had serving problems right through Wimbledon and she had serving problems at Stanford, and it leaves me and, I’m sure, her coach, Thomas Hogstedt, perplexed.

This isn’t Justine Henin at 5-foot-5 trying to reach up as high as possible to torque the ball into play. Maria is 6-foot-1 and that should make serving easier. She’s changed her delivery since the shoulder surgery to make the service motion a little smoother, and, with her power, there’s no excuse for all the double faults.

The toss is high enough, though she could be more consistent in her toss placement, and she’s catching the ball at the apex. All that seems like the right stuff. But when she faults, it’s usually long or wide — seldom into the net — and that’s often an indication that she’s not snapping her wrist over the ball, giving it the downward spin it needs to get into the box.

But, who knows? It could be a rhythm problem. It could be a fear problem — fear that opponents like Serena Williams and Sabine Lisicki are going to rough up her second, making her think she has to take more risks with her seconds.

Whatever the reason, it’s astonishing that she never called for Hogstedt to come to her changeover chair, exercising her right to have one coaching conference per set.

She did make one adjustment into the second set. She reduced her first-serve speed in order to get a higher percentage in and not leave herself feeling vulnerable on the seconds. But that doesn’t really work against power players like Williams, who started treating Maria’s first serve as if it was a second.

“I felt extremely late. I didn’t have my timing today at all,” she said. No one who follows women’s tennis will forget the second time these two played, with Sharapova winning in the 2004 Wimbledon final. But Williams now leads 7-2 overall and has won the last six.

With Henin re-retired, Kim Clijsters leaving possibly before the end of the year, Venus Williams no longer good enough to be favored to win any Slam and Caroline Wozniacki continuing as a suspect No. 1, tennis needs Sharapova vs. Williams.

But the next time they face off, hopefully on the road to the U.S. Open, we need some drama, not a tail-kicking.

MONDAYS WITH BOB GREENE: AZARENKA & QUERREY TAKE HOME TITLES

by

STARS

Victoria Azarenka beat Maria Sharapova 6-4 6-1 to win the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, California, USA

Sam Querrey beat Andy Murray 5-7 7-6 (2) 6-3 to win the Farmers Classic in Los Angeles, California, USA

Nicolas Almago beat Richard Gasquet 7-5 6-1 to win the Allianz Suisse Open in Gstaad, Switzerland

Juan Carlos Ferrero beat Potito Starace 6-4 6-4 to win the ATP Studena Croatia Open in Umag, Croatia

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova beat Elena Vesnina 5-7 7-5 6-4 to win the Istanbul Cup in Istanbul, Turkey

Daniel Munoz-de la Nava beat Steve Darcis 6-2 6-4 to win the Zucchetti Kos Tennis Cup in Cordenons, Italy

SAYINGS

“Sixty-two brings a smile to our face. It’s been an emotional ride, talking about it every day for the past couple of months. To finally do it is incredible.” – Bob Bryan, after he and twin Mike won their record 62nd doubles title as a team.

“For many, many years you’ve been traveling in elite company. Thanks to the victory today, you’re in rarefied air.” – Mark Woodforde, the old record-holder congratulating Bob and Mike Bryan on their new mark.

“The Woodies put a record way out there. Sixty-one was Mount Everest when we started. We love what we do. To get this, one of their many records, is special.” – Mike Bryan.

“I wasn’t going to give it to him. I was going to make him come up with a shot to beat me.” – Sam Querry, who knocked off Andy Murray to successfully defend his Farmers Classic singles title.

“I’ve got to be happy getting to the final and having chances to win. I didn’t play my best tennis. Just tired.” – Andy Murray, after losing the final in Los Angeles.

“This shows that I really believe in myself. It gives me a lot of confidence, especially going into the US Open.” – Victoria Azarenka, after winning in Stanford, California.

Victoria Azarenka
Victoria Azarenka

“My goal for the rest of the season is to reach the Top 10 and stay there.” – Nicolas Almagro, after winning the Allianz Suisse Open.

“It was my seventh final and the way we won it. It was an unbelievable point and just an incredible feeling. I’ve been a good friend of Jarkko’s for a long time. It was the first time we ever played together after talking about it many times. Now, when we finally played, we played unbelievably together.” – Johan Brunstrom, after teaming with Jarkko Nieminen to win the doubles in Gstaad, Switzerland.

“It was an amazing week. I had a bit of pain in my knee, but I kept motivated and it was great to come through. It was the fourth final I’ve played this year and I’ve won three tournaments, so it’s a great feeling.” – Juan Carlos Ferrero, after winning in Umag, Croatia.

“They are the face of doubles. They’ve pretty much been the number one team for 10 years. When people think of doubles, they think of the Bryans. They are fun to watch. I don’t think any team in history has been as consistent as they have been.” – Daniel Nestor, one of the top doubles players in the world, commenting on the Bryan brothers breaking the doubles record.

“It’s an incredible record, and today it’s more and more difficult to keep winning that many tournaments. … They are the players I have played the most, it’s a great rivalry and we always have tough matches. They are great champions.” – Nenad Zimonjic, about the Bryans.

“Those guys are sure-fire Hall of Famers. … They’ve beaten up on me a few times so I know how good they are.” – James Blake, about the Bryans.

SUPER SIBLINGS

The Brothers Bryan stand alone atop the record book after capturing the doubles title at the Farmers Classic in Los Angeles, California, USA, defeating Eric Butorac and Jean-Julien Rojer 6-7 (6) 6-2 10-7 (match tiebreak). It was the Bryans’ 62nd title as a team, besting the record they held jointly with 2010 Hall of Fame inductees Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde. It was the first title Bob and Mike Bryan had won since tying the Woodies in May, and the sixth time they have triumphed on the hard courts in Los Angeles. The 32-year-old twins were appearing in their 100th tour-level final. In the match tiebreak, the Bryans grabbed a 5-0 lead before Butorac and Rojer knotted the score at 7-all. The twins then won the next three points to claim their sixth title of the year. “It’s sweet, feels awesome, hanging out with family and friends after the match. It’s a cool feeling,” said Mike Bryan. In Los Angeles to watch the historic achievement, Woodforde paid tribute to the Bryans on court after the final. “You guys stand together as one,” Woodford said. “I know this 62nd victory has been waiting since May. Our run sort of ended because I elected to retire, but I know you two will continue for years to come. The floodgates will open entirely, so I know 70, 80 will come.”

SAM THE MAN

Sam Querrey just wasn’t going to be denied. The American successfully defended his Farmers Classic title by upsetting top-seeded Andy Murray in the final 5-7 7-6 (2) 6-3. It was Querrey’s fourth straight three-set match and the second time in the tournament he survived being match point down. Murray had a match point in the 10th game of the second before Querrey came up with huge serves and a gambling game. “That’s the highest-ranked guy I’ve ever beat,” the winner said. Querrey also saved a match point in the semifinals against Janko Tipsarevic. “This feels great,” Querrey said after winning his fourth title of the year. “You’re never out of it. You can’t give up.” The 22-year-old became the first player to repeat in Los Angeles since Andre Agassi did it in 2001-02. It also was the first time Querrey has taken a set off Murray in their five career meetings, the last time in the fourth round at Wimbledon.

STANDING TALL

Victoria Azarenka gave herself a birthday present. The Belarusian celebrated her 21st birthday by winning her semifinal match, then wrapped up the weekend by winning her first tournament of the year by crushing Maria Sharapova 6-4 6-1. Azarenka broke Sharapova six times and controlled the match with her aggressive service returns and powerful ground strokes. “She gets a lot of balls back, her ball is really heavy and there’s no doubt she’s a great player,” Sharapova said. “She’s always tough to play.” The win capped an impressive week for Azarenka, who entered the tournament with a wild card. She knocked off defending champion Marion Bartoli in the quarterfinals and French Open runner-up Samantha Stosur in the semifinals. Azarenka needed only 28 minutes to race through the second set, winning the last 15 points of the match.

STEPPING UP

Liezel Huber has regained the number one spot on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour doubles rankings, moving past sisters Venus and Serena Williams. It’s the second time in her career that Huber has been ranked in the top spot. With the Williams sisters not defending their doubles win at Stanford this year, their doubles points total dropped below Huber. “It’s a very nice surprise,” said Huber, who after learning the news teamed with Lindsay Davenport to win the Stanford tournament, stopping Chan Yung-Jan of Taiwan and Zheng Jie of China in the final. “I’m going to keep working hard, stay focused, try to maintain good health and good form through the rest of the season and we will see how the rankings turn out at the end of the year.” Huber is one of six players in WTA Tour history to hold the number one ranking in doubles for more than 100 weeks. She has increased her total to 135 weeks, trailing only Martina Navratilova (237 weeks) and Cara Black (163 weeks). “Liezel is one of the greatest doubles champions in the history of the Tour,” said Stacey Allaster, chairman and CEO of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. “Regaining the number one world ranking is yet another accolade in a tremendously successful doubles career.” Huber has won 42 career doubles titles, including three this year.

SAYS HE’S FATIGUED

Playing and winning two tournaments in two weeks has taken its toll on Mardy Fish. The American withdrew from the Farmers Classic in Los Angeles, California, USA, because of fatigue and an ankle injury. “I am not in good shape to play,” the 28-year-old Fish said in a statement announcing his withdrawal. “I need to rest in order to compete at a high level.” Fish has won his last two tournaments, including the Atlanta Tennis Championships, where he needed three sets to beat compatriot John Isner in oppressive heat. The win extended Fish’s winning streak to 10 straight matches and increased his match record for this year to 28-11. He suffered the ankle injury during his second-round victory over fellow American Robby Ginepri.

SPLITSVILLE

Andy Murray has said goodbye to his coach Miles Maclagan. A statement on the British player’s website said that “following a review of his coaching needs, Andy has party company” with Maclagan, who has coached Murray for three years. The statement said Murray will review his coaching needs after the US Open, which begins its two-week run at the end of August.

SIGNING UP

Having slipped to third place in the world rankings, Roger Federer has turned to the former coach of Pete Sampras. Federer has hired Paul Annacone for a test period. “I’ve been looking to add someone to my team and I’ve decided to spend some days with Paul Annacone,” Federer said on his website. “As Paul winds down his responsibilities working for the Lawn Tennis Association, we will explore our relationship during this test period.” Annacone is leaving his job as head coach of men’s tennis in Britain.

SKIPPING SAN DIEGO

Having won her first title of the year, Victoria Azarenka pulled out of this week’s tournament in San Diego, California, USA. Her agent said Azarenka sustained a right shoulder injury in her 6-4 6-1 victory over Maria Sharapova.

SENIOR STYLISTS

If the Chinese news agency Xinhua is correct, Andre Agassi will be out for revenge against Gustavo Kuerten. The two retired players – both of whom were once ranked number one in the world – will celebrate Kuerten’s Masters Cup win in Lisbon, Portugal, 10 years ago by playing a charity match. The proposed match will take place in December, and Kuerten hopes to hold it in his hometown of Florianopolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil. However, the city of Rio de Janeiro also has been mentioned, according to Xinhua. Kuerten and Agassi met 11 times during their playing careers, with Agassi coming out on top seven times. But 10 years ago in Lisbon, it was Kuerten who won 6-4 6-4 6-4.

SAMPRAS TO CHINA

Pete Sampras is scheduled to take part in the second annual Chengdu Open. Besides Sampras, the others in the star-studded eight-man field include Pat Rafter, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Pat Cash, Guy Forget, Thomas Enqvist and Michael Stich. The senior event will take place October 21-24 at the Sichuan International Tennis Center in Chengdu, China. The eighth player to participate will be Thailand’s Paradorn Srichaphan, who will be making his debut on the ATP Champions Tour.

SERBIA PICKS BELGRADE

When Serbia plays host to the Czech Republic in their Davis Cup World Group semifinal, the tie will be held in Belgrade, Serbia. A temporary hard court will be laid inside the Belgrade Arena, which has a seating capacity of 18,200. Serbia used the venue in the first round earlier this year when it beat the United States on clay. That victory put Serbia into the quarterfinals of the international team tennis competition for the first time. Led by Novak Djokovic, the Serbs continued to make history by reaching its first semifinal by clobbering Croatia. The Czech Republic holds a 5-4 head-to-head advantage over Serbia, although the two nations have not played each other since they have sported their current names. The Czech Republic was part of Czechoslovakia and Serbia was part of Yugoslavia.

The other semifinal will see Argentina take on France at the Palais des Sports de Gerland in Lyon, France. It’s the first time the arena has staged a Davis Cup tie since the historic 1991 final when France beat a United States team that featured Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi. France has won all four previous meetings against Argentina, but the two nations have not met since 1982.

STOSUR MISSING?

Australia’s top two players – Lleyton Hewitt and Samantha Stosur – will reportedly skip this year’s Commonwealth Games. Stosur, who reached her first Grand Slam tournament final at the French Open in June, will focus on the top WTA Tour tournaments rather than play at New Delhi, India. Tennis is making its debut at the Commonwealth Games this year, but the draw is expected to be quite weak. Britain’s top player, Andy Murray, is also expected to skip the event. The Commonwealth Games will be staged in early October.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Cordenons: Robin Haase and Rogier Wassen beat James Cerretani and Adil Shamasdin 7-6 (14) 7-5

Gstaad: Johan Brunstrom and Jarkko Nieminen beat Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares 6-3 6-7 (4) 11-9 (match tiebreak)

Istanbul: Eleni Danilidou and Jasmin Woehr beat Maria Kondratieva and Vladimira Uhlirova 6-4 1-6 11-9 (match tiebreak)

Los Angeles: Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan beat Eric Butorac and Jean-Julien Rojer 6-7 (6) 6-2 10-7 (match tiebreak)

Stanford: Lindsay Davenport and Liezel Huber beat Chan Yung-Jan and Zheng Jie 7-5 6-7 (6) 10-8 (match tiebreak)

Umag: Leos Friedl and Filip Polasek beat Frantisek Cermak and Michal Mertinak 6-3 7-6 (7)

SITES TO SURF

Washington: www.leggmasontennisclassic.com

San Diego: www.mercuryinsuranceopen.com

Copenhagen: http://e-boksonyericssonopen.dk/

San Marino: www.atpsanmarino.com/

Segovia: www.teniselespinar.com/

Vancouver: www.vanopen.com/

Toronto: www.rogerscup.com/men/english/home.php

Cincinnati: www.cincytennis.com/

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

ATP

$1,165, 500 Legg Mason Tennis Classic, Washington, DC, USA, hard

$110,000 San Marino CEPU Open, San Marino, clay

$110,000 ATP Open Castilla y Leon, Segovia, Spain, clay

$100,000 Odlum Brown Vancouver Open, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, hard

WTA

$700,000 Mercury Insurance Open presented by Tri-City Medical Center, San Diego, California, USA, hard

$220,000 e-Boks Sony Ericsson Open, Copenhagen, Denmark, hard

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

ATP

$2,430,000 Rogers Cup, Toronto, Canada, hard

$100,000 American Express TED Open, Istanbul, Turkey, hard

WTA

$2,000,000 Western & Southern Financial Group Women’s Open, Cincinnati, Ohio, hard

Querrey’s Emotional Grit Prevails; Sharapova Continues to Build

by

By Charles Bricker

It was like a one hour and 27-minute primal scream therapy session with the two loudest and most obnoxious shriekers in women’s tennis — Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova — caterwauling through an ear-splitting final at the Bank of the West Classic in Palo Alto, Calif. on Sunday afternoon.

The Belarussian won 6-4, 6-1, her first title since April of last year, and, though this still was something of a triumph in defeat for Sharapova, by far the more important news was being made 400 miles south in Westwood, Calif., where Sam Querrey played one of the great matches of his young career in upsetting Andy Murray in the Farmers Classic final.

Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova

Everything U.S. tennis fans have been hoping for from “Q Ball” was on display in this 5-7, 7-6 (2), 6-3 win, but nothing he did this afternoon was as significant as the maturity he showed in beating back a match point at 4-5 in the second set and taking control in the third.

He was being out-foxed, as so many have been, by Murray’s war-of-attrition tennis. He was missing overheads and shoulder-high gimme volleys. He went flat at crucial moments and he was down match point at 30-40.

Yet Querrey never caved against the No. 4 player in the world, and it’s remarkable how far he has come at age 22.

Big serve? Check. Killer forehand? Check. Foot speed? More than good enough because, though he’s no 4.4 sprinter over 40 yards, those long legs and arms cover a lot of court.

The backhand has come a long way, but there’s still some miles to travel, and, though he’s a very willing volleyer, he’s got a lot of technique work to do there.

But if this match proved anything, it put on display Querrey’s emotional grit and confidence. How many times did he astonish Murray with well-executed drop shots? The game plan was to increase his patience and stay in the long rallies against an opponent whose general philosophy about tennis is, “Get it back, get it back deep and don’t worry about about pace.”

For Querrey, this was about holding the trigger on those forehands just one more shot. Always just one more shot. And when Murray made those frustrating running saves in the corner, just hold your frustration. If you stay in the points long enough with Murray, you’ll get a half-short ball. That’s when you take it.

That’s a tough game-plan assignment for any player not that far removed from his teenaged years, and Querrey had moments in this final where he twitched too early. But he generally stuck with the plan coach David Nainkin gave him and, in the end, that and Murray’s fatigue made the difference.

The crucial moment came on Murray’s match point, when he hit wide to end an excruciatingly long rally that left him gasping for breath and leaning on his knees. He was hardly out on his feet, but you could see he was tired of chasing down Q’s forehands, occasional backhands up the line and those cheeky drop shots.

And when Murray tires, it always seems to affect his shot selection. He opened the tiebreak with a horrible drop shot into the net and a lob wide to give Querrey at 2-0 lead. At 5-2, Q served it out.

Into the third set they went and Murray, the man who makes uncommonly few unforced errors, was spraying shots and going into a deep defensive shell, probably hoping Querrey didn’t have the maturity to bang out this win with so much at stake. Completely wrong.

Querrey broke to 4-2 on another failed Murray drop shot and now the Brit was punching his strings with his right hand until he bloodied a couple of knuckles. He was slamming his racket against his shoe in disgust and tapping the frame against his forehand, as if he was trying to wake up his brain.

Querrey had had his feisty moments, too, shattering a racket after losing the opening set and earning a code violation warning. But, for 99 percent of this match, he looked the same cool, what-me-worry kid who was in high school a couple years ago and who was now No. 20 in the world.

Murray had one final chance at resurrection, but Querrey snuffed it with a forehand winner down the line. He then slugged a service winner and earned the Los Angeles title for the second year in a row when Murray, stepping inside the baseline to take a second serve early, pushed it long.

All of Querrey’s four matches in L.A. went four matches and he was 0-10 in sets against Murray coming into this match. Since he was defending maximum points from this tournament, his ranking isn’t going to be much affected.

Azarenka, however, who was No. 18 the past week, will move up to about No. 15 and Sharapova will jump from No. 15 to top 10.

There are considerably more sets of eyes on Sharapova than on her Belarussian conqueror because here is a three-time Grand Slam winner who seems to be rapidly getting her game back to top form. She can’t be too irritated about getting waxed in this final because this season for her is about building, and she played at a very high level on the Stanford University courts.

Her serve, which is a very big issue in her return to top form, was in and out much of the week. She had 15 double faults in one match and only three Sunday. But Azarenka, one of the best returners on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, was punishing in this championship match.

Sharapova got in more than 70 percent of her first serves, but was on 21-20 on her firsts, 3-12 on her seconds. That was the difference.

This was the fourth time these two players have screamed at each other over the net and it’s now even at two wins apiece. It was, in a sense, a win for both players and, really, the only losers were those fans who didn’t have the foresight to bring earplugs to the final.

Charles Bricker can be reached at nflwriterr@aol.com. He is an alumni of the University of California at Berkeley and has had 41 distinguished years in the news business, covering 25 NFL seasons and Super Bowls and for the last 16 years, he has covered men’s and women’s professional tennis. Listen to Charlie every Monday at 7 pm – and on podcast – on World Tennis talk at http://primesportsnetwork.com/tennis.html

Navratilova to Receive Eugene L. Scott Award at Hall of Fame Legends Ball: This Week in Tennis Business

by

By: Justin Cohen

  • Martina Navratilova will receive the Eugene L. Scott Award by the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum at the 30th Annual Legends Ball on Friday, September 10 at the Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City. “I want to thank the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the Scott family for recognizing me with the Eugene L. Scott Award,” said Navratilova. “The honor is especially humbling because of the respect I had for Gene. He was always honest in his praise and criticism, and for me to be recognized for sharing my views, first as a player and now as a commentator on Tennis Channel is truly rewarding and will inspire me to continue to do so in the future.” The Eugene L. Scott Award has been presented annually since 2006 to an individual who embodies Scott’s commitment to communicating honestly and critically about tennis, and who has had a major impact on the tennis world. Previous recipients of the award have been John McEnroe, Andre Agassi, Billie Jean King and Arthur Ashe and his wife Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe. “Martina never allowed the status quo to guide her actions on or off the court, which makes her a fitting recipient of the Eugene L. Scott Award,” said Christopher E. Clouser, Chairman of the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum. “Leaders and trailblazers like Martina should be recognized in order to encourage others to follow their own heart.” Throughout her remarkable 30-year professional tennis career, Navratilova won 167 singles and 177 doubles titles, including 59 Grand Slam titles.

    Martina Navratilova
    Martina Navratilova
  • In celebration of its 40th year, the Bank of the West Classic will honor “Four Decades of Champions” prior to the 7:30 p.m. evening semifinal match on Saturday July 31 at the Taube Family Tennis Stadium at Stanford University. Two of the most prestigious past champions who will be honored include Billie Jean King and Andrea Jaeger. King won the inaugural singles tournament in 1971 and went on to capture another three singles titles and four doubles titles at Stanford. Jaeger won the singles title in 1981 and 1982.
  • The USTA announced the ten finalists for the 2010 “Best Tennis Town” in America competition, which include, Clearwater, Fla., Delray Beach, Fla., Atlanta, Ga., Rome, Ga., Rosemount, Minn., Snow Hill, N.C., Beaverton, Ore., Charleston, S.C., Richmond, Va. and Manchester Center, Vt. Between April 7 and June 28, 82 towns submitted contest entries and after careful review of each submission by a panel of selected judges, the competition was cut to 10 cities. The winner will be determined by a nationwide online vote at: http://www.besttennistown.com. Voting has already begun and will continue through July 26 at 11:59 p.m. EST. The top three finalists will travel to New York City where the winner will be announced at a special ceremony at the US Open. The winner will leave New York City as the “Best Tennis Town” and receive a check for $100,000 to be used towards community-wide tennis programming or facility improvements. The second and third place finishers will receive $50,000 and $25,000, respectively. The inaugural winner in 2009 was Midland, Mich.
  • Tennis Channel will cover nine Olympus US Open Series tournaments this summer leading up to the US Open in New York. Nearly 80 hours of high-definition action from the six-week US Hardcourt Summer Series will be shown. Play-by-play duties will be shared between Emmy-Award winning sportscaster Ted Robinson and former ATP and Princeton University player Leif Shiras. Former World No. 1 Lindsay Davenport, Jimmy Arias, Justin Gimelstob and Corina Morariu will serve as analysts. Australian doubles player Ashley Fisher will report from the sidelines.
  • Former World No. 1 and seven-time Grand Slam singles champion Venus Williams’ new book, Come To Win: Business Leaders, Artists, Doctors, and Other Visionaries on How Sports Can Help You Top Your Profession, has reached No. 5 on the New York Times Hardcover Advice and How To bestseller list. The book will appear in the New York Times published list on Sunday, July 25, and continue to be featured in bookstores throughout the country. “Having my book on the New York Times bestseller list is a truly incredible feeling,” said Williams. “I am so grateful to my co-author Kelly Carter, and all of the incredible individuals that participated in this project. It is their stories and advice that I believe can be an inspiration to everyone who reads it.” Since the release of her book, Williams has appeared on Good Morning America, CBS Early Show, CNN, Bloomberg, BET, multiple ESPN shows and has been featured in articles in Essence, the Wall Street Journal and the Associated Press.
  • Jim Courier will be introduced as the Tournament Honoree at the upcoming 2010 Farmers Classic, presented by Mercedes-Benz, during a special opening night ceremony on July 26 at the LA Tennis Center on the campus of UCLA. The annual award has been given since 1985 to a person who has greatly influenced the growth of tennis through their playing career and other contributions to the game. Courier won the Farmers Classic in 1997 without dropping a set. “I have had the privilege of participating in the Farmers Classic for many years, and I am humbled to be this year’s Tournament Honoree,” said Courier. “I look forward to spending time with my many Southern California tennis friends and accepting this honor.”
  • Martina Navratilova will participate in the 19th Annual Celebrity Tennis Classic at the Berkeley Tennis Club on Saturday, October 2. Navratilova will also take part that evening in the “Casino Royale” Gala at the Claremont Resort. The tennis legend will share the entire day with Bay Area tennis pros, as well as celebrities from radio, television and sports. Admission for the Celebrity Tennis Classic is $20 per adult and free for children under 10-years-old. The “Casino Royale” Gala is $175 per person.
  • Australian network Channel 9 is dropping its rights to covering Wimbledon after nearly 40 years. The network, which will reportedly save $15 million as a result, plans to focus on acquiring more Aussie Rules football. It has yet to be announced which Australian television network will cover Wimbledon starting in 2011.
  • 2002 Legg Mason Tennis Classic champion James Blake has accepted a wild card into this year’s tournament. The former champion will be making his first appearance at the Washington, D.C., event since 2006.
  • Peter Lundgren, who once coached Roger Federer, will now coach Stanislas Wawrinka. The pair began working together on Monday. “I’m going to try to get Stan to become more aggressive,” said Lundgren.
  • Nikolay Davydenko’s brother, Eduardo, is no longer working full-time for the No. 6 player in the world according to Lifesports.ru. Eduardo has decided to focus more of his coaching attention on his 17-year-old son, Philip, who hopes to turn pro someday. Nikolay’s wife, Irina, will take over some of the small coaching duties including ordering practice courts and critiquing his game.
  • The U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) announced that John Isner was its June Athlete of the Month, along with softball player Alissa Haber.
  • John Isner and Nicolas Mahut won the ESPY for the year’s Best Record-Breaking Performance with their 70-68 five set thriller during the first round of Wimbledon. Kim Clijsters won the ESPY for Best Comeback, while Roger Federer and Serena Williams won the Best Male and Female Tennis Player, respectively.
  • Radek Stepanek, who is currently ranked No. 29 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings, married former WTA Top 10 player Nicole Vaidisova in Prague on Saturday. Media in Czech Republic reported that Vaidisova wore a $50,000 dress and was walked down the aisle by her biological father. Fellow WTA Tour players Iveta Benesova, Klara Zakopalova and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova attended the wedding, as well as hockey legend Jaromir Jagr.
  • People’s Daily is reporting that Justine Henin is hoping to return to competition on the WTA Tour in the fall in Beijing. “I hope Beijing is her next tournament,” said Carlos Rodriguez, Henin’s longtime coach. “She will definitely be here if she recovers.” Henin recently announced that she would not compete until after the US Open after injuring her elbow during a fall in her fourth round loss to Kim Clijsters at Wimbledon.
  • The Fordham Athletic Department announced on Monday that Head Men’s Tennis and Squash Coach Bob Hawthorn has retired from coaching after 54 years of service. “Bob Hawthorn is a Fordham treasure.  His many years of hard work, dedication and love for the University and especially the men’s tennis and squash programs will always be appreciated,” said Frank McLaughlin, Fordham’s Executive Director of Athletics. “Bob is a true Fordham legend.  We are looking forward to taking the strong foundation that Bob has established for the men’s tennis and squash programs and building on it to ensure future success.  We wish Bob and his family much success and happiness.” A graduate of Fordham in 1953, Hawthorn was a standout tennis and squash player for the Rams. Hawthorn, who also coached at Fordham Prep starting in 1958, was inducted into the Fordham Hall of Fame in 1977. The legendary coach will reside in New Rochelle, N.Y., with his wife Eileen.

Cincinnati and Rome to be Combined Events in 2011: Washington, DC Area Awarded WTA Event: This Week in Tennis Business

by

By: Justin Cohen

  • The 2011 ATP and WTA Tour calendars feature two new combined tournaments and a new summer event in the United States. The Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome and the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters and Women’s Open in Cincinnati will be combined events. The combined events in Rome will start on May 9 and the Cincinnati tournaments will begin play on August 15. A new WTA Tour tournament in Howard County, Md., will be held back-to-back with the ATP tournament in the nation’s capital. Also, a “virtual combined event” in Montreal and Toronto will take place where fans in one city will be able to watch live matches on television from the other tournament.
  • The USTA and Tennis Channel announced that the Los Angeles-based network will air live broadcasts of the finals of the 2010 US Open National Playoffs. The Men’s Championship will be shown on July 25 from the Atlanta Athletic Club, during the ATP World Tour Atlanta Tennis Championships. The Women’s Championship will be shown on August 1 from the Taube Family Tennis Center at Stanford University, during the Bank of the West Classic. In addition to the live coverage of the finals for both the men’s and women’s championship match, Tennis Channel will air a one-hour documentary, chronicling the first year of the US Open National Playoffs. Olympus, which is the official camera and long time sponsor of the US Open, is the sponsor of the playoffs and presenting sponsor of the one-hour documentary. “We are thrilled to have Tennis Channel telecasting the men’s and women’s finals of the 2010 US Open National Playoffs to a national audience,” said Jim Curley, USTA Chief Professional Tournament Officer and US Open Tournament Director. “The US Open National Playoffs has been a great opportunity for all tennis fans to have their own special link to the US Open and these telecasts are the perfect capstone to the first year of this initiative. These should be exhilarating and emotional finals with a chance to play in the US Open on the line.”
  • The 2010 Bank of the West Classic announced on Tuesday that former World No. 1 Maria Sharapova will be the featured night session match on Tuesday, July 27 at 7 p.m. The tournament will feature a 30-player singles draw including Elena Dementieva, Vera Zvonareva, Ana Ivanovic, Samantha Stosur, Yanina Wickmayer, Daniela Hantuchova and defending champion Marion Bartoli.
  • The “Best of Belgium” at King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, which was to feature Kim Clijsters vs. Justine Henin, will now be called the “Best of Belgium versus the Best of the World” featuring Clijsters vs. Serena Williams to be held Thursday, July 8. Henin had to pull out of the exhibition match with an elbow injury she got during a fall in her fourth round loss to Kim Clijsters at Wimbledon. Henin did announce that she will be in attendance as a spectator.  The match organizers are opening the attendance for the match will break the current record of most fans for a tennis match, which is 30,472 from the Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs match at the Houston Astrodome in 1973. Williams is scheduled to compete in World Team Tennis the day after her match with Clijsters when she and the Washington Kastles play the New York Buzz at 7:30 pm in Glens Falls, N.Y.
  • The BBC reached a two-year deal to broadcast the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals at London’s O2 Arena from November 21-28. Under the new agreement, the BBC will show a live match each day of the tournament, including the opening match of the tournament, as well as one semi-final match and the championship match. Rafael Nadal has already qualified for the year-end championships.
  • Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde, winners of 61 doubles titles, including 11 majors,  and 14-time Grand Slam champs Gigi Fernandez and Natasha Zvereva, as well as 14-time Grand Slam champion Owen Davidson lead the list of 2010 Hall of Fame inductees, which will take place Saturday, July 10 at 12:30 p.m., in Newport, R.I. Brad Parks, the founder of wheelchair tennis, and Derek Hardwick, past chairman of the Lawn Tennis Association, will also be inducted into the Hall of Fame. “We are delighted to honor these professionals who have made a remarkable impact on tennis, both on and off the courts. Gigi, Natasha, Todd, Mark and Owen achieved extraordinary results at all levels of competition, proving themselves to be true champions and legends in tennis. Brad excelled on the courts as well, and he developed an entirely new aspect of the game for the world to enjoy. Derek’s vision and leadership abilities were instrumental in elevating the game to the global sport that it is today,” said Christopher Clouser, Chairman of the International Tennis Hall of Fame and Museum. “All seven of these individuals have left a positive impact on the game of tennis, and we are pleased to recognize their successes and contributions.” Since 1955, the International Tennis Hall of Fame has honored 218 people representing 19 countries, comprehensive of the Class of 2010. For more information, go to www.TennisFame.com
  • The YWCA Greater Los Angeles will honor Venus Williams at its Phenomenal Woman Awards Luncheon on Tuesday, July 13 at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. “We are thrilled to salute Venus Williams with the Phenomenal Woman of the Year Award. Venus Williams exemplifies the YWCA’s core mission of eliminating racism, empowering women,” said Faye Washington, CEO of YWCA Greater Los Angeles. “She also is the quintessential example of our event theme, “Saluting Women who Change the Game”. We are so proud of her accomplishments on and off the court and so grateful to her for embracing our Job Corps program and students. Our Job Corps students are electrified with excitement that she is coming to speak at their graduation, which is just one of the many things Venus has done to shine a light and draw support for our organization and our students.”
  • Kelsey Aho, 18, of Marietta, Ga., and Melanie Nolt, 19, of Manheim, Pa., have been named the 2010 Novo Nordisk Donnelly Award national recipients. Both tennis standouts, who have Type I Diabetes, will each receive a $5,000 scholarship to be used for education, tennis development, and/or medical care. Aho and Nolt will be presented with the award at halftime of the World Team Tennis match between the Philadelphia Freedom and the New York Sportimes in New York City on July 14. Garrett Jensen, 18, of Portland, Ore., and Lauren Stauffer, 16, of Lititz, Pa., will also receive regional finalist scholarship awards of $2,500 each.
  • Serena Williams is on the cover of this week’s Sports Illustrated issue under the headline, “Love Her, Hate Her: She’s the Best Ever.” Williams is also in this month’s issue of Harper’s Bazaar, where she discusses her outburst at last year’s US Open over a foot-fault call.
  • Denis Kudla, the No. 1 ranked American, has signed a multi-year deal with Tecnifibre. The current No. 9 ranked junior in the world, reached the quarterfinals of the junior Wimbledon tournament last week. The 17-year-old won his first ever ATP World Tour main draw match on Tuesday in the opening round at the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport, R.I.
  • Nicolas Mahut, who lost to John Isner in the record-breaking 11 hour and five-minute match at Wimbledon, donated memorabilia from “The Match” to the Museum at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I., on Saturday. Mahut, who is in town to participate in the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, talked to Hall of Fame CEO Mark Stenning and fans about the match that made him a household name forever. “The Museum at the International Tennis Hall of Fame is an incredible landmark for the game of tennis. I am humbled and honored to have a piece of history from my career on display alongside memorabilia from the game’s greatest stars,” said Mahut.
  • A record 32,036 were on the grounds at the All England Club on the final Sunday for the Rafael Nadal vs. Tomas Berdych championship match, which beats last year’s record of 30,867. The overall attendance for 2010 was a remarkable 489,946, which is the second highest total in history.
  • Maria Sharapova announced that she helps design the outfits that she wears during competition and they are now available to the public. “The things that I wear on court are actually available for people to buy. I’ve got a chance to help design the dresses and the two piece outfits and that’s been really fun, because it’s something that’s really creative. I’ve been interested in it since I was pretty young,” said Sharapova.
  • The NCAA announced last Friday that the University of Illinois will host the 2013 NCAA Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships. The Championships will be held from May 16-27 at the Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex and the Atkins Tennis Center in Champaign, Ill.
  • Tommy Haas and fiancée Sarah Foster are expecting their first child in November, according to his Facebook page. Haas, who has been off the tour for most of the year following shoulder surgery, expects to return to competition in late August.
  • Justine Henin will be sidelined from competition for at least two months with an elbow injury she suffered at Wimbledon. Henin will not participate in the US Open in New York in August. “I took several medical examinations that have revealed a partial ligament fracture of the right elbow,” Henin said on her official website. “This injury will keep me away from the courts for an approximate period of two months, with the consequence a withdrawal from the U.S. circuit, including the U.S. Open.”
  • Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will be out of competition for two months with a knee injury he suffered during Wimbledon.
  • Janko Tipsarevic and broadcaster Biljana Sesevic were married in Belgrade, Serbia, on Sunday. Novak Djokovic, Victor Troicki and Nenad Zimonjic were all in attendance at the wedding.