grand slam winner

Jennifer Capriati elected to International Tennis Hall of Fame

April 13, 2012 by WTM

A former world No. 1, Capriati won three Grand Slam tournament titles and an Olympic gold medal during her career.

NEWPORT, R.I., USA, April 13, 2012 – American tennis star and former world No. 1 Jennifer Capriati has been elected to receive the highest honor in the sport of tennis- induction to the International Tennis Hall of Fame. In addition to her world No. 1 status, Capriati’s successful career featured an Olympic gold medal, three Grand Slam titles, a Fed Cup title with the United States team, and an ability to stage remarkable comebacks. Capriati cracked the world top-10 in 1990, her first season on tour, and in October 2001, she became the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) World No. 1, a position she held for a total of 18 weeks.

“I am thrilled to learn that I have been elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame. This is a dream come true and an extraordinary tribute. I love this game and am incredibly honored by the Hall of Fame’s vote. Tennis has been my passion and dedication for my entire life, and to be acknowledged for this passion and dedication is truly icing on the cake,” said Capriati. “Finally, to all of my fans: You mean so much to me. I am, and have always been, blessed beyond words by your support both during and after my playing days. You unquestionably made this game so memorable for me and I miss you all so much. I can’t wait to go to Newport to express my sincere appreciation to my fans, and celebrate with them, my family, my coaches, and everyone else in the tennis community. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I truly feel humbled to be a part of history and am honored to be considered among the greatest of all time.”

Capriati has been elected to the Hall of Fame in the Recent Player Category, and she is the final member of the Hall of Fame Class of 2012 to be announced. The previously announced members of the Class of 2012 are former world No. 1, Brazilian tennis star Guga Kuerten; Spanish tennis legend Manuel Orantes; tennis administrator and promoter Mike Davies; and wheelchair tennis star Randy Snow, who will be honored posthumously. The Class of 2012 Induction Ceremony will be held on July 14, 2012 at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island.

“Jennifer Capriati had one of the most accomplished and exciting tennis careers in recent years, and she is most deserving of the honor of Hall of Fame election. We look forward to celebrating this achievement with her and her fans,” said Christopher E. Clouser, chairman of the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Capriati, 36, is originally from New York, N.Y., but she has been a long-time resident of Tampa and West Palm Beach, Fla.

In her first season on the WTA, 1990, Capriati reached the finals of two of her first three pro events, losing to Hall of Famers Gabriela Sabatini and Martina Navratilova, and she advanced to the semifinals of the French Open before falling to eventual champion Monica Seles. She also captured her first career title in her first season on tour, defeating Zina Garrison at Puerto Rico.

In 1992, Capriati won the Olympic gold medal at the Barcelona games, defeating both the second-seeded Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario and the top-seeded Stefanie Graf. She was a member of the championship United States Fed Cup team in 2000.

Capriati took a break from tennis in 1994-95 and 1997-98, staging a successful comeback in the 1999, 2000, and 2001 seasons.

At the Australian Open in 2001, Capriati defeated top seed and world No. 1 Martina Hingis in straight sets to win her first Grand Slam title. Having entered the tournament seeded No. 12, she was the lowest seed to ever win the title, a record that still stands today. She then entered the French Open seeded No. 4, and defeated No.1 seed Hingis in the semifinals and No. 12 seed Kim Clijsters in the final to win her second consecutive Grand Slam title. She was the only player that year to reach at least the semifinals of all four of the Grand Slam tournaments.

In 2002, Capriati advanced to her second consecutive Australian Open final, this time as No. 1 seed. Once again facing Hingis, Capriati fought back from 6-4, 4-0 down and saved four championship points, in brutally hot weather, to eventually prevail 4-6, 7-6(7), 6-2, to claim her third Grand Slam title. The match was widely regarded as one of the greatest comebacks in tennis history, and it was named one of the ten best matches of the decade by Tennis magazine. The dramatic match earned Capriati the 2002 ESPY Award for Comeback Player of the Year, for which the other nominees were Hockey Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux and Basketball Hall of Famer Michael Jordan.
Capriati stopped playing at the end of the 2004 season, having compiled a career record of 430-176 and having won 14 career singles titles and 1 doubles title.

Eligibility & Voting
The International Tennis Hall of Fame elects people in three categories- Recent Player, Master Player, and Contributor. Capriati has been elected in the Recent Player Category. Eligibility criteria for this category is as follows: active as competitors in the sport within the last 20 years prior to consideration; not a significant factor on the ATP World Tour or WTA within five years prior to induction; a distinguished record of competitive achievement at the highest international level, with consideration given to integrity, sportsmanship, and character. A panel of International Tennis Media vote on the Recent Player nominee. A 75% favorable vote is required for election.

Located in Newport, Rhode Island, the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the history of tennis and honoring its greatest champions and contributors.

French final features fading Federer fitness

June 8, 2011 by Charles Bricker

Federer lovers to accept that he can no longer maintain a high fitness level

Even after Rafael Nadal went down love-40 in the opening game of the fourth and final set, in what surely seemed to many like a massive momentum shift for Roger Federer, I never doubted how this French Open final would play out in Rafa’s favor.

The Paris partisans had stepped up their chants and hand-clapping after their French-speaking hero had come from a break down to win the third set, stalking to his changeover chair twitching his fist in what has become tennis’ cliché pumping-up gesture.

I’m certain they thought Federer was on the cusp of a momentous rally from two sets down to win his second Roland Garros title. But those were the tennis dilettantes, those not properly indoctrinated in the physical demands of this tournament.

Physical demands which at age 25 Nadal is brimming with and which Federer, at nearly 30, no longer possesses over the course of seven matches, and especially on clay.

I knew Nadal would win in four and the one-sidedness of this final set (7-5, 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-1) was certainly no surprise – not when you look at Federer’s late fatigue in Grand Slam matches over the last couple years.

Where would you like to start? How about the 2009 Australian Open final, about the time Federer’s decline from Grand Slam winner to Grand Slam pretender began? Lost to Nadal 6-2 in the fifth set.

Let’s go to the 2009 U.S. Open, where Federer led Juan Martin Del Potro two sets to one in the final. He lost the final set 6-2.

Next up: The 2010 U.S. Open, where he led Novak Djokovic two sets to one in the semis. He lost the final two sets 6-2, 7-5.

And now this French Open, where for three sets he played on virtually equal terms with Nadal, until he tired noticeably in the final set.

He had a great start to that fourth set with a couple of zingers and some great finesse for a 0-40 lead. But Nadal seized the next five points. They weren’t handed to him, he took them. And Federer never looked quick enough again.

I spent an hour poring over that fourth set, again, this afternoon, watching Federer a half-step slow or slightly out of sync having to run for balls. Midway through the final set, he had a gimme that came up so short it barely cleared the service line. Federer was a count late getting to the ball and instead of hitting an easy forehand winner, he had to lunge at the last moment for the ball and hit from such a low point that it was impossible to get any depth with pace. Nadal won that point, too.

On point after point in that final set, it was obvious how much more stamina and speed Nadal possessed in relationship to Federer.

There’s been a lot said about Nadal’s forehand dominance in the cross-court exchanges with Federer’s backhand, and it’s often a legitimate point. But, really, this final wasn’t really about forehands and backhands. It was about physical endurance more than any other factor. Nadal had it, as we all expected he would. Federer had it for three sets and was gassed by the fourth.

It’s difficult for the Federer lovers to accept that he can no longer maintain a high fitness level over seven matches in a fortnight, and I think part of the reason is that he looks so genuinely classic when he moves to the ball.

But that picture-perfect movement is a bit seductive. You wind up oohing and aahing over the ballet instead of examining the end result. Even in that fateful final set on Sunday, Federer looked classic racing for a backhand. But as good as it looked there wasn’t much on the ball he was trying to return.

As the set droned on, his shots got shorter and shorter – an obvious sign of fatigue. And there was that final error of the match. A forehand for which Federer didn’t have to move. He slugged it long on match point, almost as if he was just giving it away.

This was the 25th time they’ve played each other and Nadal has now won 17 and nine of the last 11. Those people who think this is a rivalry need to rethink. A rivalry requires two players so equally matched that you’re never feel certain about the winner. That’s hardly the case with Nadal vs. Federer.

And, incidentally, Nadal has now won the last four Grand Slam finals they’ve played, and he’s won on every Grand Slam surface – clay, hardcourt, grass.

For the longest time, Federer has been urged by many to get more aggressive against Nadal on clay. And so he did in this match. He closed on the baseline for service returns, trying to get an edge on returns. He played riskier tennis, going for lines. He became more of a first-strike player instead of trying to work the points.

Predictably, he had more winners than usual. Also predictably, more unforced errors.

As for Nadal, one of the things you love about his game is his ability to adapt. Although Federer tried to make a point in his post-match press conference that he (Federer) plays with more variety and Nadal just does the same thing all the time, that’s complete rubbish.

Two years ago, Nadal didn’t have much of a serve up the T into the ad court. About 99 percent of his ad-court serves, especially to righties, was a slice to the corner. Presto. He developed a serve down the middle.

This year, he’s hitting more body-shot serves. He may look like simply a slash-and-burn hitter, but he can hit that backhand five different ways and his game is always evolving.

That is what has brought him 10 Grand Slam titles at age 25, and you strongly suspect there are several more to follow.

REUTERS SIGNS UP WITH LTA; HINGIS, KOURNIKOVA TO RETURN: THIS WEEK IN TENNIS BUSINESS

May 12, 2010 by WTM

By Leigh Sanders

* Britain’s Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) announced on Monday that Thomson Reuters has become its new Official Sponsor within its commercial program over a three year deal until 2012. As Official Statistics and Information Partner to the LTA, Thomson Reuters will receive major coverage at LTA events, including Wimbledon, and will become the official scoring partner of the AEGON British Tennis Series. Gus Carlson, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Thomson Reuters, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with the LTA, bringing our world-class global expertise in intelligent information to the exciting world of competitive tennis.”

* The USTA has announced that they will be honoring “tennis moms” throughout National Tennis Month this May and have placed multi-Grand Slam winner and mother of three Chris Evert as their spokesperson for the celebrations. The thirteenth annual event looks to increase participation numbers by enticing mothers and their children to play tennis together and looks to build on the positive change in participation numbers over recent years. “Tennis participation in the U.S. is enjoying a major resurgence and National Tennis Month is our annual celebration of the sport,” said Lucy S. Garvin, Chairman of the Board and President of the USTA. “We are using National Tennis Month as a platform to recognize the countless contributions that tennis moms have made to the game in introducing young people to a sport that they can enjoy all of their lives.

* World Team Tennis (WTT) has announced that a deal has been struck with Solfire to be their official kit and equipment provider for the next few years. Solfire will provide outfits for ball kids, officials, staff and some players across all WTT’s franchises and they will also design commemorative clothing to celebrate the league’s 35^th year. It increases Solfire’s foothold in tennis after they recently began endorsing stars such as Germany’s Tommy Haas.

* Aussie Open doubles champions from 1999 and 2002 Martina Hingis and Anna Kournikova have announced they will return to Wimbledon this summer to compete in the veteran’s doubles event. It will be the first time Hingis has returned to the All England Club since she tested positive for cocaine and retired from the circuit during the 2007 Championships while Kournikova has not competed since 2003 because of injury.

* Organizers of the Beijing Open are praying for favorable weather this year as their new 13,000 stadium court with retractable roof will not be ready for this year’s tournament. The neighboring 10,000-seater, flower-shaped arena used for the 2008 Olympic Games will host this year’s showpiece and the new stadium court should be ready for 2011. “There is no delay in construction of the structure, just the necessary time to finish off the decoration,” Chinese official He Huali told Reuters.

* Britain’s Andy Murray has targeted reaching the final of the Madrid Masters because one of Europe’s largest cinemas, based in Madrid, is planning on showing the event in 3D. With sport recently taking up the reigns in following 3D cinema across the continent tennis is the latest to cash in. “It’s pretty amazing the facility they’ve got here,” Murray told BBC Scotland’s Kheredine Idessane. “I want to try and play well here. I’m starting to feel much better.”

* This week’s WTA Rankings (10/05/10) sees Kim Clijsters re-enter the Top 10 for the first time since her comeback. Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez enters the top 20 at 19 for the first time after lifting the title in Rome. On the men’s side, John Isner has also entered the top 20 of the ATP rankings for the first time after his defeat in the Belgrade final and he sits at a career-high 19. Marcos Baghdatis climbs back in to the top 30 at 28.

* Belgian Yanina Wickmayer is in a race against time to be fit for the French Open after undergoing surgery on her left elbow. A spokesperson for the 20-year-old, who reached the semi finals of the US Open last year, said that the injury dated back eight years to when she was knocked over by a car. Alternatively, other reports (Brussels AP) are stating it was in fact surgery to remove a bone spur from her right elbow. Whichever way, recovery time is likely to be ten to twelve days, meaning she will be pushing it tight to enter Roland Garros.

* Novak Djokovic has pulled out of Madrid after failing to recover from his illness and problems with his allergies that forced him to retire from his quarterfinal match-up with young Serb Filip Krajinovic in Belgrade last week. His withdrawal means Britain’s Andy Murray is now ranked third behind Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

* Tennis legend John Newcombe has undergone skin cancer surgery after a doctor found that the cancer had spread under the skin and caused a growth on the right side of his nose. The 65-year-old, seven-time Grand Slam winner is recovering well and expects to be at Wimbledon next month. He is the second star this year to announce they are suffering from cancer. Martina Navratilova announced she is suffering from breast cancer earlier this year.

* Yanina Wickmayer, Maria Sharapova and defending champion Magdalena Rybarikova head the list of players entering the AEGON Classic at the Edgbaston Priory Club, England, from June 7-13 2010. The draw features 11 of the world’s top 50 players and Francesca Schiavone, Aravane Rezai as well as Britain’s Elena Baltacha will prove other crowd drawers. “It’s fantastic to see such a strong field at the tournament this year,” said Tournament Director Patrick Hughesman in a statement on the LTA website. “These players will produce some great tennis for the crowds to enjoy and the field really sets the tournament up for some exciting matches.”

* Babolat has announced a new format for its Pure Drive model of racquet to coincide with the 135^th anniversary of the French brand this year. The Pure Drive first shot to prominence when Spaniard Carlos Moya shot to the 1998 French Open title using it and this is an homage to both player and racquet. The usually blue design will be given a “red clay” colouring to coincide with the 2010 French Open and all Babolat-endorsed players will sport a matching 135^th anniversary bag throughout the tournament.

* The International Tennis Hall of Fame and Museum has dated their 2010 Legend’s Ball for September 10^th at Cipriani 42^nd Street in New York City, which will again coincide with the US Open. The ball honors the legends of the sport and welcomes the new inductees for that year to the fold whilst also benefitting the ITHF&M which is the world’s premier archive of tennis history and memorabilia. This year sees doubles legends Gigi Fernandez and Natasha Zvereva and Aussie kingpins Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde as well as another Aussie doubles legend, Owen Davidson, taking their place in the annuls of the sport. For more information visit: www.tennisfame.com.

* The inaugural London Golf & Tennis Show took place last week at London’s ExCel Centre and was hailed as a resounding success by organizers. The adding of tennis to the annual golf show opened the exhibition up to a new audience and visitor numbers far surpassed expectations. Wilson, Yonex, Babolat, Adidas, Head, Prince and Fila, among others, held stalls at the event and the ATP got involved offering tickets to the ATP World Finals event to be held in London’s O2 Arena once more in November. “Exhibitors I have spoken to have been delighted with the quality of the visitors to the show,” said Colin Brunton, the Golf and Tennis Show Group’s CEO, “and likewise, when speaking to visitors they have enthused about the depth and diversity of our exhibitor base. Everyone had a good time.”

* TournaGrip, Ace Authentic, the International Tennis Hall of Fame, Morfit Performance sports clothing, Peter Kaplan Tennis Academy, State Ultra Bar in Providence, WesthamptonTennis.com and New Chapter Media are sponsors in the first show “World Tennis With Harry Cicma” which will start its second season on the New England Sports Network (NESN) this Saturday at 1 pm and 4:30 pm eastern. “World Tennis with Harry Cicma” will feature five new shows that will air on the third Saturday of each month this summer from May through September. The thirty-minute television show, featuring tennis personality Harry Cicma, features interviews and features from the world of tennis. The debut show will air on the following dates and times; Saturday, May 15 – 1 pm and 4:30 pm eastern; RE-AIR, Tuesday, May 18, 5:00 pm eastern; RE-AIR, Saturday, May 22, 6:30 pm eastern; Cicma reports for NBC Sports & NBCSports.com and was previously the sports anchor and producer at NBC in Providence, R.I., CBS in Springfield, Mass., and ABC in Sioux City, Iowa. He is the co-founder and host of “World Tennis with Harry Cicma” and also served as a commentator for other networks including Fox Sports Net and Tennis Channel and has commentated for World Team Tennis and the U.S. Open tennis championship’s world feed. A former ATP world-ranked doubles player, he was also a standout Big East tennis player at Rutgers University. In addition to airing on NESN, the show will be available globally on the internet at www.WorldTennisMagazine.com and on the WorldTennisMagazine YouTube channel following its airing on NESN.