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lindsay davenport

Practice Retrieving Drop Shots, Says Lindsay Davenport

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By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

Lindsay Davenport gave out some great advice for competitive tennis players while commentating the third round match between Ons Jabeur and Clara Tauson on Tennis Channel from Roland Garros.

Practice retrieving drop shots.

“That is something that should be practiced more,” said Davenport. “They don’t do it enough…what to do when they get drop shotted. Very rarely do you see a practice where a player is drop shotted and they have to play that shot. Tauson is just not sure what to do with some of those. If you’re going to win tournaments, you’re going to have to come up against someone that might use that, like Ons.”

Davenport continued, “And it’s not even just getting there (to the drop shot). So then what do you do when you do get there? What grip do you have? What’s your mentality? So many players run with the slice grip then they are stuck when they get up there If they get up there in time, they have the wrong grip.”

Davenport is not only a former Wimbledon, U.S. and Australian Open winner, an Olympic gold medalist and an inductee into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, but a certified Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) coach and the new captain of the U.S. Billie Jean King Cup team. Probably her most cherished coaching job, however, might be to her son Jagger Leach, competing in the French Open junior championships and a commit to play college tennis for Texas Christian University.

Davenport’ television booth partner Brett Haber then relayed that 2022 U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev, who has a penchant for playing way back behind the baseline and more susceptible to drop shots, told Jim Courier in a post-match on court interview at the Australian Open that he actually does practice running up to retrieve drop shots.

“The only player I’ve heard recently talk about practicing what to do when they’re drop shotted is Daniil Medvedev,” said Haber. “He told Jim in Australia during that great conversation they had on court that they spent practice time because he plays so deep in the court to return. That he spent chunks of his practice time working on the sprint up to the net.”

Haber pointed out in the first game of the Jabeur vs. Tauson match that they should have a drop-shot meter to count the number of drop shots that Jabeur would hit. Davenport pointed out that Tauson was known for her hard ball-striking, but that she was not as adapt with her movement, especially on clay courts. To boot, as a young player, Davenport said players like Tauson may not be used to the variety of shots that a player like Jabeur hits, whether it be slices, drop shots or other speed and arc of shot.

Jabeur, who is coached by PTR coach Issam Jellali, defeated the 21-year-old Tauson 6-4, 6-4.

USA vs. Belgium Tie Is The Second-Most Interesting Billie Jean King Cup Match This Weekend In Florida

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by Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

The United States is hosting a Billie Jean King Cup match against Belgium at the U.S. Tennis Association National Campus in Orlando but it’s only the second most interesting match in this international team competition in the state of Florida this week.

Because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the match-up between Ukraine and Romania had to be moved and tennis promoter Tim Stallard secured the rights to hosting the tie and is holding it at the Amelia Island Plantation on Amelia Island in northeast Florida, the former site of the former historic WTA tournament best known as the Bausch & Lomb Championships.

The Ukraine vs. Romania match will feature two of the biggest current storylines in women’s tennis. For starters, Elena Svitolina of Ukraine continues not only her inspiring comeback to top-level tennis after becoming a mother, but also her inspired play for her war-torn nation. The Amelia Island matches will benefit Elena Svitolina Foundation, which helps Ukrainian efforts in society and sport. Secondly, the Ukraine vs. Romania matches will be the second official competition that Romania’s former Wimbledon champion Simona Halep will play after her drug suspension controversy ended. She previously played in the main draw of the Miami Open last month. (Greg Sharko, the communications officer for the Ukraine vs. Romania matches has now told me that Halep has pulled out of the matches citing injury).

Both of the Ukraine vs. Romania storylines – as well as being a match where the outcome will certainly be in doubt – makes for a more interesting follow than the match featuring Team USA against Belgium at the USTA National Campus. The big storyline in the USA vs. Belgium tie is the debut of Hall of Famer Lindsay Davenport as the U.S. captain. The newly-minted Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) accredited coach, Davenport has assembled a team of top-notch American talent comprised of Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys, Emma Navarro, Caroline Dolehide and Taylor Townsend.

By contrast, Belgium is still looking for players to replace the legacies of Kim Clijsters and Justin Henin. Its highest ranked player is No. 278 Hanne Vandewinkel for this tie. Team USA’s team has three players ranked in the top 21, led by world No. 5 Pegula. A one-sided U.S. shutout is certainly expected.

It’s exciting that the USTA National Campus is hosting its biggest ever international event. However, only a very limited number of tickets (only a few dozen we hear) were made available to the general public as the event is held in conjunction with the USTA’s Annual Meeting, a confluence of USTA national, sectional and district staff and volunteers as well as other industry leaders who all, undoubtedly, will be attending the matches in a small-ish hard court stadium on the campus.

We Found Out More Details On USA vs. Belgium Billie Jean King Cup Match At USTA National Campus

Tickets for the Romania vs. Ukraine matches, however, are available in an intimate 600-seat tree-covered stadium at Amelia Island.

Both matches will be held Friday, April 12 and Saturday, April 13. Tennis Channel will cover the USA vs. Belgium matches.

The intimate stadium at the Amelia Island Plantation, former home of the Bausch & Lomb Championships. It will host Romania vs. Ukraine Billie Jean King Cup matches April 12-13.

We Found Out More Details On USA vs. Belgium Billie Jean King Cup Match At USTA National Campus

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By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

The United States Tennis Association announced on December 12, 2023 that the USTA National Tennis Campus in Lake Nona, Florida will be the host venue for the USA vs. Belgium Billie Jean King Cup matches April 12-13.

The press release on the event formerly known as Fed Cup and Federation Cup did lack details as to what the specific surface the match will be played on (the USTA National Campus features hard, green clay and red clay) and where specifically on the campus will the match be played as there are multiple areas on the grounds for these surfaces. However, USTA representative Pat Mitsch did confirm via email that the match will be played on a hard court and will be played on the mini-hard court stadium on the campus that is located just to the west of the main building on the campus. The capacity will be approximately 1,500 with temporary bleachers being built around the court, according to Mitsch. .

It is significant in that it will be the biggest pro tennis event to be played on the campus and will mark the debut of U.S. tennis legend Lindsay Davenport as the U.S .captain.

The USTA National Campus hosts, seemingly, some sort of tournament every week, whether it be USTA Florida junior, adult or league matches, USTA national championships, college tennis matches featuring the University of Central Florida as the home team or special  “College Match Day” matches or USTA Pro Circuit Futures or Challenger tournaments.

The specific mini-hard court stadium has previously hosted other special event pro matches, namely the Orlando World Team Tennis franchise the Orlando Storm in 2019 and also the PowerShares Series “senior” tennis event in 2018 won by Mardy Fish over James Blake in the final.

The Billie Jean King Cup matches will provide for added exposure to the USTA National Campus and will be held, we were told, at the same time the USTA will hold its Annual Meeting there, although we could not find via numerous google searches as to details of the 2024 USTA Annual Meeting. This would, theoretically, also provide a built-in enthusiastic audience of passionate USTA and tennis promoters made up of USTA national and sectional staff and volunteers from around the country.

The decision to host the matches at the USTA National Campus is also a fiscally responsible one as, with very little promotional lead team, these ties can be susceptible to being financial losers, but the USTA will obviously get the facility rent-free, will get all the vending profits and will not have to pay for most of the travel and lodging for many staff members.

The USTA press release is seen below…

USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla., to Host U.S. vs. Belgium Billie Jean King Cup Qualifying Event April 12-13

World Cup of Women’s Tennis Comes to Orlando for the First Time as Top American and Belgian Players Compete for 2024 Finals Qualification  

ORLANDO, Fla., December 12, 2023 – The USTA today announced that the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla., will host the U.S. vs. Belgium Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Qualifying competition April 12-13, 2024, a best-of-five match series with the top pro women’s players from the U.S. and Belgium competing to advance to the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup Finals.  

Billie Jean King Cup is the ‘World Cup of Tennis,’ with more than 100 nations competing every year in women’s tennis’ premier national team competition. This is the highest level of professional tennis to be hosted at the USTA National Campus and the first time Orlando has hosted a Billie Jean King Cup event.  

The Qualifying event is one of eight being held around the world in April, with the winners of each advancing to the Finals next November in Seville, Spain, to compete for the title. The United States leads all nations in all-time titles, with 18.   The Qualifier is a best-of-five match series that begins Friday, April 12, at 6 p.m., with two singles matches featuring each country’s top two singles players. Two reverse singles matches and a doubles match will follow on Saturday, April 13, at 2 p.m., with an amended Saturday schedule possible if one nation clinches victory in the third or fourth singles match.  

The Qualifying event will mark the first for Tennis Hall of Famer Lindsay Davenport as team captain, and she’ll nominate a team of five players to compete against the Belgians. The U.S. currently has eight players ranked in the singles Top 50, and both reigning US Open champion and world No. 3 Coco Gauff and world No. 5 Jessica Pegula played in last year’s Qualifying, held in Delray Beach. The final team nominations will be made in March.  

“Bringing the ‘World Cup of Tennis’ to Orlando and the USTA National Campus for the first time is an incredible opportunity,” said Lew Sherr, CEO and Executive Director, USTA. “Our goal is to deliver an unforgettable and inspiring experience for both the players and the fans, as the uniqueness and excitement of this competition set at our world-class facility makes for an unprecedented platform to elevate and grow the game.”  

Ticketing information will be announced at a later date. Local sponsorship opportunities are available, and interested parties should contact the USTA’s Megan Rose (megan.rose@usta.com). Wilson is the official ball of the U.S. Billie Jean King Cup team.   # # #  

The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level — from local communities to the highest level of the professional game. A not-for-profit organization, it invests 100% of its proceeds in growing the game. It owns and operates the US Open, one of the highest-attended annual sporting events in the world, and launched the US Open Series, linking summer WTA and ATP Tour tournaments to the US Open. In addition, it owns approximately 120 Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S. and selects the teams for the Davis Cup, Billie Jean King Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games. The USTA’s philanthropic entity, the USTA Foundation, provides grants and scholarships in addition to supporting tennis and education programs nationwide to benefit under-resourced youth through the National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) network. For more information about the USTA, go to USTA.com or follow the official accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (X) and TikTok.     

Lindsay Davenport Named New U.S. Billie Jean King Cup Team Captain

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The USTA announced that Hall-of-Famer, Grand Slam champion and four-time year-end world No. 1 Lindsay Davenport will be the next captain of the U.S. Billie Jean King Cup team. A three-time Billie Jean King Cup champion, Davenport will become the team’s 20th captain following the 2023 Finals, which will be captained by Kathy Rinaldi.

“Playing Billie Jean King Cup was always something that was a huge priority and a huge highlight for me during my career. I always felt a tremendous amount of pride representing my country, and I’m excited to do it now in a different role,” Davenport said. “Joining a prestigious list of U.S. captains is an incredible honor, and with the group of players that we have now and their great personalities, I really couldn’t ask for a better time to have this position.”

Davenport was one of the most successful U.S. Billie Jean King Cup players in history, helping to lead the U.S. to titles in 1996, 1999 and 2000. She played in 20 ties over a record 11 years, going 26-3 in singles and 7-0 in doubles. Her 26 singles victories are tied with Billie Jean King for second all-time for the U.S., behind leader Chris Evert, and her 33 total wins rank fourth, behind Evert, King and Rosie Casals.

Davenport was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2014 after a career that saw her win three Grand Slam singles and doubles titles, along with the 1996 Olympic Gold Medal in singles. She won 55 singles and 38 doubles titles in all, spent 98 weeks as the world No. 1 and was the year-end No. 1 in 1998, 2001 and 2004-05.

Since retiring in 2010, Davenport has worked as a commentator and as a coach, notably of American Madison Keys. As captain, Davenport will have a year-round role with USTA Player Development, traveling to support American players and serving as a mentor for American pros and juniors.

“Lindsay has been the embodiment of a champion throughout her career, and few players have had as much success playing for their country as she has,” said Brian Hainline, Chairman of the Board and President, USTA. “We’re excited to welcome her experience and leadership back to the Billie Jean King Cup team at a time when the present and future of American women’s tennis couldn’t be brighter.”

Current captain Kathy Rinaldi, who will continue on as USTA Player Development’s Head of Women’s Tennis after stepping down from the captaincy, will lead the U.S. in the upcoming Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Finals November 7-12 in Seville, Spain. The Finals will feature 12 nations competing in four round-robin groups of three, with the group winners qualifying for the knockout semifinals. The U.S. was drawn into Group A with Switzerland and the Czech Republic.

“I look forward to watching and supporting the U.S. team in the Finals later this year,” Davenport said. “Kathy has been an amazing role model to not only the players now but also myself, and I look forward to continuing what she started the last seven years. She’s done a remarkable job and I look forward to the U.S. hopefully winning it this year so that when I’m captain, we’re defending champions.”

# # #

The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level — from local communities to the highest level of the professional game. A not-for-profit organization, it invests 100% of its proceeds in growing the game. It owns and operates the US Open, one of the highest-attended annual sporting events in the world, and launched the US Open Series, linking summer WTA and ATP World Tour tournaments to the US Open. In addition, it owns approximately 120 Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S. and selects the teams for the Davis Cup, Billie Jean King Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games. The USTA’s philanthropic entity, the USTA Foundation, provides grants and scholarships in addition to supporting tennis and education programs nationwide to benefit under-resourced youth through the National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) network. For more information about the USTA, go to USTA.com or follow the official accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (X) and TikTok.

2 Aug 1996: Lindsay Davenport of the USA celebrates on the podium after being awarded the gold medal for winning the women’s singles tennis against Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario of Spain, center, at Stone Mountain Tennis Center in Stone Mountain, Georgia at the

Iga Swiatek’s French Open Victory Further Showcases Her New Comfort As World No. 1

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By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

“She went from being elated to be No. 2 to ‘Oh my goodness’” said former world No. 1 Lindsay Davenport on Tennis Channel of Iga Swiatek in March at the Miami Open when the Pole was surprisingly moved to the WTA top ranking after the shock retirement of Ash Barty of Australia.

Swiatek was fresh off winning the singles title at Indian Wells in a “Battle for the No. 2 ranking” against Maria Sakkari, but the following week, when Barty announced her sudden and immediate retirement, Swiatek, then 20 years old, was suddenly thrust into the top rung of women’s tennis, just days after she ascended to the No. 2 ranking.

“I have to think that it will be a bit overwhelming for her,” said Lindsay Davenport of the sudden adjustment to her status in the game as being the hunter to being the hunted.

It’s a natural and rationale expectation of a young player thrust into that situation suddently. However, Swiatek responded by seizing the No. 1 ranking perhaps not like anyone ever before. She capped this incredible streak of success in her new found perch by winning her 35th straight match by defeating 18-year-old Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-3 in the final of the French Championships in Paris. Swiatek has won 17 straight matches since she was presented with the fact that would be the sudden world No. 1, including winning the title in Miami as well as Stuttgart and Rome. She hasn’t lost since February 16 when she lost in the second round of Dubai to another French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko. Her only losses for the year were to Danielle Collins in the semifinals of the Australian Open and to Barty in the semifinals of Adelaide.

It was her second title at Roland Garros after being in another sudden and transitional circumstance in the Fall of 2020 when she was ranked No. 54 in the world and was the unexpected singles winner in Paris when she defeated reigning Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin in the final.

“It’s coming together, like a puzzle,” said Swiatek to NBC’s Maria Taylor of her rise and adjustment to be the top dog in women’s tennis.

Swiatek swatted 18 winners in the final, many from her lethal forehand which Mary Carillo on NBC described as “the biggest single shot in women’s tennis.”

“There really is no equal to the Iga Swiatek forehand on the women’s side,” said Cariilo, comparing the shot to the forehand of Steffi Graf from back in the day and, more recently, the Serena Williams serve.

Gauff, who has been heaped with praise and expectations since she reached the fourth round at Wimbledon as a qualifier in 2019 as a 15-year-old, was visibly upset after the loss, crying into her towel after the match was over and also becoming emotional in her post-match speech. However, reaching her first major final was a major accomplishment for the Delray Beach resident and filled her with belief that she can now break through and win a major singles title.

“Honestly, that I could do it,” said Gauff to NBC’s Taylor after the match when asked what she can take away from her performance. “For a while, I really believed that I couldn’t do it.”

Gauff won just as many games (four) in her first major singles final as one of her idols, Venus Williams, did in her first major final at the 1997 U.S. Open when at age 17, she lost to Martina Hingis 6-4, 6-0.

Iga Swiatek (photo by Peter Menzel via WikiCommons)

The Australian Open Champion Who Almost Wasn’t – Book Excerpt From “The Greatest Jewish Tennis Players of All Time”

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The following is an excerpt from Sandy Harwitt’s book “The Greatest Jewish Tennis Players of All Time” ($19.95, New Chapter Press, available here:  http://www.amazon.com/dp/193755936X/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_iEgYub1G0P727 via Amazon.com) on Brian Teacher, whose career was highlighted by an incredible story on how he was able to win the Australian Open in 1980.

 

Brian Teacher came from a time when players thought that winning a college tennis scholarship was the ultimate success story and very few could even imagine playing on the international tennis circuit.

His love of tennis came from his mom, who played recreational tennis at Morley Field, a public park in San Diego where the great Maureen Connolly learned to play the game. Brian was born in 1954 and he describes his hometown of San Diego aptly: “In the ‘50s, it was pretty much a sleepy naval town.” Before he was old enough to go to school, Brian would accompany his mother to Morley Field a few times a week when she would play tennis and he would play nearby to the courts.

“I would run around there and watch my mom play,” Brian remembered. “I kind of wanted to try and play tennis at an early age so they gave me a racket. I seemed to take a natural liking to it and she would always feed me balls.”

As Teacher’s interest in tennis grew, his parents started giving him occasional lessons. And then when he was between 10 and 12 years old, he would take weekend clinics at the public facility with Fred Kinney, an editor at the San Diego Union-Tribune and avid tennis player.

“There was not that many places to play in San Diego there weren’t many clubs,” he said. “There was the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club but that was in La Jolla and I lived more in the center of San Diego. And at the same time you had to have a lot of money to belong to a club and we didn’t have enough money.”

By the time that Teacher reached his teens, he was even more taken in by tennis. He wanted to do whatever he could to become the best player possible. In his mind he hit the jackpot when he was offered a tennis scholarship to UCLA — it was known as a highly prominent tennis school as well as an academically acclaimed college.

“I was excited to go up there because it was one of the top teams in the country,” Teacher said. “They had (Jeff) Borowiak and (Jimmy) Connors there, although when Jimmy won the NCAAs he left to turn pro. I went to UCLA in ’72 and pro tennis just came in in ’68 so there wasn’t a lot of money in it.”

While Brian was thrilled to be at UCLA to pick the brain of tennis coach Glenn Bassett, he also expanded his tennis horizons by hopping in the car and going to Rolling Hills. That’s where he would take occasional lessons from Robert Landsdorp, a Dutchman born in Indonesia who had a guiding hand in molding many of the greats including Tracy Austin, Lindsay Davenport, and Maria Sharapova.

When Teacher entered UCLA he had no intention of pursuing a pro career, it just wasn’t the given natural progression for most back then although former Bruins Arthur Ashe and Connors went in that direction. But, as time progressed, Teacher began to realize he was a collegiate standout and his mind began to wander to the tour. He would stay on at UCLA to help the Bruins to the NCAA team title his junior and senior years, but he would leave school about 16 units short of a degree, a situation he rectified by earning his diploma in economics when he retired from pro tennis in 1989: “Around my second year, when I won the Pac-8, I said to myself, ‘You know, I’m kind of at the top of this college thing and I’m beating everybody so I should think about going pro. I mean, why not, what do I have to lose?’ ”

At 6-foot-3, the lanky Teacher thrived on fast-court surfaces where his serve and volley style was at its best. He would win eight career titles, reach 15 additional finals, and be among the top 10 in the world, topping out at No. 7 in October 1981. The tour was a very different animal in its proinfancy — paychecks lacked in the extra zero department— and facilities weren’t state of the art: “We still had fun,” he said.

Teacher’s crowning achievement was becoming a Grand Slam champion by winning the 1980 Australian Open. Heading into Melbourne, Teacher had reached the final at the five previous tournaments he played: Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Taipei, Bangkok and then the Australian Open tune-up tournament in Sydney. What most people don’t know is that Teacher nearly didn’t play at the Australian Open that year, initially planning to fly back home to resolve a family matter.

Teacher had met and married fellow California player Kathy May, also a Top 10 player, when they were very young. May, who came from a very prominent background, decided to leave the tour early in the fall of 1980 but Brian was continuing to play. May also came from strong Jewish roots although she was raised in the Protestant faith. Her father, the late David May II, was a notable figure in the Los Angeles Jewish community as the heir of the family business — May Company Department Stores Co., which operated 324 stores in 31 states and the District of Columbia when he died in 1992. Her maternal step-grandfather Mervyn LeRoy, who she considered her grandpa, was a famous Hollywood director and the producer of “The Wizard of Oz,” and also was Jewish.

“I was married kind of young at the time and it’s kind of a funny story, and I don’t think it’s ever been publicized,” said Teacher, starting to describe the circumstances behind his Australian Open victory. “We weren’t getting along that well so it was right after my final match at Sydney when I called home and I said, ‘I just lost and I had match point’ and the first thing out of Kathy’s mouth was she wanted a divorce. I said, ‘What?’ That’s like crazy and we had just been talking about moving and starting a family. I thought about it, the Australian Open was supposed to start in two days and I was definitely playing the best tennis of my career and I was going to be seeded. But I said to myself, ‘You know what, I think something is going on here, maybe there’s another guy involved.’”

Convinced he would be unable to focus on playing, Teacher decided to pull out of the Australian Open and go home: “I actually called up (Australian Open tournament director) Colin Stubbs and pulled out of the draw. I told Colin I had hurt my back from all those finals in a row and he said, ‘Too bad.’”

His bags packed and less than a half hour away from leaving his hotel room for the airport, Teacher received a call that changed his mind: “I got a phone call from Kathy’s father, David, and he told me that it’s not going to do you any good to come home right now. There’s too much stuff going on with Kathy so I shouldn’t bother coming home. David told me, ‘Why don’t you just go to Hawaii, take a break.’”

Teacher thought about his father-in-law’s advice but decided a solo Hawaiian vacation as his almost two-year-old marriage was on the rocks wouldn’t be any fun: “I didn’t think I’d have a good time in Hawaii so I might as well just stay and try to play this tournament. I called Colin Stubbs back four or five hours after my first call to him and said, ‘Colin, you know what, I just went and got some acupuncture and it feels much better. Do you think you can let me back in the draw?’ Colin said, ‘You know Brian I can’t do that, I just took you out of the draw and put somebody in, but I think somebody else is pulling out of the tournament so let me see what I can do, but you can’t tell anybody because I’m not supposed to do this.’” In today’s world, this could never happen, but back then Stubbs managed to sneak Teacher back into the competition.

The rest is history. In a draw that included marquee names such as Guillermo Vilas, Ivan Lendl, Jose Luis Clerc, Vitas Gerulaitis, Brian Gottfried and Yannick Noah, Teacher came through with the win, defeating surprise finalist Kim Warwick 7-5, 7-6, 6-3 in the final for the victory he describes as “meant to be.” It should also be pointed out that Teacher is the last major champion that holds a university diploma, a further sign that playing college tennis fell out of style as players turned pro earlier.

Back when Teacher played, almost all the players competed in singles and doubles and Brian was no different. He won 16 doubles titles in his career with a variety of partners although he was often linked with fellow Californian Bruce Manson (also a Jewish player) with whom he won five titles. Playing in a time when there were many prominent Jewish players on the tour, it was just an incidental fact if you happened to be of that faith. However, with a generic last name like Teacher it was hardly a given that fans were aware he was a member of the tribe. That fact became very clear at the 1980 U.S. Open when Teacher faced Israeli Shlomo Glickstein in the second round, a match that Brian won in five sets.

“I remember playing Shlomo at the U.S. Open and maybe people didn’t realize I was Jewish,” he said. “And here I’m an American and the whole crowd, they’re going

crazy for Shlomo. I guess, maybe, I should’ve said, ‘Hey I’m Jewish, too.’ I should have. I was all pissed off and I’m trying to focus and am all irritated. And besides that we were playing at that very back court at the back of Flushing Meadows where they had the hamburger stand and the whole time hamburger smoke was blowing in my face.”

Teacher’s marriage to Kathy May did dissolve, but Teacher’s second marriage was a happier match and the couple have two daughters. He taught both to play tennis when they were little but neither had much interest in the game. Recently, Brian credits his oldest, Noelle, in awakening a little more of an interest in Judaism.

“I had a Bar Mitzvah,” he noted. “I’m spiritually religious. I like the tradition. It’s funny, but my older daughter is embracing the tradition much more than I am so she’s kind of bringing me back to the fold.”

Since his retirement from tennis, Teacher has undergone two hip replacements and suffers from osteoarthritis — he was diagnosed at 19 with arthritis, initially in his neck and spine. Despite the pain, Teacher remains active to combat the disease and does a lot of Vikram Yoga. For a long time, he traveled as a coach to other players — Andre Agassi, Greg Rusedski, Max Mirnyi, Jim Grabb, Richey Reneberg, Daniel Nestor, Mark Knowles — but nowadays operates the boutique Brian Teacher Tennis Academy close to his home in Southern California.

Teacher was enshrined in the ITA Hall of Fame, NCAA Tennis Hall of Fame and Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

 

Brian Teacher
Brian Teacher

Hewitt Wins 30th Title; Davenport Leads Five Newest Members into Tennis Hall of Fame

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Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

Pablo Cuevas beat Joao Sousa 6-2 6-1 to win the SkiStar Swedish Open in Båstad, Sweden

Roberto Bautista Agut beat Lukas Rosol 6-3 4-6 6-2 to win the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart, Germany

Lleyton Hewitt beat Ivo Karlovic 6-3 6-7 (4) 7-6 (3) to win the Hall of Fame Championships in Newport, Rhode Island, USA

Simona Halep beat Roberta Vinci 6-1 6-3 to win the Bucharest Open in Bucharest, Romania

Andrea Petkovic beat Shelby Rogers 6-3 6-3 to win the Nürnberger Gastein Ladies in Bad Gastein, Austria

Kaia Kanepi beat Teliana Pereira 6-2 6-4 to win the Open GDF Suez de Biarritz in Biarritz, France

 

SAYING

“I was five years old when I first hit a tennis ball. I never wanted to learn another sport and I still don’t. I loved playing this game. I never thought any of this would be possible. It always felt a little bit like an accident. This is an incredible honor, an amazing achievement. I will forever be humbled by this.” – Lindsay Davenport, on being inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

 

“We’ve had some tough times with surgeries the last few years. But it’s nice to know that all that hard work has paid off.” – Lleyton Hewitt, after finally winning the Hall of Fame Championships in his third consecutive appearance in the final.

“Last year when I was in the hospital I didn’t know if I would be able to do this again. To be here and do this now it’s an unbelievable feeling.” – Ivo Karlovic, who had viral meningitis and been in a coma before beginning his comeback at the Newport, Rhode Island, tournament a year ago.

“I want to play every match and every tournament to reach as high a ranking as possible.” – Simona Halep, following her Bucharest Open victory over Roberta Vinci.

“Simona is an incredible tennis player and she has a phenomenal game. I gave it my best and I actually managed to get to 2-0 in the second set, but she was too strong.” – Roberta Vinci.

“It’s really difficult to win a tournament on grass and then go to Wimbledon and win a couple matches there and then, with only a few practices on clay, come here and win the title. It’s really amazing.” – Roberto Bautista Agut, after winning on clay in Stuttgart, Germany.

“It’s a super feeling, I am totally happy, I want back into the top 10 and I am just playing good tennis. My serve and my footwork can still improve but I am playing well.” – Andrea Petkovic, following her winning the Gastein Ladies trophy.

“I had an incredible time. This has definitely been a week I will never forget.” – Shelby Rogers, a qualifier who reached her first WTA final before losing to Andrea Petkovic.

“Now I know exactly how it feels for those who have reached the top of Mount Everest, and the view from up here is amazing.” – Nick Bollettieri, after being inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

“Hitting the ball was always something that came very natural to me. It was a blessing. It happened at a young age. I didn’t realize it was that hard to do, that I had a special talent. … Everything else about the game took work and was a struggle. But that was also the reason I fell in love with it.” – Lindsay Davenport, talking about her huge ground strokes.

 

“She led the pack in changing the game. The tennis you see today, when you see Petra Kvitova win Wimbledon, I think of Lindsay. She was the one who opened the door to that. The way she was just describing hitting the ball, that’s the way every woman player wants to hit the ball.” – Jane Brown Grimes, talking about Lindsay Davenport.

 

“I can speak first hand to the fact that Jane’s skilled diplomacy was crucial to the survival of the WTA tour as she was able to navigate the tricky waters of attracting and keeping desirable sponsorships while distancing our association with past relationships with controversial brands. It was a pivotal time for women’s tennis and it put us on a secure course for the future.” – Chris Evert, introducing Jane Brown Grimes as a new inductee into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

 

“There’s so many examples in this sport making room for tolerance and understanding in a world often torn by bitter conflict. So tennis has grown bigger and stronger and richer, but it has also done what Dwight Davis set as a goal when founding Davis Cup in 1900, to promote goodwill internationally. I feel so very lucky to have played a very small role in this amazing story, and to be recognized in this way in front of so many friends and family and fans is more than I could ever have imagined.” – Jane Brown Grimes, accepting her entry into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

 

“Wheelchair tennis brought so much to my life. The challenge to work on my tennis game, I just love to practice and see if all you work for will reveal in the matches. But it also helped me deal with my life in a wheelchair. Being around all those active, young, independent, positive-minded sports people showed me how great my life in a wheelchair still could be. I’ve learned so much from all the other players and I’m grateful for that. I hope that with all I have learned I am able to inspire others.” – Chantal Vandierendonck, on being inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

 

 

SUCCESS, FINALLY

The third time was the charm for Lleyton Hewitt. After losing in the final on the grass at Newport, Rhode Island, USA, for the last two years, Hewitt finally captured the Hall of Fame Championships by besting huge-serving Ivo Karlovic. And it didn’t come easily. The veteran Australian served for the match in the second set and squandered two match points on Karlovic’s serve. But the former world number one finally prevailed to capture his 30th career ATP title and his second of 2014. “It was obviously very tough the last couple of years,” said Hewitt, referring to his loss to John Isner in the 2012 final and to Nicolas Mahut in the title match a year ago. “Last year I served for it as well. That just makes it more gratifying.” The 33-year-old Hewitt has had five surgeries in five years. He and his 35-year-old opponent made this the oldest final in the grass-court tournament since it was first held in 1976 and the oldest ATP final showdown so far this season. Hewitt never managed a break point on Karlovic’s serve in the final set, but staved off three breaks points on his own serve to force the tiebreak. The Australian won five of the final six points to capture the title. “Just had to focus on what I needed to do,” Hewitt said. “I was just focusing on trying to hold serve in the third set. I t was a tough match. I was really happy to get through.”

The Hall of Fame Championships turned out to be doubly rewarding for Hewitt. After capturing the singles title, he teamed with fellow Australian Chris Guccione to win the doubles, defeating Jonathan Erlich and Rajeev Ram 7-5 6-4.

 

SIMONA THE BEST

It was fitting that Simona Halep captured her home tournament, the Bucharest Open. Top-seeded and ranked third in the world, Halep took just 68 to down the second-seeded Roberta Vinci for the third time in five career meetings. Halep, nine years younger than her 31-year-old Italian opponent, was runner-up at Roland Garros in June and a semifinalist at Wimbledon earlier this month. “I really wanted to play this tournament and win it,” Halep said. “Today’s final was a very emotional one. The crowd was amazing and I want to thank everybody who played a part in the tournament.” Vinci entered the final with an incredible 9-1 record in WTA title matches. But she knew who she had to beat to win in Bucharest. “I knew ever since yesterday that it was going to be difficult,” the Italian said. Halep has won eight WTA titles – six last year and two so far this season.

The home crowd had even more to cheer about. Joining Halep in taking home a trophy was the Romanian team of Elena Bogdan and Alexandra Cadantu. They won the doubles title by besting Cagla Buyukakcay and Andreja Klepac. It was the first WTA title of any kind for both Bogdan and Cadantu.

 

SWEDISH OPEN STAR

Pablo Cuevas won his first ATP Tour-level title when he captured the SkiStar Swedish Open by stopping Joao Sousa. Cuevas becomes the first ATP World Tour champion from Uruguay since Marcelo Filippini triumphed in St. Poelten, Austria, in May 1997. Filippini also won the Swedish Open in 1988. The 28-year-old Cuevas missed the entire 2012 season following knee surgery. He has been one of the top performers on the Challenger circuit and is currently ranked 111th in the world. Against Sousa, Cuevas dominated in all aspects of the game. Sousa was seeking his second ATP World Tour title. He became the first Portuguese to win a tour-level trophy last year in Kuala Lumpur.

 

SECOND CROWN

Roberto Bautista Agut was bombarded with 13 aces, but still managed to win his second title in as many months. Seeded third in the clay-court event, Bautista Agut downed Lukas Rosol to win the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart, Germany. Rosol slammed 13 aces, but he was unable to halt the winning game of the 23-ranked Spaniard. “Since the start of the season I believed a lot in myself and my work,” Bautista Agut said. “I’ve been playing really well, won a lot of matches and it was only a question of time before this happened.” His victory on grass at ‘s-Hertogenbosch last month was the first of Bautista Agut’s career. “I was looking to find a good rhythm, but the serve was not working at all,” Rosol said. “I had to risk a lot with my shots. The level was not as good as the previous rounds and it’s a pity because I felt really good this week.” Bautista Agut is the ninth Spanish champion in Stuttgart and the sixth in the last 10 years.

 

STEADY PERFORMER

Andrea Petkovic once was ranked in the top 10 in the world. She is on the way to returning to that lofty perch if her performances this season are any indication. The German won her second title of 2014 at the Gastein Ladies by beating surprising American Shelby Rogers. Petkovic also won in Charleston, South Carolina, USA, in April. “I wanted this victory so badly,” Petkovic said. “I am very relieved. Shelby played very aggressive tennis. I didn’t know her game, but I’ve done some research on YouTube.” Roger had to qualify for the main draw and had never been beyond the second round of a WTA event before. Ranked 147th in the world, the 21-year-old from South Carolina had never beaten a player ranked in the top 50 until this tournament. En route to the title match, Rogers beat 16th-ranked Carla Suarez Navarro, 40th-ranked Camila Giorgi and 14th-ranked Sara Errani – all in straight sets.

Twins Karolina and Kristyna Pliskova won 10 of the final 11 points in the match tiebreak to capture the Gastein Ladies doubles crown. The sisters beat Andreja Klepac and María-Teresa Torró-Flor in the final for their second WTA doubles title together. They are the only twins in the history of women’s tennis to win a WTA doubles crown as a team. “The final wasn’t looking that good for us,” Karolina Pliskova said. “We were losing almost the whole time and we were down 5-0 in the tiebreak, too. But we were still hoping we could win and we still played every point, and with a little bit of luck we came back and won. So we’re really happy. It’s our second title, and second one in Austria.”

 

SPLITS WITH COACH

Ana Ivanovic is looking for a coach again. The former world number one announced on her web site that she and Nemanja Kontic had split by mutual agreement. According to a brief statement, Kontic’s contract expired after Wimbledon and after “amicable discussions,” it was not renewed. While Kontic was her coach, Ivanovic won three titles this season, including the grass-court Wimbledon warmup event at Birmingham, Great Britain. She announced the new coach will be announced “in the coming weeks.”

Remember Nick Kyrgios? He’s the 19-year-old Australian who shocked Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon. Saying he wants to spend more time at his home in Canberra, Australia, Kyrgios has split with his coach Simon Rea. “My desire to be at home more in Canberra when I am not at tournaments has driven me to make the decision for change within my team,” Kyrgios said in a statement. “Not only is Simon a great coach but he is a great person and I wish him all the best in the next phase of his coaching career.” Kyrgios had worked with Rea since he won the Australian Open junior boys singles title last year. Australian Davis Cup coach Josh Eagle and Canberra-based academy coach Todd Larkham will take over for Rea in coaching the youngster.

 

SUPER CHAMPIONS ALL

Lindsay Davenport highlighted the ceremony for the five new inductees into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, USA. The three-time Grand Slam tournament singles champion was joined in the induction ceremonies by coaching legend Nick Bollettieri, Dutch wheelchair tennis star Chantal Vandierendonck, long-time tennis executive Jane Brown Grimes and British author and broadcaster John Barrett. The newest members bring the Hall total to 238 honorees from 20 nations.

The 38-year-old Davenport won the 1998 US Open, 1999 Wimbledon, 2000 Australian Open and the gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. “To be with all the greatness here is overwhelming,” Davenport said at the on-court ceremony. She finished the year as the top-ranked woman player in 1998, 2001, 2004 and 2005. She helped the United States team win three Fed Cup titles and captured three Grand Slam tournament doubles titles.

The 82-year-old Bollettieri has coached 10 players who became number one in the world, including Hall of Fame members Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, Monica Seles and Boris Becker. He has also worked with Maria Sharapova and sisters Serena and Venus Williams. He founded his own boarding school and tennis academy in 1978, which has evolved into a facility with offerings in eight sports and more than 900 year-round students.

Vandierendonck, who was injured in a 1983 car accident, was ranked number one in women’s wheelchair singles for 136 weeks and doubles for 107 weeks. The 49-year-old is a five-time Paralympic medalist.

The 82-year-old Barrett is a former British Davis Cup captain as well as a noted author, journalist and television commentator on tennis. He was the “Voice of Wimbledon” on the BBC from 1971 until 2006. His wife, the former top-ranked player Angela Mortimer Barrett, was inducted into the Hall in 1993. Agassi and Steffi Graf are the only other married couple in the tennis shrine.

Brown Grimes has been involved in tennis for more than 40 years. She is a former managing director of the Women’s Professional Tennis Council (now known as the WTA Tour Board), was president of the USTA and president of the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

 

SNARED BY POLICE

Police in Prague, Czech Republic, have arrested a man who they say threatened “a publicly known person” in a phone call. In announcing the arrest, police spokeswoman Gabriela Holcakova would not confirm Czech media reports that the targeted person was Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova. Holcakova said the 23-year-old man was arrested as police considered the threats serious. The incident follows criticism of Kvitova for moving to Monaco to avoid paying higher taxes.

 

STRAIGHT TO THE BANK

Players at this year’s US Open Tennis Championships will split a record purse of USD $38.3 million. In announcing the 11.7 percent increase in prize money, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) said the men’s and women’s singles champions will each earn USD $3 million, a record payout at the year’s final Grand Slam tournament. Winners of each round of the singles competition will be given a double-digit percentage increase over last year. “This year’s prize money increase continues the commitment to make the US Open one of the most lucrative purses in all of sports,” USTA chairman Dave Haggerty said in a statement. The total purse for the US Open’s singles, doubles and mixed doubles competitions will exceed those at two of the other three Grand Slam tournaments. Wimbledon this year had a total prize pool of nearly USD $42 million. This year’s US Open qualifying tournament will offer more than USD $1.5 million in prize money for the first time, an 11 percent rise over 2013.

 

SAYS I DO

Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic is now a married man. Djokovic and longtime girlfriend Jelena Ristic were wed in Podgorica, Montenegro, four days after he defeated Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final. When he won the grass-court Grand Slam tournament title, he dedicated the victory to his fiancée “and our future baby.” The two first met in high school and have been together for more than eight years. They are expecting their first child later this year. The civil wedding was held in a park above a beach close to the luxury Montenegro islet Sveti Stefan and was attended by the families, close friends and some hundred guests, according to reports. A religious ceremony was held a few days later. Among those attending the civil ceremony were tennis players Maria Sharapova, Viktor Troicki, Nenad Zimonjic and Janko Tipsarevic as well as Djokovic’s coach Marian Vajda and his wife.

 

SKIPPING SWEDEN

Saying she was not fully recovered from the ailment that caused her to pull out of the doubles at Wimbledon, Serena Williams withdrew from this week’s tournament in Båstad, Sweden. According to Collector Swedish Open officials, Serena Williams does not want to compete until she is 100 percent recovered. Serena won the clay-court event last year.

 

STUTTGART CHANGE

The Mercedes Cup tournament in Stuttgart, Germany, is switching from clay to grass. The ATP World Tour 250 event will be played on grass courts beginning next year. At this year event, which was played on clay, the new grass courts were officially open. Following the ceremony, former Wimbledon champions John McEnroe and Michael Stich played an exhibition match, which was won by the 55-year-old McEnroe 6-4 5-7 10-8 (match tiebreak). “The change to grass is a great opportunity for the Mercedes Cup,” Stich said. “I congratulate the tournament on this brave step. Now the grass court season will finally be extended by one week. It is good that the players will have more time to manage the difficult transition from clay to grass.”

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Bad Gastein: Karolina Pliskova and Kristyna Pliskova beat Andreja Klepac and María-Teresa Torró-Flor 4-6 6-3 10-6 (match tiebreak)

Båstad: Johan Brunstrom and Nicholas Monroe beat Jeremy Chardy and Oliver Marach 4-6 7-6 (5) 10-7 (match tiebreak)

Biarritz: Florencia Molinero and Stephanie Vogt beat Lourdes Dominguez Lino and Teliana Pereira 6-2 6-2

Bucharest: Elena Bogdan and Alexandra Cadantu beat Cagla Buyukakcay and Karin Knapp 6-4 3-6 10-5 (match tiebreak)

Newport: Chris Cuccione and Lleyton Hewitt beat Jonathan Erlich and Rajeev Ram 7-5 6-4

Stuttgart: Mateusz Kowalczyk and Artem Sitak beat Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and Philipp Oswald 2-6 6-1 10-7 (match tiebreak)

 

SURFING

­Hamburg: http://bet-at-home-open.com/

Bogota: www.claroopencolombia.com/

Båstad (women): http://women.swedishopen.org/

Istanbul: www.istanbulcup.com/

Kaohsiung: www.oectennis.com

Atlanta: www.bbtatlantaopen.com/

Gstaad: www.creditagricolesuisseopengstaad.ch/en

Umag: www.croatiaopen.hr/tenis/home.aspx

Baku: www.bakucup.az/

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$1,619,600 bet-at-home Open, Hamburg, Germany, clay

$663,610 Claro Open Colombia, Bogota, Colombia, hard

$125,000 Kaohsiung Challenger, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, hard

 

WOMEN

$250,000 Collector Swedish Open, Båstad, Sweden, clay

$250,000 TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Cup, Istanbul, Turkey, hard

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$580,272 Crédit Agricole Suisse Open, Gstaad, Switzerland, clay

$580,272 Vegeta Croatia Open, Umag, Croatia, clay

$568,805 BB&T Atlanta Open, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, hard

$125,000 President’s Cup, Astana, Kazakhstan, hard

 

WOMEN

$250,000 Baku Cup, Baku, Azerbaijan, hard

$125,000 Zhonghong Jiangxi International, Nanchang, China, hard

$100,000 President’s Cup, Astana, Kazakhstan, hard

Lleyton Hewitt
Lleyton Hewitt

When Lindsay Davenport First Burst On The Scene

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By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

 

Lindsay Davenport leads the “Class of 2014” at the International Tennis Hall of Fame induction in Newport, R.I. The induction provides a platform to relay memories of when she first burst onto the top of the tennis scene in 1996.

I first met Lindsay at the U.S. Open in 1993 when she was just 17, one year removed from her winning the junior title at Flushing Meadows. She was one of the U.S. players I was promoting as part of my USTA publicity duties with top up-and-coming American players in conjunction the USTA Player Development program.

Three years later in 1996, I was fortunate enough to serve my first stint as press officer for the U.S. Olympic tennis team at the Atlanta Games. Lindsay barely made it onto the U.S. team as the last singles player on a squad that also featured co-world No. 1 Monica Seles, top-ten player Chanda Rubin as well as defending gold medal doubles champions Mary Joe Fernandez and Gigi Fernandez.

At the U.S. team pre-event press conference before the competition began, Lindsay was sitting on the stage with seven of her teammates – Seles, Rubin, Mary Joe and Gigi Fernandez as well as men’s team members Andre Agassi, Mal Washington and Richey Reneberg and U.S. coaches Billie Jean King and Tom Gullikson. It was curious that of all the questions asked by media during this press conference, not one was directed to Lindsay. She was the only team member to be silent during the session.

As the tennis competition started, Lindsay moved through the draw as quietly as she sat through the pre-event team press conference. With upsets of No. 5 seed Anke Huber of Germany and No. 4 seed Iva Majoli of Croatia, Lindsay, the No. 9 seed, reached the semifinals where she met teammate and close friend Mary Joe Fernandez, a replacement for an injured Rubin in the singles draw. It was an emotional match between Lindsay and Mary Joe – both being such great friends – but Lindsay pulled the minor upset of the more experienced Fernandez 6-2, 7-6 (6) and surprised the tennis world by reaching the final against former world No. 1 Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario.

The day before the gold medal match, we booked Lindsay on a media junket in downtown Atlanta to help get some much needed publicity towards Olympic tennis, which at the time was still in its nascent stages as an Olympic sport, having returned to the Games after a 64-year absence just eight years earlier. Tennis was almost a forgotten Olympic sport, still trying to find its identity on the Olympic landscape. As we shuffled between media outlets and TV stations around Centennial Olympic Park, it was a bit unusal to see that no one really recognized or paid much attention to Lindsay when we walked through crowded fan areas. Standing at over six-feet tall, it was hard not to mistake her for an athlete in this Olympic environment.

The next day in the gold medal match, Sanchez-Vicario was the heavy favorite – so much so that Juan Antonio Samaranch, the President of the International Olympic Committee, had bestowed upon himself to be the IOC official who would award the medals at the tennis event that day, believing that he would be presenting gold to his fellow Spaniard Sanchez-Vicario. But Lindsay pulled a stunner – not quite the U.S. Olympic hockey team upsetting the Soviets at the 1980 Winter Games – but she surprised Sanchez-Vicario 7-6 (8), 6-2 in the final. The player who no media member had even bothered to ask a question to in the pre-event press conference was the Olympic champion. Samaranch placed the gold medal around Davenport’s neck and silver around Sanchez-Vicario’s.

The day after the gold medal match, we returned to downtown Atlanta for an even more crowded media junket for the newly-crowned gold medalist, visiting CNN, ESPN, NBC, MSNBC and others. We walked down the same route where Lindsay was completely unnoticed just 48 hours earlier, but now she was being greeted with constant barrages of shouts of “USA” and “Way to go Lindsay” while posing for numerous photos. It’s amazing what winning a gold medal will do for your notoriety. All the while, Lindsay kept her gold medal neatly tucked in her front pocket, out of sight until she needed to bring it out for her media appearances.

Even though it was five years before the September 11 attacks on the United States, it was just a week after the Centennial Olympic Park bombing and security was tight. Entering TV studios required going through metal detectors, which is what we had to do and, as Lindsay walked under the arches of the detector, she set it off. The security official was one of the few people during the day who did not recognize the new Olympic golden girl and asked politely for Lindsay to empty her pockets of “any metal objects” and to place them in a non-descript blue plastic dish to the side. Lindsay reached into her pocket and took out her Olympic gold medal, placing it in the plastic dish before walking again through the detector. The security official, with her mouth ajar, then reached into the dish and pulled the gold medal up by its green ribbon. “Woooowwwwwwwwww,” was all she could manage to say as her eyes bulged in amazement, staring close up at the most desired object of the Olympic Games. It was a unique and amusing moment.

Two years after her Olympic win, Lindsay won her first major singles title at the U.S. Open, beating another favorite in the final, top-seed Martina Hingis. A year after that, she won Wimbledon, also in a surprise, beating 22-time major champion Steffi Graf in the final. Another year later, she added the Australian Open to her collection of major singles titles. Now, 18 years after winning Olympic gold in Atlanta, she’s a Hall of Famer.

Lindsay Davenport
Lindsay Davenport

Tomas Berdych, Victoria Azarenka Bounced from BNP Paribas – Mondays with Bob Greene

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Mondays with Bob Greene

STARS

BNP Paribas Open

(First Week)

Lauren Davis beat third-seeded Victoria Azarenka 6-0 7-6 (2)

Roberto Bautista Agut beat fourth-seeded Tomas Berdych 4-6 6-2 6-4

Maria Teresa Torro beat fifth-seeded Angelique Kerber 2-6 7-6 (5) 6-4

Eugenie Bouchard beat ninth-seeded Sara Errani 6-3 6-3

Julien Benneteau beat ninth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-4 6-4

 

SAYING

“I played unbelievable. I was not serving very well, I had to play my best tennis from the baseline to win the match.” Roberto Bautista Agut, after upsetting Tomas Berdych in the BNP Paribas Open.

“Anything I touched today was basically bad and was wrong. It (was) definitely my worst match that I had this year.” – Tomas Berdych, following his upset loss to Roberto Bautista Agut.

“It was a very good start. I was happy with how I played. I felt my intentions were good out there. I played well. I created a lot of opportunities for myself on return and that’s really all I can ask for.” – John Isner, after hammering 15 aces in a 7-6 (5) 6-3 victory over Nikolay Davydenko.

“When you win a Grand Slam, people only see the two weeks of the tournament, but they don’t know how hard we’ve been working before these two weeks. You can prepare for these moments for years.” – Li Na, on the work that goes into winning a Grand Slam tournament.

“When I’m playing, I do feel like it’s about me a lot of the time. I play very aggressively, so a lot of times I’m in control. Unfortunately it’s not a happy ending every time.” – Petra Kvitova, when asked if she feels like it is her play that determines her matches.

“It took me time to realize really what I did in Australian Open. Still, when I’m saying that I won a Grand Slam, it’s still strange for me. But that’s why it was good to be home during three weeks. It was good to be with the family, to take more time for myself.” – Stanislas Wawrinka, who won the Australian Open men’s singles in January.

“I’m so honored by this incredible recognition. I feel very blessed to have had a wonderful tennis career, and now to be recognized in the Hall of Fame alongside the great champions who have always inspired me is just a tremendous honor.” – Lindsay Davenport, after being elected into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

“Monica was my favorite player. I think she was pretty much everyone’s favorite player. I wanted to be like her. I wanted to do everything like her. I even styled my grunt after hers – I kind of changed it and made it my own. But Monica always inspired me. I’ve always loved Monica.” – Serena Williams, commenting about Monica Seles.

“They’re tough to compare. Carrying the torch was probably the biggest honor I could have received. It was one of those moments that happened so fast, but I was so happy, even in the lead-up of running into the stadium, the whole atmosphere before in the green room, to see everyone so excited for each other. We were creating a little part of history. It was also the first time I’ve had all my family in the stadium watching me – my grandparents, both of my parents as well. That never really happens.” – Maria Sharapova, when asked to compare carrying the torch in Sochi to carrying the Russian flag in the London Olympics.

“I know they know better. I just don’t understand what good they think they’re doing blasting every move American tennis is trying to make. If these guys are so brilliant and have all the answers, how come the decline in tennis has happened while they have been the unofficial leaders of the private sector? Where are all their players? And don’t make me sick with the finger pointing, blaming the USTA or Player Development or Patrick (McEnroe). We’re all to blame, private and public.” – Michael Joyce, former player and former coach of Maria Sharapova, commenting on the state of tennis in the United States.

“I think a big difference is that Serena’s grown up a lot and has become more and more of her own person. She is the youngest of five, and when you’re the youngest of five you want to be like all the oldest ones. Especially in the last two years, she’s been able to become her own person and really be her own self. I’m really proud of her.” – Venus Williams, on her sister Serena.

 

SPANISH POWER

Roberto Bautista Agut is trying to prove his Australian Open performance was not a fluke. And he’s doing a good job of it. The Spaniard used his punishing ground game to knock fourth-seeded Tomas Berdych out of the BNP Paribas Open 4-6 6-2 6-4. “I had to play my best tennis from the baseline to win the match.” Berdych reached the semifinals at the Australia Open where Bautista Agut reached the round of 16 by upsetting Juan Martin del Potro. Now he has another Top 10 scalp to his credit. Berdych said his off day started in the warm up. “I just started to feel not tight but not that crisp, like in the last couple of weeks,” he said. The Czech won Rotterdam earlier this year and was a finalist in Dubai, losing to Roger Federer. Berdych broke Bautista Agut in the eighth game to level the final set at 4-4. But the Spaniard broke right back, then held to close out the win.

 

SENT PACKING

The BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, USA, was the first tournament for Victoria Azarenka since suffering a foot injury at the Australian Open. After one outing, she’s ready for her second tournament. The number three seed will have more time to recuperate after being ousted in her first match by American Lauren Davis 6-0 7-6 (2). Azarenka limped visibly at times, had trouble serving, fell to her knees several times smashed a racquet after double-faulting in the second set. “Basically all I had was my fighting spirit,” Azarenka said. “When I’m on the court I try to give as much as I can, even on one leg. I try to do my best in tough situations. That’s part of our job.” The nerve damage between the toes on her left foot required Azarenka to wear a boot for several weeks. Twice an Australian Open winner, Azarenka said she hasn’t made up her mind whether to play the Sony Open in Florida. “I want to be pain-free because it’s not the most fun to be out there like that,” she said.

 

STAN AND THE MAN

A pair of Grand Slam tournament champions from Switzerland – Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka – are playing doubles at the BNP Paribas Open. It’s not the first time they’ve played together. They won the 2008 Beijing Olympics men’s doubles gold medal for Switzerland, and reached the final at Indian Wells in 2011.  The last time they teamed up was a Davis Cup tie versus The Netherlands in September 2012. In their first match, the two knocked off the sixth-seeded team of Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi 6-2 6-7 (4) 10-6 (match tiebreak). It was the first match for the “Indo-Pak Express” since they won the doubles title in Dubai, a tournament that saw Federer capture the singles crown.

 

STEADY SERENA

Steadily Serena Williams is moving up the record book. The American has been ranked number one in the world for 179 weeks, breaking her tie with Monica Seles and moving along into fifth place for most weeks as the WTA Tour’s top-ranked player. Now 32 years old, Serena first reached the number one spot in July 2002 when she was 20 years old. Her current run at the top spot began in February 2013 when she became the oldest women’s number one since the computer rankings were introduced in 1975. The American now trails only Steffi Graf, who held the number one ranking for 377 weeks; Martina Navratilova, 332; Chris Evert, 260, and Martina Hingis, 209.

 

SELECTED TO HALL

Six-time Grand Slam tournament winner Lindsay Davenport is leading the 2014 class into the International Tennis Hall of Fame (ITHoF) at Newport, Rhode Island, USA. Also entering the tennis shrine will be five-time Paralympic medalist Chantal Vandierendonck of The Netherlands; coach Nick Bollettieri; Jane Brown Grimes, who has held executive leadership roles with the WTA, USTA and the ITHoF; and British tennis broadcaster and author John Barrett. “Lindsay Davenport had a lengthy, successful career in which she reached the pinnacle of our sport as a competitor, world number one and a Grand Slam champion, said Stan Smith, president of the ITHoF. “This summer we look forward to celebrating her many accomplishments and contributions to tennis by presenting her with the sport’s highest honor – enshrinement in the International Tennis Hall of Fame.” The Class of 2014 Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony will be held on Saturday, July 12, 2014, highlighting the Rolex Hall of Fame Enshrinement Weekend, which will also feature the unveiling of museum tribute exhibits for the new Hall of Famers, celebratory parties and special events, as well as an exhibition match featuring great tennis legends. The ceremony and festivities will be held in conjunction with the annual Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, an ATP World Tour event.

Lindsay Davenport. Now 37, Davenport held the world number one ranking for 98 weeks. She is one of four women since 1975 to have held the year-end number one ranking at least four times, in 1998, 2001, 2004 and 2005. She was also ranked number one in doubles and is one of just six players to have held both top spots simultaneously. She won three Grand Slam tournament singles titles – 1998 US Open, 1999 Wimbledon and 2000 Australian Open. In 1996, she won the Olympics gold medal at the Atlanta Games. Davenport won the 1996 French Open doubles with Mary Joe Fernandez, the 1997 US Open doubles with Jana Novotna and 1999 Wimbledon doubles with Corrine Morariu. She also posted a 33-3 Fed Cup record for the United States and was a team member for 11 years, including three championship teams.

Chantal Vandierendonck. One of the early stars of Wheelchair Tennis, Vandierendonck, now 49, was the ITF World Champion three times, she won five Paralympic medals and was the world number one player for a total of 136 weeks in singles and 107 weeks in doubles. A national tennis player before being injured in a car accident in 1983, she quickly picked up the sport and became the first in a long line of top-ranked Dutch women.  She was crowned the first ITF World Champion in 1991, then won the title again in 1996 and 1997. Between 1985 and 1993, she won seven women’s singles titles and two doubles titles at the US Open Wheelchair Tennis Championships. She won the women’s singles gold medal at the 1998 Seoul Paralympic Games, when wheelchair tennis was a demonstration sport, then went on to win two women’s doubles gold medals, a women’s singles silver and a women’s singles bronze at the 1992 and 1996 Games, after wheelchair tennis was awarded full medal status.

Nick Bollettieri. Widely regarded as one of the most influential people in the world of tennis, Bollettieri has an unparalleled record of discovering and developing champions, having coached 10 world number one players, including Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, Monica Seles and Boris Becker. In addition, he has worked with Venus and Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Tommy Haas and many more. Four of his players have been enshrined into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. After more than 30 years of coaching, at 82 years old, Bollettieri is still active on the tennis courts for more than 10 hours a day, six days a week. In 1978, he founded the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy (NBTA), the first full-time tennis boarding school that integrated intense athletic training on and off the court with academic curriculum. In 1987, IMG purchased the NBTA and evolved it into IMG Academy. Today, the IMG Academy campus spans 450 acres dotted with world-class facilities that support eight sports. More than 900 student-athletes call IMG Academy home year-round, and thousands more flock to the campus annually for training or competitions.

Jane Brown Grimes. Dedicating her life to the growth of tennis around the world for more than 35 years, Brown Grimes has had a major impact on three leading industry organizations: the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum, the Women’s Tennis Association, and the United States Tennis Association, having held leadership roles with all three. She has also been highly active with the International Tennis Federation, having served on the Junior Competitions Committee and the Rules of Tennis Committee. She is currently an active member of the Fed Cup Committee, having served since 2004. From 2005 to 2008, she was the USTA’s representative on the Grand Slam Board. Having recently earned an MBA from City University of New York – Baruch College – Zicklin School of Business, Brown Grimes continues to remain active in the business side of the sport, through her roles on the Hall of Fame Board, ITF Committees, and youth tennis programs.

John Barrett. A leader in many areas of tennis, from broadcaster to tournament director, equipment representative to player. Barrett is one of the game’s premier historians and authors. Following a successful playing career as a junior, he became the Royal Air Force’s tennis champion in 1950 and 1951 and competed at Wimbledon for 20 years. In 1956, he was a member of Great Britain’s Davis Cup Team and served as the team captain from 1959-1962. In the world of junior development he founded the BP International Tennis Fellowship, and the BP Cup, which launched the international careers of Martina Navratilova and many others. In 1976 he founded the Pepsi Junior International Series, a points-linked program which was the forerunner of the ITF’s present Junior Ranking lists. From 1969-2001 Barrett edited and contributed to the World of Tennis, acknowledged as the bible of tennis and now the official yearbook of the ITF. The recently published third edition of “Wimbledon – The Official History” is his latest contribution to the history of the sport. He was the tennis correspondent for The Financial Times in London from 1963 to 2007. Now 82, Barrett for 35 years was the “Voice of Wimbledon” on the BBC from 1971-2006, and has also been on the air with Channel 9 Australia, Channel 7 Australia, ESPN, HBO and USA Networks. He is married to Angela Mortimer Barrett, a former world number one player and a 1993 inductee into the International Tennis Hall of Fam. The Barretts are the second married couple to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame, joining Andre Agassi and Stefanie Graf.

 

SIDELINED

A left wrist injury forced Juan Martin del Potro to skip the Indian Wells tournament. It was the same injury that forced the world number seven to retire from his first-round match in Dubai last month. “It’s still hurting a lot, I’m not feeling 100 percent, I’m not in good condition to compete,” said the Argentine, who reached the BNP Paribas final last year. “I feel the same pain every day and it bothers me a lot,” del Potro said. “I’m trying to be very careful.” Wrist injuries have plagued del Potro his entire career. After he won the US Open in 2009, he played just three tournaments in 2010 because of a right wrist injury. He earned ATP Comeback Player of the Year honors in 2011 and has raised his ranking to seventh in the world. Del Potro’s spot in the draw – a second-round spot at that following a first-round bye – was taken by “lucky loser” James Ward, who then lost to Feliciano Lopez 3-6 6-2 6-4.

 

STARS ON PARADE

Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras and Ivan Lendl were presented their International Tennis Hall of Fame rings during World Tennis Day festivities in London, Great Britain. All three former world number ones have been enshrined in the Newport, Rhode Island, facility and the Hall of Fame rings are a symbol of this success. The rings were presented by Hall of Fame chairman Christopher Clouser, ITF President Francesco Ricci Bittii and Ingrid Lofdahl Bentzer, who serves as vice chairman of the Hall of Fame’s Enshrinee Nominating Committee. Introduced in 2011, the personalized rings are being presented to Hall of Famers at tennis events around the world over the next few years.

 

SPEAKS UP

Li Na wants the Chinese media to back off the country’s young players. Ranked second in the world, Li said the young stars should be left alone so they can develop both as players and as people. “Every junior has his or her uniqueness,” Li said. “I ask the press to give them space so they can develop as players and to give them encouragement rather than ask for opinions (on them) from me.” Le said some in the Chinese media tried to pry too much into her personal life, and said that was the reason she left the sport in 2002 to earn a degree in journalism at the Huazhong Institute of Science and Technology. “The first time I retired I felt I didn’t have good communication with some journalists,” she said. “So I wanted to learn why they always wrote the wrong thing. But when I studied I learned that this wasn’t always about the journalist; it was about their personality.” Li said she has been encouraged by the recent growth of tennis in China. “You see so many children picking up a tennis racquet,” she said. “It’s not a table tennis one any more, it’s tennis. So that’s good for the game.”

 

SOME CELEBRATION

Sixty-seven countries around the world celebrated World Tennis Day. It was a day that saw a Guinness World Record set when the United States Tennis Association’s Play Event at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, brought together 406 children for the “largest tennis less.” Judy Murray, mother of Wimbledon champion Andy Murray and captain of Great Britain’s Fed Cup team, helped out with the USTA’s festivities. The event was commemorated with a plaque and presentation at the World Tennis Day event at New York City’s Madison Square Garden featuring Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic as well as the Bryan brothers – Bob and Mike – and the McEnroe brothers – John and Patrick.

 

SHARAPOVA IN WAX

Tennis fans can check out Maria Sharapova whenever they are in Hong Kong. Not the real Sharapova, of course, but a wax version. Currently ranked fifth in the world, Sharapova joins other top athletes at Madame Tussauds Hong Kong. On top of her tennis success, where she has won four Grand Slam tournament titles, the Russian superstar has been the face of many luxury brands and was listed as one of the highest-paid female athletes in the world. For Madame Tussauds Hong Kong, Sharapova will be styled in her sports outfit as she appeared when she won the 2012 French Open and striking her winning forehand pose for victory. Kelly Mak, general manager of Madame Tussauds Hong Kong, said: “Sharapova will be the first tennis star to be part of Madame Tussauds Hong Kong and tennis fanatics can challenge her in a game of tennis with the interactive experience. We are excited to welcome Sharapova to the attraction and we hope to bring in many more rising stars from the sports world this year.” Other sports stars honored in the museum include soccer great David Beckham and NBA player Yao Ming. Originally opened in August 2000, Madame Tussauds Hong Kong is the first permanent Madame Tussauds in Asia. There are fifteen Madame Tussauds around the world, located in London, New York, Las Vegas, Amsterdam, Shanghai, Washington D.C., Berlin, Hollywood, Bangkok, Vienna, Blackpool, Wuhan, Sydney and Tokyo.

 

SAD NEWS

Great Britain’s Elena Baltacha, who retired from the WTA Tour at the end of last year, has revealed that she has cancer. “I have recently been diagnosed with cancer of the liver,” Baltacha said in a statement. “I’m currently undergoing treatment and fighting this illness with everything I have.” At the end of last year Baltacha announced her retirement from pro tennis after a 16-year career that saw her reach four WTA quarterfinals. Great Britain’s top female player, she represented her country at the London Olympics. “Throughout her tennis career Elena was admired for her friendly personality, her passion, energy and tenacity,” Stacey Allaster, chairman and CEO of the WTA said. “We know she will use these qualities to fight this illness and we’ll support her along this process in any way we can.”

 

SURFING

Indian Wells: www.bnpparibasopen.com/

Miami: www.sonyopentennis.com

ATP: www.atpworldtour.com

WTA: www.wtatennis.com

International Tennis Federation: www.itftennis.com

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$6,169,040 BNP Parabas Open, Indian Wells, California, USA, hard (second week)

$125,000 Irving Tennis Classic, Irving, Texas, USA

WOMEN

$5,427,105 BNP Parabas Open, Indian Wells, California, USA, hard (second week)

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$4,720,390 Sony Open, Miami, Florida, USA, hard

WOMEN

$4,720,380 Sony Open, Miami, Florida, USA, hard

 

Victoria Azarenka
Victoria Azarenka

CBS U.S. Open Singles Final TV Ratings Up – This Week In Tennis Business With Liz Kobak

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By Liz Kobak

TV RATINGS UP IN USA FOR US OPEN SINGLES FINALS

The 2013 US Open men’s singles final that saw Rafael Nadal win his 13th major singles title over world No. 1 Novak Djokovic earned a 2.8 overnight rating on CBS Monday evening which is up 22% from the Andy Murray vs. Djokovic final last year (2.3) and up 8% from the Djokovic vs. Nadal final in 2010 (2.6), as reported by Sports Media Watch. The 2.8 overnight is the highest for the men’s final since 2007, the last time the event took place on a Sunday afternoon (4.2). That final featured Roger Federer defeating Djokovic. The six straight Monday finals have earned overnights between 2.2 and 2.8, compared to a range of 3.3 to 7.9 for the previous six, according to Sports Business Daily.

Sports Media Watch also reports the women’s final featuring Serena Williams winning her 17th major singles title, defeating Victoria Azarenka, earned the highest overnight ratings in 11 years – a 4.9 overnight rating on CBS. That is up 26 percent from the same match-up from 2012 (3.9) and up 17 percent from Serena’s final-round upset loss to Sam Stosur in 2011 (4.2). The 4.9 rating is the highest for a women’s final at the U.S. Open since the much-hyped Saturday night prime-time final between Venus and Serena Williams in 2002. That final earned a 7.2 rating. The 4.9 rating for Sunday’s Williams-Azarenka final was the highest for any U.S. Open singles final since Federer beat Andy Roddick in 2006 (5.1).  For more details, read here: http://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2013/09/tv-ratings-six-year-high-for-u-s-open-mens-final-also-college-football-mlb-on-fox/

WILLAMS, NADAL EARNED LARGEST PRIZE MONEY PAYCHECKS IN TENNIS HISTORY

After winning the 2013 US Open singles titles, world No. 1 Serena Williams and world No. 2 Rafael Nadal each raked in $3.6 million in prize money, the largest prize money paychecks in tennis history.

That’s $1 million more than usual as both tennis superstars also won the 2013 Emirates Airline US Open Series Bonus Challenge leading up to this year’s Open.

Williams claimed her fifth US Open title and 17th Grand Slam Sunday, while Nadal won his second men’s singles championship and 13th overall Slam on Monday.

ESPN AD FEATURES 2013 US Open CHAMP NADAL

Commemorating Rafael Nadal’s recent US Open win, ESPN debuted its newest “This is SportsCenter” campaign starring the Spanish tennis ace. The ad was filmed in English and Spanish and is running on ESPN and ESPN Deportes as a follow-up to Nadal’s 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 win over world No. 1 Novak Djokovic and 13th Grand Slam title.

“Candy Dish” is 30 seconds long and features SportsCenter anchors John Anderson and Bram Weinstein, who question Nadal’s office popularity among ESPN colleagues. Rafa might keep something in his US Open trophy that explains it all. ESPN Deportes’ SportsCenter theme parallels the American version, but includes different anchors: Alvaro Morales, Jorge Eduardo Sánchez and Carolina Padrón.

See the clip here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOjpmsmJUqI

GOVERNOR CUOMO SIGNS LEGISLATION TO EXPAND, IMPROVE NATIONAL TENNIS CENTER

During the US Open’s second week, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed legislation allowing refurbishment and expansion of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

This law enables essential infrastructure reparations, more fans to attend major tournaments and create more than 1,500 construction and full-time jobs.

“As the site of the US Open, the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center brings thousands of fans to New York every year, boosting our tourism industry and spurring local economic activity,” Governor Cuomo said. “New York is proud to showcase the biggest players in tennis at this annual event, and I am committed to making this facility the best it can be to attract and host more events like the US Open.”

The signing allows for a near one-acre boundary expansion of the entire complex and 1.56 acres to be returned to the New York Department of Parks for public recreational use. The planned improvements include a new row of tennis courts, one fenced and landscaped border to enhance spectator safety and circulation and repositioning the Grandstand stadium.

The US Open creates 6,000 seasonal jobs annually, with 85 percent of employees from New York City who collectively earn $40 Million. Labor demand will increase and likely cause that compensation to rise upon this project’s completion.

DAVENPORT, PIERCE, BOLLETTIERI HIGHLIGHT HALL OF FAME NOMINEES

Former world No. 1 and six-time Grand Slam champion Lindsay Davenport, two-time singles Grand Slam winner Mary Pierce and 1994 Wimbledon Champion Conchita Martinez highlight those players nominated for the ballot for induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

“[These women] were three of the most exciting women’s tennis players of their time,” said 1987 Hall of Fame inductee and International Hall of Fame Nominating Committee President Stan Smith. “I extend my congratulations to the nominees and our gratitude for their many contributions to the sport.”

These former champions are staying involved with their favorite sport. Martinez supportively watched young Spaniard Lara Arruabarrena lose to Jamie Hampton in the 2013 US Open’s opening round. Lindsay Davenport is an on-air Tennis Channel who commentated during the Open. While Pierce was not spotted on the grounds this year, she remains in the tennis world and is PTR certified in all three pathways.

Also on the ballot are famed tennis coach Nick Bollettieri, wheelchair player Chantal Vandierendonck, tennis executive Jane Brown Grimes, and author and broadcaster John Barrett.

International Tennis Hall of Fame enshrinement has been given to 235 people representing 20 countries since 1955. Located in Newport, Rhode Island, the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum is a non-profit organization that preserves tennis’ history and heritage.

EDBERG JOINS McENROE, RAFTER AT ROYAL ALBERT HALL

Two-time Wimbledon champion Stefan Edberg returns to London in December, competing in IMG’s Statoil Masters Tennis at Royal Albert Hall.

Edberg, whom Pat Rafter beat in this tournament’s 2009 final, joins Rafter, John McEnroe, Goran Ivanišević and Tim Henman in the highly popular pre-Christmas tennis event held Dec. 4-8, 2013.

“I am very excited to be coming back to play in the Statoil Masters Tennis at the Royal Albert Hall,” Edberg said. “It is one of the most beautiful arenas in the world and I feel very lucky to have the chance to play against John McEnroe and the other great champions in front of a great crowd in London.”

Edberg, 47, is one of tennis’ most dynamic serve-and-volley experts and has maintained his fitness. The Swede won six Grand Slam singles titles and reached World No.1 in both singles and doubles in his thirteen-year professional career.

The Statoil Masters Tennis is part of the ATP Champions Tour, a circuit of former World No. 1 tennis players, Grand Slam singles finalists and Davis Cup winners.

Liz Kobak won the 2013 USTA National Women’s Open Singles Grass Court Championship. She is a 2010 Columbia University graduate and Northwestern University journalism master’s recipient. She is a former WTA ranked pro and #1 ranked United States junior tennis player who rates her 6-4, 6-1 win on Italian clay over Sara Errani as her best victory.

 

Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal

Who Has The Greatest Backhand In The History of Tennis?

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Who has the greatest backhand in the history of tennis? Tennis historian and author Steve Flink throws out his thoughts on the debate ranking the top five men’s and women’s backhands of all time in his new book THE GREATEST TENNIS MATCHES OF ALL TIME, available on Amazon.com here: http://www.amazon.com/The-Greatest-Tennis-Matches-Time/dp/0942257936/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354551927&sr=8-1&keywords=greatest+tennis+matches+of+all+time The except of the best backhands is excerpted below.

Men

1. DON BUDGE When he captured the Grand Slam in 1938—the first player ever to realize that feat—Budge had it all, but the single biggest strength in his game was his majestic backhand. Most of those players who preceded Budge at the top of tennis were better off the forehand, but his backhand was the first of its kind. His aggressiveness off that side was ground breaking in many ways. He drove the backhand essentially flat and all students of the game marveled at its magical simplicity.

2. KEN ROSEWALL The diminutive Australian’s backhand was legendary. He prepared early, turned his shoulders unfailingly, kept his eyes glued to the ball, but, most significantly, Rosewall’s backhand was a slice. Across the history of tennis, many slice backhands have been used primarily for defensive purposes, but not Rosewall’s. His slice backhand worked in every way: as a rally shot, as a passing shot, for the lob, and on the return of serve. It was multi-faceted. It was incredibly versatile. And above all else, it was unmistakably elegant.

3. JIMMY CONNORS Watching Connors launch into one of his two-handed backhand drives was one of the great joys for all erudite observers from the early seventies until the outset of the 1990’s. Connors retained the old fashioned flavor of a flat, one-handed backhand, producing flat and penetrating two-handers of unrelenting depth and immense power, yet gaining stability with his right hand. His backhand was the picture of purity. It was his signature shot.

4. NOVAK DJOKOVIC A mesmerizing athlete, Djokovic can be forced well off the court by wide balls to his two-handed backhand and still recover in time to play the shot with assertiveness and astounding control. He returns with unswerving authority off that side, and in long rallies from the baseline, his two-hander is rock solid. Djokovic finds just the right blend of flat and topspin shots with his two-handed backhand. This shot made him the great champion he became.

5. LEW HOAD and GUSTAVO KUERTEN One match away from winning the Grand Slam in 1956, Hoad at the height of his powers was impenetrable. The gifted Australian had every shot in the book, could perform brilliantly on any surface and was universally admired for his immense talent. Off the ground, his one-handed backhand was widely appreciated. He drove through the ball with an essentially flat stroke and was lethal off that side. To be sure, he was a streaky player, but when he was on, there was nothing he could not do on a tennis court, including cracking the backhand mightily. Kuerten’s one-handed backhand was the cornerstone of his game—a majestic, sweepingly beautiful, fluid, one handed stroke that carried him to three French Open crowns. Kuerten sparkled off that side, hitting winners at will, driving the ball both crosscourt and down the line with extraordinary pace and minimal topspin. His backhand was singularly inspiring in its time.

 

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic

Women

1. CHRIS EVERT While both Connors and Borg made substantial contributions toward the cause of the two-handed backhand, it is safe to say that Evert’s impact was larger. Her success charted a new course for women’s tennis and the two-hander became a staple. But that did not mean it was easy to replicate the geometric precision of her backhand. The daughter of an outstanding teaching professional named Jimmy Evert, she worked diligently on her two-hander. It was the shot that never deserted her across the years. In rallies, her depth was unmatchable and she seldom missed. Her returns were crisp and solid and her passing shots were unimaginably precise and unerring. Meanwhile, the topspin lob was always at her disposal. In my book,  the Evert backhand was the best in the history of women’s tennis and the precursor for so many great two-handers to replicate.

2. MONICA SELES Just as Djokovic broke new ground by taming the Rafael Nadal forehand with his backhand, Seles did essentially the same thing with her lefty two-handed backhand against Graf. The German always was more comfortable running around her backhand to play the inside-out forehand, but if you could keep her pinned deep in her forehand corner, she was not able to control rallies in the same manner. Seles forced Graf to do that by virtue of the depth and speed of her two-handed backhand crosscourt, forcing Graf back on her heels. That was no mean feat. The Seles backhand was immaculately executed.

3. JUSTINE HENIN The Belgian brought an awful lot to the table of competition. She was a complete player with all of the tools to succeed in her trade. Yet her one-handed topspin backhand was her trademark. Henin’s backhand was sweepingly beautiful, a spectator’s dream, an opponent’s nightmare. She was willing to miss off that side because her goal was to make things happen off the backhand, and, if that meant making some aggressive errors, so be it. But she more than balanced the scales by sprinkling the court with clusters of topspin backhand winners, going down the line or crosscourt, long or short.

4. LINDSAY DAVENPORT At nearly 6’3,” Davenport was an imposing physical presence on a tennis court. Over the years, she became decidedly better as a tennis player and athlete by losing weight, gaining momentum in the process. Across time, her two-handed backhand was strikingly effective, particularly crosscourt. She kept it uncomplicated, going for one deep, penetrating and flat shot after another until she could break down the defenses of her adversaries.

5. EVONNE GOOLAGONG The Australian often looked like a ballerina on tennis court, but never more so than on the backhand side. She was very flexible, using the slice backhand to keep herself in rallies, raising the tempo whenever she saw an opening to release her glorious topspin backhand. She did not have to think when she hit a backhand— it was all flowing and instinctive. The Goolagong backhand remains frozen in the minds of tennis fans everywhere.

 

Who are the best American Tennis TV Commentators?

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Former US Olympian, Fed Cupper, top 20 WTA star and long-time tennis journalist and insider Andrea Leand reveals her picks as the best American tennis TV commentators. Readers are encouraged to comment on their picks for best TV commentators below in the comment section of this article, on the World Tennis Magazine Facebook page or via twitter at @WorldTennisMag

By Andrea Leand

 

It was well past midnight when Justin Gimelstob reached his hotel room and made do for dinner munching left over peanuts and olives. His last summer stop in NYC for a 18 day US Open stint as broadcaster for CBS and Tennis Channel capped a whirlwind schedule like none he knew when competing on the ATP Tour. While Gimelstob enjoyed his successes on tour as a top American junior, pro career high ranking of No. 63 and over 2.5 million in prize money. his infectious personality always seemed as big as, if not bigger than, his game. His quick wit, self-deprecating humor and keen enthusiasm for the sport have translated as well on television as they did in the locker room. He has shown the same determination to one day become a top broadcaster – like Matt Lauer – as he did maximizing his ability on court.

That’s not to say making the transition from court to commentator has been easy or – as in the case of his much tweeted, daily travails with blackberries, IPADS, flight times and passports – glamorous. With his many hats – he’s a member of the ATP Player Council – and recent marriage to Cary Sinnott, Gimelstob still has proven indefatigable in the booth. His hustling for interviews and candid insights add needed dimension to otherwise often staid broadcasts. His unflapable spirit and passion for the job have disarmed players like Maria Sharapova, Roger Federer and Serena Williams and given viewers cause to smile. Who else would gush about attending a three-hour NBC Olympic Seminar to get in word with Bob Costas and Al Michaels or be so enthused about getting to the courts at Wimbledon to commentate his first match of the day that he forgot his suit? Either way, Gimelstob has our attention as one of the top five faces to watch.

John McEnroe: No one is better than John McEnroe. His intelligence, experience, analytical preciseness and natural way of communicating in a poignant yet concise way make him the standard to which all others aspire.

Lindsay Davenport: Lindsay Davenport is the best female color commentator on air and hands down the “Newcomer of the Year.” Davenport is so politically correct these days and trying so hard to be a team player that she probably won’t like being singled out. But like it or not, she does stand out. Many have tried to emulate McEnroe, but, without the same smarts, insight and clarity, have failed miserably. Davenport is the only one who comes close. She doesn’t try too hard with overbearing, non-stop mumble jumble. She understands that she is covering pro tennis, not reporting on Iran for CNN. She realizes that the tennis is the star and never talks over points. Davenport also proves there is a shelf life to this job. Her insights show that she really knows the players. She has played against this generation of stars, been in the locker room with them and kept quiet tabs on everything that goes on. And like McEnroe, she is not afraid to be candid. Her remarks and smooth cadence in communicating them to the viewers make her easy on the ears and interesting to even the game’s insiders.

Rennae Stubbs: Australian-born Stubbs has been commentating for non-American channels for years, so it is difficult to call her a newcomer – but she is one to American audiences who enjoyed her comments during the Italian, French, Wimbledon and Olympic broadcasts. Stubbs loves the game, lives the tour and has infused that intrinsic knowledge in her capacity as commentator. Who else could describe once taking Samantha Stosur to the emergency room in Miami as she did? Such anecdotes and experiences make her a welcome breathe of fresh air and material While Stubbs is a ham and loves the spotlight, she handles being the (third) man on the commentating team – the point person on court-well, she doesn’t talk over her colleagues or points but gives well-placed, quick witted observations.

Brett Haber:Most of the company play by play guys are well healed professionals, who all do a pretty good job. Brett earns kudos for his efforts in going beyond in doing his homework about the players and matches so that he can converse with his color commentators and bring out their best insights.

Justin Gimelstob and Brett Haber
Justin Gimelstob and Brett Haber

Darren Cahill, Brad Gilbert, Patrick McEnroe: All terrific, all with their own styles. All professional, knowledgeable and with undeniable channels to the players and behind the scenes business of the game. They are also true team players. But some have wondered if they lose their individual identity when sandwiched together.

Mary Joe Fernandez: Bright, capable and with undeniable channels to the players as US Fed Cup captain (and marriage to Federer agent Tony Godsick). Mary Joe has the material and the discipline to be a valuable member of the team – when she is able to get a word in edgewise.

Tracy Austin: We haven’t seen as much of Austin this year as she has been commentating for the BBC. But in a career where aesthetics count, Austin deserves recognition for best presentation. Her hair, make-up and attire are always perfectly put together, age appropriate and camera friendly-and something her female colleagues should take note.