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orange bowl

Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia Wins Historic Second Orange Bowl Junior Title

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Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia won the Metropolia Orange Bowl Boys’ 18s singles title for the second consecutive year on Sunday, beating China’s Yibing Wu, 6-3, 6-1, on green clay at the Frank Veltri Tennis Center in Plantation, Fla.

Kecmanovic, who will finish the year as the world’s No. 1-ranked junior, is the third player in the Orange Bowl’s 70-year history to win consecutive Boys’ 18s singles titles, joining Billy Martin (1973-74) and Harold Solomon (1969-70). Kecmanovic also joins Dominic Thiem (2011) and Andy Roddick (1999) as the only players to win the Boys’ 18s singles titles at both the Eddie Herr in Bradenton, Fla., and Orange Bowl in the same year, dating back to 1993 (the tournaments are played in consecutive weeks).

Each of those are achievements Novak Djokovic of Serbia, never mind most other tennis players, never accomplished as a junior. Even so, Kecmanovic – who stays in touch and occasionally practices with Djokovic – knows he has plenty of work ahead of him as he transitions to a full-time pro career.

“It’s a great accomplishment. I’m very happy about it. I really didn’t put too much pressure into it, because I knew I would finish No. 1 no matter what I did here. I just went and I just played for myself and enjoyed every match,” said Kecmanovic, who moved to Bradenton in 2013 to train at the IMG Academy, where he is now coached by Marko Jovanovic. “Obviously, this is very good to do here now, but it’s a lot more important to do after (in the pros),” he said. “I think next year the transition is going to be key for me, so we’ll see how it goes.”

Kecmanovic also was a singles finalist at the US Open junior championships. He also won the doubles title at the Mardy Fish Children’s Foundation Tennis Championships, a $10,000 USTA Futures event in Vero Beach, Florida.

Slovenia’s Kaja Juvan certainly looked impressive enough to turn pro on Sunday. The 16-year old Juvan, seeded ninth this week, used a deft and diverse arsenal of groundstrokes and drop shots to stifle top-seeded and No. 1-ranked Russian Anastasia Potapova in a 6-1, 6-4 victory to win the Girls’ 18s title.

 

Consider this a victory that began in May for Juvan. That’s when she beat Potapova in their first meeting, at the Trofeo Bonfiglio junior event in Milan, before Potapova went on to win the Wimbledon girls’ singles title.

“More than anything else, I think I learned that it’s actually possible for me to beat some of the best players, because before that I didn’t kind of trust myself that I would be able to play with the best. That tournament gave me such a confidence boost, and that I can play with the best players, that I can beat them, I just shouldn’t be afraid of them,” Juvan said.

“I just told myself (today) that I have to just be focused on my game and play as diverse as I can, because I know that that doesn’t suit her,” she said. “That’s what helped me. Also the wind a little bit. I took great advantage of it.”

Potapova agreed with that analysis, but took the loss in stride. The 15-year old Russian will still be the year-end No. 1-ranked junior in the world, and now plans to put junior tennis behind her.

“She likes to play against me, because it’s so comfortable to her. I chose the wrong style of tennis today. Next time, maybe,” Potapova said. “In the final, she did really well and she played her best tennis. All I can say is congrats to her and good job.”

Potapova did leave Plantation with a title, as she and Serbian Olga Danilovic beat Juvan and Croatian Lea Boskovic, 6-2, 3-6 [10-8], after a five-hour rain delay.

In an all-Japanese Boys 18s doubles final, fourth-seeded Toru Horie and Yuta Shimizu downed unseeded Shinji Hazawa and Naoki Tajima, 6-2, 6-1

Miomir Kecmanovic
Miomir Kecmanovic

Francis Tiafoe Becomes Youngest-Ever Orange Bowl Boys’ 18s Singles Champion

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It was a celebration that fit the achievement. Francis Tiafoe slammed his racket down and shouted up to the sky in elation.

Tiafoe, 15, won the Boys’ 18s singles title at the Metropolia Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships on Sunday, becoming the youngest player to win the title in the tournament’s 67 years.

Tiafoe defeated Stefan Kozlov, of Pembroke Pines, Fla., 7-6(3), 0-6, 6-3, in the first all-American Orange Bowl boys’ final since 2004. It was also the first time two 15-year olds had played for the 18s championship – Tiafoe turns 16 on January 20, Kozlov on February 1 – with the College Park, Md., native writing history, with an exclamation point.

Serving for the match, Tiafoe boomed an ace down the middle, tossed his racket and roared.

“Before serving, I was like, ‘I’m just going to hit it as hard as I can down the T. It doesn’t matter where it goes.’  I hit it as hard as I can, and it was probably the best serve I hit the whole match. It was unbelievable,” Tiafoe said. “I didn’t know what to do. I was too excited. I, like, slammed it. I never slammed a racket from excitement before.”

Tiafoe, seeded 13th, defeated three of the tournament’s top five seeds en route to joining the likes of John McEnroe, Roger Federer, Ivan Lendl, Bjorn Borg and Andy Roddick as Orange Bowl champions. The only other 15-year old to win the Boys’ 18s title is Sweden’s Kent Carlsson, who was 16 days older than Tiafoe when he won it in 1983.

On Sunday, Tiafoe battled from being down, 4-1, in the first set to claim it in a tiebreak. The pivotal moment came in the sixth game, on a fortunate mishit from Tiafoe that ballooned up to the sky and fell in. Shortly after, he won the rally, won the game then broke the fourth-seeded Kozlov to get back on serve.

“I came out really slow,” said Tiafoe, who trains out of the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Md. “I was really tight. I was over-thinking the moment. He’s played a Grade A final before. He was looking pretty comfortable there. Even if I went down the first set, I kind of knew I would eventually get myself into it. He coughed up a couple of errors, and I felt pretty confident and ended up squeezing out that tiebreak.”

As Tiafoe put it, he “went cold” in the second set, and Kozlov took advantage. In the third, though, Tiafoe’s superior conditioning wore down Kozlov, the top-ranked American junior, who will end the year at No. 5 in the world junior rankings, two spots ahead of Tiafoe, who projects to jump from No. 35 to No. 7.

“I’ve had a really tough week, played some long matches. My body’s obviously not fully grown yet, and that’s going to be a huge role the next time you guys see me. I’m going to be a lot stronger, and this won’t happen again,” said Kozlov, of nearby Pembroke Pines, Fla. “He’s in really good shape. I think if I played someone else, we would have been both dying.

“I don’t mind losing to him, because he’s a great player,” said Kozlov, who beat Tiafoe in their only previous meeting this year, in April’s International Spring Championships. “But I’ll get some revenge later.”

The Girls’ 18s final also finished with intrigue. Top-seeded Varvara Flink, of Russia, defeated No. 2 Ivana Jorovic, of Serbia, 6-1, 2-6, 6-4. With Jorovic serving at match-point down, Flink hit her return into the net but pointed out to the chair umpire that the ball had torn open. By rule, the point was replayed, and Flink won the do-over.

“I was lucky with it, but that’s why I missed the ball, because I felt that it was broken. If the rally is done but the ball is broken, you replay the point,” said Flink, who will finish the year ranked No. 3 in the world among juniors. “It’s an unbelievable feeling, because I was really fighting for this match. My opponent was great and congrats to her for the final.”

Tornado Alicia Black, from Boca Raton, Fla., and Naiktha Bains, of Australia, won the Girls’ 18s doubles title, beating Sofia Kenin, of Pembroke Pines, Fla., and Kaitlyn McCarthy, of Cary, N.C., 6-0, 6-1.

Black projects to jump to No. 5 in the world junior rankings to become the top-ranked American junior girl with the doubles title, won with a partner she’d never before played doubles with.

“It feels amazing to win an Orange Bowl title,” Black said. “We get along really well.”

“Yeah, we do,” Bains said. “And that really helps on the court. We have good teamwork, and we work together really well.”

In an entertaining Boys’ 18s doubles championship, No. 2 Filippo Baldi, of Italy, and Lucas Miedler, of Austria, beat the top-seeded pair of Alexander Zverev, of Germany, and Andrey Rublev, of Russia, 6-3, 6-7(6) [10-8]. The pair also won the Eddie Herr International Championships last week.

“Of course it feels good,” Miedler said. “We also won last week. We won this here. I think we won half of the matches in the match tiebreak, so I think it also feels good to win the close matches. It’s a great moment.”

“It feels sensational,” Baldi said. “We played a good tournament, and we won.”

For complete tournament information, visit www.orangebowltennis.org.

Francis Tiafoe
Francis Tiafoe

Whatever happened to top American junior Brian Baker?!

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From the backless aluminum bleachers, maybe 50 feet away, he looked like the same Brian Baker who buzzed through the field at the 2002 Orange Bowl junior championships, or the same spindly teenager who beat down Marcos Baghdatis and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga before losing the 2003 French Open junior final to Stan Wawrinka.

But those memorable days are way back there in the rear view mirror and, after five surgeries, three on his hips, plural, he may look the same from a distance, but the inner body, he will tell you, is different.

Things are a little more fragile now, and nine months into a comeback after a long absence from the ATP tour, Baker is less concerned about setting goals for number of wins than he is just staying uninjured and fit enough to play from week to week. He diligently makes sure he doesn’t over-train, fearful of getting hurt not in a match but working out on an off-week.

And so far, not too bad. When he returned to professional tennis last July, in relative obscurity at a Challenger in Pittsburgh, he was No. 752. Today, after getting through a third and final qualifying match at the $100,000 Challenger in Sarasota, Fl., he is No. 313.

I’m not getting overly excited here because, except for a few matches in 2007, Baker has been effectively out of pro tennis for seven years, and that’s a long hiatus from which to build a comeback. Still, just seeing him back on court Monday was a treat for those of us who remember what we thought he could become.

He wasn’t quite Andy Roddick, who turned pro with a 140 mph serve after winning the Australian Open juniors. But it would be wrong to say that Baker was merely just another U.S. prospect. He wasn’t one of those undersized, counter-punching juniors who got by on defense. He was 6-foot-3 with physical upside and a fearsome ability to take the ball early.

When he turned professional in May of 2003, just before the French juniors, he already had a pro quality backhand that, with nurturing and experience, could turn into a bonafide world-class backhand. And he had something rarely seen in players that young. Mentally, he understood the game as few teenagers do. Shot selection. . .ability to construct points. . .patience to grind. It was all there for him.

Beating Denes Lukacs of Hungary (No. 404) in the final round of qualifying Monday afternoon by 6-1, 6-0 won’t make his career highlight reel, but it does send him into the main draw against fellow American Ryan Sweeting (No. 130) with a chance to start rolling up the ranking points Baker needs to get into the French Open quallies in late May.

Brian will turn 27 on April 30 and he’s going about this comeback with 27-year-old maturity.

“When you’ve missed as much time as I have, you don’t take anything for granted. I can’t speak for everyone else, but I’ve played enough tennis in my life to know that when you come back, a lot of tendencies come back, too. Still, I don’t know too many players who have taken off as much time as I have ”

A number of players who have had single hip surgeries never returned to their former proimnence (Magnus Norman, Gustavo Kuerten, Harel Levy). Baker has had three hip surgeries, all done by Dr. Richard Byrd of Nashville, who took care of Norman, Guga and Levy as well.

Why should Baker re-achieve where those players didn’t? Maybe, he believes, he has an advantage because his surgeries came at age 20, when his body was still relatively untouched by the wear and tear of tennis.

And yet how and why did this happen to someone so young? Two surgeries on the left hip, one on the right — all labrums.

“Part of it is genetic,” said Baker. “It’s just the way my hips were formed with not as much mobility for what’s needed in a physical game like tennis. Maybe I could have done more for my hips knowing the genetics. But, honestly, I don’t look back. I don’t like to play that game.”

Having grown up in Nashville, there was a clear advantage to working locally with Byrd, who is considered one of premier hip surgeons in the United States and he really is pain-free for now and, hopefully, into the future.

His first real hint of hip trouble came two weeks before the 2005 U.S. Open. In the second round of a Challenger at Binghamton, N.Y., Baker began feeling the pain. He plodded on, losing in the semis to then No. 145 Andy Murray. But he went to the Open, where he defeated No. 9 seeded Gaston Gaudio, the French Open champion, before losing second round to Xavier Malisse.

Two months later, he was in so much agony he went in for surgery. And more surgery. And still a third surgery.

He took more than a year off, tried to play a bit in 2007, but with great difficulty. At that point, he resigned himself to going back to school to get a degree in economics, while earning a few dollars working as assistant tennis coach at Belmont University in Nashville.

So he was, at least, hitting the ball daily and felt good enough to enter a few very small tournaments, where he learned that with all the strength training he had done, he felt good enough to contemplate a professional comeback. That was July of last year.

“I thought, ‘It’s now or never. I’m already 26 and I’ve got a year of college left, but I have some unfinished business.’ I decided to give it a try.”

He got into the Pittsburgh Challenger without a ranking, whisked through qualifying and the main draw without losing a set and, today, nine months later, he’s progressing. That’s about all you can say for now.

“There are a couple ranges of motion I can’t do with my hips, but it’s not like motions I’d do much with on a tennis court,” he said. “I still have a long way to go on flexibility and I need to get quicker. But I think my forehand is better, my backhand is just as good and I think I’m a smarter player — at least in my professionalism. The way I take care of things before and after a match.”

He didn’t mention the emotional lift he’s gotten from just back out there, competing. But he didn’t have to. You can see it in his eagerness on court — relaxed between points, almost hyper during points.

Baker is coachless for now, though he’s had some conversations with former coach Ricardo Acuna, who now works for the USTA. It would be interesting to see those two together again. Including qualifying matches, Baker is 29-9 since returning to the game last July — 11-5 in Challengers and 18-4 in the lesser, Futures events.

This isn’t a lark, he wants you to know. This isn’t just some wager with himself to see if he can play again. “I didn’t come back just to get where I was in the past. I really believe that if my body will cooperate, I can do well.”

Charles Bricker can be reached at nflwriterr@aol.com

Kontaveit, Thiem Capture Orange Bowl Titles – Mondays With Bob Greene

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STARS

Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships

(At Plantation, Florida, USA)

Boys 18s

Dominic Thiem, Austria, beat Patrick Ofner, Austria, 6-1 6-0

Girls 18s

Anett Kontaveit, Estonia, beat Yulia Putintseva, Russia, 6-2 6-2

Girls 16s

Erin Routliffe, Canada, beat Katie Boulter, Great Britain, 6-4 6-3

Boys 16s

Hyeon Chung, South Korea, beat Diego Pedraza, Colombia, 6-7 (6) 6-3 6-1

Dominic Thiem of Austria

SAYING

“For some strange reason, I’ve been inducted into nine Hall of Fames.” – Gardnar Mulloy, who at age 93 has had a recreation center and tennis courts in Miami, Florida, USA, named after him. He is a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, USA.

“I really did attack every ball, and I think that’s what brought me success today.  It’s so exciting to win this title, both for myself and forEstonia.” – Anett Kontaveit, the Girls 18 champion after becoming the first Estonian to win an Orange Bowl title.

“Everyone who plays tennis knows the Orange Bowl, and to win it is definitely big for my career.” – Dominic Thiem, after winning the Orange Bowl Boys 18 singles.

“My focus this week has been great. But this week I’ve been focusing on each and every point, and I think that’s made the biggest difference.  I knew that if I played my best I could win the whole thing, and I think I played pretty well.” – Erin Routliffe, who became the first Canadian to win the Girls 16s title at the Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships.

“I’ll probably go out there and play some horrendous tennis and be nervous, but I’ll go and try to have fun. I’ll probably just keep to myself in the locker room, just stay in the corner and hide from everyone.” – Ashleigh Barty, on what might happen when she plays the Australian Open next month.

SPARKLING PLAY

Anett Kontaveit gave Estoniaits first Orange Bowl International Tennis Champions title when she defeated second-seeded Yulia Putintseva ofRussiato capture the girls’ 18 singles. “It’s so exciting to win this title, both for myself and forEstonia,” said the 15-year-old Kontaveit. The boys’ 18 title was won by Dominic Thiem in a battle of Austrians. Thiem beat countryman Patrick Ofner 6-1 6-0 to wrap up the rain-delayed finale in Plantation, Florida, USA.

STEADY TRAVELING

Julia Cohen has to have extra pages in her passport. The American right-hander has constantly circled the globe in 2011 seeking tournament titles. She began, like all the rest of the players, inAustraliain January, playing qualifying at Hobart and the Australian Open. Then it was on to Rancho Santa Fe, California, USA, in February before she went to Colombia and Mexico. March found Cohen in Hammond, Louisiana, USA, before heading to Irapuato, Mexico, and Buenos Aires, Argentina. She stayed in the United States in April and the early part of May before heading to Paris for the French Open qualifying. While others were playing the French Open, Cohen was runner-up at a tournament in Bangkok, Thailand. June found her in France, Swedenand the Netherlands– except for the quick trip to Londonwhere she played Wimbledonqualifying. It was back to Colombiain July before heading to the United States. Cohen only played seven matches in August, but they were in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Bronx, New York; Cincinnati, Ohio; the US Open qualifying in New York City; and Sarajevo, Bosnia/Herzegovina. Italy, Croatia and Georgia – the former Soviet territory, not the United States – were her stops in September, with October finding her playing in Armenia, Spain and Puerto Rico. Cohen wasn’t through. In November she played tournaments in Toronto, Canada; Asuncion, Paraguay, and Rosaria, Argentina. She won her second title of the year in Buenos Aires, Argentina, this month; her first tournament victory was in Yerevan, Armenia. And Cohen is top-seeded for this week’s tournament in Santiago, Chile.

STRAIGHT TO THE BANK

Novak Djokovic earned a record USD $12.6 million in prize money this year. The 24-year-old won 10 titles in 2011, including three Grand Slam tournaments, and easily bested the previous record of USD $10.1 million won by Roger Federer in 2007 and equaled by Rafael Nadal in 2010. His big year moved Djokovic ahead of Andre Agassi into fourth place on the career prize money list with USD $32.9 million. Federer is atop that list with USD $67.4 million.  By earning USD $7.7 million in 2011, Nadal moved past Pete Sampras into second place on the all-time career money list with USDS $45 million.

SENT PACKING

New Zealand has been banned from Fed Cup competition until 2013. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) assessed the penalty becauseNew Zealandpulled out of this past February’s competition at the last minute when its top two players were supposedly injured. Both Marina Erakovic and Sacha Jones were unavailable because of wrist injuries, so Tennis NZ withdrew from the competition because it didn’t want to pay the USD $50,000 fee to send an inexperienced team. However, Erakovic played at a tournament in theUnited Statesjust two days after the Fed Cup competition ended. New Zealand thought the only consequence they would suffer would be an automatic relegation to Asia/Oceania Group Two. Instead, the ITF has ruled that New Zealandis ineligible to participate in January’s Fed Cup in Shenzen,China. “It is disappointing, but we stand by the decision we made at the start of the year,” said Tennis NZ CEO Steve Johns. “It has focused our attention on the fact that we need to have some real depth in our women’s program and build up a strong team for 2013 and onwards.”

SWINGING FOR CHARITY

With Andy Roddick headlining the field, the 11th annual Mark Knowles Celebrity Tennis Invitational raised USD $150,000 for charities in theBahamas. Besides Roddick, other players participating included Amer Delic, Jesse Levine, Xavier Malisse, Nicholas Monroe, Anna-Lena Groenefeld, Vania King, Olga Savchuk, Yasmin Schnack and four-time Grand Slam doubles champion Mark Knowles, who was recognized at the Welcome Dinner for his contributions. Knowles was singled out as the largest single donor to the Bahamas Special Olympics. Other organizations that will benefit from the fund-raiser include The Bahamas Association For The Physically Disabled, Bahamas Environmental Steward Association, Blairwood Academy Disability Scholarships, The Chance Foundation, The Cancer Society For Pediatric Care, The Lyford Cay Foundation, The Sassoon Heart Foundation and The Scout Association Of The Bahamas. Scholarships will also be awarded to promising Bahamian junior tennis players.

SAFIN ELECTED

Marat Safin, a two-time Grand Slam tournament champion, is now a member of the Russian Federal Parliament, the Duma. A former world number one-ranked tennis star, Safin was elected into the Duma’s lower house as a representative for the Nyzhny Novgorod region, which is approximately 500 kilometers (305 miles) fromMoscow. “My life has been changing for the last two years,” Safin told the ATP Champions Tour. “All of a sudden I found myself in a situation where I had to make really serious decisions. It started with one small thing and it grew up to something big. I could go and make commercials left and right and pretend like I am a celebrity, but that is not me. I never did this, I never liked it. I had a few months of thinking ‘should I do this or should I not’ but now I am pretty sure of what I’m doing and I want to do it.” Now 31, Safin beat Pete Sampras to win the US Open in 2000 and won the 2005 Australian Open, beating Lleyton Hewitt in the final. He had been playing on the senior tour.

SHE’S BACK

Kim Clijsters came off a four-month layoff by beating top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki in an exhibition match 6-2 7-6 (5). Playing at the Antwerp, Belgium, SportsPalace, Clijsters showed she has fully recovered from the stomach injury that forced her off the WTA Tour in August. She is the reigning Australian Open women’s champ and will be heading Down Under by Christmas. Clijsters regained the number one ranking in February, but hurt her shoulder and wrist in April. She then sprained an ankle when she suffered an early exit from the French Open. While playing a warm-up tournament prior to the US Open, Clijsters hurt her stomach muscles and is just now rounding back into playing form. “It’s been a year of many more downs than ups,” she said.

STRAIGHT IN

Fifteen-year-old Ashleigh Barty, the reigning Wimbledon junior girls champion, and Marinko Matosevic have clinched spots in the main draw of the 2012 Australian Open. Both won wild cards in a playoff among Australian players. Barty rallied to beat Olivia Rogowska 7-6 (6) 6-2, while Matosevic captured the men’s tournament by beating James Duckworth 6-4 6-1 6-2 in the final. “I was just hoping to win a set,” said Barty, who sailed through the tournament without dropping a set. “I’m pleased with what I’ve done. I played some really good tennis.” In her first-round match, Barty beat top-seeded Casey Dellacqua. Matosevic won the wild-card tournament for the second straight year.

STRONG GENES

Everyone was looking up at one of the parents at the Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships. Bob McAdoo, a 6-foot-9 (206m) former National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player, was on hand in Plantation, Florida, USA, to watch his daughter play. Rasheeda McAdoo, a junior at American Heritage High School in Delray Beach, Florida, reached the semifinals of the Girls 16s where she lost to eventual winner Erin Routliffe of Canada 6-2 6-3. The 16-year-old Rasheeda, who is 5-10½  (179m), wants to play college tennis at her father’s alma mater, North Carolina. This is the first time Bob McAdoo has seen her daughter play the Orange Bowl. He got the chance because of the recently settled NBA lockout. The father is an assistant coach with the NBA’s Miami Heat.

SWISS COMMITMENT

Roger Federer has committed to play for Switzerland when it takes on the United States in a first-round 2012 Davis Cup tie. The 16-time Grand Slam tournament singles champion has not played a first-round tie since 2004. But the Swiss tennis federation said Federer has confirmed he intends to play in the February 10-12 tie in Fribourg, Switzerland. Federer traveled to Australia right after the US Open in September to help Switzerland win a playoff.

SODERLING OUT

Robin Soderling will miss the year’s first Grand Slam tournament, the Australian Open. The 27-year-old Swede has not played since mid-July because of mononucleosis. He won his last tournament, the SkiStar Swedish Open in Båstad. Twice a French Open runner-up, Soderling has been ranked as high as fourth in the world. He currently is ranked 13th. “I am feeling better with each day, but it will still take some time before I can start practicing in full speed,” Soderling said. “My goal is to start with practice in January and I hope for a tournament comeback in February, but at this stage it is hard to know when and where. I hope my body will allow me to do that.” The Australian Open gets underway in Melbourne on January 16.

SIGNAGE

The recreation center and tennis courts at Henderson Park near downtown Miami, Florida, USA, have been named for Gardnar Mulloy. The 98-year-old Mulloy was on hand for the ceremony, although he now needs a walker to get around. He played tennis until a year ago when he broke his hip. “I never fall down playing tennis,” Mulloy said. “This was just stumbling around my home like a fool.” Mulloy won theWimbledondoubles in 1957 at the age of 43. He was ranked number one in singles in 1952 and captured the US men’s doubles championships in 1942, ’45, ’46 and ’48. Mulloy also founded the University of Miami tennis team and served as its organizer, coach and top player in 1936.

SWITCHING CAPTAINS

Andy Murray’s mother, Judy, has been named non-playing captain of Great Britain’s Fed Cup tennis team. The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) said Judy Murray will lead the team in Europe/Africa Zone Group I competition in Eilat, Israel, the week of January 30, 2012. “It is a huge honor for me to represent my country in this way, and the role presents a very exciting challenge, given the mix of talent, experience and determination we have in our top female players right now,” said Murray, who replaces Nigel Sears, the father of Andy Murray’s long-term girlfriend. Sears left to coach Ana Ivanovic. Great Britain’s women have shown improvement in recent years with Elena Baltacha, Anne Keothavong and Heather Watson all ranked in the top 100. Murray was Scotland’s national coach for nine years. She also trained three-time Grand Slam tournament finalist Andy Murray early in his career as well as her other son, Jamie, who won the Wimbledon mixed doubles in 2007. Great Britain is one of only four nations to compete in every Fed Cup but has never won the competition.

SIGNED UP

Juan Martin del Potro will join the Sydney International field next month. Returning to the Australian city for the second straight year, del Potro will join former top 10 players Lleyton Hewitt and Marcos Baghdatis in the men’s draw. “In Sydney they gave me one of the first wild cards after my injury and I appreciated this very much from them,” said del Potro, who began this year ranked 258th in the world after missing most of 2010 with a wrist injury. He finished 2011 ranked 11th in the world. The Sydney International runs from January 8-14.

Two of the top three women in the world have already signed up for the Rogers Cup in Montreal, Quebec,Canada, next August. Top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark and number three Victoria Azarenka of Belarus have confirmed they will play the Premier WTA tournament. The last time the women played in Montreal, in 2010, Wozniacki beat Russia’s Vera Zvonareva in the final. Zvonareva and Marion Bartoli of France previously announced they will play the Montreal tournament.

STRESS FRACTURE

Great Britain’s Laura Robson has been sidelined by a stress fracture of the left shin. The injury caused the 17-year-old to cancel a training trip to Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, where she was to spend three weeks with Darren Cahill, Andy Murray’s occasional coach, and Gil Reyes, the former trainer of Andre Agassi. Writing on Twitter, Robson said she would be back in time for next month’s Australian Open.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships

Boys 18:

Liam Broady and Joshua Ward-Hibbert beat Robin Kern and Dominic Thiem 6-4 6-3

Girls 18:

Victoria Kan and Ganna Poznikhirenko beat Jennifer Brady and Kendal Woodard 6-3 7-6 (3)

Boys 16:

Lucas Guitarrari and Marcelo Tebet Filho beat Alexander Sendegeya and Franz Sydow 7-5 7-5

Girls 16:

Charlotte Petrick and Erin Routliffe beat Mary Closs and Hadley Berg 6-3 6-4

SURFING

Ankara:

www.atk.org.tr

Tyumen:

www.tyumentennistour.ru

ITF:

www.itftennis.com

TOURNAMENTS WEEK OF DECEMBER 19

(All money in USD)

WOMEN

$50,000 Ankara Cup, Ankara, Turkey, hard

WEEK OF DECEMBER 26

WOMEN

$50,000 Siberia Cup, Tyumen, Russia, hard

Mondays with Bob Greene: Martina Hingis gets Married

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STARS

Nicha Lertpitaksinchai beat Kumiko Iijima 6-4 6-3 to win the $25,000 Questnet Open in Bangalore, India

Lauren Davis beat Graced Min 6-3 6-7 (7) 6-1 to win the girls singles at the Dunlop Orange Bowl junior tournament in Key Biscayne, Florida, USA

George Morgan beat Jannick Lupescu 6-2 6-3 to win the boys singles at the Dunlop Orange Bowl junior tournament in Key Biscayne, Florida, USA

SAYINGS

“I didn’t feel badly, I just couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t get a full breath of air. Nothing hurt, and f for an athlete that’s weird. Nothing hurt but I (couldn’t) go on.” – Martina Navratilova, after her release from a hospital in Nairobi, Kenya, where she was treated for high-altitude pulmonary edema.

“The present TSS leadership, headed by Slobodan Zivojinovic, has nothing to do with Serbia’s Davis Cup victory. We are the world tennis champions thanks to the players and their families only.” – Srdjan Djokovic, calling for changes at the top of the Serbia Tennis Association.

“It’s my first singles title of my career and the richest prize money so far … Hopefully there will be more such title wins and bigger checks” – Nicha Lertpitaksinchai, after winning the Questnet Open, a USD $25,000  ITF tournament  in Bangalore, India.

“Having Andy commit to the 2011 campaign is huge for our team. Andy not only brings his outstanding Davis Cup record but also his experience and team leadership, which will be invaluable to our efforts. On a personal note I am very excited to get the opportunity to sit on the bench with Andy and help him continue to perform at his very best on the Davis Cup stage.” – Jim Courier, the new United States Davis Cup captain welcoming Andy Roddick back to the team.

STOPPED IN CLIMB

Three days after her fluid-filled lungs forced her to abandon her attempt to climb Africa’s highest mountain, Martina Navratilova was released from a Nairobi, Kenya, hospital. Now 54 years old, Navratilova was carried down Mount Kilimanjaro on a stretcher when she had difficulty breathing. She had reached nearly 14,800 feet when a doctor with the 27-person climbing team told her she needed to descent. The winner of 18 Grand Slam singles titles, the Hall of Famer said “when the doctor said you’re going down, you’re going down.” A few hours before she descended, Navratilova wrote in her diary, “I’ve never been so utterly exhausted. Everything is taking monumental effort, going to the bathroom, getting dressed, setting up tent. I don’t want to ever …” She said, “I can’t read it. I stopped writing because I was crying, because I was so disappointed at how I felt.” Navratilova was climbing Kilimanjaro to raise money and awareness for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. So far she has helped raise USD $80,000. “I always said the only failure is when you fail to try,” she said. “I guess the other failure is not giving your best effort. I did both: I tried and gave my best effort.”

Martina Hingis

SWISS MRS.

A Swiss celebrity magazine, Schweizer Illustrierte, says tennis star Martina Hingis has married French horseman Thibault Hutin in a Paris ceremony. The magazine, on its website, said the 30-year-old Hingis and 24-year-old show jumper held their civil wedding on Friday with only close family in attendance. “Our wedding came as a surprise for many, but it has been in planning long in advance,” Hingis told the magazine, which said it would publish exclusive photos of the event. Hingis won five Grand Slam tournament singles titles before retiring in 2007, when she was suspended for two years for testing positive for cocaine at Wimbledon. She denied taking the drug but did not appeal the ban, which ended in September 2009. She has ridden show horses almost her entire life.

SERBIAN STRIFE?

Winning the Davis Cup for the first time has ignited infighting for the Serbia Tennis Association (TSS). With the country still celebrating the capture of the prestigious international tennis team trophy, there is a fight over the posts of president and chairman. The Serbia Tennis Association General Assembly, where the new president and board chairman will be voted in, will most probably be held by the final week in December or in early January. TSS president Slobodan Zivojinovic wants to serve another four-year term, but the father of Novak Djokovic, Srdjan, has appealed publicly for changes in the association. Also, Davis Cup team coach Bogdan Obradovic has said that Serbia’s top players want changes.

SERENA IN HALL OF FAME

Serena Williams will be inducted in to the California Hall of Fame this week along with

singer Barbra Streisand, actress Betty White and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. Inductees are individuals who have made legendary achievements in the areas of politics, activism, science, philanthropy, sports, business, entertainment, technology, fitness and literature. The other 2010 inductees are Gov. Edmund G. “Pat” Brown; director James Cameron; John Doerr, Silicon Valley investor; A.P. Giannini, who is considered the father of modern banking and Bank of America; country music singer Merle Haggard; author and activist Anne Lamott; former Secretary of State, George Shultz, Dr. Kevin Starr and artist Wayne Thiebaud. The recipients will be awarded the Spirit of California medal by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver.

SOUTHERN STAR

Candy Reynolds has been selected for her third Hall of Fame. The former WTA Tour doubles star will be inducted into the Southern Tennis Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia, USA January 22, 2011. Reynolds won 28 WTA doubles titles in her career – four with Martina Navratilova. She captured the 1983 French Open doubles with South African Rosalyn Fairbanks, and reached at least the semifinals of all four Grand Slam tournaments in her career. She also was a member of the United States Fed Cup and Wightman Cup teams. She already is in the Knoxville, Tennessee, Sports Hall of Fame, her hometown, and in the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga Hall of Fame. “They’re all very special in a different sort of way,” Reynolds said. “There were all very important times in my life.”

STRONG COUPLING

Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin have put aside their differences and are considering teaming up to play doubles at the 2012 London Olympics. The two Belgians admit they are not close because of their fierce long-standing rivalry in singles. But they have played doubles together before, including a Fed Cup match against Russia in 2006. “There is a real willingness to be there (at the London Games),” Henin said. Clijsters said 2012 could be her last full season, and, “It would be nice to go out in such a way.”

SUITING UP AGAIN

Andy Roddick is returning to the United States Davis Cup in 2011. The former world number one will be on hand when the United States faces Chile in a first-round battle in Santiago, Chile, on March 4-6. “I have always said that Davis Cup is something you should commit to for the entire season and not when it is convenient,” the 28-year-old Roddick said. “Trying to win the Davis Cup again is a top priority for me in 2011. Nothing compares to the atmosphere of playing a Davis Cup match and representing your country.” Roddick has a career 31-11 Davis Cup record, second in American Davis Cup singles victories behind only John McEnroe’s 41. Roddick helped lead the USA to its first Davis Cup title since 1995 when it defeated Russia in the 2007 Davis Cup final.

The Americans are the all-time leader with 32 Davis Cup titles, but they have won just one championship over the last 15 years.

SIDELINED

According to the New York Post, Serena Williams may not return to the WTA tour until spring. The 29-year-old Williams has not played since she cut her foot in July right after winning Wimbledon then underwent surgery later that month.  “I hope to be out of the cast and back on court by spring,” the former world No. 1 told the newspaper. Williams, who has won five of her 13 Grand Slam tournament singles titles at Melbourne Park, including last year, withdrew from the Australian Open in January after she underwent a second surgery on her foot in October. The American was ranked No. 1 in the world when she was injured, but finished the year ranked fourth as Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki took over the top spot.

SAMPRAS THEFT

Thieves broke into a public storage facility in West Los Angeles, California, and stole most of the awards and trophies that Pete Sampras won during his Hall of Fame career, although only one Grand Slam tournament trophy. “I have 13 of my 14 Grand Slam trophies,” Sampras told the Los Angeles Times. “Some are at home and some up at Nike Town (in Beaverton, Oregon). My first Australian Open trophy is gone, and so is everything else.” Francesco Ricci Bitti, president of the International Tennis Federation (ITF), offered to provide Sampras with replicas of the two Davis Cup trophies that were stolen. The 39-year-old Sampras said he discovered the burglary three weeks ago and police have no clues about the identity of the thieves. Sampras is hoping his announcement of the theft will lead to the recovery of his stolen trophies.

SYDNEY-BOUND

Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro plans on returning to action at the Sydney International. The Australian Open warm-up event will be held January 9-15. Del Potro, who won the 2009 US Open, missed almost all of this year with injuries, playing in only three events because of a troublesome wrist injury. He has been granted a wild card entry in the Sydney tournament.

Tournament organizers said seven of the world’s top 10 women – including world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki – will play in the tournament.

SHAMROCK CAPTAIN

Garry Cahill is the new non-playing captain of Ireland’s Davis Cup team. Cahill has been employed as technical director with Tennis Ireland for the past seven years and will continue in this position. His main responsibility is the management of the BNP Paribas National Tennis Academy where he works with Ireland’s leading players, such as Conor Niland, Sam Barry and Amy Bowtell. Cahill replaces Sean Sorensen as the Irish non-playing captain. Cahill is giving up his position as Ireland’s Fed Cup captain in order to concentrate on the Davis Cup position. Ireland plays Luxembourg in Davis Cup in Dublin on March 4-6. Depending on first-round results, Ireland could meet Great Britain in the second round on July 8-10.

STILL THE MAN

Guy Forget will continue as French Davis Cup captain for the next two years. The French Tennis Federation (FFT) confirmed that the 45-year-old has been retained for the position he has held since 1999. Forget has guided the team to four finals, including in 2001 when France won the title. This year they were runners-up to Serbia, going down 3-2 in Belgrade, Serbia, a week ago. France will begin its 2011 campaign with a first-round match against Austria in Vienna in March.

SUPERB PAIRING

Known as “The Indian Express,” Leader Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi will reunite as a doubles team for the Chennai Open in January. In a Tweet, Bhupathi said: “Indian Express confirms first stop of 2011 will be the Aircell Chennai Open. That’s where is all began in 97 :).” Although the two announced they would team up for the Australian Open, they have not made any plans past the year’s first Grand Slam tournament. After they split up, Paes and Bhupathi both had played with several partners. Paes has teamed with Lukas Dlouhy for the past three years, while Bhupathi has partnered both Mark Knowles and Max Mirnyi. With their respective partners, the two Indians qualified for the eight-team field at the year-ending ATP World Tour Finals in London.

STEPPING UP

Philip Brook, previously vice-chairman of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, has been elected the club’s new Chairman. Brook, 54, takes over for Tim Phillips, who retired after 11 years as chairman. Brook has been a member the All England Club since 1989 and was elected to the Club Committee and Committee of Management of the Championships in December 1997.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Bangalore: Luksika Kumkhum and Nungnadda Wannasuk beat Chen Yi and Kumiko Iijima 7-6 (5) 5-7 10-8 (match tiebreak)

Key Biscayne (boys): Julien Cagnina and Jeroen Vanneste beat Liam Broady and Nik Razborsek 7-6 (6) 4-6 10-5 (match tiebreak)

Key Biscayne (girls): Lauren Herring and Madison Keys beat Margarita Gasparyan and Ganna Poznikhirenko 6-4 0-6 10-8 (match tiebreak)

SITES TO SURF

Dubai: www.dubaitennis.com

ITF: www.itftennis.com

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

WOMEN

$75,000 Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, hard

A CAREER COMES TO AN END FOR FEDERER

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December 20 marked the end of a career for Roger Federer. It was on this day, on December 20, 1998, as documented in the book “ON THIS DAY IN TENNIS HISTORY” ($19.95, New Chapter Press, www.TennisHistoryBook.com), that Federer’s career as a junior tennis player came to an end as he won the prestigious Orange Bowl in Florida. The following is an excerpt from the aforementioned book that outlines Federer’s efforts, as well as other events from this day in tennis history.

1998 – Roger Federer ends his career as a junior tennis player by winning the prestigious singles title at the Orange Bowl in Key Biscayne, Fla., defeating Guillermo Coria of Argentina, 7-5, 6-3 in the final. The win over Coria moves Federer to the No. 1 ranking in the ITF world junior rankings for the first time. Writes Rene Stauffer in The Roger Federer Story, Quest for Perfection, “Federer had to endure one more week of uncertainty until his year-end No. 1 ranking was official. It wasn’t until an upstart American junior named Andy Roddick defeated (Julien) Jeanpierre in the semifinals of the last junior tournament of the year – the Yucatan Cup in Mexico – that Federer clinched the year-end No. 1 ranking.”

1994 – Thirty-four-year-old Ivan Lendl, the Czech player who plays in a record 19 major singles finals, announces his retirement from tennis after a 15-year career due to continued back problems. Lendl wins eight major titles, including three straight U.S. Open titles from 1985 to 1987. He also wins the French Open in 1984, 1986 and 1987, two Australian titles in 1990 and 1991 and ranks No. 1 in the world for 270 weeks. Says Lendl in a media conference call where he announces his decision, “This is a very difficult and sad time for me. This is not the way I would have chosen to retire and I’m sure I will miss the game I love. I enjoyed playing the game, had a lot of great times, and I will miss it.”

1981 – Tracy Austin withstands the loss of eight straight games to defeat Martina Navratilova 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the final of the Toyota Championships in East Rutherford, N.J. “Martina always seem to start out pretty fast,” says Austin. “I just tried to hang in there and play one point at a time.”

1974 – John Newcombe expresses relief at losing 6-4, 6-4 to Phil Dent in the quarterfinals of the New South Wales Open in Sydney. Says Newcombe, “I’m glad I’m out in a way. I need some mental stimulation. I feel like a draft horse being flogged to win a six-furlong race.”

FEDERER, THE BEST OF ALL JUNIORS

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Eleven years ago this week, Roger Federer was staking his claim as the top player in the world – in the juniors. Federer ended his junior career by winning the 1998 Orange Bowl in Key Biscayne, Fla. The win placed him in the No. 1 ranking in the International Tennis Federation junior rankings for the first time. However, he would not clinch the year-end No. 1 junior ranking until later, when a future rival, as you will read below, helped cement his year-end No. 1 ranking. The following is an excerpt from the book THE ROGER FEDERER STORY: QUEST FOR PERFECTION by Rene Stauffer ($24.95, New Chapter Press, www.RogerFedererBook.com) that outlines Federer’s last year as a junior.

The year 1998 began auspiciously for Roger Federer. He started the year winning the Victorian Junior Championships in Australia. He narrowly missed reaching the junior singles final at the Australian Open, botching a match point in losing to Sweden’s Andreas Vinciguerra in the semifinals.

During the following spring and summer, he showed that he was a confirmed all-around player who could win on any surface. He was well ahead of any player in his age class internationally. He competed effortlessly at the highest level of international junior tennis—primarily against players who were one year to 18 months older than him. In the clay court season, he won the international junior title in Florence, Italy, but at Roland Garros in Paris, he was defeated in the first round.

At Wimbledon, Federer celebrated his greatest triumph to that point in his career. On July 5, he defeated Irakli Labadze from the Republic of Georgia 6-4, 6-4 to win the Wimbledon junior singles championship, becoming the first player to win the title from Switzerland since Heinz Günthardt in 1976. In fact, Federer did not lose a match for the week on the grass courts of southwest London as he also won the junior doubles title with Olivier Rochus from Belgium. “I felt satisfied but not overjoyed,” said Federer, who was astonish­ingly unimpressed. But Peter Carter, who was almost always with him, was enthused. “Roger played with the concentration of a professional,” he said. “Now he just has to improve his volleys.”

A little chaos, however, followed the big victory. As a reward for winning the Wimbledon junior title, Federer received a wild card entry into the Swiss Open in Gstaad from tournament director Köbi Hermenjat. Federer received his first chance to play in an ATP tournament, even though he was not qualified to play since his world ranking stood at No. 702. Gstaad, the clay court tournament that traditionally takes place the week after Wimbledon, is played in a picturesque jet-set vacation area in the Bernese Alps. It is one of the oldest professional tournaments with a history dating back to 1915. It is loved by players and spectators alike because of its idyllic location in the little village with many chalets, the majestic Palace Hotel—whose courts previously hosted the tournament—and its postcard ambiance. Hermenjat was one of the most senior tournament directors on the ATP Tour and well-acquainted with everyone in the tennis world. He embodied a piece of tennis history. He was a ball boy for the tournament when he was 11 years old and had been the tournament director since 1965. Tennis legends such as John Newcombe, Tony Roche, Ilie Nastase, Ken Rosewall and Roy Emerson—after whom later the Centre Court was named—are all past champions of the Swiss Open.

Federer very reluctantly declined taking part in the traditional and prestigious Wimbledon Champions Dinner and left London that Sunday. He flew to Basel and continued by automobile to the Bernese Alps. It was well after midnight when he arrived at the luxury resort.

Federer’s ATP tournament debut proved difficult. At Wimbledon, he played on grass courts and almost at sea level. In Gstaad, he found himself on slip­pery clay courts and at over 3,000 feet above sea level. At Wimbledon, the balls bounced low, but in the high air at Gstaad, the balls bounced high and fast. The clay surface also demanded a completely different running technique than on grass. At Wimbledon, he competed against inexperienced junior players. An array of world class players were in the draw at Gstaad. There was no doubt that the tournament was a few sizes too big for him. His purpose, however, was just to gather some experience and be presented, on this grander sporting stage, to a larger portion of the Swiss public.

Roger Federer
Roger Federer, the best of all juniors

Federer drew German Tommy Haas, ranked No. 41 in the world rankings, as his first-round opponent, scheduled to play on Tuesday, the second day of the tournament. On Monday, due to great demand, Federer held a press conference to discuss his Wimbledon junior success and his ATP debut. “I would have preferred to play on the Centre Court than on the secondary court,” he said confidently of where the Gstaad tournament officials chose to schedule his match. There was so much interest in the Wimbledon junior champion that the thousand seats in the grandstands at Court No. 1 in Gstaad were not enough to accommodate the storm of spectators. As it turned out, Tommy Haas was not Federer’s opponent. The German withdrew from the tournament a few minutes before match time due to stomach trouble. Lucas Arnold, a lucky loser from the qualifying tournament, was Federer’s opponent. The Argentine clay court expert, ranked No. 88 in the world, defeated Federer 6-4, 6-4, but Arnold admitted that he was impressed by the 16-year-old, saying “he plays like Pete Sampras and he has a great serve.”

Federer was disappointed but he had no reason to be crushed. “I competed very hard, but did not play well. If I had played well, I would have won,” he said in an upbeat tone. “You have to do more running with the professionals than with the juniors and pros are not going to make as many mistakes.”

Stéphane Oberer, the Swiss Davis Cup team captain, technical director of the Swiss Tennis Federation and Marc Rosset’s long-time coach, also was in Gstaad and witnessed Federer’s ATP match debut. Oberer recognized Federer’s talent and pulled strings in the background to mentor him. “Roger was still playing like a junior,” Oberer said in Gstaad. “Individual points were of little value to him but he has everything to become a champion one day. We just had to be careful not to burn him out. It wasn’t important that he was strong for now but that he could realize his potential in four to six years.”

Oberer gave Federer the opportunity to accompany the Davis Cup team as a practice partner, where he was able to train with the team in the first round against the Czech Republic in Zurich in April. Following the tournament in Gstaad, Federer again traveled with the team to La Coruna, Spain for the Davis Cup quarterfinal with Spain. Even though the Swiss didn’t stand a chance against the Spanish Armada of Carlos Moya and Alex Corretja, the trip proved to be a valuable learning experience.

Federer wanted to finish the year as the No. 1 ranked junior in the world. After his triumph at Wimbledon, he was ranked No. 3 behind France’s Julien Jeanpierre and the Chilean Fernando Gonzalez. Everybody knew that it was a major difference if he finished the year No. 1 against being ranked No. 2 or No. 3. As with professional tennis, the best junior players are over-propor­tionally rewarded—the No. 1 players get better contracts and more wild card entries into big tournaments. The wild card entries spared the select players from the difficultly and unpredictable nature of qualifying tournaments. Wild cards provided an opportunity for young players to compete in bigger tournaments that they would not be able to gain entry into due to their lower world rankings.

Federer bolstered his quest for the year-end No. 1 junior ranking with a semifinal showing at the European Championships in Klosters, Switzerland in the summer. At the US Open, he reached the junior singles final, where David Nalbandian of Argentina denied him a second straight junior Grand Slam title.

Yet, before the chase for the year-end No. 1 junior ranking reached its decisive phase, the unexpected happened. Federer achieved his first great breakthrough on the ATP Tour. With a ranking of No. 878, he traveled to Toulouse, France at the end of September and, to his own surprise, advanced through the qualifying rounds to progress into the main draw of the tourna­ment. In only his second ATP tournament, the 17-year-old registered an upset victory over No. 45-ranked Guillaume Raoux of France—his first ATP match victory—allowing the Frenchman just four games. In the next round, Federer proved this win was not a fluke by defeating former Australian Davis Cup star Richard Fromberg 6-1, 7-6 (5). In the quarterfinals—his sixth match of the tournament including matches in the qualifying rounds—Federer lost to Jan Siemerink 7-6 (5), 6-2, with a throbbing thigh injury hampering him during the match. The Dutchman was ranked No. 20 and went on to win the tournament two days later, but Federer was also handsomely rewarded. He received a prize money check for $10,800 and passed 482 players in the world rankings in one tournament—moving to No. 396.

In recognition for his results in Toulouse, Federer received a wild card entry into the Swiss Indoors, Switzerland’s biggest tournament, from tournament director Roger Brennwald. This tournament guaranteed him a prize money paycheck of at least $9,800. The tournament took place at St. Jakobshalle in Basel’s south side, within walking distance of Federer’s home in Münchenstein. This event, played originally in an inflatable dome in 1970, is one of the most important indoor tournaments in the world that almost every great player has played in. When a virtually unknown Czech player named Ivan Lendl defeated the legendary Björn Borg in the Swiss Indoor final in 1980, it garnered major headlines around the world. The 34th and final duel between John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors took place at the Swiss Indoors in 1991. Future world No. 1 Jim Courier won his first ATP tournament in Basel in 1989. Stefan Edberg won the Swiss Indoors three times and Ivan Lendl won the title twice. Borg, McEnroe, Boris Becker, Vitas Gerulaitis, Goran Ivanisevic, Yannick Noah, Michael Stich, Pete Sampras and Guillermo Vilas are also champions of the event.

For Roger Federer, the Swiss Indoors is like a Grand Slam tournament. The St. Jakobshalle is the place of his dreams, like Centre Court at Wimbledon. In 1994, he was a ball boy at the event, grabbing balls for such players as Rosset, Edberg and Wayne Ferreira, who won the title back then. Now, four years later, he was a competitor in the event. His first-round match was against none other than Andre Agassi. In his youthful hauteur, Federer boldly stated “I know what I’m up against—as opposed to Agassi who has no idea who I am. I am going to play to win.”

But Agassi, the former No. 1 player ranked No. 8 at the time, was without question a larger caliber opponent than what Federer faced in Toulouse. Agassi allowed the hometown boy only five games in the 6-3, 6-2 defeat and said he was not overly impressed by the Swiss public’s new darling. “He proved his talent and his instinct for the game a few times,” the American said kindly. “But for me it was an ideal first round where I didn’t have to do all that much and where I could get accustomed to the new conditions.”

After appearances in big events in Toulouse and Basel, Federer next competed on the much lower level Swiss satellite circuit—and felt as if he were in a bad movie. He just played before 9,000 spectators against Agassi, one of the all-time greats, in front of a major television audience with all the newspapers writing articles about him. Meanwhile, he just signed with the world’s largest sports agency, International Management Group, and was being supplied, like Pete Sampras, by brands such as Nike and Wilson. But now he suddenly found himself in the eastern Swiss town of Küblis, in a gloomy tennis stadium in a valley wedged in the Bündner Mountains. There were no spectators, no line judges and no ball boys. He was not facing Andre Agassi, but Armando Brunold, the No. 11 player in Switzerland, whom Federer by now outclassed as the No. 6 player in the country.

The first-round match at the circuit’s first tournament proved to be a culture shock for Federer and he reacted apathetically. His listlessness didn’t escape tournament referee Claudio Grether. “He simply stood unmotivated and non-chalantly on the court and double-faulted twice each game,” Grether explained. After Federer lost to Brunold 7-6, 6-2, Grether imposed a $100 fine against Federer because he violated the “best effort” rule stipulating that professional players must put forth their best efforts in every competition. “I could have disqualified him as well but then he would no longer have been able to compete in the rest of the circuit,” Grether said. Federer silently received the verdict. With prize money earnings of only $87, Federer left Küblis with a $13.00 deficit. It would be the only professional tournament he played where he actually lost money.

But Federer learned his lesson. “The fine was justified,” he admitted and he reacted in a way that showed his class. A week later, he won the second tournament on the circuit and went on to win the circuit’s overall points title. His effort paid off and despite his initial setback, he moved passed 100 opponents in the world rankings, landing at No. 303. Not bad for somebody who just turned 17.

As the Orange Bowl in Florida approached in December, it became clear that Federer would have to win the event—one of the biggest tournaments on the junior tennis calendar—if he wanted to overtake France’s Julien Jeanpierre—his senior by 17 months—and become the year-end No. 1 ranked junior in the world. The tournament took place in one of the most beauti­ful places on the tennis tour, The Tennis Center at Crandon Park on Key Biscayne—the island paradise within the shadow of downtown Miami. The second biggest tournament in the United States—the Sony Ericsson Open—is also held at the facility every March for which the grandstands at Centre Court are enlarged.

The tournament started off with a near disaster for Federer. After being just two points from defeat, he avoided a first-round upset bid by Raimonds Sproga of Latvia, winning by a 5-7, 7-6, 6-0 margin. By contrast, Jeanpierre was not as lucky and fell in the first round to Feliciano Lopez of Spain. The following day when Roger had the day off, another potential disaster presented itself. “We were condition training when Roger started horsing around,” recollected Annemarie Rüegg, who accompanied the Swiss team to the Orange Bowl. “He was acting like a monkey while jump-roping and was jumping around like Tarzan. Suddenly he landed sideways on his foot and sprained it. It looked bad. He had a giant swelling on his foot. He was abruptly jolted from his silliness.”

Another person in the same situation perhaps would have given up, abandoned his great goal, and pursued another one—but not him. “Roger Federer does not quit,” he said years later—and the same was true already in 1998. He began treatment with accompanying physiotherapists and did everything to preserve his chances to achieve his goal. “I was amazed at his metamorphosis,” said Rüegg. “Just before he was horsing around but now he was suddenly calm and serious. I noticed that he can be serious if he wants to be. He understood that it was a serious situation, that a lot was riding on the tournament, and that he had to concentrate all of his efforts on this one goal if he wanted to achieve it. I realized for the first time that he was a champion. He could do it.”

Despite the handicap and with a bandaged foot, Roger won the next three matches without losing a set. In the semifinals, with the swelling in his foot virtually gone, Federer avenged his US Open loss to Nalbandian with a 6-4, 6-2 victory. In the final, Federer defeated another strong Argentine, Guillermo Coria, 7-5, 6-3. Federer won the Orange Bowl and left Miami with a bowl full of oranges—and bleached-blond hair after a spontaneous $250 hair-styling adventure.

On December 21, 1998, for the first time, the name “Federer” appeared in the No. 1 position on the International Tennis Federation’s world junior rankings. “A great Christmas present,” he said happily. However, Federer still endured one more week of uncertainty until his year-end No. 1 ranking was of­ficial. It wasn’t until an upstart American junior named Andy Roddick defeated Jeanpierre in the semifinals of the last junior tournament of the year—the Yucatan Cup in Mexico—that Federer clinched the year-end No. 1 ranking.

At the end of his 1998 season, Federer sat for a comprehensive interview with Tages-Anzeiger in the lounge of the tennis facility in Diepoldsau during a Swiss satellite circuit. Curious players frequently drifted into the vicinity of the interview in an attempt to listen in to what was being discussed. Some players friendly with Federer even made jestful comments during the serious interview.

It was clear to Roger Federer that his time as a professional tennis player was about to begin. He exceeded all expectations as a junior and there was no reason for him to spend any more time on the junior or the satellite circuits. He was on the threshold of the top 300 in the world rankings and Stéphane Oberer, the Swiss Davis Cup captain, unequivocally told him that he was counting on him for the Swiss Davis Cup team in the coming year.

Federer viewed this rapid development with calm. He himself was somewhat surprised by his success but he remained grounded and seemed pleasantly normal. “It’s funny,” he said. “When I come into a hotel, people say ‘Hi, Mr. Federer.’ Some people seem to be proud to be able to speak to me. I’ve noticed that the more well-known one becomes, the less one has to pay. Everybody wants to invite me and everybody wants to be nice to me just because I can play tennis well.”

But he knows, he said, that these are not real friends. “I haven’t changed much,” he said. “I’m pretty well-known now in Switzerland but I don’t have the feeling of being a star.” When asked how to describe himself, he calmly answered. “I’m honest. I’m a cool type. I’m athletic and likeable, and pleasant, I think.”

Federer now stood at 6’1″ (1.86 meters) in height and weighed 175 lbs. (80 kilograms). This was too heavy, he believed. “I have a gut,” he said. “I should do more for my stomach muscles.” Sweets and snacks and eating properly became more of a priority. “I’ve just started to eat meat,” he said. “Before I only ate sausage, hamburgers and such. Now I don’t always have to be afraid to eat when I’m invited somewhere for a meal.”

He said he was also proud that he was now able to better maintain his emotions on the court. An incident at the US Open proved to be somewhat of a turning point. He was provoked by some of the US Open’s traditionally vocal fans. Federer could not keep his mouth shut and demolished a racquet in his frustrations. Federer kept his cool in the autumn tournaments—resulting in positive results. “I didn’t get upset at either Toulouse or Basel. That was very solid,” he said. “I never would have thought that it would have been possible, I don’t know if this has something to do with the big stadiums. Perhaps I’m more ashamed when I lose control there.”

He also engaged in fewer soliloquies during matches. “I often asked myself ‘Why are you so stupid and get upset?’ But when one plays well and doesn’t get upset, that’s the greatest feeling in the world.” After all, he said, he’s just a perfectionist. “I don’t accept it when I miss easy balls even if it is normal and even if the professionals do it.”

Peter Carter corroborated this mental progress; “He has to be more patient if he wants to be successful at the professional level.”

Carter and Federer were constant companions, training and traveling week after week. This sometimes led to friction in their relationship. “If I’m on tour for a month just with Peter, we sometimes get on each other’s nerves,” Federer said. “Then I miss my friends or my girlfriend. That’s why it’s impor­tant for me to get along well with other juniors. I like it when other Swiss players and coaches are around. That’s a change of pace I enjoy.”

He looked ahead to his first full year on the professional tour with confi­dence and excitement. He no longer found any great weaknesses in his game. “I have slowly come to master all the strokes,” he said. “I could perhaps volley better or improve my footwork, little things.”

What did he have to worry about? He had, after all, defeated two top 50 players in Toulouse “That showed me that I could compete up there if I played well,” he said. “Now I just have to work on making it run smoothly. Then getting to the top should take care of itself.”

A CAREER COMES TO AN END FOR FEDERER

by

December 20 marked the end of a career for Roger Federer. It was on this day, on December 20, 1998, as documented in the book “ON THIS DAY IN TENNIS HISTORY” ($19.95, New Chapter Press, www.TennisHistoryBook.com), that Federer’s career as a junior tennis player came to an end as he won the prestigious Orange Bowl in Florida. The following is an excerpt from the aforementioned book that outlines Federer’s efforts, as well as other events from this day in tennis history.

Roger Federer
Roger Federer

1998 – Roger Federer ends his career as a junior tennis player by winning the prestigious singles title at the Orange Bowl in Key Biscayne, Fla., defeating Guillermo Coria of Argentina, 7-5, 6-3 in the final. The win over Coria moves Federer to the No. 1 ranking in the ITF world junior rankings for the first time. Writes Rene Stauffer in The Roger Federer Story, Quest for Perfection, “Federer had to endure one more week of uncertainty until his year-end No. 1 ranking was official. It wasn’t until an upstart American junior named Andy Roddick defeated (Julien) Jeanpierre in the semifinals of the last junior tournament of the year – the Yucatan Cup in Mexico – that Federer clinched the year-end No. 1 ranking.”

1994 – Thirty-four-year-old Ivan Lendl, the Czech player who plays in a record 19 major singles finals, announces his retirement from tennis after a 15-year career due to continued back problems. Lendl wins eight major titles, including three straight U.S. Open titles from 1985 to 1987. He also wins the French Open in 1984, 1986 and 1987, two Australian titles in 1990 and 1991 and ranks No. 1 in the world for 270 weeks. Says Lendl in a media conference call where he announces his decision, “This is a very difficult and sad time for me. This is not the way I would have chosen to retire and I’m sure I will miss the game I love. I enjoyed playing the game, had a lot of great times, and I will miss it.”

1981 – Tracy Austin withstands the loss of eight straight games to defeat Martina Navratilova 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the final of the Toyota Championships in East Rutherford, N.J. “Martina always seem to start out pretty fast,” says Austin. “I just tried to hang in there and play one point at a time.”

1974 – John Newcombe expresses relief at losing 6-4, 6-4 to Phil Dent in the quarterfinals of the New South Wales Open in Sydney. Says Newcombe, “I’m glad I’m out in a way. I need some mental stimulation. I feel like a draft horse being flogged to win a six-furlong race.”