World Tennis Magazine

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Tim Henman

20 Years Ago, Jim Courier’s Most Inspired Davis Cup Performance

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by Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

 

Twenty years ago on April 4, 1999, marked the conclusion of one of the most exciting Davis Cup matches ever and probably the most exciting I was part of during my nine years as the U.S. Davis Cup team press officer. It was the opening round of the “Centennial” Davis Cup season and appropriately and coincidentally the United States drew Great Britain in the rematch of the first Davis Cup match in 1900.

For this important historic year of Davis Cup, Pete Sampras said “No” to playing for the USA. Andre Agassi said “No” to playing for the USA. But Jim Courier, then ranked No. 54 in the world in his last full year of his Hall of Fame career, said “No Problem” and he and Todd Martin staged an amazing away upset of Britain featuring two Top 10 players Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski in Birmingham, England.

There was so much more on the line than just this important sporting grudge match but the International Tennis Federation had guaranteed the United States a second round or consolation round (qualifying round) match in July at the Longwood Cricket Club in Boston, site of the first-ever Davis Cup match in 1900, where a major celebration of the 100 years of Davis Cup was to be held. If the United States were to beat Britain, it set up a massively attractive match at Longwood between the USA and Australia, the two most successful nations in Davis Cup history. A loss would mean that this celebration would be the United States against a lesser known tennis nation like Finland (all due respect to Finland!) and would be something that would be tough to market and sell, marking likely the lowest point the competition would hold in the history of the event in the United States.

Courier, however, played some of the most inspired tennis ever played, I would argue, and won two five setters against top 10 players, including the fifth and decisive rubber against Rusedski 8-6 in the fifth set. In the isolation shot on ESPN of Courier’s reaction after winning match point (before getting mobbed by the U.S. team!) you can see me courtside in the background jumping higher than I ever had in my life! Courier’s effort caught the attention of many of top main stream American sports media such as Mike Lupica and Courier received acknowledgment from many people he wouldn’t expect, including the kid bagging his groceries at his local Publix saying “Aren’t you that Davis Cup guy?”

The Davis Cup Centennial was saved and U.S. Tennis Association Davis Cup promoter and administrator Jeff Ryan sold out the United States vs. Australia match in a then record 81 minutes (and causing the USTA’s phone switchboard at the national office in White Plains, NY to be knocked off line!) It was an amazing Davis Cup spectacle that July, although Australia led by Patrick Rafter and Lleyton Hewitt beat the United States 3-1. Courier’s effort even inspired Sampras to return to the Davis Cup team for that series, although only in doubles. The excerpt from my “On This Day In Tennis History” book from April 4, 1999 can be found below. I put a full historical write-up on the U.S. Davis Cup team’s fascinating 1999 season on Amazon Kindle as an ebook called “U.S. Davis Cup Stories – The 1999 Davis Cup Centennial” for download here: https://www.amazon.com/U-S-Davis-Cup-Team-Stories-ebook/dp/B01NB1FWU9/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?keywords=U.S.+Davis+Cup+Stories&qid=1554384046&s=gateway&sr=8-1-fkmrnull

 

April 4, 1999: In one of the most dramatic conclusions ever in a Davis Cup tie, Jim Courier defeats Greg Rusedski 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-3, 1-6, 8-6 in the fifth and decisive match to clinch a 3-2 win for the United States against Great Britain in the first round of the Centennial year of the competition in Birmingham, England. On day one of the competition two days earlier, Courier gives the United States an early 1-0 lead, defeating Tim Henman 7-6 (2), 2-6, 7-6 (3), 6-7 (10), 7-5. In all, Courier, ranked No. 54 in the ATP Tour rankings, is on court for seven hours, 58 minutes for his victories over the No. 7-ranked Henman and No. 11-ranked Rusedski. Of Courier’s win over Rusedski, Bud Collins of the Boston Globe writes, “Seldom, if ever, in the 100 years of the sterling crock’s existence has an American guy come through as brawny James Spencer Courier did last night in helping the U.S. seize the 3-2 triumph at the extreme limits of the game – tail end of the fifth set of the fifth match of the best-of-five series.”

Jim Courier after clinching victory over Great Britain in Davis Cup in 1999
Jim Courier after clinching victory over Great Britain in Davis Cup in 1999

Nadal Resigns as Vice President of ATP Player Council: This Week in Tennis Business with Justin Cohen

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Rafael Nadal at the Sony Ericsson Open (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Nadal resigns as Vice President of ATP Player Council

World No. 2 Rafael Nadal has resigned from his post as vice president of the ATP Player Council, citing the fact that he can no longer give the position the attention it needs. Nadal announced his decision while he is in Miami playing in the Sony Ericsson Open. “I don’t have enough energy,” said Nadal. “I cannot still put in my 100 percent there.” Nadal unsuccessfully tried to get the ATP World Tour to have a two-year ranking system, which was opposed by Roger Federer, the president of the ATP Player Council. However, Nadal and Federer were both in agreement on several other issues including the fact that major tennis tournaments are too powerful and players on tour need a larger opinion when making decisions on things. “I am not frustrated,” said Nadal. “I believe that we can do much more things than what we have done. My feeling is a great opportunity to improve the sport, because today the players are very unified.”

Record 14,278 attend Federer vs. Roddick third round clash at Sony Ericsson Open

Miami tennis fans on Monday night saw a vintage Andy Roddick edge world No. 3 Roger Federer in a thrilling three-set battle at the Sony Ericsson Open. Fans flocking to the Crandon Park Tennis Center to see the American win just his third match over the Swiss legend in 24 career meetings, sold out Monday’s night session for the very first time in tournament history, setting an attendance record for Session 14 with 14,278 fans.

USTA Pro Circuit coming to three new cities

The USTA has added three new tournaments to its USTA Pro Circuit schedule starting in 2012. Two $50,000 events will take place in both Denver and Yakima, Wash. One $25,000 tournament will be held in Florence, S.C.

IMG Academies to host 2012 Nick Bollettieri Discovery Open in June

IMG Academies will host the 2012 Nick Bollettieri Discovery Open at the world-renowned IMG Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Fla., from June 1-4. This inaugural elite singles only event will feature 32 of the top U11, U13 and U15 players in the world, with each boys’ and girls’ age group winner receiving a one week free camp evaluation, and the overall top player earning the opportunity to receive a year-long scholarship to attend IMG Academies. “I am very excited to debut this event, which will afford young up-and-coming athletes the opportunity to compete at the highest level while having access to IMG Academies’ world-class coaching and facilities,” said Nick Bollettieri. “Playing singles’ matches on our outdoor courts, against the best competition in their respective age groups, is the best way for young players to display their talent, while providing them invaluable competitive experience to apply towards their future in tennis and in life.” The Nick Bollettieri Discovery Open Tournament Committee will select the best up-and-coming players based on verifiable national and international tournament results and rankings. Interested players should submit resumes and videos to nickbollettieridiscovery@imgworld.com. Entries close on May 1, 2012. For more information about the tournament, please visit www.imgacademies.com/discoveryopen.

Lopez and Monaco awarded wild cards for US Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston

No. 15 Feliciano Lopez and No. 21 Juan Monaco have been awarded the first main draw wild cards for the US Men’s Clay Court Championship, which will be played from April 9-15 at the River Oaks Country Club in Houston, Texas. Lopez will be making his debut in Houston, while Monaco reached the quarterfinals at River Oaks in 2007. “We’re thrilled to have the chance to grant Feliciano and Juan wild cards,” said Van Barry, Tournament Director. “To have these Top 25 international stars join our field that’s anchored by a couple of Top 10 Americans with Mardy and John is a very exciting way to gear up for the tournament which begins in less than three weeks.” One more main draw wild card will be announced at a later date.

WTA Family Circle Cup Qualifying Wild Cards announced

Qualifying wild cards for the WTA Family Circle Cup at Daniel Island in Charleston, S.C., have been granted to No. 283 Jessica Pegula, No. 292 Grace Min, No. 383 Maria Sanchez, Charleston native Shelby Rogers and 16-year-old Hayley Carter. The tournament will take place from March 31-April 8. One additional qualifying wild card will be awarded soon, while two main draw wild cards have already been accepted by Americans Irina Falconi and Jamie Hampton. Notable players scheduled to compete in the main draw include Serena and Venus Williams, Samantha Stosur, Vera Zvonareva, Jelena Jankovic, Agnieszka Radwanska, Marion Bartoli, Sabine Lisicki and Julia Goerges. Last year’s singles champion was then world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, while Sania Mirza and Elena Vesnina captured the doubles title. ESPN2 will televise the matches in Charleston starting on Thursday at 10 p.m. EST.

Querrey, Haas, Levine, Soeda to compete at The Sarasota Open 2012

Sam Querrey, Tommy Haas, Jesse Levine and Go Soeda have announced their plans to participate in The Sarasota Open 2012 Challenger Tournament in Longboat Key, Fla., which will be played from April 14-22. The tournament will be played at the Longboat Key Club and Resort and tickets can be purchased by calling (941) 809-8996.

Henman returning to Royal Albert Hall for AEGON Masters Tennis in December

Former ATP World Tour world No. 4 Tim Henman has joined the field for the AEGON Masters Tennis at Royal Albert Hall in London, which will take place from December 5-9. Last year, the British star defeated Thomas Enqvist in the championship match. For more information about the AEGON Masters Tennis, which has been played every year since 1997, please visit www.aegonmasterstennis.com.

HEAD top rated tennis manufacturer on Facebook

HEAD Tennis, whose top athletes include Novak Djokovic, Maria Sharapova and Andy Murray, just became the No. 1 rated tennis manufacturer on Facebook with 329,000 plus likes and more than 34,000 fans on its official fan page. Along with videos including top players, HEAD has incorporated unique contests and the opportunity for fans to ask questions to their favorite tennis superstar. HEAD also has a strong digital presence on YouTube, Twitter, and Head.com.

HEAD launches Speed Pro Lite Tennis Shoe

HEAD has launched its latest footwear innovation, the HEAD Speed Pro Lite Tennis Shoe, which is available in two colors options. Shoes can either be purchased in black, white and orange or white and black. The Speed Pro Lite is HEAD’s lightest tennis shoe ever to hit the market. However, the shoe does not sacrifice performance or stability. The latest shoe by HEAD is 10 percent lighter than the original Speed Pro Tennis Shoe. The Speed Pro Lite also offers supreme comfort. With lightweight mesh and flexible TPU materials in the upper, it can be described as “ready to play out of the box”. It also is equipped with a half-sock construction which gives it a “slipper-like” feeling. The Speed Pro Lite offers a six-month durability guarantee on the outsole and toe guard. The shoe is currently available for purchase at your local tennis store.


Jana Novotna: “Pour some olive oil on me” – On this day in Sony Ericsson Open history

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The Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Fla., is the biggest, most prestigious tennis tournament in the United States next to the US Open. Its history dates back to 1985 and is documented in pages in my book ON THIS DAY IN TENNIS HISTORY ($19.95, New Chapter Press, www.TennisHistoryBook.com). The following are events that happened in the history of the tournament – also previously called the Lipton Championships, the NASDAQ-100 Open and the Ericsson Open – as excerpted from the book from March 27.

March 27

1988 – Twenty-three-year-old Mats Wilander outlasts 35-year-old Jimmy Connors 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in 3 hours, 39 minutes to win the Lipton Championships in Key Biscayne, Fla.

1999 – Richard Krajicek of the Netherlands wins the biggest title of his career besides his 1996 Wimbledon crown, defeating No. 74-ranked Sebastien Grosjean of France 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 7-5 in the men’s singles final at the Lipton Championships in Key Biscayne, Fla. Grosjean becomes the lowest-ranked player to reach the final in Key Biscayne.

1997 – With on-court temperatures hovering around 110 degrees, sixteen-year-old Martina Hingis outlasts Jana Novotna 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 in the semifinals of the Lipton Championships. Says Novotna of the hot conditions of the match, “Occasionally I looked in the corner – 105 and it’s like ‘Nice frying, let’s pour some olive oil on me.” Jim Courier, seeded No. 22, defeats No. 4 seed Goran Ivanisevic 6-2, 7-6 (2) in the men’s quarterfinals. Says Goran following the match, “I gave him everything – nice presents.”

1998 – Marcelo Rios allows Tim Henman only five points in the final set in his 6-2, 4-6, 6-0 semifinal victory at the Lipton Championships in Key Biscayne. Andre Agassi, ranked No. 31 in the world, also advances into the men’s singles final, defeating Alex Corretja 6-4, 6-2. Says Agassi of the talk of the race for the world No. 1 ranking between Pete Sampras and Marcelo Rios following his victory, “I don’t know why they are all talking about Rios and Sampras, at the end of the year, I’m going to be No. 1.” Agassi goes on to finish No. 6, while Sampras finishes No. 1 and Rios No. 2.

2007 – For the second time in a month, Roger Federer loses to Guillermo Canas of Argentina, falling by a 7-6 (2), 2-6, 7-6 (5) margin in the fourth round of the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Fla. Canas ends Federer’s 41-match win streak in the first round of the Indian Wells two weeks earlier and in Key Biscayne, ends the Swiss maestro’s chance at winning his third straight title in the island paradise. Says Federer. “It’s one of those matches I never should have lost.” Says Canas, “I’m surprised because I beat two times the No. 1 in the world. Really, I don’t know what is my secret I’m just trying to enjoy the moment. For me it’s like a dream.” Fellow No. 1 seed Maria Sharapova is also eliminated from the event but in a much more convincing fashion, losing 6-1, 6-1 to Serena Williams.

Surprises and upsets in the first week of Indian Wells – Mondays with Bob Greene

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STARS

BNP Paribas Open

(First Week)

Donald Young beat fifth-seeded Andy Murray 7-6 (4) 6-3

Ivo Karlovic beat sixth-seeded David Ferrer 7-6 (3) 6-3

Peng Shuai beat seventh-seeded Li Na 4-6 6-3 6-3

OTHER

Mark Philippoussis beat Tim Henman 6-3, 7-6 (3) to win the BNP Paribas Zurich Open in Zurich, Switzerland

SAYING

“It’s by far the biggest win of my career.” – Donald Young, after beating Andy Murray at the BNP Paribas Open.

“Early on in tournaments when you’re not hitting the ball well, running a lot of balls down and making your opponent play, you can sometimes get the job done. But I didn’t move particularly well and he hit a lot of winners. He gained in confidence I guess from hitting more winners.” – Andy Murray, following his loss to Donald Young.

“I’ve seen enough of that serve for one lifetime.” – Pete Sampras, talking about the left-handed serve of Goran Ivanisevic.

“Nobody forgets how to play.” – Dinara Safina, a former world number one who is beginning to win matches again after struggling with injuries last year.

“I love this Tour. Hopefully I can play a lot more ATP Champions Tour events because I’m having so much fun. My love for tennis came back because of these events.” Mark Philippoussis, who has won the last two senior tournaments.

“Confidence is crucial. It’s a very important thing to have, in this individual sport. If you’re on the run, you don’t want to mess up. You don’t want to stumble. You just want to keep on going and hold the momentum. This is what I’m trying to do.” – Novak Djokovic,

“It was tough to get a gauge on how I was playing because James was playing so aggressively. He came out from the first game and I realized his strategy was … he didn’t want to let me get into a rhythm. I felt like he was coming out of his shoes.” – Andy Roddick, after beating fellow American James Blake at Indian Wells.

“The last couple of weeks I’m starting to feel more confident with my game. I was struggling with my foot (work), with my movement. I wasn’t moving well. I had no confidence in my game. My movement was not there. I was making a lot of unforced errors. I had a hard time on the court. I was basically a shadow of myself.” – Jelena Jankovic.

SHOCKER

Donald Young has struggled since turning pro. Don’t tell that to Andy Murray, however. The 21-year-old American shocked the fifth-ranked Murray 7-6 (4) 6-3 in the BNP Paribas Open, the first time Young, who had to qualify for the hard court tournament, has beaten a top 10 players. A former junior champion who has struggled on the ATP tour, Young is ranked 143rd in the world and had a 1-3 match record going into the Indian Wells, California, USA, event. “It’s by far the biggest win of my career,” Young admitted. Since reaching the final of the Australian Open in January, Murray has lost seven consecutive sets – three to Novak Djokovic in the year’s first Grand Slam tournament, two to Marcos Baghdatis in Rotterdam, Netherlands, in early February, and two to Young. “I started the match well and then when it got close to the end of the first set I just didn’t do anything particularly well,” Murray said. “I didn’t do anything to really lift myself. He started playing better. I didn’t find my way back into the match.”

Donald Young

“SCARIEST MOMENT”

Calling her recent blood clot drama “the scariest moment in my life,” Serena Williams said she is still planning on returning to tennis this summer. Being interviewed on the Today show, Williams said her recent medical problems have made her appreciate her tennis even more. “I had swelling in my leg, which is a tell-tale sign of embolism, and I could not breathe,” she said. “I remember thinking, ‘I’m walking but I cannot breathe. That forced me to the emergency room.’” After winning Wimbledon last July, her 13th Grand Slam tournament singles title. Williams was in Germany when she stepped on broken glass and cut her foot. Since then she has had two operations on her foot and, for the most part, has been on crutches and wearing a walking boot. She said she is still being treated from clots in her lungs with blood thinners. “Luckily enough I was able to catch it (the clot) soon enough that my career won’t be affected,” she said. “I have so much to look forward to.”

STRUGGLES OVER?

Dinara Safina could finally be over her injury-induced slump. The former world number one easily won her opening round match at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, USA, never losing her serve in a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Arantxa Parra Santonja. Safina was the world’s top-ranked player for half of 2009. This was before injuries caused her game to collapse. This year, she began by losing first-round matches in her first two tournaments. Safina then became the first former world number one to lose a Grand Slam tournament match without winning a game as Kim Clijsters pounded out a 6-0, 6-0 thrashing. But Safina recently teamed with Galina Voskoboeva to win the doubles at the BMW Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur and has followed it up by playing strongly in singles. “I’m getting more and more positive,” Safina said. “I’m working day by day and trying to get better, and with the hard work I believe I will get better. Nobody forgets how to play.”

SURGERY YET AGAIN

For the third straight year, Argentina’s David Nalbandian has undergone a surgeon’s knife. Following operations on a hernia in his left groin and a torn lower leg muscle, the 29-year-old said he will be sidelined for eight weeks. Nalbandian suffered the hernia and also pulled the leg muscle during his four-set victory over Romania’s Adrian Ungur in a Davis Cup World Group first-round tie. He was visibly hampered by the injuries throughout the clash in Buenos Aires, pausing for long periods inbetween points. But he fought through the pain to help Argentina through to a quarterfinal meeting against Kazakhstan. Nalbandian was forced to retire from his second-round match at the Australian Open in January, citing fatigue. He came back from hip surgery in 2009 and overcame a back operation last year.

SUPPORTIVE PARENT

Kim Clijsters says that once she retires she wants to adopt a child. The Belgian star retired from the sport, got married and gave birth to her daughter. She returned to the tennis wars in 2009 following a two-year break and has since been one of the most dominant players on the tour, winning the last two US Opens – to go along with the one she won before she retired – and the Australian Open two months ago. Clijsters is currently ranked number two in the world but could supplant Caroline Wozniacki in the top spot in the rankings by the time play in the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, USA, is completed. “I have always said that my goal in life is to adopt, so that is something that I want to start working on when I am done playing,” she said. Clijsters is accompanied on tour by her husband, former professional basketball player Brian Lynch, and their daughter Jada. She has said she wants to compete in the 2012 Olympic Games in London and has hinted that she may retire after that.

SWISS TIMING

Roger Federer will play Davis Cup for Switzerland again after a nearly two-year hiatus. The last time Federer played in the international team competition was September 2009. However, he announced his intention to play in July – just five days after the Wimbledon final – shortly after top-ranked Rafael Nadal said he would play in Spain’s Davis Cup quarterfinal against the United States. Switzerland will play host to Portugal in a Europe/Africa Zone Group 1 second-round tie. A win would put Switzerland in position to have a chance to return to the World Group after being relegated last year. “I’ve decided I’m going to play the Davis Cup tie in July at home against Portugal,” Federer wrote on his official website. “I’m really looking forward to helping Switzerland begin the process of getting back into the World Group.” Of course, by playing Davis Cup, Federer would then qualify to compete in the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

SOUTH AFRICAN CUPPERS

Captain John-Laffnie de Jager can relax now that all of South Africa’s top tennis players have declared themselves available for the Europe/Africa Group 1 tie against the Netherlands in July. It is the first time in four years that De Jager has enjoyed what might be considered a luxury. Until now, Kevin Anderson, the country’s No. 1 singles player, and Wesley Moodie, South Africa’s top doubles player, have not committed to playing Davis Cup at the same time. Anderson, ranked 40th in the world, has not played Davis Cup for more than two years in a period in which South Africa have failed at the last hurdle to qualify for the Davis Cup’s elite World Group after an absence of 11 years. “I think all the players now realize how vitally important it is for South African tennis to return to the World Group,” said De Jager, “and that all our resources will be needed if we are to stand what will, in any case, be a testing challenge.” Of course, by playing Davis Cup the South African players qualify to play in the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

SCUD ATTACK

The senior tour is just what Mark Philippoussis was looking for. The Australian continued his rampage through the ATP Champions Tour by winning his second successive title in 2011, defeating Britain’s Tim Henman 6-3 7-6 (3) to lift the BNP Paribas Zurich Open winners’ trophy. Philippoussis, who won the title in Delray Beach, Florida, USA, two weeks ago, was in control from the start against his old rival Henman, withstanding a late fight back to win the match on a second set tie-break. “Tim was a little slow in starting and I took advantage of that, but as the match went on he warmed up a little and started serving bigger and we had some good points. It was a really good match,” Philippoussis said. “I love this tour. Hopefully I can play a lot more ATP Champions Tour events because I’m having so much fun. My love for tennis came back because of these events. I love the way they’re set up, they’re so relaxed. We hang out together, we get on the court and have some fun, but we’re still competitive. This has been a great week.”

SCOTLAND-BOUND?

Andy Murray is ready to play Davis Cup for Great Britain again, and he wants to do it on Scottish soil. A native of Scotland, Murray is planning on leading the team against Luxembourg in July as Great Britain attempts to move up from Europe/Africa Group Two. Murray believes playing in Scotland, and particularly at Stirling University, would create a good crowd for the tie. The last two home ties were held in Eastbourne and Bolton, where the crowds were sparse and the interest level was minimal. The fact that Stirling is also 10 minutes away from Murray’s hometown and is where he, his brother Jamie and Colin Fleming used to practice is an added bonus. “To me it’s not about playing it in Scotland, in England or any of that stuff,” Murray said. “It’s about what the best venue is, and I don’t think it makes sense to put it in a venue where the tickets aren’t in high demand and they aren’t selling out within minutes.”

SIGNING UP

The Family Circle Cup field keeps getting stronger. The latest to officially commit to playing the Charleston, SC, tournament is top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki, who reached the final two years ago. “Caroline Wozniacki has set the world on fire in the past two years as she continues to make her mark on women’s tennis,” said Eleanor Adams, Family Circle Cup tournament manager. “She is rapidly becoming a figure who transcends the game and we are thrilled to welcome her back to Charleston.” Others in the field for the 39th consecutive running of the tournament include Samantha Stosur, Jelena Jankovic, Maria Sharapova, Shahar Peer, Nadia Petrova, Daniela Hantuchova, Melanie Oudin and Sabine Lisicki. In her six years on the women’s tour, Wozniacki has won 13 singles titles and more than $8.5 million in prize money. She became the 20th woman to top the rankings when she overtook Serena Williams on October 11, 2010. As the first Dane, male or female, to hold the top ranking, Wozniacki finished 2010 as the world’s number one player. This year the 20-year-old has reached the semifinal of the Australian Open, won in Dubai and reached the final in Doha.

SERVING FOR FIVE

Andy Roddick is seeking to become the first player to win five titles at Queen’s Club in London. The American’s competition at the Wimbledon warm-up will include Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Roddick lifted the winners’ trophy at The Queen’s Club in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2007. He is one of only a handful of players to have won the title four times since the event was first played in 1890. John McEnroe, Boris Becker, Lleyton Hewitt, Roy Emerson, MJG Ritchie and AF Wilding, are the others. “Over the years I’ve had a lot of success at The Queen’s Club, it has real tradition and I love the whole month in London,” Roddick said. “Queen’s has the best grass courts in the world, they play perfectly and so the AEGON Championships is a great way to prepare for Wimbledon.” The 28-year-old Roddick is rediscovering his form after being affected by glandular fever during the grass-court season last year. Roddick has finished ranked inside the world’s top 10 every year since 2002. He won his sole Grand Slam title at the 2003 US Open, and hr has reached three Wimbledon finals.

SEEING IS BELIEVING

Both the ladies’ and gentlemen’s title matches at Wimbledon will be televised in 3D this summer, along with the men’s semifinals. The All England Lawn Tennis Club and Sony announced a multi-year partnership to bring Wimbledon to 3D-ready digital cinemas around the world. The live 3D production, in partnership with Wimbledon host broadcaster BBC, will also be offered to broadcasters. “We are delighted that our 3D partnership with Sony will not only guarantee we are at the cutting edge of live sporting television, but also deliver a compelling new viewing experience for our global audiences, especially among our younger supporters,” said Ian Ritchie, chief executive of the All England Lawn Tennis Club. Wimbledon this year runs June 20-July 3.

SONY EYE

Sony has been busy on a lot of fronts. The Japanese electronics giant has purchased Hawk-Eye, the United Kingdom company that makes ball-tracking technology for tennis and cricket. Hawk-Eye inventor Paul Hawkins said the takeover by Sony created “immense opportunities for the sports industry.” Sony purchased all intellectual property rights, Hawk-Eye’s current full time staff as well as its technology, software and engineering. Despite its high-profile brand name, Hawk-Eye is a relatively small company with profits of (USD) $1,892,500 (£1.1m) last year. Last autumn, it said it expected to make a profit of (USD) $2,916,730 (£1.8m) this year.

SPONSORS

A British newspaper has reported that BBC managers considered dropping Wimbledon and Formula One racing from its television lineup after the corporation’s license fee settlement was frozen last year. Wimbledon has been shown by the BBC since 1937, and the relationship between the All England Club and the broadcaster’s sports department is so close that the exact cost of the exclusive contract has never been revealed. Formula One, which has been broadcast by the BBC since 2008, has also been highlighted as a potential opportunity for savings. A BBC insider told The Guardian: “Wimbledon costs tens of millions, and is a very expensive contract. No one is saying definitely exit, but it is being looked at. Or perhaps, goes the thinking, this is a contract that could be shared with another broadcaster.”

SURFING

Indian Wells: www.bnpparibasopen.com/

Zurich: www.zurichopen.net/

Nassau: www.thebahamasopen.com

Bahamas Tennis Association: www.blta.net/

Miami: www.sonyericssonopen.com/

Kunming: www.ldzjhome.com

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$4,500,000 BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells, California, USA, hard (second week)

$100,000 Le Gosier Guadeloupe Challenger, Guadeloupe, hard

WOMEN

$4,500,000 BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells, California, USA, hard (second week)

$100,000 The Bahamas Women’s Open, Nassau, Bahamas, hard

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$4,500,000 Sony Ericsson Open, Miami, Florida, USA, hard (first week)

WOMEN

$4,500,000 Sony Ericsson Open, Miami, Florida, USA, hard (first week)

Roger Federer’s Missing Titles

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By Bob Stockton

Roger Federer is the top seed this week in the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris – one of the biggest tournaments in tennis that the Swiss maestro HASN’T won.

Federer has played in the Bercy tournament seven times in her career and – remarkably – has never even reached the semifinals of the event. He first reached the quarterfinals in 2002 – clinching his first-ever trip to the ATP World Tour Finals – before losing to Lleyton Hewitt. He reached the quarters again in 2003, losing to Tim Henman, but then was absent from the event until 2007, losing in the round of 16 to David Nalbandian. He reached the quarterfinals again in 2008, but had to withdraw from the event with a bad back – the first and only time to date that Federer was forced to withdraw from an ATP World Tour event. In 2009, Federer lost in his opening match to Julien Benneteau of France.

The other big titles missing from the Federer mantelpiece include the following;

  • The Italian Championships in Rome: Federer has played the event 10 times, reaching the final twice in 2003 and 2006. In 2003, Federer blew a great chance to capture to prestigious title when he lost to the lower-ranked Felix Mantilla 7-5, 2-6, 7-6 (8) in the final. In 2006, in one of the best matches ever played at the Foro Italico – and another great chance for Federer to lay claim to the Italian title – Federer lost by a 6-7(0), 7-6 (5), 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (5) margin. . Federer led 4-1 in the fifth set and botched two match points at 6-5 in the fifth set before losing in a five-hour-and-six-minute struggle. Wrote Rene Stauffer in his book ROGER FEDERER: QUEST FOR PERFECTION ($19.95, New Chapter Press, www.RogerFedererBook.com), “The match not only proved that Federer was catching up to the clay court prowess of Nadal, but also firmly cemented the rivalry between Federer-Nadal as one of the best in global sports.”

    Roger Federer
  • The Monte Carlo Open: Federer has played the tournament nine times, reaching the final in 2006, 2007, 2008, losing all three times to….you know who….Rafael Nadal. His best chance came in 2006, losing to Nadal 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-3, 7-6 (5). He lost the 2005 final 6-4, 6-4 to Nadal and the 2006 final by a 7-5, 7-5 margin to his lefty arch-rival.
  • The Olympic Games: Federer has won a gold medal in men’s doubles in 2008, pairing with Stan Wawrinka, but in singles, his best showing came in 2000 when he lost the bronze-medal match with Arnaud DiPasquale of France, after losing to Tommy Haas in the semifinals. As the top seed at the 2004 Games, Federer was upset in the second round to Tomas Berdych. In 2008 in singles, Federer lost one-round before the medal round in singles, falling to James Blake.

Davis Cup: Federer hasn’t played in a Davis Cup world group match for Switzerland since the 2004 quarterfinals against France. He and Switzerland’s best chance on his watch to win the Davis Cup came in 2003, when he and Switzerland lost a hard-fought semifinal against Australia 3-2 in Australia, Federer losing a two-sets-to-love lead against Hewitt 5-7, 2-6, 7-6 (4), 7-5, 6-1.

FEDERER TURNS TO ANNACONE

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Roger Federer announced on his official website – www.RogerFederer.com – that he will begin working with former Pete Sampras coach Paul Annacone as a “test.”

Wrote Federer, “Dear Fans, I’ve been looking to add someone to my team and I’ve decided to spend some days with Paul Annacone. As Paul winds down his responsibilities working for the Lawn Tennis Association, we will explore our relationship through this test period. Paul will work alongside my existing team and I am excited to learn from his experiences. See you soon Roger”

Federer has been virtually “coachless” since ending a relationship with former Jim Courier and Michael Chang coach Jose Higueras in 2008.

Federer, currently ranked No. 3 in the world (his lowest ranking since 2003), failed to reach the semifinals at this last two major tournaments at Wimbledon and the French Open. The 16-time major tournament champion is expected to return to play next month in Toronto. His lone tournament victory in 2010 came at the Australian Open in January.

Severin Luthi, the Swiss Davis Cup captain, has been traveling with Federer for much of the last 18 months.

Annacone was a former top 20 player, U.S. Davis Cupper and former coach of Pete Sampras, Tim Henman and most recently as the head of coaching for Britain’s Lawn Tennis Association. He and the LTA recently announced that their relationship would not be renewed.

Federer previously worked with Peter Lundgren, Tony Roche and Higueras. His childhood coach, Peter Carter, died in a car crash in 2002.

In 2009, as documented in the new paperback book ROGER FEDERER: QUEST FOR PERFECTION ($19.95, New Chapter Press) by Rene Stauffer, Federer “failed in his attempt to lure the top Australian coach Darren Cahill to coach him.” Wrote Stauffer, “Cahill, who had worked with both Andre Agassi and Lleyton Hewitt, decided after a short test period to take a different position that allowed him to spend more time with his wife and his two kids, who live in Las Vegas.”

WHEN WILL ROGER AND RAFA MEET AGAIN?

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By Randy Walker

Many are speculating – and hoping – that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will renew their epic rivalry soon.

The two titans have not clashed in a year – since the final of Madrid last May, won by Federer 6-4, 6-4. The stretch equals the two player’s longest period without playing – matching the one year period between their first and second meetings at the 2004 and 2005 Sony Ericson Opens.

The rivalry began on March 28, 2004 when Nadal, then an aspiring 17-year-old, took down the world No. 1 Federer 6-3, 6-3 in the third round of Key Biscayne – then labeled as the NASDAQ-100 Open. As outlined in my book ON THIS DAY IN TENNIS HISTORY ($19.95, www.TennisHistoryBook.com), Nadal was the youngest man in the tournament field and said following the match, “I played almost perfect tennis.” Federer’s loss was only his second in 25 matches in the 2004 season and predicted great things for the young Spaniard. “He hit some really incredible shots, and that’s what youngsters do. I’ve heard a lot about him and saw some of his matches, so this is not a big surprise.”

The two tennis giants go on to play 19 more matches over the next six years. Their current head-to-head sits at 13-7 in favor of Nadal.

Rene Stauffer, the author of the book THE ROGER FEDERER STORY: QUEST FOR PERFECTION ($24.95 New Chapter Press, www.RogerFedererBook.com) discusses Federer’s first match with Nadal – and that period in his career, in his book excerpt below.

The 2004 season was turning into a triumphal march for Federer. He was celebrated wherever he appeared. His results continued to be worthy of a world No. 1. His first defeat of the year—and in manner of three months—came in mid-February, when he lost to Tim Henman in the quarterfinals of Rotterdam. He quickly regained form and successfully defended his title in Dubai, defeating the Spainard Feliciano Lopez in the final. At the Tennis Masters Series event in Indian Wells, Federer avenged his loss to Henman in the championship match and realized his first “countable” victory against another of his early nemeses. The win over Henman was only his second in eight matches, with Federer’s only previous win over the Brit in Key Biscayne in 2002 being decided when Henman was forced to quit after one set due to a stiff neck. His victory, therefore, was especially satisfying. “Now I believe that no opponent has a psychological advantage over me,” he said.

An opponent that would bring Federer to his knees, however, appeared shortly after Indian Wells—illness. Immediately after the final, Federer began to run a fever and suffer from nausea and muscle pains. Despite his illness, he did not cancel his pre-arranged trip to Portland, Ore., the home of his clothing sponsor “Nike,” for a promotional visit, but en route to Miami for the next tournament, Federer was forced to stop and check into an airport hotel in Los Angeles to rest and try to recover. As he and Mirka finally arrived in Florida, he considered withdrawing from the tournament, but when rain gave him an extra day of rest, he decided to give it a go.

After he was able to muster up enough strength to negotiate a three-set win in his first match against No. 54-ranked Nikolay Davydenko of Russia, Federer next drew the highly-regarded Spaniard Rafael Nadal. The 17-year-old left-hander from Mallorca played what he described at the time as the best match of his life and dominated the listless Federer 6-3, 6-3. The loss was the most decisive defeat Federer experienced in a year. Nadal also became the youngest player to defeat the Wimbledon champion. Federer was not surprised that he lost since he was not yet recovered from his illness. Nonetheless, he suspected that Nadal would be a dangerous rival coming of age. “He will become the most powerful left-hander in tennis in the coming years,” Federer prophesized.

WHAT IS NEXT FOR BRITISH TENNIS?

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By Melina Harris

As Andy Murray trained under the honeyed, cerulean Californian skies in preparation for the first Masters 1000 event of the year in Indian Wells, his fellow Great British team mates arguably suffered the most humiliating defeat in Britain’s Davis Cup history; losing 3-2 to Lithuania in the Europe/Africa Zone Group II.

The British media has been literally firing outrage since Sunday’s loss at the LTA (Lawn Tennis Association), which has had a considerable sum of money at its disposal for years, due to the substantial profits amassed through the Wimbledon Championships every year. For instance, Mark Hodgkinson of the Daily Telegraph spat venomously, ‘There are at least 29 million reasons why the LTA’s officials should have been burning with embarrassment in the Baltic last night. Britain’s governing body, received more than 29 million pounds ($44 million) from the surplus of last summer’s Wimbledon championships and has had that sort of money at their disposal for years, yet could not beat a Lithuanian team of teenagers with a budget of less than 100,000 pounds a year.”

John Lloyd, Great Britain’s team captain has come under attack after five consecutive losses under his leadership and the loss of Murray, adding more fuel to the speculative fire that Greg Rusedski, Tim Henman or even Murray’s coach Miles Maclaghan should take over the reins of our nation’s team. Lloyd told the BBC “We’ll see about my future, it’s too early yet. We’ll just have to see how it goes in the next few days. I said it was going to be a rebuilding process. I would have liked to start with this win but it hasn’t happened.”

Significantly Rusedski’s ‘Twitter’ account read shortly after the loss, “Cannot believe we have lost to Lithuania in the Davis Cup. Unbelievable’ with a retweet of Mr Lloyd’s rather pathetic statement to the BBC: “it was a 50-50 sort of match before the start and they were the better team” directly underneath. Reading between the lines, was Greg attempting to highlight the pitiful negative thinking coming from Lloyd? Indeed, if our own captain believed we only had a 50-50 chance of winning the tie and expressed these sentiments even subconsciously to the team, then it’s hardly surprising they crippled under the pressure without Murray, who sent his best wishes via the site stating: “Good luck to the British boys today. Hitting this morning but got Wardy’s match up on laptop by the court” and tweeted during the deciding rubber, “Just found it on some weird channel on internet. 2 love in the fourth.” I wonder whether Murray feels just a ‘wee’ bit guilty for leaving the lads in the lurch however we must not forget that it was Roger Draper, the LTA’s chief executive who actually encouraged Murray not to compete.

So whose fault is it really? Is it fair to lump the responsibility for the “Death of British Tennis” on Andy Murray, who is single-handedly doing more for its image than the rest of the LTA put together? What is more beneficial to British tennis, a win in the Davis Cup or Murray eventually winning a major by focusing on the main tour events? If the Davis Cup were to be dumped in favor of the Tennis World Cup, then perhaps he could combine the two. Significantly, the International Tennis Federation has announced plans to pay participants in the 2010 Davis Cup considerably more than in the past in response to the threat of the World Cup. Could this inspire Murray to compete? Or do we need a more charismatic captain and patriotic chief executive to lure him back into the fold?

Draper has ordered an urgent internal review stating, “I share the deep disappointment and frustration at this result. Five defeats in a row is unacceptable. So I have asked the LTA player director, Steven Martens to review last week’s performance and result and report back to me and the LTA main board as soon as possible. That review needs to be swift and decisive as it is clear some real improvements need to be made.” Couldn’t Draper take a look himself? It’s hardly rocket science. Perhaps it is this kind of delegation of responsibilities that has led the LTA into this mess, for there has undoubtedly been a series of miscalculations with a colossal amount of money misspent.

As Leigh Sanders reported here on TennisGrandstand.com http://www.tennisgrandstand.com/archives/6050 Mark Petchey, Sky Sports presenter and former coach of Andy Murray, revealed his belief that the money spent on just one national training centre in Roehampton in London has been a glaring fault under the leadership of Draper. He believed instead that “what we needed right then was 30 centres around the country to get a catchment area from every region, every county” and went on to say “if you’re playing in Scotland for example, trying to get to a tennis centre with decent courts etc. is impossible. This money needs to be invested around the country, it’s that simple.”

Clive Carrigan, head of the Professional Tennis Registry in the UK took a more sympathetic approach to the loss stating “As disappointing as the result is there is no other way these guys are going to get adjusted to this type of pressure. Ultimately, it was a pretty new team and they lost by the odd break over five matches. Just because we are playing a relatively small nation in tennis terms doesn’t mean their players can’t play. We need to stick with the young guys and build a team for the future.” However, it cannot go unnoticed that our lack of strength in depth in the men’s game is abysmal in view of the millions spent on building British tennis.

Regarding the LTA’s budget, I would have to agree with Petchey, as throughout my years involved as a county player within the LTA system as a junior, I have continually witnessed the way LTA funding has been concentrated on a few players in selected areas and often these players already have funding from wealthy parents anyway. I do not doubt that we have the sporting talent in Britain, but many are not picked up at a young age and without the financial backing of wealthy parents do not have a hope in hell of succeeding through the system in the UK. There needs to be a radical restructuring of the way money is spent in Britain. Public courts around the country are left in disrepair, empty and forlorn while clubs are elitist and expensive. Employ top coaches on public courts in poorer areas and perhaps we may find our strength in depth and the players with the desire and fight of the Lithuanians.

Great Britain’s task is now to avoid an unthinkable relegation to Europe/Africa Zone Group III, the lowest tier of the competition and will meet Turkey in a play off in July, but the question on everyone’s mind is who will have the guts to take over? Who has the courage to lead our Davis Cup team on an “Everest-esque” climb back up to where we belong?

According to Boris Becker, who recently served briefly as Germany’s Davis Cup manager more than ten years ago and now lives a stone’s throw from Wimbledon, there is only one man for the job, the one name that will forever be etched into the consciousness of every British tennis supporter or this generation: our beloved Tim Henman, who he described as ‘a big role model’ thus capable of taking on the role. He believes Tim could communicate better with the young team as “It’s very difficult to speak the language of the kids today. You have to be not too far away from them in years to have some sort of communication with them. I think Tim would have that, plus he was a great player”.

Perhaps this is Henman’s chance to make amends for putting us through sheer hell every June: a slice of divine justice? However, it is known that he intended to take a few years off from tennis before making any kind of return and believes the Captain’s role is a thankless task, thus could Greg be the man left for the job? But according to sources, Greg is not exactly Murray’s favorite and let’s be honest where would the team be without our main man? Furthermore, LTA player director, Steve Martens has said “We have made no direct contact at all (with Rusedski)” but did go on to describe him as a “fantastic coach”. What about Miles Maclaghan? I cannot honestly foresee him giving up his integral role as coach to Murray any time in the near future.  It’s certainly a fascinating choice for the LTA who cannot afford to make yet another mistake.

Melina Harris is a freelance sports writer, book editor, English tutor and PTR qualified tennis coach. For more information and contact details please visit and subscribe to her website and blog at http://www.thetenniswriter.wordpress.com and follow her twitter updates via http://www.twitter.com/thetenniswriter.   She is available for freelance writing, editing and one to one private teaching and coaching.

MONDAYS WITH BOB GREENE:MALISSE AND WICKMAYER NO LONGER SUSPENDED

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STARS

Regina Kulikova beat Sandra Zahlavova 7-6 (6) 6-3 to win the Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

SAYING

Yanina Wickmayer
Yanina Wickmayer

“The ITF has removed both Mr. Malisse and Ms. Wickmayer from the list of suspended players, and both are eligible to participate with immediate effect.” – The International Tennis Federation (ITF), in a statement.

”It’s the best Christmas present I could imagine.” – Yanina Wickmayer, after having her one-year suspension lifted by the ITF.

“In my heart I was expecting this outcome because I’m innocent. So justice has been done,” – Richard Gasquet, after being cleared of doping charges by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

“I suspect there could be slight cuts in prize money.” – Sean Ennis, professor of sports marketing at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland, on the consequences of money problems in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

“I lost faith in the tennis I was playing. I wanted to live a life that is more fruitful, so I turned to other things, such as acting and a full-time job in marketing. I want to do things that will make me happy.” – Vojislava Lukic, who is contemplating an acting career.

SET TO PLAY

Two Belgian players are able to play tennis again after the International Tennis Federation (ITF) lifted their one-year suspensions. US Open semifinalist Yanina Wickmayer immediately accepted a wild-card entry to a tournament in Auckland, New Zealand, and is hoping to get one for the Australian Open, the year’s first Grand Slam tournament. Xavier Malisse, who reached the semifinals at Wimbledon in 2002, also had his one-year suspension lifted. Neither player failed a drug test, and Wickmayer claims she was not properly informed on the online reporting requirements for drug-testing that led to her ban. Wickmayer was banned in November for breaking World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) regulations by failing to report her whereabouts for drug testing three times. WADA’s “whereabouts” rule requires elite athletes to make themselves available for out-of-competition testing for one hour a day, 365 days a year. Under the rules, athletes must give three months’ notice of where and when they can be located for testing. Many athletes have spoken out against the system since it was imposed at the beginning of the year. WADA director general David Howman has said the rule will be reviewed at the end of the year.

STRANGE BUT TRUE

She is ranked 16th in the world and reached the US Open semifinals in her last Grand Slam tournament, but Yanina Wickmayer will probably have to battle her way through qualifying if she wants to play in the Australian Open in January. The Belgian had her one-year suspension lifted by the International Tennis Federation, but long after entries to the year’s first Grand Slam event had closed. Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said it “would be highly unlikely Yanina would get a main draw wild-card” since five of the eight for the women’s draw have already been allocated. “We will have three discretionary wild cards left which we intend to give to Australians,” Tiley said. If that happens, Wickmayer could receive a wild card into the qualifying.

STILL BELIEVED

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) believed Richard Gasquet’s excuse and cleared the Frenchman of a doping charge. The 23-year-old Gasquet said his positive test for cocaine came after he kissed a woman in a Miami nightclub. He was provisionally suspended in May before serving a 2½-month retroactive ban. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) and World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) wanted Gasquet to serve a two-year ban, but Gasquet appealed to the CAS. Sport’s top court ruled that Gasquet was inadvertently contaminated with a minute trace of the drug as a result of the kiss. “I’m very, very happy this is behind me,” said Gasquet, who has been ranked as high as seventh in the world. “It’s been very tough. I was positive in my head from the beginning because I knew that things would be OK. I’ve always told the truth.”

SCRUTINIZED

Will the money problems suffered by Dubai impact on the big-money tennis events held in the country? That’s the question everyone wants to know. Neighboring Abu Dhabi injected USD $10 billion into Dubai’s battered economy, assuring the emirate would not default. But Sean Ennis, a professor of sports marketing at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland, said: “There might be strings attached and Abu Dhabi might insist Dubai cuts spending in certain areas, including sports.”

SCREEN PLAY?

Vojislava Lukic has decided not to follow in the footsteps of her Serbian compatriots Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic. Although she was ranked number one in Europe in the under-14 girls, Lukic now is considering a career in acting. “I’ve done a course in acting back home in Serbia recently and I have been lucky to speak with Miami Vice lead actor Don Johnson, who has promised to ensure I fulfill my dream of acting in Hollywood,” Lukic told Gulf News in Dubai, where she played doubles with Bojana Jovanovski and reached the quarterfinals in her first tournament action since 2008. Lukic played Fed Cup for Serbia in 2007, the same year she played in her only Grand Slam tournament, the US Open, where she lost in the opening round of qualifying. “I was always the number one player in Serbia. However, unfortunately for me, Ana and Jelena have moved on, but I somehow got stuck behind,” Lukic said.

SITE REVISTED

Professional tennis is back in Atlanta after a nine-year hiatus. The ATP said Atlanta will now stage the tournament that has been played in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Atlanta Tennis Championships will be held July 17-25 as the opening event of the Olympus US Open Series. The six-week hard court season leads into the US Open and includes six men’s tournaments and four women’s events. Bill Oakes will serve as the new event’s tournament director. Atlanta had staged the AT&T Challenge and Verizon Tennis Challenge from 1986 to 2001. Former winners include Andy Roddick, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and John McEnroe.

SHE’S BACK

Kimiko Date Krumm is back on Japan’s Fed Cup team for the first time in 14 years. The 39-year-old Date Krumm returned to the women’s tour following a 12-year retirement and currently is the highest-ranked Japanese on the WTA Tour at number 70. Once ranked as high as number four in the world, Date Krumm will play when Japan competes in the Asia/Oceania Group I play in Kuala Lumpur in February.

STEFFI THE SHOOTER

Steffi Graf is looking at a camera from the other side these days. She has turned her focus from tennis to the viewfinder and published her first photo-reportage recently. Now 40 years old and the mother of two, Graf photographs of children living in slums in the capital of Eritrea, one of the poorest countries in Africa, accompanied an article in the German-language edition of National Geographic Magazine. The article was titled “The Children of Asmara.” In a statement released by her publisher, Graf said that as a teenager she seriously considered becoming a photographer rather than pursuing a career in tennis.

SAFELY IN

Casey Dellacqua has earned a berth in the Australian Open women’s singles main draw. Playing in her first tournament in 10 months following an injury, Dellacqua beat Olivia Rogowska in the playoff final for the berth in the year’s first Grand Slam tournament. The score was 1-6 7-6 (9) 6-3. Dellacqua saved three match points in the second-set tiebreak before beating her 18-year-old opponent.

Another player returning after a layoff, 28-year-old Alicia Molik, failed to earn a wild-card entry into the Australian Open main draw when she lost in the quarterfinals of the wild-card tournament for Australian players. She will now have to rely on a discretionary wild card from Tennis Australia to get into either the main draw or the qualifying.

SPEAKING UP

Former British tennis ace Tim Henman joined in the annual Carols by Candlelight event to raise money for the Pelican Cancer Foundation charity. The son-in-law of Pelican Cancer Foundation Professor Bill Heald, Henman read Advent 1955, a poem by Sir John Betjeman that rails against the commercialization of Christmas. More than 300 people were at St. Michael’s Church in Basing-stoke for the annual event. The Friends of St Michael’s Hospice Committee, who run the event every two years, decided to link up with Pelican Cancer Foundation this year because of their shared work against cancer.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Dubai: Julia Goerges and Oksana Kalashnikova beat Vladimira Uhlirova and Renata Voracova 4-6 6-2 10-8 (match tiebreak)

SITES TO SURF

Brisbane: www.brisbaneinternational.com.au/

Chennai: www.aircelchennaiopen.org/

Auckland: www.asbclassic.co.nz/

TOURNAMENTS BEGINNING JANUARY 4, 2010

(All money in USD)

ATP

$1,110,250 Qatar Exxon Mobil Open, Doha, Qatar, hard

$484,750 Brisbane International, Brisbane, Australia, hard

$450,000 Aircel Chennai Open, Chennai, India, hard

$125,000 ATP Challenger Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil, hard

WTA

$220,000 Brisbane International, Brisbane, Australia, hard

$220,000 ASB Classic, Auckland, New Zealand, hard

Federer’s First Season-Ending Championship

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Roger Federer
Roger Federer

Roger Federer is playing in the ATP World Tour’s season-ending championship for an eighth time in 2009 at the O2 Arena in London. It was in 2002 when Federer first qualified for the ATP World Tour finale as a xx-year-old. Rene Stauffer, the respected Swiss tennis writer, chronicles Federer’s first appearance at the ATP World Tour Finals in this excerpt from his book THE ROGER FEDERER STORY, QUEST FOR PERFECTION ($24.95, New Chapter Press, www.RogerFedererBook.com). This chapter, chapter No. 14, is called “Red Dawn In China.”

Roger Federer’s title in Vienna represented a big step towards qualifying for the Tennis Masters Cup in China. Federer passed Albert Costa, Andy Roddick and Tommy Haas in Champions Race to rank No. 7 after his victory along the banks of the Danube. His ATP ranking, based on the 52-week results, also rose to a career-high No. 7—the career-high ranking that his countryman Jakob Hlasek achieved in 1989. After a quarterfinal finish at the Tennis Masters Series event in Madrid, Federer moved to No. 6 in the rankings—marking the highest ATP ranking ever achieved by a Swiss player. His trip to China was well within reach, but now he wanted to finally win “his” tournament—the Swiss Indoors in Basel. After finishing runner-up the last two years, Federer seemed poised to finally capture his hometown tournament. In the quar­terfinals, Federer faced Roddick for the first time in his career and defeated the 19-year-old American 7-6 (5), 6-1 in an exciting match that lasted until midnight. In the semifinals, the brawny David Nalbandian, Federer’s rival from junior days, spoiled Roger’s hometown title dreams, winning a 6-7 (2), 7-5, 6-3 decision after trailing 7-6, 3-1.

The final ATP event of the year is the Tennis Masters Series in Paris, played at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, a majestic entertainment arena located on the north bank of the Seine featuring manicured grass-covered sides on its outside walls. The event usually decides the final qualifiers for the year-end Tennis Masters Cup and 2002 was no different. Federer of­ficially booked his ticket for Shanghai when Tim Henman lost in the third round to Nicolas Escude and Federer straight-setted Tommy Haas to reach the quarterfinals. With his goal achieved, Federer’s quarterfinal with Hewitt lacked the tension of his previous matches, and he lost to the world No. 1 in straight sets.

Federer traveled to Shanghai in November of 2002 as the No. 6 ranked player in the world. At age 21, he was the youngest player in the Tennis Masters Cup field, had nothing to lose as a first-time qualifier and there­fore, he was duly relaxed during the event. “Everything after this will be an encore,” he said. The Tennis Masters Cup took place in one of five gigantic exhibition halls that were reminiscent of airplane hangars in the Pudong district of Shanghai, a faceless area between the airport and downtown.

For Federer, his trip to the Tennis Masters Cup in China was unique. “This is no ordinary tournament; it’s an adventure,” he said juggling tennis balls in front of his hotel and parading up and down along the edge of a four-lane main road in a publicity photo shoot for photographers. He was playing in the Far East for the first time and immediately felt comfortable in his new surroundings. He enjoyed the unique atmosphere of the 11,500 square meter Expo-Hall, whose 10,000 spectators turned the place into an electric atmosphere.

The Tennis Masters Cup was the biggest, the most expensive and the most widely-covered professional sports event in China at the time. For most Chinese, tennis was relatively unknown. It was an undiscovered sport that they didn’t yet really understand. Whenever players double-faulted, the specta­tors would scream. Enthusiastic Chinese journalists would pose the strangest questions in press conferences. “Why are you always smiling, Mistel Fedelel? Because you are in such good shape?” a Chinese reporter asked Federer in broken English. Following another match, French Open Champion Albert Costa was asked by a Chinese scribe, “You always used to eat bananas when chang­ing sides. Why not today? Perhaps because you don’t like Chinese bananas?”

Federer, the Masters rookie who came to China with his mother Lynette and girlfriend Mirka, basked in the preferential treatment accorded to each of the eight participants. “I feel special here with the entire hullabaloo and the many body guards,” he said. “They read your every desire from your lips. It’s fortunate that there are so few players here.” At Shanghai, it became even more clear that Federer possessed a certain star quality and that he wasn’t blinded by the limelight. He loved the attention and flourished in it.

The Tennis Masters Cup is a round-robin event with the eight qualifying players paired in two round-robin groups of four. In his group, Federer ranked Andre Agassi as the favorite and himself and Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain as the leading contenders for the No. 2 position. Federer’s assessment quickly proved to be wrong. Federer beat Ferrero in his opening round-robin match and then defeated Jiri Novak for a 2-0 round robin record. Federer then clinched his round-robin flight when Agassi lost to both Novak and Ferrero. No longer with a chance of making the semifinals, Agassi hastily left China in disappointment, using a hip injury as the reason for his withdrawal.

In the semifinals, Federer faced Hewitt, who already clinched the year-end No. 1 ranking for a second year in a row. The Australian barely qualified for the semifinals and benefited from Carlos Moya winning a three-hour mean­ingless match over fellow Spaniard Costa, where a Costa victory would have him reach the semifinals rather than Hewitt. Although Federer lost five of the last seven matches with Hewitt, he reasoned his chances of beating him and winning the first big championship of his career were very attainable.

Federer started his semifinal with Hewitt in furious fashion, taking a 3-0 and a 5-2 first-set lead, but Hewitt ran and fought as if his life were at stake. Hewitt fought off five set points and rallied for a 6-5 lead. Serving for the set, Hewitt staved off another five break points, before capturing the first set 7-5. Federer, however, was not ready to surrender. The second set turned into a wild back-and-forth struggle. Hewitt served for the match at 5-4 and held match point, but Federer broke back for 5-5. After holding serve for 6-5, Federer evened the match by breaking Hewitt’s serve, connecting on his fourth set point of the game.

The Chinese fans went wild—out of their seats, screaming and cheering. In the commentary booth high above the stadium, Heinz Günthardt and Stefan Bürer, the Swiss TV commentary team, described the tension and fast-paced action to the audience back in Switzerland, where it was Saturday morning and many people postponed their weekend shopping to watch the dramatic match with their new sports hero.

As the match extended into a third hour, the breaks seemed to fall in favor of Federer. Leading 4-3 in the final set, Federer held two break points to put him in the position to serve for the match. Both opportunities, however, were lost and Hewitt held for 4-4. Hewitt then subsequently broke Federer’s serve the next game to serve for the match at 5-4. The Australian reached his second match point—and shockingly double-faulted. Federer then broke Hewitt’s serve to square the match at 5-5. Serving with new balls in the next game, Federer committed two consecutive double-faults to allow Hewitt to break him back and gained another opportunity to serve for the match. It took Hewitt another four match points before he finally corralled Federer and advanced to the final with an epic 7-5, 5-7, 7-5 victory. Following the match, Hall of Fame journalist Bud Collins walked into the press room and asked his fellow scribes, “Have you ever seen a better match?”

In the craziest match of his career to date, Federer was aware that he let victory escape from his grasp. “I have no one to blame but myself,” he said to a small group of Swiss journalists who traveled to China. “Luck wasn’t on my side. I blew a big opportunity. That hurts.” A vacation in Phuket, Thailand helped heal the wounds.

Mondays With Bob Greene: The best thing I did today: I didn’t back off

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STARS

Svetlana Kuznetsova beat Agnieszka Radwanska 6-2 6-4 to win the China Open women’s singles in Beijing, China

Novak Djokovic wins the China Open
Novak Djokovic wins the China Open

Novak Djokovic beat Marin Cilic 6-2 7-6 (4) to win the China Open men’s singles in Beijing, China

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat Mikhail Youzhny 6-3 6-3 to win the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships men’s singles in Tokyo, Japan

Janko Tipsarevic won the Ethias Trophy in Mons, Belgium, beating Sergiy Stakhovsky 7-6 (4) 6-3

Julie Coin beat Olga Savchuk 7-6 (6) 4-6 7-6 (6) to win the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships women’s singles in Tokyo, Japan

Todd Martin won the Cancer Treatment Centers of American Tennis Championships in Surprise, Arizona, defeating Andre Agassi 6-3 7-5

SAYING

“I have so much confidence now going into Shanghai and the indoor events. It’s a great time of year for me.” – Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, after winning the Rakuten Japan Open in Tokyo.

“I am happy with the week here, but it always hurts to lose. It doesn’t matter if it’s first round or the final.” – Mikhail Youzhny, after losing to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final.

“I love the atmosphere here and I try to bring my best in the big matches.” – Svetlana Kuznetsova, who won the China Open after losing twice before in the Beijing final.

“Svetlana played really well today. She had nothing to lose either – she’s already going to the Sony Ericsson Championships.” – Agnieszka Radwanska, after losing to Svetlana Kuznetsova in the China Open final.

“My patience and the choice of certain shots and a little more experience than he has decided the winner today.” – Novak Djokovic, after beating Marin Cilic in the Beijing final.

“The best thing I did today: I didn’t back off, I was just stubborn with my style of play.” – Marin Cilic, after beating Rafael Nadal 6-1 6-3 in Beijing, China.

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“If you’re losing 6-1, 6-3, there are a lot of things you’re doing wrong in that match. I can accept to win, I can accept to lose, but 6-1, 6-3 is … mentally I probably wasn’t there.” – Rafael Nadal, following his loss to Marin Cilic.

“I think I’ve earned it. I won two Grand Slams and I should have got more. But you know what? I’m just excited to have those two, which is great.” – Serena Williams, after returning to the top spot in the women’s tennis rankings. She lost her next match.

“I would like to take some break now. … I’m very upset with myself.” – Dinara Safina, following her loss to Zhang Shuai, who was ranked 226th in the world.

“Since I came back from the US Open, I’ve been trying to practice but I can’t find again the desire to come back to competition.” – Amelie Mauresmo, who said she will take time to think before deciding whether or not to retire from tennis.

“This week exceeded my expectations. This is a competitive tour and these guys take care of themselves. You’ve got to come ready to play.” – Andre Agassi, after losing the final of a seniors tournament in Surprise, Arizona.

“You have to put things in perspective. Andy (Murray) is the second best player on the planet. He’s behind only one man, Roger Federer, who is the greatest player in history. And people think he hasn’t made it yet?” – Tim Henman.

“It’s pretty embarrassing.  It looks pretty bad, doesn’t it? How can we be in Group II?” – Jamie Murray, on Great Britain’s Davis Cup team

“She wanted to kill me, I guess.” — Russian teen Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova on Venus Williams, whom she upset two weeks in a row

“I won’t miss the pressure.” — 34-year-old Ai Sugiyama, who played the last match of her career at the Toray Pan Pacific Open in her native Tokyo

SAFINA SERENA SHOW

Dinara Safina lost before Serena Williams did. And that put Williams back atop the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour rankings. Safina’s tenuous hold on the number one spot ended when she lost to local wild card entry Zhang Shuai in the second round of the China Open. Zhang was ranked 226th in the world. All Williams had to do to regain the world number one ranking was to win her match over Ekaterina Makarova, which she did. In her first match as the world’s top player, Williams lost to Nadia Petrova. Before this week, Williams had spent a total of 72 weeks as number one, including from February 2 to April 19 this year.

SONY QUALIFIERS

Three more players, including Svetlana Kuznetsova, have clinched spots in the season-ending Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha, Qatar. Venus Williams, Victoria Azarenka and Kuznetsova, the French Open champion, join Dinara Safina, Elena Dementieva, Serena William and US Open runner-up Carolina Wozniacki in the elite event. The world’s top eight singles players and top four doubles teams will compete in the USD $4.55 million tournament. “I am proud of the season I’ve had. I look forward to competing with the best tennis players in the world in Doha,” said Kuznetsova, who added the China Open title to her resume. Venus Williams is the defending singles champion. And she and sister Serena have also qualified for the doubles. Others who have previously qualified include the doubles teams of Cara Black/Liezel Huber and Nuria Llagostera Vives/Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez. “Winning my first Tour title and reaching the Top 10 for the first time in my career has really made my year and I couldn’t think of a better place to finish it than in Doha,” Azarenka said.

STUNNING COMEBACK

Marion Bartoli pulled off a stunning comeback to grab a semifinal berth at the China Open. The French player trailed 6-3 5-1 before rallying to knock off seventh-seeded Vera Zvonareva 3-6 7-5 6-2. Up 5-1 in the second set, Zvonareva won only seven more points in the next six games, losing the set. Bartoli then cruised through the third set. In the semis, Bartoli lost to Agnieszka Radwanska.

SHANGHAI SKIP

Andy Murray blamed a wrist injury on his skipping the inaugural USD $5.25 million Shanghai Masters tournament. Ranked third in the world, Murray joins top-ranked Roger Federer among those who won’t be in Shanghai. Murray suffered the injury in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, in August. He played in the US Open in September, but pulled out of this month’s Japan Open because of the injury/ “I apologize for the inconvenience that my withdrawal may cause, but I trust you understand,” Murray said in a letter to the tournament organizers. “I would much rather participate in the tournament than be in the current position regarding my health.” Federer cited fatigue when he pulled out of the event.

$$$$$

The Australian Open has increased prize money for the 2010 tournament by 4.1 percent. Consequently, the men’s and women’s singles champions in the year’s first Grand Slam tournament will pocket USD $1.86 million. That’s from a total purse of USD $21.4 million. The Australian Open has offered equal prize money for the men’s and women’s draws since 2001, when the total prize pool was USD $7.5 million and the champions each received USD $450,000.

SET FOR BALI

Two players – Yanina Wickmayer and Anabel Medina Garrigues – are the first to qualify for the inaugural Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions being held in Bali, Indonesia, in November. The season-ending event is for the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour’s top international tournament winners. The 12 who qualify will play a round-robin singles format in a tournament that will offer both USD $600,000 in prize money and an opportunity to earn a USD $1 million bonus.

STILL SERVING

Two players who are a combined 67 years old and have both beaten Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras and Roger Federer are still struggling in tennis’ minor leagues but hoping to make it back to the main draw. The 35-year-old Vince Spadea and 32-year-old Jan-Michael Gambill played in the Natomas/USTA USD $50,000 Men’s Professional Tournament in Sacramento, California, USA. Spadea made it through the first round before stumbling, falling to Santiago Giraldo of Colombia. Gambill gained the main draw with a wild card, then bested seventh-seeded Ryan Sweeting, a fellow American. That’s as far as Gambill got, however, losing in the second round to another American, Jesse Witten. Spadea and Gambill teamed up in the doubles, reaching the second round before losing. Spadea has been plagued by shin splints, foot tissue inflammation, bursitis in his right forearm and back problems. Gambill missed most of the past four years with severe tendonitis in both shins and his right arm.

SAYING GOODBYE?

Once ranked number one in the world, Amelie Mauresmo is considering retiring from tennis. The Frenchwoman withdrew from her final two tournaments of the season, at Linz, Austria, and Luxembourg. The 30-year-old won two Grand Slam tournament titles in 2006, at the Australian Open and Wimbledon. She has not played since losing to Aleksandra Wozniak of Canada in the second round of this year’s US Open. “I do not want to rush things,” Mauresmo said. “I still give myself some time before making a decision regarding the remainder of my career.”

SET FOR AUSTRALIA

Justine Henin will rejoin the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour in Australia in January. Henin’s coach, Carlos Rodriguez, said she will probably return from her retirement in Brisbane, Australia. That tournament begins January 3. “Justine will head off at the end of October for Orlando (Florida) for a couple of weeks of tough physical training,” Rodriguez said.

SURPRISE IN SURPRISE

Andre Agassi made his debut in the Outback Champions Series for senior players, but it was Todd Martin who took home the biggest prize. Martin beat Agassi 6-3 7-5 in the final of the Cancer Treatment centers of America Tennis Championships to earn USD $60,000. In his first tournament since the US Open in 2006, Agassi bested Mikael Pernfors and Wayne Ferreira before being stopped by Martin. “Three days in a row is a lot of tennis for me now. Hopefully I can improve next time,” Agassi said of the tournament played in Surprise, Arizona, USA.

STOPPED EATING

Jelena Dokic’s father started a hunger strike to protest the 15-month jail sentence he was given for threatening the Australian ambassador to Serbia. Bosiljka Djukic, the lawyer for Damir Dokic, said he had been told his client is no longer taking any food, water or medicines. The 50-year-old Dokic was arrested after reportedly saying he would blow up the car of Australian ambassador Claire Birgin because of negative articles in the Australian newspapers in which Jelena Dokic accused her father of beating her. The elder Dokic, who is serving his sentence in the northern town of Sremska Mitrovica, has since admitted he beat his daughter.

SPANISH FLAIR

Spain will defend its Davis Cup title in Barcelona. The Spanish tennis federation announced the site for the final between Spain and the Czech Republic will be the clay courts at Barcelona’s Palau Sant Jordi. Spain won the first of its three Davis Cup titles at the Barcelona venue in 2000 against Australia.

SO DESERVING

Wheelchair tennis champion Esther Vergeer has been chosen as a Laureus Ambassador for the newly launched Laureus Sport for Good Foundation the Netherlands. Ranked number one in the world and a five-time Paralympic champion, Vergeer was one of three Laureus ambassadors announced as the Netherlands joined the global Laureus Sport for Good Foundation’s growing network. Also selected were Pieter van den Hoogenband and Yvonne van Gennip at the launch in Amsterdam. Boris Becker, the vice chairman of the Laureus World Sports Academy, Laureus supporter Ruud Gullit and Prince Pieter-Christiaan van Oranje helped launch the Laureus Foundation the Netherlands, which is supporting three projects in 2010, including the De Laureus Maritime Challenge. Vergeer is a double winning of the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Award, most recently in 2008.

SENIOR SIGN-UP

Greg Rusedski will attempt to win his first ATP Champions Tour title on British soil. The former member of Britain’s Davis Cup team will play in the AEGON Masters Tennis tournament at the Royal Albert Hall in London in December. Last year Rusedski held match point before Cedric Pioline captured the title 6-7 (4) 7-6 (3) 11-9 (champions tiebreak). Also confirming he will be in the field to defend his title is Pioline.

STARRING

Boys from Australia and girls from Russia won their respective Junior Davis Cup and Junior Fed Cup competitions. The event, held in San Luis Poltosi, Mexico, began with 16 boys teams and 16 girls teams from 28 nations. Dana Gavrilova crushed Germany’s Annika Beck 6-0 6-0 in the final to clinch the crown for Russia, only its second title in the competition’s history.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Beijing (women): Hsieh Su-Wei and Peng Shuai beat Alia Kudryavtseva and Ekaterina Makarova 6-3 6-1

Beijing (men): Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan beat Mark Knowles and Andy Roddick 6-4 6-2

Tokyo (men): Julian Knowle and Jurgen Melzer beat Ross Hutchins and Jordan Kerr 6-2 5-7 10-8 (match tiebreak)

Tokyo (women): Chan Yung-Jan and Ayumi Morita beat Kimiko Date-Krumm and Rika Fujiwara 6-2 6-4

Mons: Denis Istomin and Evgeny Korolev beat Alejandro Falla and Teimuraz Gabashvili 6-7 (4) 7-6 (4) 11-9 (match tiebreak)

SITES TO SURF

Shanghai: www.shanghaimasters1000.com/2009/en/

Linz: www.generali-ladies.at

Osaka: www.hp-open.com/

Stockholm: www.ifstockholmopen.se/en-gb/

Moscow: www.kremlincup.ru/

Orleans: www.opendorleans.com/v2/

Seoul: www.tennis.co.kr

Luxembourg: www.bgl-bnp-paribas-open.lu/en/home.php

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

ATP

$5,250,000 Shanghai ATP Masters 1000, Shanghai, China, hard

$125,000 Tashkent ATP Challenger, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, hard

WTA

$220,000 Generali Ladies Linz, Linz, Austria, hard

$220,000 HP Open, Osaka, Japan, hard

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

ATP

$1,080,500 Kremlin Cup, Moscow, Russia, hard

$885,000 If Stockholm Open, Stockholm, Sweden, hard

$157,000 l’Open d’Orleans, Orleans, France, hard

$125,000 Samsung Securities Cup, Seoul, Korea, hard

$100,000 Copa Petrobras, Santiago, Chile, clay

WTA

$1,000,000 Kremlin Cup, Moscow, Russia, hard

$220,000 BGL Luxembourg Open, Luxembourg, hard

ANDY MURRAY LOSES MATCH AND #2 RANKING

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Manhattan Skyline
Manhattan Skyline

NEW YORK – The Great Bright Hope of Great Britain came, saw and was conquered, and will have to wait another year to maybe break the Curse of Fred Perry.

No Brit has won the tennis championship of the United States (or Wimbledon) since the dashing Limey, Perry, took both those prized majors in 1936.

Seventy-three years have passed — no cigar — although the current Great Bright Hope – Scotsman Andy Murray — has risen to No. 2 behind Roger Federer.  He had been a Wimbledon semifinalist in July, and is fond of the mean blue slabs of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on which the US Open is conducted.

Murray was a finalist to the champ, Federer, a year ago, and seemed ready to ascend the throne and let the late Perry rest in peace.  Holding a career 6-3 edge over Federer, Andy was picked by a number of so-called know-it-alls.  Of course I was one of them, and as shocked as Murray himself when a 6-foot-6 inch Croat named Marin Cilic fell on him like a redwood, 7-5, 6-2, 6-2, in a little over two hours.  Pronounced “Chill-itch,” Marin gave Andy a chill and a losing itch.

Murray was supposed to be the Loch Ness Monster of tennis, but Cilic, a 20-year-old out of Zagreb made him seem a minnow out of his depth.  Ranked No. 13, Cilic, who was 0-3 against Murray seemed a little startled himself.  But having wiped out the US Davis Cup team on behalf of Croatia a few weeks ago, he seemed bubbly with confidence, and glad he caught Murray on an off day in the fourth round.

Murray had one thing right yesterday: “I played poorly.” He was as pale as the sky, looked uncomfortable and seemed as blue as the court underfoot.

Arthur Ashe Stadium
Arthur Ashe Stadium

He also had a sore left wrist, and resembled a man in a bad dream, trying to escape into a safe house, but unable to discover the right door.  “I just couldn’t find my way into games.  He was dominating a lot of points, so it was difficult to get into it.  I think one of the good things about me was finding ways to get back into matches mentally, thinking strong,” he shrugged.  Not yesterday.

A pity because he’s so good to watch, a player of finesse in the way he uses angles and spins, retrieves and usually serves very well.

But as the GBH he carries a lot of pressure, too, in the wishes of a land where tennis began but has produced few champions.  A London press corps follows closely, documenting Andy’s every sneeze and misstep.  Probably Big Ben’s chimes sounded mournful this morning.

British tennis administraters have poured millions into trying to find young men and women who have a way with a racket.  Nothing much truly positive has happened since Virginia Wade became the Wimbledon champion in 1977.  It’s a mystery: Why can’t the country of the birth of tennis produce any players?  London Fats (aka King Henry VIII) relished tennis and would have sent inept tennis officials to the chopping block.

The last GBH, Tim Henman, was world class, made it to four Wimbledon semifinals between 1998 and 2002 – but couldn’t deliver a title for the suffering masses of the British Isles.

Fred Perry, who died in 1995, wouldn’t like being associated with a curse.  Debonair and good company, he worried about British tennis but couldn’t have imagined the barren years since his reign.  “I hope I live to see a British man winning Wimbledon,” he said, but it didn’t happen.

Cilic goes on to his first major quarter-final face another 6-6 blaster, Juan Martine Del Potro, the best export from Argentina since Hall of Famer Guillermo Vilas.

Murray goes home.

Outside Courts
Outside Courts

Young, 22, swift, 6-feet-3 and gifted,  Andy may yet take Perry off the historic hook.  He’s done all right, having made more than $ 6 million in prize money, plus millions more in endorsement.

Although Fred Perry carried his own bags in that amateur era, Murray travels amid a platoon of coaches, trainers, girl friend, press agents, perhaps even soothsayers.

But yesterday  all the kings horses and all the king’s men could not put the Great Bright Hope together again.