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yannick noah

Will John McEnroe Do What Arthur Ashe Did And Discover The Next Yannick Noah In Africa?

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By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

Will John McEnroe do what Arthur Ashe did and discover the next Yannick Noah in Africa?

Forty-years after Noah’s celebrated and historic win at the French Open in 1983 after being discovered as a young child in Africa by Arthur Ashe, John McEnroe and his brother Patrick will be traveling to Tanzania on a tourist tour where they will interact with locals, tutor young tennis talent and play the first-ever tennis match in the Serengeti. With attention focused this year on Noah and his amazing ascent from a village in Cameroon to holding the Coupe des Mousquetaires, it is interesting to wonder if a similar talent and discovery could come out of Africa and be discovered by McEnroe?

“The kid looked like a tennis prospect, but he was a long way from anywhere that tennis meant anything…and he didn’t have a racket…just a board that he’d fashioned into the shape of a racket,” wrote Bud Collins in “The Bud Collins History of Tennis” of a young Noah and his discovery. “It was 1971 in Yaounde, Cameroon, West Africa, and a lucky day for 11-year-old Yannick Simone Camille Noah because Arthur Ashe was in town, stopping by on a U.S. State Department good will tour. So here were two future Hall of Famers, meeting for the first time, at a tennis demonstration, Ashe presiding. Learning that Noah was a French citizen, born May 18, 1960, in Sedan, France, of a French mother and a professional soccer-playing Cameroonian father, Ashe was impressed by the very athletic-looking kid. Arthur gave Yannick a racket, wondering if he would like to get some help with his tennis. Yes. Thus, Ashe contacted his friend (also a future Hall of Famer), Philippe Chatrier, head of the French Tennis Federation, recommending that Noah get proper coaching. Zip! He was whisked off to Paris, eventually to become the most popular French player since the Four Musketeers (Borotra, Brugnon, Cochet, Lacoste) were winning the Davis Cup, 1927-32.”

Noah, famously, became iconic in tennis history with his victory at Roland Garros in 1983. His 6-2, 7-5, 7-6 (3) final-round win over defending champion Mats Wilander marked the first win by a French man at Roland Garros in 37 years, since Marcel Bernard won in Paris in 1946 in the first edition of the event after World War II.

The McEnroe tennis tour of Tanzania (go to www.EpicTanzaniaTour.com for more info) will be December 1-8, 2023 and will include an historic tennis match between the McEnroe brothers in the midst of the Serengeti, one of Africa’s most iconic safari destinations. Unmatched wildlife, local cultures and stunning landscapes combine to produce what is often described as the holiday of a lifetime and coupled with celebrity tennis professionals as hosts—this is truly a once in a lifetime experience. The itinerary includes the best Tanzania’s National Parks including the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti which are home to the Big Five as well as numerous birds and reptiles. Guests will also join John and Patrick when they visit a traditional Maasai Village to bring good will and cultural exchange and introduce the Maasai youth to the game of tennis as part of a special court dedication.

Travelers will enjoy African hospitality while staying at the Four Seasons Serengeti, And Beyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge and the Gran Melia. This bucket list tour package includes all gourmet meals on an all-inclusive basis, domestic air, almost daily Safari game drives in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater, a welcome reception hosted by the President of Tanzania, tennis themed activities and memories to last a lifetime. Tennis fans will not want to miss this historic moment in tennis history.  This is a once-in-a-lifetime expedition to one of the most majestic landscapes on the planet with tennis legends.

To learn more or join the tour, please visit: www.EpicTanzaniaTour.com

Marin Cilic Leads Croatia to Davis Cup Title – Mondays with Bob Greene

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Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

Croatia beat France 3-1 in Lille, France, to win the Davis Cup title

 

SAYINGS

“This is the one of the best teams we’ve ever had. It’s like a dream team. After seven years on the bench (as captain) it’s an honor for me to be here.” – Zeljko Krajan, captain of the Davis Cup champion Croatia team.

“We lost to a better team. We did everything we could to be at this level with the Croatian team. We just went to their locker-room to congratulate them. I think they’re beautiful winners and they deserve it.” – Yannick Noah, captain of the French Davis Cup team.

“It’s not every day that you become a world champion. For us, it’s a dream come true for this nation. We are so passionate, you can see the fans. And I feel that in Croatia it’s going to be incredible. too.” – Marin Cilic, after clinching the Davis Cup title over France with his second singles victory.

“I am extremely sad today about the decisions of the ITF. After, it may be a good competition, but it will never be what it has been, the Davis Cup.” – Pierre-Hugues Herbert, a member of the French Davis Cup team.

“When people tell us it’s still going to be the Davis Cup, they are lying. I will tell them ‘You are liars.’” – Yannick Noah, who is against the Davis Cup changes that will debut next year.

“Tennis tends to be traditional, and for some people change is difficult.” – David Haggerty, ITF president, acknowledging those who don’t like the new Davis Cup changes.

SECOND TITLE FOR CROATIA

Marin Cilic’s second straight-set singles triumph gave Croatia its second Davis Cup title as the Balkan nation beat France 3-1. Neither Cilic nor the Croatian number two, Borna Coric, lost a set as the champions matched their 2005 Davis Cup victory over Slovakia. “My singles players not only didn’t lose a set, they didn’t lose serve in three matches, which is an unbelievable achievement and shows you the quality that we produced,” Croatia captain Zeljko Krajan said. France captain Yannick Noah, who is stepping down after his third stint in charge, said his team had been outplayed in their bid to successfully defend their international team trophy title. “The guys did the maximum,” Noah said. “Sometimes the bar is too high.” France’s only point in the three-day competition came in the doubles when Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert captured the doubles. That only delayed Croatia’s victory for one day, until Cilic crushed France’s Lucas Pouille 7-6 (3) 6-3 6-3. On the opening day, Coric easily beat Jeremy Chardy before Cilic stopped Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. The competition, which has been held since 1900, will be radically changed next year, a fact not lost on Cilic. “It’s historic,” he said. “I have been part of this team since 2006. I have seen a few generations of players, I have seen a lot of tennis, a lot of wins, a lot of matches lost, too. It’s amazing to finish a chapter of this kind with the way we played and the atmosphere that was in the team.”

 

SWITCH IN FORMAT

The Davis Cup will be changed dramatically beginning next year, and the French players have been vocal in their opposition. Beginning in 2019, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) has changed the best-of-five sets format to best-of-three sets. Plus, the team competition will be decided with a season-ending 18-team tournament at a neutral site. “I’m extremely sorry because of the ITF decision,” French doubles specialist Pierre-Hugues Herbert said. “It was the last true Davis Cup.” The ITF believes the new format will be more attractive to the top players, who often pass on competing for their countries because of a crowded tennis schedule. The French tennis federation supports the reform. Lucas Pouille, who lost the final match in France’s 3-1 loss to Croatia, said he would no longer play Davis Cup. “Last year I was crying of joy, this year I was crying because I was sad,” said Pouille, who was on France winning Davis Cup team in 2017. “I’m not going to change my mind about the new format. As far as I’m concerned, I’m not going to play in the Davis Cup any more. That was the last time.” French Davis Cup captain Yannick Noah, who will be replaced as captain next by Amelie Mauresmo, also is against the changes. “It will never be the same, it’s going to be something else,” said Noah, who guided France to three Davis Cup titles. “I really hope this is not going to be called the Davis Cup. Playing two sets is not the Davis Cup.”

On Saturday, David Haggerty, ITF president, said the Davis Cup changes were made to appeal to a greater television audience. “We know that in France and Croatia this final is being followed by many consumers,” Haggerty said. “In the rest of the world, it’s not being followed to the same degree. This is where we see it turning into a proper World Cup of tennis with fans all around the world watching their 18 teams in one location and seeing it broadcast or streamed.” The Spanish investment firm Kosmos is backing the change with USD $3 billion spread over 25 years. Javier Alonso, Kosmos chief executive, told the news agency Reuters: “We are in 2018 and if we look at 100 years ago tennis was something very different. Tennis has to evolve into a new era.”

 

SEES ONE TEAM EVENT

International Tennis Federation (ITF) president David Haggerty believes the revamped Davis Cup and the newly-announced rival ATP Cup will eventually form one team tennis competition. The new Davis Cup format, which was approved at the ITF conference last August, has come under fire from traditionalists. Plus, the ATP Cup, a 24-nation event will start in January 2020 in Australia. The ATP Cup will boast (USD) $15 million in prize money along with ranking points. World number one Novak Djokovic, who helped launch the ATP Cup, said there was a danger of “two average events” if the two were held close together. Right now, the two will be played approximately six weeks apart. The new format will see a qualifying round using the existing home-and-away format in February, then 12 nations will joint this year’s semifinalists and two wildcards in Madrid, Spain, for the new week-long World Cup-style event in November. Haggerty also said the Fed Cup, the women’s version of the Davis Cup, could get a similar makeover with as many as 12 nations competing in a “finals week” as early as April 2020. “Preliminarily, we are looking at a first-round home and away in February, but expanding the World Group to 16 teams with between eight to 12 in the finals, possibly in April,” Haggerty said.

 

SUIT SETTLED

According to court records, Venus Williams has settled a wrongful death suit connected to a fatal traffic accident she was involved in near her Florida residence in June 2017. The terms of the agreement between Williams and the estate of Jerome Barson, who was fatally injured in the crash, were not disclosed in the court documents. At first, Williams was found at fault for the accident, police saying the tennis star had failed to yield the right-of-way. Video surveillance of the accident showed that Williams had entered the intersection lawfully and a third car had forced her to stop in the intersection, where she was struck by the Barsons.

 

SPOT CLINCHED

A 16-year-old from Florida also has a spot in next year’s Australian Open. Whitney Osuigwe earned the wild-card berth from the United State Tennis Association (USTA) by posting the best record in recent low-level tournaments, including winning the USTA Pro Circuit event in Tyler, Texas, USA. Osuigwe won the USTA 18s national title last year, earning her a wild-card entry into the US Open where she lost her first-round match to Italy’s Camila Giorgi 6-4 6-1.

Jack Sock earned the USTA wild card for men at the Australian Open, but he could gain direct entry because of his ranking, which currently is 106th in the world. The next two men in the USTA standings – 98th-ranked Reilly Opelka and 77th-ranked Bradley Klahn – are also expected to automatically qualify for next year’s first Grand Slam tournament. The USTA said that if all three qualify by their rankings, the men’s wild card could end up going to Tommy Paul, who is ranked 205th in the world.

 

SHARAPOVA SET

Former world number one Maria Sharapova, who has not competed since losing in the US Open fourth round in September, is set to play in the Shenzhen Open, which begins December 30 in Shenzhen, China. The Russian skipped Being and Tianjin, as well as her hometown tournament in Moscow, to recover from several physical issues. She played in Shenzhen last year, where she lost to Katerina Siniakova. Others scheduled to play the Shenzhen Open include Siniakova, former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, Aryna Sabalenka, Caroline Garcia and Zarina Diyas.

 

STARRING IN AUCKLAND

Karl Budge, tournament director of the WTA event in Auckland, New Zealand, announced Venus Williams will play his tournament in January. “It’s great to have Venus back,” Budge said. “She has been a special part of this tournament for a number of years and we missed her this year. She is still at the top of the game and how good would it be if she could capture career title number 50 here in Auckland.”

 

STOPPING – AGAIN

Patty Schnyder is retiring from tennis – for the second time. The native of Basel, Switzerland, confirmed on her Twitter account that she is stepping aside again. She previously retired in 2011, but returned to the tour four years later. Currently ranked 282nd in the world, Schnyder won 11 singles titles and five doubles titles in her 20-year career. Her best Grand Slam tournament result came at the 2004 Australian Open, where she reached the semifinals. At the US Open, Schnyder lost her first-round match against another veteran, Maria Sharapova. “She still has incredible hands, moves incredibly well for being out of the game for so long, still very competitive,” Sharapova said of Schnyder. “I was just saying it too me, like, 15 years to dropshot Patty Schnyder and win a point. Doesn’t happen that often against Patty.”

 

SEES WEDDING BELLS?

BT Planet reports that defending Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki and former NBA star David Lee will get married next summer. When asked by the Danish media at the US Open in September, Wozniacki refused to answer. Wozniacki and Lee got engaged while on vacation.

 

SHE’S A MOTHER

Elena Vesnina has given birth to a daughter, Elizabeth Tabuntsova. “When you took your first breath, you took ours away,” Vesnina wrote. “It’s the happiest day of our lives.” In September, Vesnina revealed she was pregnant. She has not said whether she plans on returning to the women’s tour or not. Several players, including Serena Williams and Mandy Minella, have returned to playing after giving birth. “I hope people remember me for being a good athlete, but also as a human being,” Vesnina wrote. “It’s important to me that I’m remembered this way on the court, off the court, in the locker room. Many girls will understand this when they get more mature. As they get closer to the end of their career, they’ll realize it more.”

 

STATUS NOTED

World number one Simona Halep has received an honorary doctorate degree from West University, Timisoara, in her homeland of Romania. Halep said she was “proud and honored” to receive the degree of doctor honoris causa, who was given in recognition of her achievements in tennis as well a representative and unofficial ambassador of her country. Halep won her first Grand Slam tournament in 2018, the French Open, and finished the year ranked number one in the world for the second straight year. In voting, she was named WTA Player of the Year.

 

SURRENDERED

Justin Gimelstob was arrested after allegedly attacking a former friend on Halloween night. According to the Los Angeles Times, Gimelstob attack Randall Kaplan as he was walking on a Los Angeles street with his wife and daughter. Kaplan was “visibly bruised and scratched” after being struck by Gimelstob a reported 50 times. The former player, who now coaches the sport, is a television commentator and ATP board member, won the mixed doubles title in 1998 at both the Australian and French Opens. The Times newspaper said Gimelstob surrendered to police and paid a (USD) $50,000 bond. In 2016, Gimelstob was accused of assaulting his former wife, Cary, who filed a “domestic violence restraining order” against him. On Twitter, former world number one Lleyton Hewitt suggest the ATP should remove Gimelstob from the board. A spokesman for the ATP said, “We are aware of the situation regarding Justin Gimelstob and understand that this is an ongoing police matter. It would therefore not be appropriate for us to comment further at this time.” A spokesman for Tennis Channel said Gimelstob asked the cable network “for a leave of absence while he works through this issue.”

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

An Italian player has been banned for life while his doubles partner has received a 10-year ban for match fixing. The Tennis Integrity Unit said it has banned Daniele Bracciali for life and fined him (USD) $250,000, matching the heaviest penalty ever handed down by the TIU. Potito Starace was banned from playing for 10 years and fined (USD) $100,000. The two players, who reached the 2012 French Open doubles semifinals, were originally fined nearly (USD) $41,000 and handed a 4.5-month ban for making bets in 2005. In 2015, law-enforcement officials in the Italian city of Cremona bought further charges based on intercepted phone and internet conversations. Bracciali, who returned to the court this year and won an ATP title in Kitzbühel, Austria, in August, supposedly offered to lose sets for money. Starace was alleged to have accepted illicit payments for losing to Pablo Andujar in Casablanca. Both Bracciali and Starace were banned for life by the Italian Tennis Federation in 2015, only to have the bans rescinded on appeal two months later. Starace was ranked 27th in the world shortly before he was originally banned in 2007. Bracciali’s best ranking was 49th in the world in singles in 2006.

 

SO LONG

Just because this part of the year is listed as the off-season for tennis, don’t believe it. The men are playing for money in two American cities – Orlando, Florida, and Waco, Texas – as well as Antalya, Turkey; Antofagasta, Chile; Monastir, Tunisia; Prague, Czech Republic; Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, and Stellenbosch, Germany. The women are almost as active. There even is a (USD) $15,000 men’s event scheduled to begin on Christmas Day. But like the top players, the editor of this column is taking time off. See you when.

 

SURFING

Doha: http://www.qatartennis.org/tournaments/qatar-exxonmobil-open-2019/

Pune: www.maharashtraopen.com

Brisbane: https://www.brisbaneinternational.com.au/

Auckland: https://www.asbclassic.co.nz/

 

TOURNAMENTS WEEK of DECEMBER 30

 

MEN

$1,386,665 Qatar ExxonMobil Open, Doha, Qatar, hard

$482,085 Tata Open Maharashtra, Pune, India, hard

$461,330 Brisbane International, Brisbane, Australia, hard

 

WOMEN

$1,000,000 Brisbane International, Brisbane, Australia, hard

$750,000 Shenzhen Open, Shenzhen, Chin, hard

$250,000 ASB Classic, Auckland, New Zealand, hard

 

Marin Cilic
Marin Cilic

Donald Trump Is More Popular Than Proposed New Davis Cup Format

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The new proposed Davis Cup format is so unpopular that even controversial  U.S. President Donald Trump enjoys better popularity ratings in polls.

Two online Twitter polls place the popularity of the new proposed one-site, one-week Davis Cup format at a 22 and 34 percent approval rating. Christopher Clarey, the long-time and respected tennis writer for the New York Times, posted a poll on his Twitter feed asking his followers “Who approves of the ITF’s plan to change Davis Cup?” Only 34 percent of Clarey’s respondents said they approved of the new one-site, one-week Davis Cup format, with 66 percent disapproving. In another poll conducted by our @WorldTennisMag Twitter feed, only 22 percent said they approved of the new format, 78 percent disapproving.

By comparison, the popularity of Trump among Americans has ranged from a low of 34 percent to a high of 46 percent, per Gallup, in the 14 months he has been the President of the United States.

The new format, as outlined here https://www.daviscup.com/en/news/281841.aspx scraps the traditional “home and away” scenarios for the World Group and has the competition played over one week in one location, with round-robin matches featuring two best-of-three singles matches and one best-of-three doubles match. The World Group matches are now stretched over four weeks of the year and are a best-of-five-match series with best-of-five matches.

Marin Cilic of Croatia made an assumption of percentages of players who would approve of the new proposed format at 99.9 percent. However, Frenchmen Lucas Pouille and Nicolas Mahut of the 2017 winning French team are fervently against the changes. Mahut said “they just killed the Davis Cup” when he learned of the format while Pouille called it a “death sentence” for the competition.

Yannick Noah, one of the most iconic Davis Cup figures in the history of the competition, said on Twitter “The end of the Davis Cup. How sad. They sold the soul of a historical ordeal. Sorry, Mr. Davis.”

The French, who perhaps have embraced the competition like no other nation, built the current Roland Garros stadium, now the site of the French championships, specifically for Davis Cup in the 1920s. Arnaud Clement, another Davis Cup warrior for France, was also against the changes as seen here: http://www.tennisworldusa.org/tennis/news/Davis_Cup/52455/arnaud-clement-strongly-against-davis-cup-revamp/

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have said they see merits in the competition while Roger Federer he was “surprised” at the announcement but remained neutral as seen here: http://www.tennisworldusa.org/tennis/news/Roger_Federer/52401/roger-federer-about-new-davis-cup-i-am-surprising-this-is-happening-/

Australians, who like the French, the British and the Americans comprise of the four anchor Grand Slam – and Davis Cup nations – also seem mostly against the new format. Said young Australian Davis Cupper Alex DeMinaur, “I’m completely against it. I think it is a way to ruin a competition with an amazing amount of history. I’m not for it.”
Australian captain and team legend Lleyton Hewitt retweeted an article from The Australian newspaper where author Will Swanton said the new format was  “A one-week, mickey mouse, soulless, made-for-TV World Cup of Tennis Finals — with the winner to be named the Davis Cup champion as an afterthought.” Said former Australian Davis Cupper John Fitzgerald of Davis Cup, “It is such an important, iconic event. It is certainly something you do not want to get wrong…You just want to be very confident that it’s going to work before making a move that would change forever a competition that is more than 100 years old” Another Australian Davis Cup legend Todd Woodbridge called it a “bomb” on the tennis landscape here: https://thesydney.news/2018/02/27/davis-cup-planned-format-change-a-bomb-thrown-into-tennis-landscape-warns-australias-todd-woodbridge/

Peter Bodo of ESPN wrote a deep analysis of the format here: http://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/22606083/tennis-proposed-davis-cup-reform-very-much-work-progress He wrote, “A close look at the alternative format makes many wonder if the cure isn’t worse than the disease.”  Bodo quoted two-time U.S. Davis Cup winner Andre Agassi of the USA of the new format “I will have to see it to believe it,” and five-time Davis Cup winner Stan Smith saying, “It’s hard to see this going through.”

ITF President Dave Haggerty, who put forth the proposal, had an interesting question and answer session with Sports Illustrated’s Jon Wertheim making his case for the new format here: https://www.si.com/tennis/2018/03/08/david-haggerty-itf-president-davis-cup-changes-proposal

 

Davis Cup Draw being conducted by U.S. President Calvin Coolidge
Davis Cup Draw being conducted by U.S. President Calvin Coolidge

Learning About The Bucharest Backfire While Hitting A Roger Federer Tweener

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By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

 

You never know where and when you are going to learn a new bit of tennis knowledge or bit of history.

While playing some friendly morning mixed doubles while at the beautiful Moorings Club in Vero Beach, Florida, I attempted to hit a “tweener” while retrieving a lob over my head. I missed it for a second day in a row – hitting the ball into the net (I had a made my last few attempts earlier in the year – thankfully without any injuries across the board!)

My partner, Lynette, said to me “Oh. You tried a Bucharest Backfire.”

This was the first time I’ve heard of this term. Roger Federer is the signature striker of this shot and “tweener” is the name it was given – by someone, although I’m not who. Before Federer, it was Frenchman Yannick Noah who I remember gave this shot some fame when he hit it in a U.S. Open match with Aaron Krickstein. Gabriela Sabatini turned the trick once as well in the 1980s, and it was called “The Saba-tweeny.” Guillermo Vilas was the first documented player to hit the shot in a pro tennis match, a shot the South Americans called the “Gran Willy.”

But what is a Bucharest Backfire?

I had a hunch it had to due to Ilie Nastaste, who was an incredible shotmaker and from Bucharest, Romania. Lynette told me as such, saying how much she loved to watch him play back in the day.

After our match, while socializing and rehydrating, I googled “Bucharest Backfire” from my Iphone to learn the origins of this term.  To little surprise, the term was coined by the one and only Bud Collins, the Hall of Fame journalist and personality. However, I learned that it was actually a over-the-shoulder wrist flick shot, rather than a tweener.

During my google search, I found an instructional here on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gy7MDM3NTR4. There was no video that I could find of Nastase hitting this shot, but I do have some memory of seeing video of him hitting it. The most famous execution of this shot, to most people, was by Andre Agassi from a 1995 U.S. Open night match against Alex Corretja, as seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbNFf09E3qE

I wanted to know a bit more about Nastase and this shot so I soon called Cliff Richey, the former U.S. No. 1 player and contemporary of Nastase, who’s book “Acing Depression: A Tennis Champion’s Toughest Match” I published.

“I remember him hitting a lot of winners with that shot, but never against me,” said Richey before describing an incredible, but agonizing, hyper-angled inches-from-the-ground swinging top-spin forehand volley winner Nastase hit against him to save match point en route to beating him in the 1970 U.S. National Indoor Final in Salisbury, Md.

In his book “The Bud Collins History of Tennis” (soon to be updated and re-issued in December of this year, pre-order here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1937559386/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_JWPPvb0Z11XTP) Collins writes of Nastase “No player has been more gifted or mystifying than the Bucharest Buffon, Ilie Nastase, noted for his sorcery with the racket and his bizarre objectionable behavior.”

So the Burcharest Backfire is now part of my vernacular. We will have to wait and see if it becomes a part of my tennis shot repertoire.

 

Ilie Nastase
Ilie Nastase

 

 

On Yannick Noah’s June 5 Anniversary Day, The Comparisons Continue For Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

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By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

 

Tennis fans who have downloaded the new “This Day In Tennis History” mobile app will receive a special “ping” on their IPhone, IPad or Android device on the morning of June 5 reminding them of a special anniversary in tennis that is once again thrown into the spotlight at Roland Garros.

It was exactly 30 years ago on June 5, 1983 when Yannick Noah exorcised a generation of French frustration by becoming the first men’s singles winner at Roland Garros in 37 years. A similar French frenzy returned to Roland Garros Tuesday – 30 years minus one day since Noah’s French Tennis Revolution – as Jo-Wilfried Tsonga took a giant step to having a chance to play for the coveted Coupe de Mousquetaires with a 7-5, 6-3, 6-3 quarterfinal upset of 17-time major champion and No. 2 Roger Federer.

“France Dares to Dream as Tsonga Defeats Federer” read the headline on the website of the New York Times hours after Tsonga’s guillotine execution of the King Federer, cheered raucously by the French mob at Stade Phillipe Chatrier. Tsonga is now only one match victory from being the first French men’s singles finalist since Henri Leconte in 1988 and only the third since Noah’s 1983 triumph. But rather than seven-time champion Rafael Nadal or world No. 1 Novak Djokovic awaiting in the semifinals, it is the less intimidating, but ferocious No. 4 seed David Ferrer of Spain, who has yet to punch through into the major singles final.

There are many similarities between Tsonga and Noah – both are of mixed race whose fathers hail from Africa, and both are swash-buckling, powerful presences on court with flashy games to go with their French fashion magazine allure and magnetism. When Noah achieved his pinnacle career moment, he paraded through the 1983 French draw as the No. 6 seed, the same seeding that Tsonga holds this year.

In his post-match press conference Tuesday, Tsonga was asked of his relationship to Noah. “Well, when he sings, I dance. That’s my relationship,” he said of 1983 French champion, who transformed from tennis champion to leading French pop singer. “When he says something to me, I listen to him.”

“50 Millions de Noah” was the headline in the French sports daily newspaper L’Equipe the day before Noah’s final in 1983, meaning “the entire French population of France would be behind Yannick Noah,” writes Tom Tebbutt in the latest edition of the emagazine Tennis Journal. Tsonga have no fewer numbers on his side and his name will dominate the newsprint, airwaves, blogs and social media updates in France until his tournament comes to an end. The way he handles the pressure, attention and opportunity presented him will be an equally compelling drama and allure than his athleticism on the court. Before last year’s French Open, Tsonga famously told reporters that there was “no chance” that a Frenchman would win the tournament, perhaps to lower expectations or a mere vocalization of a lack of belief that may have manifested when he blew four-match points in a 6-1, 5-7, 5-7, 7-6 (6), 6-1 loss to Djokovic in last year’s French quarterfinals.

 

The June 5 entry in the “This Day In Tennis” mobile app reads as follows:

1983 – Yannick Noah creates a frenzy of French patriotism at Stade Roland Garros becoming the first Frenchman in 37 years to win the men’s singles titles at the French Open, defeating Mats Wilander 6-2, 7-5, 7-6 in 2 hours, 24 minutes in a passion-filled final. Noah serves and volleys and chips and charges on the slow red clay court to become the first Frenchman since Marcel Bernard in 1946 to win the French men’s singles title. Noah is discovered at age 10 in the African nation of Cameroon, the birthplace of his father, when U.S. Davis Cup star Arthur Ashe informs French Tennis Federation President Philippe Chatrier of Noah’s talent after seeing him play – with a tennis racquet carved out of wood during a U.S. State Department visit. Wilander falls short in his attempt to defend the title he won the previous year as an unknown 17-year-old, being unable to hit enough passing shots to fend off the constant net attacks by the dread-locked 23-year-old Noah. Writes Bud Collins in the Boston Globe, “Perhaps the French will rename that huge monument at Place de l’Etoile and call it Noah’s Arc de Triomphe. The original outlasted a flood, but the current one opened the floodgates of emotion at Stade Roland Garros and washed away not only the Swedish Reign of Terror in the French Open, but also a seemingly impenetrable barrier that has separated French male players from their own title for 37 years.”

The “This Day In Tennis” mobile app can be found by searching “Tennis History” in the iTunes App Store and Play Store or directly at these two links:

Apple iTunes: http://m1e.net/c?96279190-QVNZbhE7otwIQ%4018743020-36wDaWUl4hHss

Google Play: http://m1e.net/c?96279190-vbTXOvDe.eVzA%4018743021-/sLwXB3bzqDE6

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Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

Federer Ends Season In Style – Mondays With Bob Greene

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STARS

Roger Federer beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-3 6-7 (6) 6-3 to win the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London, Great Britain

Daniel Brands beat Matthias Bachinger 7-6 (2) 7-6 (5) to win the IPP Open in Helsinki, Finland

Tamarine Tanasugarn beat Kimiko Date-Krumm 6-2 7-5 to win the 2011 Dunlop World Challenge Tennis Tournament in Toyota, Japan

Roger Federer captures record sixth ATP World Tour Finals

SAYING

“I couldn’t be more happy and I couldn’t be more exhausted because Jo sucked all the last energy out of me today. – Roger Federer, after beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to win his sixth season-ending ATP World Tour Finals title.

“He’s the best player indoors for the moment. He’s maybe the best player ever, because he’s really quick. He’s playing well. That’s it.” – Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, reflecting on Roger Federer.

“Now it’s finally sort of reality that I’ve been able to win six World Tour Finals. It’s an amazing feeling. I know it’s one of my greatest accomplishments.” – Roger Federer.

“Maybe I didn’t have really time to relax, but (that) is not the excuse here. He played better than me.” – David Ferrer, following his semifinal loss to Roger Federer.

“I’m shocked every time that I’ve reached so many finals or won against so many players or whatever record it is. It strikes me and makes me obviously very happy and very proud that I’ve been able to do it for so many years at the highest of levels.” – Roger Federer, who continued to better or equal marks in the record book.

“Six weeks ago if you would have asked me if we would have won this, I would have been surprised. But the way we’ve been playing in the fall, I wouldn’t say surprised.” – Daniel Nestor, who teamed with Max Mirnyi to win the ATP World Tour Finals doubles title.

“We feel great to have been able to win the tournament. We’re very excited to have done it without losing a match. We felt that we built confidence throughout the week because we escaped a few very close matches early on in the tournament. Today, towards the end of the match, I felt we both played pretty good.” – Max Mirnyi.

“I mean, all the credit to my opponent, he played a great match. But, you know, I just wasn’t there. It was the worst match I’ve played this season so far definitely. So many unforced errors. I’m not playing well.  That’s a fact.” – Novak Djokovic, after losing to David Ferrer at the ATP World Tour Finals.

“I didn’t play really bad, but he didn’t have one mistake during all the match or two mistakes during all the match. I tried my best, but it seems that wasn’t enough tonight.” – Rafael Nadal, after losing to Roger Federer in the round-robin portion of the ATP World Tour Finals.

“It might seem like a long time but the Australian Open is only six or seven weeks away. I could mess up my preparation for that. The off-season is so important to me and has been for the last few years, to get myself in shape. I would probably do myself more damage playing than not.” – Andy Murray, after pulling out of the ATP World Tour Finals, citing an injury, after losing his first round-robin match.

“I enjoyed still playing at this time of the year when no one else is. We get our own locker rooms back there, our names on our towels. For me, that doesn’t happen every year. A lot of guys have made this (tournament) a lot of times, but I haven’t, and I can appreciate it a lot more. … I know there’s a chance I won’t ever come back to this event, so I wanted to take it all in.” – Mardy Fish, who lost all three of his round-robin matches.

“You have hurt Spaniards, athletes and me. I think it is not fair to discredit the triumphs of Spanish athletes by treating them all as cheaters. The truth is that I am still stunned.” – Emilio Sanchez, responding to Yannick Noah’s assertion that Spanish tennis players take performance drugs.

“I am against all forms of doping, but I’m hypersensitive when it comes to injustice. There are too many cheats winning these days inSpainand elsewhere. At which point is an athlete considered to have doped? When he takes a product that makes him run faster, makes him stronger, helps him recover more quickly? Or when he tests positive? The answer to the question is not the same, depending on the country.” – Yannick Noah.

“I cannot pretend to be a tennis expert of (Slobodan) Zivojinovic’s caliber but I am a big tennis fan and my love for the game has been undiminished since I saw him play against (formerWimbledonchampion) Pat Cash in the Davis Cup inSplit1987.” – Vuk Jeremic, who replaced Zivojinovic as president of the Serbian Tennis Association.

SUPER SWISS

Roger Federer ended the 2011 season in style, capturing his sixth year-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals and his third straight tournament. His 6-3 6-7 (6) 6-3 victory over Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga made the 30-year-old Swiss master the oldest player to capture the season-ending championship. By going undefeated and winning all five matches he played, Federer earned USD $1,630,000 and moved past Andy Murray into third place in the ATP rankings. “It feels very special indeed,” said Federer, who ends the year on a 17-match winning streak.  Before heading to London, the right-hander won two other indoor tournaments, the Swiss Indoors Basel and the BNPParibas Masters in Paris. Federer beat Tsonga three times in his last six matches – in the Parisfinal and in a round-robin match in the season finale.

SETTING RECORDS

Roger Federer continues to rewrite the record book. He becomes the first player to win six season-ending tournament titles, also capturing the crown in 2003-04, 2006-07 and 2010. The victory tied Ivan Lendl’s wins at the tournament. Lendl compiled a 39-10 mark, winning five times, while Federer is now 39-7. Pete Sampras also won five season finales. Federer became the fifth player to reach 100 finals in the Open Era, joining Jimmy Connors (163), Lendl (146), John McEnroe (108) and Guillermo Vilas (104). And with his 807th career match win in the final, Federer broke a tie for sixth place with Stefan Edberg. Connors leads with 1,242 match wins, followed by Lendl (1,071), Vilas (923), McEnroe (875) and Andre Agassi (870). It was Federer’s 70th ATP Tour-level trophy. “This definitely is an amazing finish again to the season,” Federer said. “I’ve never finished so strong.”

SUCCESSFUL DUO

Winning the ATP World Tour Finals doubles is old hat for both Max Mirnyi of Belarusand Canada’s Daniel Nestor. Winning it together was a new experience. Playing together for the first time in the season-ending tournament, the two beat Poland’s Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski 7-5 6-3 in the final. Nestor has won the ATP World Tour doubles title four times, with Mark Knowles of the Bahamasin 2007 and Nenad Zimonjic of Serbiain 2008 and 2010. Mirnyi won the year-ending event in 2006 when he teamed with Sweden’s Jonas Bjorkman. It was Nestor’s 75th career doubles title.

STOPPED BY INJURY

A knee injury has forced Ivan Lendl to withdraw from the AEGON Masters Tennis event, a seniors event which will be held this week at Royal Albert Hall in London. Lendl had been scheduled to make his debut at the tournament. “I was looking forward to playing in Londonand seeing many friends who I have not seen in quite some time,” Lendl said. “However, I am equally looking forward getting my knee fixed so that I can resume playing and working at my Academy. Hopefully I can come to Londonnext year and play in this prestigious event.” Now in its 15th year, the tournament will feature John McEnroe, Goran Ivanisevic, Tim Henman, Pat Cash, Mark Philippoussis, Henri Leconte, Fabrice Santoro, Thomas Enqvist and Younes El Aynaoui. Others who will play doubles include Mansour Bahrami, Peter McNamara, Jeremy Bates, Mikael Pernfors and Andrew Castle. The AEGON Masters Tennis is the final event of the year on the ATP Champions Tour. Replacing Lendl in the field will be 1996Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek.

SERBIA’S TENNIS BOSS

Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic is the new president ofSerbia’s Tennis Association (TSS). Jeremic takes over for Slobodan Zivojinovic, who was pushed out of the job with the help of the family of top-ranked Novak Djokovic. In his first action asTSSpresident, Jeremic named Novak’s uncle, Goran Djokovic, as one of theTSSvice presidents. He takes the position formerly held by former Davis Cup coach Radmilo Armenulic, who also stepped down. Srdjan Djokovic, Novak’s father, had argued that Zivojinovic, who had reached the semifinals at Wimbledon in 1986, had been inTSSpresident for too long on past merits and had done nothing to boost his son’s career when he was a child and very little to ensure long-term success of Serbia’s players. Zivojinovic won a third four-year term by a landslide in January, but popular support for him kept dwindling. Zivojinovic is a member of the International Tennis Federation’s (ITF) Davis Cup committee. “It was a difficult decision to make at a time when tennis became a shining example ofSerbia’s talent and the country grew into one of the game’s superpowers,” Zivojinovic said. While he was president,Serbiaproduced three players who became number one in the world: Ana Ivanovic, Jelena Jankovic and Novak Djokovic.

SISTERS CLASH

With both seeing action for the first time since the US Open, Venus Williams defeated her younger sister Serena 6-4 7-6 (5) in an exhibition match inMedellin,Colombia. Venus hadn’t played since she pulled out of the US Open following her first-round victory because of an immune system disease. Serena’s last match was the US Open final, when she lost to Australian Samantha Stosur. The sisters will team up inMilan,Italy, on December 3 to play Italians Francesca Schiavone and Flavia Pennetta in another exhibition. In head-to-head competition, Serena leads Venus 13-10, but exhibitions don’t count.

SHIFTS DAVIS CUP SITE

The Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) has asked the International Tennis Federation (ITF) to reconsider its decision to move the Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Group II tie againstLebanonout ofPakistanbecause of security concerns.Pakistanwas due to playLebanoninLahorein February, but the ITF announced earlier in the week that the tie had been moved toLebanon. “We’re very disappointed at the ITF’s decision,” said Mumtaz Yousuf, the PTF secretary. “We’ve filed an appeal with them to reconsider their decision as there’s still time for the event.” Yousuf saidLebanonwas ready to play the tie inPakistanbefore the ITF expressed its reservations over security conditions. “We’re disappointed because we were making proper arrangements and we had also kept the ITF informed about our plans,” Yousuf said. “The ITF should’ve come toPakistanto review the arrangements themselves before taking a decision.”Pakistanhas not held a home Davis Cup since theSri Lankacricket team was attacked in March 2009. The ITF moved home Davis Cup ties againstHong Kong, thePhilippines,OmanandNew Zealandbecause of the security situation. But the ITF moved these ties after the opposing teams refused to travel toPakistan. The PTF had also filed compensation claims with the ITF after losing the right to host their Davis Cup ties. In recent months several international teams have competed inPakistan. The country’s top tennis player, Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi, lamented that it would be difficult forPakistanto qualify for the main round of the Davis Cup if they always had to play away from home.

SWITCHING PARTNERS

At the end of each year players who specialize in doubles participate in a game of changing partners. This year is no different. Leander Paes and compatriot Mahesh Bhupathi, who were semifinalists in the ATP World Tour Finals, are splitting again. The 38-year-old Paes will start the year partnering Janko Tipsarevic ofSerbia, then will play ATP Tour events with Radek Stepanek of theCzech Republic. Bhupathi will team with Rohan Bopanna on the Tour. Bopanna, who played with Pakistan’s Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi the last two seasons, said, “Hesh and I are looking to play a full schedule this year, something in the region of 24 weeks, the four Grand Slams and the Olympics.” Qureshi will pair with Jean-Julien Rojer for the Australian Open. Qureshi and Bopanna – the Indo-Pak Express – played in the ATP World Tour Finals inLondonwhere they lost all three of their round-robin matches.

SENIOR BATTLE

Thailand’s Tamarine Tanasugarn won the oldest final in WTA history when she beat Kimiko Date-Krumm 6-2 7-5 to capture the Dunlop World Challenge Tennis Tournament inToyota,Japan. Tanasugarn is 34 and her Japanese opponent is 41. By beating Date-Krumm, Tanasugarn raised her ranking closer to the top 100, guaranteeing her a berth in the Australian Open main draw in January. The Thai increased her head-to-head advantage over Date-Krumm to 3-1. Date-Krumm’s only win came at inToyotatwo years ago. While Date-Krumm started her pro career in 1989 and Tanasugarn five years later, the two Asian stars didn’t play each other until 2008. They have met every year since. Date-Krumm returned to the WTA tour in 2008 after a 12-year retirement. She was ranked inside the top 50 earlier this year, but has since dropped to around 100. The two had set the record for oldest combined finalists when they met for the title inOsaka,Japan, last year. Tanasugarn shrugged off this year’s encounter. “There’s nothing special about that as we are getting older,” she said, “and if we meet again, it will be rewritten. I hope to play for two more years, but I have no idea about Date.”

STAN TO DEFEND

Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka will begin 2012 by defending his title at the $450,000 ATP Chennai Open inIndia. Wawrinka, who beatBelgium’s Xavier Malisse for the title this year, will be making his fourth successive appearance in the only ATP event in the southernIndianCityof Chennai. Organizers said Janko Tipsarevic ofSerbia, Nicolas Almagro ofSpain, Marin Cilic ofCroatiaandCanada’s Milos Raonic are also expected to be in the field for the hard court tournament, which begins January 2.

SWITCH IN PLANS

Great Britain’s top-ranked woman player figures she can change her mind about retiring. Elena Baltacha said that if she is winning matches, she would be “silly” to retire after the 2012 Olympics, which will be held inLondon. In August, Baltacha suggested that the London Games would be her final competition. “Obviously I said that after the Olympics I’m going to retire,” the 28-year-old said. “But it depends what’s going to happen. If I still love playing and I feel I can improve and get better, I’d be pretty silly to retire at that point.”

SANIA TELLS ALL

Sania Mirza says she will tell the real story in her soon-to-be-published autobiography. “The book is about a side of me that very few people know,” India’s top female player said. “For the first time the autobiography will tell my point of view about all the controversies, because whenever I’ve tried to talk about it to journalists, they always end up writing their own point of view.” She said the book will talk about playing tennis professionally. “I dwell on my journey in tennis and that could be useful to aspiring tennis players and their families in the future.” Mirza, who is married to Pakistani cricket star Shoaib Malik, recently celebrated her 25th birthday.

SAYS NO TO TAXES

When foreign sports and entertainment figures work in theUnited Kingdom, they must pay a tax. Bloomberg News reported that the tax amounted to USD $105 million in 2009-2010. Two-timeWimbledonchampion Rafael Nadal said last month that he won’t play theWimbledonwarm-up tournament at Queen’s Club next year and instead will play a grass-court event the same week inHalle,Germany. The Spaniard had said he would “lose money” if he played Queen’s, where he has competed in five of the past six years. Roger Draper, chief executive of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), said his group has been lobbying the British government for a tax exemption to be included in the next budget statement in March. Athletes who compete at the 2012 London Olympics have been granted an exemption. “The government (is) taking it seriously and we are very hopeful, but there are no guarantees,” Draper said. The tax law was implemented afterBritain’s tax authority won a landmark case against Andre Agassi in 2006. The American was ordered to pay tax on a portion of the money paid to him by Nike and Head because he endorsed their products atWimbledonand other events inBritain.

SHARED PERFORMANCE

Helsinki:

Martin Emmrich and Andreas Siljestrom beat James Cerretani and Michal Mertinak 6-4 6-4

London:

Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor beat Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski 7-5 6-3

Toyota:

Makoto Ninomiya and Riko Sawayanagi beat Caroline Garcia and Michaella Krajicek, walkover

SURFING

Seville:

www.daviscup.com

Dubai:

www.dubaitennis.com

London:

www.aegonmasterstennis.com

Ankara:

www.atk.org.tr

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

WOMEN

$75,000 14th Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, hard

DAVIS CUP

Final

(December 2-4)

Spain vs. Argentina at Seville, Spain, clay

SENIORS

AEGON Masters Tennis, London, Great Britain, indoor

WEEK OF DECEMBER 19

WOMEN

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

Djokovic becomes youngest ever men’s champ: 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 April 1.

Novak Djokovic

1989 – Less than two hours after thrilling 5-7, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 win over Yannick Noah in the semifinals of the Lipton Championships in Key Biscayne, Fla., Thomas Muster’s career high goes to a career low as he is hit by a car, tearing ligaments in his left knee and forcing him to default the tournament final to world No. 1 Ivan Lendl. Muster is off the tour for only six months, famously training in a specially-made wheelchair that allows him to hit tennis balls. Oddly, his 44th and final ATP Tour tournament victory comes in 1997 when he returns to the Key Biscayne final and beats Sergi Bruguera for the title.

2000 – Martina Hingis defeats Lindsay Davenport 6-3, 6-2 in 58 minutes to win the singles title at the Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Fla., ending a five-match losing streak to Davenport and stopping Davenport’s 21-match winning streak. Despite the loss, Davenport replaces Hingis as the No. 1 player in the WTA Tour rankings the next day.

2001 – Andre Agassi wins the Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Fla., for the fourth time in his career, defeating fellow American Jan-Michael Gambill 7-6 (7-4), 6-1, 6-0, in the final. It is Agassi’s 48th title of his career

2006 – Svetlana Kuznetsova wins the biggest singles title since winning the 2004 U.S. Open, defeats Maria Sharapova 6-4, 6-3 to win the NASDAQ-100 Open women’s singles title in Key Biscayne, Fla. – her sixth career singles title.

2005 – Roger Federer defeats Andre Agassi 6-4, 6-3 in the semifinals of the NASDAQ-100 Open in what ultimately becomes Agassi final appearance in the event.

2007 – Nineteen-year-old Novak Djokovic of Serbia becomes the youngest men’s singles champion in the history of the Sony Ericsson Open, defeating Guillermo Canas of Argentina 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in the championship match in Key Biscayne, Fla.. The title is the first “Masters Series” title for Djokovic, who reached the final at Indian Wells two weeks earlier. Djokovic also wins the title without dropping a set, becoming the first player since Ivan Lendl in 1989 to turn that trick. “Every time you win something or you are the youngest player or you make any record, it certainly feels great,” says Djokovic. “It means that your name is in the history of the sport. I am very proud of that.”

2008 – One year after Serena Williams saves match points to beat Justine Henin in the Sony Ericsson Open final, Williams dominates her Belgian rival 6-2, 6-0 in the tournament’s quarterfinals in Key Biscayne in 1 hour, 20 minutes. The meeting is the 13th and ultimately final meeting between the two rivals as No. 1 ranked Henin announces her surprise retirement six weeks later. Williams’ decisive win – the most lopsided in their series of matches – pushes her ahead in the rivalry by a 7-6 margin. Entering the match, Henin had won the last three meetings – all quarterfinals matches at major tournaments in 2007 at the French, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.

Why the Swiss Indoors is like a Grand Slam for Roger Federer

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Roger Federer hits the courts this week in his hometown of Basel, Switzerland for the Swiss Indoor Championships. Roger is a three-time champion at the event, but it was, at one time, an elusive title for him as it was not until 2006 that he won his first “hometown” title. Rene Stauffer, the author of the Federer biography THE ROGER FEDERER STORY: QUEST FOR PERFECTION ($24.95, New Chapter Press, www.RogerFedererBook.com) details Federer’s first playing experience in Basel in 1998 in this exclusive book excerpt.

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.

Roger Federer

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.”

On October 29, 2006, Federer achieved on his major goals as a professional tennis player winning in Basel after seven attempts. As excerpted from the book ON THIS DAY IN TENNIS HISTORY ($19.95, New Chapter Press, www.TennisHistoryBook.com), Federer hosted a pizza party for ball kids at the Swiss Indoors after he finally won his hometown tournament with a 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (3) final-round win over Fernando Gonzalez of Chile.  “It’s a dream to finally win my home tournament,” said Federer, “This is an exciting moment and one of the nicest titles (out of 44) of my career.” In the on-court trophy ceremony, Federer, a former ball boy at the tournament, told ball kids, “Don’t go away, there’s pizza coming for you later, that’s something I remember from here.” Writes Rene Stauffer in QUEST FOR PERFECTION “He did not forget that years before, he too was a ball kid at the event.”

NOAH IS FIVE-OH!

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Yannick Noah, the charismatic Frenchmen whose win at the 1983 French Open will be replayed ad-nauseum over the next three weeks, is 50 years old. The dread-locked swash-buckler was born May 18, 1960 in Sedan, France. The following is his biography as it appears in THE BUD COLLINS HISTORY OF TENNIS ($35.95, New Chapter Press, www.NewChapterMedia.com)

The kid looked like a tennis prospect, but he was a long way from anywhere that tennis meant anything. And he didn’t have a racket. Just a board that he’d fashioned into the shape of a racket. It was 1971 in Yaounde, Cameroon, West Africa, and a lucky day for 11-year-old Yannick Simone Camille Noah because Arthur Ashe was in town, stopping by on a U.S. State Department good will tour.

So here were two future Hall of Famers, meeting for the first time, at a tennis demonstration, Ashe presiding. Learning that Noah was a French citizen, born May 18, 1960, in Sedan, France, of a French mother and a professional soccer-playing Cameroonian father, Ashe was impressed by the very athletic-looking kid. Arthur gave Yannick a racket, wondering if he would like to get some help with his tennis. Yes. Thus, Ashe contacted his friend (also a future Hall of Famer), Philippe Chatrier, head of the French Tennis Federation, recommending that Noah get proper coaching. Zip! He was whisked off to Paris, eventually to become the most popular French player since the Four Mus­keteers (Borotra, Brugnon, Cochet, Lacoste) were winning the Davis Cup, 1927-32.

Growing to 6-foot-4, 190 lbs, Yannick was a menacing foe, a carefree, acrobatic volleyer who sought the net regardless of sur­face. Could he break the overly long French drought in Paris? Oui! After 37 dry years, going back to Marcel Bernard’s 1946 tri­umph over Jaroslav Drobny, Yannick evicted Mats Wilander from the throne room in 1983, 6-2, 7-5, 7-6 (7-3). He was three parts rolled into a delightful one: French, African, the last to win a major with a wooden racket.

An emotional, inspirational figure, he fired France to two Davis Cup finals: first, 1982, as leading player (winning 6 of 8 singles); second, 1991, as captain, convincing left-handed long-shots Guy Forget and infirm Henri Leconte that they could upset the U.S. anchored by Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi.

Although John McEnroe was too much for young Noah & Co. to deal with in 1982, Yannick’s strong influence fueled the 3-1 ambush of 1991, busting another drought, 59 years between Cups for France. He captained one more Davis Cup in 1996, France over Sweden, 3-2. Then, transferring his leadership talents to his countrywomen, Yannick guided France’s first Federation Cup conquest, a 4-1 defeat of Netherlands in the 1997 final.

He is now a well-known singer, composer entertainer in Europe. His 7-foot son, Joakim Noah, was a basketball All-Amer­ican for the University of Florida (helping the Gators win the NCAA title in 2006 and 2007) and now a member of the NBA’s Chicago Bulls.

With Leconte, Yannick won the French doubles in 1984 over Czechs Pavel Slozil and Tom Smid, 6-4, 2-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. But, with Forget, he lost the French of 1987 to Anders Jarryd and Robert Seguso 6-7, 6-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2, and, with Leconte, the U.S. of 1986, to Ken Flach and Seguso, 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (7-1), 7-6 (8-6), 6-0.

Charging and daring would-be passers on clay, as he had at Roland Garros, he won the 1985 Italian over Miloslav Mecir, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4), and the 1983 German over Jose Higueras, 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-0. On a hard court in 1982, he won Palm Springs [Calif.] by shuttting down No. 1 Ivan Lendl’s 44-match winning streak, 6-4,3-6, 6-2.

Noah crashed the world’s Top 10 at No. 9 in 1982, and stayed there for five more years straight in this order: Nos. 5, 10, 7, 4, 8. He turned pro in 1978 and won 23 singles titles, 15 doubles titles and $3,440,660 in prize money

MAJOR TITLES (2)—French singles, 1983; French doubles, 1984. DAVIS CUP—11 years, 26-15 singles, 13-7 doubles. SINGLES RECORD IN THE MAJORS—Australian (11-6), French (40-12), Wimbledon (6-6), U.S. (28-11)

AGENOR HOPES TO HELP HAITI AND LAYS BLAME

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Ronald Agenor, the greatest tennis player to ever represent Haiti, said he will help with fund-raising efforts for his earthquake-ravaged country, but also blames the United States and the international community for his nation’s infrastructure problems that has led to such a massive loss of life in Tuesday’s devastating earthquake.

In an interview with the French media outlet FRANCE-SOIR, Agenor, a French Open quarterfinalist in 1989, said, “I am annoyed to see all these famous names who appear on television to call for mobilization. I accuse the international community, especially the United States who have left Haiti in abject poverty for many years. The country is destroyed. Everything has to be rebuilt. I just hope that in the future we have vital infrastructure such as ambulances, hospitals and firefighters.”

Agenor said he has not heard yet from his fellow professional athletes about helping Haiti, but he said he will soon start conversations about creating tennis exhibitions to raise money for relief and re-building efforts. He said he plans to call 1983 French Open champion Yannick Noah, who is now a popular French recording artist.

“I will try to organize exhibitions of tennis in the world to raise funds,” said Agenor. “I’ll call Yannick Noah and the great players to talk to them. There are not millions but billions that Haiti needs to rebuild. We need leadership like that of France for example.”

Agenor was teaching tennis in Guadeloupe when he was told of the earthquake.

“It was a great moment of panic but I learned quickly that my brother was unharmed,” said Agenor. “I have a picture of me outside the presidential palace. When I saw on television what was left, I knew it was a disaster. I’m going to Haiti as soon as I can to give them my support.”

According to Corriere.com, Agenor learned that all of his family survived via Facebook.com, but he also learned a good friend of his had been killed.

On his Facebook page, Agenor posted; “I am currently in Guadeloupe, in the Caribbean, and I want to thank all the people from this French Island that are doing all they can to send food, water, blankets, doctors, funds and more. Truly an amazing. It is painful to watch so much devastation in Haiti. My prayers to all the families in pain.”

Nick-named “The Haitian Sensation,” Agenor reached a career-high ranking of No. 22 in 1989, the year he achieved his best career result by reaching the quarterfinals of the French Open. He won three career ATP singles titles and also reached the fourth round of the 1988 U.S. Open. He won over $2 million in his career.

He was born in Morocco and also lived in Zaire before settling in Bordeaux, France at age 14. His father was a U.N. diplomat and also was Haïti’s Minister of Agriculture in the 1980s.

The earthquake registered 7.0 on the Richter scale and destroyed virtually all of Port-au-Prince, the nation’s capital. The Presidential Palace as well as the Haitian national cathedral were completely destroyed. Estimates as of Friday are that over 50,000 people have died in the disaster.