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Women missing at Indian Wells Posted: Monday March 11, 2002 12:04 PM
Sports Illustrated senior writer Jon Wertheim will answer your tennis questions every Monday. Click here to send a question. Hats off to Andre Agassi, who won his 50th career title in Scottsdale last weekend. ... Davide Sanguinetti upset top seed and local favorite Andy Roddick to win the Delray event. Said Sanguinetti: "It feels good. Don't wake me up." ... His coach might be new but his clothes are old. Pete Sampras has returned to Nike after all, signing a four-year deal. This after publicly denouncing the company last month and wearing an American flag, not a swoosh, on his shirt. Sources close to the agreement tell the 'Bag that the base terms were identical to the ones Sampras rejected earlier this year. The incentive clauses, however, are more generous. ... Agassi was greeted in Scottsdale by Barry Bonds, who was in town for spring training. Bonds claims that he bought an Agassi racket at an auction more than a decade ago and has been a fan ever since. ... Rumors persist that the WTA Tour's year-end championships will be moved back to the U.S. ... Sergio García, in Indian Wells purportedly to watch his "friend" Martina Hingis, played a round of golf with Todd Martin. ... Lleyton Hewitt and Roger Federer both arrived in the desert early, in part to shoot a new spot for Nike. ... The U.S.-Spain Davis Cup tie will be played on grass at the Westside Tennis Club (aka, the House that Luke [John Lucas] Built) in Houston. ... Watch out for those Penn Quakers in your NCAA pool -- thought I'd sneak that in. ... Regarding our discussion several weeks ago about rotisserie-league tennis, the ATP is launching a new fantasy game. Go to atptour.com for more info. Onward: What's up with the women avoiding Indian Wells? Only Martina (I Have to Play Everything) Hingis and Monica (I'm Still Trying) Seles are competing. Why are the Williamses, Capriati and other top-10 players skipping the event? What's up? I always thought of Indian Wells as one of the biggest tourneys outside the Slams.
It's not you. Among the women's events, Indian Wells has the biggest purse outside of the Slams. But owing to a variety of factors, the top players are in places other than the Coachella Valley this week. (Civic motto: "It's a dry heat.") Compare the field in last week's smallish Tier II Scottsdale tournament to this week and Indian Wells fares poorly. To paraphrase Cleavon Little in Blazing Saddles: "Where the women at?" Well, the Williams sisters, predictably, begged off after last year's fiasco. For all their bravado, neither sister particularly likes controversy, and, regardless of how they would have fared on the court, they surely would have endured more fallout and questioning regarding last year's charade. Capriati has never been particularly fond of Indian Wells and claims, somewhat mysteriously, that she has her reasons for not playing. Lindsay Davenport showed up for a players' council meeting but she's still on crutches. Anna Kournikova lost early, as did Kim Clijsters. In short, this is Hingis' title (and fat check) to lose. The fans, organizers, ESPN and Pacific Life should be thankful the top-flight men's portion of the event commenced Monday. We should be prepared to chalk up the women's threadbare field to a fluke. (Says here that at least one of the Williams sisters will end her embargo next year.) But perhaps this is a blessing in disguise. The dearth of big guns in the draw means that an up-and-coming player like Daniela Hantuchova or Anastasia Myskina can start to make a name for herself. Why is it that John McEnroe has become this omnipresent media figure while Jimmy Connors practically is never seen or mentioned anymore? Is McEnroe really more marketable or is it that Connors is not interested in shameless self-promotion?
Both. If Connors is no longer in the public consciousness, it's by his own doing. In 2000, Connors was the only former winner in reasonable health who declined to attend the Wimbledon Parade of Champions. As he told Sports Illustrated, "I'll lay it out for you. Tennis isn't what I do anymore. I have other business activities that occupy my time. To be honest, I'm not one for pomp and circumstance. I played. I did it." So there. Having said that, McEnroe is more marketable and is a far better self-promoter. At least that was the case before that embarrassment that was The Chair. Do you think that Venus Williams becoming No. 1 will motivate her to remain there? And do you think that the WTA and ATP tours will work harder to recruit more minority players?
So long as she's the best player in the game -- and right now she is -- one would hope that Venus will stay in the top spot. But the answer depends more on her health and physical upkeep than her motivation, though the two are not mutually exclusive. Recruiting "minority" players is a curious concept for an international sport. In the U.S., Latinos, for instance, are a minority group -- yet the tours are chock full of players from Latin America and South America. By the time athletes hit the circuit, recruitment really is not an issue. Either they have the game to make it or they don't. Insofar as making the sport accessible to more people (which, one would hope, would lead to more diverse representation on the tours), that responsibility falls chiefly with the various federations and governing bodies. Here in the U.S., the USTA is tasked with recruiting more minority players. We can debate how effectively it does its job. But did anyone else notice that three weeks ago, as Venus was being crowned as the No. 1 player, James Blake beat top-seeded Tommy Haas to reach the Memphis final and Alexandra Stevenson reached the women's final? What's the news on Magnus Norman? I miss him.
Norman is returning slowly from a debilitating back injury, but he should register on the radar screen these next few weeks. As for your affinity for Norman, apparently you're not alone. From last week's ATP newsletter: "Magnus Norman attended the 14th annual World Music Awards held Wednesday evening and mingled with the stars at the glamorous Sporting Club in Monte Carlo. Under the High Patronage of HSH Prince Albert of Monaco, the ceremonies were hosted by Shaggy, Mark McGrath and Jennifer Love Hewitt. After watching Enrique Iglesias, Kylie Minogue, Alicia Keys and Destiny's Child, Norman went backstage courtesy of organizers of the upcoming Laureus World Sports Awards. Rock star Michael Bolton immediately recognized the former Roland Garros finalist, while Norman's fellow Swede and supermodel Victoria Silverstedt promised to visit the ATP tournament in Los Angeles later in July. The beauty queen asked if she could watch his match wrapped in a Swedish flag or simply with her "body painted blue and yellow" for added moral support, to which a slightly stunned Norman replied: 'Do whatever you feel comes naturally.' As he left for Munich early Thursday morning for some precautionary medical treatment to his knee, Norman was booked on the same flight as artist Alanis Morrissette and the German girl band No Angels." The question of who is the best tennis player of all time appears quite often in the Mailbag. What do you think a tennis player would have to accomplish to be considered the best athlete of all time in any sport?
Honestly, I don't think it could ever happen. Tennis, unfortunately, is still considered too much of a "wuss sport" by the sports media at-large. Consider that Sampras -- a superb natural athlete, by the way -- set the record for career Slam singles titles. Yet on each of those annoying millennial "best athlete" lists, he didn't come close to Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, Babe Ruth, Wayne Gretzky, etc. Tennis fares better in the context of women's sports. Even so, I'd say the best female athlete of all time will be a track star, basketball player or even skater before it is a tennis player. Just wanted to know why it is that an ex-pat kid isn't allowed to enter tournaments in the U.S. during the summer. My daughter plays tennis, and the summer would be a good opportunity to see where her skill level is against kids in the States. But I can never get her into tournaments because we don't have U.S. status and she doesn't attend school in the States. She goes to an American school in Egypt and we pay U.S. taxes. It is a bit frustrating. Do you know someone to whom I can address this issue?
I'd call the USTA at (914) 696-7000. Don't you think a little too much is made of the whole "If only Venus Williams would play more tournaments she would be a runaway No. 1" thing? All the top women -- except the Belgians; Jelena Dokic, who, now that she is winning, seems to be cutting back; and Serena Williams, who hovers around 10 -- seem to play between 13 and 17 tournaments.
Your point is well taken, but the Williams sisters play significantly fewer events than other players. In fact, of all the players in the top 50 last year, Venus and Serena played the fewest tournaments. (I'll anticipate the counterargument: They invariably play late into the tournament so we should look at matches played and not events played.) The other point is that they are the straws the stir the women's game. Their presence is crucial to ticket sales, television ratings and "general buzz," as Tina Brown would say. Few people care whether Angeles Montolio, to pick a name at random, enters four tournaments or 40. In contrast, the presence of the Williams sisters means the difference between a rock concert and fifth-grade band practice. (See: Indian Wells, 2002.) They say the serve is the most important shot in tennis. Who's on your list of pros with relatively weak serves?
In a sense, this a loaded question. A pro who can't serve well is like a mathematician who gets tripped up by fractions. Neither are long for their chosen professions. How about five players who could stand to improve their serves? 1. Kournikova
I was just wondering about your take on the Martina Navratilova/Natasha Zvereva combo! If they both play good doubles, do you see them having the ability to win a few Grand Slams together? Also, what are the odds of Natasha returning to play singles? She is one of my favorites!
Zvereva has been MIA for a few years now. Nice to see her back, but don't look for her playing sans partner. I'd go out of my out my way to see her and Martina play. But I can't that imagine a team with a combined age of more than 70 will make a credible bid to win a Slam. After Pete Sampras' loss to Wayne Ferreira recently, their head-to-head record is now 6-6. I've never understood why Ferreira has such success against Sampras, or why Karol Kucera keeps bothering Andre Agassi. Yevgeny Kafelnikov always loses against Dominik Hrbaty. Do these players have games that match well against the top counterparts or is this just a mental thing?
I once asked Brad Gilbert why Agassi fares so poorly against Kucera, a decent player but one AA ought to beat without thinking twice. "For every player, there is always one guy that just gets in your kitchen," Gilbert responded. Ferreira is that guy for Sampras. Fabrice Santoro is that guy for Marat Safin. To some extent, Gilbert was that guy for McEnroe. The hobgoblin players have games that match up well with the stars. Kucera, for instance, plays (played, anyway) at a leisurely pace, was in top shape and got every ball back. That gave Agassi fits. Likewise, Ferreira is a steady veteran with wristy, unconventional strokes who passes and returns well -- the type of player who can make life miserable for Sampras. After a loss or two, however, it turns into "a mental thing," as you put it. Don't think for a second that Sampras didn't wince when he saw Ferreira's name so nearby in the draw. That manifests itself on the court as well. What's your take on the match tiebreak the ATP is using in place of the third set of doubles? Does it work? What do the players think of it?
I know a number of tennis fans, players and writers who feel that the match tiebreak is an unacceptable corruption of the game. But truthfully it doesn't bother me much. We can all agree that men's doubles needs something -- anything -- to give it more pizzazz. The match tiebreak is a little gimmicky, but it imbues the contest with excitement at the end and a real sudden-death feel. Also, given how often players hold their serve in men's doubles, there's a good chance that the third set would have gone to a tiebreak anyway. The other point in favor is a practical one: Aside from paying for the food and lodging of players who don't sell tickets, another reason promoters don't like doubles is that it can create scheduling problems. In Australia, for instance, the Hingis-Seles singles semifinal was delayed while Michael Llodra-Santoro and Julien Boutter-Arnaud Clément played a three-hour match that ended (mercifully) 12-10 in the fifth. Notwithstanding the play-of-the-day shot of Llodra killing a sparrow with a forehand, the match wreaked havoc on television coverage and scheduling. The players I've spoken to are mixed. They like that the fans get juiced for the match tiebreak and that the excitement culminates. But they feel that it favors the underdogs and fear that it is the first step on the road to phasing out doubles entirely. Your list last week of your top five restaurants got me curious about your top five favorite airports.
Best airport is as oxymoronic as postal service and guest host. Still, a few are more tolerable than others: 1. Sydney and Melbourne: Utterly pleasant, like everything else in Australia.
So you want to work in tennisPerhaps it's the stubborn job market, pending graduation, the return of pro tennis to the U.S., or the post-9/11 realization that life's too short to be pushing pencils. Whatever the case, in recent weeks I've been bombarded by questions asking about pursuing a career in pro tennis. I generally try to respond to these letters individually, but since that's getting more difficult, here are some scattered thoughts. Sorry for this lapse into guidance counselor, but we're all about helping the youth of American here at the 'Bag. 1. Your passion for the sport is admirable, but that alone won't get you hired. Figure out your skills and how they will translate to a job in tennis. (Of course, a 135-mph serve is a good start.) 2. Think outside the (service) box. A horrible cliché, I realize, but one that rings true in this case. Sure, you can aspire to the obvious tennis-related jobs -- tournament director, player agent, USTA president -- but the odds are steep. Why not try and break into the profession by, say, selling ads for Tennis Magazine or doing p.r. for the firm retained by Dunlop rackets. Something (cliché alert) off the beaten path but one that will still gain you entrée into the sport. 3. Go to a pro event. Even the smaller events are full of agents, coaches, tour administrators, clothing/shoe/racket reps and media types. It's a good way to make contacts and snag some business cards. 4. For the misguided few who want to be tennis writers, my sage advice is to write. Write for your college newspaper, your church bulletin, your neighborhood-block-watch newsletter, even your own Web site. It doesn't matter how prestigious the periodical, but you need to be published somewhere. Editors will be able to recognize talent when they see it. 5. The Peace Corps is always looking for volunteers. Have a good week, everyone! Sports Illustrated senior writer Jon Wertheim, author of Venus Envy: A
Sensational Season Inside the Women's Tennis Tour, is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com. Click here to send him a question or comment.
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