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Sampras appears on the rebound Posted: Monday August 05, 2002 1:14 PM
Sports Illustrated senior writer Jon Wertheim will answer your tennis questions every Monday. Click here to send a question. What a week for tennis. Venus Williams won her second tournament since Wimbledon, beating Jelena Dokic in the San Diego final. ... A punchline no more, Anna Kournikova showed flashes of her old self, reaching the semis and nearly making the final. ... A lean, mean Lindsay Davenport cemented her comeback by reaching another semifinal before running into the Venus Express. ... For the men, Guillermo Cañas won the biggest title of his career in Toronto, proving yet again that this Argentine Armada can play on surfaces other than clay. ... His opponent in the final, Andy Roddick, woke from a slumber to silence the "What have you done for me lately?" buzz that reached a fever pitch in L.A. ... Tommy Haas, relieved by the encouraging news about his parents, reached the semis. ... Overall, the quality of tennis was exceptionally high and typically competitive -- when was the last time a tournament featured more matches that were decided in a third-set breaker? ... Pete Sampras fired up a little something for the memory banks, showing marked improvement and much better movement from the player who lost at Wimbledon. (See more below.) ... It seems Boris Becker won't go to jail for tax evasion. ... Pat Rafter became the proud father of a baby boy. ... Perhaps most heartening, Corina Morariu made her return to the WTA Tour barely 15 months after she was diagnosed with leukemia. ... One piece of sad news: Swiss Davis Cup captain Peter Carter was killed in an auto accident. Though he was a player of some distinction, Carter may have been best known as an instrumental coach of Roger Federer. Said Federer: "I was very shocked and very sad when I found out. He was a very close friend. This is the first time a close friend of mine has died." ... Apparently, the brother of Diego Maradona was in the stands in Toronto, cheering on Cañas. ... Monica Seles pulled out of L.A. with a right-foot injury. ... Sampras' self-deprecating sense of humor was on display last week. Asked about his wife's pregnancy, Sampras responded: "I guess I did one thing right this year." All the cops in the donut shop say ... on to the questions: I disagree with your comments that Pete Sampras needs to retire if he continues losing to lesser players. Doesn't that send the wrong message, that winning is the only reason to play a sport? By that reasoning, most of the players on tour should retire. Shouldn't a player, no matter how great, retire when he genuinely loses his love of the game and of competition, rather than be browbeat into it by fans and sportswriters?
The position here is -- and has always been -- that Sampras has earned the right to retire on his own terms. Watching him struggle of late hasn't been fun for anyone (not least of all him), but when you've won 13 Slams and have always acquitted yourself with class, you're entitled to stay at the party as long as you like to fashion your own exit strategy. My point was simply that others' calls for him to retire will mount should he have a poor U.S. Open. Fortunately, that doesn't appear likely. If his career was in seriously dire straits after Wimbledon, Sampras bounced back with a vengeance in Toronto. First, he beat his long-time nemesis, Wayne Ferreira, in the first round. After losing the first set, he steamrolled Hyung-Taik Lee. He then came within two points of beating third-seeded Haas, playing as well as he has in a year. Sampras was despondent after double-faulting on match point to lose 7-6 in the third. But given where he was a month ago, he has to be extremely encouraged by the overall state of his game. I think I was one of the first Andy Roddick Fan Club members. However, I have observed his lack of compassion and humility within the last year. Am I expecting too much from someone his age or do you also view him as an often-irate and super-competitive brat (which, by the way, is my reason for not being a Lleyton Hewitt fan)? Do you think the pressure that American tennis fans place on him has affected his demeanor and desire to desperately succeed? Am I being too hard on the kid?
Man, these bandwagons empty as quickly they fill up. Lots of you wrote in this week to complain about Roddick. I think you (plural) are being too harsh. Roddick would be the first to admit this hasn't been a banner year, particularly at the Slams. But he hasn't exactly flamed out either. Even heading into Toronto, he was leading the tour in wins this year. As for his demeanor, he is indeed super-competitive, but I don't see much evidence of a brat. Give him a few minutes to calm down after a match and he is engaging, funny and personable, be it with fans, sponsors or the media. As Ernie Johnson, the terrific TNT studio host and Charles Barkley's straight man, put it during Wimbledon: "The kid just plain gets it." I think, incidentally, this is where Hewitt misses the boat. The fist pumps, chest-thumping, cloying "C'mons" and profanity would be a lot easier for fans and sponsors to swallow if there were some indication that there is a softer side to the kid. (And I firmly believe that there is.) However, since he's still such a cipher and his peeps still take such extreme measures to limit his exposure to the general public, all folks have to go by is what they see on the court. What do you think about Dinara Safina? I saw her win her first WTA title on two Saturdays ago in Sopot, Poland, and although I don't like all those tall girls hitting the ball as hard as they can, I must admit she was truly impressive for a 16-year-old. Do you think she might be better than her brother? She already has more patience and control of her head than Marat has. What about Dinara as a top-10 player in, say, two years?
Her brother has already won a Slam and been No. 1 in the world, so equaling his feats is a tall order. However, one has to be encouraged by her recent results. Plus, she seems like she has a steady head on her shoulders, an attribute big bro sometimes lacks. For more on Safina, check out this story. Last week you answered someone's question about Monica Seles and her decision to play Fed Cup against Israel. It reminded me of someone's comment that people who convert religions end up more religious than those who have been born into it. Could it be that Monica, a Yugoslavia native, understands the importance of being an American citizen and the importance and honor of representing the U.S. better than most? One of her thrills was representing the U.S. in the Olympics (in two Olympics, I believe). Could that be the real reason she's playing Fed Cup?
So what you're saying is that you believe there were factors in Seles' decision other than the lure of Branson? Kidding aside, you make an excellent point. It could very well be the reason. On a similar note, I remember a former player (John McEnroe, I want to say) claiming that no player knew and cared more about American politics than Ivan Lendl. Same logic: Having emigrated from another country, he had a deeper appreciation of democracy, capitalism, checks and balances, etc., than the players born here. Perhaps surprisingly, Anna Smashnova -- with wins this year in Auckland, Canberra and Vienna -- sits third on the WTA list of most titles in 2002. While Smashnova's wins have come at second-tier (am I being too generous?) events, they're still wins nonetheless. Given that Smashnova is never going to be a serious threat at a Grand Slam, would she rather win three or four lesser events in a year or make, say, the third or fourth round at each of the four Grand Slams? —Joshua Kay, Melbourne, Australia Obviously, it's a question for Smashnova to answer personally. But my strong suspicion is that she'd rather have the titles. A Grand Slam semifinal -- or even quarter -- is one thing. But who remembers the third- and fourth-round losers? A winner is a winner, no matter how small the event. She got to hoist a trophy, make a speech, look at the draw sheet and know that she was the best player that week. Next year, she'll get the special parking place reserved for the defending champion. Two asides: It's worth noting that in terms of rankings points and prize money, players often do better reaching the fourth round of a Slam than winning a Tier III event. Smashnova's breakout year has special implications given the turmoil in the Middle East. The Israeli is understandably reluctant to talk politics or express personal opinions, but her story is a good one nonetheless. What do you make of the habit of players to withdraw the week after they win a tournament? Andre Agassi and Alex Corretja, who won two weeks ago and then pulled out of Toronto, seem to do this more frequently. Yes, they are in their early 30s, but I refuse to believe they are that weak. If they are, maybe it's time to retire.
Good point. Agassi's withdrawal was particularly disappointing. He is such a big draw that his absence, even at the last minute, hurts a tournament financially. As a star he could easily have negotiated a Tuesday night start in Toronto, giving him more than 48 hours to get from L.A. to Canada -- plenty of time to convalesce. What's more, his absence undermines the whole philosophy behind the Masters Series: that it's an elite tier that will feature the game's best players. In addition to fining players -- and, frankly, even $80,000 isn't deterring Agassi from doing anything he doesn't want to -- both tours need desperately to impress upon their constituents how badly the sport looks in the eyes of sponsors and casual fans when the stars wuss out. South American players are enjoying great success, especially during the European clay-court season. For a bit of historical perspective, who do you think are the top five South American players of all time?
Limiting this to men, since most of the successful South Americans today are male, off the top of my head and in no particular order: 1. Gustavo Kuerten
Is Jennifer Capriati mental? I just read this quote following her first-round win in San Diego: "It's hard for me to call Serena dominant when I feel like I should have won every match against her." Frankly, I don't think we've seen Serena come close to fulfilling her potential, and that's pretty scary considering the year she's already had. I'm really curious about the mindset of an athlete on the outside looking in. Should we attribute Capriati's comment to jealousy or an esteem boost?
Capriati has never been accused of being particularly gracious, and it's an open secret that there's no love lost between her and the Williams clan. But I don't take issue with the above comments -- remarks called to my attention by several of you this week. Let's put ourselves in Capriati's Fila shoes: For more than a year now, the Williams sisters have been all over her ("Jenny, I've got your number," as Tommy Tutone might say) and beaten her every way and on every surface. Still, she has won some sets here and there and, frankly, is the player with the best shot of preventing another Williams-Williams coda at the U.S. Open. What's she supposed to say? If she agrees that they're dominant, it not only sounds like a surrender but it gives the Williams sisters a huge mental edge. If she questions their dominance, she's being arrogant. Or worse yet, "mental." Food for thought: Might there be a gender double standard at play here? Male athletes routinely slight opponents and use the most contorted of logic to defend their honor. Down 3-0 to the Lakers in the NBA Finals, the New Jersey Nets preposterously maintained, "We think we're the better team." Where was the hue and cry? Conversely, when women athletes are humble and deferential -- other WTA Tour players have a way of making every opponent sound like the second coming of Margaret Court -- we wish they'd stop with the making nice and show more competitive fire. Are appearance fees still the best-kept secret in tennis? About a decade ago, these tournament incentives got a lot of press, but one rarely hears mention of them anymore. Since I'm assuming that such numbers would be undisclosed, what's your best guess on how much the top players can make in appearance fees per year? Also, any idea on whether or not men and women earn comparable bonuses for showing up?
Men's tennis makes no secret of appearance fees. In the women's game, they are technically forbidden, but that rule is as easily circumvented as an Argenbright Security checkpoint. Top draws like Agassi and Kournikova can make bank (mid-six figures, anyway), particularly in Asia and places like Dubai. Players on the next tier down usually make between $50-150K, though there are often conditions like attending sponsor functions, flying into town in the weeks prior to the tournament to drum up publicity, taping television spots. Also, in some cases the guarantees count against prize money. I wouldn't call it an irony, but one curious wrinkle: The bigger the event, the less the appearance lucre. Whereas the L.A. event needs to open the checkbook to lure the stars, events like the Slams and Masters Series (often flush with cash to start with) don't have to pay for the players' services I am disappointed that Mary Pierce hasn't been able to make a complete recovery. If her career is all but over, do you think it has been one of complete success, considering her personal problems and poor foundations in the game, or one of unfulfilled potential, because of mental weakness and persistent injuries?
Predictably, I'd say it falls somewhere in between. Obviously, it was disappointing that Pierce could never build on her truly impressive run at the 2000 French. Overall -- and I know I've written this before -- I give Pierce a lot of credit. Plenty of athletes with childhoods less dysfunctional than hers have gone off the deep end. For her to have spent her formative years under such horrible conditions and still managed to win a pair of Slams and spend a better part a decade in the top 10 bespeaks a strong character and iron will. Wouldn't it be fun to see an event in which the players played with those huge tennis balls that people buy to get autographed?
We may be heading there. Check out this letter from A. Bhat of Dayton, Ohio: I have a followup to the question of Mr. Wentworth from last week. I have had the same experience with tennis balls. When I played in high school eight years ago, a can of balls lasted us a week, with the same bounce and feel (we played at least five days a week). I play club-level tennis twice a week now with friends, and a new can doesn't last more than two matches. I would urge you to look further into this, because I know I'm not the only one who has noticed a decline in ball longevity. I'm not saying it's an underhanded conspiracy by the ball manufacturers to make a tennis ball last half as long and sell it for the same price; it could be a result of racket strings, new court surfaces, etc. (We play indoors in a racket club on spotless hard-court surfaces.) Groundskeeper Willie can't play tennis because he is a Scotsman and it is well known to all Britishers that Scotsmen do not play the game of tennis. My ex-girlfriend is Scottish and she assures me that this is in fact true, mainly because Scotsmen consider tennis an English sport, like cricket, and therefore fit only for effete, Hugh Grant types. Can you name even one Scottish main-draw player?
I'm telling you, keep an eye on Elena Baltacha. She was born in Kiev, Ukraine, but has an accent right out of Trainspotting. Good strokes; booming, 120-mph serve; and, yes, a lust for life. OK, Mr. Top Five, what are the top five products Anna Kournikova should endorse? Clearly, that is her only source of income, because she surely will never win a major.
With two straight quarterfinal appearances and a markedly improved attitude on and off the court (thanks, Coach Harold!) Anna is a tennis player manqué no longer. I'll throw this one out to you guys. Best answers get a year's supply of Turtle Wax -- or comparable prizes. Just keep it on the right side of good taste. Have a good week, everyone! Sports Illustrated senior writer Jon Wertheim covers tennis for the magazine and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com. Click here to send him a question or comment.
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