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Working the 'Net Posted: Monday October 21, 2002 2:18 PMUpdated: Monday October 21, 2002 4:59 PM
Sports Illustrated senior writer Jon Wertheim will answer your tennis questions every Monday. Click here to send a question. Andre Agassi claimed his record 15th Masters Series title when Jiri Novak pulled out of Sunday's Madrid final with a groin injury. ... In Zurich, local favorite Patty Schnyder saved a match point and came back to beat Lindsay Davenport in the final of the Swisscom Challenge. "This is the biggest win of my career," the 23-year-old Schnyder said. ... Davenport pulled out of this week's Linz tourney, citing a lower right shin strain. ... Slovenian Maja Matevzic thumped Czech qualifier Iveta Benesova 6-0, 6-1 to win the $110,000 VUB Open indoor event in Bratislava. ... Having a bad day at work? Marlene Weingartner can relate. At the VUB Open she was served a double bagel with a shmear, courtesy of Ashley Harkleroad, who had to qualify just to make the main draw. A few hours later, Weingartner and partner Kim Grant fell in doubles to Cara Black and Elena Likhovtseva 6-1, 6-0. ... One of you guys wrote in claiming that Barbara Schett will play Horst Skoff (last heard from fighting the ATP over an allegedly bogus drug test) in an Austrian exhibition later this winter. I thought this was a joke, but, alas, it's not. ... NBA sources tell me that the good folks at the Staples Center are having a dog of a time getting top women players to do the most cursory of promotions for the year-end tour championships. I'm told that the one player who is carrying her promotional weight is Monica Seles, ironic given that the championships' ill-fated move to Germany last year was a slap in her face. ... Devotees of tennis history will want to check out a new book on former No. 1 player and Hollywood dandy Frank Parker. The author is Cynthia Beardsley. For more info check www.havilahpress.net (yes, .net, not .com)....A reader named Mertov from Birmingham, Ala., calls to our attention "the only weekly tennis talk show on the Internet." Check out: http://centercourtshow.tripod.com. ... The WTA Tour announced that Oxygen Network will broadcast the 2003 final of the Open Gaz de France in Paris and the Swisscom Challenge in Zurich. ... Kicking off a new initiative of its Tennis Internet Group, the ATP has joined with Double Match S.L. to unveil www.AlexCorretja.com, the new official Web site of the eponymous. ... Speaking of the Web, apparently something got lost in the transcription last week: The correct e-mail address for Geoff Grant is Ggrantmanaol.com. Again, you can e-mail Geoff directly to get a copy of the excellent men's tennis documentary Beyond the Baseline. You'll like it better than Punch-Drunk Love. ... Here's some useless trivia: Grant's co-producer, Mark Keil, we're told, is the lowest-ranked player ever to defeat Pete Sampras (and he did it on grass, no less). ... From the We Swear We're Not Making This Up Dept.: Lleyton Hewitt is the new face of Sorbent toilet paper. A spokesman for the ad agency said Hewitt was a natural in front of the cameras, even given the slightly embarrassing topic. Speaking of Hewitt, he took the unusual step of accepting a wild card to the Stockholm Open this week. Think that might have anything to do with Agassi's charge in the Champions Race? ... Kim Po-Messerli played the final match of her career last week. The WTA Tour's quotient of cool and classy players just fell by one. Onward ... What was your reaction to Lindsay Davenport's comments that she favors drug testing both in and out of season?
Good for her. It made for a semi-salacious headline, but her remarks, in fact, were completely reasonable and responsible. For those who missed it, here is what she told a Stuttgart paper: "Every sport has to find those that use illegal substances. There has to be more testing. The system we now have has to be improved. We should contain doping before it becomes a big problem. ... What would have stopped me from taking something during [the time I was sidelined with a knee injury]? No one controlled me. I could have taken everything, nobody would know." On both tours, there is a fair amount of rumor and baseless speculation about players' doping, mostly to improve stamina and recovery time, not for bulk. As we've said in this space before, the notion that tennis is rampant with drug cheats is completely misguided. On the other hand, it is simply naive to think that tennis, alone among sports, is 100 percent clean. Why not test as comprehensively as possible and, as Davenport puts it nicely, "contain doping before it becomes a big problem"? My husband and I are planning a vacation for next year. We want to coordinate it with a professional tennis tournament. The time of year doesn't matter, but we want it to be in the United States.What tournament would you recommend?
The truth is, you almost can't go wrong (Indianapolis in the dead of summer, notwithstanding). It all depends on what you like. If you're a city person and are willing to bend your rules and go to Canada, Montreal is pretty spectacular. (Yes, Toronto is great, too. But the site at York University is a hike from downtown.) If you like beaches, try Manhattan Beach or Key Biscayne. Charleston is absolutely charming, as is Amelia Island. If you feel like splurging, stay at the Phoenician and check out Scottsdale. Plus, my friend and neighbor, Harvey Bolgola, will harass me on the street if I don't mention San Diego, so consider that option, too. You make no secret of your disdain for the sport of golf. I'm wondering if you have ever covered a golf tournament for Sports Illustrated, and whether that has anything to do with your strong feelings?
I've never had to, knock on wood. But I know someone who has (namely, Alan Shipnuck). And I'm glad I haven't yet. Because I'm sure it isn't good. That's the impression that I get. OK, that isn't entirely true. A few years ago, I wasted my Fourth of July covering the Greater Hartford Open. Let's just say that Furio on The Sopranos had it right when he said to Tony: "Golf. What a stupid-a bleeping game." The event was perfectly pleasant, as were the golfers (I wouldn't dare call them athletes), but the game itself is so vastly inferior to tennis, it boggles the mind that golf has surged past our beloved sport in popularity. Your recent mention of frequently injured Meredith McGrath conjured glorious memories of her lone Wimbledon semifinal, in 1996. (Little-known fact: She won the U.S. Open mixed doubles title the year before.) What's she up to now?
From the horse's mouth:
McGrath was mentioned when we surmised that her native Michigan ranks third after California and Florida in the production of tennis pros. Phil Smith from the Western & Southern Financial Masters (and, exhale) makes a compelling case for Ohio. He writes:
It seems popular in other professional sports to credit a higher being for success, such as players pointing skyward after touchdowns or crossing themselves before stepping into the batter's box. Outside of Paradorn Srichaphan (the Buddhist Bomber), do any tennis pros do something similar?
Many, if not most, players look skyward after big wins. But none that I know do it ritualistically, the way Srichaphan does. (And he's getting plenty of practice lately -- the Thai Stick has been smoking these past few weeks.) After he upset Agassi at Wimbledon, Srichaphan was asked about his gesture. Q: What did you do after the match? Did you pray? A: Actually, I always did it. I mean, if I lost or I win on a big stadium, or on a big court, it's like, just like a Thai culture like saying thank you for the crowd that, you know, both, full side, just like doing like this [bowing], just saying, 'Thank you.'" How cool is this guy? Personally, I'm still waiting for a tennis player to hit a winner, retrieve the ball, whip a Sharpie out of his sock, sign the ball for a buddy in a luxury suite and continue playing. OK, I've had enough. What in the world is a "sports liberal"? I've heard many people accuse you of being one, but I fail to see the humor behind it. I have four guesses: 1) You like left-handed players. 2) You like players from Somalia and North Korea better than Jennifer Capriati. 3) You like to give away free stuff at the expense of CNNSI.com (one XL T-shirt, please!). 4) You think Al Gore is a better tennis player than Pete Sampras. Tell me, which one is it?
Reminds me of the line a political candidate once used to describe Jesse Helms: "He's so conservative he'd punt on third down." As far as the definition of a sports liberal, your guess is as good as mine. Leaving my politics out of it, I thought it was curious how many people used the L word to describe objections to the WTA Tour's role in the ultra-risque GQ photo shoot. On this particular issue, wouldn't a conservative be more likely offended than a liberal? Anyway, send me your address and the shirt is yours. (I'm guessing it's XL so we can squeeze your name on the back.) I was hoping you could settle two matters.
1) What does Serena Williams wear under her catsuit? My mom thinks thong. I'm going with nothing.
2) My wife claims to have been the No. 1 girls' tennis player at Bloomington North, class of '89. Having played with her, I have my doubts. Who was the best? 1) This is strictly conjecture, but to borrow from Sisqo, I'm guessing that it's a thong, thong-thong-thong-thong. 2) I don't want to get involved in any marital strife, particularly with a former Cougars classmate. My advice is to take her at her word. Speaking of the dynastic Bloomington North tennis program, a tip of the John Deere cap to the boys' team. It was ranked No. 1 in the state for most of the season before getting upset by Center Grove in the state tournament. (Surely by dint of dodgy line calls.) Just a comment: In regard to Gerry Hail's account of meeting Martina Navratilova in Mykonos, I would like to point out that the Super Paradise beach is not merely a topless beach but a totally nude one. So this adds an interesting wrinkle to the story.
Wrinkle is a disturbing choice of words. The story about meeting Simonya Popova on a train sounds made up to me. In fact, it reads like the beginning of a Penthouse Forum letter. And we all know those are fake. I can't believe you fell for it.
A hoax? Man, is that low. We're launching an investigation. The return of Long Lost SiblingsDavid Nalbandian and Larry Bird.
Sebastien Grosjean and a young Al Pacino.
Lleyton Hewitt and rapper Eminem.
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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