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ASV is an all-time great Posted: Monday November 18, 2002 2:11 PM
A hearty "Good on ya, mate" to Lleyton Hewitt, who won the Masters Cup for the second straight year and "defended" his year-end ranking, as it were. Though his top spot was secured after Andre Agassi lost two desultory matches, Hewitt, true to form, kept his intensity and won the event outright, beating Juan Carlos Ferrero in a semi-classic, five-set final. ... Kudos are also in order for the Shanghai organizers. By most accounts, it was a first-rate tournament. ... More congrats, this time to Justine Henin, who married Pierre-Yves Hardenne last Saturday. Henin will now be known as Justine Henin-Hardenne. ... The ATP and the Washington, D.C., and Indianapolis tournaments have reached a settlement in their longstanding legal dispute. In 2003 the Indianapolis event, known as the RCA Championships, will be held July 21-27, and the Washington event will be held July 28-Aug. 3. Tournament organizers agreed that the ATP has the authority to set the annual calendar for tour events; the ATP acknowledged that it will exercise its calendar in good faith. The preceding is really just fancy doublespeak for: "Man, our legal bills are soaring." ... Speaking of lawyers making out like bandits, the battle over Hewitt's six-figure fine from Cincinnati is still pending. Last week, as the subject played (and presumably gave interviews) in China, arguments were heard before a panel comprising a retired judge and former pros Richey Reneberg and Jakob Hlasek. (Who writes this stuff anyway?) ... The ATP announced that it will publish two issues of Deuce magazine in 2003. ... Days after he put the finishing touches on a breakout year, Paradorn Srichaphan learned that his career might be derailed by mandatory military service. But before Thailand faced a trade embargo by tennis fans, the government quickly granted Srichaphan a special dispensation, allowing him to play full-time next year. ... Lisa Raymond and Rennae Stubbs, who formed a top doubles team for the past five or so years, will play with different partners in 2003. Look for Raymond to pair with Lindsay Davenport. ... This week's unsolicited dining tip for New York readers: Check out Salon Mexico on 26th Street off of Lexington. For my pesos, it's the best Mexican food in town. ... Le Conseil de Prevention et de Lutte contre le Dopage (CPLD), the French drug-testing organization, announced that Mirjana Lucic failed a drug test at the French Open when Bupropion was found in her system. Problem was, Lucic had been given medical clearance to use the drug at the time. (What's more, Bupropion will be taken off the banned substance list on Jan. 1.) Both the ITF and WTA Tour stood firmly behind the player and, in uncommonly harsh language, dismissed CPLD's finding. In a statement, WTA Tour CEO Kevin Wulff said: "[The result] is completely at odds with the purpose of any legitimate anti-doping program and strongly suggests that the CPLD is focused on priorities other than drug-free sport and athlete health." Onward ... Now that Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario has retired, what do you think her place in tennis history will be?
Let's start the questions by paying tribute to Sánchez-Vicario, who, of course, called it a career last week. What is her place in tennis history? Good question. Objectively, her career bona fides are impeccable: winning four Grand Slam singles titles, making the final eight other times, earning more than $17 million in prize money and achieving the top ranking in both singles and doubles (doing so simultaneously at one point, to boot) makes for a Hall of Fame-worthy career. Not quite worthy of a suite in the Steffi Graf/Chris Evert/Martina Navratilova wing, but it's only one level down. Unfortunately, her success came at a time when style often trumped substance on the women's tour. In part because ASV's hustling, counterpunching style wasn't always pretty (and was more or less rendered obsolete by a generation of power hitters) and in part because she never had much interest in photo shoots and celebrity packaging, the Ranch never really got her due as a player. History, though, doesn't much care about celebrity boyfriends, family drama and how you look in makeup and heels. Rest assured that Sánchez-Vicario's career accomplishments will stand the test of time a lot better than some of her flashier contemporaries'. Yet another Andre Agassi withdrawal passes without any criticism. Yes, it was a "dead rubber" as far as his chances of reaching the semis were concerned, but surely the paying fans and his TV public deserve the respect of watching him play out his commitment? When a Williams sister pulls a stunt like this, she's vilified. Also, what about Lleyton Hewitt's patronizing comments encouraging Carlos Moya to make sure he tries against Albert Costa? This fella just gets cuddlier and cuddlier, doesn't he?
Fair point about Agassi, but, hey, you get special treatment at age 32. As for Hewitt, a few of you referenced those comments. Generally speaking, when an athlete claims to be quoted "out of context" it's usually the last refuge of a scoundrel. But if you read the question posed to Hewitt and then considered his response, it's pretty inoffensive stuff. Judge for yourself: Q: Your qualification depends on two Spanish players, and there is some speculation about them arranging the match. What do you think about that? Hewitt: Well, where do you start? It wouldn't be great for tennis if something did happen. I don't think it would happen in this day and age. Carlos has worked so hard to get back to where he is now in the world. I believe he would be silly not to want to go through undefeated, to throw a match. I don't care what you're playing. Then again, I know Carlos is a good bloke and I just wouldn't think it would be in his nature to throw it. I'm sure he would be as desperate as anyone to go out there and win and, who knows, as I said yesterday, my prediction for sure would be Moya. I think he's playing as well as anybody in the game right at the moment on any surface. So there's no doubt that my tip is Moya going into tomorrow's match. Your five most-improved players, ATP and WTA? My choices: Paradorn Srichaphan, Fernando Gonzalez, James Blake, Jiri Novak, Sjeng Schalken; Anastasia Myskina, Chanda Rubin, Daniela Hantuchova, Alexandra Stevenson, Serena Williams.
Full disclosure: I'm on the road and have access to neither the Internet nor a media guide. So off the top of my head, your men look about right. Novak has always been dangerous, though, and while his ranking spiked in 2003, he didn't win a single tournament. I might add Paul-Henri Mathieu. As for the women, I think Serena was already too good to qualify for an improvement award. Rubin, too, has always been solid; she was simply healthy for the first time in ages. I might add Anna Smashnova and/or Patty Schnyder instead. I was wondering what your thoughts are on Sjeng Schalken's potential? His wonderfully simple strokes are a joy to watch, and many recreational players would do well to emulate them. I've heard he's a nice guy as well.
Potential? Ray, the guy's been on tour since 1994. Hard as this is to believe, he hadn't been beyond the third round of a major until last summer's Wimbledon. The Sjengster reached the quarters there and the semis at the U.S. Open, losing both times to the eventual winner. I agree that simple, efficient, almost Miroslav Mecir-like strokes are fun to watch, but I wish that a guy who stands 6-foot-3 had more zip on his serve, and you wonder if, deep down, Schalken has the "bottles," as the Brits would say, to really challenge for a Slam. Do you think it's a big deal that the Williams sisters are boycotting Indian Wells? On most of the tennis message boards I read, the writers want the Williams sisters to lose. Is this racism or people genuinely wanting other players to win?
I'm not holding my breath, but it sure would be nice if the Williams sisters took the high road and played Indian Wells in 2003. They made their point when they bailed last year -- and the event suffered as a result. How about giving a "forgive and move on" speech and showing up? The fans and sponsors would appreciate it and would no doubt receive them warmly. Yes, the fans showed little class in booing Serena in 2001. But Team Williams didn't exactly handle the situation masterfully either. Not long ago Mark Starr of Newsweek wrote an insightful column for MSNBC.com about fans' rooting against the Williams sisters, and the role played by race. Surely there is a tinge of racism -- conscious or un- -- when some fans root again Venus and Serena. But in the majority of cases, I think people just want to cheer the underdog and against the overwhelming faves. Building off of Doug from Dallas' comment about Player A running in on Player B's overhead smash, I've always wondered why Player B wouldn't just place a nice drop shot down to win the point. Is there some sort of baseball-esque unwritten rule about having to finish those types of points with a smash winner? Sometimes I just can't see the point of giving Player A a chance to hit the ball back. This also applies to other winners off short returns. I've seen enough Marat Safin forehands that end up 10 feet out because he insisted on sending it back at 200 mph.
Trying to hit a drop shot off a sitter or a short lob isn't a breach of some unwritten code. I think it's just a much lower percentage play than to go for the overhead. Even if Player A can return a smash, he/she is likely to unfurl another defensive lob. Hit a weak drop shot and Player A can flick a winner in any of 100 places. Your idea to boost attendance at the WTA Championships by permanently reserving a wild-card slot for Anna Kournikova is a terrific one, sure to add that missing note of legitimacy to the event. Even better, why not conduct a simultaneous WTA Eye-Candy Championships in the same venue? Eight players would be chosen based on the number of pages allotted to them that year in FHM or similar laddie magazines. Each would submit their outfits to Ashley Harkleroad's agent for approval. Players would play one-set matches, with points awarded for bending over, flipping hair around, pouting, flirting with the audience and stretching high for overheads to expose great swaths of midriff. The winner of this second event would be anointed as the real Queen of Tennis.
Just to be clear, I am not advocating giving Kournikova a wild card for the year-end championships. It would, as you note, cheapen the event (and it might, deservedly, lead to a revolt from the rest of the field). My point was simply that if her game cooperated and she were around -- even in the doubles draw only -- it would result in a much-needed attendance surge. Love your Eye-Candy Championships idea. Maybe we can hold it in Vegas. I wonder if select WTA employees know that you're kidding. (You are kidding, right?) Watching the Home Depot Championships, I have never seen so many balls get stuck in the net. Not only on serves, but in normal rallies as well. Are regulation nets used at all events? If this were brought to the tournament director's attention, would he investigate?
The Home Depot Championships have bigger issues right now than the specter of non-regulation nets. Besides, like Pavlovian dogs, most tennis fans inexplicably laugh hysterically when balls get stuck in the net. Think of it as comic relief for an otherwise grim event. What do you think of the forthcoming Europe-vs.-USA Collins Cup taking place in early December in Dublin? I thought that December was usually a rest period for tennis players; with this in mind, how likely is it that all of the players will turn up? The Europe-vs.-USA format seems like a great idea and proceeds are going to charity, but the advertisements helpfully state that "players are subject to change."
You'd think that after the griping about fatigue and low batteries in L.A., the top players would be repairing to Canyon Ranch for two weeks. But tennis' worst-kept secret is that in November and December a lot of player are playing as many as three and four matches a week, making mad dollars (and euros) on the exhibition junket. My guess is that a few players won't show up in Dublin as announced. (A pint of Guinness says Venus doesn't make the trip.) But enough of them should show to make the event a success. (Plus, I think I read that U2 will be playing.) How tall is Serena Williams really? She's listed at 5-8, and when standing next to Jennifer Capriati or Amelie Mauresmo, that number seems right. But that means she isn't big at all by today's standards. What's the real deal? Are the heights listed on the WTA's Web site reliable? Women are notoriously touchy about their weight, but I don't imagine anyone under 6 feet is self-conscious about her height.
The height and weight section of media guides contain some of the liveliest fiction writing around. This isn't just limited to tennis. An old basketball story: Former University of Oklahoma forward Stacey King was listed at 6-10 in college. At the NBA's pre-draft camp he's measured at barely 6-7. The three-inch discrepancy? "I'm 6-10 in basketball shoes," King explained. "And I've never played barefoot." Anyway, watch the players shake hands at the net and you get some relative sense of their heights. Serena is appreciably shorter than Venus, and Venus is appreciably shorter than Davenport. I'd put Serena at about 5-9 or 5-10. You're right that her height is a little out of whack with today's Big Babe standards, but she makes up for it in the muscle department. However, if Serena weighs 130 pounds, as the WTA site hysterically claims, then the Staples Center was standing-room-only last week. The ATP Tour has a multitude of young, talented players, such as Andy Roddick, Lleyton Hewitt, Roger Federer, Marat Safin, Gustavo Kuerten and Tommy Haas. Who do you think has the most potential to be the greatest player of his generation? Which player will be the greatest of his generation?
Thanks for the making the distinction, because they really are two different questions. Strictly on potential, I'd cast my vote for Safin. He hits the ball beautifully; with the exception of Roddick, he hits the hardest serve; and he doesn't really have a weak surface. If he could ever get his inner circuitry wired right, he'd retire with a trunkload of Slams. It still could happen, but right now it looks as though Hewitt will be the greatest of this generation. More than any other player you've mentioned, he has filled the breach. Guga, of course, has more Slams to date, but I'd have to say that 1 Wimbledon title + 1 U.S. Open title > 3 French Open titles. (OK, that was just an excuse to use the ">" character, which doesn't get much play on the keyboard.) Seriously, in addition to being a good deal younger the Kuerten, Hewitt has also spent more time at No. 1. I should note that there is still time for a lot of New Balls to make their respective moves before the home stretch. (Remember that Agassi didn't win his first Slam until he was 22.) But right now, Hewitt has a sizable lead. You mentioned a couple of weeks ago -- I believe for the second time in the years I've been reading the 'Bag -- that there ought to be women umps for men's matches. I don't recall your providing the official ATP rationale; is there one?
Sorry, that must just be my inner "sports liberal" talking. Here's the tour's reply from executive VP Richard Ings: "The ATP selects umpires for matches based purely on experience and ability. The core team of international chair umpires used by the ATP for matches from Challenger to ATP level includes both male and female umpires." Shlomo Glickstein resigned as Israel's Davis Cup captain in 1999 and now is coaching in a private capacity.
You win. Send me your info. Long Lost SiblingsAlbert Costa and Michael Imperioli (Christopher Moltisanti on The Sopranos).
Marat Safin and Josh Hartnett.
I can't believe no one has suggested Josh Hartnett and Andy Roddick. Those two are dead ringers.
By the transitive property (and who said you'd never use your sophomore-year geometry?), does that mean Roddick and Safin are lookalikes? 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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