 |
| |
|
 |
 |
||
 |
 |
||
 |
|||
EVENTS
CENTERS
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE
|
 |
Little things make a difference
Updated: Friday June 29, 2001 4:28 PM
This is my first year as television analyst for Wimbledon and it's almost hard not to act like a fan working with my TNT on-air teammates. My brother is a huge sports fan -- basketball especially -- and it's ironic that all of the sudden I'm working with Marv (Albert) and Ernie (Johnson), not to mention I'm such a fan of Mary (Carillo). But I do feel pressure just like playing, you have to prepare and perform. So far it's been great though. Yesterday I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with Venus Williams on Centre Court while many of the athletes were taking the day off and resting. It was apparent how focused she is going into the tournament. She been playing point-to-point in practice and she's not worried about anything else -- she's totally focused. Jennifer Capriati also looks really good to me. She's relaxed and confident and no one is taking her out of her groove. But she's the player to beat here, her opponents know they need to raise the level of their game. Sometimes that really allows players to really boost their game, they have to go out there and play their best. That's what it's going to take to knock Jennifer off. Virginia Ruano Pascual played very aggressively against Martina Hingis, which won her the match. I think the weather has made the courts a little harder and the ball is bouncing higher, which suits her game well as a hard court player. Hingis was out of sync, I think she expected to have time to get into her game. When that didn't happen and Ruano Pascual came out so strong, Hingis got rattled. On the men's side there's been so much media attention surrounding the false reports of Pete Sampras retiring this year, but in my opinion that will only motivate him. He really hasn't played well up to this point, but Wimbledon is his tournament. Pete can turn it around here, he loves this tournament and it's his court. He's not going to give his title away, someone is going to have to take it from him. I think Pete is relieved to have his first match of the tournament behind him. He got into his groove with Francisco Clavet and had a good, even match. It's nice to see so many people on the Andy Roddick bandwagon. Everyone is hoping he'll be the next big American superstar. His attitude is there and I think he's ready to play very well. For most players the challenge is getting just getting out there and playing. Today it's especially hot out there and having to play an hour earlier makes a difference in your preparation -- every little thing makes a difference in the big picture. Zina Garrison, who played 15 years on the WTA Tour, is an analyst on TNT's coverage of Wimbledon. To order her new book, Zina: My Life in Women's Tennis, click here.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
