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Winding down
Posted: Monday November 01, 1999 12:46 PM
The 'Bag will be going on hiatus shortly, so get your questions in before it's too late! Click here to send Jon Wertheim a question. Like Pete Sampras, the Mailbag is back. Got swamped with NBA and college hoops stories so I had to take the week off. I trust that somehow you all survived. Like all the pros, I'm going to try and take December off -- alas, no high-paying exhibitions for me that month -- so get your year-ending questions in soon. Also, stay tuned for the second annual Baggie Awards. Reader input welcome. Over and out ... What do you think of Marcelo Rios' attitude? I find it a great difference to
the good 'ole boys of tennis. I think it gives him character and is unique. I
love the way he handles the media. What do you
think?
Given the near-toxic levels of blandness on the men's tour these days, you're right to applaud players who are suffused with personality, attitude and character. The problem with Rios, though, is that he is tennis' answer to Albert Belle, a player who is gratuitously nasty to everyone involved in the sport. Were it just the media he regarded with scorn (check out this U.S. Open press conference), it would be one thing. But when he disrespects the entire tennis establishment and derides the game for being boring, in my opinion anyway, he becomes difficult to root for. When John McEnroe was appointed the new Davis Cup captain, I believe he said
that he'd like to start working with some of the younger players to build for
the future. Who do you think John has in mind? If you were the Davis Cup
captain, who would you want on your future team? Do you see Bob and Mike Bryan
as a potential Davis Cup doubles
team?
You have a good memory, but I wouldn't read too much into that comment. My guess is that it was to appease the USTA administrators who fear that Mac will be derelict in the year-round duties that attend the captaincy. As a former USTA high-up once said to me, "John might be fine those four weekends a year when he serves as a captain, but do you really think he'll go to junior training centers and involve himself in junior development?" Unlike Tom Gullikson, if I were a Davis Cup captain, I would employ the services of a bona fide doubles team rather than cobble together the two players. The situation in Boston was obviously exceptional, with Sampras demanding to play doubles and doubles only. But instead of using the awkward pairing of Todd Martin and Justin Gimelstob, as Gully did in the Milwaukee debacle, why not summon Donald Johnson, Jim Grabb, Alex O'Brien or Richey Reneberg? It will be interesting to see how Mac plays the doubles card in Zimbabwe, particularly since the foes, the Black brothers, are an estimable team. If he uses a legit team like Reneberg and Gimelstob, is he willing to take the heat for leaving Martin and Jim Courier out in the cold? In light of Lleyton Hewitt's recent performance (i.e., his success in Davis
Cup against Russia), do you feel that the media hasn't given him the recognition
that he deserves? Marat Safin has gotten a great deal of press yet, except for
his title at Boston, he hasn't shown much improvement over the last year.
Hewitt, on the other hand, has reached four finals this year and shown
impressive wins for such a young player. Considering his better record against
top players and his better performance in the later rounds, do you still feel
that Safin has more promise (as you stated in a response several weeks
ago)?
I still like Safin in the long term, but I think you're right: Hewitt was the better, more consistent player in 1999. He made his mark in Davis Cup -- and will be a downright hero Down Under if he can lead the Aussies to the title against France next month -- but he played well in Tour events also. As for giving him recognition, after winning the Adelaide event at age 16 in January of 1998, he didn't win a match in the northern hemisphere for the rest of the year. I think his title was perceived initially as somewhat of a fluke. (Now, of course, everyone knows better.) What's more, while Safin has a prototype game with body-powerful strokes, all-court prowess and a tall, lean physique, Hewitt is a little guy who can't weigh more than 140 pounds. Overlooked is the fact that he has a will of iron, plays well under pressure and is in superior physical condition. Bottom line: Both are surefire top-10 players, but you're right to note that for the time being, Hewitt has surpassed Safin. Among the celebrities out there, who has the reputation of having the best
tennis game? (O.K., it's a lightweight question, but look at all of the
end-of-season tournaments that don't hold our
interest.)
It's a lightweight question, Steve. But then again, look at all of the end-of-season tournaments that don't hold our interest. I've always found those tennis celebrity pro-ams positively unwatchable, but here are a few luminaries who follow the bouncing ball: Erwin M. Fletcher is pretty good, certainly better than Ned Underhill or Gayle Stanwyck. Bill Cosby is supposedly decent, not great. Same for William Shatner, who has hit balls with Star Trek junkie Jan-Michael Gambill. I hear Donald Trump is no slouch, but -- surprise! -- not as good as he thinks he is. Former Detroit Pistons guard Joe Dumars is damn good, and the best of the lot is former NBA player/coach John Lucas, who nearly turned pro in the 1970s. Maybe it's just me, but I think you've gotten a lot softer since your
marriage. Perhaps it's true that you just lose that edge. Seriously, though,
what is the deal with the WTA? Women's tennis has never been more exciting than
it is right now, with four-to-six serious contenders at any given tournament and
lots of off-court drama to boot. There also will be a new attendance record this
year. On the men's side, there are lots of different tournament winners, but
only because half the players are nursing injuries and the other half only seem
to care about peaking for the Slams. So the question is, why can't this tour
find a sponsor? Any
thoughts?
A guy named Woody calling me soft? Hmmm. Seriously, any day now, the WTA Tour is supposed to announce a consortium of sponsors (an official car, an official computer, an official bathroom-break sponsor) that, collectively will pony up the requisite millions. I wouldn't read too much into the difficulty the tour had in finding an underwriter. The problem is that the tour spans 24 time zones, features players from six continents (what's your excuse, Antarctica?) and holds events worldwide. It's tough to find a corporation with such a wide demographic. Anna Kournikova -- the Carling Bassett of the
'90s?
Bonus points for brevity, Paul. There are certainly breathless comparisons to be made between the two, but Bassett never had anything approaching Anna's peel-me-another-grape attitude. Whereas Bassett was a nice player but was hardly endowed with the game to be a real threat, Kournikova has the goods (so to speak). She just has to decide that being a top player is of greater importance than primping for the camera. Kournikova has to hear about her shortcoming as often as the rest of us have to hear that damn Mambo No. 5 song and knows it's put-up-or-shut-up time. My prediction is that she finally grows up, works out the kinks in her serve, and has a big year in 2000. You mentioned in your Sept. 20 Mailbag that David Wheaton has $5
million in career earnings, but how much is this really? A middle-of-the-road
(No. 50-100) pro may gross $200,000-$300,000 a year, but how much does he net
after paying for a coach and travel expenses? Is a pro like David Wheaton
"set for life" after he
retires?
Yes and no. You're right that accounting for travel expenses, taxes, coaching and IMG-siphoning, that $5 million is whittled down considerably. On the other hand, that $5 million is only for prize money. A player like Wheaton, an all-American type who made the Wimbledon semis, probably made at least a few hundred grand a year in endorsements and exhibitions. (If memory serves, he had deals with Nike and Prince.) Also, Wheaton's older brother accompanied him for much of his career, so he likely economized in that regard. "Set for life" is a relative term, of course, but put it this way: Wheaton isn't exactly lining up at the Minneapolis soup kitchens. I was just wondering what your view was on Monica Seles. Do you believe that
if she truly rededicates herself to the game and finally achieves a good state
of fitness she can get back to winning majors again? She has proven in the past
that when she is "on" she can beat the best, and I truly believe that
if she lost the weight she can be great
again.
I think I've written this before but tennis fans who don't pull for Seles probably hate puppies, small children and Earl Boykins as well. Much is made of Seles' conditioning (read: waistline) but I think the truth of the matter is that she is simply no longer powerful enough to keep up with the Williamses, Lindsay Davenport, even Mary Pierce and Amelie Mauresmo. Recalling Seles in her 1992 heyday, it was her ballistic two-fisted strokes that enabled her to supplant Steffi Graf and usher in a new era. Seven years later, her level of power has been eclipsed by the top players. What happened to the orange tennis ball? Not only might this help the players
and the linesmen, but it might make it easier for the fans to follow the action
-- especially on TV or Row U from Arthur Ashe Stadium. I haven't seen an orange
ball in years -- did it go the way of the white tennis
ball?
This is just my opinion, of course, but I've always regarded the orange ball as the most misguided tennis innovation this side of the metallic ballholder attached to Arantxa Sánchez Vicario's waist. Good riddance to bad rubbish, I say. Send a question to Jon Wertheim, and check back the beginning of each week to
read more of his answers.
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