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Anna, Pete ... and Steve Guttenberg
Posted: Monday April 24, 2000 12:08 PM
Sports Illustrated staff writer Jon Wertheim will answer your tennis questions weekly. Click here to send a question. Hola from the friendly skies on the NBA beat ...
So you've joined the Anna Kournikova bandwagon, eh? Surely you cannot take seriously her stand that it is the ranking that matters, not winning tournaments. I mean, if she cannot win tournaments, i.e., beat the top five players, then she cannot be ranked higher than she is right now! Winning tournaments is what this is all about; then, and only then, will she really be a top-echelon player. Lay off the bandwagon, Jon; it makes you look ridiculous! No one's canonizing Kournikova as a champion. My point was simply that despite her futility in winning a tournament, she does have game. I think there's a misconception that she's tennis' answer to Manute Bol or William (the Refrigerator) Perry, more a physical specimen than a legitimate athlete. She does plenty to cultivate this more-sizzle-than-steak reputation, but the unvarnished truth is that she's not merely an It Girl. On the court, she has few glaring weaknesses -- she volleys well, plays solid doubles, plays well on grass in particular. And even her legion of critics on tour will concede that she's a hard worker. Is her first title long overdue? Of course. But is she simply an endorsement-grabbing Lolita masquerading as a tennis player? Not hardly. Good point, though, on her avowed priorities. I was just quoting her; I don't buy it for a second. Every top player I can think of has said the exact opposite of Anna: "I care about winning tournaments, not the rankings," is the usual refrain. Then again, when you're under as much week-to-week scrutiny as Kournikova is, I suppose you need some standard line.
In your opinion, what must Pete Sampras do to win the French Open this year? Order a hit on every other player in the draw. Bailing on Monte Carlo -- a Masters Series event -- doesn't bode well for his clay-court results the rest of the summer.
I still remember the time Boris Becker, at only 17, won Wimbledon. I was also 17 at the time, playing high-school tennis in Michigan, and looked a lot like him, so it was a pretty fun experience. Do you see any chance of some young upstart no one has heard off winning one of the big four? I recall Boris, plus Mats Wilander winning the French at 17, but no one since. It takes a brave man to admit that he looked a lot like Boris Becker as a teenager. Anyway, particularly since the ATP is drowning in parity, I wouldn't be surprised at all if a fresh face like, say, Dominik Hrbaty or Karim Alami came out of nowhere to win the French, à la Gustavo Kuerten in 1997. Many top players are either injured or slumping, and clay, as a surface, can be the great equalizer. The other events are usually more "formful," to use a non-word. But given the way this year is going, I wouldn't choke on my strawberries if some journeyman like Wayne Arthurs, armed only with a serve and a dream (sniffle, sniffle), won Wimby.
You wrote that the move of the WTA Tour championships from New York to Germany was a poor one. I strongly disagree with your point of view. There would be less publicity and media interest? Why would that be? Because the giant U.S. media companies would be farther away? If it is as big an event as the WTA championships, believe me, there would be enough media attention anyway. I think many of the players would actually be relieved to have less intrusive and harassing press around them. And female tennis players have for years been pleading for more money. Well, that's exactly what they get. And if Monica Seles doesn't want to play in Germany? Tough luck. It's not that I don't sympathize with her, but it would be a ridiculous idea to scrap a certain tournament in some place, where many others would like to play, if Miss Seles doesn't want to turn up. With all respect, Jon, you just sound like someone with a suspiciously American bias that doesn't know what he's talking about. My sources tell me that the decision to move the event was an offshoot of the Octagon-IMG tension that the WTA Tour has to negotiate constantly. It's not an American bias I have, it's an empirical bias. I love Munich as much as the next mensch, but it can't come close to replicating the exposure the tour gets in New York. The week of the Chase was a media and commercial bonanza for women's tennis. Never mind that the final weekend was televised nationally and covered thoroughly in the papers. Serena Williams sat on Conan O'Brien's couch, Anna hosted a celebrity-laden party in SoHo and posed for GQ, Lindsay Davenport landed endorsements, Martina Hingis did a media blitz of the city. In a sport that successfully married entertainment and the game, this event was an ideal coda. The players I've talked to aren't happy about the move either. Playing in Madison Square Garden was a real thrill for many of them, particularly the Americans. On the other hand, as Davenport told me this weekend, the players love that the season will end two weeks earlier.
I'd like to know your impressions of Juan Carlos Ferrero and Gustavo Kuerten, my two favorite players to watch on the men's tour. Do they have what it takes to be long-lasting, multi-surface competitors? I'm looking forward to watching Ferrero play in Paris and at Wimbledon this summer. I haven't seen much of him but he comes highly recommended. You're right, too; his results this year indicate he's no mere clay-court savant. The severity of Kuerten's back injury remains to be seen. If he's anywhere near full health, he could easily win his second French Open. Regardless, he's the kind of young, personable, flashy, all-court (grass notwithstanding) player who could be heir to Sampras/ Andre Agassi/Pat Rafter.
What happened to teen sensation Monique Viele? I guess she hasn't played in any pro tournaments since her debut last October. This is shaping up as one of those quintessential only-in-tennis sagas. After Viele's total flop of a debut in Tokyo last fall -- she floundered in straight sets against the always-dangerous Jane Chi -- she has fallen off the radar screen. I talked to Bernadette Viele a few months ago and she told me her daughter, now represented by Donald Trump, was still playing tennis but was also concentrating on her singing and acting. In fact, she was scheduled to appear on a Venezuelan variety show that weekend. (I kid you not.) Right now, mere mention of Viele's name provokes smirks on tour. She was given a wild card to the qualifying draw in Oklahoma City but simply failed to show up, and the consensus is that she's mostly hype. Still restricted by the age-eligibility rules, Monique plans on playing challengers this spring and will also play World TeamTennis this summer. Stay tuned ...
I'd like to see some college coverage every once in a while. I know, I know -- it's not a money or TV sport and all those who play it are considered second tier. But it is fascinating to watch, very much like Davis Cup, and every once in a while a college player like Todd Martin, Rich Reneberg or Chris Woodruff comes along and makes a mark on the pro game. If TeamTennis can get some, if not much, coverage, why not college? I agree totally. College tennis is a well-kept secret. The caliber of play -- men and women -- is pretty damn good and the mix of individual and team can make for riveting drama. There's also something endearing to me about players calling their own lines. Still, must-see TV it ain't. The problems with televising college tennis are manifold. For one, it's still very much a cult sport. How many diehard tennis fans (to say nothing of the general public) can name more than three current Division I players? Yes, a good many -- Paul Goldstein, Cecil Mamiit, Justin Gimelstob, Lisa Raymond -- later play on the pro tour. But who knows them now? Also, most matches are so sparsely attended, putting them on TV is counterintuitive; if no one watches in person, who will tune in on television? Further, college tennis takes a hit by holding the NCAA finals usually around the same time as the first week of the French Open. How can college tennis dent the public consciousness when its showcase event is reduced to agate type? Bring on TTV -- something a startling number of you favor -- and college tennis is ideal "content," to use the vernacular. Until then, it's consigned to the fringes. I noted your response to Steven Adams' comment in last week's 'Bag about the difficulty of learning to play tennis well. Given the variety and subtlety of technical skills that make a good tennis player (as illustrated by the litany of shortcomings which you and Steven noted in your games), care to reassess your estimation of basketball players as better athletes than tennis players?
Also, what's with Kafelnikov's perpetual Bam-Bam Rubble haircut? He's been around the world a half-dozen times by now, but apparently hasn't picked up any grown-up style cues. You think maybe that's half his problem? I'm the first person to defend tennis players as athletes. And to cringe when they're compared to golfers. But let's be realistic. Any NBA shooting guard or small forward not named Jeff Hornacek is quicker, faster, stronger and can jump higher than any player in the ATP Tour's top 10. I agree that technical skills ought to figure into the calculus as well. But is hitting a Cedric Pioline -esque screaming winner on the run any more of a skill than nailing a pressure-packed, man-in-your-face jump shot from 25 feet? That said, I think tennis' difficulty level is too often overlooked. And if you ask me, it's a significant reason why participation levels have been moribund for so long. At a time when our attention spans are at their lowest, many are turned off by a sport that requires countless time and effort to master. As for Kafelnikov, you'd think what with all those early round losses of late, he'd have time to get himself to Jean Louis David. Let's give him some props, though. He won the doubles in Monte Carlo this past weekend.
My very favorite male tennis player is Thomas Johansson. I remember hearing at last year's U.S. Open that he had some kind of health ailment. How is he doing these days? When will I be seeing him play more? And what's the latest scoop on him? Has he retired? Will he be back soon? After suffering a virus prior to the U.S. Open that affected the lining of his heart, Johansson is back in good health. That's the good news. The bad news is that he lost his first match in Monte Carlo to Karim Alami.
Love the 'Bag. Don't always agree with you but your column is always good for some inside info and a few good laughs. With that out of the way, what are your five favorite Steve Guttenberg movies? I should have seen this coming. I'm currently flying to Portland and am without access to IMDB. But off the top of my head, the Guttenberg oeuvre ought to include:
1) Diner (simply a classic)
Send a question to Jon Wertheim, and check back the beginning of each week to read more of his answers.
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