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Me, myself and tennis
Posted: Tuesday May 09, 2000 12:31 PM
I'm having a tennis identity crisis. Maybe you can help. Is it me or should we all be looking to get our hands on whatever it is Marat Safin has been eating/drinking/smoking lately? ... Is it me or are the Williams sisters, 60 years from now, going to rue the nonchalance with which they regarded their tennis careers? ... Is it me or are there as many Moroccan men in the top 50 as there are Americans? ... Is it me or this whole "points race" business catching on about as well as New Coke? ... Is it me or did this Chilean men's tennis boom happen overnight? ... Is it me or did Goran Ivanisevic have to qualify for the Italian Open? ... Is it me or is it about time Lindsay Davenport returned to the circuit? ... Is it me or is it the same for Pete Sampras? ... Is it me or can the French Open not come soon enough? That off my chest ...
What is this attitude about Martina Navratilova playing doubles again? Why do you use the term "groping" for a wild card at the French? Are you letting us know how you really feel about this great champion? Why shouldn't she play if she feels like it? I, for one, welcome the opportunity to see this great athlete compete again. Lots of you took exception to my Ad Out for Martina, not least Patrick Kernan of New York City, who instructed me to get a life. I have no objection to Martina's playing Wimbledon, taking a stab at the career titles record, drumming up some publicity for tennis. Wimbledon was her personal grass playground, and more power to her if she wants to return. Still, I get a bad feeling this may burgeon into a full-fledged comeback. First, it would be a shame if she stole the thunder from players who play and train full-time. Martina had an unparalleled career and is indeed, as you put it, a great champion. But she had her salad days, she had her grand sendoff. More important, there are few sights in sports more pathetic than a retired former star deluded into thinking s/he can still compete. Remember Bjorn Borg's embarrassing comeback? Fortysomething Jim Palmer getting shelled by minor leaguers? Mark Spitz huffing and puffing after 50 meters? Sugar Ray Leonard getting KO'd by Hector Camacho? For all I know, Martina is still razor-sharp. But what a shame it would be if our last image of her was losing 6-2, 6-2 to Caroline Vis and Tamarine Tanasugarn or somesuch. Here's hoping she knows when to say when. That's all.
When their careers are over, who will have won more Slams, Lindsay Davenport or Martina Hingis? And how many will they both have? The easy answer is Hingis, simply because she already is leading the race and is more than four years younger than Davenport. Still, I could see Davenport bagging a good many more before she retires. A year ago, tennis fans were speculating that Davenport was a one-Slam wonder. Now the notion of her winning all four in 2000 isn't preposterous.
What's the inside story on the Jensen brothers? Does color commentary pay that much more than doubles or is it just easier? Have they both quit the tour for good? Seems to me they could do more to promote the game, and especially doubles, from the inside than whatever it is they are doing now. For all intents, the Jensen brothers, both of whom are on the wrong side of 30, are retired. Their shtick wore thin -- especially when their results were so lousy -- but I give them credit for trying to make tennis more hip. For two mediocre doubles specialists, they generated lots of attention and excitement and did an admirable job interacting with the fans. Luke has moved on to television, where, if your responses are any indication, he's about as grating as Kathie Lee. Murphy is the father of a child with Mike Tyson's ex, Robin Givens.
—Jon, Washington, D.C. For those of you who missed it, take a look. I think that trophy is made out of the same material as Marcelo Rios' shoes. Nevertheless, as long as his six-figure check for winning in Barcelona didn't bounce, I don't think Safin was too upset.
Do you think there will be any benefit to our top two Brits, Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski, playing the clay-court circuit? Sure, they both may make it to the third round or so of some events, but wouldn't their time be better spent prepping for Wimbledon, where they both have a real shot? I know they would be missing out on valuable ranking points if they skip the French, but I can't imagine that the Wimbledon committee wouldn't seed Henman even if he entered with a low ranking, considering his performance at the All-England Club has been very consistent over the last few years. Good point, but you answer your own question. There are simply too many ranking points at stake for players -- no matter how bad their results on a particular surface -- to skip a Slam. Nobody's clay-court impresarios, Rusedski and Henman (who share a birthday, by the way) are both coming off career-best performances at the French. You're right, though, in a vacuum both are probably better served spending the extra two weeks prepping for grass.
What's the story with Anke Huber? She just won her first title since 1996, and she had an impressive Fed Cup. She seems to have lost weight and has become more self-confident. Do you think she will be back to the top pretty soon? Back to the top is a stretch. Players in their late 20s bristle when the subject comes up, but Huber's biggest years came during the "vacuum period" when Monica Seles was largely MIA, Steffi Graf was oft-injured, Davenport was still maturing and the Hingis/Williams/Williams triumvirate was prepubescent. I've always liked Huber's baroque strokes, and she's one of the more affable players on tour, but she's limited as a player. Her serve is mediocre, same with her net game, and her groundies can break down under pressure. Now allegedly single -- Andrei Medvedev is rumored to be dating Olga (It's Gotta Be the Naval Ring) Barabanschikova -- Huber still has some good tennis left in her and is certainly "dangerous floater" material. But don't bet too many schillings on her winning many more titles.
I personally love grass court tennis. While Wimbledon is amazing, what can be done to highlight other events that are on grass? One more. Is it me or does playing on grass seem an entirely different sport from the asphalt/clay-court tennis most of us are used to? I, too, love watching my ball skid, chipping and charging, and even diving for volleys without fear of a concussion. But I feel the same way about grass-court tennis as I do about basketball on an eight-foot goal: It's great fun but it ain't the real thing. Anyway, one of the many problems with grass-court tennis is that no player is weaned on that surface. I would venture to guess that 99.9% of the courts worldwide are a surface other than the green stuff. Players on tour love Wimbledon and revere the history, but many wonder why an event played on the least common surface is imbued with the most prestige. For that reason, it's almost unfair to arrogate too much importance to those events.
With Tommy Haas reaching the final of the BMW Open, the question arises: Does the German have the tools to go back to the top 10 and possibly win a Grand Slam? He has a good all-court game so he is dangerous on every surface. A run by Haas is not so farfetched as he, like Lleyton Hewitt, can get a crowd so energized it is a tennis party on the court. Haas has gone from a hot prospect to a put-up-or-shut-up player. Yes, he is plenty talented, plenty telegenic and can be exciting to watch (to wit: the between-the-legs winner -- on set point, no less -- against Hicham Arazi at the '99 U.S. Open). On the other hand, he is 22 already and has won but one title, an indoor event in Memphis. I wouldn't bet on him to win a Slam anytime soon -- though he is due for a good French Open. But the top 10 is a reasonable destination by year's end. A final bon mot from Michael Morrison, a fellow Hoosier ... A previous E-mail question to you regarded the players' favorite tournaments. For the record, for 10 years in a row, beginning in 1988, the RCA Championships in Indianapolis was voted by the players on the ATP Tour as their favorite stop. No other tournament in the world can lay claim to this prize. Indianapolis may not be a glamour city like Monte Carlo, Scottsdale or even Miami, but the volunteers, staff and city do put on the best tournament and the players have recognized that year in and out.
Send a question to Jon Wertheim, and check back the beginning of each week to read more of his answers.
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