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Five top-five lists
Sports Illustrated staff writer Jon Wertheim will answer your tennis questions every Monday. Click here to send a question. At the suggestion of Scott of Salt Lake City, maybe we'll try something new and kick off the 'Bag with an abbreviated Hot List. This week, the nod goes to the Spanish Davis Cup team, which, buoyed by the rowdiest fans this side of Manchester, beat the Aussies in the final. ... Anyone catch Pete Sampras dissing the WTA Tour the other day? Sampras likened the draw prior to the quarterfinals of big events to the WNBA. Ouch. ... Think Todd Martin is a good guy? He's getting married Saturday to his longtime girlfriend-cum-USA Network camera magnet, Amy Barbato. The next day, he's heading to the honeymoon hotspot that is northern New Jersey to play in Justin Gimelstob's charity event. Seems Martin committed to Gimelstob before he set his nuptials and didn't want to back out. Onward ...
Who are your top five players of 2000, including men and women?
Stay tuned next week for the third annual Baggie Awards as well as the CNNSI.com year-end blowout. Here's how I rank the top five of 2000: 1) Venus Williams: The only player to bag two Slams. That she also won Olympic gold seals the deal, rankings be damned. 2) Gustavo Kuerten: Never mind the French Open title. His play two weekends ago in Lisbon makes him worthy. 3) Pete Sampras: Under immense pressure, he won his 13th Slam. He reached the final in Queens, the semis in Melbourne, took a Masters Series event and got married to boot. 4) Lindsay Davenport: True, after winning the Australian, she cooled off faster than a towelette in a Japanese restaurant. But she still reached the finals of three Slams. 5) Martina Hingis: Don't look now but, despite her Grand Slam futility, she won nine events and finished yet another year atop the rankings. If I had a sixth spot, it would go to Marat Safin, who, after an abysmal start to the year, came within a match of complementing his U.S. Open trophy with the Champions Race title.
No stroke in tennis has more potential for unorthodoxy and general weirdness than the serve: e.g., Jay Berger, Karsten Braasch, Mahesh Bhupathi. I heard there was one college player who started his serve with his butt practically on the court. Sticking to pros, which top five players in the modern era take the cake, men and women (though the men seem stranger)?
1) Berger has to top the list. This guy took the old directive "scratch your back with the racket" a little too seriously. 2) Conchita Martinez: Who knows how much better she would have been had she tried something radical like letting her toss rise above her head before she hit it. 3) Bhupathi: He's literally at a 45-degree angle when he strikes the ball 4) Nathalie Tauziat: On her pancake-flat serve her racket is parallel to the net when she makes contact. 5) John McEnroe: As if a lefty serve isn't hard enough to read as is ...
I recall that you predicted early in the year that Anna Kournikova would finally win her first tournament in 2000. Well, since it didn't happen, what is your prediction for her in 2001? Also, if she continues her (non-)winning ways, I don't think she will enjoy the amount of media (or fan) attention as she does now. She's hardly a teenage prodigy anymore and is in danger of becoming a journeywoman (albeit a notorious one). She may need to consider a career change, to pop music probably (hey, if Britney Spears can make it ...).
Oops, I did it again. I made a prediction that failed to come to fruition. Had to remind everyone of that, didn't you? No one is anointing Kournikova as an indomitable, but it's hard to imagine that a player ranked eighth in the world, who beat Davenport, Tauziat, et al., this year, is still in search of a title. On talent alone, Anna should win one in 2001. But the longer the streak persists, the more of a bugbear it is. And her contractual obligations and commitment-list requirements are such that she can't waste a lot of time playing Tier III's. How's that for dodging the question?
I was quite amused to see you name Yevgeny Kafelnikov as one of the most erratic active players. I might sound boring, but kindly look at the ATP statistics of the past six years and you would discover that, apart from Pete Sampras, Kafelnikov is probably the only player to always finish in the top 11 (on top of that this applies both to singles and doubles, which is probably unique). I would argue that Kafelnikov is the most consistent player of the decade apart from Sampras and probably Boris Becker. Kafelnikov's "erratic" image was created by the press partially because he was probably expected to be a consistent No. 1 or 2 in the world and that did not happen. As for early-tournament losses, I believe that each player has his own scheduling approach. Some can miss a few weeks or months and then play at full strength; others are prepared to allow their form to fluctuate throughout the year. Still, annual win/loss record would put Kafelnikov in the top 10 each of the past six years.
Thanks for your thoughtful letter. I think our difference of opinion is rooted in definitions. While you look at year-end rankings as a measure of (in)consistency, I prefer to look at a player's performance from match to match. You're right that Kafelnikov has been a consistent top-five presence for years now. He has finished among the world's top 11 players for seven straight years. This is no small achievement, but I attribute it largely to his workaholic tendencies. Kafelnikov is masterful at playing the Byzantine ranking system to his benefit. Never mind last year, when he lost seven straight matches despite holding the top ranking, an enduring dubious distinction that many cite as the tipping point to change the ranking system. Consider his year 2000: He failed to capture a Masters Series event, won zero titles before the Olympics, did nothing at three of the four Slams, and lost every match at the Masters Cup. His record was peppered with inexplicable losses to players like Michael Tabara (who finished the year at No. 182), Filip DeWulf (173) and Francisco Clavet (twice). Yet, as usual, Kafelnikov showed Bruce Springsteen's indefatigable work ethic, playing more than 30 events and logging 100-plus matches. Able to discard so many events off his ranking (even with his futility in many Masters Series tournaments), he finished the year at No. 5. Not bad. At a time when both tours are eager for players to show up at more events, Kafelnikov is, on some level, to be applauded for his industriousness. But sometimes more can be less. If he played fewer events but performed more consistently once he arrived, it would ultimately benefit both the sport and his public perception.
I would have loved to have seen Andre Agassi win the Masters Cup, but Gustavo Kuerten played with the kind of genius that is utterly inspired and overwhelming, against both Pete Sampras and Agassi. Given his strong serve and his impressive range of shots, including net play, do you think Kuerten could ever be a threat on grass?
Good question. Grass is unquestionably Guga's worst surface, but there's little reason he can't be at least a minor threat. He hits a big serve, he moves well, his groundies have pop and he's an underrated volleyer. And he did, don't forget, reach the quarters if Wimbledon in 1999. As much as anything, Guga's problem is mental: He seems to have convinced himself he hates playing on grass. Bottom line: If Agassi can win Wimbledon circa 1992, Guga can't be counted out in 2001.
Last week you discussed "big brothers." How about a discussion of some "little sisters" (other than Serena)? What about Cara Black? Granted, she seems to have stalled between 20-30 in the rankings, but she has made a few finals. She also really embarrassed one of my favorite players (and her South African neighbor), Amanda Coetzer, at Stanford. And by the way, which players are diplomatic enough to win a locker room Big Brother? Both genders, please.
I like Cara Black a lot. She's one of those players who gives the tour texture. Not unlike her older brother, Byron, Cara is a feisty all-court player who won't win many events but is forever "dangerous-floater" material. What's more, she plays a nifty game of doubles and is the rare female who might be at her best on grass. She had a tough year off the court in 2000 as Zimbabwe was wracked by election strife and her father, Don, passed away in October. The good news is that she's only 21, so you'll get plenty more chances to watch her. For whatever it's worth, she's also among the nicest players you could hope to meet. In no particular order, the real Big Brother posse would include:
1) Davenport (surely the all-time most popular No. 1 with her peers.)
Now that the year is over and Gustavo Kuerten has taken home the final title as well as the year-end No. 1 ranking, could you provide a top-five list of "New Balls" players? Who has proven themselves, who hasn't and whom do you believe will dominate the circuit in years to come?
I don't think any player has what it takes, both in terms of ability and temperament, to dominate à la a Sampras or even an Agassi. But you'll see plenty of Slams divvied up among:
1) Guga (Whether a guy who won his first Slam in 1997 really qualifies as a New Ball is worth debating)
I'd be careful with quoting Duran Duran lyrics. You are really pushing the envelope when you throw '80s butt-rocker groups into the 'Bag. In fairness, I remember a long time ago you made a reference to Tesla, so I'll forgive you for the Duran Duran slip-up. Maybe you should do a 'Bag for 1980s rock 'n' roll. Since we are coming into a dead period of tennis, how about a little discourse into the top-five bands of the '80s? This will now conclude my rambling.
A few of you skewered me for the Duran Duran lyrics, including Chris G. of Atlanta. Sorry. What can I say? It was a reflex. Flex. Flex. Flex. Flex. Let's try to rephrase your question to make it semi-tennis related. If, say, I needed to pick five '80s bands to make a mix tape in preparation for the 143,607-hour flight I have to make to Australia next month, what would I take?
1) Wall of Voodoo
What happens to tennis players after they retire? Retired NFL stars do Coors ads ... what do retired tennis players do?
Let's see. They separate from their spouses; they quit their Davis Cup posts and then ruminate on every subject under the sun; they are reinstated after drug suspensions and then retire. And those were only last week's headlines. Seriously, did anyone else notice that Messrs. Becker, McEnroe and Petr Korda got more ink in the U.S. last week than the Spain-Australia Davis Cup tie? FINALLY, a few responses came in re: last week's discussion about the dearth of Swedish women tennis players. The punchline is that they came from Justin in Reno and Ian Katz in Key Biscayne.
Just to let you know about some upcoming Swedish girls in the juniors making waves. Jenny Lindstrom, 18, and Sofia Arvidsson, 16, are both potential future stars for Sweden. Arvidsson, I believe, won a couple of challengers a month or so ago. On the subject of Nordic tennis stars, is there any reason there are no potentially great athletes coming from Finland and Norway? There aren't even any prospects in the juniors.
Re: Swedish women. I once read an article in your magazine many, many years ago in which a top Swedish male player was quoted as saying that Swedish women players get stuck with very low rankings and never make the big time because "they would rather go shopping." That's not an opinion. Just repeating a quote from your magazine.
Click here to send a question or comment to Jon Wertheim's Tennis Mailbag.
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