Martina Hingis

A name is a name is a name. Two great players, Martina Navratilova and Martina Hingis, share a common name. Both are the same, yet are so different. One born in Czechoslovakia and the other in Switzerland, each has left an indelible mark on Womens tennis. Both were great singles and doubles players, both played with their heads as well as with their hands and feet, and both in their individual ways will be remembered for their contribution to the game, when so many others are long forgotten. The legendary accomplishments of Martina Navratilova will never be equaled, the tennis records she owns will probably stand forever, and when people in the distant future discuss the greatest Women athletes of any sport, the name of Martina Navratilova will always come to mind. Her career spanned two generations of tennis players, she was the Number One player for 7 years. She dominated her sport, and is still playing on the World Team Tennis circuit as a guest celebrity. This elder Martina won 18 singles and 41 doubles Grand Slam titles, including a record 9 Wimbledons. Over the course of her long career she won 167 singles titles and 178 doubles titles. It seems unbelievable that when we talk about the new crop of players who reach the top ten in the world, we praise them for winning 2 or 3 titles or their first Grand Slam when in the same breath we talk about Navratilova who won 345 titles!

Martina Navratilova

The younger of the two Martinas, rose to the top of the rankings when she was barely out of diapers, and when she thought a training bra was some kind of pet that needed tuition. She won her first Grand Slam title when she was sweet sixteen in Australia, she was the youngest Wimbledon winner ever, and was the youngest player to reach the top ranked spot. She won a total of 14 Grand Slam titles and remained at the top for 4 years. Always ready to share a joke or speak her mind, she became a controversial figure on and off the tennis court, and although banned from participating in competitive Australian open tennis she still heads up Team Martina Hingis in charity and celebrity events. She is a friend of Anna Kournikova, and the two of them make a remarkably glamorous pair. She brought her own brand of magic to the tennis court, and although she never possessed any over powering shots, her selection of beautifully placed shots dominated her competitors.

Like her namesake she had soft hands and the knack of being able to play the right shot at the right time, her volleys were exceptional which is one of the reasons she was so good at doubles, but as good as she was she did not compare to the volleying expertise of the older Martina. But then nobody did. I have checked the records but have been unable to find an occasion when they played against each other. Maybe now that they are both retired they will meet in a friendly celebrity match.

Overshadowed by his older brother’s world class performances on the tennis courts of the world, Patrick has settled into a niche that John could not hope to fill, even on his most placid day. Patrick McEnroe has become more than a coach, more than a motivator for Davis Cup players, and more than a TV commentator, he has quietly slipped into a position that was made for him as the USA’s Elite Tennis General Manager and program supervisor. The man on whose shoulders rests the future of US tennis, the man who will decide which young players will be given the support and help of the USTA in their quest to find future stars to represent the US in the Davis and Fed Cups. And by all accounts he is the best man for the job.

Billy Jean King said of Patrick’s appointment, “Patrick is a strong leader and understands the players, the sport and what it takes to build champions. He is a driven man of the highest character, and I look forward to working with him to develop American champions.”

Pete Sampras added his comments by saying, “The USTA made a great choice in selecting Patrick. He is a good friend. A great Davis Cup Captain, and a solid ambassador for the sport of tennis. I will help and support him in any way I can.”

Similar statements were made by just about everyone who is involved in tennis in the USA, all his Davis Cup team members, his big brother, his former coach at Stanford, and Chris Everet who will host many of the young hopefuls at her Boca Raton training facility.

Patrick was a world class tennis player in his own right, and unfortunately for him the younger brother by seven years to one of the greatest players to ever play the game. “It was only natural for people to make the comparison between us, John was a better player than me, it’s a s simple as that,” is how Patrick rationalizes his career. He did win one singles title and sixteen doubles titles including a Grand Slam win at Roland Garros. He was also a member of the Davis Cup team and represented the USA in three consecutive years. He has gone about his business in a quiet professional manner, he has become the voice of tennis on both ESPN and CBS Sports, and with his knowledge and insight to the Australian open tennis players his opinions have earned him the respect and following of countless tennis fans. At 41 he has emerged as the ‘wise old man’ of tennis, even his hair has turned grey, but it is his devotion and love for tennis that has kept his keen analysis of each player sharp and interesting to his viewers and listeners. As you would expect he married his childhood sweetheart Melissa Enrico, a Toni Award winning broadway actress, they have a 2 year old daughter Victoria, and are expecting twins in December. I guess that old adage is true, ‘good things happen to good people’.

The 2008 finals of the World Team Tennis championships were held in Georgia this past weekend, with Sir Elton’s team evening the series at 8-8 with a win over Billy Jean King’s team. The real winner was Elton’s AID Foundation and the Atlanta AID’s Partnership which received over $400,000 in donations.

For more than 28 years this ‘fun’ charitable event has been a highlight of the US tennis calendar. Each team is comprised of 2 men and 2 women and a ‘playing’ coach, the events include mens and womens singles and doubles and a mixed doubles match. Sometimes the coaches join in if their team needs a little help or if the crowd demands their participation, but any match that includes the coach is not counted toward the winner’s tally. When Elton John teamed with Andy Roddick to defeat Anna Kournikova and Martina Navratilova, it didn’t count as a win for the Elton John team, but the enthusiastic crowd loved every moment.

The participants in this worthy event read like the who’s who of tennis and include, Andre Agassi, Tracy Austin, Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, Lindsay Davenport, Chris Everet, Steffi Graf, Rod Laver, Anna Kournikova, Patrick Rafter, John McEnroe, Andy Roddick, Pete Sampras, Monica Seles, Maria Sharapova, Serena and Andre Agassi, Tracy Austin, Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, Lindsay Davenport, Chris Everet, Steffi Graf, Rod Laver, Anna Kournikova, Patrick Rafter, John McEnroe, Andy Roddick, Pete Sampras, Monica Seles, Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams.

One of the highlights of this year’s event pitted leading US junior Melanie Oudin against veteran Martina Navratilova in the ladies singles. Melanie who is just 17, and 34 years younger than her opponent managed to squeeze out a victory with a well executed drop shot that Martina failed to reach. It was a shot Melanie had been unable to return on 9 different occasions during the match, and she executed the shot to perfection to win a close game, “it was the greatest experience of my tennis career to be able to play against a legend such as Martina, and winning or losing didn’t matter one bit.”

At the pre-match reception Billy Jean’s centre court Wimbledon seats were auctioned off for $21,000 each, a painting by Martina brought a bid of $17,000, and a secret bid was successful in winning Elton John’s piano bench.

The match results were as follows:

Anna Kournikova/Andy Roddick def. Martina Navratilova/Levine 5-4.

Andy Roddick def, Jesse Levine 5-2, 5-1.

Martina Navratilova/Jesse Levine def. Melanie Oudin/Andy Roddick 5-3.

Melanie Oudin def. Martina Navratilova 5-4.

The World Tennis Team concept was the brain child of Billy Jean King, and was first played 38 years ago to raise funds for charities dealing with AIDS related problems, Womens Equality issues and to help promote tennis among the young and under privileged. The celebrity charitable event is shown on TV each year and raises considerable amounts of money, but the actual team competition is played in the month of July in California. The competition is open to teams from anywhere in the world, and it would be a wonderful addition to have an event such as this one as a part of the upcoming Australian open 2009 in Melbourne.

I have to ask the question of all athletes, whether they’re tennis players or golfers, soccer players or wrestlers. How much is enough? The reason this has come to the forefront of my mind today is because I just read about Venus Williams reaching the semi final in Zürich where she is expected to win her first WTA title of 2009, and the grand prize of $95,000! She must pay more than this amount in taxes every month! I understand that she wants to earn points to get a berth in the season ending championships in Doha, but again I have to ask, why? Is it pride? Is it the publicity she seeks to help promote her clothing line? Is she under a contractual obligation?

She’s 28, super rich, has more money than she will ever be able to spend in her lifetime, she has family and friends, and yet off she goes to Switzerland to play in a rinky-dink tournament to win a mere pittance in prize money. Playing in another tournament, even in picturesque Switzerland has got to be old hat for Venus. Away from her home, without her friends, having to get up early, and all the other restrictions that go with competing, has got to be chore. Maybe she has another reason to be in Zürich. Maybe she keeps her fortune in a bank there, or maybe she’s enjoying a week away with her boyfriend. Whatever her reason, it’s her business and not mine! I’m a big fan of Venus and am not picking on her or criticizing her, but she is typical of many wealthy professional athletes who continue to compete when the money they will earn can make no significant difference to their lifestyles. Where does this motivation come from? What is it that drives these athletes to compete? Obviously it’s not the money for many of them.

Are they so one dimensional that their sport is their only interest? Is being on centre stage so fulfilling that it’s like a drug they just get enough of? Maybe they have spent so much of their lives honing their skills to become the best that they are not prepared to find a new direction or purpose in their lives.
I suppose Tiger Woods wants to surpass Jack Nicklaus as the best golfer, and Roger Federer wants to hold more records than Pete Sampras, until generations from now someone will come along and obliterate all their records.

Surely being in the top 100 of any sport is an immense accomplishment for anybody to achieve, and earning $10 million over a span of 5-7 years is, in my estimation, enough money to enable someone to enjoy a very nice life. I’m sure there are plenty of successful athletes who’s names never hit the headlines anymore because they are enjoying the rewards that their chosen sport has given them, and my hat is off to them. If one of you has a moment would you please call Venus for me, I’m worried about her!

Before the Madrid Masters Tournament began, Rafa was quoted as saying that he wanted to win this one for his loyal Spanish fans. On paper he had an easy draw through to the final, no top 10 players to meet on the way. It should have been a piece of cake for him, but he lost in the semi final to French, up and coming star, Gilles Simon 3-6, 7-5, 6-7. Since he won in Toronto on August 17^th. in a one-sided final against Nicolas Kiefer 6-3, 6-2, and clinched the title of the Number 1 player in the world, his performance has been far from what is expected from the best player.

Rafael Nadal won a Gold medal in Beijing where the only top 10 player he beat was Djokovic in the semi final. Other than that victory he has been in a slump. Or is he just not a hard court player yet? Or is he hurt? Or both? I think it’s a combination of several factors, that have caught up to him. His record on hard courts in 2008 falls far short of the performance of the ‘best’ player. He reached 3 finals and won only one of them, losing to Youzhny in Chennai 0-6, 1-6, and Davydenko at the Sony Ericsson 4-6, 2-6. He made it to 5 semi finals and just one quarter final, losing to such players as, Tsonga, Seppi, Roddick, Djokovic(2), Murray and now Simon. Not a stellar performance by this Spanish Super Star!

There is no doubt that he is the best clay court player to ever play the game, his record is proof of his domination on this surface. Through shear determination he managed to win Wimbledon on the grass against Federer in one of the most memorable tennis matches ever seen. Playing on grass is very different from playing on clay, its faster and the bounce is unpredictable, but like clay, grass is easy on the body, particularly the feet and legs. Playing on hard courts is painful. The pounding the feet are subjected to in a 5 set, three hour match can cause serious permanent injury. Gentle sliding on clay, or the nimble foot work required on grass, are replaced by quick stopping and starting with no let up on hard courts. The toes are forever being crunched into the forward section of the shoes, the ankles are twisted and contorted into shapes they were not designed to undergo, and the lower back is strained, and can be sore to touch after just one long match. If you add all these factors to Rafa’s unorthodox style that puts so much strain onto his body even on clay, it becomes clear to me at least that his young and athletic body is suffering. He repeatedly hits the ball off his ‘wrong’ foot, he strikes the ball with so much muscle power with his wrists and arms, and he chases and slides with his legs extended to a point beyond their normal capability, that its just a matter of time before he breaks apart. It may work on clay, but it will not work for very long on the hard surface.

In a quiet corner of one of the most beautiful places in the world, and the most unlikely spot where you would expect a world class tennis player to hail from, you will discover the home of Bahamian tennis star Mark Knowles. A winner of 48 doubles titles including 3 Grand Slams and the Masters Cup, a 4 time Olympian, and the host of his own Charity Invitational Tournament. Some of the greatest names in tennis have shown up to participate in this fun weekend on Paradise Island in the Bahamas, where they play doubles with guests, play exhibitions with fans and local kids, and dance to the highly infectious Junkanoo music. I remember the first Invitational in 2001 which was to be highlighted by a singles match between Mark and Jim Courier (they were once doubles partners), on paper it would be a one sided match in favour of Courier. The local favourite was accompanied onto the court by a local Junkanoo band regailled in flashy costumes with their feet stomping to the rhythm and playing such intoxicating rapid beat music, quite common to Mark, but totally distracting to Mr. Courier, that it did the trick and forced him to be humiliated in defeat. It was as memorable as any Wimbledon final!

This years event will take place on the weekend of December 5^th.- 7^th. at the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island, Nassau Bahamas. Each year, the event now in its 7^th. year has grown and attracted more and more tennis celebrities. Don’t be surprised to see the Agassi family in attendance, or the Bryan Bros., James Blake and Jim Courier. Part of the fun is guessing who will be there, Jennifer Capriati showed up once as did Chandra Rubin. The local charities are the beneficiaries, and they include the Sassoon Paediatric Heart Foundation, The Cancer Society, The Children’s Hospital and many many more. Like everything Bahamian the environment is spectacular and the atmosphere is relaxing, and whether you attend and donate cash to the event, or become a sponsor, it is a foregone conclusion that you will have the time of your life. The players are also relaxed here, and I’ve been told by a good Bahamian friend that Mark knows where to go to spear a few crawfish. For those tennis fans who have never been to Mark’s country, I can tell you from experience that it really lives up to its name, and whoever it was who named the Island Paradise they had incredible foresight. I’ll see you there in December!

For many years Mark and Canadian David Nestor were doubles partners, they won many titles together and reached the number 1 ranked position in the world, but like all partnerships they split up. They reunited in 2007 to win Wimbledon, and have split again. Mark’s new partner is Mahesh Bhupathi, they will be together for the 2009 Australian Open in January, and will be ranked either 4th. or 5^th. behind the Bryan Bros.

The Argentinian fans are anticipating a long awaited victory on their home turf over Spain. It would be a first for the Nation, and only their second appearance in the Davis Cup final. They lost to Russia in the 2006 final in Moscow. Spain has faired somewhat better with a record of 2 wins and 2 losses in their 4 trips to the final. Both of their victories were at home, in 2004 in Seville they beat the USA, and in 2000 in Barcelona they beat Australia.

Just last week the ITF committee selected the indoor hard court venue at Mar del Plano as the site for the 2008 Final. The Argentine members of the committee excused themselves from the selection board, as the choice of court may have much to do with the outcome of the championship. Red clay would have virtually guaranteed 2 singles wins for Nadal, and an insurmountable advantage for the Spaniards. The indoor facility will meet the minimum seating requirements of the Davis Cup’s rules of a 12,000 seat capacity by adding additional seats.

For the uninitiated the Davis Cup format consists of 4 singles matches and 1 doubles match. Two players from each team will play singles on Saturday in a best of five sets match, then on Sunday they will switch and play the opposing pair. The doubles match will be played on Saturday after the singles matches are finished. Someone will emerge as a hero, and unfortunately someone will be labelled as the goat.

The four singles players are Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer for Spain, and David Nalbandian and Juan Martin del Potro for Argentine. The doubles contestants are Calleri and Canas for the home team, and Verdasco and Lopez for Spain. The big question is whether the home court advantage for Argentine can overcome the higher rankings of their two players. Nadal and Ferrer are ranked 1 and 5 respectively, while Nalbandian and del Potro are 9 and 12. In doubles the edge goes to Argentine. Predicting who will win and who will lose can be intriguing and an exercise in futility, but here’s how I see it.

Rafael Nadal will win both of his singles matches, easily against Nalbandian, but in a long exciting match with del Potro. Advantage Spain 2-0.

David Ferrer will lose both of his matches, in two long 5 set affairs that will leave him exhausted especially against the younger del Potro. Score tied 2-2.

The doubles match will decide the winner, even though at the time of the match the Sunday results cannot be factored in. At the end of Saturday’s play Argentine will be ahead 2-1, putting Spain in the position of having to win both Sunday singles matches. The showdown will come down to the match between del Potro and Ferrer on Sunday. A lot of pressure on the shoulders of a 20 year old, and much depends on how the two coaches decide to match up their players.

My bags are packed, I’m ready to go!

A bet on the winner of the 2020 World Cup of Soccer should get you odds of at least 100:1, or a bet on the winner of 2020 Baseball World Series should get you odds of at least 250:1, I’m ready to place a bet of $100 on the winner of the 2020 Australian Open Tennis Tournament if someone will give me odds of 500:1. Obviously it will not be a player who is currently a member of the ATP tour; 12 years from now Roger Federer will be closing in on 40, Rafael Nadal will be 34, and all the young guns of today will have passed their primes and be over 30! My bet must be on a player who has yet to decide whether or not he will even want to play tennis, let alone being a champion, should he decide to play. Maybe 500:1 is not enough.

I’m a firm believer in genetics when it comes to sports. I also believe that being good at a particular sport for many individuals just happened to a choice made by circumstance rather than initial desire. What I mean by that is that most excellent athletes could be the best at any sport they chose to specialize in. For instance, I believe a great tennis player could also have been equally good at golf or cycling or cricket, if he or she had decided to put the same energy into learning that sport. So it follows that if Mum and Dad were exceptional athletes, Super Stars, or Olympic champions, then their offspring have a similar chance of being exceptional athletes. Just read the biographies of the top players in any sport, many of them have parents who excelled in one sport or another, but not necessarily the one in which the son or daughter pursued.

If my parents just happened to be two of the best tennis players that ever played the game of tennis, that between the two of them won 30 Grand Slams, 8 of those in Australia, 175 career singles titles, 2 individual Olympic Gold medals, and combined earnings approaching $55 million, then I would have to say that genetically the odds are in my favour that I will become a great tennis player in my own right. Now maybe Mum and Dad will decide that they don’t want either their son or daughter following in the family tradition, but knowing how competitive each of them was when they were active players, I would bet that seeing one of their kids standing on the podium as their country’s flag is raised, or seeing the hoisting of the Cup at the Australian Open would be such a magic moment of satisfaction that neither of them as parents would not find it overwhelming. I’m betting it happens in 2020.

Jaren Gil Agassi was born in 2001, just do the math and you’ll figure out that he’ll be 19 when the 2020 Aussie Open rolls around. The perfect age! Maybe his kid sister Jaz Elle will prove to be recipient of the family’s genetic heritage, if so I’ll add her to my exacta ticket!

Add another name to the list of newbies that are being touted as the next generation of players to reach the top of their profession. Ernests Gulbis is a 6’3”, a 20 year old from Latvia who has raised some eyebrows with his 2008 performances at both the French Open and the US Open. He didn’t win either tournament but he upset a couple of seeded players along the way, and he came close to beating Roddick on his home court. Incidentally they both discovered after their match on August 29^th. in New York, that the following day was their birthday. An omen of what, if anything, I’m not sure. Ernie, as he is nicknamed, has an impressive array of shots on both sides, and those soft hands that seem so important in potential winners. His talent is raw and natural and needs to be polished to advance him to the next level. He is coached by Karl Heinz Wetter. His lone victory on the ATP tour came in the doubles in Houston when he paired with Rainer Schuettler. He has represented Latvia in Davis Cup matches where his record is 7-7, 4 wins in singles and 3 in doubles. His success has advanced Latvia to the Tier 1 level of the competition for the first time in history.

His family is unusual by most standards. His Father is a successful investment banker and his Mother is a well known actress. Both of his Grandfathers were above average achievers in their chosen fields, one a Nationally ranked basketball player, while the other a famous film maker and director. He has a 23 year old sister, Eline, who has graduated as a lawyer from London, two younger sisters, Laura (14) and Monika(10) who are both playing tennis and a brother Kristops (16) who is attending the Saddleback Golf Academy in Florida.

Ernests has been ranked as high as 38^th., but has dropped down to 54^th. at the present time. He might finish the season in the top 50, and move on to participate in the 2009 Australian Open in January. The courts in Melbourne are his favourites and he is expected to do well. He is not to be taken lightly by any of his opposition. He has the game to beat any of them if they are just slightly off and expecting to breeze through to the next rounds. Ernie has a powerful serve that earns him lots of free points, it’s not unusual for him to serve four aces simultaneously in one game, he’s done this against some of the best returners in the game. His forehand is considered to be his most lethal, and is reminiscent of the forehand of James Blake. He has a deft touch, makes a lot of drop shots (maybe too many), and can also lob and volley with precision.

In the best mix of men players to have ever graced the tennis scene, it is so difficult to rise to the top, and even more difficult to stay there. Does Gulbis have what it takes? Only time will tell!

An insulting gift of tennis balls offered to King Henry V, according to William Shakespeare, was the final straw that led to the re-igniting of the 100 years war. This is the bard’s reference to the insult, “When we have match’d our rackets to these balls, we will, in France, by God’s grace, play a set.”

Obviously Henry needed to have the ‘set’ sanctioned by the ITF for it to have counted for anything, but it is doubtful if the rebellious French would have accepted the ITF rules.

Each year 300 million tennis balls are produced in factories in Southeast Asia, and except for those which find their way onto towing hitches on SUV’s, or on to the bottom of the legs of institutional chairs, they wind up as a part of the 14,700 tons of non biodegradable waste dumped into land fills around the world. With one important exception! The good folks at Wimbledon collect all the used tennis balls and use them as field houses for the near extinct harvest mouse. Maybe we can induce the equally good folks at the Australian Open to collect their used balls and to use them as homes for baby Koala bears. Somewhere in the world there must be millions of kids who would love to have a used tennis ball to kick along the gutter, or to dribble along the street. Learning to play soccer with an old tennis ball is a part of growing up.

Modern tennis balls are made in two colours, white and yellow, the yellow colour was adopted after intensive research was performed to determine which colour ball was the easiest to distinguish on TV. These colours are the only ones approved by the USTA and the ITF. The standards under which tennis balls are manufactured are set by the ITF, and they cover diameter, weight and bounce. A ball must bounce back to 56% of the height from which it has been dropped onto a concrete slab, to comply. All balls lose their bounce as soon as they are released from their pressurized containers. Have you often wondered why they change balls after a specific number of games? It’s because the balls lose their bounce, and have the effect of becoming heavier. In fact the weight of the ball does not change, unless one considers the slight negligible loss of the weight of the felt cover through abrasion with the court surface. Roger Federer now changes his racket to coincide with the change of balls. The numbers stencilled onto the balls have no meaning to the game’s participants, they are only there to identify the balls in use. If Rafael Nadal hits a ball out of court, he wants to be sure that the people on the adjacent court send him back his correct ball. It’s a as simple as that. I don’t know about you, but I love the smell of tennis balls!