Lily
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Post by Lily on Jun 18, 2003 21:36:53 GMT -5
(17) Gustavo Kuerten (BRA) Guga faces a tough opener against little-known but efficient Dutchman John van Lottum in the opening round, but if he can survive and get past the coming-off-injury Todd Martin in the second, his draw opens considerably with a face-off against Sjeng Schalken in the fourth round. Kuerten has grasscourt skills, and can be effective if there is little rain and the courts remain hard. (18) Marat Safin (RUS) The big Russian has been injured much of the claycourt and all of the grasscourt season, and will bomb out in his opener against a qualifier. (19) Fernando Gonzalez (CHI) Went out second round last year in his first appearance at the All-England Club, and this year won't get farther than Jonas Bjorkman in the second round. (20) Yevgeny Kafelnikov (RUS) The Man Who Wouldn't Retire faces "Everybody Loves" Raemon Sluiter in his opener, and not a bad draw with likely opponents Popp in the second round, Novak in the third, and little other resistance until facing Agassi, Malisse, or Philippoussis in the quarters. Y-man should have won a Wimbledon title by now, and this may be the best shot for the former No. 1 in singles and doubles. Could be the story of the tournament, or could decide he'd rather be home on the couch. (21) Martin Verkerk (NED) The Krajicek clone had never played an ATP grasscourt tournament before 2003, so anything will be icing on the cake after the runner-up effort at Roland Garros. A third round meeting with Tim Henman would be a match of great interest. (22) Felix Mantilla (ESP) A 4-5 record at Wimbledon and no pre-tournament warm-ups means an early exit for the Spanish vet, probably out in his opener to a qualifier. (23) Agustin Calleri (ARG) A great draw goes to waste on the Argentinean, who is 0-2 at Wimbledon. (24) Albert Costa (ESP) Brother Al has skills, and may get by Brit wildcard Lee Childs in his opener before getting brutalized by Mario "Baby Goran" Ancic. (25) Tommy Robredo (ESP) You're still reading this far? Good show, as the Brits say. Although 1-2 at the All-England Club, Tommy the R could win a round or two before being pasted by Rusedski or Roddick. (26) James Blake (USA) The American made a second-round exit in his first appearance last year, and can easily capitalize on that effort as his draw opens up after an encounter with a battle-tested qualifier in his opener. Blake's likely opponents are (WC)Bodanovic in the second round, (2)Ferrero in the third, and Grosjean or Arthurs in the fourth round. With a game suited to the lawns, he may find success sooner rather than later. Not sure what that means, but it sounds good. (27) Younes El Aynaoui (MAR) Never past the third round in six attempts, the Moroccan will be lucky to reach a third round encounter with Agassi. (28) Wayne Ferreira (RSA) A quarterfinalist in '94 with a handful of fourth round appearances, Wayne plays tough but can never get over the hump in England. After a rough opener against Karol Kucera (who he is 2-3 against), the South African has a dream draw with little resistance until a potential fourth-round encounter with Henman. (29) Gaston Gaudio (ARG) Out in the first round to Mardy Fish. (30) Jarkko Nieminen (FIN) Having a strong season but not too seasoned on grass, the Fin does not face a tough opponent until Kafelnikov or Malisse in the fourth round, which he likely won't see. (31) Vince Spadea (USA) Wimbledon has never been Vincenzo's playground, with seven losses in or before the second round. And with Mirnyi as your opener, time to get the advance fare on that plane ticket and hit the practice hardcourts. (32) Juan Ignacio Chela (ARG) As John McEnroe would say, "You cannot be serious." As long as we're paring out the field, let's get stupid and look at some crazy possibilities: A-Rod out in the first round to Sanguinetti, who he has problems with; Hewitt out in the fourth round to Mirnyi for a Beast vs. Rusedski quarterfinal; a Federer vs. Schalken quarterfinal; Henman surviving to the quarters where he gets punked by Grosjean in a repeat of this year's Queen's semis; and Kafelnikov giving a spirited run to the quarters to face Agassi. While we lament the absences of former winners Pete Sampras, Goran Ivanisevic and Richard Krajicek, and of course Anna Porn-ikova, we take heart that we'll receive our standard fortnight of upsets, streakers, pasty wildcards losing in the first round, British tabloid up-skirt shots, and here in the states, ESPN's parade of B-level commentators and on-air staff taking their twice-yearly break from covering football. We think Andy Roddick summed it up last week at Queen's when he commented to the chair umpire, "You're an idiot!" Enjoy. source www.tennis-x.com
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Post by TennisHack on Jun 19, 2003 20:21:46 GMT -5
www.sportsmediainc.com/tennisweek/index.cfm?func=showarticle&newsid=8971&bannerregion=McEnroe Tabs Hewitt, Federer As Wimbledon FavoritesBy Richard Pagliaro 06/20/2003 In terms of temperament and playing styles, Lleyton Hewitt and Roger Federer are about as similar as Dr. Seuss and Dr. Spock. You can almost visualize the adrenaline pouring out of a pumped-up Hewitt's pores when he plays, while Federer sometimes seems as stoic as Stonehenge making you wonder if he even sheds sweat during a match. The top-seeded Hewitt and fourth-seeded Federer reside on the same side of the draw and could collide in the Wimbledon semifinals. In a conference call with the media to promote ESPN's inaugural coverage of Wimbledon, ESPN analyst Patrick McEnroe picked defending champion Hewitt and 2001 quarterfinalist Federer as the favorites to win Wimbledon. "I pick Federer every time and I know it seems to be a jinx but I am going to jinx him again and pick him," McEnroe said. "I think he has too much talent not to win eventually. He's choked and felt the nerves before, but he has the game to do well at Wimbledon." The grass-court Grand Slam gets underway on Monday. ESPN's coverage commences with a special tournament preview show on Saturday, June 21st at 6 p.m. Eastern time. The network's live coverage begins on Monday at 7 a.m. with first-round action. A stunning straight-sets setback to Sebastien Grosjean last week ended Hewitt's streak of three consecutive Queen's Club crowns. Given Hewitt's sub par Slam performances this season — he fell in the fourth round of the Australian Open to Younes El Aynaoui and blew a two sets to love lead in a third-round Roland Garros loss to Tommy Robredo — the second-ranked Aussie arrives at the All England Club under immense pressure to defend his title and his prominent place in the ATP Rankings. The fact that Hewitt parted company with coach Jason Stoltenberg last week and has taken his festering feud with the ATP to court this week doesn't exactly alleviate what shapes up to be a stressful fortnight. But the feisty, fist-pumping Hewitt always seems to play his best in an adverse atmosphere and McEnroe believes with so much at stake, Hewitt will rise to the challenge at Wimbledon. "He knows how to step inside the court and he knows how to play defense and stay back and wait for his opponent to miss better than anybody," McEnroe said. "So his transition game is as good as anybody. To me, it's his confidence. I think that the fact he lost to Queen's has got to be a little bit of a shock to lose to Grosjean. To me it's shocking if Hewitt doesn't get to at least the semis or finals, then he's quite likely out of the top four or five in the world. Then you wonder, 'Hey, does this guy go from No. 1 to finish outside the top 10?' So this is a big tournament for Hewitt. This is a lot of pressure on him to at least get to the final and defend just in the overall picture to keep his ranking, to keep that sort of mental edge he has on a lot of other players." The 22-year-old Hewitt, who resides in a challenging quarter of the draw that includes fifth-seeded Andy Roddick, Queen's Club quarterfinalist Taylor Dent, lethal-serving lefty Greg Rusedski and serve-and-volleyer Max Mirnyi, struggled with his serve at both Roland Garros and Queen's. But McEnroe said Hewitt's slice serve can slither through grass and will be tougher to attack than it was on the red clay. "I don't think he's going to have as big a problem at Wimbledon with his serve," McEnroe said. "His problem at the French is that he hits it too flat. He tries to slice the serve when you're better off hitting a simple kick serve and he's got a better serve for grass. He's got the slider — he doesn't like to hit the kick. I think he will feel less pressure because he can't get hurt as much with the return on grass. Believe it or not, because the serve slides in there, he won't try to over-serve so I don't think he can get hurt." Roddick rode his resounding serve, including a record-tying 149 mph missile, to the Queen's Club championship in an impressive run that saw him knock off Rusedski, Dent, Agassi and Grosjean in succession. He began the year with an impressive run to the Australian Open final, but Roddick suffered a surprising first-round loss to Sargis Sargsian at Roland Garros, which prompted him to dismiss coach Tarik Benhabiles and hire Brad Gilbert, who has worked on Roddick's court positioning to help improve his return. McEnroe said Roddick is a Wimbledon contender if he can get by Rusedski in a potential second-round shoot-out between two of tennis' top servers . "He contended at the Australian, he's made two U.S. Open quarters and I think he can make it to the final four at Wimbledon," McEnroe said. "Is he ready to win it? I think it's possible. I wouldn't put him as the favorite, but I'd put him a notch below the favorites. With his serve and ability to win a lot of cheap points on serve, I think he can contend. If he can return serve well, and I know Brad Gilbert has been working with him on that, then he's got a shot." In 1992, Agassi's five-set victory over Goran Ivanisevic made him the first baseliner in nearly a decade to win Wimbledon. "I never realized what it all meant," Agassi said. "Nothing compares with winning Wimbledon except maybe winning it again." The top-ranked Agassi's extraordinary eye-hand coordination, dangerous return and ability to take the ball early have helped him reach at least the final four in three of the last four years. Acknowledging Agassi's past success at the All England Club makes him a threat, both Shriver and McEnroe said the five-time semifinalist will need to some breaks to advance to this third Wimbledon final. "Obviously he has the game that translates well onto the grass," Shriver said of Agassi. "He has the best return on grass. I just think when you're 33 years old and it's seven matches, and if it rains a couple days in a row and the schedule starts to work against you, and you had a bad shoulder earlier in the year, it's a tough tough assignment (to win) unless everything falls perfectly for Andre." In a commanding performance at the Australian Open, Agassi stationed himself almost on top of the baseline and dictated play in running opponents from corner-to-corner. It is that oppressive style of play that enables Agassi to take time away from opponents and pilfer their power by ripping shots on the rise before ultimately robbing them of their resolve and forcing them into the state of retreat. On grass, where a single shot can instantly alter the course of a rally more profoundly than any other surface, McEnroe believes that Agassi's diminished defensive ability can be exploited. "The problem for Andre is that one of the biggest keys to winning on grass is movement," McEnroe said. "Andre needs be in control of the point. There's going to be someone who makes Agassi scramble and he's not a good scrambler. And on grass you need to be able to move exceptionally well. That's why Lleyton Hewitt was able to win it. That's why Sampras was able to dominate — in addition to having the great serve — because the guy was an unbelievable athlete. You have to be able to move and hit on grass. If Agassi runs into someone like Srichaphan last year who basically blew him off the court then Agassi's in trouble because he can't defend as well as he could in his early 20s. On grass, it just creates another problem for him. I think he can still make some noise and if everything breaks right then he can win it, but I think that's a long shot for that to happen over seven matches." Two of the final four last year —27th-seeded Xavier Malisse and 28th-seeded David Nalbandian — were surprise semifinalists and the runner-ups at the two Slams played this year — Australian Open runner-up Rainer Schuettler and French Open finalist Martin Verkerk — weren't exactly considered title contenders before their trips to the finals. The ESPN analysts expect to see some surprising faces turn up on Wimbledon's final weekend as court conditions could very well shape the fate of the field. "On the men's side it's almost likely that at least one, maybe two of the semifinalists will be guys we know a little bit, but that no one picked in their office pool," McEnroe said. "A lot of it to me depends upon how the grass will be playing. No one knows yet. After what happened last year I thought it would be a 100 percent certainty that the courts would be playing faster this year. I thought that they would cut the grass finer, they'd mow it more or maybe make the bounce a little lower to give the serve-volley guys more of a chance so I don't think we're really gonna know until they step on court at 12 p.m. precisely on Monday. That's when we start to get a sense of how the court's playing."
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Post by TennisHack on Jun 19, 2003 20:57:44 GMT -5
Pain In The Grass: Defending Wimbledon Champ Hewitt Faces Demanding Draw By Richard Pagliaro 06/18/2003
Top-seeded Lleyton Hewitt dropped only two sets in his seven-match march to the 2002 Wimbledon title. When Hewitt launches defense of his crown, he may find successfully navigating a difficult draw will be about as easy as a trimming all of Wimbledon's lawns with a pair of tweezers while suffering from an allergic attack to grass.
Wimbledon begins on Monday and the draw was released today. The top-seeded Hewitt — who did not look sharp in falling to Sebastien Grosjean in the Stella Artois quarterfinals that concluded his run of three consecutive Queen's Club crowns, resides in the top quarter of the draw loaded with capable grass-court contenders including Taylor Dent, Andy Roddick, Greg Rusedski and Paradorn Srichaphan.
The 22-year-old Australian opens his title defense with a qualifier and will face another qualifier in the second round rather than 1996 Wimbledon winner Richard Krajicek, who has withdrawn from Wimbledon due to a lingering elbow injury.
In the third round, Hewitt could face Taylor Dent, if Dent can defeat Ivan Ljubicic in his opening-round match and beat either Max Mirnyi or Vince Spadea in the second round. Hewitt is 3-0 against Dent, but their lone grass-court clash was a memorable meeting in the 2001 Wimbledon as Hewitt held of a tired Dent 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-7, 6-3 in the second round. Dent's conditioning and confidence have improved considerably since that match where he looked too tired to tie his shoelaces by the fifth set. The 22-year-old Dent defeated James Blake to win the 2002 Newport title on grass and advanced to the Queen's Club quarterfinals last week before falling to Andy Roddick. With his strong serve-and-volley style perfectly suited to this surface, Dent will be a very dangerous opponent if the grass is playing fast. He typically plays his best tennis against the quality opponents and should Dent reach the third round, don't be surprised to see him push Hewitt and perhaps even beat him.
If the seeds hold true to form, the top quarter could culminate in a compelling confrontation between Hewitt, one of tennis' top returners, and the fifth-seeded Roddick, who owns one of the most powerful serves in the sport. Roddick's road to that quarterfinal comes with a couple of challenging matches.
The man who dispatched Greg Rusedski, Taylor Dent, Andre Agassi and Sebastien Grosjean in succession to capture his first grass-court championship at Queen's Club on Sunday, opens Wimbledon against Italian Davide Sanguinetti, who gave Tim Henman a tough time at Queen's Club. Should Roddick get through that match, as expected, it would set up a highly-anticipated rematch with Rusedski in the second round. The lethal-serving lefty romped over Roddick, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2, in a routine third-round Wimbledon win last year. But Roddick's revenge came at Queen's Club last week where he shot down Rusedski, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in a fast-paced shootout between two of tennis' top servers. The third installment of their rivalry could come at Wimbledon where the man with the higher first-serve percentage should come out on top.
The Roddick-Rusedski winner could face either 12th-seeded Thai Paradorn Srichaphan or talented teen Mario Ancic, who made his Wimbledon debut one to remember when he upset Roger Federer in the opening round last year. Srichaphan, who upset Agassi in the second round last year before falling to Krajicek in the third round, has split his two matches with Roddick and is 0-2 against Rusedski, including an enthralling 6-3, 6-7, 6-7, 7-6, 4-6 setback in the second round of the U.S. Open last summer.
Of all the challengers in Hewitt's quarter, Roddick and Rusedski may be the two players most likely to depose the defending champion. Rusedski has split his six career meetings with Hewitt, and has said publicly he always carries a great deal of confidence onto the court against Hewitt. While Roddick is winless in three meetings with Hewitt, his performance at Queen's Club makes him a legitimate threat to contend at Wimbledon.
Since his stunning five-set upset of seven-time Wimbledon winner Pete Sampras in the 2001 fourth-round, speculation surrounding Roger Federer's chances to raise the title trophy have run rampant. Yet Federer's showings at the All England Club have lasted about as long as Loch Ness Monster sightings. If you take away his 2001 quarterfinal appearance, Federer is winless in his three other appearances at Wimbledon.
Yet the fourth-seeded Swiss still enters this event as a serious contender to claim his first Grand Slam crown. Why are expectations so high for a man who has never even played in a Grand Slam semi? Tremendous talent and supreme skill make Federer the best player in the world without a Grand Slam title to his credit. But his 43 wins and four tournament titles, including his impressive run to the Halle grass-court championship last week, make the stoic Swiss a good bet to breakout with a solid showing during the Wimbledon fortnight.
Federer, who opens with Korea's Hyung-Taik Lee, enjoys a draw devoid of obvious obstacles until a potential quarterfinal with eighth-seeded Sjeng Schalken. Though Schalken was the only man to take a set off Hewitt in pushing the eventual-champion to five sets in the 2002 quarterfinals, Federer has beaten the Dutchman four times in five meetings.
With three first-round exits in his last five Grand Slam appearances, Federer's mental strength beneath the burden of Grand Slam pressure is certainly questionable. He played absolutely abysmal tennis in crashing out of Roland Garros in the first round last month and has every incentive to finally fulfill his great gifts during this fortnight. If Federer doesn't advance to at least the tournament quarterfinals at Wimbledon, revoke his "Fed Ex" nickname for repeated failure to deliver. If the seeds hold to form, Federer would face either Hewitt or Roddick in the final four.
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Post by TennisHack on Jun 19, 2003 20:58:06 GMT -5
Andre Agassi regained the No. 1 rank yesterday and is one of the favorites to finish on top at Wimbledon.
The bottom half of the draw is anchored by the second-seeded Agassi, who appears to have a much clearer path that Hewitt to the semifinals. The 1992 Wimbledon winner opens against British wild card Jamie Delgado, who Agassi beat at Wimbledon, 6-2, 6-4, 6-3, in the second round of Wimbledon two years ago. Agassi's first test could come in the third round against 27th-seeded Younes El Aynaoui, who has a strong serve that can trouble opponents, but lacks grass-court credibility with a 5-6 career Wimbledon record marked with four first or second-round exits in six appearances. In the fourth round, Agassi could face either 2002 semifinalist Xavier Malisse or Marat Safin. Both the 14th-seeded Malisse and the 18th-seeded Safin open against qualifiers with Malisse facing a possible second-round showdown with Mark Philippoussis. While Malisse's shot-making skill make him a contender, Safin's injury-induced inactivity that sidelined him for Roland Garros, make him a major question mark. Still, the flighty Russian often plays his best when expectations are least so he is worth watching.
Seventh-seeded Guillermo Coria is the highest seed Agassi could face in his quarter of the draw, but it's more likely a lower seed such as 20th-seeded Yevgeny Kafelnikov or 30th-seeded Jarkko Nieminen or an unseeded player like Raemon Sluiter or Radek Stepanek sneak through to meet Agassi in the quarters.
The success of baseliners at the 2002 Wimbledon — combined with Hewitt's draining draw and the absence of seven-time Wimbledon winner Sampras from the event this year — means many players will arrive at the grass-court Grand Slam believing they can contend for the crown. Agassi has high hopes to take another run at the title.
"I am really looking forward to it," Agassi told the media at Queen's Club last week. "That's why I am here, and I am hoping to get better every day. When you play on grass it does take some time to feel comfortable and I am not quite there yet. But to be back out there on the Sunday and to win would be the best one for me ever."
As a five-time Wimbledon semifinalist, who has suffered only four defeats all season, look for Agassi's grass-court game to grow as Wimbledon's green grass turns to brown blotches of sod by event's end. Should Agassi advance to the final four, he could play 10th-seeded Tim Henman or several competent competitors including 13th-seeded Sebastien Grosjean, the Queen's Club runner-up, third-seeded Juan Carlos Ferrero, the reigning Roland Garros winner, who reached the third round of Wimbledon two years ago, 2002 tournament runner-up David Nalbandian, 28th-seeded South African Wayne Ferreira or unseeded players Nicolas Escude and Wayne Arthurs.
A four-time Wimbledon semifinalist, Henman is seeded 19 places ahead of his rank of No. 29, and while he may be the most experienced grass-court player in the third quarter of the draw, Henman has never won a grass-court championship and his suspect, surgically-repaired shoulder make him susceptible to a player who can return consistently well over the course of a best-of-five set match.
Should Grosjean survive a tough first-round test against Thomas Enqvist, a player he has not beaten in four career matches, he would likely face the left handed Arthurs, who can produce aces more rapidly than raindrops falling from the sky during a Wimbledon shower. Due to his difficult draw, it's conceivable Grosjean could be beaten in the first or second round or go as far as the semifinals. Two players worth watching in that quarter are Escude, a 2001 Wimbledon quarterfinalist who beat Hewitt on grass in the 2001 Davis Cup final, and James Blake. Though the 26th-seeded Blake pulled out of Queen's Club with a strained shoulder, if he is healthy and can serve consistently well, Blake's all-court game makes him a dangerous player on grass.
Escude opens with a qualifier and could certainly beat the third-seeded Ferrero, whose obligatory press appearances and celebrations in the aftermath of his Roland Garros win will probably leave him little time for preparation, in the second round. More than any other section of the draw, this third quarter is most likely to produce a low-seeded or even unseeded semifinalist. Fittingly, French Open finalist Martin Verkerk, who was unseeded and without a Grand Slam win prior to his Roland Garros run, resides in this quarter. Whoever emerges from the third quarter is likely to face Agassi in the semis.
The most compelling first-round matches include:
(13) Sebastien Grosjean vs. Thomas Enqvist — Enqvist leads their head-to-head 4-0. (6) David Nalbandian vs. Vladimir Voltchkov — The 2002 runner-up vs. the 2000 semifinalist. (12) Paradorn Srichaphan vs. Dominik Hrbaty — Hrbaty is 2-0, but they have never played on grass before. Taylor Dent vs. Ivan Ljubicic — Both are big servers, but Dent's superior volley should carry him through in their first meeting. Max Mirnyi vs. (31) Vince Spadea — Despite his serve-and-volley style, the Beast has won only two matches in three Wimbledon appearances and Spadea is always tough in best-of-five set matches.
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Post by TennisHack on Jun 19, 2003 21:00:44 GMT -5
Power Surge: Is Slam Bam Tennis Threatening Interest In Women's Tennis? By Suzi Petkovski 06/19/2003
Back in the early 1990s, when tennis had its catgut in a twist about the dominance of big blokes wielding serves of mass destruction and reducing tennis to target practice, crusty troglodytes like John McEnroe started calling for a return to wood racquets to put the brakes on biff-and-bang tennis. Mac (and the rest of us) never imagined it would be the ladies who would go on an extended power trip.
David has toppled Goliath in the men’s game, with speedy, aggressive, average-sized baseliners like Lleyton Hewitt, Juan Carlos Ferrero and lately Guillermo Coria wresting dominance from the big servers and heavier hitters. Martin Verkerk’s stunning French Open run notwithstanding, six men have won the last seven Grand Slams and none of them exceed the 6-foot mark by any great measure. But the women’s game is power tennis at full throttle. Might is right. Amazons rule. Get set for a Big Babe blitz at Wimbledon, where the baseline bruisers are unlikely to be bothered by pesky net rushers.
Serena and Venus Williams, sisters of no mercy, personify what Mary Carillo so aptly coined "Big Babe" tennis. They’ve powered their way to the top, bullying opponents with big serving, lashing away from the baseline and routinely ripping two-handed backhand winners off the back foot. Eight of the last 12 Grand Slam trophies sit in the Williams family cabinet. With an unprecedented four straight faceoffs in Slam finals, the Williams wondergals have achieved a sequence that eluded even Evert and Navratilova.
Paradoxically, the serve is a greater weapon for Venus and Serena, the top two women of 2002, than for Hewitt and Andre Agassi, the top two men. Venus’s 125 mph bomb in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open was faster than Agassi’s fastest delivery in 2002 (124 mph), and equal with Hewitt’s quickest. And Venus cracked 127 mph five years ago. Venus and Serena top the tally for quickest serves among the women. In contrast, Hewitt and Agassi were at No. 67 and No. 80, respectively, on the serve speedometer in 2002, behind “household names” Ladislav Svarc, Armando Carrascosa and Glenn Weiner. (No, we’re not making them up.)
The signature shot of Venus and Serena is the open-stance double-handed backhand — a stroke that requires great upper body strength and rotation. More players are using the shot (or are forced to), but none as effectively as the Williamses. What’s more, with few exceptions, Venus and Serena are tested by nothing but inferior versions of their own power games.
Margaret Court, the original Big Babe, a pioneer of weight-training when it was most unladylike and the greatest Grand Slam champion of all-time, was at the Australian Open to see the Serena Slam and found the overpowering tennis underwhelming.
"It’s a power game from the baseline," says Court, who serve-and-volleyed her way to a fifth French title over Chris Evert in 1973. "There’s very little subtlety or variety. The beauty and grace has gone out of the game. They’re great athletes — I appreciate that — but it’s boring to watch."
The problem with Big Babe tennis is that practically everyone is playing it. "When you take both depth and variety out of the game, you take the excitement out," asserts Court. "You need variety coming through. The harder you hit to Serena and Venus, the more they like it. You need variety to break up that power."
Does Belgian all-courter Justine Henin-Hardenne, the new French Open champion, 2001 Wimbledon runner-up and two-time victor over Serena this year, fit the bill? "An excellent player," replies Court. "She can volley well, but Justine lacks reach and I don’t think she’s powerful enough [to reign as No. 1]."
For all the death notices the serve-and-volley game has received in men’s tennis, uniformity of style is even more pronounced in the women. Of the Top 100 players in 2002, no fewer than 77 are double-handed baseline sluggers. Single-handed backhands, once the norm, are now like rare butterflies. Serve-and-volleyers are like unicorn sightings. Lisa Raymond, 30 in August and the last true serve-and-volleyer, is liable to end up with her likeness in a glass case at a museum, the last of a vanished species.
Prior to Henin-Hardenne, the last single-handed women’s champion at a Grand Slam was Steffi Graf at the French Open five years ago. The last serve-and-volley champion was Jana Novotna at Wimbledon six years ago.
Aesthetics impact on audiences. For all the athleticism, inspiration and record ratings the Williams sisters have bestowed on the game, the biggest crowd at a women’s event was more than a decade ago at the 1992 Virginia Slims Championships, featuring the diverse semifinal line-up of Monica Seles, Gabriela Sabatini, Martina Navratilova and Lori McNeil.
Injury and career longevity is another concern with the power game. The most famous casualty of the trend is Martina Hingis and her silky, cerebral style. At 22, the most gifted player of the last decade was done in by chronic foot and ankle injuries, as much as by the power surge in the women’s game. Lindsay Davenport lost the first half of 2002 recuperating from knee surgery. Anna Kournikova’s battle for a first WTA Tour title hasn’t been helped by a constant battle with injuries. Leo Clijsters said last January that he didn’t expect his daughter Kim to be on tour for more than another two to three years, such is the physical toll of the game today.
Mary Carillo, whose own playing career was curtailed by knee injuries, notes that the increased power in the game today means "Many players don’t even have time for anything but open-stance groundstrokes any more." This means hitting or swivelling off the back foot and rotating the trunk and shoulders to generate pace. The ultra-fast whiplash strokes are far more jarring on the body than the long, smooth strokes and follow-throughs of yesteryear.
Big Babe tennis could also cost the game many talented young girls who lack the Amazonian dimensions of Venus, Serena, Lindsay, Amelie, Kim, Monica et al. The example of Hingis would not inspire hope.
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Post by TennisHack on Jun 19, 2003 21:01:08 GMT -5
Gavin Hopper, who travelled for 13 years on the pro tour as a trainer and coach to Amanda Coetzer, Monica Seles and Iva Majoli, among others, now runs the Cash-Hopper academy in Queensland, Australia, where he is grooming daughter Jade, 11, for the pro tour. "It’s the first thing people ask about Jade: How big is she going to be?" Hopper reports. "I hope the girls don’t get too big. Jade is small in athletic terms. She won’t be 6 feet 2 or anything. It’s become an issue in juniors, very much so. Yes, we’ll lose talented girls. There’s quite a few 12-year-olds now who are 6 feet or close to it. Everyone is looking for big girls."
Why do Big Baselining Babes rule? As with the demise of serve-and-volley in the men’s game, the disappearance of grass and the takeover of hard and clay courts swung the pendulum in favor of the baseliner. In 1974, three of the four Grand Slam tournaments were played on grass, providing plenty of incentive for the pros to serve-and-volley. By 1988, only Wimbledon kept its turf. "Grass has gone from being the most dominant surface in the majors to a three-week, one-major season," notes Carillo.
The successful examples of baseline champions Chris Evert, Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, Guillermo Vilas and others did the rest. In women’s tennis, Graf was the first aggressive baseliner, prepared to cop extravagant errors to land stupendous forehand winners. Seles amped it up by firing with equal power on both sides and stepping boldly into the baseline to take the ball earlier than anyone. Hingis’s all-court flair was a welcome but brief respite; she soon found herself battling the judicious power of Davenport. Jennifer Capriati next powered her way to the top before Venus and Serena took over with explosive athleticism.
While there is agreement on the reasons behind the Big Babe phenomenon, there is less agreement on what, if anything, should be done about it. "I’d rather see the equipment change than mess with the rules," says Martina Navratilova. "Something needs to be done about the racquets. The materials are ridiculous now. The game’s too easy with these racquets." Court also blames the failure to regulate racquet technology for the one-style, one-speed tennis of today, but concedes that that horse has bolted. "They really should have done something about the racquets years ago," says Court. "The controls came too late. The larger racquets have really helped baseliners and returners to power the ball. A smaller racquet head would have been an important change."
Slowing the surfaces and balls could put the brakes on power — all three of Serena’s losses this year came on clay — but could also result in a greater attrition rate. Many male players — Thomas Enqvist, Tommy Haas, Wayne Ferreira among them — have been vocal about the link between slow conditions and the injury toll taken by extended play and balls that grow heavier mid-game with the dampness or bits of clay they soak up on every bounce.
That leaves natural evolution to provide a ‘correction.’ Will the next generation ratchet up the power even more? Or will touch and guile make a comeback and ultimately unseat the Big Babes?
"When those two [Venus and Serena] lose, it’s often because they beat themselves," Carillo observed, foreshadowing their French Open losses. "The goal of their opponents is not necessarily to beat them, but to be around when Serena or Venus beat themselves. It takes great physical fitness, stamina and positivity to hang in there against them, but surely it can be done." As Henin-Hardenne sensationally proved in Paris.
Carillo forecasts a return to more net play, if not pure serve-and-volley. "Very few trust that you need not hit a great volley to win at the net," says the former serve-and-volleyer. "A good serve and a good approach will give you a good volley. A great serve gives you an easy volley; so does a great approach. I’d love to see both genders embrace that truth and use the whole court. To me that’s the next great evolution in women’s tennis: All-Court Big Babeosity."
Hopper is counting on the tide to turn. He has witnessed a sea change in the game before. "I had the future prototype in my hands with Mark Philippoussis," says the 47-year-old sport scientist. "If you could have designed a future champion, you would have come up with Mark: 6-foot-5, huge serve, powerful and agile. But what everyone — including me — expected to happen did not eventuate. We’ve had Lleyton Hewitt at the top for two years and there are lots of players under 6 feet coming up — Richard Gasquet, Rafael Nadal — unbelievable athletes with incredible foot speed. If you’re small and slow, you have no chance. But if you’re small and quick, with athletic talent, there’s definitely a place for you at the top level. There’ll be a correction as with the men, otherwise I may as well give up with Jade."
Both Jade and her 8-year-old sister Skye are already playing international tournaments and are being groomed as Australia’s answer to Venus and Serena. But their inspiration is the feisty Hewitt. "We’re modelling Jade’s game on Lleyton’s," Hopper says, convinced a female version can upset the applecart. In fact, the evolution of tennis dictates it. "Coaches and players will develop a game to counter the power game of the moment," he asserts. "The next generation of young girls are physically big, but the group after them is a little different. The younger juniors are being taught not to match the Williamses in terms of power, but to use it and do something different. I do believe that tennis will again swing to a Henin-Hardenne type — quick, with a complete game, never misses — probably more in hope than anything."
Contributing Writer Suzi Petkovski covers the the world of tennis from her Australian base. She covered the Great Britain — Australia Davis Cup tie in the March 11th Tennis Week.
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Post by TennisHack on Jun 19, 2003 21:21:48 GMT -5
Henin-Hardenne, Clijsters hope for a repeat from Paris Posted: Thursday June 19, 2003 2:18 AM
LONDON (Reuters) -- The most elegant tennis player by a long way, Justine Henin-Hardenne could easily be cast as a quaint throwback to a gentler era.
Nary a grunt nor a scream escapes her slight frame as she caresses the ball around the court, unfurling the most gorgeous backhand for sublime winners.
But beneath the serene exterior lies a drive and a purpose capable of propelling her to the pinnacle of women's tennis.
Earlier this month, Henin-Hardenne paired her unparalleled on-court elan with a mental fortitude to be feared and became the first Belgian to win a Grand Slam crown, capturing the French Open.
It was a major breakthrough after she had floundered in her first Grand Slam final two years ago when she was beaten for the Wimbledon title by Venus Williams.
Back then she seemed overawed and was grieving for her grandfather who had died on the morning of the final.
Two years on, with a wealth of hard-earned confidence, Henin-Hardenne is now ready to go one step further.
"I still have a lot of things and objectives to look forward to such as the other Grand Slams -- Wimbledon for a start," she said after her overwhelming victory against compatriot Kim Clijsters in Paris.
"And also becoming world No. 1," she added, lest anyone leave with the impression that anything less than global domination was on her agenda.
That Henin-Hardenne beat Clijsters in the French final came as a shock to many who had assumed Clijsters had the stronger nerve, the steelier will of the two.
It was Clijsters who won their seesaw semifinal at the French in 2001, and it was Clijsters who steamed up the rankings, budging Venus Williams from the No. 2 spot to breathe heavily down Serena Williams's back.
But Henin-Hardenne is hewn from tough stuff. The loss of her mother Francoise nine years ago has left her more thoughtful and driven than many her age.
She is estranged from her father and is married at 21.
She has proved she has the maturity and the game to succeed at the very top. Now Wimbledon is in her sights.
It is difficult, given the radiant smile Clijsters always wears, to imagine the disappointment, if not pain, felt by the younger Belgian at being left behind by her compatriot.
Clijsters has the better ranking but Henin-Hardenne has the all-important silverware.
She did pick up the French Open women's doubles title earlier this month, with Ai Sugiyama, to ease the disappointment.
Clijsters is now ready to win the big one. She has been seeded second by the Wimbledon committee and will lurk at the bottom of the draw, plotting her assault on the crown.
She desperately needs the breakthrough soon for it is her nerve which is now under the microscope.
She blew a 5-1 third set lead over Serena Williams in the semi-finals of the Australian Open at the start of the year and was a favourite heading into the French final.
Instead the 6-0, 6-4 defeat was the heaviest since 1988.
Still, Clijsters has now appeared in two Roland Garros finals. The ultimate step of a major title cannot be too far away.
This year Henin has won four titles and Clijsters three. In addition to the French Open, Henin is the champion of Dubai, Charleston and Berlin, while Clijsters triumphed in Sydney, Indian Wells and Rome.
The odds must be fairly short on the Belgians claiming one more title at the All England Club.
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Post by Doris on Jun 20, 2003 2:50:40 GMT -5
Wonder when McEnroe will finally stopp to jinx Roger...
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Post by RogiFan on Jun 20, 2003 7:26:30 GMT -5
Part of a series of articles fr the Guardian [take w pinch a salt ]: Wimbledon2003 Men: the ones to watch -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Andy Roddick Monday June 16, 2003 The Guardian Nationality: American. Age: 20. Lives: Boca Raton, US. Height: 6ft 2in. Weight: 13st 8lb. Turned pro: 2000. Tournaments won: 6 (0 grand slams). Wimbledons: 2 since 2001. Best performance :3rd round 2001, 2002. Career prize money: £1,436,300. World ranking: 6 (highest 5). On court In a nutshell Up and coming, though that's been said of him for two years now and he is yet to come. Nicknamed A-Rod but still stuck in the region of B-Rod. Grass or pass Good on grass but not as good as he could be. Hits so hard he picks up plenty of cheap points but sometimes his feet get confused when he tries to serve and volley, leaving him stuck around the service line attempting a pirouette. Distinguishing feature Looks half-elf, half-human. Recently scrapped his cleancut look for stubble and a just-got-out-of-bed hairstyle. Hot shot Roddick's serve is one of the best in the world, his second serve better still. Hard and fast, as a rule. Won 80% of his service games last year, the second-best on the tour. Pressure point Argues his corner if he thinks he is being diddled by dopey decisions but prefers to launch his ire at the ball. Outside court Hero or zero Got an early call-up to hero status as, with Sampras and Agassi nearing the end, America tried to bill him as a ready-made successor. It has probably held him back. Happy clappies New coach Brad Gilbert, Andre Agassi's former mentor who was drafted in after Tarik Benhabiles was sacked when Roddick went out of the French Open in the first round. Don't mention His match with Lleyton Hewitt at the US Open two years ago, when Roddick was curiously given a code violation merely for inquiring, in the politest possible tone, of the umpire after a decisive fifth-set overrule: "Are you an absolute moron?" British claim Likes Coldplay. This refers not to playing in British weather conditions but to the popular British beat combo. Has been to see them live and bought both their albums, so could fit in with the indie crowd. Luvvy rating Made a play for popularity in Houston two years ago when he won his semi-final and, caught up in the emotion of it all, grabbed the umpire's mike and offered to buy final tickets for anyone who wanted one. He got more than 200 takers but at least he won. 7/10 The winning formula Heavy hits - national expectation x nickname potential = Roddick institution Carlos Moya Monday June 16, 2003 The Guardian Nationality: Spanish. Age: 26. Lives: Geneva, Switz. Height: 6ft 3in. Weight: 13st 3lb. Turned pro: 1995. Tournaments: won 13 (1 grand slam). Wimbledons: 6 since 1996. Best performance: 2nd round 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001. Career prize money: £5,488,900. World ranking: 4 (highest 1). On court In a nutshell A former world No1 and French Open champion who, just when he thought he had made it, was thwarted by a back injury. After four years on the comeback trail he is established in the top 10 and regarded as a contender for major titles. All he has to do is win them. Grass or pass Has won a meagre four matches in six visits to the All England Club, so is not a hot favourite for the title. But at least he's willing to give the green stuff a try. Distinguishing feature Baggy clothes. Moya insists on concealing his assets under voluminous shorts and a baggy shirt. A recent conversion to a sleeveless top was a start but there's still quite a bit of flapping going on. Hot shot His forehand, which won him the French Open in 1998. It's devastating but unfortunately on grass he doesn't have time to play it properly. Pressure point A picture of serenity. Looks to his opponent to decide dodgy line calls, talks to the umpire only when he knows he is right and does the gentlest of fist pumps when he wins a biggie. Outside court Hero or zero Not a footballer, so few in Spain rave about him. Does better in a global perspective; he was voted one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world by People Magazine in the US four years ago. Happy clappies Close to his family who sometimes travel to watch him play. But they don't appear to have noticed he's 26 now. "If I didn't call for two days, they would think something is wrong and probably call the police." Don't mention Moya's own brand of aftershave, largely because he is sure to. "It's a great cologne. It's also deodorant, aftershave. It's great, it's a good smell. Good. I like it," he said after beating James Blake in January, barely hinting if it was any good or not. British claim Hails from Majorca which endures more than 1m British visitors every year.Would feel at home among fried-food vendors and Saturday-night scraps in any English town. Luvvy rating Everyone likes the Spaniards and the Spaniards like everyone. 9/10 The winning formula Latin looks x range of shots + lovely touch = Ladies' Day Juan Carlos Ferrero Monday June 16, 2003 The Guardian Nationality: Spanish. Age: 23. Lives: Villena, Sp. Height: 6ft. Weight :11st 6lb. Turned pro: 1998. Tournaments won: 9 (0 grand slams). Wimbledons: 2 since 2001. Best performance: 3rd round 2001. Career prize money: £4,088,900. World ranking 3 (highest 2). On court In a nutshell Part of a new breed of attackminded Spaniards who, if he puts his mind to it, could do well at Wimbledon. Grass or pass Best results all on clay but after his run at Roland Garros will want to prove himself elsewhere and could last into second week. "When you have more experience on grass, of course you can play better," he said last year. "Maybe in the next years I will come do it better here." Which is something to look forward to. Distinguishing feature Blond, which is a bit unusual for a Spaniard. You'd walk past him in a crowd, were it not for the slavering senoritas hanging off his arm. Hot shot A belter of a forehand and speed, speed, speed. Pressure point "I don't lose my temper on court," he insists. Instead when things are going badly he just looks at his feet, possibly in the hope that the ground beneath them will open up and swallow him. Outside court Hero or zero The man they call Mosquito because of his wiry frame earned sudden fame in Spain by guiding them to their first ever Davis Cup in 2000. "Before, nobody knew who I was," he says. "Now, everyone wants to say hello." Happy clappies Teenage girls who scream more when he changes shirts than when he hits a slashing winner down the line. Also the spirit of his mother Rosario, who died when he was 17. "In my mind she was in the first row," he said in Paris. Don't mention The celebrations after Spain's Davis Cup victory. The normally reserved Ferrero beat Lleyton Hewitt to seal it and within hours was in the Barcelona nightclub Luz de Gas, half naked and in a state of considerable disrepair. British claim A Real Madrid obsessive, Ferrero has cheered on Steve McManaman on several occasions, so he's practically an England fan. Luvvy rating Liked by the Spaniards who treat each other with a brotherly affection that verges on nauseous. "He's an unbelievable player," Alex Corretja once said, "and an even better guy." 7/10 The winning formula Bags of speed / problem with grass x mental approach = Real deal sport.guardian.co.uk/wimbledon2003/story/0,13391,978673,00.html
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Post by RogiFan on Jun 20, 2003 7:28:55 GMT -5
more
Lleyton Hewitt
Monday June 16, 2003 The Guardian
Nationality: Australian. Age 22. Lives :Adelaide, Aus. Height: 5ft 11in. Weight: 10st 10lb. Turned pro: 1998. Tournaments won: 19 (2 grand slams). Wimbledons: 4 since 1999. Best performance: winner 2002. Career prize money: £6,918,700. World ranking: 1. On court
In a nutshell The best around. Won Wimbledon last year at his fourth attempt, one quicker than Pete Sampras.
Grass or pass Brought up on hard courts, on which he won his first grand slam title (US Open 2001), but adapts his game well on grass and usually does well at Queen's.
Distinguishing feature All baggy shorts, knobbly knees, calves thicker than his thighs and reverse baseball cap, which he wore for his first ever pro win against Scott Draper in 1999 and has kept since.
Hot shot Great return of serve and fantastically quick. "His wheels are his best weapon," says Sampras.
Pressure point Never knows when he's beaten and never backward in rushing forward into a row. Has a mouth as loud as the day is long, though he lacks McEnroe's disturbance-factor gamesmanship and perhaps a touch of the great man's eloquence. "It's something that, you know, now and then, you know, I guess, you know, I get a little bit heated out there," he says.
Outside court
Hero or zero Nowhere near as popular as Pat Rafter, while some Australians have been known to cheer when he gets knocked out. Needs to win the Australian Open for greater recognition and, just maybe, love.
Happy clappies Dad Glynn and mum, PE teacher Sherilyn, will watch every ball; also Kim Clijsters, his girlfriend and the women's world No2. And possibly his coach Roger Rasheed, who replaced Jason Stoltenberg after the French Open.
Don't mention Any number of things. Perhaps his most infamous outburst was accusing a net judge and an umpire of being "spastics" at Roland Garros two years ago.
British claim Australia Post launched a Hewitt stamp last January. Some of them probably ended up on letters sent here.
Luvvy rating Brad Gilbert once said he'd be "amazed if someone doesn't whack him in the locker room". But Hewitt is much more liked than his on-court image might suggest. 8/10
The winning formula
Style x surface polish + nationality = down under wonder
Marat Safin
Monday June 16, 2003 The Guardian
Nationality: Russian. Age: 23. Lives: Monte Carlo, Mon. Height: 6ft 4in. Weight: 13st 13lb. Turned pro: 1997. Tournaments won: 11 (1 grand slam). Wimbledons: 4 since 1998. Best performance :quarter-finals 2001. Career prize money: £5,215,700. World ranking: 12 (highest 1). On court
In a nutshell The best player of his generation, who has temporarily forgotten how to play. Injuries have scarred this season but Safin, who came third in the champions' race last year, has time on his side and lacks nothing in talent and confidence.
Grass or pass Admits this is his weakest surface, though he did get to the quarter-finals two years ago.
Distinguishing feature A hunk with boy-band looks and a reputation for good living, Safin's practice sessions are perhaps the shortest on tour.
Hot shot Huge forehand, delivered from a great height with heavy top spin and at colossal pace, is as hard to deal with as razor-sharp playing cards.
Pressure point The good looks darken and the rackets get the abuse; in one year he smashed 48. "I just don't care," he shrugs. "They're all sponsored."
Outside court
Hero or zero Safin has not forgotten Russia but the mother country has lost contact. After all, he left Moscow at 13 for the sunshine of Valencia, where he still trains occasionally, before becoming one of the Monte Carlo set.
Happy clappies Caught the eye at last year's Australian Open by filling the box with a bevy of blondes. "You have to admit I have an unbelievably beautiful bench," he boasted. Now the girls have disappeared and only his coach Denis Golovanov remains. "They were not my type," he explains.
Don't mention Won the Most Quotable Player award from the International Tennis Writers' Association in 2002. Quotes like "Wimbledon is not the tournament I love. I don't like how they treat the players" are unlikely to go down well.
British claim Of the five coaches Safin's been through in the last three years, our very own Tony Pickard "is the one guy who understood me". Of course, that didn't stop him moving on.
Luvvy rating "I get along with everyone," he says. "We compete, then we leave the court and we are friends." Then, if Marat's got anything to do with it, they head for a nightclub. 7/10
The winning formula
Enigma + all-round game / pressure of potential = mystery champ
Roger Federer
Monday June 16, 2003 The Guardian
Nationality: Swiss. Age: 21. Lives: Bottmingen, Switz. Height: 6ft 1in. Weight: 12st 9lb. Turned pro: 1998. Tournaments won: 7 (0 grand slams). Wimbledons: 4 since 1999. Best performance: quarter-finals 2001. Career prize money: £2,774,300. World ranking: 5 (highest 4). On court
In a nutshell The most naturally gifted of the younger generation, with tremendous power and touch on both sides. Quarter-finalist at Wimbledon when still 19. Looks not unlike Hollywood's Antonio Banderas, the brooding Spanish love god.
Grass or pass Won the Wimbledon boys' title in 1998 and beat Pete Sampras two years ago on his way to the quarter-finals. But then lost in the first round last year, so enigmatic may be the word.
Distinguishing feature Ponytail, white headband, chiselled jaw and steamy glare - he's a model sportsman, and has the hard-partying playboy reputation to prove it.
Hot shot His topspin rolled backhand is as smooth as his chat-up lines, and both have been known to bring people to their knees.
Pressure point Has overcome the racketthrowing antics of his youth but, when things go wrong, he loses confidence. Explained last year's exit by saying: "I practised with Tim Henman the day before and got my butt kicked. Maybe that was on my mind." It would probably concern the best of us, Roger.
Outside court
Hero or zero Now that Martina Hingis has retired, Federer is the big cheese of Swiss tennis. Anyway, Hingis was born in Slovakia, so Federer's the only one who can really melt their fondue.
Happy clappies Chubby coach Peter Lundgren, a former ATP pro from Sweden, sits, waits and hopes his star pupil will one day deliver. And he's not talking about the pizzas that Roger ranks as his favourite food.
Don't mention His wild antics as a junior, much like those of his heroes from the American wrestling scene he loves to watch. "I used to smash a lot of rackets. When I was 16 I was even getting kicked out of practice sessions." It's Roger "The Enforcer" Federer.
British claim Well, his first name sounds quite British, which is more than Zola Budd could say.
Luvvy rating Social skills make him the darling of the locker room. "Roger, he's a really great guy," says Jonas Bjorkmann, and that's good enough for us. 10/10
The winning formula
Love of the net / misguided headgear x elegance = big (swiss) cheese
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Post by RogiFan on Jun 20, 2003 7:30:08 GMT -5
cont'd
Sjeng Schalken
Monday June 16, 2003 The Guardian
Nationality: Dutch. Age: 26. Lives: Monte Carlo, Mon. Height: 6ft 3in. Weight: 13st 3lb. Turned pro: 1994. Tournaments won: 7 (0 grand slams). Wimbledons: 8 since 1995. Best performance: quarter-finals 2002. Career prize money: £2,544,100. World ranking: 13 (highest 11) On court
In a nutshell Schalken is not the sort of bloke to draw much attention -he's played eight Wimbledons with barely a murmur - but he did nearly cause the biggest upset last year by pushing Lleyton Hewitt to five sets in the quarter-finals.
Grass or pass The flying Dutchman is class on grass. In three tournaments on it last year he won one and lost to Hewitt in the other two.
Distinguishing feature More bandages than a mummy in casualty. Schalken rivals even the perennially patched-up Todd Martin for acreage of strapping.
Hot shot A glorious serve which can confound opponents by reaching the most awkward places in the service box with monotonous regularity.
Pressure point Schalken has learned the error of his once expressive ways. "I'm very emotional inside but I'm not going to show it any more because I lost so many matches with it. If you get angry, you don't see what you have to do to win."
Outside court
Hero or zero The Dutch No1 for the last three years. After his rise up the rankings many people in Holland can even spell his name.
Happy clappies His coach Henk van Hulst is normally there, with his son Willem Jan van Hulst. Look out for Schalken's parents, who live so close to the national border that their house is in Holland and their garden in Belgium.
Don't mention The first few years of his career, characterised by tantrums, bad form and four consecutive first-round defeats at Wimbledon. "I'm like wine, I get better with age," he suggests.
British claim A big fan of mediocre British rock, he lists Dire Straits as his favourite band ever. Maybe he should stay in Holland.
Luvvy rating Given he usually pushes everyone he plays to five long sets they probably shudder when they see him unpacking his racket bag. Not Hewitt. "I get along really well with Sjeng," he says, possibly because he always beats him. 5/10.
The winning formula
Booming service + temperament x mobile on grass = Dutch master
Tim Henman
Monday June 16, 2003 The Guardian
Nationality: British. Age: 28. Lives London. Height: 6ft 1in. Weight: 12st 2lb. Turned pro: 1993. Tournaments won :9 (0 grand slams). Wimbledons: 9 since 1994. Best performance: semi-finals 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002. Career prize money: £5,022,700. World ranking: 28 (highest 4). On court
In a nutshell Henman's record at Wimbledon (four semi-finals and two quarter-finals) is worthy of respect. His best chance came and went in a rain-delayed, three-day semi-final to Goran Ivanisevic in 2001. May be hampered by his comeback from shoulder surgery this year but at least Pete Sampras is no longer a problem.
Grass or pass Never happier than on the green, green grass of home. And rarely happy away from it.
Distinguishing feature His famously restrained fist pump, which looks as though he is challenging his opponent to a death-match game of paper, scissors, stone.
Hot shot Possesses what are known in the trade as "nice hands", which allow him to produce volleys as clean and controlled as Alan Titchmarsh's herbaceous borders. It's just a shame his groundstrokes are so weedy.
Pressure point Sometimes the occasion can go straight to his stomach. Last year against Michel Kratochvil he looked on the point of vomiting for the best part of five sets before ATP trainer Bill Norris stepped in with an expert diagnosis. "All he needs is a damn good fart," he said.
Outside court
Hero or zero For a few weeks Henman makes David Beckham look like last year's Big Brother housemates. Expect the word "Britain's" to precede his name at every turn - until he loses.
Happy clappies Wife Lucy (though minus 10-month-old daughter Rosie), parents Jane and Tony, he of the arched eyebrow and square jaw, agent Jan Felgate and coach Larry Stefanki if he's allowed to. Plus 90% of the crowd and a Hill full outside.
Don't mention During a doubles match in 1995 he slapped a ball away in anger and struck a ball girl in the face. Ruined his bad-boy image by sending her flowers and apologising.
British claim As British as strawberries and cream, rain and losing semi-finals.
Luvvy rating Definitely head boy material, he is renowned for leading locker-room japes and organising a backgammon school during rain delays. 9/10
The winning formula
Love of grass / personality x patriotic fervour = arise, Sir Tim < hee hee!
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Post by RogiFan on Jun 20, 2003 7:30:57 GMT -5
more still Another visit to the pressure cooker Jim White on Tim Henman's annual struggle with the burden of British expectation Monday June 16, 2003 The Guardian Choker is the term sportsmen least like applied to themselves. The implication goes to the very heart of their purpose, to suggest, in the way they fail at the last, that they do not possess the most fundamental characteristic of those engaged in a competitive trade: the ability to win. Four times in the last five years Tim Henman has reached the Wimbledon semi-finals, a record of some substance and easily the best by a British man since the 1930s. Yet every time, after frequently playing brilliantly to carry himself to the very lip of triumph, he has failed to progress further. And out have come the choker headlines. Not, bad luck Tim, good effort. Not, next time you'll do it. Just choker. Every time Henman fails, what begins as a sigh of disappointment audible throughout the home counties rapidly turns bitter and recriminatory. Henman adds to the pressure by tipping himself annually to become champion. He seems to regard it as his destiny, so giving himself further to fall when he does meet his match. Then it is as if he has not just disappointed himself, not just let down his small army of eccentric followers, but somehow betrayed his nation. "Following Tim can be frustrating. He should really come with a government health warning," says Jean Tyson. And she started his fan club. Yet, given what Henman goes through at Wimbledon, it could be reckoned an astonishing testament to his skill and temperament that he has got so far so often. Every year Henman faces a pressure unique in British sport. Such has been the long and embarrassing litany of failure by the locals in the world's premier tennis championships that a deep, some might say psychotic, yearning has developed in the national consciousness. All we want is a male winner. Embarrassment at 60 years of failure has gnawed away all reserves of patience. The fact that British golfers have picked up claret jugs and slipped on green blazers means that, when Colin Montgomerie, the most naturally gifted golfer produced in Britain, tees off at the Open, his inability to land a major championship is really just his own private failing. Even the failure to win the Ashes in eight series does not cut as deep as Wimbledon; at least there are people alive who can remember when we had bragging rights over the urn. But not so many saw Fred Perry's victory at Wimbledon in 1936. Thus, when Henman emerged in the mid- 90s as a real contender, a player not only brought up on grass courts but who can actually win on them, the nation began to invest its hopes in him. As his SW19 career began to develop (2000 was the only year in seven he has failed to reach the quarter-finals) it looked increasingly as if that faith might one day be justified. "He's such a good player," says Todd Martin, who beat him the first time he progressed to the last eight in 1996. "Most of the time we're playing with a bunch of guys who stand 10 feet behind the baseline but Tim is manoeuvring the ball, playing with slice, playing with some top-spin, playing some short and he moves tremendously." With ability like that, it did not take Henman long to build up a huge following. "He is just such a wonderful player, so graceful and skilled, and the fact that he is a Brit plays a part," says Tyson. "I first saw him at Wimbledon in 1995 when there was all that fuss about the accident with a ball girl [Henman swatted a ball in anger and it hit her in the face]. I was impressed by the way he handled himself, if not his initial temper, and by Wimbledon 1996 I found myself writing a fan letter and it all ballooned from there." These days Wimbledon is not complete without the union-flag draped hordes who fill up Henman Hill every time he is playing, coming in from across the country, with no hope of getting anywhere near a seat on Centre Court, just to watch him on a giant screen. And it is not just the politest fans in world sport who have deposited their hopes and expectations on Henman's lithe shoulders. The media has too. The BBC, for instance, despite admirable attempts to maintain impartiality, falls prey to Henmania every time. "There is always a huge buzz around the BBC compound when he's playing and I always watch as a fan," admits the BBC's Wimbledon anchor Sue Barker, herself a semi-finalist back in the seventies. "Of course at the end of it you have to do your job and, if he's lost and not played well, you have to say that." The BBC hierarchy is well aware of the ratings that would flow from a Henman win. The power of victory as a fertiliser to grow viewing figures was evident in the millions who tuned in to watch Steve Redgrave and Torvill and Dean in action in sports normally followed by a handful of devotees. Henman in the Wimbledon final would be the biggest sporting event on television this side of the World Cup. And Henman knows it too. From the moment he arrives at the All England Club for his first match he will sense the near desperation hanging in the air. "Actually the kind of pressure you get at Wimbledon is exciting," says Roger Taylor, the last British man to reach a semi-final there (30 years ago) before Henman. "I enjoyed it and I know Tim does too. There are so many times when you play away from home, so when you get the kind of support you get at Wimbledon you can gain energy from it. It feels like you have a connection with the supporters." Barker is equally impressed. "I am always amazed at how well he handles the expectation," she says. "I experienced something like he has but I had Virginia [Wade] with me. Even she wrote in her book that she was glad I was around to share that burden but we never had the sort of pressure Tim has." So, if those who study Henman at close quarters believe he has the mental capability, why has he not won the thing? How come he has fallen at the second last so often? "To do it [reach the semis] consistently is a tremendous achievement," says Taylor. "But not getting to the final, when you have put so much into it, creates a kind of numbness. Tim has to be very philosophical about this Wimbledon because he's been injured for so long. He hopes and wants to do well but that's probably secondary to making sure he's getting fit and healthy." Lower expectations - his own, his fans', his country's - might help him, Taylor adds. Unfortunately, this being Wimbledon, the chances of that happening are as likely as the other 127 elite tennis players about to embark on the world's senior tournament doing the decent thing and letting Timbo win. Best of the rest Greg Rusedski US Open finalist in 1997. Lost to Cedric Pioline in Wimbledon 1997 quarter-final. But a dodgy back, two gammy feet and a knackered knee have dented hopes. Age: 29. Lives: London. Wimbledons: 10 since 1993. Best: quarter-final 1997. Career prize money: £4,720,900. Arvind Parmar Won a Challenger in Waco, Texas in 1999. Rose to a high of world No145 in 2000. Beat Andre Sa at Wimbledon in 2000. A Davis Cup regular. Age: 25. Lives: Hitchin. Wimbledons: 4 since 1999. Best: 2nd round (three times). Career prize money: £167,400. Martin Lee Finalist in the ATP event at Rhode Island in 2001. Brought in a psychologist to help with anger control. Knee injury dogged him before a return at the start of June. Age: 25. Lives: Maidenhead. Wimbledons: 6 since 1997. Best: 2nd round (three times). Career prize money: £269,848.
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Post by RogiFan on Jun 20, 2003 7:31:41 GMT -5
it comes and it comes...
20 tips for a perfect day at Wimbledon Stephen Lynch, a regular since 1963, presents an insider's watching brief Monday June 16, 2003 The Guardian
1. To see big names in the singles on outside courts make sure you go before the second Tuesday. It's doubles, veterans and juniors only from then on. 2. If you're not on the show courts head for Court No2, the "seeds' graveyard" (Pete Sampras lost there last year). You have to buy one of the 500 tickets available each day.
3. The best position to watch a match is centrally from behind the baseline (as on TV). Wherever you are, make sure you're sufficiently above ground level to follow the ball.
4. The best souvenirs around are Wimbledon towels (£13- £23). They last forever and are better value than most.
5. Cushions are expensive to buy (£6 standard, £13.50 de luxe) but they're only £1.70 to hire. Get them near gate four.
6. The best places to hide if it rains are the museum, the shop and the bar underneath Centre Court. Nip out the moment the skies darken (or when the referee Alan Mills hoves into view) to avoid the stampede.
7. Tickets from people leaving Centre and No1 courts are resold for charity at a hut next to gate 18, at the top of Henman Hill (£5 before 5pm, £3 after).
8. If you have weak legs, time your attempt to take your seat. Officials won't let you do so except during change-overs - which can mean standing for 10 seconds or 10 minutes.
9. The food choice is strawberries and cream, smoked salmon sandwiches, Pimm's and champagne at the members' lawn or fish and chips, pizza, Chinese and soft drinks. If healthy and cheap are your watchwords, take your own.
10. Autograph hunters can snare faded greats on the outside courts during a senior doubles game. There's also an autograph island by the practice courts in the first week with a rota of current players.
11. The museum (£3.50-£5.50) is good but, unless you're hiding from the rain, go another time. It's open all year. During Wimbledon there are too many people for it to be enjoyable.
12. If you want to be on TV sit near the scoreboard or behind the players. Failing that, sit forlornly under your umbrella on Centre Court when everyone else has given up and gone home.
13. Bring a radio with headphones to make sense of all the distant cheers. Radio Wimbledon is on 87.7FM.
14. The Kids' Zone is open to all, so get your serving speed measured. If you can live with the truth, that is.
15. If you want strawberries and cream or a Pimm's go in the middle of a big match. As soon as it finishes the queues are endless.
16. You'll be shamed by a wave of tut-tutting and whispers of "honestly" if you make noise during a rally, applaud a net cord or double fault or use a camera flash. So don't.
17. Hang around by the exits from Centre and No1 courts and you could strike lucky with a freebie from an early leaver.
18. To watch Tim Henman get there before 6pm of the previous day and queue. About 500 Centre Court tickets are available daily until the quarter-finals.
19. To see Henman without a Centre Court ticket you'll spot him practising on an outside court before his matches.
20. Whatever you do, don't forget these five essentials: a bottle of water, umbrella, suncream, light snacks - and a wallet stuffed with cash.
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Post by RogiFan on Jun 20, 2003 7:32:40 GMT -5
is there no end...? From Agassi to Zzzzzzz Martin Kelner's alphabetical guide to watching Wimbledon from the armchair Monday June 16, 2003 The Guardian A is for Agassi. Almost as famous these days for his mobile phone ads as for anything he does on court. Expect a shot of him going through his racket bag between sets, with the commentator saying, "He'll be looking for his mobile to text the wife." B is for Barker. Now in her 10th year on the BBC's team, Sue has reached the sort of age where High Court judges are inclined to describe you as fragrant. It has been a remarkably smooth transition from peppy, preppy newcomer to undisputed Queen of Wimbledon. On other programmes, like A Question of Sport, she seems to be trying too hard but bantering with Pam Shriver she is on home turf. C is for Cliff. No thanks, not even if it rains for the entire fortnight. D is for Davies. Commentator Barry is the BBC's man for all seasons. Bazza will no doubt fly straight from Wimbledon to Mauritania to marshal Grandstand's Grandstand's coverage of the North African balloon-hopping championships. Expect punctiliously correct pronunciations of foreign names and schoolmasterly displays of irritation - to which Bazza is increasingly prone - at outbreaks of bad behaviour. E is for Endorsements. Especially "energy" drinks. We all know drinking an "isotonic" drink is not going to help our serve one jot but that is not going to prevent manufacturers paying fortunes to have players ostentatiously pull back the tab on some overpriced fizzy drink when the camera is on them. Come back Robinsons barley water, all is forgiven. F is for Famous people. Ooh look, there's Liz Hurley/Michael Douglas/ Cliff (again!). Let's get a shot and then get Garry Richardson up there to do one of his celebrated in-your-face interviews. Richardson is TV's premier close-talker. He will beard his celeb in the stands - most notably in recent years Bill Clinton - and then make escape impossible by placing his face approximately half an inch away from that of his quarry. G is for Grunt. The animal noises that accompany some of the female players' two-handed backhands become louder and more outrageous each year. The fun is to spot the commentators studiously avoiding any mention of what they sound like. H is for Henman Hill. Unique opportunity to watch people watch what you're watching, smug in the knowledge that it cost them substantially more to do so. I is for Interactive TV. Thanks to the little red button on your remote, you can avoid watching a British (eternally) hopeful being overrun by a teenager from the Czech Republic on a show court and instead watch two decent tennis players on an outside court. J is for Johns. Lots of them; Barrett (plummy, polite, old tennis), Lloyd (good egg, bit of a wag), Inverdale (rather too pleased with himself), but chiefly McEnroe. The great man will do a turn for the BBC in the first week but will remain present for the duration of the tournament, mostly via a fuzzy shot through the glass in the commentary box, working for "our colleagues at CBS". Someone will parody Mac saying "You cannot be serious" at some point, possibly unaware that this joke is at least 20 years old. K is for Kournikova. Or knickers. Not that anyone would for one moment seek to cheapen a major sporting event by concentrating on the supposed sexual allure of one of the participants. Oh no. L is for Line judges, one of whom will be comically hit in the private parts by a fast-moving tennis ball during the tournament. This is written into their contract and, should it not occur naturally, they will be trained to move into the line of the ball. Also, we'll see a close-up of a line judge after a questionable call, trying to look as if they do not know everyone is looking at them. M is for Mexican waves. Participated in by the kind of people who hold up lighted matches at Elton John concerts, possibly the very same people. N is for Navratilova. Martina (also writing a column for the Guardian) is one of a number of former players - people who have actually won something - who join the Brits on the BBC's roster of experts. They tend to be refreshingly frank until it comes to Tim's and Greg's prospects. O is for Oh I Say.No Dan Maskell these days but Barry Davies gets close. P is for Plucky Brit. One whom Garry Richardson visits at home to film eating breakfast after his or her sensational and unexpected first-round victory and just before his/her defeat by a teenager from the Czech Republic ranked No456 in the world. Q is for Queue of those who camp out overnight in order to get Centre Court tickets. Watch out for children trying to slink out of shot, clearly mortified at being caught with parents who sport embarrassingly padded leisure wear. R is for Rain. And for the R in the corner of the screen when the break in play gives "another chance to see the 1980 final". S is for Strawberries. News bulletin on first day features reporter holding up small punnet of strawberries, for the price of which you could feed a family of six in the north of England for a week. T is for Texting. You might want to send in a message saying, "Come on Tim, we're all behind you", which will appear at the bottom of the screen. It will cost you no more than the price of a couple of pints in a London pub. U is for Umpires. Their job is to sit on a very high chair and take abuse. Occasionally they appear in a feature to show umpires are human after all but, as they often seem to work as cost accountants, it doesn't really work. V is for Virginia. Age shall not wither her nor custom stale her infinite variety, as far as the BBC is concerned. She won her title in Silver Jubilee year, was still around for Golden Jubilee year, and . . . well, basically it is now down to a race between her and Queen Elizabeth. W is for Williamses. Venus and Serena will inevitably be described at some point as "having taken women's tennis to a new level". They'll also be seen wearing outfits rejected by the organisers of the Rio de Janeiro carnival for being slightly too outrageous. X is for eX-players. Their antics on the seniors circuit are shown during the fallow periods in Wimbledon fortnight, especially Mansour Bahrami, whose comedy routine is uncomfortably reminiscent of those clowns who used to spook us when we were children. Y is for Yelena (or Jelena) Dokic, whose dad is the wackiest of all the wacky tennis parents. He said he would kill himself if he found his daughter was gay. Go on, tell us another, Damir. Z is for Zzzzzzz. Yes folks, it's time for the mixed doubles. sport.guardian.co.uk/wimbledon2003/story/0,13391,978673,00.html
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Post by Vera on Jun 20, 2003 14:25:19 GMT -5
Wimbledon-Men's winner difficult to predict By Martyn Herman
LONDON, June 20 (Reuters) - Lleyton Hewitt's stunning Wimbledon triumph last year ended two decades of serve and volley dominance at the grasscourt slam and it may be some years before that trend returns.
Gone are the days when Pete Sampras was king and you could select a men's winner from a list of maybe three or four players.
The American seven-times winner will no doubt be a curious armchair fan at home in Beverly Hills this year, while among the other grasscourt specialists, God has stopped listening to injury-prone Goran Ivanisevic, Pat Rafter is enjoying family life in Bermuda and Richard Krajicek quit the sport on Thursday.
Roger Federer is the only one of this year's top four seeds who can be considered a serve-volleyer while four-times semi-finalist Tim Henman is down in 10th spot after playing catch-up from shoulder surgery.
Tipping a winner is further complicated by the fact that top seed Hewitt enters the tournament fighting for form and by the suspicion that world number one Andre Agassi, seeded two, could be blown away by the game's new breed of big hitters.
Agassi, crushed in the second round last year by Thai Paradorn Srichaphan and overwhelmed at the recent Stella Artois Championships by Andy Roddick, will still start as many people's favourite, however.
"He's fitter and stronger and probably just as fast as he was in his teenage years," Agassi's coach Darren Cahill told Reuters this week.
"He has a serious love of the game and you can't teach that," added the Australian of the 33-year-old Agassi, who won the title in 1992. "He enjoys going out and testing himself every day and seeing if he can become a better player every day."
The same sentiments could be spoken of Hewitt -- 11 years Agassi's junior. The tenacious Australian has many similarities to Agassi, not least his service returning, while, as Sampras once said "he has the best wheels in the game."
Hewitt, who beat David Nalbandian to claim his second grand slam title last year, recently split from coach Jason Stoltenberg and looked badly out of sorts at Queen's Club. But Cahill expects his compatriot to come out firing from day one at Wimbledon.
"He's going to be a tough guy to beat, no question about that," said Cahill. "I would love to see a final between Andre and Lleyton, I think everyone would love to see that."
DANGEROUS PLAYERS
First though they will have to battle through a draw full of potential winners. Hewitt is seeded to meet Roddick in the quarter-finals, with many tipping the big-serving American to have a real blast this year.
Agassi's section of the draw includes the unpredictable former U.S. Open winner Marat Safin, while the unseeded Mark Philippoussis is the probably the most dangerous "sleeper" in the draw, according to Cahill.
"There are a lot of players in the draw who are not seeded but who are very dangerous," said Cahill. "Philippoussis has a lot of grass-court experience and could cause a big upset.
"And there are a heap of others like (Nicolas) Escude."
South Africa's Wayne Ferreira, seeded 28, could also be thrown into the melting pot, as could Srichaphan, American Taylor Dent, any number of Spaniards and South Americans and, of course, British duo Henman and the fit-again Greg Rusedski.
While this year's men's championship could be the most unpredictable for years, one thing will never change, the phenomenon called Henmania.
The 28-year-old Henman's attempts to become the first Briton to win the men's title since Fred Perry in the 1930s have gripped the nation every summer since he burst on to the scene by reaching the quarter-finals in 1996.
Four times he has reached the semi-finals, only to stumble, but the Briton knows exactly how to handle the pressure.
"The crowd can give me a massive lift, if anything it puts pressure on my opponents," he said.
"It's pretty simple really, you've just got to win seven matches against the best players in the world. I've managed five but never six or seven. I'll just try again this year."
Source: Reuters
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