Tennis Chatter

A year ago Virginie Razzano had the week of her career in LA. This week, she won just six games in a first-round drubbing against lucky loser Melinda Czink.

What is it that makes tennis so mental? So stringy? Players are hot for a few points, or games, or weeks or months, and then they disappear into the oblivion? I know that's a rather general statement, and that every sport has its ups and downs, but to watch mid-majors like Razzano, Maria Kirilenko, Marion Bartoli, or, on the guy's side Janko Tipsarevic or Radek Stepanek have such talent but not always be able to execute it is baffling to me. Is it mental?

Last week, Aleksandra Wozniak gave Canada something to cheer about by coming out of nowhere to win the Bank of the West Classic.

This week, however, my favorite Canadian takes center stage in the friendly confines of Toronto. Frank Dancevic began his dream run in 2007 in Indianapolis and continued it here at the Rogers Cup. This year Dancevic didn't fare as well in Indiana, but the hometown boy won his opening match last night against Mario Ancic in straight sets, and now gets a tall order tonight: defending champion Novak Djokovic.

Doug Robson, a freelance writer who does lots of tennis for USA Today, posted this item on his blog about an OUT Magazine article featuring a gay tennis player. Robson dismisses Rodriguez's coming out, saying it will take a "much higher profile retired player" to make any waves in tennis, but it's still an interesting read.

Tennis Chatter: Wimbledon Monday

As Tennis Week Magazine has done its best to re-vamp its coverage of the tennis tours both in print and on its recently re-done web site, you might think that IMG (who owns the publication) would be making sure that glossy look came with a competent copy editor, too. Can you tell what's wrong with the picture below? Let's just Jelena wouldn't be too impressed.

(Tennis Chatter photo.)

A few WTA stars have landed themselves on Forbes' Top 100 celebrity list. That's both current and retired, if you were wondering.

It may be the most traditional tournament in tennis, but The Championships at Wimbledon are not scared to do things a little differently sometimes - or, trendy - that is. The tournament has created a facebook page that features news stories, videos and other inside-the-tournament features for members to become "fans" of and get all their AELTC news while stalking their friends on the slightly-less-creepy version of MySpace.

Also on the new media front, Wimbledon was quick to take down any videos of play posted on YouTube last year during The Championships, so we'll have to see what happens this year. So far, you can see lots of Day 1 action on the site.

Canadien Frank Dancevic is through to round two after a rousing upset over David Nalbandian on Day 1. Don't want to brag, but I kind of predicted that this would happen.



Oh, and here's the light-hearted clip of Federer and Dominic Hrbaty at the end of their first-round match.


(Video by Deborahtje44.)

Underdogs Version: Men and Women

Now that the tennis year is in full swing, I thought it might be time to do something a little less predictable; something other than the top 10. 2007 was full of breakout artists: Ivanovic, Jankovic, Djokovic...and those are just the Serbs that caught our attention!

Here's a short list of players I think will make big noise in '08:
Lindsay Davenport
World rank: 72 '07 record: 13-1 Highlight: Winning two of three tournaments in her baby-in-tow return.
Lindsay Davenport was the feel-good story of the fall while the tennis world was engulfed in a storm of scandal that included the on-going betting scandal, Martina Hingis' bizarre re-retirement and speculation of a fixed exhibition series between the two GOATs.

Davenport's return isn't all about feeling good, however, it's about feeling great. The new mother blazed to a 13-1 record while collecting two titles and announcing a powerful return to the tour. The Californian has already committed to a full slam schedule (minus the French, of course) and has opened '08 with two wins already.

Prediction: It's hard to put Davenport up there with Henin (who she always struggled against), the Williamses and others. I think she'll no doubt make some noise at the slams, and may garner a runner-up trophy or two...but nothing more.

Tamira Pazsek
World rank: 41 '07 record: 33-18 Highlight: Making the 4th round at the USO (and beating Schnyder along the way).
Tamira Pazsek is the full package. The 17-year-old Austrian made the 4th round at both Wimbledon and the US Open on her way to finishing the year ranked 41st in the world. Her strong backcourt game was groomed for much of the year by Larry Passos, the former coach of Gustavo Kuerten. Though Passos and Pazsek have gone separate ways, the teen will certainly be a top 20 player by the end of the year.

Prediction: Top 20 by year's end along with a grand slam quarterfinal appearance (or two). In '09 she'll join Ivanovic, Jankovic and company in the "Slam Contender" category.

Agnes Szavay
World rank: 20 '07 record: 56-14 Highlight: Rising nearly 200 spots in the rankings in one calendar year.
Szavay won her first WTA title in Beijing this past fall, beating Jankovic in the final as the sixth seed. Her victory capped off what was an extremely impressive year for the Hungarian, who finished the year at No. 20 in the rankings following an impressive run to the quarters at the US Open.

Prediction: Szavay will continue her run up the rankings, but not quite at the pace she did in 2007. She doesn't have many points to defend early in the year, and could climb into the top 15 before the French. Expect her to hover there for the next year or so, before breaking in to the top 10 in '09 or '10.

Julie Ditty
World rank: 101 '07 record: 49-25 Highlight: Winning six matches at Quebec and making her first ever WTA semifinal.
Vanderbilt grad Julie Ditty continued her steady rise up the rankings in 2007 with a flurry of wins on the ITF tour. Her best results, however, came on the WTA circuit in late fall, when she qualified for four straight tournaments including Quebec, where she made the semifinals.

Prediction: The lefty has the chance to climb up the rankings (much like Szavay) early in the year. She'll be top 80 by the end of the year.

Janko Tipsarevic
World rank: 52 '07 record: 19-22 Highlight: His 8-6 in-the-fifth win over Fernando Gonzalez at Wimbledon.
Tipsarevic, the Prince of Serbian Tennis, made his mark on the ATP Tour last year by going 6-4 in the majors, including a dazzling performance at the All England Club. He won three straight five-set matches to advance to the 4th round before falling to a red-hot Juan Carlos Ferrero.

Prediction: Janko's cooky playing style, partnered with his speed and grit, will keep him in the top 50 this year. If he can stay healthy, and continue to feed off the positive energy of countryman Novak Djokovic, we could see him as a seeded player at Wimbledon and the USO.

Frank Dancevic
World rank: 72 '07 record: 18-19 Highlight: The quarterfinals at AMS Canada.
Frank Dancevic had quite the summer, where he went 7-2 and scored wins over Andy Roddick and Fernando Verdasco. After making the finals at Indianapolis, Dancevic wowed his hometown crowd in Canada by taking Rafael Nadal to three sets in the quarterfinals.

Prediction: The Canadian will continue to win matches with his rifle serve and dangerous one-handed backhand. He'll be top 50 by year's end, if not before.

Fernando Verdasco
World rank: 26 '07 record: 34-28 Highlight: Advancing to the 4th round at RG after seven straight losses.
This is the year for Fernando Verdasco. At least, that's what I say. After demonstrating so much talent and so little execution over the last few years, Verdasco, now 24, should solidify his place inside the top 20 in 2008. The success of Rafael Nadal has no doubt motivated his fellow Spaniards, and Verdasco, along with Feliciano Lopez should benefit from Nadal's success this year with some of his own.

Prediction: Top 20. Semifinals at the French.

Where Are They Now? Part One

Checking in with the few non-stars that AIPT has followed in the past.

Alexandra Stevenson. Last time (February) we checked in with the '99 Wimbledon semifinalist, she was in decent form at a challenger event (her norm over the last few years) in Minneapolis. Currently ranked 396, Stevenson has found recent success (she's moved up 115 spots in three weeks) on the challenger events in the US. If the American can continue such a pattern, we might see her in the qualifying draw in time for the Australian.

Amy Frazier. Is MIA. After phoning in to the WTA, I learned that Frazier is "not retired and has no plans of retiring." Curious indeed. A little more digging might be needed in this one...

Aravane Rezai. The sassy Frenchwoman continues to be a lower level mid-major player (how's that for a title?). After starting the year a respectable 9-15, the 20-year-old has gone just 1-7 in her last eight matches and is 76th in the rankings this week after reaching a career-high number 40 in January of this year.

David Nalbandian went from Grand Slam contending powerhouse (aka Mr. Consistency) to overweight has been. The Argentinian is 22nd in the rankings, but is 33rd in the Race to the Championships, showing he's had a less-than impressive year.

Frank Dancevic. Following a brilliant summer in which Dancevic went 8-3 (including the quarters at the Rogers Masters), the Canadian fell in a tough three sets to Marat Safin in the opening round of the Open. He won a tough battle against Juan Martin Del Potro in Bangkok before falling to Fernando Verdasco in three last week.

Part two will feature Donald Young, Gustavo Kuerten, John Isner, Li Na and Madison Brengle. Stay tuned!

On Goes the Open

Last night I got to catch a rare glimpse of tennis on the tube, watching John Isner boom his way into a third-round match-up with Roger Federer. It was also the first time I've watched Fed play since Wimbledon, and I forgot how easy and fluid he makes everything look.

The game of tennis seems to be blooming at the US Open this year, at least on the men's side. You've got rising American stars, top players holding on to their precious status, champions struggling to stay on their game and veterans making one last stand. The story lines are aplenty, hopefully the good tennis will be, too.

It was great to see Tim Henman post a victory in a Slam other than Wimbledon yesterday, and against a seed no less. A week-two run for the Brit? Maybe.

And while my boy Frank Dancevic couldn't quite hold on against Safin, I think it's safe to say he's on his way up. I predict at least a third round appearance at the Aussie...and that he finishes this year in the top 50(!).

But if Isner wants to crack the cream of the crop, he can't miss shots like this one in DC:

Taking the Hard Road

Remember Frank Dancevic from this summer? How about from this appearance. Or this one. The rising Canadian star had a stellar summer, going 8-3 in three events and seeing his ranking jump from #113 in the world to #67.

When the US Open draw deadline came up a few weeks ago, however, Dancevic didn't have a high enough ranking to slip into the main draw, meaning he would have to qualify for the year's last Grand Slam. After beating Andy Roddick and Fernando Verdasco, not to mention making the quarters of a Masters Series and taking Rafael Nadal to a dramatic three sets, Dancevic became a hot name on the tour, but his ranking still bestowed one thing on him that the Nadals and Roddicks of the tour didn't have to go through: US Open qualifying.

(Dancevic and his signature one-handed backhand. Photo by Eduardo Cavasotti via Flickr.)

So over the past week, Dancevic has played as the number one seed in a tournament for the first time this year, though it was a tournament with sixteen winners instead of one, all earning their right into the US Open main draw.

Joining Dancevic will be a cast of hard road takers, men who are just coming up in their careers like American teen Scoville Jenkins (who was not granted a wild card) and Amersfoort champion Steve Darcis along with journeymen like Andrei Pavel (once ranked #13), Rainer Schuettler (2003 Australian Open finalist) and Alexander Waske (playing in his 3rd-ever Open at the age of 32). They all advanced through the grueling three rounds of the qualies, just for the chance to get a crack at the main draw - and - the biggest tennis tournament on tour.

Dancevic gets Marat Safin in the opening round; Jenkins, not as lucky, meets Roger Federer. But for these guys the journey is already well underway. And while Safin and Federer might be working out the kinks in the superior games on Monday and Tuesday at Flushing Meadows, the qualifiers will have three matches under their belt and the hope for a chance to play just one more.