Legs to Stand On

Growing up, I regularly attended high school basketball games. My four older siblings all played the winter sport, and it was a great distraction from the frighteningly cold winter weather in Montana. My sisters' teams were consistently bad - real bad. Year after year I would watch them have losing seasons, winning just a handful of games in each. I wondered what the problem was: the coaching? The players? The game plans?

As I got older and started to play basketball myself, I began to see that a good team took all of the aforementioned ingredients. You couldn't have a great team without good players, a knowledgeable coach and a solid game plan - it all had to come together at once. Great teams just didn't happen, they had to be carefully orchestrated. But above anything else, the talent had to be there. Talent is the legs that greatness stands on.

As the Tremendous Two has grown into the Ferocious Four, it's safe to say that the ATP has legs to stand on for the next few years - four pairs of sturdy, terribly talented legs.

(Photo by billybuck via flickr.)

Watching Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray (as they're ranked) each have their own, separate bursts of greatness this year has been nothing short of spectacular. These four men have captured my attention in a way like never before, and I've become interested in men's tennis on a genuine, true-fan level. I'm guessing that they - and I - will be sticking around for a while.

The frightening thing is that there are three more pairs of talented legs - Juan Martin del Potro, Gilles Simon and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - that are threatening to turn the Ferocious Four into the Scintillating Seven. These are all gentlemen who have shown flashes of their own brilliance this season (throughout the calendar year), and a group that the tour can look to in week two of Grand Slams not as darkhorses or outsiders, but actually as legitimate heavy weights who just haven't had their breakthrough yet.

Last week, I wrote about how increasingly interesting the men's tour was becoming, and how the women's tour was lacking any true rivalries or distinction. The thing is, even if the women's tour was bursting with talent and attracting me with new and different stars, it would take nothing away from the legitimacy of what a great group of men sit atop the ATP rankings.

For tennis to be interesting on both sides is nearly impossible. Very often, in fact, it's difficult for even one tour to be compelling. But we are ending a year on the ATP that showed us what brilliance can do when it's pitted again other brilliance, and that bodes well for 2009, even if their is off-court drama.

You can ask for well-rounded, attractive champions, but it's not often that you get a group of truly talented, just-short-of-spectacular champions all at once. Now that's a talent any season can build on.

Career Battle

Lately, I've felt like a Williams sister. No, I'm not taking New York by storm with incredible fashion, participating in photo shoots, starting my own design line, starring on TV and having paparazzi follow me all over the city (a boy can dream though, right?). Instead, I've been exploring my various interests in this new and different city, dipping my toes into a new cafe, playing volleyball, exploring the arts and getting lost on the subway.

So, as the season has come to an end and Venus captured her first-ever WTA Championships title, I haven't felt like blogging much. I'm wondering if I seek a career like the Williams sisters, where I blog now and then and save the good stuff for meaty, Grand Slam-like posts or that of Jelena Jankovic, where I'm blogging everyday, often times at a lower quality level, stretching my mind and imagination and failing to deliver when it matters most (like during the 5th biggest tournament of the year).

But like tennis, the nature of the blogging world is demanding. If you don't churn out consistent, good stuff, the critics will come calling - or, in this case - the readers will stop reading. It's a Catch 22 if there ever was one, and as much as I think I have good writing skills that can only get better, I'm no Venus or Serena.

In any case, as winter approaches and the tennis tour takes its short vacation, I see myself joining them for the most part. There are certainly a few topics I would like to write on over the next 6 weeks before 2009 begins, and I would like to resurrect the ever-popular video blogging.

I'll try to make that all happen soon, but for now I'm off to a photo shoot... oops, there I go thinking I'm a Williams sister again. Ah, the life!

A Change of Scenery

A few years ago, when Serena was making her way through the Serena Slam, Jennifer Capriati was still re-surging, the Belgium duo was just making their way up while the likes of Venus, Lindsay and Mary Pierce were a weekly tour of Big Babe tennis and a Swiss Miss named Martina was still a Top 5 power, women's tennis was riding high.

2008 has painted quite a different picture for the WTA: Capriati, Pierce, both Belgium girls and (mostly) Davenport are absent from the game, while the world's Number 1, Jelena Jankovic, has never won a slam, and half-hearted champion Maria Sharapova, topsy-turvy Ana Ivanovic and other newcomers make up what USA Today writer Doug Robson calls "the weakest top-10 ever".

Meanwhile, across the aisle in the Men's Room, the ATP (despite its internal conflicts) is on fire. The Big Two (Roger and Rafa) was extended to the Big Three after Novak Djokovic won the Australian Open to open the year, and rumors are now swirling about "the Big Four" following Andy Murray's run to the US Open final and his win at the Madrid Masters. Perhaps after this week in Paris, it may be considered the Big Five - we'll just have to see what Jo-Wilfried Tsonga does in Shanghai.

The thing is, the tours have done something of a flip-flop. Following 2003, Magnus Norman's career went to the crapper, but as he and other faux champions (see: "Andy Roddick" or "Juan Carlos Ferrero") have been pushed aside, a great wave of bona-fide champions has emerged. Federer has been the foremost of these, while Nadal is on his heels (and ahead of him, in some aspects) and players like Djokovic, Murray, Tsonga and others including Gilles Simon and Juan Martin del Potro are attempting to make this the hay-day of tennis (once again).

While players like Djokovic, Murray and Tsonga have proved their staying power, the WTA has little strength to rest on outside of the House of Williams. Ana Ivanovic was a dismal 5-6 in the four months following her maiden slam win in Paris, and Jankovic has yet to win a slam, herself. Up-and-comers like Nicole Vaidisova, Maria Kirilenko, Marion Bartoli, Sania Mirza and others have been much talked-about, but have yet to come up with the goods. Others like Alize Cornet and Caroline Wozniacki have appealing games, but have yet to prove themselves in the upper echelon of the game.

Recently, I can't help but follow the men a little more than the women. The rivalries are there, the passion is tangible, and the drama is saved for the court. The girls always provide the drama, but perhaps they need to change the scenery to between the lines to make things a little more appealing... or can we just never have the best of both worlds?

The Almost Club

I started to write a post yesterday about two girls that I'm really excited about on the WTA Tour: Laura Robson and Marina Erakovic.

Each of these two young women have showed great promise and poise in the last six months as they've made their own inroads on the pro tour, but I can't help but think of them as part of a club that I feel is growing and growing: The Almost Club.

The Almost Club grows in membership each year, but in the last two years I've noticed that the application process has sped up and the applicant line never gets too deep - they just hop right in. Over at On the Baseline, Aaress did a great post on "The Most Frustrating WTA Players" on tour right now.

For me, the list could go on and on, but more than anything, I worry for the next generation - for girls like Robson and Erakovic - that they'll always be Almosters... that they'll never achieve greatness.

Perhaps it's something that I shouldn't lose sleep over. Fact is, there are few Venus Williams-like players in the world, and not everyone is destined for greatness. While working with the Easter Bowl, I'm learning how far tennis can reach (over 600 American kids play this tournament every year!) and how selective it truly is.

When it comes to team sports, greatness can be passed around from position to position. But in tennis, there is only one position: on the court. If you're not on it, you're off it. And if you're off it, you're probably not winning very much.

It would take me weeks to talk about all the Almosters on the WTA Tour, so I'll just stick with Robson and Erakovic. For now, they both have their careers ahead of them, so it's unfair to put them in one category or another.

But truth is, they probably will become a part of the Club, because we all know how hard it is to get into that other one club: the Club of Champions.

No-ho Video

I officially hate my camera.

One of my favorite parts of this past summer was getting the chance to do video posts for the blog about the goings on around tennis. It was fun, fresh and something that I truly enjoyed. And, beyond that, it was something that no one else in the (tennis) blogosphere was doing... therefore I was a total trendsetter, right?

But as I've started to re-boot the blog (and my life) over the last few weeks, my camera has been nothing short of impossible. One minute it won't turn on, the next it will - but only to die two seconds later. Then (after re-charging), it'll let me record a video, link up to my computer, only to crash when I try to import.

The moral of this story: my camera is old. Not old, old, but rather 21st-Century old. I've had it for over three years and it's given me a lot of good pictures and videos in that time... but shouldn't it be built to last?

I was hoping for the Martina Navratilova of cameras, but I ended up with Justine Henin instead. Pooey.

Behind the Story

A couple of weeks ago, after my first of several articles ran in my local paper, I had a family friend tell my in utter surprise how impressed he was with my writing. He meant it as a compliment and I took it as so, but I told him that the last four years of my life had been spent working on my writing, so hopefully I'm pretty good at it, right?

It was more of a joke than anything else, but as I look back at my few weeks spent in Montana this summer I will be thankful for many things. But one thing that will stand out is the opportunity to tell a few incredible stories to the community that I was raised in. So often the media gets branded as a fishing entity, one that only stirs up controversy and finds the worst in others.

Well, much of that is true, but on the same token, there are good stories to be told out there... actually, there are good stories that need to be told out there - because they're newsworthy.

Over the last eight days, my life has centered around soccer for the first time in 15 years. I had the incredible opportunity of witnessing recent high school graduates giving a clinic for at-risk youth, kids who suffer from all sorts of mental and emotional trauma.

I think we, as a society, oftentimes forget how impressionable other are. We take simple interactions for granted, never pausing to think how we impact one another. The impact on that morning was visible and nothing short of inspiring. Who knew that 30 minutes could make a week? Or, by god, a life?

This week, I got to spend time with a friend that I grew up with, talking with him and his family about his upcoming adventure to Africa, to work with the non-profit Grassroot Soccer. This is a humble, down-to-earth individual who genuinely cares about others not only in his immediate world, but in the global sense, too.

The story behind the story here is simple: this kid is the real deal. So often we are limited in writing by cliches and simple language, but to know and understand an individual and his or her 'cause' is to see them in their true light. His light will shine on others... how's that for cliche?

My hope is that these stories exist in the tennis world, as well. That stories like James Blake and his father, Andre Agassi and his school and Ana Ivanovic learning to play tennis in a pool don't have to be anomalies, but rather the fabric that makes up the world of tennis. Yes, you must find the good ones to make them worth writing (and reading) about, but they're there, it's just a matter of finding them.

Campaign Trail: Elect Andy in '08

Andy Roddick began his campaign for 2008 US Open champion with quite the advertising campaign. There's the Canadian commercial where Roddick is plastered on a billboard, his I'm-as-confident-as-ever interview for the hardcourt season and a press corps that's eating it all up.

Sound familiar?

Roddick is doing his best to campaign for a slot that he lost at this tournament last year: The Office of Third Best (TOOTB). You all remember that it was Novak Djokovic who stole that title from Andy, beating him in the quarterfinals of the Rogers Cup and then proceeded to beat Nadal and Federer for the title.

(Jimmy Connors couldn't cut it as Andy's campaign manager. Photo by Arch Noble via Flickr.)

But Andy wants you, and all of tennis, to believe that he is indeed still holds TOOTB. That he, Andy Roddick, can not only campaign to be TOOTB, but also have a chance to win the election everyone is gunning for this summer: US Open champion.

Roddick has made one smart decision: he's not going to Beijing. That's right, Andy is staying in the Good Ol' US of A to do his campaigning, to make sure that everyone puts him in the running for the title, and that maybe, just maybe, he can win his first slam in five long years.

A few days ago, Matt and I attempted to talk about this very topic: is it fair to put players like James Blake and Andy Roddick on the same level as Federer, Nadal and Djokovic?

Andy has become somewhat of an outsider over the last few years, and his campaign to reassert himself is just more evidence of such a downward progression. When it all comes down to it, it depends on how Roddick can play on the court, and he didn't play so well today ... maybe doing too many interviews, Andy?

If he wants to win over votes, perhaps he should try it on the court a little more, right? That's where the election is won and lost. And can he ever get past being TOOTB? Now that would be a miracle.

Cordless in (Almost) Canada

Well, I'm just a few miles from the Canada border this weekend spending time with family celebrating the 4th. Meanwhile, I was all excited to get out of the hot weather and do a video for you guys in some AC this afternoon when I realized the cord I use to hook up my camera to my laptop somehow didn't make the trip to Northeastern Montana. Therefore, no video post tonight.

But, I would like to write a bit on what an inspiring weekend this promises to be for tennis. Seeing champions like Venus, Serena, Roger and Rafa come through upset-laden draws was really impressive, and it'll be fun to see them on tennis' biggest stage no matter how they play. Sure, it would be great if the tennis was competitive, but we have four future Hall of Famers playing for the greatest title in tennis - that has to make a lot of people pretty happy.

One tournament that always comes to mind when the domino effect starts rolling through a draw is the 2004 women's French Open. Mauresmo, Davenport and the Williams sisters all crashed out in the quarterfinals, leaving a resurgent Jennifer Capriati to hold up the trophy. But alas, Jenny came out flat, and that soon-forgotten (and now mother?!?) Anastasia Myskina was crowned champion.

To many of you, that may seem like an obscure recollection, but my point is that Slams can become Slums in just a matter of a couple of days. Day three of this Championships we lost Roddick, Sharapova and Djokovic; soon thereafter Jankovic and Ivanovic were out, too. However, these four champions that have maintained their grit and game through it all deserve to be rewarded this weekend whether they produce the top of their games or not.

Too much the big names in tennis are celebrated, making it hard for new stars to breakthrough. For the next 48 hours, however, I see it entirely appropriate to celebrate these big names and to make sure that they stay engaged in the game that we love watching them play. They certainly owe it to the sport, and in a lot of ways, the sport owes it to them.

Just Wear, Yes "Wear," is Maria's Motivation?

Watching the last game of Ana Ivanovic's implosion today against Jie Zheng was rather painful. Ivanovic ended the match with four mis-hit forehands, much like Maria Sharapova opened up her dismal performance yesterday with three double faults.

Women's tennis is have a miniature identity crisis currently, with two of its foremost stars plummeting out of the tournament in incredibly bad form. There has been an abundance of swirling talk surrounding Sharapova and her motivation following her loss yesterday, especially because there had been so much talk about her outfit during the first four days of the fortnight.

But I found this most interesting: Maria Sharapova had no idea who or what Alla Kudryavtseva was. This clip (especially 0:57 to 1:23) is rather telling:



Maria says "Did she?" when the reporter tells her of Kudryavtseva's close call with Venus last year here and then proceeds to mindlessly say she "Practiced with her" and played her on clay "a couple of years ago." No, no, Maria. Not a couple of years ago, honey, last year, at the French, a grand slam, in a match that Maria was down 1-4 in the second set.

To me, it's inexcusable and rather disrespectful for a top player to give more thought to how to change up her outfit from round one to two instead of her game. Yes, I understand that thousands of matches have been played in which a higher-ranked player gave little to no thought or effort into what their opponent would do on the court, but this is Wimbledon, and this is Maria Sharapova.

Kamakshi Tandon wrote a great piece over at TENNIS.com about how the tour, the media, the public and the players love to hate Sharapova. Yes, it's true that she is not the most loved individual on tour, but Sharapova helps the process along when she refuses to say hello to others in the lockerroom, doesn't mingle at social events on tour and dismisses reporters like they are ridiculous for asking if the Biggest Sharapova Story of the tournament (um, her outfit!) has been distracting.

Wear is your motivation, Maria? Because the tuxedo outfit is history, and there's no trophy to go along with it this year.

Continued discussion on Maria and day five wrap below:

LFAH? Not Me

OK, enough nakedness for now, at least until a streaker makes an appearance on Centre Court.

Here are my thoughts from Day 2 at The Championships:



In other news, the new "Looking for a Hero?" advertising campaign put out by the WTA Tour has made its debut and is so terribly bad that instead of having 23 people in the stands for the Tour Championships in Doha this fall, there will probably be 14 or 15, instead.

Here's my problem: the WTA just doesn't get it. There's nothing appealing about these women just running around the streets of Rome that makes me more interested in them. If you want me to think they're ordinary, make them ordinary. If you want me to think they're superheroes, make them superheroes. But watching Jelena Jankovic run through a rotating door looking awkward and almost smiling into a "this-is-ridiculous" laughter is flat out boring.

It will, however, be interesting to see how this campaign does for the tour. They are spending millions of dollars on it, and hope to reach new corners of the globe. But, I wonder how much people who haven't been attracted to tennis beforehand will really be drawn in by these commercials?

And, finally, shouldn't the WTA be focusing on the tennis that these women play? Instead of trying to build up these stars as bigger than life off the court, shouldn't the tour showcase how they play on it? To spend $75 million marketing women as individuals instead of the game that they play? I guess to me it just shows how much weight the WTA has thrown behind its "stars." Which, in looking at the recent past (Justine, Martina, Jennifer, Kim anyone?), is a dangerous move.

"Looking for a Hero?" 60-second TVC



"Looking for a Hero?" 30-second TVC #1



"Looking for a Hero?" 30-second TVC #2

A Brief(?) Return

Well, folks, I've finally graduated from college. Nearly two years after I started this blog, I'm returning to it for coverage of Wimbledon and to see what sort of stuff I'd like to do for the year's greatest slam.

I've been toying with doing some video posts, delving into other women's sports and giving my tennis coverage a little bit of a different angle than any other site. Here's what you'll be getting from Tennis Chatter over the next couple of weeks:

-Original content
-Video posts
-Funny on-tour quirks
-Outside-the-lines stories
-My pure, unadulterated humor
-Opinion
-Gossip

I'm tired of tennis blog after tennis blog popping up all over the net and giving us the same thing that every other site gives: tennis news. Yes, it's great that the men's and women's games are getting ample coverage all over the Internet, but how much do we actually need 50 different sources telling us the same thing? If I learned one thing in college it was that we are drowning in a world content. There's content about everything imaginable out there, and in order to try to doggy paddle through it all, you have to sift through the stuff that's irrelevant.

That's why my return to Tennis Chatter may be brief. Perhaps I'm irrelevant. Perhaps I'm just another talking head that is under-educated about tennis and about life and is just spouting off un-needed opinion and taking up (cyber) space. I take myself (not too) serious as a tennis fan and as a writer, but perhaps I should be putting my energy elsewhere to make this thing called life work. I don't need to "prove" myself through a blog but instead I should be enjoying what I do while providing a unique and worthwhile service for my audience.

As always, comments are welcome.

A Long Time Coming

For the past three months, I've battled this blog on a daily basis. We've become bickering siblings; me wanting to play with others, Tennis Chatter wanting me all to herself.

I love the game of tennis. In many ways, it helped me along my path of adolescence, and has been an integral part of my developing writing career.

As I begin to make my final strides toward graduating from college, however, it's time for me to focus on things that have more of a direct impact on who I am. I've kept this blog going because of that love, but also because I feel a pressure to do things for the unknown future, for the potential job interview, for the chance at one-upping my peers.

I want to work for a lot of things in this life, and tennis is one of them. But right now I'm at such a crossroads - both personally and professionally - that I'm unsure of where tennis will come in, and what role it will play in my life.

I hate to add my blog to the thousands that have gone to the wayside in the recent past. I, however, feel as though I will return here sometime in the future to make some sort of change or perhaps to re-capture my love for this game in a whole new way.

Thank you to everyone who has read, commented, bashed or browsed in the last year; you're all much appreciated.

Cheers,
Nick

The Caucus Process

I've been rather busy the last few days with all the different things that make up my life. Today was rather a big day here in the dreary state of Washington, as Washingtonians went to their caucuses to choose the state's delegates for the Democratic presidential race.

I was rather inspired to caucus today and participate in what many are calling one of the most pivotal elections of our time. What fun to see a woman and a man of color running head-to-head in such a historic race. So as I arrived at my polling place I expected to find rows of friendly caucus organizers lining the halls with stickers and clipboards and making check marks as they pointed people to their rooms and we all went on our marry-caucus way.

Instead, T.T. Minor elementary was snarled at the main entrance, where a crowd of people from all walks of life were fighting just to get out of the rain, much less participate in a presidential election. But the craziness at the doorway was just the beginning of what would turn out to be a rather disappointing afternoon of frustrated caucusers, unorganized (and far too many) caucus organizers and people who really wanted to get involved in their community - and their country - and make a difference but were at the wrong caucus location, couldn't find their precinct room, or were just plain fed up with the whole process itself.

Leaving the caucus, I felt rather discouraged. Sure, I had gone in, helped in any way I could, written down my general information and who I preferred for the race and then scooted away; all done. Processes - whether it's to elect a candidate, an official, or even just how to make a morning cup of coffee (which I do for a living) - are all different, and everyone feels as though their way is best, but that's not always the case. I think you can chalk the caucus process (in my opinion) up in the "bad process" column... there's just got to be a better way.

When I left the caucus, I rode the bus down to campus and got to thinking about how many issues swirl around this globe every day. Clinton, Obama and all the other candidates have had to speak to these issues day in and day out of the campaign, and eventually one of them will take office in hopes of making this world a better place.

That's something I want to achieve in my life: making the world a better place. I often wonder what role tennis has to do with that. I am passionate about the game of tennis, and about my writing and what impact they both have on society. Is tennis just a sport for the rich and powerful? Has professional tennis warped into a game of advertising moguls and diva millionaires?

In a lot of ways I think that yes, it has. But at the same time, I think the complete opposite. I look at the elite of the game and see many socially-aware players who do their part to be diplomats and agents of social change, but meanwhile take million-dollar contracts with corporations and play a wasteful and often times frivolous.

As I move toward college graduation I am starting to analyze the 'big picture' more often. Perhaps I should give up on my dream of sitting court-side at Wimbledon documenting the final and instead find a path of change and good that might do what these candidates are trying to do.

For now, I'll take solace in being a student... four more months of this dream world!

Motivations of a Runner-Up?

Ana Ivanovic didn't win in Australia yesterday, but don't think that's the last you'll see of the 20-year-old Serbian on the grand stage of major finals.

Ivanovic, who honed her game during the cold Eastern European winters in a pool-turned-tennis court, is just getting started as a mature WTA contender.

There was obviously no love lost between Ivanovic and her defeater, Maria Sharapova. The two barely touched hands at the net, while avoiding eye contact and making their way to their post-match stances. Furthermore, the stood awkwardly feet apart during the trophy ceremony before being called on stage, making zero effort to appear friends in any manner.

But for Ivanovic, this was her real arrival on the grand slam circuit. The French Open was her warm-up last year, when she froze her way to a dismal loss to Justine Henin but still grinned ear-to-ear at the chance of just being there. Yesterday, instead, she spoke of lost chances and frustration that she didn't capitalize when she could have. She even got a little emotional on the podium, saying that it all "meant a lot" to her.



The reason I point all this out is that I believe Ivanovic is the real deal. She has the game, the athleticism, the size. She's the complete package in the world of professional tennis, and the emotion and drive just make her more of a threat to win countless slams in her burgeoning career.

Her motivation is clear, so now for Ana, it's not if - it's when.

DUD: Down Under Dokic (And Why She's Done)

I'm so done with Jelena Dokic.

Living alone in Seattle has taught me one important lesson: be prepared. Be prepared for bad weather; be prepared when you leave the house for a 12-hour day; be prepared that things might not go the way you hoped they would; be prepared to miss that bus - and be okay with it.

While I respect - and often admire - the comeback athlete, Jelena Dokic's comeback has run its course time and time again. There's a time to say that enough is enough and hang up your string dampeners and grip tape. But it's not because I don't like Jelena, it's because she just hasn't been prepared.

In 2004, Dokic began suffering from a right elbow injury that would eventually contribute to her fall out of the top 100 in the rankings. Now, four years later, the 24-year-old has been knocked down yet again by injury - this time to her ankle - and finds herself in doubtful shape to qualify for the Australian Open.

The Dokic story has always been a little topsy-turvy, with a publicly high-tempered father and a tennis diva attitude to match. After her incredible breakthrough onto the tennis scene at Wimbledon in 1999, when she beat world no. 1 Martina Hingis in straight sets on her way to the quarterfinals, Dokic became a regular inside the top 20, and even parked herself comfortable in the top 10 for much of 2002.

But injury and fatigue would get the best of Dokic, and she finished 2006 ranked outside the top 500 for the first time in her career, reduced to playing satellite and challenger tournaments just to make it.

Yet it wasn't because of a lack of talent in Dokic, that was something she always had. Rather, it was Dokic's lack of preparation that has gotten her in trouble. And now, in turn, her career has run its course because of it.

Repeated attempts back onto the WTA Tour over the last three years have been wildly unsuccessful for Jelena. Throughout these trials, Dokic has been said to be out of shape, emotionally unstable on court and constantly battling injury.

Whether or not Jelena has taken the necessary precautions to make a full-fledged return on the tour is something I'm not sure of. But the evidence leads to little preparation, and a more "Let's dive in head first" attitude than anything else.

So now, at 24, it's time for Jelena to take her goals elsewhere. Her tennis script has come to a close.

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.

The Men: A 2008 Preview (Top Ten)

I just finished reading an incredible article by James Martin about tennis players becoming less and less political. As Martin suggests, tennis is a political sport, a game that stretches around the globe and includes dozens (if not hundreds) of nations. Yet, without pioneers like Arthur Ashe to push the envelope, tennis players today are more likely to take cash for play.

Martin points out Amelie Mauresmo, the two-time slam winner. Mauresmo has been vocal about her support for tournaments in the Middle East, where the society is openly homophobic. It disappoints me that Mauresmo, as a strong-hearted lesbian, doesn't speak up more about issues like this. And where are the other gay tennis players? We all know that they're out there, both men and women. Why aren't these contemporary athletes speaking their minds and being true to who they are?

The point is, has cash continued its dominance over conscience in the world of tennis?

In any case, 2008 will prove to be a delicious year of tennis. Now that my predictions are in for the women, let's talk about the men:

Roger Federer
World rank: 1 '07 record: 68-9 Highlight: Capturing his fifth-straight Wimbledon in a hard-fought match over Rafael Nadal.
It's hard not to say a lot of good things about Roger Federer. The man is arguably the Greatest Of All Time and has his way with every opponent on the ATP when he's on his game. So after another banner year in 2007, I'm expecting more of the same from the man from Switzerland.

Prediction: Another three-peat for Roger. He'll take the cake at the Aussie, Wimbledon and the US Open, but still won't be able to break the clay-court spell of Rafael Nadal.

Rafael Nadal
World rank: 2 '07 record: 70-15 Highlight: Continuing his clay-court supremacy.
I can't help but love the speedster from Spain. Nadal has all the charisma you could want from a young tennis champion, and his style of play is something I tried (emphasis on tried) to emulate when I was playing competitive tennis. Nadal, however, has continued to struggle in proving himself as a versatile tennis player. Yes, he had a triumphant run at Wimbledon, where he battled rain, opponents and everything in between to make a run at Roger Federer and the All England title. But his record on hardcourts was 31-12 compared to 31-1 on clay, keeping his confidence at bay while continue to be the prince to King Federer.

Prediction: Another title in Paris, but won't repeat his All England magic.

Novak Djokovic
World rank: 3 '07 record: 68-19 Highlight: Establishing his place with the game's elite.
What a year 2007 was for Novak Djokovic. Like Jankovic, Djokovic has garnered my "Favorite" player title on the men's side. Like his personality, Djokovic's game grew in '07, and it will only continue to blossom in 2008.

Prediction: Djokovic will continue to win titles, just not slams...yet.

Nicolay Davydenko
World rank: 4 '07 record: 53-31 Lowlight: Will he ever give us the straight story on this scandal?
Cheater. Cheater. Cheater.

Prediction: I'm so fed up with Davydenko that I'm not even going to grant him the right to a prediction.

David Ferrer
World rank: 5 '07 record: 61-23 Highlight: Making the USO semifinals and compiling a 9-7 record against top 10 players.
Ferrer was simply fun to watch this season, especially during his run at the US Open. He lacks the weapons we all love to watch: the big gun that ends point with a bang. But Ferrer's grind, his speed and his tenacity certainly make him an enjoyable player to watch and a threat to any man opposite the net from him.

Prediction: I'm not quite sure if Ferrer can continue such a hot streak in 2008. The 25 year old has been a late bloomer, however, and has only improved each year on the tour since turning pro in 2001. Another top 10 finish certainly isn't out of the picture.

Andy Roddick
World rank: 6 '07 record: 54-16 Highlight: Leading the U.S. Davis Cup team to its first title since '95.
I'm not sure if there's a harder player to pinpoint than Andy Roddick right now. After achieving what he's worked so hard for this past month in winning the Davis Cup, it will be interesting to see whether Roddick can come out of the winter with the same work ethic he usually does.

Prediction: I can't help but think that 2008 will be much the same as '07. Roddick will linger with the likes of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, but won't be a threat at the majors like he once was.

Fernando Gonzalez
World rank: 7 '07 record: 37-24 Highlight: His awe-inspiring run to the Aussie final.
After the Aussie, Gonzalez went 31-23 on the year, and without Beijing and Rome, he would've been 23-21.

Prediction: Will slip out of the top 10, most likely back to the 20s or 30s.

Richard Gasquet
World rank: 8 '07 rank: 49-24 Highlight: His 8-6 in-the-fifth win over Andy Roddick in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon.
Gasquet had an up and down year, culminating at Wimbledon. After Wimbledon and through the USO, Gasquet went 3-4 before salvaging his year with a strong fall (including qualifying for Shanghai). Gasquet battled an injury, and still seems to be growing into his game - both mentally and physically.

Prediction: It's always hard to tell with Gasquet. But like Djokovic, I think this will be another year of maturation for the Frenchman. Perhaps he will go far for the first time at his home slam (perhaps the quarters or semis) and make a final at Wimbledon or the US Open.

David Nalbandian
World rank: 9 '07 record: 31-18 Highlight: A triumphant return to the upper echelon of tennis with two wins over Federer this fall (and two TMS titles to go along).
Is back. And seems poised to stay.

Prediction: If he's healthy, Nalbandian can play with the best. But if that gut re-appears, he'll once again slip into the oblivian of the 30s to 80s.

Tommy Robredo
World rank: 10 '07 record: 49-26 Highlight: Being consistent.
I have to admit that I didn't pay much attention to Tommy Robredo this last season. He's a seasoned player and has continued to be consistent, landing him inside the top ten for the second straight season.

Prediction: If he continues to do what he did this last year, including capturing two titles, I think Robredo might be a top 20 staple for a few years to come.

Pasta, Pasta, Penalties

A couple weeks ago, the New York Times did a piece on the flagging country that is Italy. Minus the world's adoration for their food and unique not-so-modern way of life, the small boot on the Mediterranean Sea needs a kick in the ass.

So as tennis suffers through one of the most embarrassing and far-reaching scandals its ever known, two Italians have been thrust into the spotlight for their involvement.

Potito Starace and Daniele Bracciali are certainly no household names in America, but their involvement in tennis' betting catastrophe has cost the two men a combined $50,000 and nearly five months off the tour. Italian tennis officials call it "injustice."

Welcome, tennis fans, to the new America.

Following their Davis Cup win earlier this month, the Stateside boys have officials lifted themselves out of the cellar of the tennis world. Yes, the cellar. Who cares that there are two top-ten men in Andy Roddick and James Blake, and that the Bryan brothers are arguable the best doubles team on the tour today. America was in a funk.

But now that funk has been passed on, and while many countries could run and catch the flying piece of embarrassing hardware that such a label might be represented by, Italy has taken the new gold medal: king of crap.

The thing is, it shouldn't be this way. As of late, Italy has experienced something of a tennis renaissance. At year's end, five players are in the top 100 (including Starace) and there are 28 Italian in the top 500.

But, as life and sport go, scandal always overrides achievement.

While a country like Russia may suffer from the centerfold of aforementioned scandal (Nicolay Davydenko), the Russians' ability to boast numerous personalities (Safin, Tursonov, etc.) and produce high-quality tennis exempts them from falling to the depths of tennis hell.

So one question comes about: can tennis (and Italy) escape this sea of ugly with lessons learned? Or will accusations continue to be flung in every direction, fingers thrust at chest after chest and "injustice" claimed with each penalty?

It's hard to say. And as for Italy, their poster boy and a journeyman are rank with wrong doing. Maybe a bath in tomato sauce and some of that pasta will wash them clean? But I highly doubt it.

The Power of a Mission Statement

As much as it pained Martina Hingis to lose, she couldn't help but do so sometimes. Especially late in her career(s), losing was something that came along with her game. The problem for Hingis, however, was that her mission statement was too short, too simple. The abridged version read something like this: "Win tennis matches."

Hingis' statement is similar to many top-tier players. Actually, it would be hard to find a tennis player at any level that didn't have "winning" somewhere in their mission statement. For the most part, that word would land in sentence one or two, as the forefront goal of a player.

The important part of any mission statement - whether its for a corporation, non-profit, stay-at-home mom or professional athlete - isn't about the end goal, but the process it takes to reach that goal. How, exactly, are you going to reach this stated goal? How are you going to achieve your mission?

If you were to read the unabridged version of Hingis' game, it might go like this: "Win tennis matches by out-thinking opponents." Okay, that's a little better, but still, where is the fuel that feeds the fire?

Let's take men's tennis current number one, Roger Federer. Federer's mission statement might read: "Win tennis matches by out-thinking opponents with the use of tactical slice, a powerful serve, cat-like movement and defense that looks like offense. Achieve this by surrounding myself with positive, confident people who boost my morale, but also keep me grounded. Train under a regimented schedule that challenges both my tennis game and my physique, especially focusing on long-term conditioning."

Federer's mission statement is obviously more detailed, and more goal-oriented. The problem with Hingis throughout her career was that she stuck to her simple mission statement, instead of being willing to change it up with an off-court conditioning program or a beefy serve.

History shows that those willing to re-write their mission statements have been most successful. In 2001, Jennifer Capriati entered the Australian Open shedding her old mission statement ("Hit every ball as hard as possible") with a new one: "Hit every ball as hard as possible and run down every ball hit to me. Do this with a stringent off-court training schedule."

Looking at the players of today, I see mission statement as brilliant as Federer's and as ignorant as Hingis'. The point is, unless there is context behind a great player, they no longer will be able to find success like great champions once did.

Just last week, Pete Sampras, during his well-documented tour with Roger Federer, said that the serve-and-volley game was extinct, and that players were now being taught to hit the ball as hard as they could, simply put.

While Sampras' words ring true, he may want to look at the track record of the last two years in tennis, when players liked Federer, Justine Henin, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams ruled. Sure, they all hit the ball hard, but it's the substance in their strokes - and their statements - that give them the edge to be the best.

Still Sad (About Martina)

Ten years ago, Martina Hingis had launched herself to the top of women's tennis. She was a bratty 17-year-old with cat-like quickness and a feline personality to match. She was tennis' ultimate diva arriving at the cusp of the millennium.

For everything that she was, I hated Martina. I thought her game was boring, her attitude disrespectful and her confidence cocky. She epitomized the exact reason I disliked tennis sometimes: arrogance.

But Martina was the best, and above everything else, that's probably why I hated her so. She ruled in '97, and carried her swagger into the '98 and '99 by retaining the world No. 1 ranking, winning two more slams and becoming a dominant force in the doubles game.

Ten years later, however, she's retired a second time - and this one just may be for good.

(Hingis could almost always find a way to win on the court, but finding happiness has been another thing. Photo by anam1973 via flickr.)

No one could have predicted what Hingis would face during the decade after she crashed onto the scene in '97 while winning three of four majors. She was the Queen of Cry at the '99 French, then the Princess of Puff when the Williams sisters arrived with their games of power in the early 2000s.

Martina was always somewhat disinterested in tennis, though her craftiness and passion we just as evident. She was born and bred an athlete, but unsure if that's really what she was supposed to be doing with her life.

But ten years and two retirements down the road, I'm still sad about Martina. I went from hating her, to being indifferent, to wanting her back, loving her return and being frustrated with her lack of results.

Now, I'm just plain sad. Wondering if the woman who looked so comfortable on any spot of a tennis court can figure out where she feels comfortable in life. I hope she does it. She certainly deserves to.