The Difference of Needs

Jelena Jankovic needed to lose this week, while Ana Ivanovic needed to win and Roger Federer just needed to play.

This week was one of a myriad of different needs for the top players in the world, but it marked the first week since the US Open that the world's best were on stage - this time at two different events, in Madrid and Zurich.

It has been a dismal run for Ivanovic since winning the French. She had just been 5-6 on tour, losing early at both Wimbledon and the USO and looking like a player who was scared to hit a tennis ball instead of the number one player in the world. But this week in Zurich proved to be the reprieve she needed, winning two matches* and fighting hard against Venus Williams in the semifinals.

Jankovic, on the other hand, had been on a hot streak since the Olympics, losing just one match in that time - to Serena in the Open finals - and winning three straight titles in the fall season. But with the Season Ending Championships lingering in the near future, Jankovic's win streak would have presented more of a liability than anything else going into Doha. Her back-to-earth loss to Flavia Pennetta this week in Zurich let's her re-charge her batteries and find some hunger for a SEC title.

Everyone was relieved to simply see Federer playing, and he looked good in his opening two matches. But his semifinal rematch with Andy Murray didn't go as planned, and the Brit put Federer out much to many people's surprise after the drubbing that occurred in New York just over a month ago. It again showed Federer is human, but more than that, showed that Murray is a force to be reckoned with to end the season strong.

While all three of these needy players have been part of the tennis gossip lately, they each have different needs on court as the fall comes to a close. It's up to each of them to make sure their number one need, come two weeks from now, is to win the last tournament of the year, and that's something you can be sure each of them want to do.

*This blog was published while the Ivanovic-Williams semifinal was still in progress.

Ash-ger Fed-ick-cher

You all remember Jennifer Potter, don't you? Or Justine Spears?

Well, this week, no tennis players were morphing into pop icons (or vice versa), but one pop icon was channeling a tennis player - or two - in a big way, so much that I had to do a double, no, triple take.

It's Ashton Kutcher as Roger Federer. Or does he look more like Andy Roddick? I can't decide which is which or who is who... but needless to say, if anyone in Hollywood ever wants to go big with a tennis movie (Wimbledon doesn't count), then you know who can play Rog - or A-Rod.

(Andy?)

(Ashton?)

(Or Roger?)

Whoever he actually is, the video is worth watching.

(Video screen grabs via YouTube.)

Tennis Chatter: Weekend Thoughts

I had a busy first week at my new job with Seena Hamilton & Associates, but I'm learning a ton while helping plan a great event - The Easter Bowl. This tournament is a stronghold in junior tennis - some (including Seena), call it the 'blockbuster of junior tennis' - and attracts players from all over the country to the Indian Wells area for an incredible week of springtime tennis. Needless to say, it's a storied event.

One of the many things that my eyes were opened to this weekend is an individual known as Gene Scott. Among other things, Gene was the founder and editor at Tennis Week for many years, and was a pioneer in a variety of ways. When you start learning about an individual like Gene, it makes you look at tennis from a different angle. Such an angle might be that this is a 'lifetime game' or that tennis can teach us things we can't learn anywhere else.

My point is that Gene wasn't just a good tennis player, he was a stand-out human being. When he passed away unexpectedly in 2006, there was a great sense of loss in the tennis community. Who would come up with a "Vantage Point" similar to Gene's? Who would continue to criticize a game that he or she loved so much?

It makes me appreciate and respect players like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, who take their celebrity status and positions in the game to do good - to improve tennis and the world around it. Players like these guys and others - Andre Agassi comes to mind - make this game so great. We must continue to self-criticize (as a sport) and not shy away from challenging who we are and what we are as an institution in order to move forward.

No, I don't think tennis is the platform to change the world, but it can be a platform. Martina Navratilova and Amelie Mauresmo did so when they came out, Agassi, Andy Roddick and others do so with their charities and non-profits, and Andrea Jaeger proved that the tennis afterlife could be more than just coaching clinics and commentating gigs.

That's a funny thing to think of - The Tennis Afterlife - isn't it? I look at players like Irina Spirlea or Richard Krajicek and can't really muster up any thoughts or feelings other than how oversized tennis clothes were in the mid-90s. No, not every player can be an Agassi on and off the court, but tennis is just a game - a game encompassed in a life that asks us to work together and for each other, not alone and against each other.

So maybe that's why so many tennis players are so socially awkward (myself included). We are taught to be tenacious, to go for it, to "Off with their heads!" on the court and then asked to be buddy buddy with our over-the-net foe when we're off. It's not an easy switch to turn on and off.

That's one reason why I love working for The Easter Bowl so far: this isn't a pro tennis tournament. This is a junior tournament, where American kids are bred to be champions but few - and fewer these days, right? - actually play competitive tennis past college. This is a junior tennis tournament where a future outside of tennis is likely for all, and a chance to do good in the world is only just beginning to form.

I think that's an idea Gene Scott would've liked.

Tennis Chatter: Mid-Week Report

What a difference 10 days makes.

10 days ago Andy Roddick had seemingly already proclaimed himself US Open champion, Roger Federer was about to vault his "comeback" and everyone wanted to see how Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic would play after their polar opposite experiences at the All England Club.

But now:
--Roddick is out with injury... and questionable for the USO? He's also 8-4 in his last twelve matches. Has Andy REALLY lost his mo-jo?

--Federer shocked us all with his implosion again Gilles Simon in Toronto, then almost did the same against American Robby Ginepri in his opener at Cincy. Is the two-points-from-defeat win over Ginepri a sign that he's back in form. Maybe. Or maybe not.

--Novak has been mediocre to say the least, with his departure to Murray in Toronto and he's currently entangled in a first-set breaker with Italian Simone Bolleli.

--And Rafa, well, Rafa is the bomb. He continues to prove us all wrong by winning everything in sight. Is this kid more of a craftsman than we think?

While the women's tour might (emphasis on might) heat up in Montreal this week, one player who has taken to the summer hardcourt season with a fury is up-and-comer Michelle Larcher de Brito. She flew to the second round at the Bank of the West (through qualifying) and gave Serena quite a scare, and now in Montreal has again come through qualifying and won two main draw matches.

Watch out for this girl, she's living up to her (commercial) billing:

Advantage, Roddick

Gilles Simon did Andy Roddick a huge favor today at the Rogers Cup in Toronto.

Simon beat top-seed Roger Federer in the opening round to pave the way for Roddick to the semifinals, if the American can keep his TOOTB campaign on the right track.

Now, I won't say "I told you so," because I didn't. But I did say, and I quote: "[Federer v. Simon] could be quite an interesting match..." on my last video post.

Back with a new video tomorrow!

Video Post: Roger's Week?

The men are in Toronto for the Rogers Cup, the first ATP Masters Series event of the summer.

Though Novak Djokovic is the defending champion, the last time this event was held in Toronto, it was Roger Federer who took the title. Federer won four straight three-set matches to win the tournament, beating Richard Gasquet in the final.

Is it his year again? There are a few guys standing in his way.



(Correction: The WTA heads to the Rogers Cup next week, not to San Diego as mentioned in the video.)

UPDATE: Changing of the Guard

Wow. That was incredible.

Tonight and tomorrow from Tennis Chatter:

-Video post



-Match analysis

Well, it's hard to break down a match like this and place its outcome on a few points, or just one factor or another. If there is one thing to say, it would be that Rafael Nadal was just better, and more consistent. In this match, that translates to: "Rafael Nadal didn't miss a freaking shot in five hours of tennis."

But, in all my amateur ways, let me at least a few things about why Roger Federer wasn't able to win his sixth-straight Wimbledon crown:

Federer, who went 42 of 75 (56%) at the net for the match, wasn't the better volleyer. Yes, the Swiss won more points than Rafa at net, but Nadal was 22 of 31 (71%), finding a much better success rate. To me this speaks volumes of Nadal's passing ability, but also shows that if Federer is going to approach the net 75 times in a match, his shot selection needs to be more fine-tuned. Many times Federer reached for a ball her could've stepped toward or chose to take a ball out of the air instead of scooping it off the turf.

Secondly, Rafa's fitness proved to be too much for Fed, showing that athleticism has as much of a place at Wimbledon as anywhere else. In the third set, Federer his 16 unforced errors to Nadal's 7. Most of these errors came off of the Mighty Fed's spectacular forehand, a shot that become more of a liability than a weapon in the final few games.

-Tournament wrap
-What this means for men's - and all of - tennis

Congratulations, Rafael Nadal.

Dream Finals

It's hard to imagine that tournament referree Andrew Jarrett could be more happy than to enforce the rules upon these four finalists at this year's Championships.

As wacky as week one was in London, the tournament mostly followed form in week two, and we're into the final weekend with four storied champions looking to add a Wimbledon title to his or her resume.

I'll have a video post up later today, but I'm enjoying family time in Glasgow (yes, Glasgow), Montana right now, so it might be a bit later!

Predictions:
Women: Venus 1-6, 6-3, 6-4
Men: Nadal 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(9), 6-3

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.)

Tennis Chatter: The Hangover

It seems like it always takes a couple weeks to get fully re-oriented after the fervor a grand slam brings. I call this the "hangover." There have, although, been some developing stories this week along with the much-anticipated first round of Federation Cup play on the women's side while the men open play next week for Davis Cup.

The United States women are without the Williams sisters but have Lindsay Davenport leading the charge this weekend against Germany in a tie played in California. Barring a disastrous showing from Davenport and company (Granville, Harkleroad and Raymond), the Americans should move on from here. Check out the link above for a complete first-round preview.

There's been much abuzz about Novak Djokovic's major win at the Aussie on Sunday, and not just about the Serb himself. Tennis experts across the globe are declaring a three-way race for number one has begun featuring Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. If you remember, however, Fed has few points to defend at the Pacific Life and the Nasdaq (the "Canas weeks") while Nadal and Djokovic are the respective defenders of said titles.

Much excitement has occurred for me in the channel of fellow bloggers this week. My friend Erwin received some ink in Australia's Daily Telegraph for his coverage on everyone's favorite new eye candy, Novak Djokovic. Meanwhile, my fellow Montanan Matt debuted his brand-new line of Ranting Details t-shirts that are hot off the press. If you're looking for something stylish and simple, grab one for yourself!

The always-thoughtful Jon Wertheim gave us his thoughts through week one, but now I'm just waiting on the tournament wrap. If you haven't seen the "Mailbag" halftime version, check it out.

And finally, Christopher Clarey completed his refreshing coverage of the Australian Open with a piece on Djokovic and Maria Sharapova's hardships in reach the top of the tennis game.

A Serbian Slam?

We're two matches away from a Serbian slam. Could it really happen?

Ana Ivanovic takes on Maria Sharapova while Novak Djokovic faces the unknown power of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in what promises to be a tremendous final weekend of what has already been an entertaining Australian Open.

Djokovic stunned us all with his decisive three-set win over tennis god Roger Federer and now takes on seed-killer Tsonga in the final. The two have never met on the pro tour or at the junior level.

Ivanovic escaped Daniela Hantuchova in the semifinals after a dismal start, winning the match 0-6 6-3 6-4. Hantuchova, true to form, literally crumbled before our eyes in the final set, reminiscent of her performance against an injured Serena at Wimbledon last year. Poor Dani. Poor, miserable Dani.

Watch here as Hantuchova misses one of the easiest volleys you'll ever see a pro tennis player miss:


My favorite of favorites, Mary Carillo, gives her take on Djoko's win over Federer:


Christopher Clarey writes a great preview for tomorrow (today's?) final between Ana and Maria.

Predictions: Sharapova defeats Ivanovic 6-3 7-6(2).
Djokovic defeats Tsonga 2-6 6-4 6-1 7-5.

School and Semis and Sickness! Oh My!

Well, the three things consuming most of my time right now in life are listed in the title of this post, but sadly I'll get to them in that order. School comes first (as usual), while the sickness just lingers in all that I do, making it nearly impossible to find any time for those precious semifinals.

But, alas, this is a tennis blog - so let's talk semis! As my good friend Troy pointed out, Serbia is SO the new Belgium. With the Serbian sweep of the Williams sisters, we have an interesting three matches remaining to determine who will walk away the women's title.

Semifinal one:
(5) Maria Sharapova versus (3) Jelena Jankovic Head-to-head: Sharapova leads 3-1.

Though Maria holds a 3-1 edge in their head-to-head record, the two have played just once in the last 30 months. That affair was won by Jankovic on grass 7-5 in the third. Needless to say, Maria has been rather on fire as of late. She brushed off Davenport in the second round like she was some desperate housewife, not a comeback player on a tear. From there on out it's been sheer brilliance, highlighted by her straight-set drubbing of Justine Henin.

If there was ever a model for tournament progression, however, Jelena Jankovic would be it. She struggled early, including her epic win over Tamira Paszek and then a rough-tumble-affair with Virginie Razzano. But the last three rounds have looked good from Janky, and her win over Serena will boost her confidence to new-found levels.

Prediction: I'm still sticking with Maria here, who will win her third slam and first Aussie after dispatching Jankovic 3-6 6-2 6-4 in the semifinals.

Semifinal two:
(4) Ana Ivanovic versus (9) Daniela Hantuchova Head to head: Ivanovic leads 2-1.

Could Daniela Hantuchova really make a grand slam final?

It's certainly a possibility, but the way Ivanovic is playing, it's a small one. I give Hantuchova a miniature chance for these two reasons: Ivanovic's nerves and Hantuchova's grit. Dani might be one of my least favorite players, but she can play out when she needs to. Therefore, if nerves sneak into Ivanovic's repertoire and she starts to spray, watch out for the Slovak.

Check out Ivanovic's power and precision (at the net, too!) against Venus in the quarters:


If you haven't noticed yet, I follow the women's tour a little more than the men's. It's nothing against the boys, I just think the girls play a more interesting game.

The semifinal match-up between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic will be beyond interesting, however. Both men have been playing incredibly, with Fed overcoming Janko Tipsarevic in the third round before steam-rolling Tomas Berdych and James Blake on his way to the semis (See Blake clip below).

As much as I'd love to see the Djoker breakthrough here and win his maiden slam, it's extremely difficult to forecast a win for the Serb over the brilliance that is Federer. My prediction: Federer in four.



As far as Rafael Nadal is concerned, he has a hard-hitting Frenchman awaiting him in the semifinals. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga started this tournament with a bang and really hasn't stopped his drumbeat, beating three seeds in five matches while dropping just two sets while doing so.

Fairytale runs often see reality once again once the semifinals are set, and for Tsonga, his story ends here, against Nadal. Here's looking forward to a Fed-Nadal final and four great semifinal matches to come!

Tennis Chatter: Lazy Saturday

It's Saturday. And it's very gray in Seattle. And I'm still in bed... with a terrible head ache and a sore throat (no, I didn't go out last night... I have a cold!). I am going to be a man of few words tonight, but I would like to say that my prediction for the Tipsarevic-Federer affair wasn't too far off, right? Okay, that's enough horn-tooting for now.

James Blake saves the American flag with a remarkable come-from-behind win to beat Sebastian Grosjean in the third round. Way to go James! Another five-set win for you.


Meanwhile, the Fed outlasted my favorite Serb, Janko Tipsarevic in five thrilling sets last night as well, showing some of his vulnerability. Roger Federer now faces Tomas Berdych in the fourth round. Here are post-match comments from Tipso:


If you missed this piece by Joel Drucker over at ESPN, check it out. It's the top five women's matches at the Aussie over time, which pits the 2002 final between Jennifer Capriati and Martina Hingis at the top (which I whole-heartedly agree with).

And I also wanted to put up a better, longer clip of the Andy Roddick rage that occurred a couple nights ago. This is from ESPN, so it might get taken down in the near future. It has Roddick screaming at the umpire, the written text of what he's saying and the always-reliable Cliff Drysdale keeping us updated on what's "really" happening.

A King's Path

Things couldn't have been easier yesterday for Roger Federer as he rolled past junk-master Fabrice Santoro in three quick and painfully lopsided sets in the second round of the Australian Open 6-1 6-2 6-0.

It was an especially daunting win by Federer, the world no. 1, after Santoro had much hoopla about his chances to beat the Swiss to the press. But the game of slice, dice and a little bit of luck was no match for Federer, who hit 53 winners in the 81 minute affair.

I usually try to steer away from writing about the Fed because of the frightening amount of coverage the King receives by today's media. He is a global super star in every way, a diplomat of the sport both socially and politically. When I interned at TENNIS Magazine last summer, Online Editor Kamakshi Tandon told me that anything they put up on Federer was sure to be gold. In other words, he is tennis' ultra superstar.

But with two rounds complete and just six games lost, Federer has been both brilliant and boring in his dominance of the Aussie thus far. In round three, however, the King's Path gets a bit rocky.

In the round of 32, Federer has a date with the Prince of Serbia - Janko Tipsarevic. Tipso's surge into the top 50 has been overshadowed by the rage that is Novak Djokovic, but the 23-year-old had a breakout tournament at Wimbledon last year, and has established himself as a dangerous floater here.

Though it's rather doubtful that Tipsarevic could actually pull the upset on the Mighty Fed, it wouldn't be too far fetched to say that the Serb may take a set - or two - from the man with 12 grand slams.

From there on out, things only get more difficult for the defending champ. In the fourth round, a possible match-up with Czech Tomas Berdych looms. Berdych hasn't lost a set in his first two matches, and has been broken just three times in six sets played. Their one meeting on hard courts, back at the Olympics in '04, was won by Berdych in three tight sets.

In the quarters Fed could take on James Blake (who's 0-7 lifetime against the world no. 1) or Fernando Gonzalez, who won the last match-up between the two players at Shanghai. Needless to say, Federer has his work cut out for him to get to the semifinals. But if history is any sort of predictor, the Fed will have his way not only with these players, but with the entire draw.

And for any of you who missed the delightful five-setter last night between Marcos Baghdatis and Marat Safin, catch it here:

TGIF: Tennis Chatter

Justine Henin just keeps winning tennis matches. The world no. 1 beat Ana Ivanovic in a hotly contested three-set match in the semifinals at Sydney to extend her winning streak to 27 matches. The last player to beat Henin? WTA resident cafeteria expert Marion Bartoli.

Chris Guccione is the Marina Erakovic of the week at Sydney. Man, I love these Cinderella stories. Hopefully, we'll see a few at the big show in Melbourne next week.

Did you expect anything different from the DUD?

The men's draw is up for the Aussie. Federer has Verdasco, Isner and Tipsarevic early - is he ready for that?

Meanwhile, the women are all drawn up, too. All eyes are on: a Sharapova-Davenport second-round showdown. Winner gets Justine in the quarters.

Speaking of that match-up, here's Davenport's frighteningly bad finish to the Wimbledon 2004 semifinals.

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.

Setbacks and Sugarplums

It's Christmas in Montana. The high today was 27 degrees, and tonight calls for a low of 11 - with the windchill probably dipping below zero. Whether we'll get a white Christmas or not is still up in the air, as some meteorologists call for mere flurries and others saying that we'll get inches over the next few days.

When I was younger, I used to play winter tennis on my favorite surface: snow-packed ice. It sounds crazy, but it was during my wall-hitting days, when I would go out to the alley behind our house and bang the tennis ball against a plaster wall of an old barn that our neighbors had.

The bounce was slicker and lower than any off of a grass court (so I would assume) and in my always-adventurous imagination, I was a professional playing at the "Denver Ice Open", held at Mile High Stadium. The alley had many surfaces: hard (no improv needed), clay (I would use our giant broom to spread the dirt out and sidewalk chalk to draw lines) and classics like snow-packed ice and muddy-puddle court that forced me to avoid the potholes in the alley with every stroke.

The off-season can be as slippery for professional tennis players as my snow-packed icy court was for me, especially for players who are trying to find their footing again. Mark Philippoussis and Jelena Dokic are two players that attempted in this last week to find their stride again, only to face setbacks much worse than any winter wind.

It's been a long and frustrating run for both Aussies. Philippoussis had his brief fling with fame this past year during the showing of NBC's reality show "Age of Love" while Dokic continues to be a tennis tabloid favorite by making grand claims and having a family life more problematic than those Spears folks from Louisiana.

Both Philippousis and Dokic came up limping at an AO wild card tournament in Australia this past week, and while Dokic will seek an entry through qualifying instead of a wild card, this might be the end of the line for the Big Scud, who's seen more setbacks and delays than JFK on a holiday travel weekend.

And then there are those who dance through the off-season with ease, like sugarplums in a dream. Though Roger Federer and Justine Henin each fell short of being named Associated Press athlete of the year, they still garnered accolades from TENNIS Magazine and from their respective tours.

To say that either current world number one shouldn't expect a great year would be preposterous. Federer won three slams in 2007, and showed ruthless resolve in beating his likely challengers (minus a resurgent David Nalbandian) late in the year. As is the case for Henin, who won two of four slams (the Williams family grabbed the other two) and won the "Match of the Year" over a faltering Maria Sharapova at the Season Ending Championships.

And what about so many of those other tennis names with all the talent in the world and the chance to challenge such mighty champions? Venus and Serena. Andy Roddick and James Blake fresh off their Davis Cup win. And what about Rafael Nadal? Such a cast of tennis secondaries could certainly make 2008 an interesting year, but only if they've used their break more for tennis and training rather than setbacks and sugarplums.

So while I'm eating peppermint ice cream and crossing my fingers for a bit of that white stuff to re-create my favorite alley-court surface, the tennis world is gearing up for another year. And while controversy will leave some players to find lumps of coal in their Christmas stockings, other shall feast big and train hard for a year that won't feature the Denver Ice Open, but hopefully will feature some high-quality tennis elsewhere.

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.

Fan Favorites Crowned on TTC

Recently on Open Access, one of The Tennis Channel's regular segments hosted by Murphy Jensen, the TV channel revealed the most popular tennis players in the history of the game via an audience vote.

While the cheesiness is oozing from this segment, you have to love that Murphy and producers embraced the comedy of it all by awarding the "Fan Favorites" with "Golden Fans".

Who was the #1 man and woman? Check out the video below.



(Story via the Monica Seles Site.)

In Case You Missed It...

The PSRF tour is the talk of tennis. Well, that and this other news story. But really, who's paying attention anyway?

For a video on the happier of those two news items, see below.



Oh, and welcome back to reality - it's MONDAY!