Tennis Chatter

Well, this post has been a long time coming... as has the retirement of Monica Seles.

The delay of my post is many tiered: the retreat I work on for Campus Ministry happened this last weekend (it was a big success) while I had three midterms in the last eight days not to mention helping Conscious Choice (where I'm interning) getting ready to go to print for their March issue.

Seles' delay, however, has been something she relied on for much of her career - an intangible. She hoped for so long that her foot would heal and a comeback might spark something deep down inside of her tennis soul that sprung her tennis body into action. But no such luck would come upon Seles, who won nine grand slam titles.

She'll be sorely missed. But, tennis fans, Monica's foot might not be good enough for the pro tour, but she'll be gracing a competitive surface with her shoes anyway... her dancing shoes, that is.

Below, my favorite Monica match of the thousands: a thrilling victory over Venus Williams at the 2002 Australian Open. Pay attention to the clip around 6:45, where she and Venus are wrapped in a heavy exchange that ends up with Monica scrambling and Venus netting a forehand. At that point, the camera pans to the crowd where two women are up on their feet, pumping their fists, engulfed in Seles' emotion.

That moment shows what Monica meant to fans, and she'll surely be missed on the tour.



Meanwhile, Kei Nishikori spoiled an all-American final at Delray Beach last weekend by beating Sam Querrey in the semifinals. If that wasn't shocking enough, the 18-year-old Japanese player went on to triumph over James Blake in three sets in the finals.

What's up with these young guys making noise early in the year? Are they random flashes of brilliance... or are they a sign of more of what's to come?

In case you missed the action at Delray, Erwin over at Tennis Served Fresh has posted some really cool pictures of the awesome artwork done on center court.

Erwin's post got me thinking about how tennis can start branching out and being a more inclusive sport. Why not recruit more artists to do the backdrop on the walls, or designs on the court? Music has become a staple at the Australian Open, and perhaps other forms of art at tournaments can start becoming more of a common sight.

There's been quite a lot of chatter about Pete Sampras returning to the tennis tour. My gut feeling is that it wouldn't happen... but the way he played against Tommy Haas in their exhibition, he might as well. Right?

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!

The "Retired" Issue

Well, that was anti-climatic. But did you really expect anything else?

Monica chats it up with Tennis Week. The funny thing is though, they asked her everything but what we wanted to know: when is she coming back?!?

Jennifer Capriati? M.I.A.

Maybe we should all just realize that American tennis now consists of a cocky Texas boy wearing French clothing and two sisters that care more about glam that grit.

Too bold? You tell me. I wonder when we'll (and "we" includes "me") stop wishing our yesterday's champions back and just be content with what we have today...

Tennis Chatter

There are plenty of advantages waiting up north for Jesse Levine, but the question is: will he go for it? There's no doubt that a 'notable' athlete in the States would be considered a super star in Canadian sports. Example: Frank Dancevic. (via ZooTennis)

Which was the better SEC? The men or the women? Justine and Maria put on an epic show to cap off the year, but Roger Federer is epic every time he steps on the court. Women's wrap. Men's wrap. Let us know which tour went out with a bigger bang.

Is there really competition between Roger Federer, the most genius and athletically sound tennis player on the earth right now and Pete Sampras, the former great who hasn't played a pro match in over two years? Koreans will decide that this week when the two go head-to-head in an exhibtion.

Oh yeah, and for winning the Masters Cup, Fed got another trophy. I wonder where he puts those things?

You do have to love Andy Roddick and the stuff he says in the interview room, even if his tennis is less-than-exciting sometimes.

And no matter who wins the battle of the GOATs, Rog and Pete will still be friends.

If you thought Novak Djokovic played bad last week, look how terrible the Shanghai crowd is in attempting to play some 'giant tennis'. Yikes.

Sampras the Sap

Pete Sampras dominated the world of tennis for over a decade with relentless tennis. He still holds the record for most Grand Slam titles at 14, and his over 250 weeks at number one and 64 singles victories put him in the mix as one of the GOAT - Greatest of All Time.

But Sampras showed us a softer side last week at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Newport, R.I. This tear-jerking first part of his speech will make any non-tennis fans turn their head, and also make those of you who were anti-Sampras think again about your disdain for the King of Swing.

The Week After Wimbledon

The week following Wimbledon is always somewhat of a downer.

The WTA takes a break from the mad season of European ball to give most of its players a week off. Meanwhile, a few of the world's top stars were in action via Fed Cup - which included two exciting semifinal ties.

The ATP goes from the World of Whites at Wimbledon to the World of Obscure in Gstaad, Bastad and Newport.

There's always one saving grace of such a weird week: the Hall of Fame inductions in Newport. Yesterday, Pete Sampras and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario were welcomed in as the class of 2007.

Yet the biggest news of the week in the tennis world had to be from another former player, Miss Kim Clijsters. Or should I say, Mrs. Brian Lynch?

Though Barry MacKay drives me crazy as a commentator, you have to love Pete Sampras in this interview. Always humble, always well-spoken, and now, always a Hall of Famer. Congratulations Pete.

History Re-pete-ing Itself: Another Comeback in the Works?

First Martina Hingis, now Pete Sampras?

Don't get all excited, but there's certainly a pattern here worth mentioning.

Hingis competed in World Team Tennis, then took part in a couple of exhibition matches to 'see how she felt' before committing to her comeback in the fall of 2005.

Now Sampras - who like Hings, retired in 2002 - has already made quick work of the WTT, is exploring a stint with the Champions Tour.

I won't jump to conclusions too fast here...but the daily grind on the golf course just hasn't satisfied those ingrained competitive urges that Sampras has lived with for 30 years of his life.

Just a little food for thought.