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Ashley Babich

American hope for Jack Sock

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Jack Sock in action at the US Open (Photo via USOpen.org)

By Ashley Babich

Andy Roddick shocked many in the tennis community this week when he announced his impending retirement at the 2012 US Open. (He even surprised some who don’t follow tennis so closely, as my grandma called to tell me, with much concern, that she heard the “cute American tennis player is retiring.”)
The conversation has been in play for a while, and most can’t discuss Andy’s retirement without immediately following up with a discussion about who will carry the torch for American tennis once Andy has moved on to happier days with his wife Brooklyn, and hopefully, babies.
While there are many players who could possibly be the face of American tennis, it will be hard to fill Andy’s red, white, and blue shoes. (Did you see those in his match against Tomic? Go America!)
Anyway, I’m here to talk about Jack Sock.
He’s 19-years-old, ranked 243rd in the world, and made his way into the US Open as a wild card. He made his first ever appearance in the third round this weekend and lost to the 11th-seed, Nicolas Almagro, 7-6 (3), 6-7 (4), 7-6 (2), 6-1, taking the Spaniard to three straight tiebreakers before easily giving up the fourth set.
Does Jack Sock have a lot to learn? Yes. In that match against Almagro, Sock converted just one of 11 break points and had 52 unforced errors overall in the match, compared to Almagro’s 24.
Yet, in my opinion, he has great potential to become, well, great. While his errors are hefty in number, so are his winners. He had 56 winners this match, while the world No. 12 Almagro had 53. Sock has an aggressive forehand, a great serve, and even gets up to the net for volleys from time to time.
In addition, his on-court demeanor is something to talk about. Compared to a couple of other Americans players, no names mentioned of course, Sock seems to be able to remain calm and manage frustration when things aren’t going his way. (Though, he might want to work on the nerves. Sock gave away some easy points in the always-stressful tiebreaks.)
While Sock still has growing to do, and matches to play, he does have some experience under his belt. He won the boys’ Junior US Open Championship in 2010, and he won the 2011 mixed doubles title at the US Open with fellow one-time American hope, Melanie Oudin.
During this fortnight, much conversation will be had about who our nation can cheer on next, and I think Sock has drummed up just enough excitement to keep his name in the mix. The next few years will prove telling for the American, though. Andy Roddick won his US Open title at the age of 21, so I guess we can sit back and watch as Sock chases down his own place in the history of American tennis.
And speaking of grandmas, Sock seems to have a pretty funny one. As he and Oudin kindly signed autographs for anyone who waited around in Court 17 after their exciting first-round mixed doubles win, his grandma snuck into the line and asked him to sign a band aid. Sock jokingly responded, “Get out of here, grandma. I’ll see you later at dinner.”

Billie Jean King on World TeamTennis, the Bryan Brothers, and Elton John

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By Ashley Babich

PHILADELPHIA, Penn. — Before the Philadelphia Freedom took on the Kansas City Explorers at their home base at Villanova University, the creator of World TeamTennis, Billie Jean King, sang the praises of the organization, the fans, and the dedicated players. King cited the success of World TeamTennis to “keeping the economics under control” and finding support from the people who surround her. “I’m very fortunate with the team of people I have working with us.”
Speaking about the importance of team tennis, King highlighted the need for children’s tennis to operate from a team framework.
“For over 50 years now, my mantra has been, when they sign up for tennis, put them on a team. Get rid of the word ‘lesson.’ Kids don’t like that word. They’ll learn lessons in life from it, but they don’t need that word. Here’s what most kids do today, they play lacrosse or baseball or football; it’s a team sport usually. They practice two times a week and have a game. And what do they say about tennis? ‘Oh, I have a tennis lesson once a week.’ If a child is putting in 8 hours a week on one sport and then an hour on tennis, which sport do you think they’re going to choose after a year or two? I want them to practice two or three times a week and then I want them to have a game or a match. So they look forward to it every week. I don’t care what the skill level is, it’s fun!”
The WTT match on Monday night promoted marquee players Mike and Bob Bryan playing for the Kansas City Explorers. When asked to discuss the Bryan Brothers’ dedication to WTT, especially during an Olympic year, King had many positive things to say.
“It means a lot to us. Our format is totally built for them because they’re so great in doubles, and doubles is 60% of our scoring effort. They’re fantastic. They play their butts off.”
King also celebrated the recent Wimbledon Mixed Doubles title won by Mike Bryan and Lisa Raymond: “Do I love it?! My little team tennis players? I love it.”

Elton John and Billie Jean King for World TeamTennis

King ended the conference with a conversation about how special Elton John’s song “Philadelphia Freedom” is to her.
“We have the best signature song in all of sports, which no one ever writes about … He used to sit on the bench, when I played for the Philadelphia Freedoms, yelling, ‘c’mon!’ He was a maniac!”
King recalled that she was on her way to a concert with Elton John when he offered to write a song about her, and she candidly described her reaction: “I’m thinking, ‘are you kidding, yeah right, what are you smoking?’”
“He said, ‘let’s name it Philadelphia Freedom after the team,’ and I said, ‘Great! That would be a great gift to the people of Philadelphia.’”
King laughed as she described a favorite part of the song: “He told me the part [in the refrain] that goes, ‘Phi-la-delphia,’ that’s you getting ticked off at the umpires. And I said, ‘I love it!’”
The Philadelphia Freedoms went on to beat the Kansas City Explorers 20-16 in Monday night’s match, with strong playing from the other twins involved that evening, Kristyna and Karolina Pliskova, playing for the Philadelphia Freedom. “Tonight is twin night,” as King put it.
Before exiting the press room, King went over to Carmine, who was quietly stringing racquets for the team in the corner of the room, and thanked him for executing his crucial job for WTT King asked him to take a picture with her, and he happily obliged. She’s a dynamic one, that Billie Jean King.

Gilles Simon: heartthrob or hater?

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By Ashley Babich


Well, someone was drinking his daily dose of haterade!
The usually-admired French ATP player Gilles Simon (ranked #13) enflamed some in the tennis community this week when he expressed his opinion about equal prize money between men and women at Grand Slam tournaments.
Simon is a newly elected member of the ATP Player’s Council, and he will serve a two-year term which ends in June 2014. He used this new role as an avenue to discuss his thoughts about gender and money. (Really, he might as well open the can of worms the rest of the way and bring up politics and religion, too, right?)
In the words of Simon:

“I have been on the Tour for a long time, and have learned a lot about tournaments and players. I have some ideas to share with the other players, and feel it is important for us to work together and make good decisions. Tennis is at the top and we want to continue to improve.”

Apparently, when Simon says, “some ideas,” what he really means is ‘erasing tennis history and angering all female tennis players and scores of tennis fans.’
Simon went on to say that “equal prize money has no place in tennis” and that the men “provide a more attractive spectacle.” (Goodness. Someone sure is bursting at the seams of his adidas-sponsored clothes with confidence.)
He continued:

“We often speak of equality in wages. I think this is not something that works in sport…I think today men’s tennis is ahead of women’s tennis… [In a] Grand Slam, men spend twice as much time on the courts than women.”

After his comments went public, Twitter was abuzz with Simon-bashing, and many users were quick to point out that the four Grand Slams are the only tournaments where there is a set difference; at all other tournaments throughout the year, both men and women play to best of three sets.
This is obviously a polarizing topic, and not many other players will touch it with a ten-foot tennis racquet.
When asked about Simon’s comments after his 2nd-round win at Wimbledon, Roger Federer minimized the need for debate:

“I hope it doesn’t become a big issue during Wimbledon. It’s obviously a debate that’s out there ever since, I guess, the Slams have made equal prize money. There’s nothing you can do, anyway, about it. It’s just a matter of who believes what, and then that is an endless debate. So whatever you believe.”

But one tennis player who would take a decisive stand and offer a true opinion on Gilles Simon?
WTA American player Sloane Stephens:

“I don’t care what he says about anything. He hit me with a ball the first time I was a ball kid. He hit me in the chest, because he lost a point and lost the set. He turned around and slammed the ball with his racket and hit me … and I’ve never spoken to him since then.”

So, David Nalbandian, looks like you’re off the hook for a while. There’s a new tennis tough guy in town.
Ashley Babich is a writer for Tennis Grandstand and has co-authored for the tennis blog Four Hands on Court. Follow her on twitter for more humorous updates at @tennissmash.