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Novak Djokovic applaudes USTA's changes for the U.S. Open

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Novak Djokovic at the pre-tournament press conference on Wednesday.

MIAMI, FL (March 20, 2013) — The U.S. Tennis Association announced this week that it will boost prize money for the U.S. Open to $50 million by 2017 and adjust the schedule to return to a Sunday final starting in 2015, and several tennis players have applauded the USTA’s decision, including world No. 1 Novak Djokovic.
“It’s a positive step to see the prize money increase. It’s a good response, and it’s a reaction from the U.S. Open towards the players’ demands and desires,” said Djokovic.
Djokovic, along with Roger Federer who participated in Tuesday’s discussions via telephone, were among the group of top players who lobbied the USTA and other major tournaments over the last year to reconsider key changes, including prize money distributions.
“It’s a very positive step for players,” Djokovic stated. “It proves that players are more united than ever. I believe that these are some significant changes in the negotiations with Grand Slams. It hasn’t happened for ever or for many, many years that we have such increases. We just feel like we deserve it … Not just the top players, but a lot of players who are in top 100, top 200 deserve to have a better living from this sport. This is a great move forward … I’m sure that a lot of players will be happy with this prize money increase.”
Djokovic also supported the reversal of a Monday final at the U.S. Open, but it won’t go into effect until the 2015 edition of the tournament.
“Me personally, I am not happy with a Monday final. But it is the way it is for next two years,” he said. “I think we have to accept it. Then after that it all goes back to normal hopefully for Sunday final like every Grand Slam has.”
Djokovic also commented on the absence of Federer and Rafael Nadal in Miami this week, but believes it won’t change his focus as he opens his campaign against Lukas Rosol on Friday.
“It’s the same for me,” Djokovic commented. “I’m sure that even without them we will have a great tournament.”
Despite the serious tone of much of his pre-tournament press conference, Djokovic left on a light note by taking a photo with the media and tweeting it out — but not before inspected his work.

Ernests Gulbis Storms Back; Grunting Still an Issue — The Friday Five

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By Maud Watson

Stuttering Finish

With many of the world’s top-ranked female stars in attendance, the BNP Paribas Open started off so promising. It’s losing steam as it heads to the finale, however, thanks to a couple of key upsets and unfortunate withdrawals. Kirilenko upset both Aga Radwanska and Kvitova to set up a semifinal clash with Sharapova, which is a matchup the World No. 3 likely prefers with the No. 2 ranking up for grabs should she advance to the final. On the opposite side of the draw, Kerber and Wozniacki find themselves in the semis after both Stosur and Azarenka withdrew with leg and ankle injuries. All four women are accomplished players, but with only one of the top-four-ranked women present in the semis, the tournament no longer possesses quite the same level of excitement. It’s a shame for the tournament organizers, but if one person can take these lemons and turn them into lemonade, it’s Sharapova, who is now the strong favorite to take home the title.

Ernests Gulbis in his match against Rafael Nadal at the BNP Paribas Open.

Just Won’t Die

Just when you thought that ugly issue would go away, the topic of grunting is once again making tennis headlines. This time, it’s actual grunting, with the latest complaint coming from Murray against ATP pro Berlocq. Murray was moved to complain about the Argentine’s long and loud grunts after his opponent complained to the umpire that he thought Murray was taking longer than the permitted 25 second between points. Irrespective of what prompted the complaint, it was legitimate. But Berlocq isn’t the only loud competitor on the ATP World Tour. Granollers has long been touted as having one of the most distracting grunts, and others, like Nadal, Djokovic, and Ferrer, have also been known to get a little too vocal. Federer hit the nail on the head when he said it’s all about respecting your opponent and suggested that there is such a thing has being too loud. Unfortunately, the ATP players are less likely to pursue a solution to the grunting problem, but with any luck, perhaps they will. Pursuing a solution might then have a spillover effect to the WTA and force the governing bodies to do something now. There are too many positives in the sport for it to be hounded by this issue, but there’s no denying its impact on the sport is growing, and not for the better.

One to Watch

Okay, Ernests Gulbis has been “one to watch” on more than one occasion throughout his career, but after a thirteen match win-streak and a near upset of Nadal in the Round of 16 in Indian Wells, maybe this time, the label will stick. The Latvian may lack the looks and some of the charm of Marat Safin, but he’s definitely the closest thing tennis currently has to the charismatic Russian. He’s unabashedly confident and honest, from declaring he didn’t fear Nadal and had the goods to beat the Spaniard, to his calling out his peers for what he perceives to be fake congratulations. Love him or hate him, he calls it like he sees it. He’s also always had the talent to pull off a plethora of shots to flummox his opponents and thrill the crowds, but the consistency has been lacking. After winning a title in Delray Beach and nearly booking a quarterfinal berth in Indian Wells, however, things could be turning around. At 24, Gulbis is starting to mature. He’s starting to make strides at controlling his temper and keeping the bad patches of play short and to a minimum over the course of a match. We’ll have to wait and see how he fares in the coming weeks, but if this guy has truly put it together, the rest of the field better be on alert.

Bated Breath

Mardy Fish fans will be anxious as the Miami Masters approaches, as the second Masters of 2013 may ultimately turn out to be the American’s last tournament as a professional. Fish has in no way committed to anything, but he made it clear that he hasn’t ruled out walking away from the game after just his second event this season. After Miami, he plans to assess where he is, if he feels comfortable competing and can do so at a high level. After his stint at Indian Wells, things certainly look dicey. He did win a match, and if you just saw the score line, you’d be impressed that he took a player of Tsonga’s caliber to two tiebreak sets in the third round. But Fish blew a 4-0 lead in the second, and he also served for it at 5-4. That may haunt him as he takes to the court in Florida, which given all that he’s dealing with, will make competing there all the more difficult. Hopefully Fish won’t be ready to throw in the towel. Even if he opts to skip the clay court season, it would be nice to see him give it one last go on the lawns of Wimbledon or see if he can rediscover some magic during the US Open Series. But he’s got to feel comfortable with it, and based on the statements he’s made of late, his fans would be well served to hope for the best but prepare for the worst.

Professional Perspective

With 2012 finalist Isner being bounced out of Indian Wells early (and projected to fall out of the top 20 as a result), Sam Querrey will become the new No. 1 for the United States next week. It’s a great achievement for Querrey, who has had his ups and down with injuries and mental attitude. But what was even better was Querrey’s response to becoming the top American. He recognized it for the honor that it is but was quick to point out that with tennis being such a global sport, what really matters is the world ranking. On that front, Querrey still has plenty of work to do, but with a Round of 16 showing in Indian Wells, he’s moving in the right direction. He’ll be looking to post a respectable result in Miami, and if he can continue to grow and improve, he could be poised for a big summer.

USTA Working with Serbian Media to Sort Through Credential Miscommunications

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By Romi Cvitkovic

March 14, 2013 — The U.S. Tennis Association said Thursday that they are working closely with the Serbian media outlet Sportska Centrala to sort through miscommunications regarding media credentials for the upcoming USA vs. Serbia Davis Cup series April 5-7 in Boise, Idaho.
Multiple USTA media representatives reached out to representatives of Tennis Grandstand Thursday to communicate that procedures for applying for the media credentials were not handled properly, thus the application for reporter Nebojsa Petrovacki was denied. Petrovacki is a former editor-at-large for Sportska Centrala, has covered dozens of ATP and WTA events over the last ten years, and is currently at the BNP Paribas Open as credentialed media.
While the Serbian Tennis Federation had stated in a correspondence with Sportska Centrala’s editor in chief, Alex Krstanovic, that only one Serbian journalist was credentialed for the series to their knowledge, the USTA said Thursday that at least four outlets were approved to cover the matches. According to the USTA, of those credentialed, only one applied as print media while the rest were internet or television applications.
Krstanovic, in an email on Thursday, said that in the media outlet’s original application for the Davis Cup tie, the Serbian Tennis Federation supported their reporter’s request for a credential, and had followed up with the International Tennis Federation on Thursday morning regarding the situation as well.
However, the USTA detailed that initial proper steps were not fully executed by the media outlet to warrant approval of the credential request upon original review.
The USTA has reached out to Petrovacki, and pending that proper steps are taken by the media outlet, the USTA “foresees (Petrovacki) getting re-credentialed” for the Davis Cup event in April.
With world No. 1 Novak Djokovic scheduled to participate as well as the soon-to-be named US team of John Isner, Sam Querrey, and Mike and Bob Bryan, the Davis Cup quarterfinal between the two tennis powerhouse countries is selling out fast. Secure your tickets here.
This article is a follow up to Wednesday’s piece on the denial of reporter Nebojsa Petrovacki’s credential request for the Davis Cup.

Players Lounge Diary: A Look at the Intimate Side of the BNP Paribas Open

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Lauren, sister of ATP pro tennis player Tim Smyczek, blogs from Indian Wells, CA as Tim competes at the 2013 BNP Paribas Open, and takes us through two typical days on Tour.

By Lauren Smyczek

Thurs, March 7th — 6:00 am Woke up this morning a bit later than usual during our stay here in Indian Wells. I think I’m drained from all the sun yesterday even though I downed 3.5 Nalgene canisters of water — the desert air just sucks it right out of you! Mom and I are here supporting Tim this week on the road, and we are all staying off-site at a house of one of Tim’s friends; it was so generous of her to offer her place! Before the rest of the group wakes up, mom and I tiptoe out of the house and go for a long walk in the neighborhood. It’s surprisingly chilly in the mornings, but really a must before sitting all afternoon at the tournament site. If I’m being good, I throw in some yoga poses to get the blood flowing.
7:00 During our walk, we head over to the local coffee shop. My whole family are coffee snobs. Our favorite is Milwaukee’s Alterra but today we have to settle for other beans since Alterra hasn’t come to California … yet. I text Tim to see if he’s awake and ready for coffee, and mom and I chat at the shop until he texts back. Even at the beginning of the day, there seems to be a lot of “waiting around” when it comes to tennis players, but you get used to the random nature of the scheduling pretty quickly.
7:30 We head back to the house and my mom makes breakfast for Tim and Billy Heiser, his coach. Today, it’s every tennis player’s dream breakfast of eggs and chicken followed by Greek yogurt with jelly and my mom’s famous home-made granola. It takes a lot of nutritious food and calories to keep your energy all day as a player, so a balanced breakfast is a must.
8:15 Thanks to our hosts, Tim and Billy don’t need to head on-site for morning drills just yet. The family’s backyard is equipped with a tennis court, so they are able to get started bright and early with little hassle.
10:00 After drills, we all tune into the TV and quickly settle on watching The Golf Channel. This makes Tim itch to get out on the greens. He lives on a course back in Tampa, FL so we joke that he goes into withdrawal on the road when he doesn’t have access to a golf course.
10:30 We finally head over to the site for their morning hit, and on the way there — as every good partnership can attest to — Tim and Billy bicker over predictions on the outcome of today’s matches.

11:00 Once at Indian Wells, Billy grabs a coke from the locker room for my mom, and as we’re leaving the players’ area, a sweaty Stan Wawrinka walks past (he’s one of my favorite players right now). Across from the entrance to the players’ area is a big field for warming up and working out, and a game of pickup soccer is taking place with several players participating in the fun.
Today it’s colder and more cloudy than usual, and while I optimistically wore shorts, I also brought jeans which I gladly switch into. I walk around the grounds to catch some match play as the first round started today. The first match I catch is on Court 7, Viktor Troicki vs David Goffin. Long rallies, fist pumps, and a huge break for Troicki to get him back on serve at 3-4.
It’s only Day One, but the crowd is excited and ready for some great tennis. The early days of big tournaments like Indian Wells are always a lot of fun as there are so many great matches on, and perhaps even some surprises. The momentum of this particular match though, is going back and forth — it’s just incredible to see from both Troicki and Goffin just how much focus this game takes. You let up for even a single point and you’re in trouble.
We then move to watch some of Bernard Tomic vs Thomaz Bellucci, but find ourselves heading back to Court 7 for an enticing third set. With all the excitement on the grounds, I accidentally missed Tim’s afternoon practice, so I just keep on watching the matches. Tim will text when he’s done with the trainer and his ice bath. Glad I don’t have to “enjoy” those frigid ice baths — will leave it for the players!
3:00 pm It’s now been a few hours, but still no word from Tim in the locker room. We don’t like to bother Tim and Billy so we just wait. Who’s complaining though when you’re at an awesome event surrounded by world-class tennis?! I’m guessing that back in the massage line or trainer room, Tim is reading — or maybe even more likely — scrolling through his Twitter feed.
4:30 We hit some nasty traffic on the way back to the house. Shopping plans for the day? Nixed. Uhh … more Golf Channel?
7:00 We have dinner  with a group of Tim’s friends who are hosting a new Challenger starting off in Sacramento this Fall. It’s an exciting and riveting conversation, but my eyes are failing me and closing at the table. Tim, though, has extra helpings — have to stay fueled up!
10:30 Finally time for some shut-eye.
***
Friday, March 8th — 6:00 am No walk this morning as it’s surprisingly raining in the desert!
7:00 Off to get that coffee again to start the day right. Same routine as yesterday.
8:20 The rain was short-lived as the sun makes it’s appearance, even though the meteorologist called for more rain. Go figure!
9:15 My mom and I head out to do a little walking around and shopping now that it’s nice out. Tim is fifth up today for his match against Yen-Hsun Lu, so we won’t need to head to the site for a few hours.
1:30 pm Once we do arrive at the site, we catch some of the Jack Sock vs Ivo Karlovic match. What a tough loss for Jack after holding match points. Sometimes matches just don’t work out how we want them to.
3:00 We head over to watch some of Tim’s pre-match warmup, before seeing some of Jelena Jankovic vs Svetlana Kuznetzova. Once the sun starts to set though, mom and I realize that it would be better to spend a few hours inside so we’re not frozen popsicles by the time his match rolls around later in the evening.

4:45 Luckily, we were able to find in a nice corner of the players lounge where I can discretely do a little yoga — stiff from shivering all afternoon.
James Blake strides in smiling after his win over Robin Haase. Then from across the room, I see Haase discussing his loss with his coach and a cloudy look of disappointment on his face. With the constant flux of familiar tennis player faces walking in and out, it’s hard to not be distracted. But, of course, when you’re in the players lounge, you just play it cool — no staring, even if you are a little starstruck.
Stadium 3 is hosting a women’s match before Tim’s (Bartoli v Scheepers), so it feels like they’re trying to set a record for number of deuce games. Part of me — oh wait, all of me, is dreading going back out into the ever-extending frigid night.
6:00 We finally head out to Stadium 3 to shiver for a few more hours and watch Tim’s match against Lu. Tim came out of the gate strong, but Lu is known to be hot and cold. Sure enough, Lu got the break to start the second set, and then really started playing on all cylinders. Tim didn’t play poorly, but he can definitely play at a much higher level than this, and suffers a heart-breaking three-set loss, 6-2, 2-6, 2-6. Never easy to see a match slip through your hands after having had control.

9:00 After the cool down and some talk with his coach, it’s a quiet car ride back to the house as expected. I wish it could have gone better for Tim, but it was a heck of a time in Indian Wells and I’m incredibly grateful to have been along to support my brother! It’s the losses that show us our true strengths and I know Tim will bounce right back, looking for his next win.
As a bonus, Tim also shot his Tennis Channel “Bag Check” this week, so look for that in the weeks to come!

Until next time!
Lauren

The Return of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic Still on Top — The Friday Five

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By Maud Watson

Rafael Nadal at the BNP Paribas practice courts

He’s Baaa-aack

Rafael Nadal couldn’t have asked for a better start in his return from injury. He picked up his second title in three tournaments with his win in Acapulco, and what an emphatic win it was, too. In his last two matches, he took out his fellow countrymen Almagro and Ferrer in straight sets, and the win over Ferrer in the final was particularly brutal. He was moving around the court like a jack rabbit, and, when the opportunity presented itself, appeared to be growing more and more confident in his ability to take the ball on and dictate the point. His impressive win in Mexico doesn’t suddenly make him the favorite for Roland Garros as some overzealous fans and analysts have suggested, but it’s clear by what we saw coming off his racquet last week that he’s already starting to resemble the Nadal of old. We’ll see how Nadal’s clay court success translates onto the hard courts at Indian Wells, but it’s safe to assume that even at this early stage in his comeback, he’s going to be a tough out on the dirt.

Status Quo

While Rafael Nadal was busy showing the tennis world he’s firmly in the thick of it, Novak Djokovic was busy showing everyone why he’s World No. 1 and has no intention of giving up his perch anytime soon. Playing in his first event since winning the Australian Open, Djokovic barely showed any signs of rust as he claimed his fourth Dubai title and second of 2013. He waltzed through the tournament without the loss of set, though he was pushed to a tiebreak on two occasions. His ability to raise his level just that little bit, however, is what separates him from the majority of the pack. He enters Indian Wells as the top favorite, and after bowing out last year to Isner in the semis, you can be certain he’s going to be extra hungry to reclaim that title and keep his perfect record for 2013 intact. It’s going to take something special to stop the Serb, because right now, he’s in a league of his own.

Moving Forward

Apparently the governing bodies of tennis are capable of coming to a unanimous decision as evidenced by the news that the ITF, ATP, WTA and the four Grand Slams are giving their full support to the new biological passport program that will take effect on both tours yet this year. The passport program also will come with more blood tests as well as an increased number of out-of-competition testing. This new endeavor will be made possible by the increased funding that all of the governing bodies have pledged to provide to the program. This will undoubtedly make the players happy as well as the fans. It’s important that tennis be able to back up the assumption that it is a clean sport, with the cheaters being more the exception than the norm. It’s encouraging to see how quickly everyone is moving on this, and with any luck, any nasty doping accusations leveled at the players will soon be a thing of the past.

Red Flag

Earlier this week, both Wozniacki and McIlroy, who have suffered some recent setbacks in their respective sports, came out to squelch rumors that they had ended their relationship. The takeaway from Wozniacki’s press conference, however, wasn’t her commentary regarding the status of her relationship with Rory, but rather her comments concerning where she is with her game. The Dane insisted that she wasn’t slumping due to the relationship and that she didn’t have a problem. She rationalized that “When you are No. 1, there is only one way and it’s down and you can’t go further up. I feel like I am playing well.” She’s living in a fantasy world if she thinks she’s playing well and that her trajectory as a former No. 1 is acceptable. She needs to take a look at players like Azarenka, Serena Williams, and Sharapova. All three women have been at t he top, but they continue to work to get back to the top and at least remain close to top to seize an opportunity to pounce when one is presented to them. They don’t frequently suffer shock losses and drop out of the Top 10 unless an injury or illness is the culprit. Someone needs to get a hold of Wozniacki and help her right the ship, because it’s clear she doesn’t have a realistic grasp of where she is with her game or her spot within the sport.

Head of the Class

Earlier this week, the International Tennis Hall of Fame named their incoming class for 2013, and it’s a pretty decent slate of inductees. The Class of 2013 is headed by the sole Recent Player Inductee, Martina Hingis. The Swiss Miss was one of the craftiest players to ever pick up a racquet. In addition to the numerous awards she received over the course of her career, she garnered 15 major titles. She still holds the record for being the youngest woman to ever win a major – winning the Wimbledon Ladies’ Doubles in 1996 just three months shy of her 16th birthday – and she was also the youngest woman to reach the No. 1 singles ranking at 16-and-a-half years of age. Furthermore, she was one of those rare top players that excelled in both singles and doubles and is one of only five female players to have simultaneously held the No. 1 ranking in both. Hingis will be joined by Master Player Inductee, the great Australian Thelma Coyne-Long, whose induction is long overdue. Rounding out this year’s class in the Contributor category are three former players who have continued to serve the sport through providing television commentary and tournament administration. They are Cliff Drysdale, Charlie Pasarell, and Ion Tiriac. It’s a well-rounded and deserving class, and they should make for an enjoyable induction ceremony later this summer.

Serena Williams Back on Top; Sweet Success for Rafael Nadal — The Friday Five

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By Maud Watson

Back on Top

Similar to Roger Federer last season, Serena Williams defied the odds by reclaiming the No. 1 ranking by virtue of her run in Doha last week. In doing so, she became the oldest woman to hold the coveted spot. With the way the ranking system works, Serena likely would have clinched No. 1 before Wimbledon anyway, but that doesn’t make the achievement any less remarkable. She put herself in that position with her fantastic second half of 2012, playing a more complete schedule and generally winning whatever she entered, and now she’s rightfully benefited from the fruits of her labors. With Azarenka’s withdrawal from Dubai earlier this week, the American is guaranteed to hold on to No. 1 through Miami. She’ll have her work cut out for her if she’s to hold on to that ranking and ultimately finish the season there, but for now, she can bask in the feeling that comes with accomplishing what seemed an impossible goal.

Bigger Picture

Victoria Azarenka may have lost her No. 1 ranking in Doha, but she arguably left with two things more important – the title, and a win over Serena Williams. By successfully defending her title, she also defended all of her points from that event. And with less to defend than Williams in the second half of the season, she’ll likely have plenty of opportunities to leapfrog the American in the rankings. But the bigger takeaway was the win she garnered over Serena. She came into that final with a clear game plan that more often than not, she executed to perfection. And while Serena didn’t play her absolute best, she was certainly better than the “two out of ten” she claimed, and it’s also safe to say that what Azarenka was doing on her end of the court had something to do with taking Serena out of her comfort zone. At the end of the day, Azarenka handled the majority of the big moments better, and that’s why she earned the victory. She’s got plenty of work ahead of her to even up the score with Williams, but Azarenka is steadily building a case that this may evolve into the rivalry the WTA so desperately needs today.

How Sweet It Is

It isn’t the biggest title he’s ever won, nor was it worth many points. It didn’t come against a stellar field, and there was very little fanfare. But despite all of that, Rafael Nadal’s tournament win last week in Brazil will likely rank among one of his most cherished memories. Playing in his second tournament in as many weeks since after returning from a seventh-month layoff, Nadal once again reached the final, and this time, he came up with the goods. It wasn’t an easy path to the title match, but it was one-way traffic in the final against Nalbandian. Even down a double break in the second, the Spaniard reeled off six straight games against the Argentine to earn his 51st title. The victory should give him a boost of confidence heading into Acapulco, where he should be more tested. But for now, Nadal can savor the moment. He’s not where he wants to be, but he’s squarely moving in the right direction.

Crisis Averted

With things threatening to turn ugly in a hurry, the ATP Board of Directors finally came around and approved the BNP Paribas Open’s proposed prize money distribution. The proposed distribution passed when one of the three tournament directors who had previously opposed it, changed his vote. The ATP’s decision should make both the players and officials at Indian Wells happy, and it’s a decision that also looks destined to initiate changes down the road. The matter has forced the ATP to review the rules regarding potential deviations from the conventional prize money breakdowns and create parameters to deal with similar scenarios in the future. It was the lack of a clear rule on the subject that led to the near-fiasco with Indian Wells this year. Hopefully the ATP won’t drag its feet in establishing parameters to deal with this type of scenario, as such a scenario only results in bad publicity and unnecessary headaches.

Hitting Her Stride?

Could it be that Petra Kvitova is finally ready to once again begin producing the kind of tennis that wins championships? The Czech had a good showing last week in Doha, nearly upending Serena in the quarterfinals. She’s continued to build on that momentum this week in Dubai, reaching the semifinals at the expense of World No. 4 Radwanska in the process. She hasn’t exactly played pretty tennis to reach that stage. In fact, much like Serena, she tends to litter the stat sheet. But if two good back-to-back showings are any indication, Kvitova may at last be starting to find her range. If that’s the case, and she proves able to balance those errors with winners, the rest of the field should be on alert. Kvitova possesses easy power and deceptive touch, making her a dangerous opponent capable of blowing most anybody off the court. The women’s game would greatly benefit from such a talented player back in the mix vying for the biggest titles, so with any luck, these last two weeks are a sign that we’ll continue to see Kvitova’s star rise as the season progresses.

Rafael Nadal's Mixed Bag; WTA Re-evaluates Rule — The Friday Five

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By Maud Watson

Mixed Bag

Rafael Nadal made his return to tennis last week in Chile, and his comeback left mixed results as to where exactly he is with his game. He moved relatively well, tracking down drop shots and hustling to chase lobs, but he also got wrong-footed more than we’re used to seeing. Up until the singles and doubles finals, he was able to shake off the nerves and rust to routinely dismiss the opposition, but it was the kind of opposition that even a subpar Rafa always dismisses in the early rounds of any tournament. The fact that he reached the finals of both events after a 7-month layoff was something to be proud of, but his loss in the singles final likely did further damage to his clay court aura. Zeballos, who had a great record in clay court challengers coming in, deserves his due. He played the match of his life and handled the bigger moments better, but Zeballos was still the heavy underdog in that final. The Argentine had never won a singles title, had never been ranked inside the Top 40 or even won 40 career singles matches at the main tour level. This marked a stunning loss for Nadal that just goes to show there’s no substitute for match play. But, all in all, it was a good showing by the Spaniard. Plus, the great thing about tennis is there’s always next week. A good showing in Brazil should wipe away any bad memories from Chile and move him one step closer to being ready for the European clay court swing.

Inspirational Legend

On Tuesday, the sport of wheelchair tennis said good-bye to one of its greatest competitors and ambassadors as Esther Vergeer decided to call it a career. The Dutch woman lost the use of her legs at the tender age of 8 due to a surgery to repair blood vessels around her spine. Instead of getting down about her situation, however, she began to playing wheelchair sports, and eventually wheelchair tennis. Her prowess on the court has made her the greatest to play that sport, and the numbers speak for themselves. Ranked No. 1 from 1999 until the end of her career, she amassed 21 singles and 23 doubles major titles, 4 singles and 3 doubles gold medals at the Paralympics, 148 career singles titles and 136 in doubles. She won 470 consecutive matches over the course of the last decade, with her last loss coming in January, 2003. Her ability to generate these phenomenal statistics has helped put her sport on the map, and she’ll be greatly missed. Hearty congratulations on such an accomplished career are in order, as well as a big thank you to Vergeer for demonstrating that even the bleakest situations can be turned into something positive.

Rule Review

The 2013 Australian Open may be over, but the remnants of the infamous medical time out taken by Azarenka has forced the WTA to take a harder look at the medical timeout rule to ensure it cannot be used for gamesmanship. It’s refreshing that the WTA is reviewing the rule to right potential future wrongs, but this is something that should have been done some time ago. It shouldn’t have to wait for a situation like what we saw in Melbourne to occur before action is taken. Hopefully the ATP will learn from the WTA and not wait until things hit the fan before conducting a similar review of the rule on its books. After all, neither tour, nor the governing body of the majors, the ITF, is going to be able to completely eradicate the possibility of gamesmanship occurring under the rules for a medical timeout, but it’s about time they devise a plan to at least curb it.

Broken Record

Nadal made further headlines this week when he voiced his displeasure with the ATP and the number of hard court events on the calendar, as well as the stricter reinforcement of the 25-second rule. To be fair, Nadal is not the only one to take issue with the 25-second rule, and he did raise some valid points. But his notion that it will cut down on strategy is bogus, as is the idea that fans want to see a ton of long rallies (serve and volley anyone?). Nadal also needs to realize he’s one of the two biggest reasons for the stricter reinforcement of the rule, with the other being Djokovic, and the Serb has at least admitted to his slowness and has since sped up his overall pace of play. But the issue of the 25-second rule has taken a back seat to Nadal’s crusade against hard courts, and this is one area where Nadal needs to get off his high horse. Hard courts are tougher on the joints, but his rhetoric that essentially blames the ATP for his health issues is off base. Many players from previous generations played a significant number of hard court tournament and yet continue to enjoy competing on the various senior tours. There’s also been talk of the “greying of the field,” with many – despite playing numerous hard court tournaments in prior seasons – producing their best tennis in their mid-to-late 20s. His failure to fully recognize his own part in damaging his knees and insistence that he can’t (or won’t?) change his playing style does him no favors either. Bottom line, like him or hate him, he’s good for the game. His rivalries with the other top players are some of the most compelling in the sport. But if he’s honestly worried about his life post-tennis, he needs to accept that he’s going to have to play a limited schedule, or hang it up completely. This business of misplacing blame has to stop. It only comes off as whining, and he’s going to have a difficult time finding fans, and likely even some fellow players, who are going to sympathize with his plight when the guy can walk away now, financially set for life, and still go down as one of the greatest in history.

Gaining Momentum

In addition to recent comments by Murray, Djokovic and Nadal, Federer also continues to voice ideas to help ensure the sport of tennis is clean. In his most current comments, Federer pushed for biological passports. A biological passport serves as an electronic record for each athlete that collates the biological markers of doping and the results of the athlete’s doping tests. PEDs users could then potentially be caught via detecting variances in their established levels vs. actually identifying an illegal substance. In addition, Federer has advocated the use of blood passports, stating that while some drugs can’t be discovered now, it doesn’t mean that they won’t be in the future. Fear of such a discovery could deter potential cheaters. But like other ideas, the crux of the problem is funding. Federer has suggested the Grand Slams help foot the bill, as keeping the sport clean is in their best interest. Whether the majors will be happy with that line of thinking remains to be seen, but with all of the controversy surrounding PEDs and calls for more action to keep tennis clean, a solution needs to be worked out sooner rather than later.

The Fault of Untelevised Matches at the Australian Open

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Viktor Troicki crashed out to Radek Stepanek on Day 1 of the Australian Open on an untelevised court

By Yeshayahu Ginsburg

There was a lot of very good tennis scheduled and played on the first day of the Australian Open. Unlike other Slams, which split up the first round into three days, the Australian Open plays exactly half of the first-round singles matches on each of the first two days. That means 32 of each men’s and women’s matches on Day 1, with the same scheduled for Day 2. The problem with that, for myself and for every other fan not actually on the grounds in Melbourne, is that less than half of them are available to be viewed.
The tournament uses 16 courts on each of these first two days for singles play. Of those 16, only 7 of those have television cameras. If you want to watch a certain player or match, the first thing you have to do is check what court he or she is playing on. Unless you go to Melbourne, you can’t see the match if it’s not on one of those courts (Rod Laver Arena, Hisense Arena, Margaret Court Arena, and Courts 2, 3, 6, and 8).
Of course, it’s also not just about planning what matches you want to watch. Tennis is so unpredictable and amazing matches can come out of anywhere. We should have the availability of turning to those at any time should a compelling match come up. Three of the six 5-setters on Day 1 weren’t televised. Three matches went past 6-6 in the final set of Day 1 (two men’s and one women’s), two of which were on untelevised courts, including Radek Stepanek’s defeat of Viktor Troicki and Fabio Fognini’s loss to Roberto Bautista Agut. I can’t speak for anyone else, but when I know that a match in a Slam is at 6-6 in the final set, I want to turn to it. People pay money for tennis packages so that they can watch every match. So why can’t the watch every match?
The real travesty in all of this, of course, is that the year is 2013. It’s so easy to have cameras on the courts. It doesn’t even have to be anything really special. Just put a camera there. This isn’t the 90s, where companies had only one channel and could only show one match at a time anyway. Cable could get you a second channel. This is the day of digital and satellite packages; with live streaming of every available court on the internet. Is it really so impossible to just put cameras on every court? No commentary is necessary; just have a camera at every match so fans can watch their favorite players or good developing matches.
The most disappointing thing of all is that it shows that the Slams refuse to learn from potential disasters. Can anyone imagine what would have happened if, in 2010, Isner/Mahut had been on untelevised Court 19 instead of Court 18? I’m sure there would have been some sort of mad scramble to get a camera crew and commentators to that court. But that’s not the point. It’s so easy nowadays to have everything televised. I just hope that it won’t have to take us fans missing out on a historic match before those in charge come to their senses.

Player Pads and Pastimes in Melbourne: Federer, Djokovic, Williams

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By James Crabtree

A drive down the infamous and maddening Punt road, a quick turn onto Swan Street and you are smack bang in the middle of a sports nut holy land.
Indeed you could have gone the other way on Swan Street, had a great coffee and watched a gig at the famed Corner Hotel. But head in the direction of the city on tram or by foot and you are at The Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct. This particular area consists of Olympic Park, Yarra Park and Melbourne Park which is home to not only the tennis but also soccer, rugby, AFL, basketball, cricket and every major concert in town. Even the Grand Prix and horse racing’s Melbourne Cup are not too far away.
This is one hell of a town and a place born to breathe sport.
Unlike Wimbledon and Roland Garros, tickets for the Australian Open can be purchased easily and almost anybody you speak to will attend for at least one day. This is not tennis snobbery but tennis for all and the flamboyant crowds are certainly testament to this.
The tournament arrives too quickly and leaves too soon for most Melburnians. During roughly three weeks of January (including qualifying and pre-week warm-up) the Kia tournament cars buzz around the city leaving you to wonder, while trying to peer through the tinted glass, whom might be getting ferried around. Early on before the tournament has begun players like Novak Djokovic and Sam Stosur are getting acclimatised to the courts and weather, whilst speakers at conferences such as Judy Murray, Scott Draper or Ivan Lendl will be giving talks.

Roger Federer

An interesting tale from a couple of Open’s past is the story that Roger Federer, on his occasional days off , liked to clip on a walkie talkie and drive a tournament car to taxi players around the city. Imagine having just lost a match and hauling your luggage into the back of an official car, only to be greeted by good ol’ Fed looking back at you from the rear view mirror. There are no further reports to the quality of his driving although Jeremy Clarkson from Top Gear has claimed that Switzerland is a car hating place. It is also well known that Federer prefers to drive himself to and from matches at Melbourne Park rather than be chauffeured, and he is known to work on crossword puzzles during waiting times, asking tournament officials and staff for the odd bit of help.
Novak Djokovic on the other hand likes to walk. He is known to stay in the South Yarra area and visit the nearby botanical gardens to perhaps capture a sense of Zen. His team are known to spend a good amount of time at the European style cafes close to their hotel. It’s important to remember Melbourne prides itself on its café culture and exceptional coffee.
The Williams sisters also enjoy staying within the Chapel street precinct (South Yarra), along with others such as Andy Murray and Lleyton Hewitt. Serena Williams is known to rent out eight rooms for her entourage that includes a personal assistant, trainer, hitting partner, agent, and a whole heap of family and friends whilst staying in this famed area. And, big sister Venus includes a chef amongst her personal support team.
Whereas players at Wimbledon rent houses in or near the village, most players at the Aussie Open stay at some of the bigger hotels within the CBD. With Melbourne Park is only a 5 minute drive, the city is an ideal place to call home throughout the two week tournament. Players are often seen frequenting the inner city restaurants and shopping precincts, two of Melbourne’s most talked about attributes. The parent of a notable Russian player was known to attempt to purchase a large quantity of clothing from one store, with the promise that they would be back (insert Russian accent now) ‘probably tomorrow I hope’ (some will try anything and please end Russian accent). Jo- Wilfred Tsonga was also seen on the ‘Paris end’ of Collins Street adding to his wardrobe in Armani.
Of course Melbourne is not exempt from the associated pre-tournament marketing exploits of brands such as Adidas, Lacoste, Nike, Rolex, Kia, Jacob’s Creek and ANZ. Adidas has been known to host a pre-hitting event on a court on top of an iconic Melbourne building and Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams have been known to open new jewelery and fashion stores within the city.
Speak to many of the locals and the first month of the year is often their favourite time in the city. With holidays, heat and hard hitting, the Australian Open is certainly an event that is well organised, attended and looked forward to for much of the year. Melbourne Park suitably plays host to this reputable Asia Pacific Grand Slam and with its latest list of renovations will no doubt impress both players and visitors. If you plan a visit to Australia be sure to include a visit to Melbourne during the Australian Open, it would be criminal to miss.

The Rafael Nadal Saga continues; Andrea Petkovic's cruel twist of fate — The Friday Five

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By Maud Watson

The Saga Continues

The 2013 tennis season got underway this week, but unfortunately for Nadal, his season didn’t start with it. Citing a stomach bug, the Spaniard pulled out of the Abu Dhabi exhibition event in late December and then shocked everyone when he named that same bug as his reason for not only withdrawing from Doha, but the Australian Open as well. His decision left even his most ardent fans scratching their heads and had others spinning conspiracy theories. Wild conspiracy theories aside, he does seem to be taking an exceptionally long time to recover from this stomach bug considering it had to have hit him at least a few days before Abu Dhabi for him to have not made the trip there. And while everyone understands Nadal’s need for caution and recognizes that a major isn’t the most ideal event for his return, making a comeback at the Australian Open might not have been such a bad thing. At best, he was always going be the fourth favorite to win it. The same won’t likely be true if he returns on the clay in February. With his track record on the dirt, fans will have high expectations for him irrespective of how long he has sat out of the game. Couple that with the natural pressure that comes from returning from an extended layoff, and it could be an even bigger ask for Nadal to deliver when he finally does return to competition. A potential poor return on the clay would also likely be more damaging to his mental game than an early loss on hard courts. So who knows how it will all shake out? The only thing for certain is that Nadal has managed to kick off 2013 with more questions than he ended with last season.

Cruel Twist of Fate

The player who arguably suffered the biggest disappointment in the opening week of the 2013 season was Andrea Petkovic. The affable German, who had more than her share of injury woes in 2012, was to play the Hopman Cup alongside her compatriot, the resurgent Tommy Haas. But in her opening match against young Aussie Ashleigh Barty, she suffered a knee injury that sadly left her in tears. She’s since had to pull out of the year’s first major with a rupture of the medial meniscus. She will be out another one to three months, depending on whether the rupture can be treated via a simple trimming or will need to once again be sewn. Hopefully it will be the speedier option. With a jovial disposition, hers is a personality from which the WTA could greatly benefit, and after all she went through last year, she’s due a good run of form in 2013.

Tick-Tock

It seems officials aren’t wasting any time in implementing the ATP’s new measures to better enforce the 25-second rule between points. They’ve handed out more than a few warnings and violations this week, and with the mini-meltdowns of Monfils and F. Lopez, it’s apparent that it’s going to take some adjustments from the players. Wrinkles like determining when the umpire should start the clock, show some leeway with the rule, and what constitutes a player being ready to serve all need to be ironed out, but the actions of officials this week do provide hope that this will properly up the tempo of the sport. It was particularly rewarding to see one official give Lopez a warning when he was triple set point down. After all, if the rules aren’t adhered to in the most crucial moments of a match, why have them in the first place? It remains to be seen if umpires will have the courage to apply the rules in equal measure against the megastars and on the bigger stages, but their actions this week certainly show promise.

Rumbles Down Under

I wouldn’t go so far as to call it thunder Down Under, but Bernard Tomic is making some noise in Perth. The young Aussie is paired with the even younger Ashleigh Barty in the Hopman Cup, and he’s delighted the home fans with a solid win over Tommy Haas and a very impressive victory over Novak Djokovic. Granted, there isn’t a lot on the line at the team competition. It’s a fun time that allows the competitors the opportunity to get a few matches under their belts before the Australian Open, so no one, including Tomic, is operating under the assumption that someone like Djokovic was giving the same kind of effort he will in Melbourne. But the Serb, and Haas for that matter, didn’t tank their matches against Tomic either. Based on his comments, the Aussie is also taking confidence from the victories and interpreting them as his hard work paying off. But the most crucial point of all is, that for a guy who generated a lot of negative press at the end of 2012, these were the kind of positive headlines he needed to boost his image. In short, Tomic couldn’t have asked for a better start to his 2013.

Don’t Kneed This

American tennis hopes took a hit earlier this week when John Isner was forced to pull out of the Hopman Cup with a right knee injury. It capped off a forgettable week for the American, who lost both of his singles matches to South Africa’s Kevin Anderson and France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga respectively. Isner remained upbeat about his situation however, stating that even though he was unsure if he was suffering from tendinitis or something more serious, he’s always experienced speedy recoveries and plans on being ready to go for the Australian Open. Hopefully the towering American’s self-assessment is correct. Between the majority of the points he has to defend coming at the front of the season and a string of lackluster results dating back to the second half of 2012, Isner is in dire need of a strong showing in Melbourne.