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Rusedski puts his foot in it!
Greg Rusedski's decision to withdraw from February's first-round Davis Cup tie against
Australia has probably scuppered any chance Great Britain might have had of progressing
to the quarter-finals of the competition for the first time since 1986.
The prospect of facing Lleyton Hewitt, Mark Philippoussis and co on clay in Sydney was
obviously too daunting for the 1997 US Open finalist. Rusedski will, however, compete in the
opening ATP Tour event of the year in Doha and expects to play in the Australian Open starting
on January 13th. You can imagine, therefore, that Roger Taylor, Britain's Davis Cup
captain, must have been rather bewildered by the decision and I'll bet he was gritting his
teeth when he gave his reaction: "I am extremely disappointed that Greg has pulled out
at this stage and it is a real blow to the whole team. . . . Greg has done what is best
for him and I understand that, but you will have to ask Greg himself if he thinks he has
acted hastily."
"I don't want to put the Davis Cup team in a difficult position by giving them last-minute
notice if I had to withdraw," explained Rusedski, who is recovering from foot surgery.
"I'm not sure how my foot will react in Doha, let alone the Australian Open."
Perhaps Roger Taylor should be equally considerate and give Rusedski plenty of notice
that his services will no longer be required - ever again! Canadian-born Rusedski has done
sterling work for Britain in the past, but his commitment to the cause must now be
viewed as suspect. In the words of Lou Holtz, a US College football coach: "If you don't make
a total commitment to whatever you're doing, then you start looking to bail out the first
time the boat starts leaking. It's tough enough getting that boat to shore with everybody
rowing, let alone when a guy stands up and starts putting his jacket on."
Rusedski's not even on the boat any more. He's paddling his own canoe. Let him just get on
with it.
Dave Winship (28 December 2002)
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New Year Predictions
It's always tempting to do a little bit of crystal ball gazing on the eve of a new year.
We're going to try and pick two players, a man and a woman, who should build on their
progress in 2002 and move on to greater things in the next twelve months.
The world's top players have the ability to define and redefine their strategies as necessary
during the course of a match, but Fernando Gonzalez's philosophy goes like this: if I
lose a point, I'll just hit the ball harder! The Chilean made great strides in 2002 under
the guidance of Horacio de la Pena, but some of his defeats were rather like watching
someone fall over with his hands in his pockets.
Chileans have a tradition of eating lentils at midnight on New Year's Eve for good luck.
Perhaps a calming diet of lentils will encourage a more selective use of weapons by Gonzalez
in 2003. He certainly possesses the raw talent to break into the top ten.
Chileans have another belief associated with the New Year: walk around with a suitcase at
midnight on New Year's Eve and it will improve your chances of travel in the upcoming year.
If Gonzalez is spotted on the streets of Santiago swinging a suitcase while he munches his
lentils, it'll be because he intends to add Houston to his itinerary for 2003. Quite right
too - he really should qualify for the Masters Cup in November.
The crystal ball has gone cloudy. Hang on, it's clearing again! I can see celebrations in
Slovakia. Perhaps it's not the future at all; perhaps it's the past - you remember there were
mass celebrations last November when the Slovaks beat Spain in the Fed Cup final? If it's not
the recent past, perhaps it's the present? After splitting from the Czech Republic in 1993,
the Slovaks now celebrate January 1 as Independence Day as well as New Year's Day.
But wait! It's not January 1st. It's a Grand Slam final and, yes, I recognise that white
sun-visor. This is a view of the future, after all. It's Daniela Hantuchova, who announced
her arrival as a serious contender in women's tennis when she upset Martina Hingis to claim
the Indian Wells Masters title back in March. By November, her big serve and powerful, precise
groundstrokes had propelled her into the top 10 and she finished the season as the driving
force behind Slovakia's historic Fed Cup achievement.
At the beginning of this year, Nigel Sears, her British coach, declared: "Her goal is to end
the year in the top 16." Many considered it a bit optimistic at the time. If Sears were to
set a Grand Slam singles title as the goal for 2003, would the pundits be just as sceptical
now as they were then?
Dave Winship (23 December 2002)
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How much Christmas cheer will be evident at the WTA this year?
You better watch out,
You better not cry,
You better not pout,
I'm telling you why . . .
Just when it seemed that women's tennis was establishing some real popularity, the WTA Tour
has suddenly fallen into disarray.
Attendance at the Staples Center in Los Angeles for the end-of-year Championships was
appalling. So was the quality of the tennis produced by many of the players, especially in
the first couple of rounds. To cap a disastrous month for the WTA, Sanex then announced their
intention to withdraw as title sponsor of the women's tour (described euphemistically
as a "sponsorship realignment" on the Sanex WTA Tour website).
The Los Angeles event had been touted as the sport's fifth grand slam, but the message never
got through to the residents who did some early Christmas shopping instead. "A lot of my
friends had no idea why I was in town," said Monica Seles, who, in the early rounds, was
probably the only player who produced anything like the passion you would expect for such a
lucrative event. Kim Clijsters, who defeated Serena Williams in the final, will be enjoying
her early Christmas present, but the administrators in the WTA will be choking over their
mince pies.
Wouldn't it be better to mirror the ATP Tour and restrict the event to an eight-player
round-robin? Certainly, the men's event in Shanghai was well-supported, well-contested and
well ahead of the women's event in just about every respect.
If the Los Angeles debacle and Sanex's decision are to be nothing more than a couple of blips
on their radar screen, the WTA would be well advised to address some of the promotion and
scheduling problems that beset the tour. The lack of motivation demonstrated by many of the
players in Los Angeles is a clear indication that the season is too long. The grand slams are
a problem too. I know the WTA isn't the only interested party here, but there really should
be more of an interval between the French Open and Wimbledon to allow players the opportunity
to get used to grass. The US Open might also be moved back a week or two. As for the WTA
Championships, attendance figures in Los Angeles illustrate the need for much more aggressive
marketing.
Given the current economic situation, it's unlikely that Santa will have a new title sponsor
in his sack. So it won't be easy. But this is not the time for a Scrooge mentality. It'll be a
bit like buying this year's Christmas presents with next year's money, but let's not forget - in
Venus and Serena Williams, women's tennis boasts the two best known women athletes on the
planet! Why not provide them with a few sound bites and get them more involved in promoting
the Tour while such a good opportunity exists?
Dave Winship (2 December 2002)
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Child Protection and the LTA
A report into child abuse by the Child Protection in Sport Unit (CPSU), run by the
National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and funded by the National
Lottery, is due to be published this month and is expected to reveal that over 750
allegations of child abuse at the hands of coaches were reported over the past year.
These allegations cover a wide range of incidents ranging from swearing at and
intimidating children into training too hard through to serious allegations of rape.
They also include a number of false allegations arising presumably from disgruntled
parents attempting to "get their own back" when children were not selected for a team
or competition.
At a time when many children eat too much junk food, watch too much TV
and don’t exercise enough, sport should be promoted as a vitally important aspect of a
child's physical, social and moral development. It's imperative, therefore, that sports
organisations give a very high priority to ensuring safe environments. Young people
obviously need protection from unscrupulous individuals, but they also need protection
from systems that (sometimes unwittingly) give rise to over-training and over-competing,
resulting in "burn out" and other stress-related disorders. The world of international
gymnastics, for example, has thrown up some horror stories in the past. All sports
must guard against the exploitation of children in high-stakes competition.
If the abuse of children is not already a big issue for sports organisations, it soon will be.
Governing bodies will have to provide specific training to coaches so that they fully
understand their responsibilities and are able to implement good practice. But one of
the immediate priorities must be an effective vetting policy. Here in the UK, the LTA
claims to be "at the forefront of the implementation of Child Protection policies within
sport". In April 2002 it became a registered body for obtaining Enhanced Disclosure
Certificates from the Criminal Records Bureau.
You would think then that all coaches holding a recognised LTA qualification might
reasonably expect the LTA to support their efforts to obtain a Disclosure Certificate,
wouldn't you? Well, apparently that's not the case. In practice, the LTA is only supporting
Licensed Coaches who qualified after May 2002. Given that applications for a CRB Certificate
are only accepted from registered bodies (and cannot be accepted from individuals), this
puts coaches whose qualifications pre-date May 2002 in a particularly difficult situation.
Many will be forced to shell out around £400 to re-qualify or face the consequences of
clubs becoming (quite correctly) less inclined to employ them without a CRB Certificate.
Why not extend the arrangement to include all LTA qualified coaches? Now that would
demonstrate a genuine and impressive commitment to Child Protection.
Dave Winship (21 November 2002)
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Building bridges
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" (Confucius)
Shanghai is the destination for the ATP Tour's top players when they
compete in this year's Masters Cup. An expanding economy means China is
staging more and more high-profile sporting events, including, of
course, the Olympic Games in 2008. Judging by the amount of corporate
interest in sponsoring the Tennis Masters Cup, it should prove to be
an enormously successful event and will fuel the growing interest
in tennis throughout the Asia Pacific region.
When it comes to the issue of human rights, however, China still has
a long way to go to win the hearts and minds of the rest of the world.
Human rights activists opposing Beijing’s Olympic bid argued that a
sporting event celebrating the triumph of the human spirit should not
be hosted by a regime that has at times demonstrated scant regard for
humanity.
Many people refuse to turn a blind eye to repression and human
rights violations. It's an emotive issue for sure. But maybe the
integration of China into the sporting community - and then into the world
community - is the right way to go. Maybe the Tennis Masters Cup is
just one of the first bridges that have to be built between China and
the rest of the world.
Dave Winship (1 November 2002)
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Patty Schnyder's missing years
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Patty Schnyder
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"It's been a very emotional and special day for me and it's been a fantastic week," said
Patty Schnyder, brimming over with delight on winning the Swisscom Challenge in Zurich
last week. The biggest win of her rollercoaster career also ensured her qualification for
the season-ending WTA Championships in Los Angeles next month. Schnyder is belatedly
emerging from the shadow cast by her fellow countrywoman, Martina Hingis.
Back in 1998, when she won five career titles and broke into the WTA top ten, the
expectation that Schnyder would join Hingis in a Swiss domination of the women's game
was gaining a lot of momentum.
But suddenly, early in 1999, it all went pear-shaped. Well, orange-shaped, actually. The
level-headed teenager inexplicably struck up an alliance with a German faith healer who
encouraged her to sack her coach, sever ties with her family and consume copious amounts
of orange juice on the basis that it is "almost identical to mother's milk".
German authorities investigated allegations that he was practising medicine without a
licence. It duly emerged that this man had no medical qualifications at all and had
devised his techniques through self-study.
The WTA Tour have a Sport Sciences and Medicine department which was founded in order
to provide optimal health care for all athletes on the women’s professional tennis
circuit. It offers education programmes and preventive strategies to help players cope
with the known stresses of life on the road. It also boasts an innovative mentor program
whereby retired players are matched with young players ranked in the top 100. It is the
first of its kind in professional sport. Now, I don't know how much leverage was applied by
the WTA in this particular case. Maybe they deserve the credit, maybe they don't. Either way,
the episode serves to demonstrate the importance of keeping such an infrastructure in place.
Anyway, one way or another, Schnyder broke free from the faith healer's insidious influence
in May 1999. The association had only lasted a few months, but it had been enough to put the
young Swiss player's career in a tailspin.
There were signs of a significant upturn in her fortunes earlier this year when she recorded
big wins against the likes of Amelie Mauresmo, Serena Williams and Jennifer Capriati. With the
unerring accuracy of her angled groundstrokes, she was once again becoming the scourge of
higher-ranked players.
Her victory over Lindsay Davenport in Zurich should now herald the start of a new phase in a
very intriguing career. Patty Schnyder finally seems to have got the orange juice out of
her system.
Dave Winship (23 October 2002)
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Davis Cup deliberations
"The Davis Cup schedule has to be brought into the real world."
So writes John McEnroe in his recent autobiography. And he ought to know what he's talking
about. He represented the United States in the Davis Cup over a period of 12 years (30 ties),
boasting a 59-10 win-loss record. His commitment to the competition is well documented.
"I will go anywhere, any time to play Davis Cup for America," he used to say, partly in
admonishment of fellow compatriots who ignored the call to duty.
If a country has a successful run in the World Group, the competition takes out four weekends
between February and December. That can obviously have a significant impact on a player's
schedule. Those who snub the Davis Cup are usually criticised for their blinkered pursuit of
riches, but players like Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras have legitimate concerns about the
format and the ITF should give them some serious consideration.
At present, the Davis Cup is divided into World Group competition and Zone competitions. There
are three zones: American, Euro-African, and Asia-Pacific. Within each zone, countries square
off for the opportunity to advance to the World Group. The World Group consists of the 16 top
countries which compete on certain weekends between February and December in a
single-elimination draw to determine the Cup winner for a given year. Around September, each
of the 8 first round losers play the top 8 finishers in the Zone competitions in a "relegation
tie". The winner of each tie advances to the World Group for the next year, while the loser is
relegated to Zone competition. Are you still with me? The ITF maintain that the format is easy
to follow. Huh? Yeh, right. I mean, even if that were true, by the time the semi-finals come
around, you've forgotten who won the quarter-finals!
I think the sport would benefit enormously if the tennis calendar reserved a two-week period
every two years for an uninterrupted team event. The television networks would find it much
easier to promote and the public would be presented with an undiluted sporting event capable
of producing the atmosphere of an Olympic Games or a soccer World Cup tournament.
"You know, I think that’s the one thing that sets Davis Cup apart from any other tennis event -
the crowd really gets into it and you’re allowed to be more like a football type crowd which I
find fun," said Andy Roddick recently. "I really like that atmosphere, so that’s definitely one
of the pluses of Davis Cup."
Players like Roddick have an appetite for team tennis, and so do the fans. The ITF should
capitalise on this by offering a competition which is easy to understand, in which players
wear distinctive team uniforms and which, apart from some qualifying ties, takes place within
an uninterrupted timeframe, culminating in the final. The current disjointed mishmash has had
its day.
Dave Winship (24 September 2002)
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Keeping out of the shadows
As this year's US Open progresses, last year's tragic events continue
to cast a shadow over New York. September 11th looms again - a date
when New Yorkers will subconsciously pull the bedclothes higher for
many a year to come. Security at the Open is obviously tighter. A
special Opening Night ceremony fittingly dubbed "A Salute to Heroes"
paid tribute to the men and women, both uniformed and civilian, who
gave their all in the rescue efforts following the terrorist attacks.
"This is a very special year for New York and the US Open," said Arlen
Kantarian, chief executive officer of the USTA. "This special Opening
Night ceremony will welcome the world to a confident and resilient New
York and provides the opportunity to honour and celebrate the courage
and heroism of New York and its people."
The resilience Kantarian referred to continues to be much in evidence
as the tournament focuses on the tennis and refuses to allow the
mood to become too sombre and devotional. The Ground Zero flag,
hoisted high above the Arthur Ashe Stadium, was unfurled to honour
the memory of New York's heroes, but it waves majestically over a
festival of multi-cultural sport and flies in the faces of those who
seek to jeopardise the freedoms of the vast majority of us wishing to
live peacefully in a multi-cultural world.
Dave Winship (28 August 2002)
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JB has arrived!
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Beneath a shock of Sideshow Bob hair, there's an incongruous blur of thin legs and baggy shorts.
Shaking off some early nerves, a 22-year-old African-American player is poised to make his mark
in the tennis world by coming from behind to beat Paradorn Srichaphan in the final of the Legg
Mason Tennis Classic in Washington. There's evidence of an engaging, good-natured demeanour as
he decorates the court with classy strokes and explosive pace. As the denouement arrives, a
disingenuous grin betrays his joy at the realisation of a major career ambition. James Blake
has arrived.
After two years at Harvard, Blake decided to put his education on hold and follow in his
brother's tracks by turning pro. The native New Yorker, who could have played Davis Cup for
Britain as his mother is English (from Banbury in Oxfordshire), intends to finish his degree
when his tennis career is over - but the signs are that it will be quite a wait.
Blake dropped the first set 6-1 to Srichaphan, but this is a young man who has experienced
plenty of adversity en route to his first tour title. Afflicted with a serious back condition called
scoliosis, a gradual curving of the spine, he had to endure a difficult period in his teenage
years. "It's something that can't be cured, except by surgery," he explained in a recent
interview. "When I was 14, the surgery they suggested was to put a couple of rods in my back,
which would have been the end of tennis. Instead, I wore a big plastic brace under my clothes
all the way through high school, which was more traumatic for me than the operation because I
thought it might limit my social options." Fortunately, the condition improved and he no longer
wears a brace. "But I still get pain on long flights or when I'm sitting for a long time. People
think my posture is pretty good but they don't realise why I'm sitting upright like that. I
think I'd be about two inches taller if I had a straight back."
He's developed a deep-seated resilience which will serve him well in the ultra-competitive
jungle of professional tennis. Actually, it's a genetic trait. I dug up this anecdote from his
years as a junior. The white father of one of his rivals said to Blake's mother, Betty: "I feel
sorry for your son, being the product of a bi-racial marriage, because both races can hate him."
Wrong-footed for no more than a brief moment, she responded: "That's not the way I see it.
To me, being bi-racial means you can be embraced by both groups."
The more you watch, the more evidence you find of this priceless capacity for quick adjustment,
physical as well as mental. JB's progress is about to go into overdrive.
Dave Winship (22 August 2002)
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Wimbledon's new seed makes a difference!
Wasn't it strange to see two baseliners slugging it out on Centre
Court in the Wimbledon Men's Singles final? When was the last time
that happened? Well, it's got to be 1978, I suppose - Borg beating
Connors.
Will it happen again next year? Is this a new trend? No, history
suggests it's just an anomaly. Let's see now. What happened to
baseliners after Borg's phenomenal run of five successive titles?
Connors won in 1982, Agassi in 1992 and now Hewitt in 2002 - it's just
a one in ten, isn't it? Nothing for Tim and Greg to worry about.
Come on, we're talking about grass, remember? The balls skid low and
lightning fast, bounces are unpredictable. It favours the big
serve-and-volleyer, right? Always has, always will.
Uh uh! The secret's out. They've changed the surface!
Maybe they've been disturbed at the sight of Gustavo Kuerten joining
a growing trickle of disgruntled Spaniards beating a retreat from
SW19. Or maybe they've been stung by criticism arising from high
profile matches degenerating into service shootouts. But whatever the
reason, they've gone and done the unthinkable - the All England Club
has changed the surface at Wimbledon!
All right, it's still grass. It's still natural grass. But it's
not the grass that Tilden, Perry, Budge, et al enjoyed.
The traditional variety, familiar to Wimbledon champions from Spencer
Gore to Pete Sampras, Maud Watson to Venus Williams, was called
creeping red fescue (or something like that). Whatever. But, following months and
months of research, it's been changed. It's now predominantly made up
of hardy Aberelf rye (apparently!) in a mixture guaranteed to produce a
hard-wearing, high-bouncing surface quite unlike anything seen at the
Championships since its inception in 1877.
I'd say that it's just bang on! It's a masterstroke. Remember the All
England Club insisting they would never change to clay or cement or
Rebound Ace? Remember their insistence that the choice of grass was
sacrosanct? It was a triumph of equivocation.
And when they said they were changing the seeding system, no one
cottoned on. Was that statement delivered with a straight face? I mean,
heavy irony, or what? The point is - Wimbledon now offers a much more
level playing field. It's truly become the best stage for the best
players.
So come on, Guga - sign up for 2003!
Dave Winship (23 July 2002)
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Correction, give the umpire a break!
"The trouble with referees is that they just don't care which side wins." - Tom Canterbury
The weight of expectation may prove too great for Tim Henman as he moves through the second
week of Wimbledon, but don't waste too much sympathy on him if he succumbs to the pressure.
After all, he is obscenely well paid for wearing the albatross round his neck. Spare a thought
instead for the poor umpires.
Wayne Ferreira was understandably enraged about the crucial over-rule which denied him a
5-1 tie-break lead in the third set of his third round encounter with Henman. Everyone on
Centre Court saw the puff of white dust as the South African's backhand pass hit the junction
of sideline and baseline in the far corner away from the umpire's chair. The television
replays confirmed it. The line judge called it good, but the experienced Portuguese umpire,
Jorge Dias, over-ruled the call. Henman fought back and went on to take the set and the match.
"I think it's shocking," raged Ferreira. "If he (Dias) had any decency, he would come and
apologise. That was the turning point. Jorge ummed and aahed but he wasn't sure. I think he
realised he had made a mistake but what can you do about it? Umpires should not over-rule
when it's tight and it seems to happen a lot. They try their best but they make mistakes and
this was a big one at my expense."
Ilie Nastase once said, "An umpire make a mistake - it's like stealing money from my pocket."
Players perform under a lot of pressure at times, but many of their mistakes are glossed over
and lost in the blur of TV statistics. But one single misjudgement by an umpire can appear
catastrophic. Now, there's real pressure!
As Ed Runge, a baseball umpire, said back in 1973:
"It's the only occupation where a man has to be perfect first day on the job and then improve
over the years!"
Dave Winship (1 July 2002)
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More grass!
When Gustavo Kuerten won the French Open last year and promptly withdrew from Wimbledon, it
caused some ripples of anxiety. Some pundits saw it as evidence that the prestige of the
Championships was on the wane. Sadly for Kuerten, happily for the All England Club, this was
not the case.
This year, the Brazilian's allergy to grass afflicted him again, and Albert Costa scheduled
his wedding in the middle of the grass court season. Wimbledon was once again deprived of
the reigning French Open champion.
The problem is not Wimbledon per se. It's the length of the grass court season. There used to
be two grand slams played on grass (and two grass court seasons). These days the players have
a ludicrously short period of two weeks in which to fine-tune their games for the special
demands of the Wimbledon Championships. There clearly ought to be at least one extra week
between the French Open and Wimbledon, and one of these ought to include a Masters Series
event. Grass-shy players would then not only have more time to adjust, but they would have more
incentive to do so.
"It's weird playing three weeks a year on grass," said Mary Pierce in a recent interview. "If
we played a longer season, I think I would be much better. I think I have a good game to do
well on grass."
Wimbledon will always be played on grass and it will never lose its prestige as the greatest
tennis tournament in the world, but the sport's administrating bodies could help it produce
top quality grass-court tennis by ensuring that the world's best players do not arrive at SW19
under-prepared.
Dave Winship (26 June 2002)
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Who will Wimbledon 2002?
Just about now, the groundsmen at the All England Club start fretting over the weather
forecasts and spend each day mowing, marking, spiking, inspecting and watering. If the
next few weeks are wet, they become fraught with worry lest the covers fail to provide
enough light for the grass to flourish. By the time the covers come off on June 24th to
reveal those beautiful emerald lawns, the groundsmen won't be alone - we'll all
be fretting over the forecasts.
Wimbledon is more vulnerable to the weather than the other grand slams and it dictates
what type of player will prevail during the fortnight. A warm, dry spell can make the
courts behave more like hard courts, as they did in 1992 when Andre Agassi won the men's
title. But of course, typically, the ball bounces lower on grass and baseliners really
struggle to adapt. So, let's ignore them and concentrate on the grass-court specialists.
Step forward, the grass-court specialists!
I said: step forward, the grass-court specialists! What's going on? Where are they?
What's that you say - Rafter's not coming? Oh, yes, shoulder problem! Ivanisevic, too?
Well okay, what about Rusedski and Sampras and Krajicek and Philippoussis? Oh, so
Rusedski's had a neck injury and hasn't played for weeks and Sampras lost a Davis Cup
rubber on grass to . . . to who?! Alex Corretja?! You're kidding! I know Krajicek hasn't
played for a year, which just leaves Philippoussis - I suppose he's still trying to
reconstruct his career after all those injuries - is that right? First round losses?
Yes, thought so!
So, we've got to go back and take a look at the baseliners after all.
No, wait! I forgot - there's one more grass-court player. Now, what's his name? That
British chap - yes, of course - Tim Henman!
After Venus Williams won the first of her two Wimbledon singles titles two years ago,
she was asked: "At what point in the last two weeks did you really know you were going to
win the title?" Her reply is one of my favourite tennis quotes. "When I bought my dress!"
she replied, referring to the ball gown she bought in Florida just before leaving for the
Championships.
This year, I reckon she'll have bought the dress and the shoes and the jewellery and she'll
even have chosen from the menu - all well before the journey to London SW19!
Dave Winship (5 June 2002)
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What improvements will the next generation of players bring to the game?
Do you sometimes wonder where tennis is heading? Do you think players
of the future will come up with greater skills and athleticism than the
champions of today? Or does the longevity of someone like Andre Agassi,
once again a very serious contender for grand slam titles this year, suggest
that we've reached some sort of plateau in the technical, tactical and physical
aspects of the game?
Let's peer into a crystal ball and get a glimpse of future trends in
the game. No, it's no good, all I can see is the usual haze. But wait!
It's clearing. Is that a figure, holding a trophy? I think it's . . . yes,
it's the Wimbledon trophy. He's going over to hug someone, maybe his father,
maybe his coach. Wait a minute - there's writing on the back of the sweatshirt.
Looks like his name, followed by some letters . . . "Psy.D". So he's embracing
his psychologist?
It's going to happen. It's the one area of the game where there's obvious
improvements to be made. You see it all the time. And I'm not just talking about
lapses of concentration, flawed decision-making and bad mistake management. Take
Daniela Hantuchova for example. She stunned the world by winning the Masters
at Indian Wells, becoming the lowest seed to win a Tier 1 event since 1980. Unfortunately,
it stunned Daniela too. She immediately crashed out of the Nasdaq-100,
losing to an unseeded player in her opening match. Unless Cara Black magically
transformed herself into a player capable of beating Masters champions, chances are
it had more to do with the mental and emotional state of Hantuchova, who has
continued to have a lean time on the WTA tour since her celebrated victory over
Martina Hingis.
As for players "choking", even the most casual observers of the sport must be familiar
with some famous examples. There's no need for me to catalogue them.
Even tennis's greatest champions have struggled with the mental side of the game
from time to time.
Do you remember when Pete Sampras won his first US Open title back in 1990?
He was a "a really green, insecure kid" of nineteen and it took him a while to
come to terms with his situation. "It took me a couple of years, pretty much
until I won the Open for the second time in 1993, to figure it out mentally,"
said Sampras in a recent interview. When he lost in the quarter finals the
following year, he spoke of his relief that the pressure was off and was roundly
criticised by those who took this to mean he was happy to have lost. "I got
overwhelmed trying to figure out what people wanted from me," he says now. "Here I
am, complaining about winning the US Open. But if I had to do it all over again,
I would rather have won it later. I would never underestimate the mental aspects
of playing this game."
Most experienced players acknowledge the importance of mental resilience. They
would agree with Billie-Jean King's assertion that "more matches are won
internally than externally". But I suspect many younger players, despite, in some cases,
being completely consumed by the pressure to succeeed, are still
inclined to place psychological issues well down their list of priorities.
My crystal ball suggests that they, and their coaches, need to wise up pretty soon!
Dave Winship (24 May 2002)
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British tennis must improve its domestic competitive framework to get the benefit of Ariel's sponsorship
So Ariel are going to pour funding into the 'Players of the Future' programme for young players
aged between 11 and 17, a deal described by the LTA as "the most incredible we've been able to
announce for years." 20 million packs of Ariel washing powder will incorporate the LTA's logo
and website address, potentially reaching up to a third of all households in the country.
Patrice Hagelauer, LTA Director of Performance, says: "this kind of investment from Ariel will
help us continue to offer our most talented younsters the world class training facilites,
support and coaching they need." Great!
A new long-term development programme, covering every stage of a player's development from
earliest childhood to late teens, has also just been launched by Anne Pankhurst, the LTA's
Coach Education Director. Great!
Mini tennis was launched last summer and seems to be going down well in clubs and schools
across the country. Great!
I wouldn't want to detract from all these good intentions. It's great that resources are being
targeted on the identification and development of talented juniors. Lots of participation. Lots
of coaching. What worries me slightly is that we might be putting all the emphasis on support
programmes without paying any attention to what these programmes should be underpinning, namely
a strong domestic competitive structure. Without this, we cannot hope to establish a competitive
pyramid leading up to true world standard.
"It is very important that the clubs create an environment and atmosphere that is fun and so
you develop a love of the game," says Hagelauer. Well, that's fair enough, up to a point, but
the young players we want to encourage are the ones who will enjoy and thrive on competition. We
could end up with squads of over-trained, over-coached players who are incapable of toughing out
a match owing to sheer lack of appropriate competition.
It should be the duty of each County Association to establish a strong local competitive
framework, perhaps by compelling those clubs receiving LTA Club Vision assistance to open up
their gates a couple of times a year to host open tournaments.
So will the money Ariel's parent company Procter & Gamble intend to inject into British tennis be
money well spent? Unless the LTA look seriously at improving the state of domestic competition,
I have serious doubts. I expect it'll all come out in the wash!
Dave Winship (27 April 2002)
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Is winning the be-all and end-all?
April is the cruellest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.
T. S. Eliot's words suggest that we're sometimes reluctant to wake up
from winter's torpor and obey the call to renewal and rebirth, but it
really is worth the effort. It's time to get refreshed and embrace the
start of a new season of tennis. Obviously, some of us play right through
the winter, but it's not quite the same, is it? There's a special kind
of joy about playing outside with the sun on your back, or relaxing with
a few sets of tennis in the warm evening shadows after a hard day at
work.
Martina Hingis is enjoying a kind of rebirth at the moment, following
three month's enforced layoff through injury. "It gave me the chance to
take stock and have a quiet think about myself and my tennis," she
said. Watching her play in Indian Wells and Miami recently, she
certainly seems to have rediscovered her old enjoyment of the sport.
She still gets beaten up by the big-hitters in the game, like Daniela
Hantuchova and the Williams sisters, and it still rankles her, but
she's quite philosophical about it. "I am more mature, better able to
come to terms with losing a match and concentrate on the challenges
ahead," she reflected after losing to Jennifer Capriati in the
Australian Open final. "Anyone who saw the match and my reaction
afterwards will tell you that although it hurt me a lot to lose, I took
it in a fair, sporting way. There are a lot more terrible things going
on in the world, war and terrorism, so I think if you lose a tennis
game it's not such a big deal." The change of attitude won't help her
win any more tournaments - it might actually hinder her chances - but
it will help her keep things in perspective and derive more enjoyment
out of her career.
It doesn't matter if she's ranked number one or number three or number
twenty-three, Hingis enriches the sport through her tenacity and intelligent
court-craft. The number one ranking is not necessarily a goal. Winning
another grand slam title is not necessarily a goal.
So what are her goals likely to be now?
"If at first you don't succeed, redefine success!" (Anon)
My son's girlfiend bought me a book called 'Leading with the Heart' last
Christmas. It's a kind of analysis of leadership by Mike Krzyzewski, an
American basketball coach popularly known as Coach K. I think Hingis may have
re-motivated herself by adopting a philosophy described very succinctly by
Coach K in his book. "My hunger is not for success, it is for excellence,"
he argues. "I do not let someone else define excellence for me. I feel
good about what I'm doing just because I'm doing it."
There's probably a lesson there for all of us. The good thing about the
pursuit of excellence is: there are no absolutes! We can each have our
own personal definition of what it means. Each one of us can get on the trail
and drive after it - never letting it rest till our good becomes better and
our better becomes best!
And as soon as we achieve it, why spring comes around again and we redefine it!
Dave Winship (3 April 2002)
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Are athletes paying too high a price for doping offences?
There have been a couple of high-profile stories in the media recently
involving drugs in sport.
The first concerns Alain Baxter, Britain's first Olympic skiing
medal-winner, who was stripped of his bronze by the International
Olympic Committee after he tested positive to the banned stimulant,
methamphetamine. The hapless Scot assumed that the US nasal
decongestant he bought in a Utah pharmacy contained the same contents
as the British inhaler he was accustomed to using. He was wrong.
The second concerns an Argentinian tennis player, Guillermo Coria, who
has just completed a seven-month ban, costing him significant loss of
ATP ranking points and prize money, after testing positive for
nandrolone. A couple of multivitamin pills from a contaminated batch
proved to be his undoing.
Do I feel sorry for them?
Yes, I do. Baxter used the decongestant in good faith, believing
it was the same as the one he'd been using since childhood. Coria
swallowed pills in good faith, believing them to be a vitamin
supplement. If we take their explanations at face value, neither of
them were intentional drug cheats. Neither sought to gain a competitive
advantage over their opponents. "I have not and would never take a
banned substance to improve performance," protested Coria. You have to
sympathise with them. Both have been punished severely for their
offences.
So, in that case, do I think the ruling bodies were wrong to punish
them?
No, I don't. Unfortunately, sympathy cannot stand in the way of the
fight against drugs in sport. The ruling bodies have no choice. They
must apply the rules rigorously, regardless of the circumstances,
regardless of the consequences, regardless of the excuses. Athletes are
forever being told to consult a doctor before consuming medicines.
They are peppered with information pertaining to anti-doping policies.
They know the risk of consuming dietary supplements. If a prohibited
substance is discovered in an athlete's body, an offence has been
committed. That's the bottom line. Intentional or unintentional, it
makes no difference.
Competitive sport can be a tough old business. Still, I note that
Coria won his comeback match in Miami. At the risk of sounding
patronising, I hope this whole unfortunate experience serves to spur
him on to greater things.
Dave Winship (22 March 2002)
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Is the "power game" bad news for tennis?
You get to hear a lot of stuff nowadays about the "power game" and how
terrible it is compared to the good old days when players used
strategy and finesse and . . . yep, wooden rackets!
Critics lament the "lost art" of structuring points and they pour scorn
on the achievements of players who have the temerity to hit clean
winners from the back of the court. They imply that players like
Venus Williams have never had to learn how to play the game - they
simply hit the ball hard enough so it doesn't come back (and if it
does come back, they hit it harder!). Well, I'm sure you've heard the
argument.
Allegedly, it's easy to do what Venus Williams does, because
revolutionary modern rackets require less skill! They have more power,
greater reach and offer the insurance of bigger "sweet spots". You
don't even need to hit the ball in the centre of the racket any more!
That's obviously what the manufacturers claim, and, okay, okay, I'm
prepared to concede at least some of that argument.
It's also alleged that tennis is becoming just a game for the giants.
Well, I don't know about that. Venus Williams obviously makes the most
of her height and build, but so do Martina Hingis and Lleyton Hewitt, albeit in an entirely
different way. Hewitt used his wiriness and agility to top the year-end
rankings for 2001. Thomas Johansson is not a six-footer, but he outserved Marat Safin
in the Australian Open final. The fact is: tennis players
come in all shapes and sizes. They adapt their game to make the most of their
physical attributes. Tall, muscular players, for example, might use their
height and power to produce an aggressive serve and volley game, while
shorter, agile players typically benefit more from a mobile,
court-covering game. Good players succeed by adapting to the
requirements. Andre Agassi's success at Wimbledon over the years
demonstrates this quite admirably.
What about the facts? Are the points really shorter nowadays? Are the
big servers dominating? When Goran Ivanisevic served 46 aces in a
match against Magnus Norman in 1997, he broke the Wimbledon record.
But it wasn't a record held by Sampras or Krajicek or Rusedski or
Becker. It was held by John Feaver wielding a wooden racket back in
1976! Incidentally, both Ivanisevic and Feaver lost those matches!
Ellsworth Vines is known to have served an average of 2.5 aces per
service game in several big matches during the 1930s.
Playing the numbers game is great entertainment and I could try to bamboozle
you with more "evidence", but I admit it would be just as easy to
illustrate the opposite view. The case against the "power
game" could as easily be proved as disproved. Lies, damned lies and
statistics! But that's my point really - I just don't think there's enough
irrefutable evidence one way or the other to justify making any radical changes
to the game.
What do the exponents of the "power game" think about it themselves?
"If you have the opportunity to bully your opponent," says
Venus Williams, "then you have to take that chance." Sister Serena is
a little more equivocal. "Finesse is very important," she says. "To
put in a drop shot now and then, you can win a free point. It could be
a set point. You really need it."
And what about the spectators and their perception of "power tennis"?
What about entertainment value? Watching aces and short points is
boring, right? Well, no! I mean, I don't know about you, but much as I
admire the finesse and court-craft of players like Tim Henman, Fabrice
Santoro and Martina Hingis, I've got to say I definitely find Venus
Williams and Andy Roddick exciting to watch - no two ways about it!
Tennis missed the chance to stop the racket revolution in the late
1970s and early 1980s and the "power game" duly emerged. The ITF
is now seeking to wrest control back again by the use of slower balls.
I hope they don't go too far. I just don't think the problem is as big
as some people make out.
Dave Winship (19 February 2002)
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Is international sport "war without weapons"?
I was discussing the Davis Cup tie between Britain and Sweden with my
son the other day. He'd been in Birmingham to watch the doubles rubber
and we were saying what a great match it was. I told him I thought it
would have been the stuff of legend if Britain had gone on to win the
tie.
Wait a minute! What was I saying: the stuff of legend - but only
if we'd won? That made me think.
I certainly believe performances have to be judged in the context of
the competition. In football, for example, a well-executed goal is not
so great if it's a late consolation in a 5-1 defeat. A shock win
against the champions is scant consolation to a team doomed to
relegation.
But this tie had been a bit special. The standard of tennis had been
superb, the competition had been absorbing and the atmosphere
exhilarating. Of course, the result had been disappointing to the
British team and supporters, but there are occasions when appreciation
of a sporting event can transcend the emotions evoked by winning and
losing. And this was one of those occasions.
There are many who can take credit for meeting Triumph and Disaster
that weekend and managing to treat those two impostors just the same.
Well, not exactly the same! But I don't recall evidence of any
gloating on the part of the Swedes or any resentment on the part of
the British team or supporters. Even the British media, apart from
some token grumbling about the LTA, gave credit to both teams where it
was due and the BBC were even-handed with their courtside interviews
during changeovers, giving both teams the opportunity to demonstrate
not only their commitment to winning but also a commendable amount of
sporting respect towards their opponents. Supporters were fervently
partisan but unerringly fair. There was no jeering and no attempt to
insult or distract. If only sport was always like this (sigh)!
Let's face it, it frequently isn't like that at all! After all,
sporting events like the World Cup and the Olympics and the Davis Cup
arouse feelings of nationalism that sociologists might view as a kind
of civilised substitution for armed conflict, whereby nations engage
in a war without weapons. President Ford once observed that "sport can
be as uplifting to a nation's spirit as a battlefield victory". Nations
often exploit this function of sport. A good example is Hitler's
notorious attempt to present the 1936 Olympics in Berlin as a showcase
for his country and his belief in the superiority of the Aryan race.
He was pretty much foiled, of course, by the black American sprinter
Jesse Owens who bagged four gold medals and broke no less than three
world records in the process. Opening and closing ceremonies continue
to promote national themes and more and more money is spent on them.
Problems arise when national pride flares up into unbridled jingoism.
Rules become singed by the heat. Ethical codes go up in smoke. The
pressure for national success prompts competitors to cheat. Hence
the drug scandals that have blighted world athletics during the last
couple of decades. Support can degenerate into tribalism and failure
then prompts hooliganism. Even the Davis Cup is not immune from this.
Argentina recently forfeited a tie against Chile because of an unruly
Santiago crowd.
Patriotism unites us as countrymen but can divide us as people if we
lose sight of the bigger picture. Losing at sport is no disgrace if
you fight hard and fight fair. Full credit goes to both the British
and Swedish teams for doing just that. And full credit to both sets
of supporters for recognising it.
Dave Winship (12 February 2002)
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No more "journeymen"?
Did you notice how often the disparaging epithet, "journeyman", was
applied to both Thomas Johansson and Czech player Jiri Novak as they
advanced unexpectedly to the dizzy heights of an Australian Open semi final?
"Journeyman" and "Novak" became as inseparable as "superbrat" and "McEnroe", "boring"
and "Sampras", "ice maiden" and "Evert". It almost became a title like "Sir" or "Reverend".
Johansson wasn't spared either.
Professional sport has become a viper-ridden world and no mistake.
Or that's how it's represented in the media, anyway. If you're not a
champion (and, by definition, there aren't too many of them) or you
don't look good in a sports bra commercial, then you're not a "star" and you're
damned as mediocre, undistinguished - a mere "journeyman". As a matter of fact,
Novak has four singles titles to his name (and fifteen doubles titles),
but I suppose that's small beer compared to the likes of Sampras and
Agassi.
Are players deemed to be failures if they're not champions? Is that the message we
really want to convey to the next generation when we encourage them to take up a
sport?
I mean, I enjoyed watching the tense, gripping semi final between Novak and Johansson.
It was dramatic and absorbing. Both have got great serves. And I was enormously impressed
when Novak sportingly conceded a point after an erroneous call.
At least one of them can now peel off the dreaded label. Johansson is
a journeyman no longer. But what of the others? Well, Novak and Henman and co must
surely take encouragement from the unexpected successes of Ivanisevic at Wimbledon
last year and now Johansson at the Australian Open. There's so much depth on the men's
tour that the tournaments are becoming completely unpredictable.
But will the watching public and the media really appreciate the depth of talent?
I suspect the men's game is about to be besieged by critics bemoaning the lack of "stars" and
"personalities". Mind you, in Britain there's no danger of that if the next successful
"journeyman" is Tim Henman at Wimbledon this summer!
Dave Winship (25 January 2002)
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