MAKE UP YOUR MIND: Sports Illustrated’s headline read “The Slam from Hell.” SI.Com’s headline read “A Satisfying Open.”
BEST MATCH: Novak Djokovic’s on-the-verge-of-elimination 5-7, 6-1, 5-7, 6-2, 7-5 win over Roger Fededer in the semis (the Serb saved two match points), or, for the purists, Spaniard Fernando Verdasco’s fourth-round 5-7, 6-7(8), 6-3, 6-3, 7-6(4) comeback from two sets down against countryman David Ferrer.
WORST SHOT: During one wind-blown match, Jelena Jankovic hit a serve into the stands.
BEST CELEBRATION: Mikhail Youzhny’s stylized salute.
BEST PLAYER DESCRIPTION: Art Spander called Caroline Wozniacki “The Wonderful Wizard of Woz.”
SCARIEST MOMENT: Victoria Azarenka suffered a pre-match concussion during a warm-up, then collapsed in 104-degree temperatures and was wheeled off court and taken to the hospital.
BEST TONGUE TWISTER: The junior dubs tandem of Ukraine’s Ganna Poznikhirenko and Madagascar’s Zarah Razafimahatratra.
BEST EXPERT PICK: Imprisoned rapper Lil Wayne predicted Rafel Nadal and Kim Clijsters would win the Open.
RATHER GOOD: Spaniards and French men, Ryan Harrison, trick shots, American junior Jack Sock, Beatrice Capra, Mardy Fish, Sam Querrey, the Indo-Pak Peace Train, the Bryan Bros., Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova, wheelchair ace Esther Vergeer, dancers in the upper deck.
NOT SO GOOD: Fights in the upper deck, heat, wind, rain, hurricane warnings, John Isner’s ankle, Nicolas Mahut’s fate, the Andys (Roddick and Murray).
THE WINTER OF OUR CONTENT: Karen Crouse said Robin Soderling’s on-court demeanor “suggests a man digging himself out of a Scandinavian winter.”
MASTER OF THE WINDS: With breathtaking ease, Federer mastered whiplash winds that blew others away. Roger noted, “Whatever you throw at me, I can do it. Obviously, if it’s snowing, then it gets a bit different. I haven’t had that yet, so I guess I would freak out when that starts happening. ”
CURIOUS QUESTIONS: A reporter asked Querrey, “Should there be affirmative action for Americans?”…Djokovic was asked: “Your first match was a potential banana skin, which you avoided. Since then you’ve gone straight sets. Do you feel…” After No. 220 Ryan Harrison was selected for the Davis Cup team, Donald Young, ranked No. 100, tweeted captain Patrick McEnroe: “Just please answer this one for me?…your last decision as davis cup captain is this? no disrespect to harrison at all!…i just want to know if its based off of ranking and performance why harrison gets chosen???”
MORE AND MORE X-RATED: Djokovic said getting out of the blistering heat he felt gave him a “sleeping-with-my-girlfriend kind of feeling.” Then, when asked whether could hit a between-the-legs shot a la Federer, the Serb said no, explaining, “I have something else between my legs.”
THINGS THAT (DON’T) GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT: Asked about mixed doubles teammate Bob Bryan’s celebratory chest bump, Liezel Huber said, “He wants to chest bump, chest bump, chest bump. I’m like, ‘No! Do it with your girlfriend! Don’t chest bump me!’”
SAY IT ISN’T SO: Wimbledon marathon man Nicolas Mahut, who gave so much to tennis, didn’t get a wildcard into the Open and lost in the qualifying rounds.
LIKE DEBATING A MIME: Jon Wertheim — who noted the basic unfairness of players ranting at linespersons who have to sit there and take it — said the one-sided process was “like debating with a mime.” All of which makes us wonder which of Andy Roddick’s ref-baiting quips had more sting: “1-800-Rent — Why don’t you get some refs who know what they’re doing?” or “Point to your right foot, point to your left foot. Okay, now call lines. I think that should be maybe be standard [hiring practice].”
SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE: In the biggest stretch ever in the history of sports business banter, it was noted that in 1919, the management of the then struggling New York Yankees were told to “Get Ruth” (i.e. get Boston Red Sox pitcher Babe Ruth). Now, after three consecutive rainout finals, many told USTA officials: “Get a roof.”
BATTLE OF THE SEXES II: John McEnroe caused upset when he said that women shouldn’t play the same schedule as the men. “It’s asking too much of the women. They shouldn’t be playing as many events as the men,” said Mac. “The women have it better in tennis than in any other sport…You shouldn’t push them to play more than they’re capable of.” Mary Carillo countered: “Monica Seles was as mentally tough as anyone I’ve ever seen — man or woman. Steffi Graf. Chrissie and Martina. They stayed so fit mentally and physically for so long because they wanted it for so long. To say we’re asking too much of women, I don’t see it…I hate the idea that we have to judge women on a curve and say, ╘It’s too much for them.’” Billie Jean King said McEnroe’s comments were “rubbish.” Of McEnroe’s new tennis academy in New York, Johnette Howard asked, “Why would anyone send their daughter to McEnroe after reading what he really thinks?”
OBVIOUSLY
• “Donald Young is still young.” — Pat McEnore
• “I’m not the fastest guy out there.” — John Isner
• Birthday boy Andy Roddick said, “I’m barely older than I was yesterday” and then added, “I’m closer to the end of my career, than the beginning.”
IT’S ALL GREEK TO ME: Filip Bondy called Ashe Stadium the “vacation residence of Aeolus, the Greek god of swirling winds.”
‘SOCK’S RAW-TEASE’: Kansas City’s Jack Sock, who won the U.S. Open Junior title, is the best gift to tennis headline writers since Mardy Fish. (One problematic example is above.)
NEVER A ‘NA-DULL’ MOMENT: While reflecting on Gilles Simon (whose girlfriend prematurely gave birth to their son), Mary Carillo compared his pre-natal and pre-Nadal moments.
PRETTY CREEPY: So what happens when Melanie Oudin goes to the movies? The suddenly famous teen told IT, “I’m in the bathroom and there’s like this whole group of little girls. They’re maybe about 11 or 12, and they knew it was me. My little sister is, like, trying to pretend that she doesn’t know me and I’m not who they think I am. So they all come into the bathroom and wait for me to get out. And then they go out, they’re, like, ‘Yeah, there’s a bunch of boys outside waiting for you.’ So I go outside, and I’m bombarded by like 12 and 13-year-old little girls and boys. They just couldn’t believe that was me. They’re like, ‘You live here?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, I live really close.’ They’re like, ‘Oh, my Gosh. I can’t believe you live here.’ It was pretty creepy.”
NOT A BELIEVER: The New York Post’s Marc Berman said 6-foot-9 John Isner “had a better chance of backing up at center for the Knicks than winning his first Slam.”
THE INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE OF TENNIS: While player development chief Pat McEnroe conceded, “I’m not convinced that a country or system can produce a champion,” Bill Dwyre was critical of a certain sensibility surrounding player development, saying that “the USTA feels a need to justify its existence by perseverating on nationalism and parochialism”. But, Dwyre did admit that when a top player development coach, Jose Higueras, was asked whether he was a U.S. citizen, the former Spanish star who’s worked with countless Americans replied, “No,” but he prefaced that with the perfect answer: “I love tennis,” he said, “and if somebody likes tennis, then more than likely, I like him or her also…It doesn’t matter what language they speak.” For this, the USTA deserves credit. They put a guy in charge who gets it.”
‘CIBUL’ UNREST: Quarterfinalist Dominika Cibulkova again went deep into a Slam but didn’t get much love. The diminutive Slovokian, who Mary Carillo said was a “hood ornament of a kid,” handily beat Svetlana Kuznetsova in straight sets, but Sveta asserted, “She plays good, but my level is higher.” Then Pam Shriver said the Wozniacki vs. Cibulkova was “the ugliest start of a tennis match I’ve ever seen.” In the howling wind, Shriver said, “You have to have a hair management strategy.” Chris Fowler added, “Ponytail whiplash is another detail players have to worry about.”
BREAKTHROUGH WIN: In just two weeks, No. 371 Beatrice Capra went from losing in the Round of 16 at the USTA Girls’ 18s Nationals to winning a USTA playoff to earn a wildcard into the U.S. Open to posting the first two wins of her tour career, including a victory over No. 18 Aravene Rezai.
AND GOD CREATED ANDRE’S BIO: Rick Reilly called Andre Agassi’s bio “Open” the “Sistine Chapel of books.”
HEADED FOR THE HALLOWED HALL: Agassi has been nominated for induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Also nominated were Aussie Thelma Coyne Long, Brit Christine Truman Janes, Mike Davies and Peachy Kellmeyer.
FOOD FANCIES: During the men’s final a fan yelled out to Rafa: “Eat more paella.”…Italy’s Francesca Schiavone said her unpredictable style “is a mix. It’s like Capricciosa pizza. I don’t give you margherita, I give you Capricciosa, different kind of ingredient.”…Sam Querrey said people were talking so much about Mardy Fish’s weight loss that “they made him sound like he was just fat before”…Junior Jack Sock estimated that he ate at Chipotle 14 nights in a row in NYC.
LET’S TALK ABOUT ME: When Jelena Jankovic was asked to reflect on the game of her fellow Serbian Janko Tipsarevic, she quipped, “Can I please talk about me?”
SANIA’S MONSOON WEDDING: Sania Mirza’s wedding to Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik lasted over six days with Muslim ceremonies in both countries (one drew 5,000 guests). Mirza stood in on reception line for five hours. “Weddings in India are ridiculous,” she said. “Some draw up to 30,000.”
20 MILLION TERRORISTS?: Abdullah Hussain Haroon, the U.N. ambassador to Pakistan, told IT, “An interesting fact — 20 million people displaced. If you see people coming out of the water wading with their near and dear loved ones, there was no weaponry. That proves our point. The majority of the country wants peace. The majority want to do away with this horrible terrorism and its affliction.”
VENUS’ RAGE: Venus rarely addresses race. But after defeating Shahar Peer, she spoke of when the Israeli was banned from the WTA tournament in Dubai in ╘09, and said she could relate. “Just because of my history…as the African-American. My parents both came from the South in the ’40s and ’50s, and [Dubai] was an outrage, really. Are you serious? Can you really exclude someone? This is professional tennis in 2010. We’re all athletes here. We’re not politicians…So the feeling inside of me was just one of almost rage and discontent. Like, is this for real?” For her part, Peer said that she got some supportive e-mails from players, but that Venus and Roddick, who chose not to play, were the only players to speak out. Venus “was really supportive…always on my side and always stood up.” “Unfortunately, the world is what it is now,” said Williams. “People don’t get along for whatever reason. As professional athletes, in a way we’re ambassadors almost for peace, because sports brings everyone together.” At least it’s supposed to.
BLAKE POINTS
• After his third-round loss to Djokovic, James Blake told IT, “I really hope that wasn’t my last match on Ashe Stadium. I definitely want to be back. I’m not on a pity tour, just getting beat up first round every week by kind of nobodies.”
• While reflecting on the struggling Blake, one commentator said, “Plan A didn’t work, is there a Plan B?” His partner responded, “I haven’t seen a Plan B — ever.”
• While commentating on the famously willful Blake, Pat McEnroe said, “Stubbornness is a quality of all great athletes. Sometimes it can work and sometimes it can work against you.”
POWER OUTAGE: Clijsters said you won’t see women’s tennis get any more powerful than it is now.
THE END OF HEROS?: American psychotherapist Sheldon Kopp once observed, “There are no great men. If you have a hero, look again — you have diminished yourself in some way.” Maria Sharapova would seem to agree. The Russian said, “I’ve never really met anyone that I was just kind of star-struck about. Growing up, I idolized a certain part of someone’s game, but I never thought that someone was so good that I wanted to be like them.”
GAEL FORCE COMPLAINT: During his win over Robert Kendrick, Frenchman Gael Monfils was warned for smashing his racket, but insisted he merely tossed it and it was not damaged. As Jon Werthiem reported, the French man pleaded his case to the ump saying, “Zees racket ees perfectly fine. Zere ees nozing wrong with zees racket. I cahn play weeth thees no problem. Show me where eet ees broken!”
EXPLICITS DELETED: Brad Gilbert noted that a frustrated Andy Murray “let out some explicits.”
THE WIT AND WISDOM OF CHRIS EVERT:
• Asked of her early memories of Martina, Chris said, “I remember she was fat. She was very emotional…whining if she didn’t feel she was playing well. But I remember thinking, if she loses weight, we’re all in trouble.” Said Navratilova, “My goal was for her to remember my name.”
• On their long rivalry: “People forget that we were left alone in the locker room every Sunday after we played final matches, and one of us would be crying and the other would be comforting — nobody saw that.”
• On her first encounter with Andy Mill, which was at Navratilova’s Aspen home: “He was so cute. He woke up and said, ‘I can’t believe I slept with Chris Evert in Martina Navratilova’s bedroom!’”
• “I’m not getting within 20 feet of a married man ever again — not even talking
to one.”
• “You have the highs and the lows, but life is really in between.”
THE NUMBERS
0: Number of times the same two men have met in all four Grand Slam finals.
0: Amount Toni Nadal is paid to coach his nephew, Rafa.
712,976: Total U.S. Open attendance.
28.5: Average age of the women who won Slams this year.
$30,000-$50,000: Cost for a star to go to a single Slam, according to agent Carlos Fleming.
6: Spanish men who reached the Round of 16 at the Open. (Nadal was the first Spaniard to win since Manuel Orantes
in ‘75.)
16-0: Fed’s record in Open night matches.
62: Age of the oldest ballboy…eerrrr…ballman at the U.S. Open.
7: Different outfits Venus brought with her to NYC, anticipating seven matches.
AHHHH, IF ONLY IF IT WERE THAT SIMPLE: Aisam-Ul-Haq Qurshi said, “If me and Rohan Bopanna can get along so well on and off the court, there’s no reason the Indians and Pakistanis can’t get along either.”
HEADLINES
SOMEBODY SAVE US FROM ALL
THIS NEON
AMERICAN IDLING (after James Blake and John Isner both lost)
DO AMERICAN MEN STILL PLAY
TENNIS?
MURRAY SNAKE-BRIT
KIM MARS VENUS
VENUS APPEARS GONE WITH THE WIND
N.Y. GETS PEACE OF HIS MIND: QURESHI SAYS PAKISTAN IS
FRIENDLY, TOO
U.S. OPEN WEATHER EVEN MORE POWERFUL THAN CBS
REIGN DELAY: RAFA, AT LAST, WINS U.S. OPEN
NADAL CHASING FEDERER OR PULLING AWAY?
SURPRISE!: John McEnroe, Jim Courier, Michael Chang and Anna Kournikova will strut their on-court stuff at the Cancer Treatment Centers of America Championships, Oct. 20-24, at the Surprise Recreation Campus Tennis and Racquet Complex in Surprise, Ariz. Call (623) 222-2222.
JADA CLIJSTERS AND THE END OF INNOCENCE: What was the biggest change at the Open this year: Rafa’s win, Serena’s absence? No, it was the “coming of age” of two-year-old Jada Clijsters Lynch. Last year, fans delighted in the sheer joy and pure glee of young Jada, who, after her mom won the U.S. Open, playfully gazed at her image on the huge overhead screen above Ashe Stadium. Rarely have we shared in such a moment of innocence. But this year was different. Now somehow aware of her role in a media world, Jada was far more cautionary, as her mom once again hoisted the U.S. Open trophy. When Kim Clijsters attempted to replicate last year’s blissful photo op in front of a bevy of photographers, Jada froze. As Kim moved in for a cuddly moment, Jada retreated. When her mom wisely sat her down on a courtside seat, the TV cameras approached and, incredibly Jada said, “No photo, no photo.” “She’s still young,” said Clijsters. “I don’t think to her it matters too much whether I win or lose…I’m not going to tell her, ╘Mommy won the U.S. Open.’” Once inside Ashe Stadium, away from all the glare, Jada was again just a child. She romped up and down the corridors and bonded with a security guard. She delighted in playing London Bridge. Then, in a cross-generational moment of wonder, Hall of Famer Martina Navratilova approached, saying, “Hi, Jada. Where’s mommy? On court?” Jada pointed to a nearby photo of Serena, upon which Navratilova playfully said, “She didn’t even show up this year, she was so afraid of your mommy.”
JUST WONDERING: Who will be the next Davis Cup captain — Jim Courier, Todd Martin, Brad Gilbert or none of the above?…What’s up with USTA conversations about a roof at the Open?…Is it more amazing that a tennis player, Rafa Nadal, would wear a $525,000 watch on court or that it was lost or stolen in the Toronto locker room? (A police investigation has been launched)…What was more, the MPH differential between Venus’ first and second serves, or the difference in the sweltering three-digit temperatures that prevailed for days and the autumnal sweater weather that descended as the Open began to wind down?…Who has had more impact on his pupil, sage Gil Reyes (who has greatly influenced Agassi) or wise man uncle Toni Nadal (who has provided such respectful perspectives for Rafa)?…With the rise of Nadal, will Fed hold the record for most Grand Slams for even a shorter period of time, seven years, than Pete Sampras did?…Will Serena and Venus play Fed Cup in November in San Diego?…Between a Sock (USO junior champ, Jack Sock) and a Harrison (that would be rising Ryan Harrison), is there light at the end of the tunnel for American men’s tennis?
GO FIGURE: In recent memory, has there been a greater imbalance between a compelling men’s tournament and a ho-hum women’s tournament? (Then again, there hasn’t been a three-set U.S. Open women’s final since ’95)…Wimbledon builds an expensive roof for its soggy climate and uses it twice in two years, while the roofless U.S. Open has its final rained out for three straight years…Just one of the 14 days of Open action was rained out — the Sunday men’s final…An animated Rafael Nadal gets far more worked up about Spain’s soccer rival Italy than his own tennis rivals…For the first time in 19 ties, neither Mike nor Bob Bryan played Davis Cup…The Sam Stosur vs. Elena Dementieva fourth-rounder ended at 1:35 a.m. — the latest-ever finish for an Open women’s match…Vera Zvonoreva is the only Russian in the top 10…Christopher Clarey noted, “Hearts. Guts. They are essential elements for a tennis star. But somehow, despite emerging from war-ravaged Serbia and leaving his family at age 12 to become a champion, Djokovic has faced questions about them.”…Taylor Dent said, “I would never coach anybody the way I play.”…Ana Ivanovic, who once went into detail about books on psychologists Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, has been reading a lot of Stieg Larsson, including The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played With Fire…Dustin Brown became the first Jamaican to win a U.S. Open match in 42 years…Federer and Nadal have not met in the U.S. since ╘O5…At a TIA board meeting, representatives of the USPTA and PTR — the long squabbling teaching pro organizations — actually shared a podium for the first time ever.
THE INDO-PAK PEACE TRAIN STOPS IN FLUSHING MEADOWS: Can a couple of guys — a Pakistani Muslim with a tongue-twisting name and a virtually unknown Indian Hindu — impact one of the most intractable conflicts we have, the mess on the Indian-Pakistan border, which has flared for over six decades? Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi and Rohan Bopanna think so. The day before 9/11, they may have lost in the U.S. Open men’s doubles final to the Bryan Bros. 7-6(5),7-6(4), but they gained a vast audience and much favor when they delivered their message. Qureshi asserted that Pakistan is misunderstood. “I feel like the west and America, they have a very wrong perception about Muslim and Pakistan,” he said. “We do have terrorist groups, we do have extremists. Like every religion, there are extremists. It doesn’t mean that the whole nation is terrorist or extremist. Pakistan is a very peace-loving country. Everybody loves sports. I think everybody wants peace, as well. The only reason we’re actually getting so many terrorist attacks is because we are allies with America.” Qureshi’s words to the crowd drew an extended standing ovation from a stadium of hardened New Yorkers who are now dealing with a touchy Muslim-related controversy. Qureshi, who famously played with Israel’s Amir Hadad at Wimbledon in ╘02 and is detained by immigration every time he enters the U.S., usually for hours, formed the Indo-Pak Express with Bopanna. Playing inspired ball, they reached the Wimbledon quarters, beat the Bryans en route to claiming the Washington title and reached the Open final before falling to the Bryans, who made a $10,000 contribution to Pakistani flood relief. The Indo-Pak Express attracted the Indian ambassador to the U.N. (great turban) and the Pakistani ambassador (who seemed straight out of a Kipling tale with his impeccable King’s English) to Ashe Stadium, where they sat together both for the mixed and men’s double finals. And when they weren’t talking about Gandhi or the Sufi poet Rumi, they heartily endorsed the Indo-Pak peace initiative, including the vision of a tennis exo on the India-Pakistan border. (Now that would be something!) The initiative seems to have some traction. People in Pakistan were up late and out on the streets, watching on screens all over Pakistan and the prime minister called Qureshi, who, with Bopanna, hopes to reach the year-end doubles masters. Not surprisingly, the ever-popular Bryans endorsed both their on-court efforts and their peace efforts, which they said were a lot more important than what they were doing.
QUOTEBOOK:
“Clijsters wants more major titles and more children, goals that would appear to be as incompatible as John McEnroe and silence.” — Karen Crouse
“If I’m getting in trouble in Vegas, I’m calling Andre — he’ll know the people to help me out.” — Jim Courier
“I feel pain everywhere. It’s not a good time to play. My body just says give me a rest.” — Wimbledon marathon man Nicolas Mahut
“To see your daughter ace Venus and Serena back-to-back at Wimbledon, well, you can’t ask for more.” — Julie Ditty’s father, Jack
“Seems like everybody is hitting their stride at 30. It’s the new 20.” — Venus Williams
“OMG, I don’t think this is good…I’m trying to figure it all out, but what happened was a one-in-trillion chance and, unfortunately, I was the one…This whole experience will make me stronger. I plan to come back better than ever.” — Serena Williams on the foot injury she suffered in a Munich bar
“That’s the kind of game that has held up the growth of Groth.” — Chris Fowler on the struggling Aussie Jarmila Groth
“If I win, it’s fabulous. And if I lose, it’s even more fabulous.” — Gilles Simon, whose girlfriend prematurely gave birth to their son in France
“To be honest, I just closed my eyes and hit as hard as I could. If it goes in, it goes in. If it goes out, it goes out.” — Novak Djokovic on how he survived two match points against Fed
“I’m not as disappointed if it would have been the final. That’s the only positive…but it’s only going to fuel me with more motivation.” — Roger Federer
“It’s like the Wizard of Oz [out there]. But where’s our Dorothy and Aunt Em?” — Chris Fowler on the windy U.S. Open
“I’m not convinced that a country or system can produce a champion.” — Patrick McEnroe
“These are nasty stingy people. They are not sharing a lot of majors.” — John McEnroe on Rafa and Roger, who have won 21 of the last 23 majors
