KAZAKHSTAN VS. WAWRINKA-STAN: After the struggling Stan Wawrinka whiffed on a simple sitter, his doubles partner stroked the ball to keep a Davis Cup rally going. Tennis Channel noted, “Can you believe that? I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like that before. Federer has his back again.” Then, after another Wawrinka whiff, the Tennis Channel noted, “Federer has to be wondering what Wawrinka will be doing next.” What he did next was miss the simplest of forehands—one that a twelve-year old would crush. “Oh poor man, he just can’t do it today,” said commentator Justin Gimelstob, adding that Wawrinka, “needs to get his security blanket, [coach] Magnus Norman, to Geneva right away.”
A FREIGHT TRAIN LIKE NO OTHER IN WOMEN’S SPORTS: There’s nothing quite like a Serena Williams counterattack, when she transforms herself from a lethargic, despondent, and lost player weighted down by woe-is-me body language, to a fist-pumping, vein-popping fighter as she roars back from a deficit. Explosive and fierce, moving well, you just don’t want to cage that tiger, or deal with her freight-train ferocity.
GO FIGURE: In the Sony Open final, Djokovic made Nadal seem human … Rafa, who won a big poker tournament in Prague in December, narrowly lost in a charity poker match against Vanessa Selbst, one of the best women poker players in the world … While he was in a hospital bed recovering from a wrist injury, Juan Martin del Potro‘s ranking improved … Andy Murray said France’s Caroline Garcia, 20, could be No. 1 someday… Spaniard Nadal—who is wildly popular to the throngs of Latinos at Miami’s Sony Open—has lost more finals there than anywhere else … Serena Williams has played the Sony Open for 16 years and some have said the Sony Open should be re-named the Serena Open … En route to winning the Sony Open, two of Djokovic‘s foes defaulted and he only had to play four matches … With his new head coach, Boris Becker, Djokovic lost in Melbourne and Dubai. With his old coach, Marián Vajda, he won in Indian Wells and Miami … During his first Miami press conference, John Isner was asked six questions about tennis and eight about the NCAA championships … After both semis at the Sony Open were cancelled due to withdrawals, Chris Clarey reflected on the final, saying, “What matters most after a downer of a day like Friday is not how Nadal and Djokovic play in the final but that they play the final.” … The WTA told Elena Svitolina that she could not wear a “I ♥ Haters” hat.
NEVER MIND POPE JOHN PAUL XXIII, CHOPIN, LECH WALESA AND AGGIE RADWANSKA: Yes, both Agnieszka Radwanska and Jerzy Janowicz reached the semis of last year’s Wimbledon, but Janowicz let ‘er rip after Poland lost to Croatia in the Davis Cup, saying, “Poland is a country that has no prospects in sport, business, or private life. Kids go to college just to get out of the country … We train in sheds, so why do you have such high expectations for us?”
JUST WONDERING: Who will play Billie Jean King in the upcoming big-screen Battle of the Sexes comedy starring Will Ferrell? … Will the move to unionize NCAA athletes eventually impact college tennis?
CLASSY AND NOT-SO-CLASSY GESTURES: Colin Fleming and Andy Murray dedicated their Davis Cup win to former British No. 1 Elena Baltacha, who was diagnosed with liver cancer … Djokovic went over the net during a point in his Miami match against Murray … Jovana Jaksic did a lengthy, not-exactly-respectful victory dance after beating beloved veteran Kimiko Date-Krumm in the semis at Monterrey … The Charleston doubles semi between Anastasia Rodionova/Alla Kudryavtseva and Chan Hao-Ching/Chan Yung-Jan turned into a shooting gallery as both teams tried to blast the other.
CURIOUS QUESTIONS
* “How are you able to beat a wall?” (To Li Na, after she defeated the oh-so-steady Caroline Wozniacki.)
* “The sport can be very cruel. He’s a former champion. At some point in the first set did you feel a little bit of pity for him because of how completely you were crushing him?” (To Rafa Nadal, after he walloped former No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt.)
* “Do you do Eisenbuddy activities [i.e. events with agent Max Eisenbud], like dinners or anything?” (To Maria Sharapova—or was it Li Na?)
* “He said to show your Coco‑ness during one of your [on-court coaching sessions]. What does that mean?” (To Coco Vandeweghe.)
* “I spoke to the guy at the pop-up hair salon and he said he knew exactly what to do with your hair.” (To Roger Federer.)
NOMINATED FOR THE PRESS CONFERENCE HALL OF FAME: Jelena Jankovic said her superpower was “to talk too much.” The Serb said she had “two personalities, one off the court and one on the court. On court, sometimes I turn into a beast. I don’t know what happens, my evil twin comes on court.” She added, “I’m getting older, and I only put makeup on when I go to the parties or go somewhere where I want to look nice. Here, I want to look like a beast … as scary as possible. I don’t want to look … dolled-up. For what?” No wonder writer Ben Rothenberg said that Jelena “solidified her place in the Press Conference Hall of Fame forever … the woman and a microphone are a dangerous combo.”
SAY IT ISN’T SO: When Scot Andy Murray bought a luxury hotel in his hometown of Dunblane, it was supposed to create jobs and good PR. But now a young couple with a child and no place to go are refusing to leave their rental home, which had been intended for hotel workers … Las Vegas was supposed to have a World TeamTennis team, but the owner, Deepal Wannakuwatte, is in jail due to his supposed involvement in a Ponzi scheme.
RULING ROGER: Kei Nishikori improved to 2-1 against Federer, making him just the third player (along with Nadal and Murray) to play the Swiss at least three times and have a winning record.
LIKE A DEER IN HEADLIGHTS: A reporter told Federer, “You’ve struggled to find your rhythm with Stan [Wawrinka] in doubles.” Roger replied, “Well, Stan is like a deer in the headlights, don’t blame me. The guy couldn’t volley his way out of a paper bag right now.”
GUESS THAT GUY ISN’T ABOUT TO RETIRE: Federer is already already considering what kind of look he’ll sport at the 2015 US Open.
A RARE ELATION: Roger Federer—who’s usually so cool and composed, even after big wins—displayed a giddy boyish glee after clinching the Davis Cup tie for Switzerland.
THE “R” WORD: Many a player announces they are retiring only to un-retire. Navratilova, Borg, Billie Jean, and Hingis all come to mind. But the queen of the “R” word these days is Kimiko Date-Krumm, who 18 years ago said she was retiring. In April she reached the semis in Monterey.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC AND THE FEAR OF BEAUTY: A reporter asked Djokovic, “Why do you live in Monte‑Carlo instead of Miami? Is it because you’re afraid of Latin women?” Novak made fun of the question and then said, “I am not afraid … I have grown up and was born in Europe. I like Europe, and I’m an engaged man, so I do not leave any free space for Latin women as well as my fiancée. Nevertheless, they [are] very beautiful.”
OH SERENA: Serena Williams has a 11-1 record over Li Na, and has won 15 straight matches over Maria Sharapova and 23 of her last 25 matches against top 10 players. In Miami, she swept by Sharapova and then thumped Li, the world No. 2, to win the Sony Open. But in her next match, on clay (a surface on which she was undefeated on last year), she crashed out of the Family Circle Cup. The defending Charleston champ lost 6-4, 6-4 to Serb Jana Cepelova, a 20-year old ranked No. 78, who went on to reach the finals. Williams, who again didn’t play the BNP Paribas Open, confided that she needed “some weeks off where I don’t think about tennis … I’ve had a long couple of years … I’m going to take a deep breath.”
• When Serena and fellow 32-year-old Li Na were chatting before the awards ceremony at the Sony Open, Li reflected, “Oh, two old women come to the final.”
• Serena compared herself to Li, saying, “We are living the same life, and at this stage … I feel a connection with her that I just love. I really like her as a person and as a player, and I have so much respect for her. “
ACTUALLY, A WILLIAMS WAS AT INDIAN WELLS, AFTER ALL: Indian Wells included a match between two players, cancer survivor Alisa Kleybanova and teen hope Victoria Duval, wearing outfits from EleVen, Venus Williams‘ apparel company.
OH THOSE MARTINAS: The Martinas—that would be Navratilova and Hingis—have a lot more in common then their name. Both emerged out of Czechoslovakia and went on to win many a singles Slam title and more than a shelf-load of doubles titles. Superb craftswomen, among the best doubles players of all time, both had trouble stepping away from the game. Hingis, 33, recently teamed with Wimbledon finalist Sabine Lisicki (who she also coaches) to claim the Sony Open doubles title. The title was her first since ’07, and comes after a problematic doubles comeback last year with Daniela Hantuchova. She won the singles title in ’97.
SOME GUYS ARE JUST INTO DOMINATION: Rafa has a .934 winning percentage on clay. The next closest dirtmeisters are Björn Borg and Ivan Lendl. Nadal’s nearest contemporary is Novak Djokovic … The Bryan Brothers are zoning again. They won in Delray Beach, Indian Wells, Miami, and Houston, and now have a career total 97 titles, just 3 shy of their triple-digit goal.
A NEW DAY FOR GAYS? Gay players have come out in the WTA, the NBA, and in football. So when will an ATP player come out?
JEANNE’S VISION: A collection of 61 photos by Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe now has a home in the Smithsonian Museum. The pictures depict the Gullah/Geechee people, who after the abolition of slavery, lived in isolation on Daufuskie Island, near Hilton Head, SC.
QUOTEBOOK
• “Gogo has lost his mojo, but a good part of it is that Gael Monfils took his mojo.”—Justin Gimelstob
• “Cowbells and signage. That’s how things are done here in Switzerland.”—Brett Haber, on the lively Swiss Davis Cup crowd.
• “Her toss was somewhere out over the Atlantic Ocean.”—Gimelstob, on Ana Ivanovic‘s problematic service toss.
FOOLED AGAIN: On court and in the press room, Andy Murray often seems withdrawn and sullen. But if you dismiss him as a dull, humorless baseliner, think again. Three years ago, he pulled off an April Fool’s prank by saying his buddy Ross Hutchins would be his new coach. Similarly, this year he tweeted that on April 1 he would be announcing a new coach to replace Ivan Lendl. The British press corps went bananas. Then Andy revealed it was just another prank. BTW: It’s said that Andy is considering Bob Brett, Paul Annacone, or Darren Cahill as his new coach.
NEW FLORIDA MECCA FOR USTA? Look for the USTA to accept a sweet deal from the town of Lake Nona, near Orlando, to build a huge tennis center for player development, collegiate play, and administrative offices, which could transform the rustbelt footprint of the group.
MUST BE THE SEASON OF THE PETKOVIC: THE WISE, WITTY, AND WHIMSICAL WORLD OF ANDREA PETKOVIC:
She’s the most compelling young voice in the WTA. But Andrea Petkovic‘s voice had been stilled. Once No. 9, the German was battling a spate of devastating injuries and dismal results until she won the Family Circle Cup in Charleston, to collect her first title since ’11.
• After making the final, the 26-year-old said, “I’m the oldest here. Can you believe that? Oh my god, I want to kill myself.”
* After she won, Petkovic announced, “I’m going to have champagne. I don’t even drink champagne, but I’m just going to have it for the heck of it … I’m going to get drunk … and walk around and dance with the cabin attendants.”
* Petkovic told the 20-year old Slovak Jana Cepelova, who reached the final without a coach or friends on hand, “I look forward to many great matches with you. But don’t beat me, please.” She added, “I am just so impressed you did this all by yourself, no coach, no nobody. If you said something before, I could have coached you.”
* According to Courtney Nguyen, Petkovic shared a family tale about her father, who attended and competed for the University of South Carolina in the early ’80s. “Everybody was wearing cowboy boots, and he said he had never seen that in his life,” she said. “So first thing when he had some money, he bought blue jeans and cowboy boots, and he was so happy. Do you know my dad? He’s so vain. He thinks he’s the most beautiful guy in the world. The only thing that he was looking forward to was coming back to Yugoslavia and rocking his blue jeans and his cowboy boots. He was on a train … and he forgot both … so [when] he came back, he had nothing. And this is why vanity is one of the seven deadly sins.”
• On being a poet: “I mean anybody who has ever written a poem feels like fricking good at that time, and I’m writing a poem, and I’m like, ‘I’m a genius, why has nobody discovered me?’ [But] when I read it back a month later, I realize how bad I suck … So I forbid myself from writing for the next three months, and then I get this kind of emotional phase where I have to express myself. And again, s—-y poetry comes out. Excuse my words.”
• On coming of age on the tour: “In the beginning when I was coming up, everything was super special, and I saw Rafa and Roger and I was just in constant awe … [But] it takes a lot of energy to be in constant awe … ‘Oh my God, it’s Serena.’ So now I am much more relaxed, and I know all the players; and it’s my life … Sometimes I hate it, but most of the time I love it, and it’s nice to have this peace with the tour, just being able to enjoy it.”
• On the legacy of the WTA: “I don’t think there’s ever going to be an end to this story. It’s just a consistent journey … The men … are bigger stars, but then again, Maria and Serena and Venus are crossover pop stars. It’s a matter of being proud of the attention that we get, because the girls do an amazing job every day, fight their hearts out, and try their best to be strong and powerful, giving an example to little girls.”
NOT SO SUNNY SONY: It seemed odd. At the awards ceremony of the BNP Paribas Open, a top tournament executive kneeled on the court, right by the operator of a confetti machine set up to douse the champion in a blur right after the last speech was made. Simple enough. But why does a top official have to prompt the confetti guy? The little detail sparked a mini-debate in the press room. Surely this was micromanagement to the max, said some. Others countered that it was simply savvy attention to detail.
Well, flash forward two weeks to the Sony Open awards ceremony, where Rafa Nadal—the runner-up—finishes his speech and, lo and behold, the tournament’s bubble machine—the rival of the BNP’s canfetti blower—lets loose with a torrent of consuming, ill-timed bubbles. The celebratory bubbles lingered as Novak Djokovic struggled to make his winners’ speech. The incident was a minor debacle, a slight embarrassment. Yet, it was revealing.
It’s hard not to compare Miami and Indian Wells, America’s back-to-back Masters 1000 tourneys. At first, Butch Buchholz’ Sony Open (or “the Lipton,” as it once was called) had a hefty head start. And these days, the Sony still draws over 300,000 fans and (aside from 2013) all the top players, including home faves Serena and Venus Williams. Sure, this year there were the usual rain delays, and two wretched withdrawals that meant neither men’s semi was played. Tournament Director Adam Barrett said, “It’s hard to get through a day like this. You do what you can, and you hope for the best … Sometimes the story lines, you know, take a turn.”
Ultimately, this year’s men’s and women’s finals featured the No. 1 and No. 2 players facing off, and Sony’s backers, when on national TV, contended that the tournament is “the most international, the most passionate, and loudest event on the ATP Tour.” What’s not to love? Well, for starters, there’s that West Coast gathering that drew 125,000 more fans then Miami and is backed by a billionaire. While for 20 years there hasn’t been a single major upgrade in Miami, Indian Wells is constantly improving—dazzling change and innovation is its signature. Yes, Miami voters last year approved $50 million for long-overdue Sony improvements. But a suit by a single citizen upset about the planned removal of some clay courts is delaying the improvements. According to Barrett, the Sony would consider shifting locales if it can’t implement the planned renovations. “We want to make it a true tennis center in a park rather than tennis courts in a parking lot,” he told the Miami Herald. “We want to stay in South Florida, but we don’t want to run a second-class or third-tier event. The option of going to the highest bidder—such as China, the Middle East, or India, where money is growing on trees—is always appealing to a corporation.”
DAVIS CUP: SHOCK THERAPY HAS ITS MERITS
Last June, total craziness descended when dazzling defeats defined early play at Wimbledon. Now, it was the Davis Cup’s turn to drink the Kool-Aid, as shock losses broke out everywhere west of Japan. For starters, Poland’s Jerzy Janowicz, last year’s Wimbledon semifinalist, lost to a 17-year old Croatian, Borna Coric, who had never beaten a top 200 player. Yes, there was a brief outbreak of normalcy in Geneva—a town that all but worships order—when Federer won his match. But Kazakhstan’s little-known Andrey Golubev—a Russian living in Italy who hasn’t had even two minutes of fame—calmly dismissed the Aussie Open champ, Stan Wawrinka, to earn his team an opening-day split with the mighty Swiss.
All the while, Germany went to France without any of its top four players. Who cares? The fearless German “B” team came out and kicked butt. Tobias Kamke, the world’s No. 90, downed Julien Benneteau. Then it was Peter Gojowczyk‘s turn. And despite nasty cramps, total exhaustion, and howling French fans—the world’s No. 119, who’d competed in just eight tour-level matches since ’12—saved a match point and with fearless abandon took down the erratic Jo-Willie Tsonga in five incredible sets, 7-5, 6-7(3), 3-6, 7-6(8), 8-6. The stunned Tsonga was left to concede, “It’s clear that this was one of those matches one can classify as unlosable and yet I lost it … He just took my breath away.””
The surprises kept coming on Saturday, when Kazakhstan’s Golubev and Aleksandr Nedovyesov took down former Olympic doubles champions Wawrinka and Federer, the No. 3 and No. 4 players in the world. Incredibly, this was the fourth straight time that the Roger and Stan tandem had faltered while playing for their homeland. Amazingly, by day’s end, three home-standing Euro powers—France, Switzerland, and Italy—found themselves down 1-2.
For the first time in the history of the Davis Cup’s World Group, on the same day, three different ties were decided by the fifth rubber. Ultimately, all three of the home teams prevailed. Facing the once-hot Gojowcyk, a fired-up substitute, Gael Monfils, muted Gojo’s mojo to prevail in straight sets for France, who’ll next host the Czech Republic. While the Czechs have won ten straight Davis Cup ties and are trying to three-peat, France is seeking its first Davis Cup title in 13 years. In Naples, a surprisingly timid Andy Murray lost for just the second time in 21 Davis Cup matches, falling 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 to a strutting, sashaying, swaggering Fabio Fognini. When Andreas Seppi handily downed James Ward, the Italians reached the Davis Cup semis for the first time in 16 years.
Meanwhile, back in Geneva, Wawrinka ended his dismal slump and Federer secured the win for the Swiss, who’ll host Italy in their first semi since ’03. Fed has an impressive 35-7 record in Davis Cup singles, but unlike Nadal and Djokovic, he’s never been a Davis Cup champion. Now Roger—who wasn’t even planning to play Davis Cup until Wawrinka won the Aussie Open—has a shot to fill the most gaping hole in his otherwise awesome resume. In related news, the US team, which lost to Britain in February, hosts Slovakia in the relegation round in September to try and stay in the major leagues, the Davis Cup World Group.
REFLECTIONS ON A TENNIS LETTERMAN: The upcoming retirement of David Letterman brought to mind that many a tennis player, from Jimmy Connors to Andre Agassi, have been eager to appear on his show, while others, like Lindsay Davenport, preferred to be spared of Letterman’s cutting wit. Surprisingly, more than any other player, Pete Sampras was associated with the late-night host. The charismatically impaired Californian once confided, “I know I’m not David Letterman when it comes to interviews.” But when Sampras was on the show after famously upchucking in a match against Alex Corretja, and Letterman asked him why he’d gotten sick. he deadpanned, “I watched Jay Leno the night before.” As Letterman prepares for his farewell, IT’s Steve Wanczk created a top 10-type list:
Top 10 Advantages to Davis Cup Being Played in Las Vegas
10. Cocktail waitress ball girls.
9. Nuclear test sites can double as press area.
8. Chang can finally see where he “lives.”
7. Everyone can stay at Agassi’s house.
6. Before serving, players can have fans blow on tennis balls for good luck.
5. Cabaret seating at evening matches.
4. Chair Umpire Wayne Newton.
3. Free cocktails on changeovers.
2. Two words: radioactive balls.
1. All line judges dress like Elvis.
SLOANE STEPHENS—NOT RUSHING TO DO ANYTHING FABULOUS: A month ago, Sloane Stephens was joking about marrying her Mom in order to be on the wedding registry at Target. But her laid-back, seemingly ambivalent effort in Miami prompted Johan Kriek to claim, “Clearly nobody bought Sloane Stephens courage, guts, or determination off her gift registry. Nice of [Caroline Wozniacki] to gift her a bagel and breadstick!” Chris Chase noted, “Wozniacki beat Sloane Stephens in 55 minutes, or as Bernard Tomic calls it, a marathon.” Mary Carillo described Stephens’ stoic demeanor as “a costume of casualness,” and then asked, “Is she trying to act cool? Or is she just not caring?”
Reflecting on the loss, Stephens said, “It was just straight-up bad.” But when asked to respond to criticisms of her ‘tude, she answered, “No comment.” Sloane also suffered early defeats in Doha, Dubai, and Bogota this year, and her ranking has dropped to No. 18. All this prompted writer Lindsay Gibbs to suggest, “She wants to win in the way I want to finish writing this article in the next 10 minutes. It’s my goal, but likely someone is going to stop and talk to me, or I’ll see an interesting article … or I’ll need to eat a second dinner, and it just won’t happen. And truthfully I won’t really be that bothered, the same way Sloane didn’t seem that bothered today. Sloane says she wants to win—we all do—but she sure doesn’t seem to care if she loses. That’s an important distinction.”
Sloane said, “Like, I’m 21 now. If I play 10 more years … that’s a lot of tennis … I could win the next Grand Slam or I could win one in six years and … that would still be pretty good … I’m in the Top 20, and I’m still really young and learning a lot about myself and things like that, so I’m not rushing to try and do anything fabulous.”
