I am Just Sick and Tired of It

By Haruka

This rant has been building for months now and one of P.Mac's comments and Federer's own actions have pushed me over the edge.

I AM SICK OF ROGER FEDERER AND THE NONSENSE!!!!

If I was a player on the tour I would throw everything I had including the kitchen sink at that man. Because of Tommy Haas injury, he had to pull out and Federer got a five day break. FIVE DAYS!! And then what did that pompous man do?

He stayed in his hotel.

Does the above seem a bit...well empty? Well yes it did. And why? Because out of the FIVE days FOUR of those days he didnt hit once. Yes, that is right. He didn't practice once. Why is no one else having a connipition? If I was a player and I heard of that, I would explode. Why? In a sport that relies heavily on how much you practice, this man takes four days off and shows what he thinks of you all. That is how lightly he thinks of you; that he can be stiff, out of practice, and not in his top form and he can mow you down in three sets.

Let me repeat: THAT IS HOW LIGHTLY HE THINKS OF YOU!

If I was a player on the men's tour, especially Ferrero, I would play to win. I would force it to 5 sets and then have the final set score be 25 to 27. And that is only if you are determined to lose. Whoever is Federer's next round opponent, if you insist on losing, make it another 5 set match but this time let the score be 35 to 37. And then, since it seems, only Nadal and Canas have the balls to take it to him, when Nadal plays Federer, he can finish Federer for you all.

But think about it. Federer has been strutting around for over a year now. And why, because you "men" don't have any guts. You go all out against each other and then....oh its Federer...we can't win. Since WHEN in any ERA was it ALRIGHT for your goal to win a SET? A SET! WHAT?! What you all need to do is grow some back bone and play him. And this better start with Ferrero! You show that man what he gets for thinking you are a chump! Make him run around the court, he doesn't like to get sweaty and then gets annoyed, and once he gets annoyed his winners become errors, and once he starts making errors the match is over.

I WANT SOME REAL TENNIS NOW!!!!

Wimbledon 2007

By Haruka

In 2007 many changes have occured and many are not welcome. And despite that many more changes are being talked about and kicked around leaving many fans and players to wonder about the future state of tennis. But this time of year it is all about Wimbledon, the oldest and most prestigious tournament. Sunday July 1, 2007 is Wimbledon's day of rest and in a perfect world where we would know the final 16 of both the men's and women's draw this would be fine. Unforunately, only half of the play has occured the other half postponed until Monday. But that will not stop me from putting in my two cents.

Gentlemen's Singles
This year because of rankings, there were many potentially good matches that did not live up to their expectations (Federer vs. Safin) and other matches, originally written off that had the hearts of fan's pounding (Henman vs Moya & Henman vs. Lopez). But as we head into the second week of Wimbledon the older players are either bringing their A games and players of the next generation are starting to develop and showcase theirs.The matches are not only mouth watering but are battles of the old generation vs. the new generation. And what do I mean? There are three types of players who are on the main circuit.

Old and Decripit

Players that fit into this category are players like Tim Henman and Carlos Moya. These players are 30 and over and sportcasters are calling for these players retirement. These players who miraculously do not need the aid of walkers to walk on and off the court or medical attention between games are in their last years. Whatever their past accomplishments they are almost ignored as the constant and never ending talk about their retirement take precedent over everything else.

The Twilight Players

Marat Safin, Lleyton Hewitt, James Blake, Tommy Haas and even Roger Federer are these special players that are still active on the pro tour and make it far into tournament but in tennis years their bodies are starting to break and slow down, which makes it harder for these players to win. These players are between the age of 24 and 30. They have other wins in them but its harder. Even for Rodger Federer, a player who many assume will make history and beat the record of Pete Sampras, it is a question of how many does he have left in him.

The Up and Comers

Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Gael Monfils, Andy Murray, and Marcos Baghdatis just to name a few. These are the ones who are 23 and under and are playing the best they will ever likely play. They were diamonds in the rough and now they are starting to show on the pro tour that they will be the next great thing. These are the young guys who will be playing each other for years to come.



That said, the potential Final 16 for the men's side is setting up to be a show down between the Twilight Players and the Up and Comers and that is how it is supposed to be. These two groups get to prove who is best and I cant stay I don't mind seeing who will win. My pick for the final four are Federer, Tsonga, Djokovic/Canas, and Nadal.





Ladies Singles
Unforunately or fortunately, there are too many possible winners for the ladies draw. In fact, it all comes down to who comes to play. If one lady is having an off day she is gone. The field is too open The odds are on Henin, then Sharapova, the Williams Sisters, Amelie Mauresmo and Jankovic. However my money is on Henin.

Congratulations Rafael Nadal and Vania King

Rafael Nadal: Not the Only One Trick Pony
By Haruka

Today Rafael Nadal elongated his clay court winning streak to 67 wins as he won the Monte Carlo Masters Event. By not dropping a set the entire tournament and, if I remember correctly, losing only 20 points for the entire final match, he has proven himself to be more then capable on clay.

But as I was basking in the glow of his victory, I read a bit of an article that said, in layman's terms: In order for Rafael Nadal to prove he is no one trick pony he has to win on other surfaces. Which is true. He has had some results on other surfaces, most notable, his reaching the Final in the 2006 Wimbledon Championship. Bu then I started to think. Really think. Should people only be picking on Nadal? Yes, I am a Nadal fan but seriously. Everyone has a speciality. Federer and Sampress had/have Grass, Roddick has Hard Courts, and Nadal has clay. So why is it when Nadal has proven he is best at one surface, suddenly the rules are changed he has to win other surfaces? The writer ignored his results at the Australian Open, Indian Wells, and Dubai. I have never read or heard of any article about Andy Roddick or James Blake or Andy Murrary have been told the same thing. And maybe they should.

All three of those players, Roddick, Blake, and Murray all come from countries where in their junior programs there is no abundance of sparking talent. Sure there are players that have talent but none that are translating well to the Pro Tour(Donald Young). And if they have some results on the Pro tour, these players only show results on certain surfaces(Andy Murray) and they are told, thats okay. I, however, have some news for them. It's not okay. There are other surfaces than Hard Courts and there is more to tennis than wacking the ball and hoping for the best. Tennis is famous for its physical demands as well as the mental demands and unfortunately, countries that used to push out mass numbers of tennis players aren't ready for that task. They need to examine why and fix it because I am sick of hearing ESPN commentators blame everyone but the ones they really need to blame; themselves.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Vania King: A Shining Star

Today was Vania King's day. Winning her first Fed Cup victory after being a set down and uping her level of play, she has proved why she is not only on the American Fed Cup team but many people say she might be the next big thing.

Never seeing her play, I was curious to see what she has. And Miss. King has a pretty complete game. She just has to refine it. Her serve can have more variety and her foot work can be sharper. Since she is only 18, her lack of aggressiveness, is completely understandable. As she gets older, she will be more comfortable coming to the net and taking the ball earlier. Also her ability to close out matches, that seperates the women from the girls, has to become better. But that once again has to do with age. If she can stay injury free and keep wanting to improve she can be something special. And with a lack of noticable talent in the American up and comers, she is a breath of fresh air. Hopefully this win, will give her the confidence to go further in tour tournaments.

Congratulations Vania!!

It's a Women's Match!!

By Haruka

a bit of a rant


Before I start, I think I should put it out there. Though I do not think I am a feminist, I think I can confidently say: a woman has to fight much harder for respect, equality, and opportunities. And in a game like tennis when the first professional women tennis players had to fight to establish the WTA and the acknowledgment by ATP and the world, the state of women's tennis is a bit disheartening. And the fight still continues, it was not until this past year, that men and women were finally given the same amount of prize money in Wimbledon. So why is it, when there are real competitive, consecutively winning champions on the WTA tour, is Maria Sharapova the poster girl for women's tennis.


Maria Sharapova, due to her loss at the Pacific Life Open, will no longer be number 1 in the world. But she has already been number 1 once before. Both slams she has won, Wimbledon and the US Open, there was a noticeably lacking field of other top ranking players especially in her draw. She has been obviously coached during games, a plain, and overly aggressive (which is a good trait for a tennis player). So why, when I am trying to watch tennis, am I subjected to a Maria Sharapova commercial? Repeatedly.


Maria Sharapova is the highest paid female athlete in the world.

The WORLD.

HUH?

At 19 years old, winning debatable slams and questionably number one, there are more established female athletes in the world. In ice-skating, basketball, swimming, skiing, etc. Somehow she is still the most paid female athlete in the world. And this figure is not from prize money but from sponsorship money.


Maria Sharapova is making money. And through tennis. But more money is made by sitting pretty, in some air conditioned studio, and single handily destroying any legitimacy of tennis and female played sports, that women have fought to be respected for something other than butt shots, and pin up ads in magazines.


Yes, there are other females that have used their looks to get ahead. There is nothing wrong with that. But when she is more known for being the girl in the magazine who happens to play good tennis rather than the girl who plays good tennis and happens to be in a few ads; who can honestly respect this still budding part of tennis?


I AM SICK OF SEEING THAT DAMN COMMERICAL!!

Hubris is Never Good

By Haruka



Though tennis has been happening since the end of the Australian Open, most of it has reaped unsurprising results aka Roger Federer winning more titles So what is it about the Pacific Life Open that just has the expected winner packing his bags with no trophy to carry?


My theory? Federer's pride has finally done him in. Finally. A comfortable ruler is often nearsighted, thus never seeing the danger down the road. Federer could not have expected to lose when he did. Could Federer's last loss coming from Andy Murray in 2006, possibly lulled him into a false sense of security? Federer when faced against a relentless Canas never seemed to get worried. Was it because, Federer is just that calm of a person? Were his oddly placed injury time-outs his passive aggressive way to throwing a fit? Or was it because, he somehow, even during Canas' s match point, felt he could win the match? Though this may seem a little mean or condescending we are talking about the same man that said Andy Roddick was tougher to play then Rafael Nodal. A little bit...incorrect, especially considering the statistics. When reading his many of his articles, though rightfully confident, you can wonder: maybe he has taken it too far.


And he is not the only player whose fame has perhaps gone to his head. Sharapova, so upset with her loss, refused to give her press conference. And James Blake tried to use his connections, to undermine rules that he was supposed to protect.


What is going on?

Women's Final

Go SERENA WILLIAMS!!!!!!!

Australian Open: Rafael Nadal

By Haruka




Alright. I spent a long time thinking about Rafael Nadal's match against Fernando Gonzalez. There were several things that just struck me wrong as I watched the match and the longer I thought about it the more the several things bothered me. First off I want to say Gonzalez simply outplayed Nadal. He knew what shots to hit, when to hit them how to hit them, and when and where to crush Nadal's confidence.

Nadal and Coaching

The thing that immediately struck me as odd was the body language of Nadal. From the first point, he looked almost shocked. It was almost as if he ignored all of Gonzalez's results and instead thought he would have to play his normal brand of tennis to beat him.


What was even more shocking was Toni Nadal's reaction to the match. He seemed completely indifferent to the match. He did not seem remotely interested in how is nephew was playing or why Nadal was being completely outclassed. It was almost like he himself did not remotely have an idea on how to take out Gonzalez or whatever plan he might have had Nadal was perhaps too arrogent to take it.


Whatever the reason, Rafael Nadal lost his very good chance to win the Australian. With Roger losing to Andy Roddick in an exhibition and his streaky match play, he could have made it to the final. He has the rest of his year cut out for him and even though he gained points in the Australian Open he has a tough clay court season ahead of him and has to defend his Wimbledon points. And after all of that, he somehow has to learn to do a better job of performing at the US Open. Though he is 2000 points ahead of his closest rival, Federer's gap is only widening. And as the only real point threatening player, Nadal needs to step it up. And a nice place to start is his confidence.

Australian Open: Day 9

By Haruka


Men's Tennis

The match was boring. The expected winner won and Roddick is in the final four. He will likely play Federer next.

Women's Tennis

When Serena lost the first set many people might have sighed and rolled their eyes. Her inconsistant play bought upon unrealistic expectations for the younger William's sister. Peer should get an incredible amount of credit because of her persistant and consistant play. She faded in the second set as Serena Williams uped her level of play, the equation giving Serena earned the second set. As the third set started on, Serena ran ahead but Peer not ready to go out without a fight uped her level while she forced Serena to make mistakes. Peer fought to match point but Serena, determined not to lose, managed to close the extremely tight match and win. Peer will be back.


Serena's side of the draw is WIDe open and she has to be feeling confident. However, she is still a dangerous floater playing a dangerous opponet. She has to be prepared but things occured in her draw no one could have predicted. Hopefully she will take advantage of her situation.

Day 10's matches look interesting.

Tootles

Australian Open Day: Day Five

By Haruka

Oh before we start. What happened to day Four? There was nothing worth mentioning. So let's move on to day FIVE!!!



Of course everyone is anticipating the Roddick vs Safin match but a few things did happened before that. Let's review.



Petrova vs Williams

The first match of the day, started off with Petrova decimating Williams the first set, 6-1. It was in the second set Serena exploded, and lead three games to love. However Petrova was determined to fight and soon gained three straight games. Battling from behind and showing her skill, Petrova was serving for the match. With pure will alone Williams fought back and showing why she dominated womens tennis, took the set 7-5. The third set score does not reflect the play seen. Though Williams won the set 6-3, she had to battle for every point won. With a win against Petrova, Williams may not win the Australian but if she keeps it up, the women on the women players better watch out.

Australian Open Day: Day Three

By Haruka


Well thanks to three overtimes of the college basketball match, American viewers were not able to really see much of the Andy Roddick match. What I did manage to see, Roddick played much better than his first round match. His serve, as expected, was phenomenal. His court awareness has greatly improved and his returns are improving. Considering Roddick’s part of the draw, there is little doubt in my mind that he will make at least the fourth round if he can get past the Russian.



Though there is live tennis going on, including former world number one and Australian Open winner Marat Safin’s match, they have continued on with their “schedule” and have continued on showing Serena Williams match.


Serena Williams

From the let go, I start to wonder are they seriously going to list her disappointing stats every match she plays? It gets more than a little repetitive and hopefully after her win they will maybe cut the narrative a bit. Serena did not help her cause or mine, as she slowly and awkwardly started the first set. Her rhythm was almost non-existent, her footwork was sloppy and she seemed too timid to go for her shots like she needed to. By the time she woke up she was already in the tiebreak. In the tiebreak, Serena Williams because of her hesitance was trailing in the tiebreak but managed to pull it out and win with superior shots and her improving serve. In the second set Serena stormed through the first three games but was unable to keep her momentum going and slightly let her opponent back into the game. Kremer only managed to win two games and Serena moved ahead to the third round. On a plus side her final rally brought memories of a old Serena.

Serena’s main problems are her confidence and fitness. Her confidence can be boosted over a big win, which can possibly come from her next match. Her body, however, was/is still unaccustomed to the long rallies and she really tested the extent of her fitness. The more Serena keeps it up and plays by the French she will be ready to win her next slam.

Marat Safin

And Safin has a lot of nerve. Wow. But I guess an injured leg will do that to a person. Safin, who by a miracle of God and rain, called a stop of play as he was two points away from defeat. As he came back on court, he appeared to be another person. Starting with an ace, Safin did not look back as he continued to dominate the tie break and fifth set. Next Safin plays Roddick in what should be an amazing match. Safin better come ready to play because Roddick is looking at the final and Safin cannot always depend on the rain.

Marcos Baghdatis vs Gael Monfils

Also, in other news. Monfils scored a huge upset over Baghdatis. Because of ESPNs in abilty to show the coveerage of the match and they pretty much speak for themselves. Monfils had a higher first serve percentage, more aces, considerably less amount of unforced errors than Baghdatis, more winners, a higher percentage of break point conversions and total ammount of points won. In Bagdatis' first round match his sluggish play, lack of heart, and just tiredness, his loss in the second round is not overwhelmingly surprising.

Tootles

The Australian Open: Day Two

By Haruka


The party vibe of the Australian Open was dampened today by the lingering effects of the antics of Serbs and Croats and the security placed on Mario Ancic did not help. But tennis continued to go on in the forms of either extremely breath stopping tennis or matches that took two minutes to finish. Due to the incredibly hot weather many matches did not go on. The first matches of the day did occur on the outer courts and after that players were not allowed on court due to the extreme on court temperature.




Women's Tennis in Summary

This is Kim's last year and being the number four ranked player she is a contender to win the Australian Open. Coming out on a mission, Kim took out Russian Vasilisa Bardina in 44 minutes and did not let the Russian take a game. Another match that was over in short order was Martina Hingis verses Nathalie Dechy of France. Hingis won the first set in 19 minutes and did not let the Frenchwoman get on the board until the second set. The second set took a bit longer, 35 minutes, and though Dechy won two games, the Maneater aka Hingis won the second set and moved on to the second round.


Other winners of the day were Ana Ivanovic's routine win over American Vania King and Russia's Anastassia Rodionova defeat of Roberta Vinci from Italy. Slightly tougher wins came to Anna Chakvetadze, the number 12 seed from Russia, and her defeat over Sybille Bammer in two sets, 6-4 and 7-5. Then there was Sania Mirza's defeat of Olga Savchuk in 6-3 and 7-5. Luckily for you patriotic tennis fans out there, an American women, Laura Granville, managed to have a pretty easy win over Yulia Beygelzimer from the Ukraine.

The Big Women's Match

Maria Sharapova was first to play today. In what most figured would be a cake walk to the second round turned into a battle against the heat and a battle of wills in the third set. Sharapova took her famous bathroom breaks at the end of her surprising loss of the second set and though she led the 3rd set 5 games to 0 her opponent, Camille Pin, went all out and managed to come back from behind and push the game on. Sharapova, overcome by the the court temperature of 120 degrees and what looked like a pinch to her side, had to fight Pin's match points and had to fight to get her own match points and finally overcame Pin to take the final set 9-7 and win the match she owes to the break she took in the third set.

Men's Tennis In Summary

Despite the incredible heat there happened to be a few four four and five set matches. A few easy wins for Nicolas Lapentti of Ecuador rally over Alan Mackin of Britain, Argentina's Juan Chela victory over Italy's Potito Starace, and Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic defeat of Hyung-Taik Lee.


Of the four set matches Australian Robert Smeets won against Luckas Lacko of Slovakia, Mischa Zverev defeat of Michael Berrer both coming from Germany, and Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland disappointing defeat of American Kevin Kim.


Of the five set matches There was Chile's Paul Capdeville win over Julien Benneteau, American Robby Ginepri tough win over Nicolas Almagro who comes from Spain. Argentina's David "Fat Dave" Nalbandian's just barely managed to hold on and greatly appreciated Serbia's Janko Tipsarvic who in the fifth set could not handle the Australian summer and retired. Another surprise was Olivier Rochus of Belgium win of over Chris Guccione much to the disappointment of Australian tennis fans.

The Big Men's Matches

First up was Rafael Nadal's match. This is the second year Nadal has played and the first year he has to battle with expectations. As the match started Nadal's tentativeness showed and Robert Kendrick's tenacity kept the first set even and forced the players to go to a tie break. Nadal slowly becoming more comfortable on court had to battle to get win the first set tie break but afterwards was on fire. Winning the second set 6-3 and the third set 6-2, he edged ahead of Kendrick lining up brilliant shots and his pure athleticism helped him win the match.


Currently 3:15 EST, it is the second set of the American James Blake and Mallorcan Carlos Moya's first round match. Though the first set was pretty even, James Blake despite his forehand errors, played a better tie break and won the first set. In the second set, with the confidence and game, James Blake is currently over powering the still rusty Carlos Moya to break ahead in the second set. Blake has plunged ahead and won the second set, 6-2 and is currently on his way to winning the match.

Random Commentary

Maria Sharapova obviously dresses herself or wanted to spark Lolita fantasies in men. Her hideous dress was thankfully occasionally covered by the shade she would understandably cower in at any opportunity. Patrick McEnroe's arrogant hopefulness that Kendrick would win over Nadal was not only misplaced but was also nauseating. Patrick's unprofessional one-sided commentary over Blake's match should be taken note of. Also the fact that he is still jerking off over Roddick's "great" win yesterday should be not only be noted but praised because I figured his hand would be tired by now.

Tootles

The Australian Open and Grand Slam Tennis: A Different View

The Australian Open: A Perspective

By Haruka


So what is it about the Australian Open? Yes, it is the first major tennis event of the year. Yes, it is a test of endurance, and while all events are testing, the sweltering heat of Australia (ignore the retractable roof, it is called humidity and that sky rockets once the roof is closed), the sticky surface of the court, and the lingering jet lag faced by late arrivals to Melbourne only adds to the physical challenges the players face. And no, I am not talking about the top players; they are in Australia for at least two weeks before the event. Even the lower ranked players have begun to head towards Australia at the end of December to play in some of the tournaments that precede the Australian Open Series. Many of these players do not participate in the exhibitions the top players play in during December and arrive rusty after finishing their seasons in October or November.


Because of the longevity of the tennis season, many players arrive with injuries that they got in the previous year. The Australian Open is the youngest Open and as the youngest open its exuberant personality coupled with the psychological anticipation and performance anxiety that can cripple players, anything goes and anyone can win. Marat Safin , with his injured knee won 2005 Australian Open in a high intensity match that not only was the talk of the town for the rest of the year but also sparked the hope of Marat fans for his resurgence.


A crucial factor of the Australian Open is when it takes place. The Australian Open starts towards the middle of January and finishes at the end of the month. Since the next grand slam, The French Open, is not until the end of May, Wimbledon follows that event in June and the US Open begins the end of August, this leaves the Australian Open champions five months of bragging rights. It also gives a boost to their confidence and the mental intimidation helps the player in the following tournaments. Even the final four get honorable mentions for the rest of the year.

For players like Marcos Baghdatis whose miraculous run to the final of the Australian Open catapulted him into the big kids swimming pool (though he has not quite learned how to swim in those deep waters, he is not leaving that pool any time soon) and others – think 19 year old Amelie Mauresmo, it is the gateway to the big time, the way to get your name mentioned and your career followed by tennis fans around the world. In Rafael Nadal's first break through year, he pushed Lleyton Hewitt to the max and gave him the momentum to win not only eleven single titles that included his first Grand Slam win; The French Open. It also effects the losers because they are then under pressure to produce results in the following tournaments they play in. As the Australian Open officially starts the New Year of tennis we will see what whose star continues to shine, start to shine or fade.


The Australian Open now has an Australian Open Series that is just like the U.S Open series. The Australian Open Series gives players an added incentive to get into shape and be ready to play Grand Slam tennis when the Open begins. Unlike the US Open series where many of the top players do not show up due to their various attempts to recover due to the back to back Slams, the Australian Open is successful in drawing big names because it gets players into shape after the off season. The Asian/Pacific Rim tournaments that kick start the tennis season can be nicknamed the "Rebound Ace" season. The clay court season, though the entire year has clay court events, reaches its height with Roland Garros . The United States summer hard court season has its US Open Series. Only Wimbledon at the present time has no "season" and seems to be sandwiched in after the French Open. Though there are talks about changing the Open schedule, there is no solution that anybody is willing to agree to.


Purists talk about the tradition and history of Wimbledon to justify its premier position in the world of tennis. The grass courts of Wimbledon encourage serve and volley play, a style of play which seems to be enshrined by American and British players and not by many other players in the rest of the world. It is interesting that in the Open era of the thirty nine Wimbledon Champions only three were from countries that had not at one point had British troops on their soil. The grass court style of play does not encourage tactical thinking. Hitting the ball hard and then rushing the net can hardly be considered tactical. Another reason for the decline of grass courts and grass court season is the expense it takes to maintain grass courts. While there is talk of creating a grass court season this can only be done if they change the Grand Slam schedule and find a sponsor that would not mind covering the year round cost for the upkeep of the grass courts.


Wimbledon was the first major title that tested a tennis player's skill. And as the oldest title a certain amount of honor goes to the winner. There is no tennis player alive who will complain about winning Wimbledon but a tennis players career is no longer judged solely on winning Wimbledon.





The Australian Open starts January 15, 2007 and ends January 28th 2007 .

Well

I was forced to do this.