TENNIS WORLD

Write Grand Slam, Read Fab Four

Roger Federer

Debunking Myths About Rafa

Murray’s Legacy

Champions Without A Degree

A Slow Start

American Crisis

February - issue 23

Well done, Amelie Mauresmo

by Princy James

Sixteen years back, a 19-year-old Amelie Mauresmo came out aslesbian during the 1999 Australian Open press conference.

Sixteen years back, a 19-year-old Amelie Mauresmocame out as lesbian during the 1999 Australian Openpress conference. With the world on the threshold ofthe 21st century, the bold teenager was like anexemplar of free spiritedness, but little was sheprepared for a tempest that ensued. Although times were different from that of BillieJean King -- who lost all her endorsements within 24hours after she was ‘outed’ by her disgruntledpartner -- Mauresmo, to her disbelief, found it hardto cope with the repercussions of her action. In thecase of Billie Jean King, she found herself more orless ostracised by the society. In Mauresmo’s case,that didn’t happen; people didn’t scorn her for beinga lesbian, but suddenly, all focus was on hersexuality, not her game.

For a professional sportsperson, nothing worse couldhappen.The subtle remarks from fellow players -- LindsayDavenport, after being defeated by Mauresmo in thesemi-finals of Australian Open, commented, “playingMauresmo was like playing a guy”; the vociferousteen Martina Hingis went a bit too far by stating “sheis half a man”. It was a pity then that Mauresmo had to deal with allthese when the people and the press should havebeen talking about her remarkable performance inthe tournament instead.Perhaps being an odd one out in the circuit mighthave accounted for her repeated failures in theGrand Slams.

She had to deal with a lot of pressure during thoseyears. But Mauresmo was evolving, althoughgradually.

She couldn’t win one for long despite making it to thesemi-finals many times. She once stated in aninterview that her ‘coming out’ was a shock for herfamily. She had to deal with a lot of pressure during thoseyears. But Mauresmo was evolving, althoughgradually. She became the No: 1 in 2004. Two years later, she silenced her critics by winningboth the Australian Open and Wimbledon. Finally,she was a Grand Slam champion, not just a lesbianplayer on the tour.Unfortunately, Mauresmo’s miseries didn’t exactlyend there. Following her retirement in 2009, shetried her hand at coaching with players like MichaelLlodra, Victoria Azarenka and Marion Bartoli.It washer stint with Bartoli -- during which the latter wonher one and only Grand Slam at Wimbledon -- thatput Mauresmo back in limelight once again.

When an estranged Andy Murray was searching for areplacement for Ivan Lendl, he couldn’t think ofanyone better than Mauresmo.Mauresmo being a woman was Murray’s leastconcern, but not everyone shared that opinion.Following his formal announcement about theirteam-up, social media exploded, greeting them withcriticisms -- many of the comments being laced withhomophobic slurs. Not just that, once again,Mauresmo’s physical features became a subject ofmockery. Homophobia is a reality, even sports isn’timmune to that, although we can say the situation isfar better than how it used to be a few decades back.Once again, only because of her difference,Mauresmo’s ability was questioned; yet once again,she has proven her mudslingers wrong by helpingAndy Murray reach the final of Australian Open thisyear.

As a 19-year-old, she showed great courage andcandour in proclaiming her sexuality to the world

Although Murray faltered in the final moment,Australian Open 2015 witnessed his revival. After his semi-final win against Stan Wawrinka,Murray said. "A lot of people criticized me forworking with her, and I think so far this week, we'veshowed that women can be very good coaches aswell. I'm very thankful to Amelie for doing it. I wouldsay, it was a brave choice from her.” Yes, it was indeed a brave choice. As a 19-year-old,she showed great courage and candour inproclaiming her sexuality to the world, hence, it isn’tof much surprise that she could take up a challengelike this. Although Murray couldn’t pay her back thistime, that doesn’t make their relationship a failure. In less than a year, she was able to propel Murrayand his dwindling career back on track. Perhaps if we could wait a little longer, the duo canmake history.

Murray’s Legacy

by Marco Di Nardo

"Being a finalist here four times is very difficult” Murraysaid after his recent victory.

"Being a finalist here four times is very difficult,”Murray said after his recent victory in the AustralianOpen semi-finals, where he outlasted Tomas Berdychin four sets. “[But] to have it done in the era ofFederer, Nadal and Djokovic makes me proud." With that victory, the Scot reached his fourth final atthe Australian Open, although, unfortunately forhim, he went on to lose yet again to Novak Djokovicin the championship match. Murray has nowreached eight Grand Slam finals but won only two. For Murray, it must seem a bit unfair. In any otherera he might have been the best player in the world,but in this one he is relegated to an almost perennialalso-ran. Indeed, while the other three members ofthe so-called “Fab Four” have racked up almost 40Slams between them, Murray can barely keep up.

In fact, he finds it hard to just get to and remain inthe Top Four, and struggles to compete against theother elites in big tournaments.His career so far is one of lost opportunities. Yes, hehas won two Slams, but the six losses somewhatovershadow those achievements. Most other players, of course, would be delightedwith reaching eight Slam finals, and it can certainlybe argued that he is a better player than many formerworld number ones. Players like Thomas Muster, Marcelo Rios, CarlosMoya, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Patrick Rafter, MaratSafin, Gustavo Kuerten, Lleyton Hewitt, Juan CarlosFerrero and Andy Roddick all became number one inthe world without ever reaching so many Slamfinals.

Coming into the Australian Open, the year had beengoing pretty well for Murray. He won the Mubadala World Tennis Championship(which he had previously won in 2009) by beatingFeliciano Lopez and dominating Rafa Nadal 6-2, 6-0before taking advantage of a flat Djokovic in thefinal. He then went on to win three out of threematches at the Hopman Cup. The Australian Open itself was also a comparativecake walk until the final, with the Scot only losingtwo sets, both tie-breaks against very good players inBerdych and Grigor Dimitrov. The final, however, was another story, as historyrepeated itself in horrific fashion for Murray yetagain.Yet Murray is not in the absolute sense a loser in theend, far from it.

His winning percentage in Grand Slams is animpressive 80.46%, with 140 wins and 34 losses. This figure compares very favorably to Nadal(88.02%), Federer (85.93%) and Djokovic (85%). His success outside of the Slams has been even moreimpressive. From 2008 to 2011 Murray won eight of his firstnine Masters 1000 finals, a truly astonishing figureconsidering the extremely high standard of theseevents. Even with his two losses in 2012 his overall win rateof 75% – or 9 out of 12 Masters 1000 finals –remains one of his greatest achievements. Murray’s biggest problem in Slam finals has been thequality of his opponents. He has only ever met a member of the Fab Four in aMajor championship match, with three losses toFederer and three to Djokovic. He did manage tobeat the Serb twice of course, and has never facedNadal in a Slam final. He has met the Spaniard inSlam semi-finals, however, and lost to him theremany times. Ultimately, Murray’s career is more a function of theera he’s lived in than it is a reflection of his trueability. Like Andy Roddick, his success would likelyhave been greatly amplified had he been born a littleearlier or a little later. Though his two Slam victoriesand Olympic gold medal are truly accomplishmentsto be proud of, he will never be remembered as oneof the best ever to play the sport. The biggest boost tohis legacy might come with a rise to number one inthe rankings, but that seems very unlikely given thecompany he is forced to keep.

Murray’s Meaningful Year

by Giovanni LaRosa

2015 could be a key year for the ATP World Tour.

2015 could be a key year for the ATP World Tour. The era of the Fab Four seems to be heading forSunset Boulevard, and soon that term will no longerhave any meaning. Yes, Djokovic and Federer were the two best playersin the world in 2014, but Nadal was absent for halfthe season due to his injury issues. Younger playersare also continually making bigger waves andreaching the latter stages of the more prestigiousevents. Perhaps the biggest problem for the term“Fab Four” is in fact Andy Murray. Indeed, hisinclusion in the group has always been questionable,given that his resume is substantially less impressivethan those of the other three. But his recent resultshave given even more pause to those looking toinclude him in that elite club. So the question is: will2015 be the year where Murray regains his footing atthe top of the men’s game, or will he remain firmlyisolated from the true elites? Just a short while ago it appeared as if Murray haveexperienced a turning point in his career. His hiringof Ivan Lendl not only spurred him to win two GrandSlams, but it started the trend of hiring formerlegends as coaches.

His gold medal in London and his US Open andWimbledon titles seemed like just the beginning forthe “New Murray.” But when he hurt his back andunderwent surgery, while also splitting with Lendl,he suffered a setback which the Scot has yet torecover from. The sense of maturity and aggressionthat accompanied the Lendl years has all butdisappeared, and he has been utterly unable tocompete with the likes of Nadal, Federer andDjokovic.When he hired Amelie Mauresmo last year, hebelieved he had found the person who would helphim regain his lost form. The choice surprised many,for while Mauresmo was a very talented andaccomplished player on the WTA Tour, she sufferedfrom many of the same issues that Murray now faces,such as a lack of mental strength and inability tomanage expectations. The decision to hireMauresmo also does not seem to have gone downwell within Murray’s camp, as he soon parted wayswith assistant coach Dani Vallverdu and fitnesstrainer Jez Green. He had been working with bothfor many years, and their split was apparently due toirreconcilable differences of opinion. Murray’sdecision to keep on Mauresmo while dumping otherassistants has raised many an eyebrow. Certainly hisresults in the second half of the year were not exactlyspectacular. Though he did win three titles, theywere minor ones and he never had to beat a top

Indeed, when he did face tough competition from theFab Four he lost rather meekly in each instance. Hisquarter-final loss at Flushing Meadows was badenough, but his utter humiliation at the hands ofRoger Federer at the ATP World Tour Finals was sobad it was hard to watch. Federer very nearly beatthe Scot 6-0, 6-0, and Murray didn’t make it out ofthe round robin stages of the event, for which hequalified at the very last minute.Of course, many would argue that the Scot’sproblems are rooted in the back surgery he had, andthat he has not fully recovered from the ordeal. That might be true, but the fact is that his results arenowhere near where they need to be for him to beconsidered part of the Fab Four, and there has beena definite regression in terms of his tactics andtechnique.

He has returned the intensely defensive tactics thathe preferred before Lend’s intervention, which haveproven costly for him in big matches. Murray’s problems are further compounded whenlooking at the extreme depth of the field at themoment. Veterans like Wawrinka and Cilic havebroken the Slam stranglehold of the Fab Four, whileyoungsters such as Nishikori, Raonic, Dimitrov andothers are constantly threatening to supplant theirelders at the top. An even younger crop of players arealso making noise, and soon Kyrgios, Thiem, Vesely,Coric and Zverev will also have to be dealt with. The feeling is that 2015 will be a key year for the 27year-old Scot. He is likely heading towards the end ofhis prime, and will have to take advantage of thisperiod as much as possible. Yet there remains a lot ofwork to be done on his game, both from a tacticaland psychological level. His tenacity anddetermination have long carried him over moretalented players, but that alone is not enough toconquer the Tour. His anger and hunger for success will have to be thefoundation upon which Mauresmo builds anotherNew Murray. She must further improve hisathleticism, which is already one of his majorstrengths, and above all convince him to againabandon his stubborn defensive-minded play. Hemust be more aggressive if he is to return to thesuccesses of 2012-2013. It will certainly be difficult,for he has proven hard to coach for everyone butLendl, but she will have to persevere. Murray’s timeto shine is running out, and if she cannot solve theriddle it might soon prove too late for anyone else to

Let The Season Begin!

by Alex Bisi

The first Slam of the year is upon us, and we cannot helpbut think back to a year ago

The first Slam of the year is upon us, and we cannothelp but think back to a year ago when the AustralianOpen delivered one of the biggest upsets in tennishistory. We are talking, of course, of StanislasWawrinka’s victory over Rafael Nadal in the final.Historically, it has proven very difficult to repeat atany Slam, even more so in the current tennis era withthe Fab Four ruling the roost. After his win DownUnder last year, Stan had a very good season. Hedipped a bit in the middle due to some physicalissues, but came back strong at the ATP World TourFinals and the Davis Cup final.The more likely competitors for the title are Djokovicand Federer. The Serb has always been at ease at theAustralian Open, with four titles won (three of themconsecutively).A yearlong collaboration with Boris Becker hascertainly had a beneficial effect on Djokovic’s game,especially in the second half of last season. Although the German was called in primarily to helpDjokovic with the mental part of his game, he hasencouraged his student to venture to the net moreoften, and his volleys have markedly improved as aresult.

He will obviously never become a serve-and-volleyplayer, but this new dimension to his game has aidedhis cause tremendously.Federer, on the other hand, has also been playingwell over the past year. When he hurt his back at theATP World Tour Finals, many believed that his DavisCup dream was in peril, but he gritted his teeth andplayed a wonderful tie with Stanislas Wawrinka towin the Cup for Switzerland.After a disastrous 2013, Federer bounced backstrongly last year with some new tactics and goodphysical health. The former was no doubt thankslargely to his collaboration with Stefan Edberg. Hefell short of Wimbledon glory, but threatened to endthe year as number one almost right up to theseason’s final match. Edberg did not bring substantial changes to Swiss’game, but his insistence that Federer attack the netmore often has been wonderfully effective.Of all the contenders, Rafa Nadal is probably in theworst way. He had a terrible second half of 2014, missingbasically the entire latter part of the year due toinjuries and illness. The Spaniard must recover his health and his form,since he is currently missing the rhythm that giveshis game such consistency. He will likely only manage to recover this once hehits the clay in a few months.

Andy Murray is an unknown, recovered from his back surgery in2013 but still not near his best. The collaboration with Mauresmohas not been an overwhelming success, and the Scot has definitelytaken a step back over the past 18 months.But enough of the Fab Four. Last season saw the rise toprominence of many youngsters who had been lurking for quitesome time. Nishikori, Raonic and Dimitrov all made major stridesand seem determined to rise to the top of the game in the nearfuture.Nishikori won three tournaments in 2014, reached the final ofboth a Slam and a Masters 1000 event, and qualified for theprestigious ATP World Tour Finals. He does not have a hugegame, but his ability to take the ball early and track everythingdown makes him a very tough opponent indeed.Raonic improved just about every aspect of his game last year,including his already monstrous serve. He is not afraid to come tothe net and has become much more aggressive off the ground,making him all the more dangerous.Fans of Dimitrov hope that 2015 will be the year that theBulgarian will finally fully mature. He won three tournaments in2014, but has yet to demonstrate that he can hang with the bestplayers in the Slams. He is not as advanced as Raonic andNishikori yet, but has a much higher ceiling than those two.The winner of the US Open, Marin Cilic, will not play in Australiadue to injury. And we will always have to keep an eye on loosecannons like Dolgopolov and Kyrgios, not to mention Coric andGoffin. We can’t wait for the new season to get started, so bring onthe first Slam!

Andy Murray is an unknown, recovered from his back surgery in 2013 but still not near his best.

A Slow Start

by Giorgio Giannaccini

Much fanfare has accompanied the early losses suffered by thedarlings of the tennis world in January, namely Rafael Nadal andNovak Djokovic.

Much fanfare has accompanied the early lossessuffered by the darlings of the tennis world inJanuary, namely Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.Nadal lost to the unheralded Michael Berrer, ranked127 in the world (though he has been as high as 42)1-6, 6-3, 6-4, while Djokovic fell to Ivo Karlovic, whois 129 but has been playing very well of late. There are several interesting things to note aboutthese losses. The first is physical condition of RafaelNadal, who missed most of last season due to injury.Before the season started he took part in anexhibition event Abu Dhabi, where he was soundlydefeated by Andy Murray. This was an earlyindication that he will require time to get back to hisbest, and the loss suffered to Berrer only confirmsthat suspicion. We did perhaps not expect him to godown to such a low-ranking opponent, but inretrospect is not the most surprising result in theworld.

Berrer is a veteran on the circuit and was able toexploit the obvious physical shortcomings of hisopponent. Indeed, Berrer played a great match, hitting hisforehand with tremendous power and accuracy andusing his serve to great effect (he made 76% of hisfirst serves).Djokovic’s loss is a little different, because we aretalking about a match lost in the third set and whichfeatured two tie-breaks: 6-7(2), 7-6(6), 6-4. Djokovicbasically lost the match by losing his concentration atthe worst possible moments. Such a mental lapse can usually be excused either atthe end or the beginning of the long season, andluckily for him we are still in the latter. The earlytournaments are there precisely so that players canwork out the kinks in their games and get back into arhythm for the year.An issue that is worth considering here, especially forthe Spaniard, is the lack of practice coming into theyear. It is a fine balance getting ready for the season:you don’t want to do too much and injure yourself,and you don’t want to do too little and beunderprepared. Nadal hasn’t played competitively inmany months, and his game relies a lot on rhythmand practice. This no doubt affected him in a big wayagainst Berrer.

Djokovic had a problem with timing in his match,which is more subtle than Nadal’s trouble but alsoless easily fixed. However, we believe that he will right himself aftergetting a few matches behind him. It is also worth noting that players always show upwhen playing the world number one, and hegenerally has to contend with the best version ofeach player he faces. This can occasionally lead to theodd upset. Looking further afield, they weren’t the only playersto struggle early in the season. Roger Federer sweated through seven shirts to getpast the Australian John Millman, ranked 153 in theworld, with a score of 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. He had to come back from a set and a break down aswell.

He managed to turn that scare into a positiveexperience, eventually winning the title by beatingMilos Raonic 6-4, 6-7(2), 6-4. En route to his 83rd career title he also won his1000th match, becoming only the third man to everreach that milestone. Stanislas Wawrinka had a similar experience,winning the tournament in Chennai by defeating thequalifier Bedene 6-4 6-3, but he also had someteething problems. These did not come in the tournament itself, but atthe preceding exhibition event in Abu Dhabi, wherehe was the top seed. He lost there quite tamely to Rafael 7-6(1), 6-3 andseemed rather out of sorts. But his hard worked paidoff and in Chennai he did not disappoint the crowds,successfully defending his title without dropping aset. Flaws are often revealed in defeat, but thoseexperiences can provide an opportunity to addressthose flaws before they become a bigger problem. It is therefore best to get them out of the way as earlyas possible in the season so that players can savetheir best for when it really matters.

Write Grand Slam, ReadFab Four

by Alessandro Varassi

Since 2008, only three out of twenty-eight Slams havebeen won by a player outside of the Fab Four.

When entering a new tennis season, it is customaryto look to the past and try, as much as one can, topredict what will happen in the future. The statistics,although they are mere cold numbers, can help usunderstand the tennis era we are currently in. Let uslook at the four Grand Slams (Australian Open,Roland Garros, Wimbledon and US Open) and focuson the winners from 2008 to today. Out of 28 majorevents, on only three occasions has a trophy beenlifted by anyone other than the Fab Four (Federer,Nadal, Djokovic and Murray). Two of those threewins came in the 2014 season, with the triumphs ofWawrinka in Melbourne and Cilic in New York.Rounding out the trio is the historic triumph of JuanMartin Del Potro at the US Open in 2009, whichcame in a five-set thriller against Roger Federer.

Until the successful US Open in 2012, the Argentinehad been the only person to win a Slam in 19tournaments other than Federer, Nadal andDjokovic. So perhaps rather than the Fab Four, weshould probably refer to the group as the Fab Three. Though Murray won again at Wimbledon in 2013, hestill lags behind his peers in terms of Slams won overthe past six years, with Nadal having won 11,Djokovic bagging seven, Federer adding five and theScot triumphing at two.People have for long been talking about the day theFab Four stopped dominating the Tour. Unlike all the previous years, however, we might verywell be moving closer to this being a reality.

It will be interesting to see how the season unfolds. It is likely to be a tumultuous one, but it remains to be seenwhether that will result in more spectacular matches andchampions.

The start of 2015 has been very unpredictable, withDjokovic and Nadal losing to Karlovic and Berrerrespectively. In 2014, the Fab Four were of course well below parat the Australian and US Opens. In Melbourne, Stan Wawrinka beat both Djokovicand Nadal en route to the trophy, while at the USOpen Marin Cilic ousted Roger Federer in the semi-finals before crushing Kei Nishikori in the titlematch.Of course, both Rafa Nadal and Andy Murray missedsome time with physical problems, but their absencestill meant the Fab Four were down to the Fab Twofor quite some time. But just because two men managed to break themonopoly last year does not guarantee that it isgoing to happen again this season.

Players like David Ferrer, Tomas Berdych and JoWilfried Tsonga can testify to the fact of how hard itis to get to the latter stages of a Grand Slam only tofall well short in the final. It seems that you have to be both at the right placeand the right time to be able to sneak in a GrandSlam win under the watchful gaze of the Fab Four.It will be interesting to see how the season unfolds. It is likely to be a tumultuous one, but it remains tobe seen whether that will result in more spectacularmatches and champions.

Roger Federer

by Chiara Gambuzza

Almost everything has been written about Roger Federer.

Almost everything has been written about RogerFederer. He has revealed just about everything abouthimself, even the parts he is not too proud of. As achild, for example, he was often nervous and subjectto massive mood swings on the court. He has saidovercoming those childish habits helped pave theway for becoming the player he is today. Even today,at 33, he continually amazes his fans with hisexploits on the court and grace away from it. But wehave found a few interesting lesser-known factsabout the Swiss maestro that might just surprise you:1. At 16 years of age, he threw his racket at thecurtain of a federal training center, cutting it. Aspunishment he was forced to get up at dawn for aweek, clean the bathrooms and prepare all the courtsfor the day.

2. In the summer of 2001, Federer played taxi driverfor his friend Michael Lammer, who could not drivebecause of a torn ligament in his leg. Every day Federer would pick him up and drive himto his physiotherapy treatments.

3. When Federer came to discover, in 2002, that hisformer coach Peter Carter was dead, he was inToronto. He lost in singles and doubles playing with blackarmbands. He could hardly hold back his tears duringchangeovers. He pulled out of Cincinnati and Washington toattend the funeral.

4. After winning Wimbledon for the first time, he spent hisholidays in Italy. He arrived in Sardinia with Mirka and lying onthe sand kept repeating "You're a Wimbledon champion."

5. With some of the first prize money he won in tennis, Federerdyed his hair platinum blonde. When his mom saw him for thefirst time, she screamed in surprise at what he had done.

6. During the final in Rome in 2006, Roger was angry with ToniNadal and even turned to him in-between points, asking him"Everything OK, Toni?" He was sarcastically asking for coachingbecause of the constant sideline coaching Toni was giving Nadalduring the match.

7. Until the age of 14, Federer was a vegetarian. He ate onlycereals, pasta and pizza, and drank mostly milk.

8. He loves to play Playstation games, especially tennis ones.While he sometimes chooses to play as himself, he often opts forGael Monfils or Rafa Nadal.

9. At the age of six, during a lesson at school, Federer turned to hisclassmate to ask his opinion about a signature he had beenpracticing. His friend laughed, asking him why he is practicing asignature. “Maybe one day, when I become a tennis player, I willneed it,” he replied.

10. The highest number of unforced errors Federer ever committed in amatch is 82, which came against Luis Horna at Roland Garros in 2003.

http://www.tennisworldusa.org

Debunking Myths AboutRafael

by Valerio Carriero

There are many stereotypes surrounding Rafael Nadal.

There are many stereotypes surrounding RafaelNadal. These are often cited in the pointlessdiscussions between fans of other players on theTour, as well as those who simply don’t like Nadal’sstyle of play. This article aims to disprove two basic arguments:"Nadal will have no longevity" and "Nadal is notversatile." To do so, I will consider his record atGrand Slams and also discuss his place in relation tothe current holder of the most Grand Slam titles,Roger Federer.

LongevityThis is something that has followed Nadal since hisfirst days on the Tour. The argument is that his style of play is simply toohard on his body. His game is so explosive that hesimply will not be able to keep it up for very long.This theory seems to be vindicated by the fact thatNadal has suffered from so many major injuries overthe past few years. But its overall impact has perhapsbeen slightly overstated, especially when it comes tothe Slams. After all, he is still very much a member ofthe Fab Four.

Any analysis must start with Roland Garros. Rafahas built his kingdom on clay, and his nine FrenchOpen titles are a testament to his complete and utterdomination at the event. The only person who hasmanaged to trouble him on his precious red soil inthe French capital was been Robin Soderling in2009. That was preceding a major injury layoff forNadal, who was forced to miss Wimbledon due toknee issues.So the fact is this: Nadal’s injury has hampered himat times during the Slams, but it has not crippledhim. Even in his worst injury years he was still ableto win Grand Slams, even on hard courts. Indeed, hecan boast of the fact that he has won at least oneSlam for 10 consecutive years (2005-2014). TakingRoger Federer as reference point, this achievementbecomes even more impressive. The mostconsecutive years with a Slam the Swiss managedwas seven, quite a few shy of Nadal’s 10. So not badfor Nadal, who is often belittled in terms of longevity.Certainly nobody can question his staying powergiven his many years of winning at least one majortournament a year.

VersatilityThese days, court surfaces are not as different as theyused to be. That being said, one cannot deny thatNadal has improved tremendously on surfaces otherthan clay as his career has progressed.

His continuing improvements on hard courts have allowedNadal to become the only person in history to have reached atleast reached two Slam finals in 8 different calendar years.

After his success at Roland Garros, it took quite a fewyears for the Spaniard to win his first Grand Slamtitle on another surface. That came in 2008, when he beat Roger Federer inthe final at Wimbledon. Soon after that he won his first hard court title at theAustralian Open. His continuing improvements on hard courts haveallowed Nadal to become the only person in historyto have reached at least reached two Slam finals in 8different calendar years. These break down to two in 2006, 2007 and 2008(Roland Garros and Wimbledon), three in 2010 and2011 (Roland Garros, Wimbledon and US Open), twoin 2012 (Australian Open and Roland Garros), 2013(Roland Garros and US Open) and 2014 (AustralianOpen and Roland Garros).

This is again better than Federer, who achieved thisfeat “only” six years in a row (2004-2009).So it is clear from the facts that two of the biggestclichés about Nadal are, at the very least, overstated.Perhaps his career might not have the longevity thatothers have enjoyed, and he may not be the mostversatile tennis player to ever walk the face of theEarth, but he certainly is no slouch in eitherdepartment.

Is Soderling Done?

by Federico Mariani

Robin Soderling was once one of the most feared playerson the ATP World Tour.

On 31 May, 2009, the impossible happened. Under agrey sky and in front of a frenzied crowd, RobinSoderling beat Rafa Nadal on Philippe Chatrier,something that most people had thought impossible.After all, the Spaniard had seemed utterlyunbeatable on the French clay for many years.Before that day, Nadal had never lost in Paris, havingwon four straight titles and 31 consecutive matches.After that loss, he would collect another five straighttitles in the French capital. This time, his winning streak has stretched for 35matches. To date, he has won 66 matches at Roland Garrosagainst only the one loss.The background to their match makes Soderling’svictory even more improbable. The two had faced off just weeks prior in Rome, withNadal conceding only one game to the Swede in aone-sided blowout loss. So how did Soderling manage to then take four setsoff Nadal at their next meeting? The answer has yet to be found, and no logic seemsto apply to the incredible situation, even after allthese years.

Nadal played the match as he had played everymatch on clay in his entire life, relying on the hugetopspin of his forehand to outmaneuver hisopponent. But Soderling did not play the same oldmatch…his shots had a power and violence to themthat wowed the crowd from the first point. Mostpeople thought that he would surely have to suffersome sort of dip in form, after all nobody can keepup that sort of hitting for three hours. Yet that isexactly what he did, handing the Spaniard adevastating loss that has become known as perhapsthe biggest upset in tennis history.He did not leave it there, of course, but built on thatvictory to become one of the world’s best players. Hiscoach, Magnus Norman, helped him consolidate hisnewfound confidence, and he soon reached numberfour in the world rankings. A year later he beat Roger Federer, the defendingchampion, in four sets, interrupting the Swiss’ streakof having reached 23 consecutive Grand Slam semi-finals. It was the first time he had beaten Federer in12 previous attempts.In two years, the Swede accomplished somethingthat goes beyond the extraordinary. He made historyby playing the role of the antagonist, somethingwhich seemed to suit him well. Those two FrenchOpens were significant for many reasons, andSoderling carved his name in the history books in aspectacular way.

Robin Soderling has not played an official matchsince 17 June, 2011.

But now, unfortunately, we are deprived of hisbrilliance. Robin Soderling has not played an official matchsince 17 June, 2011, when he destroyed David Ferrerin the final in Bastad. A terrible bout of mononucleosis sidelined him formonths, and even after seemingly recovering fromthe illness, he was still struck with crippling post-viral fatigue. He was for long barely capable of maintaining anormal everyday life, let alone engaging in the sort ofphysical activity required of a professional tennisplayer. In August he will turn 31, and though he has notofficially retired, realistically he has very little chanceof ever returning to the Tour and playing at a highlevel.

He might not have been the most popular man onTour, but his power and explosiveness is sorelymissed on the circuit today. The game is dominated by defensive baseliners whoare loathe to ever hit the ball harder than they needto. It would be a breath of fresh air indeed if theSwede, or someone like him, would liven up the Tourwith a more aggressive style of play. Fans did not appreciate him when he was there, butnow that he has been gone for so long, it is becomingclear that we lost a true champion in him.

Here To Stay

by Giorgio Giannaccini

Kei Nishikori’s incredible recent exploits, which culminated in him reaching thefinal of the US Open last year, has caught the tennis world by surprise.

Kei Nishikori’s incredible recent exploits, whichculminated in him reaching the final of the US Openlast year, has caught the tennis world by surprise. The question on everyone’s mind now is: will he keepthis up and become a future Grand Slam champion? His run at the US Open would certainly seem toindicate that he will be at or near the top of the gamefor some time to come. His dispatching of Novak Djokovic in the semi-finalswas nothing short of masterful, and the 6-1, 1-6, 7-5,6-3 victory was no fluke. The final was a bitter pill to swallow for Nishikori,who was clearly exhausted against Marin Cilic.He simply could not cope with his opponent’sincredible power and accuracy, and the 6-3, 6-3, 6-3championship match was a disappointing one.

That being said, 2014 was a magnificent season forthe youngster. He won two titles, one in Memphis against IvoKarlovic, the other in Barcelona against SantiagoGiraldo, and reached the Top 10. He even reached the Top 5 at the end of the year. Inaddition to all of this, he also qualified for the ATPWorld Tour Finals, losing to Djokovic in the semi-finals. And even though Nishikori was not fully fit fortheir clash, the Serb still had to work very hard to getpast his younger opponent. Though many might be surprised by his sudden runof form, I cannot be counted among them. I remember seeing Nishikori play against SimoneBolelli last year at Wimbledon, and I knew then therewas something special about him.

Nishikori was down two sets to one, and hisopponent was playing like a man possessed. Bolelli seemed poised to win the match in the fourthset, but Nishikori squeaked out the tie break. The fifth set was also tough, and for a long time itseemed as if the Italian would prevail. Yet he would find, as so many others have, thatNishikori’s mental reserves are nearly infinite. A few years earlier, in February of 2008, Kei was justeighteen years old when he became the protagonistof the tournament in Delray Beach Florida. He started from qualifying and proceeded tocarefully pick apart the main draw, even though hewas not even ranked in the Top 200! The high point came in the semi-finals, when heplayed the American bomber Sam Querrey. The match was really incredible, exciting, anduncertain until the last point. After saving four match points, Nishikori proceededto the final, where he met none other than Top 10player James Blake. The final, contrary to expectations and the gapbetween the two players, was sumptuous.

Today, he is still flummoxing his peers with hisincredible speed and shotmaking, and things onlyseem to be getting more ominous by the day for therest of the field. This might be the year that Nishikori truly becomes aplayer to be reckoned with.

Nishikori seemed to have wings instead of feet, andeven at a height of just 1.78m was able to generateincredible power. "His forehand hurts more than that of Chang," anamazed Federico Ferrero said during thecommentary on Eurosport. His mental strength shone through even then, andafter losing the first set 6-3 he gathered himself toinflict a 6-1 humiliation on his opponent in thesecond. In the third set he showed the skills of a Top10 player, hitting winners all over the court andconstantly surprising the much more experiencedBlake. Perhaps the best point of the match was whenNishikori played a serve and volley on break pointand second serve. He had not tried that all match,but it paid off.

Doubles Exclusive: IvanDodig and Marcelo Melo

by David Cox

They say that opposites often attract when it comes topartnerships and as a doubles pair

They say that opposites often attract when it comesto partnerships and as a doubles pair, in many waysIvan Dodig and Marcelo Melo could not be morecontrasting. On court, Dodig - no slouch at 6'0(183cm) - appears almost dwarfed by the gigantic 6'8(203cm) frame of Melo. And it's not just physical appearance, their stylesvary considerably too. While Melo moves languidly,relying on his excellent reflexes and feel at the net,Dodig is an explosive, all-action competitor,launching himself into returns and groundstrokes,often struck with both feet off the ground. Togetherthey make a formidable combination, reaching theWimbledon final back in 2013.

And last season they nearly clinched the biggest titleof their career, powering through to the final of theend of season ATP World Tour Finals, with only theBryan Brothers able to stop them."It was one of the greatest moments of my doublescareer," Dodig reflects. "Such a great, great experience for us. In 2013 we made the semi-finals in London, nowfinal last year, hopefully this year we can go all theway."Playing on such grand stages is especially special forthe 30 year old Dodig who spent many yearsslugging it out in the tennis wilderness beforeeventually breaking through onto the main tour inhis mid-twenties.

"You know, this is some special guy" sayscountryman Goran Ivanisevic.

With little financial support, Dodig did what it tookto make ends meet as he travelled the outposts of thefutures and challenger circuits, regularly sleepingunder bridges and in his car while at tournaments. He recalls one tournament in Italy where he wasunable to afford the price of the hotel and so climbeda wall and slept on the sunloungers next to theswimming pool of a local villa, waking and making aswift exit just before he was discovered by theresidents."You know, this is some special guy," sayscountryman Goran Ivanisevic. "The way he achieved everything by himself withnobody really helping him, is incredible. He neverhad any money and what he's accomplished isamazing. I think this is where is big heart on thecourt comes from, he never quit on anything and hetried to play his best tennis in every single match."

Dodig explains that he regularly subsisted off breadalone at tournaments in order to break even, a far cryfrom the luxurious buffets and generous budgets setaside for the players at events like the Grand Slamsand the Tour Finals. On one occasion, he went without any food at all forfour days, and even managed to make the doublesfinal before nearly passing out on court throughsheer hunger.Melo looks on with a wry smile when listening toDodig's tales. The son of wealthy parents in thecosmopolitan city of Belo Horizonte, he had a privatesponsor from an early age and has never foundhimself in especially dire straits financially.But Melo's calm has proved to be the perfect matchfor Dodig's fiery intensity and despite being waylaidthrough injuries, they proved to be a force at severalof the big events in 2014.

"There are always ups and downs but for me, aftereverything I've been through in my career, these aregreat moments" Dodig says.

"We made two Masters series finals, one against theBryans in Monte Carlo and another in Toronto,"Melo says. "We could have done better at the Slams but Ivanwas out for three months so that was difficult for us.But we did well to gather as many points as we couldin the second half of the year. We made the final in Tokyo as well. So we had a number of of good tournaments butunfortunately we weren't able to get over the line andget a title.""There are always ups and downs but for me, aftereverything I've been through in my career, these aregreat moments," Dodig says. "To play all these topguys and these big tournaments, sometimes I thinkthrough all the tough moments I had to get here andit's almost hard to believe."

Tennis still remains a popular sport in Brazil thanksto the legacy of Gustavo Kuerten but it is nothing onCroatia where it's popularity is at an all-time highafter Marin Cilic's triumph at the US Open. Attournaments Dodig finds himself beseiged byjournalists after his matches and he feels there aremany more successes to come. "2014 really was anamazing year for my country, especially with Marindoing what he did. We played well and in BornaCoric we have the best guy who's come from juniors,he's in the top 100, he had amazing year, beatingRafael Nadal in Basel. There's a couple of girls on theWTA Tour who are consistently always playing greattennis and several new ones coming up who will dogreat things - Ana Konjuh, Donna Vekic and AjlaTomljanovic. There are many good young playersfrom Croatia on the up too. So plenty to look forwardto."

Champions Without A Degree

by Lorenzo Pulcioni

The Grand Slam tournaments are the territory of thegreat champions.

The Grand Slam tournaments are the territory of thegreat champions. However, on rare occasions there are unheraldedplayers who manage to reach the lofty heights ofbecoming Grand Slam winners. Thomas Johansson, Brian Teacher, MarkEdmondson and Albert Costa are just a fewexamples. Marin Cilic is the most recent player to win a GrandSlam while otherwise sporting only middling resultsfor the most part.On the flip side, there are a number of players whohave had truly successful and decorated careers butfor whatever reason never managed to win a GrandSlam. We have compiled a Top 10 list of theseplayers, with two simple rules going into theconstruction of the list: we excluded players bornbefore 1960 and those still playing. There are also a few honorable mentions who did notmake the list, like Mario Ancic, Thomas Enqvist, GuyForget, Mark Philippoussis and Greg Rusedski.

Marcelo Rios Rios sported fantastic technique and an uncannyability to hit incredible shots from ridiculous courtpositions. He won a total of 18 titles in his career,including Monte Carlo, Hamburg, Rome, IndianWells and Miami. In 1998 he rose to world numberone for a total of six weeks. In the final of theAustralian Open in 1998 he was defeated by PetrKorda. He remains the only men’s number one whonever lifted a Grand Slam trophy.

David Nalbandian A fantastic player who was like a combination ofAndre Agassi and Novak Djokovic. In his best year(2007) he won the ATP 1000 events in Madrid andParis and for a long stretch seemed utterly invincible.He regularly beat the likes of Nadal, Federer,Djokovic, Berdych, Del Potro and Ferrer. He reachedthe semi-finals of Slam events four times while alsomaking it to one final at Wimbledon in 2002, wherehe lost to Lleyton Hewitt.

Guillermo Coria Coria was a wonder to behold, and one of the mosttalented players of his generation. Unfortunately, hismental fragility would keep him from reaching thehighest of highs in the tennis world, and he started along decline in 2005 when he was only 23.

He won nine titles in total, mainly on clay, includingMonte Carlo and Hamburg. Ranked number three in2004, he suffered a gut-wrenching defeat in the finalof the French Open, losing to Gaston Gaudio.

Alex Corretja Without any major weapons, apart from perhaps hisforehand, Corretja had a great understating for thegame and played way above his talent level. He wonthe Masters Cup in 1998 by defeating Carlos Moya inthe final, which would be the most important of his17 titles. He also won Rome and Indian Wells and reachednumber two in the rankings. He won the Davis Cup in 2000 and was twice afinalist at Roland Garros, losing to Moya andKuerten.

Nikolay Davydenko A metronome from the baseline, Davydenko was oneof the greatest counter-punchers of all time. Hisrecord of overall wins is quite low, less than 60%, buthe won 21 titles, including the Masters Cup in 2009and the Masters 1000 in Paris in 2006, Miami in2008 and Shanghai in 2009. He reached as high asthree in the rankings, but did not like the long formatof the Slams and often lost in the early rounds. Hereached the semis four times, twice at the US Open(both lost to Federer) and twice at Roland Garros(lost to Federer and Puerta).

Tim Henman Henman seemed like the natural successor to FredPerry. An Englishman born in Oxford, hisgrandmother, grandfather and mother all played atWimbledon. His style of play was serve and volleyand grass was his favorite surface. Paradoxically hiseleven titles, including the Masters event in Paris, allcame on hard courts and carpet. He went as high asfour in the rankings and reached the semis fourtimes at Wimbledon, losing twice to Sampras andonce each to Ivanisevic and Hewitt. He was also asemi-finalist at Roland Garros and the US Open,where he lost to Coria and Federer respectively.

Miloslav Mecir The Big Cat, as he was often called, was a player oftremendous touch and great agility despite his 1.9mheight. He won 11 titles on all surfaces: clay, grass,hard, carpet, indoor and outdoor.

He also won the gold medal at the 1988 Olympics inSeoul, as well as other prestigious titles like IndianWells and Key Biscayne. He climbed up to number four in the ATP rankingsand reached two finals at the US Open and Australia,but lost both to Ivan Lendl.

Miloslav Mecir The Big Cat, as he was often called, was a player oftremendous touch and great agility despite his 1.9mheight. He won 11 titles on all surfaces: clay, grass, hard,carpet, indoor and outdoor. He also won the gold medal at the 1988 Olympics inSeoul, as well as other prestigious titles like IndianWells and Key Biscayne. He climbed up to number four in the ATP rankingsand reached two finals at the US Open and Australia,but lost both to Ivan Lendl.

Robin Soderling Though he has not yet officially retired, it seemsunlikely that Soderling will ever play professionaltennis again.

A finalist at Roland Garros in 1998, he won the DavisCup in 1991, beating the United States with GuyForget. One of his most memorable showings was atthe French Open in 1992, when he reached the semi-finals with a wild card after dropping out of the Top100.

Todd Martin Though he was often as good as Sampras, Agassi andCourier, Martin had more than his fair share of badluck. The worst of it came at the Wimbledon semi-finals in 1996, when he lost to MaliVai Washingtonafter being ahead 5-1 in the fifth set. He lovedplaying at the net and loathed the baseline. Hereached the Australian Open final in 1994 and USOpen final in 1999 but lost both times.

Undoubtedly he would make the list of the Top 10most unfortunate tennis players, given hiscontinuous health issues. His last tile came threeyears ago in Bastad, but he was then forced to go intosemi-retirement because of mononucleosis, whichstruck him down when he was ranked five in theworld. He won ten titles and twice finished runner-up at Roland Garros (2009 and 2010). He remainsthe only player to have defeated Nadal at the FrenchOpen.

Henri Leconte Leconte was hugely talented but plagues by injuries.He also had too much flair for his own good, oftenlosing matches because he was always looking to hitthe most spectacular shot possible. He reached theTop Ten World in 1985.

American Crisis

by Sergio Scalzi

Da McEnroe a Donal Young: storia del fallimentoamericano

On a hot night in September of 2003, Andy Roddickserved for the match and the championship at the USOpen. Juan Carlos Ferrero could do nothing to stophis opponent’s most powerful weapon, and amonstrous ace on match point sealed his fate. It wasboth the beginning of Andy Roddick’s long andsuccessful career near the top of the sport, and alsothe beginning of the end for American tennis. That 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 victory was trumpeted by the USTA as theculmination of many years of careful training andnurturing to find the successor of the previousgeneration of top American talent. He would, theyhoped, build on the huge number of records thatAmerican players had amassed over the previousdecades.

Jimmy Connors held the records for most matchwins in a career at 1253, while John McEnroe, three-time Wimbledon champion, boasted one of thegreatest years in tennis history in 1984. Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras inherited that legacyand took it even further with their various heroics.There is little doubt that Roddick would have alsomade a much bigger mark on the sport if his risehadn’t unfortunately coincided with that of anotherpromising youngster: Roger Federer. The American was thwarted and nearly every turn bythe Swiss Maestro, especially at Wimbledon. Theresult was ultimately a very successful career forRoddick, but certainly not the legendary one manyhad been expected.

A decent tennis player can expect to make between $150 000and $200 000 a year if he is competitive on the Tour.

And since his retirement, American tennis has gonethrough a glut that it has not experienced since thedawn of professional tennis.The reasons for this failure are varied and complex.Sport is a recreational activity, and generallypromising athletes are drawn to the sports they mostenjoy. In America, however, this is not always the case, anddecisions are largely made based on money. A decent tennis player can expect to make between$150 000 and $200 000 a year if he is competitiveon the Tour. Comparatively, a baseball, football or basketballplayer can expect to make millions of dollars a yeareven if they are only comparatively mediocre, andtens of millions of dollars if they are very good.This means that children are increasingly funneledinto these sports and away from tennis.

Those that do make a go at a professional tenniscareer are often not the most talented athletes oftheir generation. The results are simple: nosuperstars. Where other countries send their bestand brightest to the court, America cannot competewith their second-string talent. Nick Bollettieri hasechoed this sentiment, and sees no end in sight:"Without hungry athletes it will be tough," he saidrecently. “I do not think there will be another goldenage like there was in the 30 years starting in 1970.”Richard Williams, the father of Venus and Serena,organized matches for his daughters against strongerplayers from a young age. There was often alsoanimosity between these players and his daughters,meaning they learned to play under great pressurefrom the very start of their tennis days. This iscertainly an interesting strategy, but hardly one thatcan be widely applied to save American tennis.

The USTA is now trying to focus on mentaltraining more than anything else

The current state of affairs is sad indeed. DonaldYoung, thought to be the heir to John McEnroe’sstyle of play, almost dropped out of the Top 200 in2012, and even now is nowhere close to breaking intothe Top 50. Adding to the list of broken promises areRyan Harrison, Sam Querrey and Tim Smyczek.Even relatively successful players like John Isner andMardy Fish have faded from the limelight, the latterdue to a debilitating heart condition.The USTA is now trying to focus on mental trainingmore than anything else, and hopes to organicallygrow champions by not putting too much pressureon them from a young age. When the time comesthey hope their mental strength will carry themthrough to the top. Whether this works remains to beseen, but it seems pretty safe to say that it will takequite a while before Americans make an impact onthe court again.

Caroline Wozniacki interview

by David Cox

The Comeback Queen

"'I've proven people wrong so many times," CarolineWozniacki says, with a hint of weariness.

"I was told when I was younger, there was no chanceI would make the top 100, top 50, top 30. Every timeI've just proven them wrong. It's kind of nice."Wozniacki is currently ranked No.8 in the world andclimbing, still some way from the No.1 position sheonce held for 67 weeks but her resurgence over thepast six months was one of the tour's mostheartwarming stories of 2014.

Having largely been written off as a force in women'stennis, the heartache of being ditched by fiance RoryMcIlroy inspired her best form in almost three yearsas she reached the US Open final for the second timein her career, claiming wins over Maria Sharapovaand Sara Errani.

"I'm really proud of how I handled everything lastyear, how I fought back," Wozniacki continued. "I proved to myself that I'm a really strong personand I can keep improving my game. I've learned somuch from the past twelve months."

Wozniacki prefers not to touch on specifics regardingthe disintegration of her relationship with McIlroybut there was certainly a steeliness which returned toher tennis in the second half of 2014, the sort whichdragged her over the line in so many close matcheson her ascent to the summit in women's tennis. However she refuses to put her revival entirely downto McIlroy."I mean, I also think I'm a more experienced playernow," she says.

"I'd like to think I'm a better player than five yearsago. You have to be. The game moves on. So manyyoung ones coming up and people start getting toknow you and your game so you always have to beprepared to adjust and move forward. Strongerserves, stronger returns. And I've definitely evolved.I'm better in the big match situations and I knowhow I want to be playing."

For many years, Wozniacki struggled with herinability to find the right balance between hernaturally defensive game, and the need to attack,especially against the game's big hitters in the latterstages of the majors. Wozniacki seemed caught intwo minds, desperately wanting to throw off theshackles and unleash but unable to step outside hercomfort zone when things got tense.

During the hard-court season last summer, Wozniacki returned towhat she does best - gritty counter-punching tennis but when sheneeded it, there was an impressive turn of pace especially on herforehand, one of the most improved shots in the women's game. It's strange to think that Wozniacki has now been a fixture on theWTA Tour for over nine years, an impressive stat for a player stillonly 24. She still remembers her debut match in Cincinnati backin 2005."It's crazy, makes me feel really, really old," she says wistfully."But I remember it like it was yesterday. I was up against PattySchnyder and she was 10 in the world, the No.1 seed and I got abeating - 6-3, 6-0. I didn't like her left-handed kick serve. Iremember getting off that court and thinking, 'You know what?Welcome to the WTA Tour, This is not going to be easy.' But herewe are nine years later and it's been a funjourney." Understandably for a player who wins her matchesthrough indulging in wars of attrition, Wozniacki credits herability to remain at the top to her focus on fitness. "It's the biggestdifference between someone who can play for a long time andpeople who quit earlier. It's the main part of playing. If you're fityou can play at a high level. Once you get the nagging injuries, thatreally holds you back." Wozniacki has learnt from watching herbest friend Serena Williams, now on 18 Grand Slam titles and stillcomfortably on top of the world at the age of 33. 12 years on fromthe 'Serena Slam' when Williams held all four Grand Slam titlesafter clinching the 2003 Australian Open, Wozniacki admits thatmuch of the tour still retain a nagging feeling that Williams'matches are largely on her racket.

"It's crazy, makes me feel really,really old," she says wistfully.

"When Serena's on her game, there's not much wecan do," Wozniacki laughs. "That's why she has asmany titles as she does. You don't get 18 GrandSlams unless you're exceptional at what you do."Having spent so much time practising with Williamsover the past couple of years, Wozniacki has gained arare insight into how the American has seeminglymanaged to reverse the march of time, simply gettingbetter with the years, rather than fading."She has so much experience now which I thinkmakes it even harder for us," Wozniacki says. "Back in the day she might not have made the rightchoices all the time but now she can draw on somany past experiences. And with Serena, it's not just talent. Talent can't beateverything.

She's a hard worker and she puts the yards in sowhen she needs it, she can pull out that big serve, useher power to push us back in the court and take theinitiative."Wozniacki knows Williams' strengths better thanmost at the moment after losing to the American fourtimes in three months in 2014, most gallingly in theUS Open final and the WTA Championships semi-finals. Such was Wozniacki's form at FlushingMeadows that against anyone other than Williams,one felt she may have had a very real chance to endher Grand Slam duck. But unusually they remainclose friends unlike Laura Robson and EugenieBouchard whose friendship disintegrated onceBouchard hit the big time. "We're very good atseparating it", Wozniacki explains. "We're bothcompetitors so we're going to do anything possible towin the match. Friendship is on the sideline whenyou're in there. It's like in a boxing ring you know,there's only one winner. But afterwards we're friendsagain. Tennis is just a game. Off the court we stillcare equally as much about each other."Wozniacki's critics have accused her of many thingsin the past - being too nice, too bland, too stuck inher ways.It's perhaps more than a little unfair on the Danewho's shown herself very willing to try new thingsover the past few months - running an impressivetime of 3:26:33 in November's New York marathonand then competing in the ITPL for the UAE Royalsteam alongside Novak Djokovic and GoranIvanisevic. The latter experience gave her a few ideasfor how the WTA Tour could shake things up a bit.

"I think it might be fun if instead of having lets on theserve, we continued playing," she says.

"I think it might be fun if instead of having lets onthe serve, we continued playing," she says. "That could keep it fun and entertaining. You'd haveto be ready for anything and it would help speed thegame up. When you have a let,it takes a few secondsto get another ball and serve again. I've had matcheswhere I've hit 3 or 4 lets in a row. That wouldn'thappen. You'd have to be on your toes. I think itwould be great for the crowd." Wozniacki is looking upwards and another surgeover the coming six months could push her towardsthe top four. Not that she really focuses on rankings. "I actually don't really pay attention. I just play. Atthe end of the day, if I play well, the ranking will bethere. I feel like my body's in the place where itwants to be and my head is where I want to be. Andthat's what matters."

Emmo’s streak

by Roberto Marchesani

The story of Roy Emerson at the AustralianChampionships is one of incredible success anddomination.

The story of Roy Emerson at the AustralianChampionships is one of incredible success anddomination. In terms of results, he is the mostsuccessful competitor the Australian Slam has everseen. He reached the final seven years in a row(1961-1967) and won the singles title six of thosetimes. Of course, this was before the Open Era, in a timewhen the amateurs and professionals did not playtogether. Amateurs, including Emerson, representeda large part of the tennis world and competed on thetraditional circuit, which includes the Grand Slams.The professionals, on the other hand, took part inmore restricted events, and toured around the worldto play in front of large crowds of admirers.This division lasted almost 50 years until 1968, whenprofessionals and amateurs alike were allowed tocompete in all events. So one cannot exactly equate a Slam victory beforethe Open era with a win after it had begun. That being said, one cannot deny the incrediblesuccess that some of the amateurs achieved at theSlams, and the high level of tennis they played atthose events.

Emerson’s domination of the AustralianChampionships, for example, was so complete for solong, and he played against such strong competition(Rod Laver, for example) that is must still be held asone of the sport’s greatest achievements.Nobody has since come close to equaling Emerson’srun at the Australian Open. Ken Rosewall, AndreAgassi, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic each wonthe title four times, though Rosewall could not evenplay in the tournament for 11 years (1957-1967)because he was a professional. Had he been able to, he surely would have won a fewmore titles. However, in reality the record still belongs toEmerson. Novak Djokovic conceivably has a chance to overtakeEmerson eventually, give how dominant he has beenin Melbourne over the past few years. But until he does so, we will celebrate Emerson’sachievements by having a look at his incrediblesuccess Down Under, which also included a recordrun of 27 consecutive match wins.

1961 Emerson’s first title came in 1961, and was won onthe grass courts of Koyoong Stadium in Melbourne,the current seat of Kooyong Classic.

Emerson flew through the early rounds with ease:beating Alan Hicks (6-1, 6-1, 6-2), Bert Kearney (6-1,6-2, 9-7) and John Pearce (6-1 6-2 6-3) in straightsets. In the semi-finals he ousted eighth seed Fred Stolle8-6, 6-2, 7-5 to book his place in the championshipround. The first set of the final saw some spectacular playfrom Laver, and already hinted at the two calendarGrand Slams he would achieve later in his career. But despite losing his first set of the tournament 6-1,Emerson bounced back strongly. Emerson won the next three sets with relative ease topull off what was considered a major upset at thetime. To be fair, however, Laver was suffering fromthe effects of a wrist injury he had picked up over thecourse of the tournament, and it increasinglyweighed on him as the match progressed. The final score was 1-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4. Laver wouldnot blame his wrist for the loss and praised hisopponent. He emphasized that he had rested wellbefore the final and the wrist was not a problem,though Emerson was.

1964 In 1964 Emerson was really hitting his stride, and hewould go on to win his third AustralianChampionship without losing a single set. Hedefeated Dick Crealy, Bowman, Tony Roche, MartinMulligan and Fred Stolle en route to the title. Itwould be the first of five Slam finals Stolle wouldcontest against Emerson. He would lose all of them. He remains the only man to have reached fivestraight Slam finals without winning a single one.Many people had hoped that John Newcombe wouldmake it through the draw and challenge Emerson inthe semi-finals. Even though he was just 20 years old, it was clearthat Newcombe had the makeup of a future star.

1963 After losing the final in 1962 in a rematch with Laver,in which Emerson lost one of the sets 6-0, 1963would mark the start of Emerson’s five-year reign asAustralian champion. Laver did not play that year, or indeed any year forthe better part of a decade, because he made thedecision to go pro. The result was one-sided and almost predetermined,as Emerson romped over all of the opponents thedraw put in from of him. The only worry came in the semi-finals against BobHewitt, who took him to four sets. In the finalagainst Ken Fletcher, the former schoolmatescontested a rather uninteresting final, with the 6-3,6-3, 6-1 score reflecting the lack of competitivenessin the match.

Unfortunately he lost in the quarter-finals to MartinMulligan, but it is interesting to wonder if he wouldhave been able to give Emerson any trouble. If hehad ousted Emerson, who knows what sort of knock-on effect that would have had.

1965 After an utterly dominant 1964, a year in which hewon three of the four Slams, Emerson was theundisputed best amateur in the world. He was the favorite coming into the AustralianChampionships, and few had any doubts that hewould emerge victorious once again. This timearound the public got its wish, as John Newcombemade his way through the draw to eventually face thedefending champion Emerson.

It would, however, not be nearly as exciting aseveryone had assumed. Emerson walked all over hisopponent, losing only ten games in the semi-finalblowout, the final scoring being 7-5, 6-4, 6-1. In the final, the poor Fred Stolle awaited. Unlike theprevious year, the underdog got off to a fast start,taking the first two sets 9-7 and 6-2. It seemed all but over for the defending champion,as Stolle just had to keep his cool and the trophywould be his. Unfortunately for him, however, it wasEmerson who was the cooler of the two for the rest ofthe match. The dramatic comeback was the match of the year,and the 7-9, 2-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-1 victory was one ofEmerson’s finest moments. In 2012 a similar sceneplayed out at the US Open, with Andy Murray goingup two sets two love over Novak Djokovic. Murray had lost the previous four Slam finals hecontested and seemed on the way to his first evenMajor title. However, he lost the next two sets and allseemed lost, but he managed to turn it around in thefifth to seal victory. It is something Stolle wouldnever be able to do, at least not against Emerson. Hewould eventually shake off the loss and go on to winthe French Open later that year.

1966 The 1966 Australian Championship is remember fortwo things: Emerson’s emerging rivalry with ArthurAshe and his dramatic quarter-final with BillBowrey. It was an important year for thetournament, as it saw a dramatic increase ininternational attention.

The tournament took place at White City Stadium inSydney that year, the same venue that would playhost to so many victorious Davis Cup ties for theAustralians. Emerson has already won the tournament inMelbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide but never inSydney, where he lost the final in 1962 to Laver.Unlike previous years, 1966 proved a tough one forEmerson at the Australian Championships. He was very nearly ousted in the quarter-finals byBill Bowrey, and it was only an epic effort thatallowed Emerson to come back from two sets to oneto seal a memorable 9-7, 4-6, 4-6, 7-5, 9-7 victory.The final saw a wonderful match against Ashe,though it ended in a rather bizarre fashion: Ashedouble faulted on match point due to a foot fault. The Australian spectators, who have always beenfamous for their manners, was silent for a whilebefore sheepishly applauding the victory for theirhomegrown hero. The final score was 6-4, 6-8, 6-2,6-3. Emerson became the first man to win fourconsecutive titles at his home event. Some describedit as the greatest success of his career, even more sothan winning Wimbledon.

1968 and onwards

The last edition of the tournament before the Openera saw Emerson not playing, but he returned in1969 to win one round, stretching his winning streakto 27 in a row. He then lost to Rod Laver 6-2, 6-4, 3-6, 9-7 to finallybring his Australian Empire to an end.

1967

It all had to end sometime, and 1967 was that yearfor Emerson. That year would see the last of his AustralianChampionship titles, easily beating Ashe 6-4, 6-1, 6-4in the final. The real highlight of the tournament came in thesemi-finals against Roche, where the two rivalsplayed an incredibly long match. The third and fourth sets each features 28 games,and each player won one. Emerson eventually won the fifth 6-2 in a similarscene as the previous year’s epic against Bowrey.

8 Things We'd Like To SeeIn 2015

by Alessandro Varassi

Like our colleagues at L'Equipe, TennisWorld has put together a list ofeight things we’d like to see in 2015.

A more exciting tournament in Rome The prestigious setting of the Foro Italico is poised tobecome even more important than in previous years.The event has had some problems in the recent past,but positive steps are being taken in terms ofmanagement and the tournament facilities. Soon itmight very well be considered as a mini-Slam.

Roger Federer back at number one in theworld It is needless to list all records of the Swiss Maestro.He recently won his 1000th match, and a Slam winor two accompanied by a return to the top of therankings would definitely be the icing on the cake ofan already glorious career.

The confirmation of young stars Coric,Kyrgios, Kokkinakis, Goffin. These names are new to the world of tennis, but theyhave already showed signs of possible greatness tocome. 2015 will tell us whether they can truly be theheirs of the Fab Four.

A grass season to remember After Roland Garros comes the grass season, and thisyear will see some big changes to this most hallowedof periods. An additional week has been added between TheFrench Open and Wimbledon, meaning anotherweek of preparation for the sport’s biggest event, aswell as some more warm-up events. We just hope that this means a more interestinggrass season than in recent years, and that thespecialists will again gain an advantage thanks to theextension of the period.

A true successor to Serena Williams 2014 was not a super successful season for Serena,but her shadow still loomed large over the Tour. In 2015 we would like to see someone emerge as thetrue successor to the American. Some of the names that are already doing wellinclude Sharapova, Halep, Radwanska andAzarenka, but we will have to see if they are ready tomake that very big step

The possibility of a new event in Italy See point 1. Rome is the most important event in thecountry, but there is always room for another. A 250 or 500 tournament in Milan, Naples orPalermo would do a lot for tennis in the region.

More tennis on TV While tennis is becoming more and more of acommon site on television channels, there is still alot of work to be done in terms of coverage. Manytournaments are not covered at all in variouscountries, and even events like the Slams andMasters 1000 series are tread shabbily by certainbroadcasters. We hope that in 2015 a big stepforward is taken in terms of how much tennis isshared with the masses.

No more cases of match-fixing Controversy and investigations, some concluded,others in progress, others still in the pipeline.Tougher penalties and more prize money in smallertourns will help combat the scourge of match-fixing.The ATP and ITF are moving in this direction, andwe hope they continue to make big strides in theupcoming season.

Tennis Players AndRelationships

by Giovanni LaRosa

Tennis is a complicated sport.

Tennis is a complicated sport. It is not enough tosimply have good technique and athleticism, thoughthese are hard enough to obtain, but you must alsohave great mental strength. This can be particularlyimportant on the women’s circuit, where the physicaland tactical differences between the players areminiscule. The mental side of things is often whatmakes the difference. Mental strength off the court is also very important,as careers can take wild turns that require extremepatience and fortitude to manage. This is specifically true when it comes to romanticrelationships. One need not venture very far to seehow romantic affairs or even births can play havocwith a player’s life.

An example? Let's start with what was perhaps themost striking case on the women's circuit: NicoleVaidisova. In 2007, at the age of just 18 years, the Czech hadalready reached two Slam semi-finals and two otherquarter-finals. She had won six WTA titles and goneas high as seven in the rankings. What happened then? She met Radek Stepanek, whowas then a decent competitor on the ATP Tour. The beginning of their relationship marked thebeginning of the end for her career. In 2008 she reached just one Slam quarter-final, andsoon dropped out of the Top 40. 2009 would proveto be even worse, and she ended the year at 181 inthe world.

In March of 2010, clearly no longer interested in thesport, she retired at the ridiculously young age of 20.She married Stepanek, content to be a tennis wife,but it wouldn’t last: they split in March of 2013. Alittle over a year after their separation she returnedto the courts. Coincidence? Unlikely.

Ana Ivanovic experienced a similar situation,though her damage was limited thanks to the shortduration of the affair. In her best year, 2008, shestarted dating Fernando Verdasco. With her firstSlam victory and Roland Garros and a finalappearance at the Australian Open, she became theworld number one. She was hitting her stride andstill had plenty of improving to do. Their relationshiplasted for about seven months, and it would not dowonders for her career.

While Verdasco would play the best tennis of hiscareer, reaching the Australian Open semi-final in2009 and breaking into the Top 10, Ivanovicexperienced a crisis. She never went beyond thequarters in the Slams and dropped out of the Top 20.This slide would continue until 2012, when shestarted making a comeback that is not yet fullyrealized.

There are also equally interesting cases where theplayer concerned was the least famous party in therelationship. The list is long, but Flavia Pennetta,Gisela Dulko and Lucie Safarova are perhaps themost enlightening.

Pennetta started dating Carlos Moya when he wasstill one of the best players in the world. During theirrelationship, Pennetta very much took the back seat,never truly excelling on the court. After their stormybreakup in 2007, however, she slowly became a forceto be reckoned with. In 2008, she reached her firstSlam quarter-final in New York (followed by threeother appearances in the quarter and semi-finals in2013), and in 2009 she entered the Top 10 (the firstItalian player in history). At the same time shereached the number one ranking in doubles with herfriend Gisela Dulko. Her separation from Moyarepresented the turning point of her career. It isinevitable to ask whether she would have stillreached these heights had they stayed together.Perhaps the question is answered in the fact thatsince she started dating Fabio Fognini last year shehas not had any good results.

That is, until she reached the quarters in New Yorkas well as the doubles final of the same event.

Gisela Dulko, Pennetta’s doubles partner, datedFernando Gonzalez for a time. The Chilean was oncenumber 5 in the world, and reached the AustralianOpen final among other good results. The separation between the two came in 2008 andrepresents the beginning of an excellent career forDulko. In 2009 Gisela started playing with Flavia,and together they won the 2011 Australian Open, the2010 WTA Tour Championships and 10 other titles(plus another semi-final and quarter-final at Slamlevel).To close this section of tennis players who lived inthe shadow of their partner we turn to LucieSafarova. Her relationship with Tomas Berdychstarted in high school and ended in 2011.

Safarova had been one of the most talented butfragile players on the WTA Tour until her separationfrom Berdych. After that point, her true potentialstarted being realized as she put her game andherself back together. She broke into the Top 20 andposted several other good results, no longer being“Berdych’s girlfriend” but "Lucie Safarova." 2014 wasa key year for her: she reached the semi-finals atWimbledon, the second round in Paris and New Yorkand matured at a tactical and mental level.

So far we have talked about relationships betweentennis players, but there are other cases that deviatefrom the parameters we set earlier. Our last studywill be of Caroline Wozniacki and Rory McIlroy,two of the biggest stars of different sports. Theirrelationship’s start in 2011 marked the beginningend for Wozniacki’s reign as world number one.

She disappeared for a while before popping back intothe Top 10. But her defensive style of play was no longer goodenough to net her major results. She had regressed from the tactical point of viewand, in part, also from a physical one. The couple became engaged, but McIlroy abruptlyended the relationship in May of last year. It was clear that Wozniacki was shattered, and sheadmitted as much publicly. Yet she soon started improving her game, becomingmore aggressive and physical in her matches. Her newfound confidence culminated in anappearance in the US Open final, five years since herlast trip.

Of course there are many more relationships we canmention, and in fact you could probably write a bookon the subject.

Managing a professional sporting career is hardenough, and adding a private life to that mix canhave devastating consequences. All of these stories seem linked together by a thread,by an equation that can almost mathematicallyexplain the phenomenon. Yet it is difficult to reach a clear conclusion, becausethere are individual episodes that contradict thisprinciple (the performances of Sharapova andAzarenka, for example). It seems quite clear that an inability to handle thepressure and expectations of public and private life isthe key factor in the negative cases we have seentoday. Ultimately, mental strength is the factor that allowssome players to maintain relationships on the Tour,while others are incapable of giving the best ofthemselves to their partners and their careers at thesame time.

Tour In Trouble?

by Adriano S.

Sponsors who abandon major tournaments in order to trytheir luck in Asia.

Sponsors who abandon major tournaments in orderto try their luck in Asia. Players who follow themoney and shun the Slams in favor of exhibitionevents or minor Eastern tournaments. No, this is notthe pitch for some thrilling movie, but rather a grimpreview of what might one day play out in the realtennis world. Indeed, many argue that it is alreadyhappening.Just think of the case of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who waslured by the promise of a huge payday in SoutheastAsian. In tears only 7 days before, unable even toplay doubles in the Davis Cup final, he reported forduty at the International Premier Tennis League(IPTL) ready to play. It did not seem to matter thathe was putting his entire 2015 campaign at riskshould he further aggravate his injury.

Perhaps predictably, shortly afterwards he had topull out of the Australian Open, no doubt because henever allowed his body to heal properly over the off-season. The same is true of Marin Cilic, who willmiss at least a month after also overextendinghimself in exhibition play.As Alize Cornet claims she can earn more in twoweeks of exhibitions tennis than whole months onthe circuit, it is perhaps understandable that playersare doing this in ever increasing numbers. EvenRoger Federer went to India to play in an exhibitionevent with other top players, despite the fact that hehad suffered a significant back injury only weeksbefore.One can perhaps argue that it is good for tennis thatthese events are taking place.

The IPTL is already expanding, though they arefirmly in the exhibition space at the moment.

They are hugely popular and provide a boost for thesport in places where it is not particularly well-liked,like Asia and India. The team atmosphere at many of these events alsogives the proceedings more of a communal flavor.Even the rules have been adjusted to make the sportless “serious.” Crowd noise is not policed as seriously as on theTour, and everything from five-game shootouts toartificial noises in-between missed serves are heartilyembraced by the crowd. None of this, of course, will ever be adopted on themain Tour, although the ATP did briefly experimentwith eliminating the let chord altogether in someChallenger tournaments. But even a change like that was not met favorably byeither players or fans.

At the moment, this all happens during the off-season or during quiet times after Slams. But with fights about prize money, especially amongthe lower-ranked players, now being a yearly event,one wonders if a true parallel Tour might soon be apossibility. The IPTL is already expanding, though they arefirmly in the exhibition space at the moment. The important thing is for the ATP and WTA to tryand exploit the growth of the International PremierLeague without letting things get out of hand. If the IPTL, and perhaps similar events, can increasethe profile of tennis worldwide, while alsoencouraging the fair distribution of prize money onthe main Tour, this could very well be a win-winsituation for everyone concerned.

The Toleration OfFrustration

by Alberto Cei

Tennis is a sport in which the players must face a greatdeal of frustration in every match.

Tennis is a sport in which the players must face agreat deal of frustration in every match. About every30 seconds a point is awarded to one of the twoplayers, meaning that one person will likely befrustrated at the end of that point. This is repeated ahundred times during every match, and sometimeseven more. Apart from the physical number of shotsand points there is also the time factor, as matchescan sometimes span many hours, often in some veryunforgiving weather conditions. In tennis you canstill win while committing many errors. Some will beforced on you by your opponent, while others willsimply be due to your own failure. In most cases, theperson who manages his frustration the best is themost likely to win the match.

The frustration comes from not having put the ball inplay during a point despite many hours of training. Is there anything wrong with feeling this way?Absolutely not. We must not fight this feeling, but simply learn todeal with and tolerate it. Obviously nobody likes to make mistakes, one mustrealize that tennis is not always a sport of precision…the winner is often the player who commits thefewest errors. The best advice is simply to take adeep breath and go play the next point, confidentthat your training and ability will carry you through.We must not play each point as if it were the last,because in this way the competitive pressureincreases along with the fear of making mistakes.

We must accept fear, tolerate our own mistakesand use our mental strength to put pressure onour opponent throughout the match.

We must accept fear, tolerate our own mistakes anduse our mental strength to put pressure on ouropponent throughout the match. Tennis is a fastsport that requires both physical and mentalstrength. The latter is particularly important andoften ignored, since it is pivotal to not get down ononeself after just half an hour of play. A matchcannot be lost in the first set, and every situation canbe turned around. Only those who are able tocombine these two aspects of the sport will have asuccessful career. You must be patient after making amistake, and not hurry to regain whateverdisadvantage you have suffered. Such an attitude willonly make you even more afraid of making mistakes.A successful tennis player must be able to pause theirthoughts in-between points and think about howthey will solve the problem presented by the nextpoint, not dwell on how they made a mistake on theprevious one.