tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83226163998835153532024-03-17T03:14:26.621-04:00Blacklabel Tennis, a tennis blogTennis Bespoke. Est. 2011V Blacklabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125615614758000251noreply@blogger.comBlogger177125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8322616399883515353.post-76582483796624265022015-10-12T16:32:00.003-04:002015-10-12T16:40:32.939-04:00Eastern Men’s Team Brings Home Fifth National Open Team Championship<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>(Editor's Note: This post was written by Kelsey Clark and originally posted on <a href="http://www.eastern.usta.com/news/eastern_mens_team_brings_home_fifth_national_open_team_championship/">the Eastern USTA site</a> on 9/5/2015)</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The New York Athletic Club (NYAC) men’s tennis team recently won its fifth championship during the National Open Team Championships at the Darling Tennis Center in Las Vegas. The tournament benefited the American Cancer Society.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">“The quality of players Jeff brings elevates the competition,” Susan Johnson Maurer, the National Open Team Championships tournament director said. “He puts a lot of work into this tournament and is very supportive of charity events.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The team, which plays out of the New York Athletic Club in Pelham, N.Y., as well as Manhattan, is captained by Jeffrey Appel and features: Jason Jung, Adam El Mihdawy, Dan Cochrane, Cameron Silverman, Jhonson Garcia and James Cluskey<span style="color: #1f497d;">.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">“Jeff loves tennis, and the fact that his team challenges for a National Championship every year is indicative of that,” Cedric Jones, director of athletics at New York Athletic Club said. “He is a great ambassador for tennis, not only in New York, but also for the club.” </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The NYAC team has won the National Open Team Championship five times in the last six years.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">“It feels great to be a part of this accomplishment,” Appel said. “It’s important to prove that strong tennis does exist in New York, and I enjoy keeping those thoughts alive.”</span></span></div>
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<a name='more'></a>Eastern was well represented at the tournament, as both teams in the finals hailed from the section. Harry Walsh, a senior teaching professional at Rye Racquet Club and the head professional at Larchmont Shore Club in the summer, and his team finished in second.<br />
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<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">“Our team was made up of all current and former teaching pros,” Walsh said. “We all love tennis, so it was fun for us to play together competitively, even though it was tough playing against a team of touring pros.” </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Appel, who has captained the NYAC team for the past six years, mentors players off of the court as well. He has helped more than 35 young professionals find careers after tennis.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">“Jeff has done so much to help our players at Columbia over the years,” Howard Endelman, Columbia University men’s head tennis coach said. “He helps them navigate the transition from being a student-athlete to being part of the professional world after school.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">In addition, Endelman mentioned Appel’s ability to unify people from various backgrounds over their common bond of loving tennis. Jay Berger, USTA head of men’s tennis, also believes Appel’s work in mentoring players is incredible. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">“Jeff has done a great job of making connections through tennis,” Berger said. “He has guided so many former professionals to careers in the business world.”</span></span></div>
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V Blacklabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125615614758000251noreply@blogger.com72tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8322616399883515353.post-65171110704501552642015-03-11T14:07:00.001-04:002015-03-11T14:16:32.845-04:00Winter Is Going<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Last night 14,894 Feder-I mean-tennis fans piled into
Madison Square Garden for the 8<sup>th</sup> annual BNP Paribas Showdown. The
exhibition event, the centerpiece of World Tennis Day, starred Hall of Famers
Gabriela Sabatini and Monica Seles, alongside 17-time major champion Roger
Federer and Grigor Dimitrov.<br />
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Given the bracing cold of this New York winter, the sight of
tennis, with its perpetually tanned competitors, doing (something
approximating) battle in midtown Manhattan was as sure a sign of the spring
thaw underway as the sudden vanishing of our street corner slush ponds.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So how did this Showdown fare as an exhibition event?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s go to the checklist.<o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Witty banter between opponents? Check.<br />
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Circus shots, including a tweener or two?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Check.<br />
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Cute kid “randomly” plucked from the audience?
Check.<br />
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->That kid being a ringer who knows how to wield a
racquet well enough to take softballs from the pros? Check.<br />
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Some spellbinding tennis that almost makes you
forget that these aren’t fully competitive matches. Check.<o:p></o:p></div>
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All in all, the event succeeded.</div>
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The proceedings kicked off with Seles and Sabatini
commemorating the 25<sup>th</sup> anniversary of their 5-set (yes, you read
that correctly, 5-set) final at the WTA Championships, which were previously
held in Madison Square Garden. The match would be much shorter yesterday, an
8-game pro set in which Seles appeared to often be tentative. The famously
two-handed ball striker often resorted to one-handed gets and her
famous/infamous “aah-eeh” grunt took a while to get fully fired up, but still
it was a joy to see Seles on court, for one of her very few exhibitions since
leaving the game due to injury in 2003.<o:p></o:p></div>
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For her part, Sabatini, despite nearly two decades off the WTA
circuit looked firmly in control of her game, opening up her shoulders and
wailing on more than a few big forehand winners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A day earlier, she demurred when asked if she
would like to play more often in a seniors-tour type format. “We play tomorrow,
and that’s it,” she smiled echoing Seles’ comments. “I’m just very excited to
be at Madison Square Garden and it is going to be a celebration tomorrow. We
will have fun.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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The Argentine (who looks as if she hasn’t aged a day since
she left the tour) shocked the crowd, not so much by winning the friendly tussle
8-5, but by revealing to on-court interviewer Patrick McEnroe that before
prepping for the Showdown she hadn’t hit a tennis ball since 2009.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It was clear though from the late-arriving crowd and the
general energy level in the building that the star attractions were Federer and
Dimitrov, the latter of whom was playing the World’s Most Famous Arena for the
first time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The arrival of the ATP
legend and his presumptive understudy, famously nicknamed “Baby Fed,” kicked
the decibel level up by more than a few notches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dimitrov, though an affable presence throughout,
wasted little time with pleasantries once play commenced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After quick, brilliant opening service holds
from both guys, Dimitrov broke at love on his next opportunity, surging into a
first set lead that he wouldn’t give back en route to winning the opening
stanza 6-2 in just 22 minutes.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The assembled audience began to murmur and at times vociferously
cheer for Federer and the Swiss superstar had no intention of disappointing his
assembled faithful. A point that featured back-to-back tweeners from Dimitrov
and Federer, before Dimitrov sailed a reply long highlighted the second set,
which Federer would win in a blitzkrieg, 6-1. The fun, spirited match would go
to a deciding third set where Dimitrov would take a circus point of his
own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Federer smacked an errant shot that
sailed up near the jumbotron that hovered above the court, the ball came down
quickly and landed smack in between Dimitrov’s legs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dimitrov bounced backward to avoid touching
the ball and after a couple rally shots took the point en route to winning the
third set and the match 6-2, 1-6, 7-5.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Despite his first public win over the legend, Dimitrov was
quick to play down the result as a harbinger of things to come. “Of course it’s
just an exhibition,” he said, “but obviously for me it was more important to
get out there, embrace the atmosphere for not only me, but also the opponent
that I’m playing against. In the end I’m playing against Roger and I have so
much respect for him.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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There’s a necessary distance between the slush ponds of
early March and the sweat pools of late August, but the thaw always starts
somewhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The BNP Paribas Showdown kicked
off the journey into the heart of the tennis calendar (defined roughly as the
period between Indian Wells and the US Open) last night in style. <o:p></o:p></div>
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V Blacklabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125615614758000251noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8322616399883515353.post-90428972212104375832014-09-28T11:22:00.001-04:002014-09-28T14:07:41.514-04:00Tennis Over All<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdZ4sS1h4hVe0pNUe7VjkE2e7J2capSNLlWhf2tnLr8tB6Kd4sZAYJqE_WrVBVm4kLNpbiisn7me-1dOACV59o-45gaW2eIkmAxDlKrFhLr7CadSDb29D3TroI3d4v68GPYe6MF0HbzABU/s1600/image1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdZ4sS1h4hVe0pNUe7VjkE2e7J2capSNLlWhf2tnLr8tB6Kd4sZAYJqE_WrVBVm4kLNpbiisn7me-1dOACV59o-45gaW2eIkmAxDlKrFhLr7CadSDb29D3TroI3d4v68GPYe6MF0HbzABU/s1600/image1.jpeg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Jason Pinsky, Brendan Evans, Ludovic Walter, Alex Bogomolov, Amer Delic, Brett Joelsen and Jeffrey Appel at STK in Las Vegas (Appel's firm effectuated STK's public listing (symbol: STKS))</i></td></tr>
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I<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>spoke<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>with<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>Jeffrey<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;">
</span>Appel<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>via<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>phone<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>on<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>eve<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>USTA<span style="mso-font-width: 101%;"> </span>National<span style="letter-spacing: .55pt;">
</span>Open<span style="letter-spacing: .55pt;"> </span>Level<span style="letter-spacing: .6pt;"> </span>Championships.<span style="letter-spacing: .55pt;"> </span>Appel,<span style="letter-spacing: .6pt;"> </span>an<span style="letter-spacing: .55pt;"> </span>executive<span style="letter-spacing: .6pt;">
</span>at<span style="mso-font-width: 101%;"> </span>Broadband<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>Capital,<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>captains<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: .55pt;"> </span>team<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>sponsored<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;">
</span>by<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: .55pt;"> </span>New<span style="mso-font-width: 101%;"> </span>York<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>Athletic<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>Club<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>(NYAC)<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>which<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>is<span style="letter-spacing: .55pt;"> </span>representing<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>USTA’s<span style="mso-font-width: 101%;"> </span>Eastern<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>Section.
<span style="letter-spacing: .85pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span>The<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>tournament<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>was<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>set<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>for<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>Darling<span style="mso-font-width: 101%;"> </span>Tennis<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>Center<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>in<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>Las<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>Vegas<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>this<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>weekend.<o:p></o:p></div>
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When<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>group<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>Wall<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>Street<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>hedge<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>fund/private<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>equity<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>types<span style="mso-font-width: 101%;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>their<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>buddies<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>plan<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>long<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>weekend<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>trip<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>Las<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>Vegas,<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>it’s<span style="mso-font-width: 101%;"> </span>not<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>usually<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>newsworthy<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>endeavor. <span style="letter-spacing: .8pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span>At<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>least,<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>that’s<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>what<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>the<span style="mso-font-width: 101%;"> </span>participants<span style="letter-spacing: .55pt;"> </span>(and<span style="letter-spacing: .55pt;"> </span>their<span style="letter-spacing: .55pt;"> </span>employers)<span style="letter-spacing: .6pt;"> </span>usually<span style="letter-spacing: .55pt;"> </span>hope.<span style="letter-spacing: .55pt;"> </span>Thus,<span style="letter-spacing: .55pt;"> </span>the<span style="mso-font-width: 101%;"> </span>reminder<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;">
</span>that<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>books<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>can’t<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>always<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>be<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>judged<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>by<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>their<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>covers. <span style="line-height: 107%;">When</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.45pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">Appel</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.45pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">and</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">his</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.45pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">friends</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">descended</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.45pt; line-height: 107%;">
</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">upon</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.45pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">Vegas</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">this</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">weekend,</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">it</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.55pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">wasn’t</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">debauchery</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.55pt; line-height: 107%;">
</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">on</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.55pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">their</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">minds,</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.55pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">but</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.55pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">dominance.</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">The</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.45pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">team</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">arrived</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">on</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">Thursday</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">seeking</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">a</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">positively </span>Federer-esque<span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;"> </span>fifth<span style="letter-spacing: 1.05pt;"> </span>consecutive<span style="letter-spacing: 1.05pt;"> </span>championship.</div>
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While<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>events<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>like<span style="letter-spacing: .55pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>National<span style="letter-spacing: .55pt;"> </span>Open<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>Level<span style="letter-spacing: .55pt;"> </span>Championship<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>may<span style="mso-font-width: 101%;"> </span>not<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>be<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>on<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>average<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>tennis<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>fan’s<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>radar,<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>it<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>should<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>be<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>noted<span style="mso-font-width: 101%;"> </span>that<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: .55pt;"> </span>draw<span style="letter-spacing: .55pt;"> </span>isn’t<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>just<span style="letter-spacing: .55pt;"> </span>overloaded<span style="letter-spacing: .55pt;"> </span>with<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>over-achieving<span style="mso-font-width: 101%;"> </span>weekend<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>warriors<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>or<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>stalwart<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>club<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>pros.<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>Instead<span style="letter-spacing: .55pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>rosters<span style="mso-font-width: 101%;"> </span>are<span style="letter-spacing: .55pt;"> </span>littered<span style="letter-spacing: .55pt;">
</span>with<span style="letter-spacing: .55pt;"> </span>current<span style="letter-spacing: .55pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: .6pt;"> </span>former<span style="letter-spacing: .55pt;"> </span>professionals<span style="letter-spacing: .55pt;"> </span>playing<span style="mso-font-width: 101%;"> </span>alongside<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>Division<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;">
</span>I<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>college<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>players.<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;">
</span>A<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>glance<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>at<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>NYAC<span style="mso-font-width: 101%;"> </span>roster<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>alone<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>reveals<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>former<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>ATP<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>Top<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>100<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>players<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;">
</span>Alex<span style="mso-font-width: 101%;"> </span>Bogomolov,<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>Jr.,<span style="letter-spacing: .55pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>Amer<span style="letter-spacing: .55pt;"> </span>Delic,<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>alongside<span style="letter-spacing: .55pt;">
</span>familiar<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>names<span style="letter-spacing: .55pt;"> </span>such<span style="mso-font-width: 101%;"> </span>as<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>Brendan<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;">
</span>Evans,<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>Scott<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>Oudsema,<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;">
</span>Kaes<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>Van’t<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>Hof<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>Stephen<span style="mso-font-width: 101%;"> </span>Bass.</div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;">Building</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.45pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">relationships</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.45pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">and</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.45pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">the</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.45pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">concept</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.45pt; line-height: 107%;">
</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">of</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.45pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">“teaching</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.45pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">a</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">man</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.45pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">to</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">fish”</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.35pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">are</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">surely</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">key</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">tenets</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">of</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">the</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.35pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">NYAC</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">team.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">“Not</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">everybody</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">is</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">a</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.35pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">Rafael</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.35pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">Nadal</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.35pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">or</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.35pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">a</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">Roger</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.35pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">Federer,”</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.35pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">Appel</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.35pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">pointed</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">out,</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.35pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">“I</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.35pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">like</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.35pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">to</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">say</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">there’s</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">2,000</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">guys</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">ranked</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">between</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">300</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">and</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.35pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">500</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">in</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">the</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">world.
</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.75pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">People</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">don’t</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.35pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">realize</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">how</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">many</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.35pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">guys</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">there</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">are</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.35pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">that</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">are</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">that</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">good.” </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.85pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">Ultimately,</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.45pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">a</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">combination</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.45pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">of</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">that</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.45pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">reality,</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;">
</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">the</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">daunting</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">economics</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;">
</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">of</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.45pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">a</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">pro</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">tennis</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.45pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">career</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">and</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.45pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">the</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">realities</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">of</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">aging</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">mean</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">that</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">the</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">vast</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">majority</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">of</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">“rank-and-file”</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">professional</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.55pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">tennis</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.55pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">players</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.55pt; line-height: 107%;">
</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">eventually</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.55pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">move</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.55pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">on</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.55pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">to</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.55pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">second</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">careers</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">far</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.45pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">beyond</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">the</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.45pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">baseline.
</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.85pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">Appel,</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">a</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.45pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">master</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">networker,</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.45pt; line-height: 107%;">
</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">is</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">one</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.45pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">such</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">conduit</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.45pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">to</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">tennis</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">afterlife.</span></div>
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Appel,<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>longtime<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>denizen<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>New<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>York<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>tennis<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>scene<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>(was recently<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span>ranked<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>No.<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>12<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>nationally<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>No.<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>1<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>in<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>East<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>in<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>his age<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>group<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>(in<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>singles).<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>Appel<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>his<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>close<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>friends,<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;">
</span>Steve Graham<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>Bill<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>Ackman,<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>whom<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>he<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>refers<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>as<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>his<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>“Triangle<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>of Tennis,”<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>pride<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>themselves<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>on<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>giving<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>back,<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>especially<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>by<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>way<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>the sport<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>they<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>love.
<span style="letter-spacing: .75pt;"> </span>In<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>addition<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;">
</span>to<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>helming<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>participating<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>in<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>a number<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>charity<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;">
</span>events<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>rooted<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>in<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>tennis,<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>Appel<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>has<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>helped many<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>players<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>transition<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>into<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>life<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>after<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>tennis.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Most<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>players<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>on<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>team<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>currently<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;">
</span>work<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>in<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>finance<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>few more<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>are<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>looking<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>in<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>field,”<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>said<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>Appel,<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>“Two<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>his<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>team’s<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>core<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>players,<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;">
</span>Kaes<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>Van’t<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>Hof<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>Stephen<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>Bass<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>were<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>unable to<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>make<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>trip<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>this<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>year,<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>due<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>work<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>obligations<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>at<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>their firms.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>tennis<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>community<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>in<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>New<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>York<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>is<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>very<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>ingrained<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>in<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>the finance<span style="letter-spacing: 1.35pt;">
</span>community.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 107%; margin-right: 12.25pt; text-indent: 3.45pt;">
“Brendan<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>Evans<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>Scott<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>Oudsema,<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;">
</span>two<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>team<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>members are<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>great<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>examples.<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>They<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>won<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>three<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>junior<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>grand<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>slams<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>in doubles<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>together,”<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;">
</span>Appel<span style="letter-spacing: .55pt;"> </span>continues.<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>“They<span style="letter-spacing: .55pt;"> </span>are<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>very<span style="letter-spacing: .55pt;"> </span>smart<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>and sophisticated<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>guys. <span style="letter-spacing: .85pt;"> </span>After<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;">
</span>playing<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>pro<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>they<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>went<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>back<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>to <span style="line-height: 107%;">school. </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.9pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">Oudsema</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">went</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.45pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">back</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">the</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.45pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">University</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">of</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.45pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">Michigan...and</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">is</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">now</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.55pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">working</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.6pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">in</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.6pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">investment</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.6pt; line-height: 107%;">
</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">banking</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.6pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">at</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.6pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">Guggenheim</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.6pt; line-height: 107%;">
</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">Partners.</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">Evans</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.45pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">spent</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.45pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">the</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.45pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">summer</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">at</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.45pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">Goldman</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.45pt; line-height: 107%;">
</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">Sachs...he</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">got</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.45pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">a</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.45pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">full-time</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">offer</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">and</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">will</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">be</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.45pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">joining</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">them</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">in</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">June</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.45pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">in</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">investment</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">banking,</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">following</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.55pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">his</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.55pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">graduation</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.55pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">from</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.55pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">the</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.55pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">University</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.55pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">of</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.55pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">Virginia.”</span></div>
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While<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>Appel<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>has<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>helped<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>many<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>move<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>beyond<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>life<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>in<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>tennis,<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>he<span style="mso-font-width: 101%;"> </span>couldn’t<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>help<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>but<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>take<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>moment<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>reminisce<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;">
</span>himself<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>when<span style="mso-font-width: 101%;"> </span>discussing<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;">
</span>his<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>history<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>in<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>game.<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>“I’ve<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>been<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>around<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>New<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>York<span style="mso-font-width: 101%;"> </span>tennis<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>probably<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>longer<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>than<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>anyone<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>I<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>know,<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>I<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>played<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>Jimmy<span style="mso-font-width: 101%;"> </span>Arias<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>about<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>40-years<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>ago<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>in<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>Eastern<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>12-and-under<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>clay<span style="mso-font-width: 101%;"> </span>court<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>championships,”<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>he<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>recalls. <span style="letter-spacing: .8pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span>As<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>he<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>does,<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>I<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>couldn’t<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>resist<span style="mso-font-width: 101%;"> </span>asking<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>him<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>if<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>he<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>remembers<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>how<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>he<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>fared<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>against<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>one-time<span style="mso-font-width: 101%;"> </span>World<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span>No.<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span>5.<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span>“I<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span>do,<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span>but<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span>I<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span>don’t<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span>want<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span>be<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span>quoted,<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span>it<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span>was<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span>not<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span>in<span style="mso-font-width: 101%;"> </span>my<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>favor,”<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>he<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>laughed.
<span style="letter-spacing: .75pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span>“Jimmy<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>was<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>great,<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>even<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>at<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>11,<span style="mso-font-width: 101%;"> </span>dramatically<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>better<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>than<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>I<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>was.”
<span style="letter-spacing: .8pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span>Arias,<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>thankfully,<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>is<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>out<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>the<span style="mso-font-width: 101%;"> </span>way<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>in<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>Vegas<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>thus<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>far,<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>in<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>Appel’s<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>captaincy,<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>no<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>team<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>has<span style="mso-font-width: 101%;"> </span>been<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span>better<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span>than<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span>his. <span style="letter-spacing: .65pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span>Even<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span>if<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>there<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span>is<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>better<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span>team<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span>this<span style="mso-font-width: 101%;"> </span>weekend,<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;">
</span>the<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>NYAC<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>team<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>has<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>got<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>pretty<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>strong<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>plan<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>B.<o:p></o:p></div>
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V Blacklabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125615614758000251noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8322616399883515353.post-61254953387439533152014-09-07T23:16:00.003-04:002014-09-07T23:35:52.580-04:00The Unlikely Lass<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUwaBVSDSBKtlH6IkgIfgskepbVYT5wnwIkBoG2kn7sg-vnQb2YQvkfz8rt8EWFsIWpRV839zTrji8g2_5ho-0o2XOVAKQs65ouc4eIxR61Brv7FkQNgh7SPpC5CNkGyWW76ZY2ULiYanC/s1600/DSC03248.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUwaBVSDSBKtlH6IkgIfgskepbVYT5wnwIkBoG2kn7sg-vnQb2YQvkfz8rt8EWFsIWpRV839zTrji8g2_5ho-0o2XOVAKQs65ouc4eIxR61Brv7FkQNgh7SPpC5CNkGyWW76ZY2ULiYanC/s1600/DSC03248.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Vegas
wouldn't take this bet, Judge Judy would've interrupted and asked the
plaintiffs to cut the baloney, Disney wouldn't option this
screenplay.</span></span></div>
<div style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="yui_3_16_0_1_1410137872246_2078"></a>
<span style="color: black;">It's
too much to believe that tennis was blessed with Serena Williams.</span></span></div>
<div style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/null" name="yui_3_16_0_1_1410137872246_2079"></a>
<span style="color: black;">Chris
Evert, the sun-kissed, ponytailed, ice maiden, golden girl daughter of a longtime
tennis coach, we'd buy that one.</span></span></div>
<div style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">Martina
Navratilova, the workhorse who defected from behind the iron curtain
and was as responsible as anyone for upping the game's physical ante,
we can buy that one too.</span></span></div>
<div style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For
as incredible as both those champions were, there stories somehow seem
to fit within the acceptable (read: believable) narrative for tennis stars.</span></span></div>
<div style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Serena
Williams though, the woman who just matched the two aforementioned
American legends with her 18th major singles title today...well, I
guess her truth is stranger than any fiction we'd deem credible.</span></span></div>
<div style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Imagine pitching this script...</span></span></div>
<div style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Let's
start with the characters. The lead, this "Serena Williams" is a
world-beating athlete whose game was largely architected by a father who
was a neophyte to his daughter's chosen sport. Yes, others
contribute, Rick Macci makes a key cameo in flashback scenes when she's a youngster and Patrick
Mouratoglou shows up in some latter day scenes, but by and large, Serena Williams' game was built by her father Richard.</span></div>
<div style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Serena's
firebrand of a dad is a maverick in every sense of the word. He'd almost be a caricature with his outsized personality and
penchant for calling it as he sees it, feasibility be damned..if he wasn't also right. At one
point this guy looks straight into the camera and tells us that his daughters are going to be No. 1
and No. 2 in the world someday. Everyone looks at him like he's crazy, eventually he's hailed as all but a prophet. He ends up going down as the coach of
two players who earned more than 40 major titles. Credit where credit's due,
those numbers are right up there with newly minted Hall of Famer Nick
Bollettieri. Oh yeah, this Serena Williams has a big sister named
Venus. The girl with whom Serena shares a bedroom with in the flashback scenes becomes a four-time Olympic gold medalist too. Oh, and a five-time
Wimbledon singles champion and slam dunk tennis hall of famer too.</span></span></div>
<div style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7jkntPwNs6mBtGYC390pZDHm5mPBrgobB4tD7lxs3_AqPQjDzl54k7Tdoq6qFoEtQrzzc2r5nHylXwS8BxRT5XDVpHwkTgr8yZ4zYafWhdnW6ezxh95Lq0_aM67dAtAT0-Tsz546BuAow/s1600/DSC01094.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7jkntPwNs6mBtGYC390pZDHm5mPBrgobB4tD7lxs3_AqPQjDzl54k7Tdoq6qFoEtQrzzc2r5nHylXwS8BxRT5XDVpHwkTgr8yZ4zYafWhdnW6ezxh95Lq0_aM67dAtAT0-Tsz546BuAow/s1600/DSC01094.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Oh,
and the backstory. Serena's an African-American girl raised in one of
America's most notorious concrete jungles, Compton, California who, over the course of the proceedings, transforms into the belle of the ball on the ivy covered Centre Court at the All
England Club. You buying any of this yet?</span></span></div>
<div style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This Serena Williams wins her first major at 17 years old. She'll beat the defending
champion and World No. 2, Lindsay Davenport in the semis then beat
the World No. 1 in the final, Martina Hingis in the final, earning a
measure of revenge as Hingis had just beaten her sister in the semis. </span></span></div>
<div style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Along the way, this Serena Williams will win the career grand slam
(beating her big sister in all four legs), lose another sister caught in
the crossfire of gang violence, date a big-time rapper, date a
big-time director, become a (mediocre) actress, sell clothes on the Home Shopping Network, become a
nail technician, land multiple eight figure endorsement contracts, almost lose her life to a pulmonary embolism at the height of her
powers and ultimately match America's most legendary tennis titans with an
18<sup>th</sup> major title a full 15 years after claiming her first. So, what do you think?</span></span></div>
<div style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There's only one possible response..."Got
another story kid? No one's gonna believe that yarn."</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; padding: 0in;">
<br /></div>
</div>
V Blacklabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125615614758000251noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8322616399883515353.post-76558252832578426682014-09-07T10:18:00.000-04:002014-09-08T13:57:06.710-04:0038 Special<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho0bIQc947RKOcB4mm197ADvaiPoTh__MEKCD7_B7t5lfbARceh6Gudnd_4xF35pP1WX7PPX13MHLQYxfU724SJDZ_mMQdXLRXCZe-D33UgCy1OiAtRO7vGmhlAbc5ebPTQ114sIYVbFhE/s1600/Big+Three.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho0bIQc947RKOcB4mm197ADvaiPoTh__MEKCD7_B7t5lfbARceh6Gudnd_4xF35pP1WX7PPX13MHLQYxfU724SJDZ_mMQdXLRXCZe-D33UgCy1OiAtRO7vGmhlAbc5ebPTQ114sIYVbFhE/s1600/Big+Three.jpg" height="285" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Sporting dominance, though acknowledged
as it happens, is usually only truly appreciated through the lens of
history. Once fans are freed from the throes of week-in, week-out
competition; once the hysterical tweets have long faded from the
timeline; once the cries of “Not him again!” have long since
drifted on the wind.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
For the last decade, since February
2005 to be exact, every single final played at a major tennis
tournament featured either Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic or Rafael
Nadal. Let me put this in perspective, for 38 consecutive majors 128
men were in the draw, the best tennis players on the planet right
now. Every single time, either Federer, Djokovic or Nadal's name was
on the scoreboard during the final. There are third graders who have
never in their lives witnessed a major where one of these men didn't
at least play in the final. Moreover, of the 38 consecutive times the sport's ruling triumvirate took a place in the final, 34 times flashbulbs
popped as one of the those three men kissed (or bit) the champion's trophy.
Often there wasn't even an alternative, on a solid number of those
occasions, 16 to be exact, two of them faced each other for the most
coveted prizes on offer.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
That unprecedented run ends Monday.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
To some it's been a boring stretch with almost every event culminating the same winners for just shy of a
complete decade—so little variety. For others, it's been purely
maddening, as their favorites, no matter how big their hearts or
games, with guys like David Ferrer, Tomas Berdych or Robin Soderling
to name a few, continually coming up just short in their bids to
burnish their own resumes. Andy Roddick snuck in just under the
wire, claiming his US Open title just before Nadal and Djokovic would
set up shop alongside Federer as the world's greatest. What those
fans may be hard pressed to acknowledge today though, is that it's
truly been a special time.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKUiYuDA-p97g_929bCEsrypFZC5byY_93OSHP4M4zHZ17zlXRfZbwBVhDMYVzIzP7tUC5cOw32NzWalUgoeMkouvBbYVcp_qP_IOdKLldbBF5kfMcq_lN11uAA-whBsyFXynMYk2D6xyy/s1600/DSC07891.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKUiYuDA-p97g_929bCEsrypFZC5byY_93OSHP4M4zHZ17zlXRfZbwBVhDMYVzIzP7tUC5cOw32NzWalUgoeMkouvBbYVcp_qP_IOdKLldbBF5kfMcq_lN11uAA-whBsyFXynMYk2D6xyy/s1600/DSC07891.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
In Roger Federer, tennis found its
Baryishnikov. The Swiss legend, by dint of his record, is obviously a
brute of a competitor, but you'd never know it from a mere observer's
view point. For Federer won, and won often, all but gliding above
the court and the afflictions of mere mortals. At his best, Federer
appeared superhuman,with so little blood or sweat to accompany his
tears. While the Swiss has won everywhere, it's his dominance on the
storied lawns of Wimbledon that will most strongly endure. His serve
may not be as fearsome as those of John Isner or Milos Raonic, but
it's miles better at enduring in pressure moments. He may not have
the track star speed of Gael Monfils, but his deft movement on the
grass put him in the right place at the right time so often you
wonder if he drank four-leaf clover smoothies for breakfast. Federer
is such a force on grass, that no player, could have be considered
anything approaching his equal without vainquishing him there, thus,
the ascendance of Rafa Nadal.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIRYzHWWO6pZ4yrwPNFaO5VaspvCWin5koEV6jW3kO1Ae1BnMquuAQYo_iZZ4V6bsylM_V3sKhDLah_gEB2tsgVJ59DisXAts7UZ8Clz0qk5g7-Wl9qVR7BTDf9Pm7oMGoannef0lksH0a/s1600/DSC02045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIRYzHWWO6pZ4yrwPNFaO5VaspvCWin5koEV6jW3kO1Ae1BnMquuAQYo_iZZ4V6bsylM_V3sKhDLah_gEB2tsgVJ59DisXAts7UZ8Clz0qk5g7-Wl9qVR7BTDf9Pm7oMGoannef0lksH0a/s1600/DSC02045.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a>Nadal is the Hephaestus to Federer's
Poseidon, Gods with equal and opposing realms. As much as the
eternally cool Federer built his throne on the lush lawns; the fiery
Nadal has done the same with the earthen red clay. Nadal's work is
all too obvious, perspiring like a smelter in his workshop, bandanna
be damned. Grunting effortfully as he powers his backhand, then
cracking his lasso whip of a forehand. It's no surprise that Nadal's
brutal, but no less talent-soaked game would find its muse at Roland
Garros. At the French Open, Nadal has been all but God-like, once
suffering a heretical attack from Robin Soderling, but otherwise
hurling thunderbolts to pulverize those who would truly challenge him
and to make most others cower in awe. To gain his rightful throne on
Olympus though, the clay would not be enough; he'd have to storm the
gates on the hardcourts and yes, on Federer's beloved grass. Truth
be told, it was a counterattack. You'll recall Federer struck first
on the Roman clay, in 2006. That titanic battle that ensued was
ultimately won by Nadal, 6-7 (0), 7-6 (5), 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (5) in a
five hour, five minute war that would leave both men unable to reach
even the starting line the following week in Hamburg. That match,
perhaps the best clay court match ever played, preceded <i>that</i>
Wimbledon final. In perhaps the greatest grass court match ever,
Nadal triumphed 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8) 9-7. The two pushed each
other to ever greater heights, raising the bar to levels never before
seen, until it was raised again.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfZYhjzQ4VDmjBAkWTE6L0uVL__3DE-ZrYJP1zyy72zPU6Hd6v7_1lmxmBAl6Tn-8rVjz71Y6GU2U-BddXJ4TYl2qc578-H35acGp6aUe7WdO0lkT_ymEJJMXNlpiTwXDM3vqkEOZ6iCYb/s1600/Djokovic+Rafa+practice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfZYhjzQ4VDmjBAkWTE6L0uVL__3DE-ZrYJP1zyy72zPU6Hd6v7_1lmxmBAl6Tn-8rVjz71Y6GU2U-BddXJ4TYl2qc578-H35acGp6aUe7WdO0lkT_ymEJJMXNlpiTwXDM3vqkEOZ6iCYb/s1600/Djokovic+Rafa+practice.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a>The word epic is often taken too
lightly, but Djokovic capped his rise with just that, a nearly six
hour 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (5), 7-5 epic victory over Nadal
post-midnight, on the far flung hardcourt battlefield in Melbourne.
Yes, Djokovic had captured three majors in 2011, and still another
three years prior to that, but it was arguably in that 2012 final
when Novak truly arrived. Djokovic had spent the prior year subduing
perhaps the greatest fighter tennis had ever known in Nadal, and
disrupting the flow of the artist, Federer. That night the final
ball struck, the trophy awaiting him, Djokovic launched into a
full-bodied roar that Michael Bay would've been proud of, shredding
his shirt and pounding his chest in an adrenaline-filled victory
celebration. In that match, Djokovic warned all comers that he would
not be denied. The best the world could throw at him was free to
step up and at worst he'd hold his own. To wit, while he has a
winning record versus every member of the ATP Top 100 that he's
played, Nadal's record versus Djokovic is a relatively even 22-19.
Federer may be the title leader in terms of majors, but pitted
toe-to-toe, Djokovic edges him 18-17.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Sampras and Agassi had battles; Evert
and Navratilova did too, but the long-reigning triumvirate of men's
tennis trumped them all. They've combined for 109 matches against
each other, and yes, there have been a couple of blowouts, but they
were few and far. They've been great from the beginning, (Federer
and Nadal played a five-setter in the Miami final in their second
meeting way back in 2005) all the way to now (Djokovic and Federer
were the top two seeds at this US Open and one match away from their
second consecutive major final this year.)
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
A quick aside, while many speak of the
“Big Four,” the reality is that Andy Murray is, at best, a junior
member of tennis' most elite fraternity. Don't take that as a knock
on Murray. If he quit today to follow his muse and became a
professional PlayStation player, the Great Scot would've had a Hall
of Fame tennis career, winning two titles (of the four that the Big
Three didn't claim since 2005) and reaching seven finals at the
majors. It's just that Djokovic (at almost exactly the same age) has
seven major titles to Murray's two he's featured in twice as many
finals while clearly being (today at least) the third of the big
three.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Granted Nadal didn't make the starting
line at this year's US Open, but this was the fifth time in the Big
Three era that he missed a major and in every prior case, Djokovic or
Federer at least played the final. Yesterday, the spell was broken.
Tomorrow, almost unbelievably, we'll see a major final with neither
Federer, nor Nadal, nor Djokovic. Instead Croatian big man Marin
Cilic will take on the Japanese shotmaker Kei Nishikori for the US
Open title. Whether you considered the unfettered dominance of the
Big Three a blessing or a curse, one of the most remarkable streaks
in tennis history is over. That's not to say the Big Three won't be
favored for, or that they won't win, the titles in Australia or
France or England or back here in New York in 2015, but it's time to
begin to look back. Time to begin to appreciate. We've never seen
anything like these guys before and it's unlikely we ever will again.</div>
</div>
V Blacklabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125615614758000251noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8322616399883515353.post-62891200577140641422014-06-20T12:50:00.003-04:002014-06-20T12:50:38.520-04:00Dr. 30 Love (Or How I learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Wimbledon Queue)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmnJkwxn7mQlHV3Q5dRp-zFrm2rcDMsLAkouNXApwsyJRSkqmO8CKtu4qbVIywNnxLo01cozv52pnDDpIacQGWux8VVn6qCW2imoCArf2SL2HFc3QCSkvPf6pNtvn9F-AZVSsfRF6KVOxJ/s1600/Wimbledon+Centre.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmnJkwxn7mQlHV3Q5dRp-zFrm2rcDMsLAkouNXApwsyJRSkqmO8CKtu4qbVIywNnxLo01cozv52pnDDpIacQGWux8VVn6qCW2imoCArf2SL2HFc3QCSkvPf6pNtvn9F-AZVSsfRF6KVOxJ/s1600/Wimbledon+Centre.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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First and foremost, I am a tennis fan and nothing if not an
extremely lucky one, having been fortunate enough to complete the
Career Spectator Slam. Yes, I've swigged a brew in the raucous (by
tennis standards) stands in Melbourne, I've quietly munched a
baguette alongside the almost Martian red clay of Paris and for years
I took week-long staycations, trekking out the 7 Line to the US Open,
my hometown major, but it was only a year ago that I could finally
cross Wimbledon off my tennis bucket list. What follows is a little
bit on why it took so long, how I finally got it done and why you
should embrace the queue.<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
A little clarity, the Big W, if
we're parsing technicalities, was actually the very first major I
visited. As a college student, I was in London in March and dragged
a few buddies to SW19 on an appropriately rainy day to take a tour of
the Wimbledon Museum and eat strawberries and cream. It was the only
time I'd see Centre Court pre-Roof and the day as a whole remains a
cherished memory. That said, attending the actual Wimbledon tournament thoroughly intimidated me,
despite being a tennis fanatic and seasoned traveler, before I
finally took the plunge last summer. </div>
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<a name='more'></a><span style="background-color: white;"></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNkz5BLmWrbr1M1NnKJs3_9VlOhVCxvGrQHcYV9HwshwJzDfn-7_nEB2UxLPhabtTtRkLVLri9gYZP3GNq5uv31fqBoZcljtfS6cafd6rEhkxeXrcO10MXipV5YfLTNmdBkBIjr115E05b/s1600/Wimbledon+queue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNkz5BLmWrbr1M1NnKJs3_9VlOhVCxvGrQHcYV9HwshwJzDfn-7_nEB2UxLPhabtTtRkLVLri9gYZP3GNq5uv31fqBoZcljtfS6cafd6rEhkxeXrcO10MXipV5YfLTNmdBkBIjr115E05b/s1600/Wimbledon+queue.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />The biggest issue had always been the tickets. London wasn't the daunting travel challenge (aka Numb Butt Syndrome) that Melbourne was, but the ticket buying process had always seemed opaque. The province of the landed gentry and a few lucky campers. To buy tickets, there was a BALLOT, for the right to buy tickets. For Paris, Melbourne and of course, NYC, you go online, you buy your ticket, no fuss, no muss. Wimbledon required me to go the Post Office twice (they and my landlord are the only institutions to pull this off) and then they would provide me a Ceasar-like thumbs up or down a few months hence on whether my money was good enough to take. Not to mention, the tournament has vigorous anti-scalping and aftermarket policies that could leave an unaware ticket buyer without both the money they spent and access, despite holding a genuine ticket to the event. Sure, I knew about the queue, I've surely seen Pam Shriver out there enough to e aware (or is it wary) of it. That said, I'm a city boy, my idea of roughing it is a Motel 6. Plus. Specifically, what if, after sleeping under the stars (and it's London, so let's be honest and say drizzle), I didn't get in, or just got a grounds pass when my favorites were on the show courts? It wasn't enough for me just to be there, I wanted to be able to see it on my own terms, as I had the Opens. As much as I extol the virtues of side court matches to any fan, I didn't want to fly all the way to London and be simply barred from any chance of seeing the showcourts without recourse. All told, it seemed like a game of crap(s) on top of a flight into one of the most heavily taxed airports on the planet (Heathrow) and hotel rates that rival, and often exceed, that of my adopted hometown. If that was my goal, I could've just gone to the Monte Carlo Masters instead.<br />
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Last year though, after conquering the
other majors, I bit the bullet. It was time. Come hell or high
water, I was going to Wimbledon. I didn't win the ballot, but I was going to bite the bullet. I would queue multiple days
if necessary to get the experience I wanted. Turns out, it didn't
require nearly the hearty constitution I'd expected. Here was a shock to
me, after all the research I'd done pointed to the contrary, for a
fan, Wimbledon is actually the most egalitarian of the majors.<br />
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If you recall, Last year delivered a
lopsided men's draw with Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and local hope
Andy Murray all clustered in the bottom half. This wound up to
be a bit of a blessing in disguise for me. I heard reports on the
local news at dinnertime the day prior that the queue was already
full for the bottom half's first round matches, they implored "Don't bother showing
up." After all of my internal motivational speeches and “Yes, I
Can” moments as I booked flights, here was the reality. It seemed
like I was going to have to put in a lot of time sitting in a field
for my reward. I sulked a bit, but thanks to an ESB or three, I
steeled myself to queue for the Djokovic half the next day, but on my own terms.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
At 5AM (let's try crack of dawn before we do the overnight thing, shall we?), I made my
half-awake way to the queue, found the entrance (after a false start
or two) and got my queue card, signifying my place in line. People
waiting in the queue can buy any of the 500 passes each to Centre, No. 1
or No. 2 Courts, or grounds passes. I had assumed grounds passes at
best, but luck smiled down, I was actually among the first 1400 in
line, I was guaranteed a show court, mathematically it would be Court
No. 2, but hey, a show court was more than I'd hoped given the day
prior. What I learned after a couple of hours of watching small hordes of newspaper
touts and taking down a breakfast roll was that I was heartbreakingly close to
getting a seat for No. 1 Court. Apparently, hundreds of people started
queueing even earlier than myself for grounds passes, bless their time-wasting souls. The
last seat for No. 1 Court went maybe 15 people ahead of me. The
lesson, if Murray isn't playing, you might not have to even queue
overnight to get a show court ticket.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6-POlMtcgH8k_g9wWDggY63znQOrevYkoPg_QfOnBgoPf6TBp4w0e6mowd0aFwYsY4KVh8Tg5WJziYX5zqI5g8GAOCqjeY2lIPpRPXB6bfCqLpgxNmS6wqLwN5hXkGWrS7wlq0u4SLO8d/s1600/Wimbledon+Resale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6-POlMtcgH8k_g9wWDggY63znQOrevYkoPg_QfOnBgoPf6TBp4w0e6mowd0aFwYsY4KVh8Tg5WJziYX5zqI5g8GAOCqjeY2lIPpRPXB6bfCqLpgxNmS6wqLwN5hXkGWrS7wlq0u4SLO8d/s1600/Wimbledon+Resale.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The second lesson I'll share is
actually one of my very favorite things about the event and one I
would HIGHLY implore every other tournament to follow suit on, the
resale queue. Yes, the Brits love themselves a queue and <i>this</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
wonderful one is where fans with an extra 5 or 10 GBP, can buy
something even better than the famed Wimbledon towel...tickets to the
showcourts after the original ticket buyer has left for the day.
You, see, upon exiting Wimbledon, you're asked to drop off your
tickets to be re-sold to other spectators. This means someone even
lazier than myself who jumps in the queue at 8AM (or doesn't have the
cash to shell out for showcourt seats), can
theoretically be twenty rows back from the net post on Centre Court
by the third match on. Why's it great? The fans can pay a nominal fee for a massive
upgrade, the showcourts ALWAYS look full on TV and even more, the
proceeds of the re-sale tickets are donated to charity. If anyone
from the US Open is reading, GET ON THIS!</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">For
all the research I'd done, tennis I've watched and events I've
attended, I had NO CLUE that Wimbledon with all of its byzantine ticket buying regulations would be such an easy event to
navigate. As far as being there, yes, it is the cathedral of tennis. The
All England Club is as regal and as majestic as sporting venues get and the best facility in the game, bar none.
But that's not why I'm writing this, I'm writing to let you know that
if you've ever dreamed of Wimbledon and it's seemed out of reach, it
might not be quite as far as you'd think. It wasn't for me.</span></div>
</div>
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V Blacklabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125615614758000251noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8322616399883515353.post-81448910742843558582014-05-29T14:31:00.001-04:002014-05-29T14:32:27.969-04:00Thoughts On Tennis (Channel)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">My nascent return to the blogsphere commences with my wading into the conversation that's been running over the last couple of days on Twitter about Tennis Channel. During my self-imposed hiatus, I started and ultimately aborted a post about the network that the recent conversations implored me to dust off and update.</span></em><br />
<br />
Let's start here: for all its faults, the mere existence of a network devoted to tennis is a major win for American fans. As any fan who can tell his 250s from his 500s knows, the tennis season is a 24/7/365 global carnival stretching from Auckland to Stockholm and seemingly every point on the globe in between. The old-school "take what we deign to show you" network TV model simply doesn't fit in a sport where six tournaments, across multiple continents and time zones can be going on in any given week. I mean, hypothetically, how can network affiliates schedule cash-cow infomercials if Aga Radwanska goes into a third set in the Seoul final at 3AM Eastern? Theoretically, how many CBS affiliates will pre-empt the US Open men's final <strong><u>again</u></strong> if a matchup between, say, the two best players in the world would otherwise encroach on their lucrative prime access bloc and <em>The Insider</em>'s wall-to-wall coverage on the next disposable reality TV stars' divorce? Tennis Channel doesn't have these issues and for that alone, the channel's a positive presence.<br />
<br />
That said, the network has its challenges; the largest of which is that it's hard to get. While I have no direct knowledge of Tennis Channel's strategies, until recently they seem to have been working on a three angles to graduate to the upper tier of sports networks.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<ul>
<li><u>One - Improve The Programming</u> - Obviously, the network that debuted a decade ago was going to raise their game on-air. While we all loved <i>Open Access</i> and the random badminton events that would pop up on the network in the early days, Tennis Channel have<em> necessarily </em>taken great strides to improve their content over the past few seasons. Adding the incisive Martina Navratilova and the underappreciated Lindsay Davenport as commentators was a masterstroke, while the launch of <em>Center Court</em>, in part as a response to the howls over their tape delayed Davis Cup coverage, has been greeted positively as well. </li>
<li><u>Two - Own The Rights</u> - Tennis Channel's crown jewel is the US rights to Roland Garros (aka the French Open), part of which they sub-license back to ESPN and NBC. Tennis Channel now airs part of every major, via similar sublicenses, but more importantly, they're the home of the sport's other biggest events such as the ATP WTF, the recently wrapped Rome Masters and the Davis Cup. In hoovering up the broadcast rights to so many tournaments, the network sought to make itself a must-buy proposition for serious tennis fans, not to mention a no-brainer for both cable providers and the advertisers attracted to the sport's upscale audience.</li>
<li><u>Three - Litigate</u> - Tennis Channel has traded backhands for the last four years with Comcast/NBC/Universal over a dispute that Tennis Channel hoped would force the (soon-to-be further) engorged cable TV/ISP/Content behemoth to carry them in more homes and off of the higher priced "sports tier." The result has been more protracted than a mid-90s Sanchez-Vicario/Martinez moonball rally at Roland Garros.</li>
</ul>
So, where do we stand? Tennis Channel is reportedly in about 35 million US homes, for reference, that's about one-third of the homes ESPN is in. The Comcast lawsuit seems to be in legal purgatory and the network has just introduced an over-the-top option, Tennis Channel Plus. Tennis Channel Plus allows fans to bypass cable. For $60 per year it gives fans the ability to watch multi-court tournament coverage online a la Watch ESPN, these are things the network's old app used to allow TV subscribers to do at no additional charge for example, during Roland Garros.<br />
<br />
It shouldn't be surprising then, that the platform has drawn subscriber ire for everything from cutting TV subscribers off from side-court action that used to be included free-of-charge online, but also for ignoring set-top devices like Roku and AppleTV which would allow fans easy access to Tennis Channel programming on their big screens, not just computers, smartphones and tablets.<br />
<br />
So, what's the new strategy? If I had to guess, I'd say there's a feeling that their bid to grow in cable has at best stalled. Comcast is only getting stronger with its proposed Time Waner Cable acquisition and Tennis Channel have been hitting their figurative head up against the same wall for four years without a decisive victory. They're also no longer a new kid on the block. The powers-that-be have had time to view and evaluate the network and for whatever reason, it hasn't been able to even get to CBS Sports Network levels of distribution (approximately 56 million homes). Unlike in tennis, in business, at some point the clock (read: the money) runs out. <br />
<br />
I'd also posit that sinking money into broadcast rights and top-tier talking heads was meant to draw not just reluctant cable providers to the table, but also, some deep-pocketed suitors. There are a handful of sports networks jockeying for position to be the next (or other) ESPN. While Tennis Channel is cozy with the self-styled worldwide leader, News Corp's two new Fox Sports Networks and Al Jazeera's BeIN Sport, among others, all need more live content. Considering the fact that <a href="http://pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/sports-vscore-large.jpg" target="_blank">with the exception of the NBA (whose TV deal ends in 2016), the major sports TV rights are locked up until early in the next decade</a>, Tennis Channel's treasure trove of rights could be a solid purchase at the right price. While no sensible person would compare tennis ratings to those of the "Big 4" American sports, those programming hours need to be filled with something besides Proactiv infomericals, why not tennis? With that in mind, Tennis Channel Plus may be a way of showing potential suitors that the audience is in fact there all year long and willing to spend on their favorite sport, rather than just subsisting as part of the average 800 channel cable package.<br />
<br />
The other logical option and the most worrying, specifically that Tennis Channel just can't make the economics work the way things stand. They aren't in enough homes to compete on even footing with the big boys for ad dollars and they've spent significantly to get the operation to its current editorial level. Charging subscribers directly might be the best (or only) way forward fiscally.<br />
<br />
Whatever the logic, I remember when the spring Masters tourneys used to be split on regional networks and I remember Murphy Jensen marathons in lieu of live tennis on Davis Cup weekends. With that in mind, at least this observer is willing to cut Tennis Channel just a little bit of slack.</div>
V Blacklabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125615614758000251noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8322616399883515353.post-87523317468911990192014-05-28T23:08:00.000-04:002014-05-28T23:08:12.718-04:00Where I've Been<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>That deep blue on beneath the horizon is the Sea of Cortez</em></td></tr>
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First off, it's immensely flattering that I've had a few people ask me where I've (or more to the point, Blackabel Tennis) been has over the past year or so. To quote Serena Williams, it all comes down to this thing called "life."<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
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Let me be clear, there's been nothing horrific that's happened, thank every potential higher power ( a guy's gotta hedge his bets, no?); but I do have different demands on my time than I did when I opened this space. That's left my blog silent more often than not as of late. I'm still annoying people on Twitter, @VitoEllison and staying in close contact with the game. I've dropped a few more newsy pieces at Tennis Panorama over the last few months in service to my friend Karen Pestaina's constantly up-to-the-minute. That said, I haven't often been in the headspace to do the kind of writing and analysis that I've typically done at Blacklabel Tennis and certainly not on the day-in, day-out, week-in, week-out manner that a tennis site requires given the calendar.<br />
<br />
Over the last few months, I've been thinking about how (or if) I wanted to cover tennis in the future. The short answer is that I do, but don't expect breathless recaps of the Baku second round. As of now, the plan is that I'll pop in from time to time and give you my thoughts on players, events and the tennis world in general as they arise. Hopefully, it'll be a welcome respite from the daily bloviating of the people trolling for clicks on a daily basis. I'll also let you know first if and when I make a call on a true change of pace going forward.<br />
<br />
There may be something else going up early tomorrow based on a conversation that's been unfolding on Twitter over the last couple of days, keep your eyes peeled if you're into that sort of thing.</div>
V Blacklabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125615614758000251noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8322616399883515353.post-64970171527098794312014-01-12T15:36:00.000-05:002014-01-12T17:43:08.150-05:002014 Australian Open Men's Preview<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Didn't we just see the confetti falling around a trophy-kissing Novak Djokovic in an indoor arena in London? This is how it always feels when the tennis world pivots to the azure blue courts in Melbourne, but it never ceases to make you shake your head. The fleeting offseason has flown, the cash grab hit-and-giggles in far-flung outposts of the tennis world are a distant memory and all of the world's best (fit) tennis players have again converged in the stifling heat of Melbourne for one of their four annual chances at tennis immortality.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">As the new season truly gets underway, we take a look at the men's singles draw of the Australian Open. We do so in a bit of a different fashion than before, but with the same end game: to prep you for two weeks of big, big tennis in the land down under.</span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u>The Storyline - Throwback Fortnight</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Ivan Lendl, plus Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg, Michael Chang and Sergi Brugrera. If that sounds like the quarterfinals of an early 90s French Open to you, you're not alone. As most tennis fans are aware by now, those Champions Tour refugees are returning to the big stage to coach some of the major contenders for this Australian Open title. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Lendl's success transforming Murray from the best player to never win a major to a slam-dunk Hall of Famer has inspired many of the Great Scot's contemporaries to add former champions to their own payrolls. Novak Djokovic's pairing with Becker is the most intriguing of the bunch. The 4-time Australian Open champion has hired a coach with virtually the same credentials as himself, but one who has no coaching experience. Djokovic, strangely made the hire on the back of a 22-match win streak, concluding a deconstruction of his biggest rival, Rafael Nadal in London at the World Tour Final. It could be seen as a damning repudiation of the importance of the post-US Open season as there's ever been but there could be upside for the Serb. Maybe Becker will help steel Djokovic mentally from the dips in concentration that seem to plague his game; maybe he will help the Serb rely more on his serve in the big moments. On the other hand, maybe Becker's outsized personality and lack of expertise in guiding a player other than himself will prove an insurmountable challenge to the success of the decision. It's all a question mark right now, but it promises to be fascinating to watch. The Federer/Edberg, Chang/Nishikori and Brugera/Gasquet pairings are all attention grabbing, but in those cases the results seem much less tied to the success of the coaches than the ceilings of the players themselves at this stage of their careers. Becker/Djokovic, on the other hand, could go either way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u>The First Round Throwdown</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Bernard Tomic is known for a few things: his preternatural talent, his party-boy inclinations, his head-butting father/coach and his ability to find his very best tennis in his native Australia. It's the latter that will potentially trouble Rafael Nadal in their first round match on night two of the tournament. That, the faster-than-he-remembers courts at Melbourne Park, the placement of his water bottles and of course his own body. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Nadal got no favors when the draw for the tournament was made and the top seed got the 57th-ranked Aussie thrown his way, but neither did Tomic. The 6'5" Aussie's 2013 saw him win the tuneup event in Sydney and reach the 3rd round in Melbourne, losing in straight sets to Federer. This time around, he was thrashed in the Sydney final by Juan Martin Del Potro 6-1, 6-3 and opens his home major against the World No. 1. Tomic is an incredible talent who can certainly test Nadal, especially the out-of-form version that scratched his way to the title in Doha two weeks ago. That said, last year Tomic notched just one win against a top ten player, a four-set battle over Gasquet at Wimbledon. Expect an involved home crowd, an inspired Tomic, and a less-than-perfect Nadal, but don't expect an upset.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u>The Matches That Matter</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Besides the Nadal/Tomic opener, here are four other first-round matches to lose sleep over:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u>(24) Andreas Seppi vs. Lleyton Hewitt</u></b> - The aging Aussie battler (and Federer-slayer in Brisbane two weeks ago) has a tough opener versus the seeded Italian. Hewitt expects to compete in Melbourne, and will certainly get a boost from the home crowd, but he still has to get past Seppi...the same Seppi who handled Hewitt in straight sets in Shanghai just a couple of months ago.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u>(23) Ernests Gulbis vs. Juan Monaco</u></b> - <span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Monaco
are Gulbis are two talented, mercurial ballstrikers who are moving in opposite
directions at the moment. Gulbis seems to have buckled down in terms of
dedication and is seeing the results. Monaco is slumping and a late-2013
wrist injury didn't help matters. The good news for Monaco is a 3-1 edge
in their head-to-head, 3-0 in completed matches. Will the start of a new
season boost one, the other, or both in Melbourne? </span></span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u>Marin Cilic vs. Marcel Granollers</u> </b>- The most compelling early round matches are almost always between closely ranked opponents. Cilic returns from his doping suspension barely unseeded (World No. 36) and looking to regain his place amongst the tennis elite. Granollers isn't exactly elite in singles, but ranked 35th, he's exactly one step ahead of Cilic. Granollers, for his part, is also a former top 20 player and has won an ATP World Tour Finals title in doubles. This could be a compelling, hard-fought contest between two players trying to re-assert themselves nearer the top of the game. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u>Sam Querrey vs. Santiago Giraldo</u></b> - Querrey wrapped a difficult 2013 ranked 46th in the world. He joins the fray in 2014 looking to put a broken engagement and the resulting poor spell of tennis behind him. He opens against the tough, hard-hitting Colombian in conditions that can be tough for big guys like himself and compatriot John Isner. It's a nice section of the draw for the winner with Ernests Gulbis (who's facing his own first round challenge) the seed here.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.ausopen.com/en_AU/scores/draws/ms/msdraw.pdf" target="_blank"><b><u>Men's Singles Draw</u></b></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u>Filling Out The Draw - The End Game</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">When all is said and done, we expect this Australian Open to be more formful than, say Wimbledon 2003, but not without intrigue.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>Projected Quarterfinals</u>:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">(1) Nadal v. (5) Del Potro</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">(4) Murray v. (10) Tsonga</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">(7) Berdych v. (20) Janowicz </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">(2) Djokovic vs. (8) Wawrinka</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">For the record, I have Federer losing to Tsonga in R16. We vacillated between Pospisil and Wawrinka in the bottom section quarterfinal. Though we picked Janowicz to slug his way past a fading David Ferrer to take on Tomas Berdych in the quarters, you can laugh heartily later when Janowicz loses his first rounder...but if he doesn't...!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>Projected Semifinals:</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">(1) Nadal v. (4) Murray</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">(2) Djokovic v. (20) Janowicz</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Jerzy Janowicz is a wildly inconsistent competitor who loves a big stage. If the conditions are playing fast as reported, we might all find ourselves "how many times" Janowicz can oust a higher seed. With Ferrer the 3rd seed, No. 5 Del Potro getting outslugged by Nadal in the quarters and Murray finding enough form to get past Tsonga, the semis look set as above. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>Projected Final:</u></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">(1) Nadal v. (2) Djokovic</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So will the Norman Brookes Memorial Trophy be kissed or bitten at the end of the tournament?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Nadal will come into this final severely tested by a tough draw; while Djokovic may take a lump or two finding his equilibrium with a new head coach, but should be generally untroubled by his competition. Nadal missed the 2013 tourney with injury, but his last two trips to Melbourne Park ended with heartache. There was the injury that led to a dismantling by Ferrer and stopping his bid for a Rafa slam (2011) and the razor's edge loss in an epic final to Djokovic (2012). The last three Australian Opens have ended for Djokovic in the same fashion, with him raising the trophy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Nadal leads his head-to-head with Djokovic 22-17, but when it matters most, the majors, Nadal has won eight of their 11 meetings. Djokovic's only wins were in that Robo-Nole stretch between 2011-12. When history is on the line, I'll put my (entirely theoretical) money on the trophy being bitten.</span><br />
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V Blacklabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125615614758000251noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8322616399883515353.post-26846652784730426032013-12-06T08:48:00.003-05:002013-12-18T11:44:39.452-05:00Blake Serves For A Cure At Armory in New York<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The James Blake Foundation brought tennis to New York’s 69<sup>th</sup>
Regiment Armory last night for the 2013 edition of Serving for a Cure. The event, first held in 2005, raises money
for the Thomas Blake Sr. Memorial Research Fund, supporting early detection
cancer research at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. </div>
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<a name='more'></a> As in previous years, the popular American was able to draw
the support of some his high profile tennis pals including former World No. 1
and Fox Sports 1 host Andy Roddick as well as the current top-ranked American,
John Isner. The centerpiece of the event
was a doubles match with Isner and Roddick taking the court for a
light-hearted exhibition against Blake and <i>Real
Husbands of Hollywood </i>actor Boris Kodjoe.
Kodjoe, though better known as an actor, is an accomplished tennis
player in his own right, having been a four-year letter winner in the sport at
VCU. The actor held his own with the tennis champs, prompting Andy Roddick to crack at one point “If I could retire again, I would”
after a Kodjoe passing shot whizzed by him. Though the mood was kept light by emcee Justin Gimelstob,
there was still some competitive fire on display. Roddick smacked his racquet on the court
after an error that cost his side a game; while Isner briefly argued with
officials over what he felt was a botched line call.<br />
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In addition to the tennis, the event served up a VIP dinner,
a silent auction for memorabilia from stars from Roger Federer to Eddie Vedder
and a mid-match auction during which Gimelstob joked that he was auctioning off
naming rights for Blake’s second child.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Serving For A Cure started in memory of Blake's father, Thomas Sr. who died of stomach cancer in 2004. To date, the events have raised over $2 million for cancer research.<o:p></o:p></div>
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V Blacklabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125615614758000251noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8322616399883515353.post-51754765930193821992013-09-04T10:51:00.001-04:002013-09-04T18:14:42.540-04:00Survivor: Jill Craybas On The Eve Of Her Retirement<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcQLKmC63bfDYzAkjGu1HMpyhBrRU4xJxgkTRKLy0OgMdsL-nf32jt_cyBqQtYFpU2unQs180kQAc7Cpd9OXb8YfFKiAI0ba91q-DVAbZcyG_tJfn3orM95rXFrijUeCL4j3n9bLmGNt-y/s1600/0571847124007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcQLKmC63bfDYzAkjGu1HMpyhBrRU4xJxgkTRKLy0OgMdsL-nf32jt_cyBqQtYFpU2unQs180kQAc7Cpd9OXb8YfFKiAI0ba91q-DVAbZcyG_tJfn3orM95rXFrijUeCL4j3n9bLmGNt-y/s640/0571847124007.jpg" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Jill Craybas on the Madrid blue clay in 2012</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>*Josh Meiseles of <a href="http://www.thesixthset.com/" target="_blank">The Sixth Set</a> contributed to this article:</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">(August 30, 2013) FLUSHING MEADOWS, NY – For nearly 18 years,<strong> Jill Craybas</strong> represented the United States on the WTA Tour. Her famous work ethic, charisma and longevity made her an instant fan favorite. At the age of 39, the Rhode Island-native revealed she will be hanging up her racquet following the US Open.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Craybas peaked at a career-high singles ranking of 39, in 2006, and will be best remembered for reaching the Round of 16 at the 2005 Wimbledon Championships after stunning Serena Williams 6-3, 7-6 in the third round.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A NCAA singles champion and graduate of the University of Florida, Craybas’ lone WTA title came at the Japan Open, in Tokyo, in 2002. She also reached the final of the 2008 Pattaya Open, in Thailand, where she fell to Agnieszka Radwanska in a third set tiebreak.</span></div>
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For our interview with Craybas on the eve of her retirement, continue on to <a href="http://www.tennispanorama.com/archives/41504" target="_blank">Tennis Panorama</a></div>
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V Blacklabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125615614758000251noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8322616399883515353.post-37090459263909977722013-08-26T12:45:00.000-04:002013-08-26T15:46:07.896-04:00James Blake Will Retire After The 2013 US Open<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU2vb_jiX4EE1yBQXS1wqVBvAOSXuGhX-4yL-9F5BbYsXTrARc7kaGfF_j_1HcZEBl1HvaqC3Li8kF1Noaoy5RBfm8RU_Jc_IAAnKtvNz-CI1X-z9_aVMMZVBRPna9LY5PVxu14ONqvOw4/s1600/Blake.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU2vb_jiX4EE1yBQXS1wqVBvAOSXuGhX-4yL-9F5BbYsXTrARc7kaGfF_j_1HcZEBl1HvaqC3Li8kF1Noaoy5RBfm8RU_Jc_IAAnKtvNz-CI1X-z9_aVMMZVBRPna9LY5PVxu14ONqvOw4/s640/Blake.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><i>The following article was written by Vito Ellison (@vblacklabel) for Blacklabel Tennis and Josh Meiseles (@TheSixthSet) for The Sixth Set, it appears on both sites.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It is a
rite of passage; a somber yet appropriate custom that those who have carried
the mantle of American tennis have partaken. Saying farewell to the
game you love is never easy, but having the opportunity to do so surrounded by
22,000 people chanting your name provides a poetic sense of closure.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Cavernous Arthur
Ashe Stadium never feels so united, so intimate as it does when an American
standard-bearer takes his final on-court wave nestled in the loving embrace of
his home crowd. Over the past decade, that scene has been replayed
repeatedly. Rather than abruptly end their runs mid-season, or play out
the string of European indoor events, most of the top American men have
chosen Flushing Meadows as the last stop in their journey as ATP
pros. Pete Sampras started the trend in legendary fashion, turning
back Andre Agassi for the 2002 US Open crown, in what would
be Sampras’ final match (though he didn’t officially retire until a
year later on that same court). Michael Chang, Todd Martin and Agassi continued
the tradition in 2003, ‘04 and ‘06, respectively. Last year it was Andy Roddick’s
turn to say goodbye to the Ashe faithful. In the footsteps of his
predecessors, Roddick showed flashes of his vintage form in his last
outing. He ultimately he suffered a valiant defeat, this time
at the hands of Juan Martin del Potro, before an appreciative crowd.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sometime
this fortnight, James Blake’s moment will arrive. Today, the 33-year
old Connecticut native announced his intention to retire after the tournament,
making this his final US Open.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s no
surprise Blake would make the US Open the venue for his swan
song. “Tons of friends and family are going to come out and watch,” Blake
said at a pre-US Open gathering. “I grew up close to here, so for me, it’s
my favorite tourney of the year, my biggest event. I love being here.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Blake has
great memories of the US Open, but taken as a whole, his 15-year career has been nothing if not tumultuous. After
finishing two consecutive seasons ranked in the top 40, Blake suffered an <i>annus
horribilis</i> for the ages in 2004. He fractured vertebrae in his neck after
colliding with a net post during a practice with Robby Ginepri in Rome,
developed shingles which temporarily paralyzed part of his face. He also lost
his father, Thomas, to stomach cancer later that year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfJq_xSxwCg3hyphenhyphen7eVhfg9zxUj9NfofnH5Ufd7unjI5dKxL8yre4v9tBeE5B5UGqWQu_UiTyrGMEy7r0s8Ns_fE1y_BOaeyhgwp_LtNvLmbpmLOG8Y6m04tc9iG0SWfmTgLhmLggqWBREm1/s1600/0000862484487.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfJq_xSxwCg3hyphenhyphen7eVhfg9zxUj9NfofnH5Ufd7unjI5dKxL8yre4v9tBeE5B5UGqWQu_UiTyrGMEy7r0s8Ns_fE1y_BOaeyhgwp_LtNvLmbpmLOG8Y6m04tc9iG0SWfmTgLhmLggqWBREm1/s640/0000862484487.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Blake at the 2005 US Open. Photo Credit: V. Ellison</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Blake vowed
to return and his 2005 season earned him ATP Comeback Player of
the Year honors. While he won two titles that season, his year (and
perhaps his career) will be most remembered for a loss. Blake came out on
fire against his compatriot Andre Agassi in a night session that still
echoes on Arthur Ashe Stadium. It was the quarterfinals of the
2005 US Open. Blake grabbed the first two sets against his legendary foe,
before Agassi <s>was able </s>wrestled the momentum in his
favor. It ended in a way it could literally only end in New York: a fifth
set tiebreak. Concluding at 1:09 in the morning, a then
35-year old Agassi emerged victorious 3-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-6(5), but
Blake won a host of fans who would follow him the rest of his career.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">After
falling briefly out the top 200, Blake finished 2005 ranked 23</span><sup style="font-family: inherit;">rd</sup><span style="font-family: inherit;"> and
climbed to a career high No. 4 the following year. Blake’s 2006 campaign
was his finest. He won five titles, reached the final at Indian
Wells, the quarters at the US Open again, as well as the final of the Tour
Finals (ATP WTF). While he regressed ranking-wise in 2007, </span><s style="font-family: inherit;">t</s><span style="font-family: inherit;">he
hallmark win of his career came that season. Blake, playing
alongside Roddick and Bob and Mike Bryan, proved to be an integral part of
the United States’ most recent Davis Cup title run. His win over Mikhail
Youzhny in the second rubber of the Final was the key to a
USA victory over a strong Russian squad. Blake would hover around the
top-10 until mid-2009 before an ankle and a serious knee injury
forced him to miss a significant amount of time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">While
Blake’s ranking may not be as high as it once was, one thing has remained
constant over the years. His passion for tennis and appreciation for the 15 years it has given him have never waned, even to this day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">“I still
love the game,” Blake said, a magnetic smile laden with pride streaming across
his face. “Once I get out on the court, the pressure of break point down, break
point up, the crowd getting into it, I’m never going to duplicate that once I’m
done playing tennis. I want to relish it and cherish it right now. I appreciate
the fact that I’m out there when the nerves are going and you’re just excited
to be playing and entertaining a lot of fans.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Blake lives
for the grind of the tour and the competition it provides. At only 6’1”,
wielding a potent serve and even more dominant forehand, an exuberant Blake
shocked 6’8” Wimbledon semifinalist Jerzy Janowicz in the first round
of the Cincinnati Masters just two weeks ago. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In this last
go-round at the Open, Blake won’t be relying just on himself for the energy to
pull him through. “I think [the J-Block] will be here,” Blake said of his
boisterous fan section. “They might not be as big as they used to be,
because my friends had to go out and actually get real jobs, so some of them
can’t make it out to the day matches, but if there’s a night match, there’ll be
plenty of J-Blockers.” Blake’s not on the opening day schedule, but we
would bet the tournament will give him center stage under the lights to make
his farewell. For one of the biggest American stars of his generation, we
couldn’t imagine it any other way.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
V Blacklabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125615614758000251noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8322616399883515353.post-23156589799742361412013-08-25T14:15:00.001-04:002013-11-26T10:19:40.792-05:00Blacklabel Tennis 2013 Guide To The US Open<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td>When we launched BLT, one of our first posts was a Fan's Guide to the US Open. We decided there were some updates in order to help you maximize your 2013 Open. Without further ado, here's the Blacklabel Tennis Guide to the 2013 US Open.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6mMe2YztBY9taN5y0NpKbk2qyqh1Au-NfEa6pjKpGT20tjFHlUfD8yZkMWYE2mO6i-BJINoBs088BB-hilxNOnuq2f1kej5W7X7AQiAnXXhalRx2H4PfTZGssmbTgXss2So936g5Ez6ly/s1600/P1070749.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6mMe2YztBY9taN5y0NpKbk2qyqh1Au-NfEa6pjKpGT20tjFHlUfD8yZkMWYE2mO6i-BJINoBs088BB-hilxNOnuq2f1kej5W7X7AQiAnXXhalRx2H4PfTZGssmbTgXss2So936g5Ez6ly/s640/P1070749.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><i>USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Who needs the big, overblown, traditional holidays? You can keep your thanksgiving turkeys, your 4th of July fireworks, your Santa Claus. For this guy, the most wonderful time of the year is the start of another US Open tennis tournament. Oh, it's not absolutely perfect; the weather always seems to veer from sweltering when the first ball is struck, to sweatshirt weather by the end; the food prices always make me wonder why the USTA didn't hire <b>Kanye West</b>'s jeweler to build a platinum and diamond encrusted roof over Arthur Ashe stadium and frankly, there's always a point where I get tennis fatigue and have to leave a bit early for the day, but there's no time of the year I look forward to more than the US Open.<br />
<br />
So, why am I writing this unofficial guide to the US Open when there are so many official sources out there? Well, to be frank, because I'm me. Living in New York, the US Open is my hometown major, one of the biggest events of the year and the tournament I know the best. Unlike the professional beat writers who generally spend the tourney shuttling off to the press conferences and have cordoned off seats at the show courts, I've only ever experienced the Open like you, as a fan. I boil in the summer heat like every other fan, I get no closer to the players than anybody else with an oversized tennis ball, I pay $4.75 for my Evian just like the rest of the hoi polloi. In other words, for the last decade, I've experienced the Open in the exact same way you will and have learned a few tips and tricks that I think will help you (whoever you are) maximize your trip to the US Open.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<b><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">>>>Who Are You?</span></u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>We have to start by knowing our audience; how do you want to experience the tournament? Everyone seems to come to the US Open with their own vision of what a great experience would be and luckily enough, the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center (USTABJKNTC for short...ish) are big enough to fulfill them all.<br />
<br />
In my experience, there are two general categories that attendees fall into: Fans and Watchers. As such, we've broken up our guide to talk to each segment. Which are you? Well, here's a quick way to tell:<br />
<br />
<u><b>Fans</b></u> - Live for the US Open, they follow the other tournaments regularly; they can name and identify players (and maybe a few coaches) on sight and they can tell you exactly where they spent <i>that</i> <b>Rafael Nadal</b>/<b>Roger Federer</b> 2008 Wimbledon final (in part, because they never moved from that spot to avoid jinxing their man). Fans might only make it to the Open for one day, but they'll religiously follow the rest of the event on TV and the web.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgGh2zHOFd5gKFXQhJ7ovUUgKPCtUtPmRbNrd0D5bu_JyeZUSETGEi-TRYwD259ZA61ozjtxzTNsrBFwHQpNbai_YHHj8QO0nquBJlQfPVgF-aSOAgr9aHXI8YGvReZrU7smWLLlgPayCv/s1600/DSC08098.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgGh2zHOFd5gKFXQhJ7ovUUgKPCtUtPmRbNrd0D5bu_JyeZUSETGEi-TRYwD259ZA61ozjtxzTNsrBFwHQpNbai_YHHj8QO0nquBJlQfPVgF-aSOAgr9aHXI8YGvReZrU7smWLLlgPayCv/s640/DSC08098.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><i>Novak Djokovic taking serves in his warm up</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<u><b>Watchers</b></u> - Generally consider the Open a great New York event, a place to see and be seen. Watchers know a fair bit about tennis and probably even play. They come to the Open wanting to see Federer or Nadal, no doubt, but they also wouldn't bat an eye missing a couple of games to grab a Chardonnay or a Heineken either. The watchers will make it out to the Open over Labor Day weekend usually, ask who won the final if they were otherwise engaged that day and then go about their normal lives until next year.<br />
<br />
Let me be clear: there's no (read: only mild) judgment here. In my experience, having attended the tourney with people on both sides of the spectrum, I've learned that there are very different ways of experiencing the US Open and they each can be a great time. By breaking it down, our aim is to give both sets of attendees their optimal Open experience and maybe teach each a bit about how the other half rolls.<br />
<br />
In some cases, we'll mark advice "For All," which self-explanatorily means that both sides of the aisle should find this information useful. Let's get going.<br />
<br />
<b><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">>>>Tickets</span></u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b><u><b>For All</b></u> - Buy your tickets on <a href="http://www.ticketmaster.com/US-Open-tickets/artist/807197?camefrom=[=CAMEFROM=]&brand=tm&tm_link=tm_homeA_rc_image3">TicketMaster</a> or <a href="http://www.ticketexchangebyticketmaster.com/us-open-tennis-tickets/?intcmp=tm00447">TicketExchange</a>, or on site at the Tennis Center if tickets remain available end of story. I know there are tour companies selling US Open tickets and packages and I'm sure they do a fine job, but I'm not a fan of needless markups. Unlike at Wimbledon, where show court seats can be notoriously difficult to come by, some US Open tickets can be purchased at face value right up through the first few days of the tournament on TicketMaster.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbY2w-mwjchhk3YPIa4hD1F9mLWFOI4aK7KdHdRe1HuVjegH0UCgoJQD3n3ULK_awvBCfKZzZ5-VMM3SK7quWf0EdkGw6AMssxD1Bi1ySzqDzbyHliRHgh4KaR0DXRobyTezaiz0KssEXm/s1600/USO-2011-Ticket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbY2w-mwjchhk3YPIa4hD1F9mLWFOI4aK7KdHdRe1HuVjegH0UCgoJQD3n3ULK_awvBCfKZzZ5-VMM3SK7quWf0EdkGw6AMssxD1Bi1ySzqDzbyHliRHgh4KaR0DXRobyTezaiz0KssEXm/s1600/USO-2011-Ticket.jpg" id=":current_picnik_image" /></a>TicketExchange is a TicketMaster powered, legal, secure aftermarket service to buy tickets from fans (presumably) who need to sell. Tickets there can be above face value, but they're guaranteed to be real and can get you into a session in a pinch if you just have to see a certain match or have a last-minute opportunity to get out to the Open.<br />
<br />
That said, tickets for both finals weekend and the middle weekend (which always coincides with the Labor Day holiday) sell out on Ticketmaster virtually as soon as they go on sale.<br />
<br />
My suggestion if you simply MUST attend the men's final, for example, and you don't have tickets yet: wait until the last minute and jump on TicketExchange. In 2010, when Nadal booked his place in the final for the first time, prices (even along the upper rim of Arthur Ashe Stadium) spiked to $300 and up. A few hours later, Djokovic upended Federer and, no disrespect to the Djoker, the market crashed. Prices on TicketExchange and other after-market
websites were slashed in the moments after the Serb thwarted the longed-for
first Federer/Nadal final in New York. It's a risk for sure, but one that
may well pay off.<br />
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Oh, and coming to the US Open doesn't have to be expensive. You can sit courtside for sure, and some of those tickets cost more than my first car, but tickets start <u>under $30.</u> For some sessions discounted US Open tickets are available to savvy online shoppers letting them see quality tennis, even in the vaunted second week, at bargain basement prices.<br />
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Last thing, you won't know who's playing or where until around 5PM the day before your session. Sorry, it's the inconvenience of a single-elimination sport, but that ensures that every match is important and that neither players, nor fans can afford to take any matches off.<br />
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<b><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">>>>Transit (from Manhattan)</span></u></b></div>
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<u><b>For All</b></u> - This is in fact, New York. The "move it or lose it" mentality does reign. Now, that said, New Yorkers are not rude people, we're happy to give directions, recommend a restaurant, and so forth. It's just that unlike more tourist centric destinations, Disney, Vegas, the Caribbean, for example, we're also going about our everyday lives while you gawk, saunter six-wide across the sidewalk and take eons to snap pictures of your crew. If there's a tip I could give every New York visitor it would be, be aware and step aside. Why? Well, if your suburban shuffling happens to make us miss a train and you'll be glad that looks, in fact, can't kill.</div>
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<b><u>For Fans</u> </b>- Take the 7 train to Queens out of Grand Central station. It can feel excruciatingly slow at times, because there are a lot of stops (17 if you catch the local). The MTA, though, claims it's only a 31-minute ride. That said, for $2.50 each way, you don't have to hew to a schedule, pay for parking or worry about Mets fans filling the parking lots by the Tennis Center (which is adjacent to Citi Field, New York's <i>other</i> baseball stadium). Not to mention, you'll get some real New York flavor walking through bustling Grand Central, taking the train past the Notorious B.I.G. mural and through the neighborhoods of Queens on your way to the tennis.</div>
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As a bonus, after the day's matches are over, you can take a detour for dinner into Flushing Queens' bustling Chinatown, accessed at Main Street-Flushing, one stop past the Open. Many New Yorkers consider Flushing's Chinatown to be less expensive, less touristy and more authentic than its celebrated Manhattan cousin.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><i>Late Night on the LIRR track</i></td></tr>
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<b><u>For Watchers</u> </b>- Skip Grand Central and start your journey on the West Side, take the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) to the Mets-Willets Point station. Yes, it's $7.25 each way and runs on a schedule versus the more free-flowing subway, but it's a two-stop, 16 minute ride from Penn Station and you can almost always get a seat. No fuss, no muss.</div>
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<b><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">>>>When to Visit</span></u></b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><i>Arthur Ashe stadium</i></td></tr>
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<u><b>For Fans</b></u> - I will assert and fiercely defend this point to anyone who'll listen. Day Session, Arthur Ashe, First Week, end of story. A day session ticket to the first week in Ashe is simply the best value in all of sports. Imagine if all of NCAA "March Madness" was unfolding in one stadium complex. That's what the Open is like and with any ticket to Ashe you can look in at any of the 20 or so matches happening at any given time; singles, doubles, men, women, whatever you want. Save for the risk of sunburn, it's better than DirecTV.<br />
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My typical stomping grounds are the upper promenade of Ashe stadium for these sessions. Why?<br />
1) Lower promenade tickets can cost twice as much to get you just a few rows closer. In a stadium the size of Arthur Ashe, that doesn't mean a lot.<br />
2) Week one is squatter nation up there. For better or worse, no one sits in their "assigned seats" in a daytime week one session unless it's a ridiculously popular match. As long as you're in your assigned area, you generally won't have a problem. (Note: If you ARE squatting, just move quickly, sheepishly and without fuss if and when the seats' actual owner arrives.)<br />
3) Fans won't spend much time there. I, for example, typically will pop in for a set of Serena, a bit of Rafa, a look at Nole and then head to the outer courts where I can get a lot closer to a lot of other players who shouldn't cruise through their early round matches.<br />
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One important thing to know if you're a veteran of other majors: The US Open is the ONLY major where a ticket to the main showcourt (Arthur Ashe Stadium) will grant you the ability to access all of the other show courts (Louis Armstrong Stadium, The Grandstand and Court 17) as well at no additional charge. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><i>Arthur Ashe stadium at dusk</i></td></tr>
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<u><b>For Watchers</b></u> - It's all about night session for you, late first and early second week preferably. This is when the stars come out, both on and off court. The US Open typically rotates any of the following players in their night sessions: Federer, <b>Novak Djokovic</b>, Nadal (less than some of the others reportedly because of the requests of Spanish TV), <b>Serena Williams</b>, <b>Venus Williams</b> and <b>Victoria Azarenka</b>. Night session tickets generally get you two matches (one men's and one women's) in the electric atmosphere of Arthur Ashe stadium under the lights. Anyone who's done both day and night matches would agree, there's an extra energy to night matches (perhaps fueled by beer) that make them even more of a happening than a similarly compelling contest under the Gotham sun.<br />
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As a bonus, night session tickets usually will grant you access to the grounds by 6PM. Meaning you can pop over to a side court to see some action close up or grab the first drink of the evening at the wine and beer stations just outside of Ashe before they let in night session ticket holders at 7 or the end of the day session matches, whichever comes later.<br />
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<b><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">>>>Navigating Your Day</span></u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b><b style="text-decoration: underline;">For All:</b> No, you can't just buy tickets to the Djokovic or <b>Sloane Stephens</b> match. You buy tickets to a session, whoever is scheduled to play, plays, and you'll like it! No, seriously. This is a unique aspect of tennis. It's a single elimination sport, with as many as twenty matches going on at any given time and subject to the vagaries of weather. The good news is that the schedules are relatively balanced so that one day No.1 seed plays, the next, the No. 2 seed is scheduled and vice versa, so don't worry you'll usually be guaranteed compelling action and fan favorites. The best way to ensure that you see your favorite player is to go for the first three days (and two nights) of the event, when all the singles first round matches are played. Especially if your favorite has a bad habit of being bounced early.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdK8uFVUIfYKdojlBo0zI59MxfHIPjr0dr6VVXNipX97fZEJaRowBzCRlNB0OBxBgW2qvHz8yZVZF9V79vb7-UW6Yqy3paVvbgEwo-foNkI1LIM9z6pcGMWLOFwkt4r3ekEKJUeFdf0m9f/s1600/DSC07837.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdK8uFVUIfYKdojlBo0zI59MxfHIPjr0dr6VVXNipX97fZEJaRowBzCRlNB0OBxBgW2qvHz8yZVZF9V79vb7-UW6Yqy3paVvbgEwo-foNkI1LIM9z6pcGMWLOFwkt4r3ekEKJUeFdf0m9f/s640/DSC07837.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><i>Serena Williams fires a backhand.</i></td></tr>
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For the most part, after the first match of the day at 11AM; match times aren't scheduled. When one match ends another will kick off about 10-15 minutes later. Keep an eye on your smartphone (if you can get service) or the electronic board at Ashe or Louis Armstrong to know what matches are starting, in progress and/or ending.<br />
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One more note, when you walk in, make sure you have a schedule of play handy, whether it's the official drawsheet on sale for $5 at the tournament or one printed from USOpen.org. You're flying blind and missing a ton of good tennis without it. I find my smartphone tends to near the end of its usefulness around 5PM, here's a case where old-fashioned paper can save your battery as well as your sanity. Once you've got a schedule, start figuring out who you want to see and when they'll go on. Here's a good rule of thumb if your phone service isn't connecting, a women's match should be nearing conclusion in around 90 mins, a men's match in a little over 2 hours. That said; match lengths vary wildly. If you simply must see a certain player, get to their court before the prior match ends.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT3M9M3AquTXWn6C5seWNsG1mbwhOwwJN86D-uLCTAJ8i8ck-cvmIWt34HgayfrLLzicHwSzoVsTkkVjzZJbt7W8fvNPz8wzZDl52d7ZEtbi0pRzTcTrAadELXQ0CY2ntRDO_2PRzJ9-mF/s1600/US+Open+iPhone+app.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT3M9M3AquTXWn6C5seWNsG1mbwhOwwJN86D-uLCTAJ8i8ck-cvmIWt34HgayfrLLzicHwSzoVsTkkVjzZJbt7W8fvNPz8wzZDl52d7ZEtbi0pRzTcTrAadELXQ0CY2ntRDO_2PRzJ9-mF/s320/US+Open+iPhone+app.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><i>US Open iPhone app</i></td></tr>
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<u><b>For Fans:</b></u> Forget the names. Look for the matchups. One tip is: know your <a href="http://www.tennis.com/rankings/index.aspx">rankings</a>, especially early. Since the top 32 players in the draw are seeded, find the players just outside that tier and the unlucky seed who drew them. When's someone's been injured or had a bad run of form that's caused their ranking to sink below their talent level, they're called dangerous floaters. Venus Williams (currently 60th), for example is drawn to play 12th seed <b>Kirsten Flipkens</b> in the first round. Venus, if healthy, is a more projectile missile than a dangerous floater and the match will be on Ashe, because she's Venus, but you catch my drift. A better example would be <b>Ivan Dodig</b> ranked 38th in the world, facing 27th seed <b>Fernando Verdasco</b> in the first round. Just tough luck there, Nando. Fans always know where those matches are (often the Grandstand court, much like the <b>Madison Keys</b>/<b>Jelena Jankovic</b> contest that follows on Monday) and the seats fill up quickly. There are also plenty of dangerous floaters who aren't household names and will give fans an incredible show. Last thing, if this logic doesn't hold up, don't get too annoyed; go somewhere else. The fact there are so many matches means that you never have an excuse to be bored by the quality of the tennis.<br />
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If it's the second week, check out some of the junior tournament. It only takes a few years for a promising junior to start playing at the top level of the game. One of the reasons I always back <b>Tamira Paszek</b> is that I saw her for the first time playing in the junior final here back in 2006 and pegged her as one to watch. Plus, what's better than talking to a tennis loving friend about a new phenom and being able to smugly and nonchalantly mention, oh yeah, I remember her as a junior, her backhand's so much better these days. Not that I'd ever do such a thing.<br />
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<u style="font-weight: bold;">For Watchers:</u> Yes, see Roger, Novak, Serena, Vika, sure. Who next? If it's the first week, go see <b>Lleyton Hewitt</b>, <b>Tommy Haas</b>, <b>James Blake </b>or <b>Svetlana Kuznetsova</b> for starters. In other words, go see some of the top players who are nearing the exit ramp of their careers. They usually still have serious game, passionate fanbases and a bit of the magic that got them to the top--even if they can't sustain it long enough to win seven consecutive matches at the very pinnacle of the sport anymore.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEKcpHn4D7DDwxZa72UhqVhUXmD6MbQkiCz20NxsElbCMwUnJRIxrH9dLoIOSB2OTFLAFfkX3SqBbFKbdvrVQvLXx-ldpemYnWEnGhakYbyN5VGO4x8PTQGRQ19BJ5VqKN3gMoQJ5WJZzz/s1600/Tommy+Haas+US+Open+2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEKcpHn4D7DDwxZa72UhqVhUXmD6MbQkiCz20NxsElbCMwUnJRIxrH9dLoIOSB2OTFLAFfkX3SqBbFKbdvrVQvLXx-ldpemYnWEnGhakYbyN5VGO4x8PTQGRQ19BJ5VqKN3gMoQJ5WJZzz/s640/Tommy+Haas+US+Open+2011.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><i>Tommy Haas with at least one more in him, at the 2011 US Open</i></td></tr>
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Also, there are just some players that are ridiculously fun to watch. You could know nothing about this game and find yourself mindlessly crunching popcorn, enthralled by certain players. To watch someone just hit the ever-living-snot out of a tennis ball is always fun if you can do it close up, I strongly recommend <b>Teymuraz Gabashvili</b><i>, </i><b>Sabine Lisicki</b> or <b>Ivo Karlovic</b>. If Gumby-esque acrobatics and eye-popping saves are more your thing, get courtside for <b>Jelena Jankovic</b>, <b>Sara Errani</b> or <b>Gael Monfils</b>. You will not be sorry in either case.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7StVKcH-uZXPpaOvHdcGVJezO5vBwHxdbT0z39IdrqG05IR9AtlG6fN_Db0r72CLW80mxqP45en-5flEcrwwvr2yNndggMi3I1uQ4XFEtLK98_nLiVuEM-uBrtjgdj-PmcOkzPy6ZssDz/s1600/P1020037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7StVKcH-uZXPpaOvHdcGVJezO5vBwHxdbT0z39IdrqG05IR9AtlG6fN_Db0r72CLW80mxqP45en-5flEcrwwvr2yNndggMi3I1uQ4XFEtLK98_nLiVuEM-uBrtjgdj-PmcOkzPy6ZssDz/s200/P1020037.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig7G6MfTQMHvyUPgl_q0psrltN82I8mUl4CfTHe_RV15YfKwi9FwvT0vCrsew1DSMF5moOBDq75WJgtcHUtdXt3jGRyMV4FnpsBhSV5_VaEn_hNMOfMJobhy2ljz9l5eOuEWN1sGi23-5A/s1600/P1020032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig7G6MfTQMHvyUPgl_q0psrltN82I8mUl4CfTHe_RV15YfKwi9FwvT0vCrsew1DSMF5moOBDq75WJgtcHUtdXt3jGRyMV4FnpsBhSV5_VaEn_hNMOfMJobhy2ljz9l5eOuEWN1sGi23-5A/s200/P1020032.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a>Lastly, if you're at the food court or the gift shop and you notice two guys have just split three tight sets, find that court and make your way over. It'll probably be packed, maybe even standing room only, but you'll never regret setting yourself up to watch a five setter at the Open.<br />
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<b><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">>>>Hidden Gems</span></u></b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><i>The Grandstand</i></td></tr>
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<u><b>For Fans</b></u> - There's nothing like the Grandstand. The Grandstand is the USTABJKNTC's third showcourt; a 6,000 capacity venue that's arguably the greatest place in the world to watch the pro game. Grandstand matches usually feature the <b>Stanislas Wawrinkas</b>, <b>Maria Kirilenko</b>s and <b>Mikhail Youzhny</b>s of the world. Fun players to watch, fan favorites and players who will make an impact on the end result of the tournament, but not the players that watchers would be able to pick out of a lineup. In the early days of the event, there is also usually a strong American contingent getting the opportunity to play on a showcourt at their home major. Forget courtside on Ashe, the absolute most coveted seats in the entire complex are the Grandstand's shaded seats under the overhang of neighboring Louis Armstrong stadium. I can remember scoring one of those coveted seats all of maybe twice in fifty plus visits to the Open. Consider that a testament to being a treasured respite from New York's hot, humid summers and the quality of matches typically featured on the Grandstand. One aside, there are actually a few concession stands tucked between the Grandstand and Armstrong, so you don't have to leave the area to grab a quick Evian or chicken fingers.<br />
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If these are indeed the last few years for the Grandstand and Louis Armstrong stadium, which are set to be demolished as they're reportedly sinking back into the marshland on which they were built, what I'll miss most is a superfan secret that I'll share with you. Around the back of Louis Armstrong stadium there are stairwells which are my absolute FAVORITE part of the entire complex. Climbing those stairs will burn maybe half a chicken finger, but they will also allow you to bypass the lines and ignore changeover-only entry into Armstrong. As a bonus, when you reach the very top, you have the choice of either sneaking into Armstrong, or taking in unique overhead, standing room only views of the Grandstand. There are also bathrooms and vendors up there that aren't nearly as mobbed as those on the main concourses.<br />
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This should go without saying, but as a fan and good citizen of the game, please bear with me while I make this disclaimer. If you are going to sneak into Armstrong during a game, do so quickly and discreetly, take the first available seat at the TOP of the stadium as not to distract the players and other fans and then scurry downward at the first moment of a changeover as the ushers are letting the crowd in below. You've got a real gift here. Don't ruin it for everyone.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><i>Brand New Court 17</i></td></tr>
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2011 also saw the introduction of a brand new fourth show court, Court 17 at the Tennis Center. Court 17, seemingly a carbon copy of Margaret Court Arena at Melbourne Park is an intimate sunken, bullring of a court that is home to a number of compelling matchups. In 2011, organizers programmed lots of up-and-coming Americans here such as <b>Jack Sock </b>and<b> Donald Young </b>as well as non-American fan favorites such as <b>Sergiy Stakhovsky</b> and <b>Richard Gasquet</b> who inaugurated the new court last year. While it doesn't have the history, or the shade, of the grandstand, Court 17 is becoming a fan favorite in its own right for being a beautiful, compact venue to watch top class tennis.<br />
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<u><b>For Watchers</b></u> - American Express always has a prominent presence at the tournament, highlighted by AMEX Radio at the Open, which largely provides an audio simulcast of the commentary accompanying matches happening on Arthur Ashe. Being there live with AMEX radio is like watching the matches in Ultra High-Def. If you, or your companion, has an AMEX card, grab a radio for sure, it can certainly augment the experience during some of the tourney's quieter moments.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><i>Maria Sharapova hits the practice court</i></td></tr>
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Between matches, it's always a good idea to find your way over to Court 4 then walk as far up the bleachers as you can go. Sure, there might be a good match going on over there, but that's not why there's a crowd. It's the best place to get a view of the practice courts and watch some of the world's best working out the kinks in their games. I'm sure you recognize this blonde (Maria Sharapova) having a hit on Practice Court 3. Sometimes you'll catch even rarer treats like <b>Martina Navratilova</b> last year having a hit with her Tennis Channel colleague <b>Jimmy Connors</b>. That's nine US Open titles on court at one time, really special stuff!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><i>Caroline Wozniacki on the doubles court with Sorana Cirstea (US Open 2009)</i></td></tr>
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Also, if there's a certain player you just have to see, check the doubles draw. A number of top players enter the doubles as well, the Williams sisters often play, Caroline Wozniacki, <b>John Isner</b>, <b>Mardy Fish</b>, Jelena Jankovic, Gael Monfils and <b>Vera Zvonareva</b> have all, among others, played US Open doubles in recent years. The biggest advantage of seeing the stars in action in doubles is that you get far closer to the action, sometimes it's as if you're watching some of the world's best players play at a public park. The proximity also means that your chance for close up pictures and autographs increases exponentially. Not to mention, doubles' rapid-fire action at the net is often in distinct contrast with the prevailing baseline warfare mentality on display in the singles. Watching and taking lessons from the top players on the doubles court can help you add new wrinkles to your own game.<br />
<b><u><br /></u></b><b><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">>>>Better You Hear It From Us</span></u></b><br />
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<u style="font-weight: bold;">Changeovers</u> - If you're sitting in the lower level of the stadium, you're not getting back in until a changeover. Don't get huffy, don't make the audible sighs of annoyance, don't ask if the usher knows who you are. This is tennis; you're not getting back in. Oh, and since the players don't sit until the third game of a set, you're not getting back in until then. Avoid leaving at the end of a set because it'll take you three games, not the usual two, to get back in.<br />
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<u style="font-weight: bold;">Saving Seats</u> - If the court is crowded, especially Armstrong or the Grandstand chances are ushers are only letting a few people in, in the order they're in line. You can't really save a seat in this situation because there's no guarantee that your weak-bladdered buddy is getting back in. There may be a place for your friend when they get back in, but first things first.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><i>No one's REALLY going to shove a tennis ball down your throat, but why test them...</i></td></tr>
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<u style="font-weight: bold;">You're Not A Line Judge</u> - No one cares if you thought the ball was out. Not the line judge, the umpire or either player. In fact, since you're not on the court, it's a fair bet your angle of sight isn't as good as theirs. Shut your mouth during the point. At best, you win a parlor game with no prize. At worst, you can distract the players during a key juncture of the match. It's a no-win situation, so leave the line calling to the judges...and/or Hawkeye.<br />
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<u style="font-weight: bold;">No Laptops or Big Bags</u> - The US Open prohibits backpacks and laptops, let's be honest, you're going to finish that spreadsheet or study for your LSATs anyway. For a full list of prohibited items, visit the <a href="http://www.usopen.org/Visiting_the_Open/Security_Procedures/">US Open's website</a>. It will save you a lot of frustration deciding whether you should use the off-site storage facility or take your precious MacBook Air back to its Manhattan cocoon. Also, for football (soccer) fans thinking of making tennis their next favorite sport, vuvuzelas are strictly prohibited, sorry.<br />
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<u style="font-weight: bold;">Quiet Please</u> - A lot of sports fans don't understand the fact that tennis is generally played in quiet, for good reason, it requires concentration. A baseball player who gets a hit 3 times out of ten is a superstar, a tennis player may need to hit 10 shots in a row that are moving at the speed a major league fastball, in a batter's box larger than a typical New York City apartment. Oh, and that's to win a single point. Also, leave your infants at home; <a href="http://youtu.be/DgbxPcOBGrc"><b>David Ferrer</b> is entered in the tournament</a>.<br />
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<u style="font-weight: bold;">Your Phone</u> - Text and tweet all day, quietly tell someone (during a changeover) that you'll call them back as soon as you're out of the stadium...but turn your ringer off and don't try to have a "quiet" conversation with your mom during the match. Especially if she doesn't know what <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4H5kpmDkSU" target="_blank">Victoria Azarenka</a> sounds like playing tennis.<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline;">>>>Got More Tips?</span><br />
We spend a lot of time at the US Open every year, but we don't claim to know EVERYTHING. Got a few tips you want to share, that's what the comments section is for. Enjoy the Open, kids!</div>
V Blacklabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125615614758000251noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8322616399883515353.post-41458890199532337062013-08-25T04:19:00.000-04:002013-08-25T11:27:42.261-04:00Janko, Looking Up <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Given the volume of press ink and keystrokes they generate, writing a post about tennis without the names Djokovic, Nadal, Federer, Murray, Sharapova, Azarenka or either Williams seems almost as valuable a modern day skill for tennis writers as quill pen mastery. That said, if we're taking the shot, why not turn our attention to one of the sport's other most compelling characters, Janko Tipsarevic. The bespectacled, Dostoevsky-tatted, sometime EDM DJ who was ranked a career high 8th in the world a year ago talked to myself and<a href="http://www.thesixthset.com/" target="_blank"> Josh Meiseles of the Sixth Set</a> in the run up to the year's final major. Despite a tough go of it on court lately, the Serb found plenty of reasons for optimism.<br />
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Tipsarevic started 2013 barreling through a relatively weak draw in Chennai (his highest ranked opponent was 60th ranked Go Soeda) to win his first ATP title of the year and his fourth overall. Unfortunately, he found himself snakebit a couple of weeks later at the year's first major, the Australian Open. There, he was forced to pull out of his Round of 16 match versus Nicolas Almagro due to a foot injury. Unfortunately, the venom seems not to have been diluted with time. Despite a strong 7-1 start in January, Tipsarevic has been reeling since. The 29 year old is just 8-16 since leaving Australia. He arrives in New York ranked 21st in the world. For the record, the computer doesn't lie, he's only managed back to back match wins twice since January; the last time at Roland Garros where he was dismissed in straight sets by Mikhail Youzhny in the third round.<br />
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Defending quarterfinalist points (360) from a year ago, the US Open would be a great venue to reverse a slide that he can't help but address, even unprompted on Twitter. After falling in Montreal to Denis Istomin, his tenth opening round loss of the season, Tipsarevic tweeted, "The saddest part is that I'm practicing really well and have lost like 1 practice match since Madrid, but who gives a shit about that." When we spoke with him, Tipsarevic was candid about the mental aspect of his struggles.<br />
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"I have to say that [the length of the season] was, apart from a little injury I had at the beginning of the year, one of the reasons why I dropped in the rankings," Tipsarevic admitted. "At least in my case, [I] really needed to be focused every single day of [my] life; because you have other younger and better guys who are working to take your spot." While his results waned, his professionalism did not. "Up to Cincinnati, I was working hard," Tipsarevic said, "staying fit, staying in shape, but I wasn't really mentally there and I didn't enjoy myself."<br />
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Rough patch notwithstanding, the Serb feels like he and his game have turned a corner just in time for the US Open. "I started feeling physically and mentally better last week [in Cincinnati]," Tipsarevic said. "I know I lost in the second round, but I had a good win against Sam Querrey. I started enjoying myself playing matches again....I hope things are going to change.... I kinda lost my focus a little bit and you can see the results, I dropped out of the top 20, but I'm feeling good, I'm playing good, it's not the end of the world and I hope I'll be back in the top 10."<br />
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The optimism surrounding Tipsarevic of late extends to the situation of his compatriot and Davis Cup teammate, Viktor Troicki. The 27 year old former World No. 12 was suspended for 18 months by the ITF for breaking anti-doping rules, specifically failing to provide a blood test following a loss at the Monte Carlo Masters back in April. <br />
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"I know as you probably know that a decision will be made in four months. He's going through a rough patch," Tipsarevic said regarding Troicki. "I'm talking to him often on the phone and via email. He has a healthy approach to it. He's been practicing every day and doing fitness." When asked about Troicki's frame of mind, Tipsarevic said Troicki's spirits were up so far "because they might reduce his sentence, but we'll see."<br />
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Although he was in great spirits throughout, Tipsarevic reserved his biggest smile for the end of our conversation. "Coming the 19th of January." he said beaming, referring to the due date of his first child. Suddenly, it all made sense. His inner calm comes from perspective. Tennis matches aren't the only important thing in the world; nor are the exploits of a small handful of players, the only worthy stories in the tennis world.<br />
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Special thanks to Karen Pestaina of<a href="http://www.tennispanorama.com/" target="_blank"> Tennis Panorama</a> for the access<br />
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For my more frequent off the cuff observations, follow me on Twitter: @vblacklabel<br />
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V Blacklabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125615614758000251noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8322616399883515353.post-53168657834931027052013-08-20T22:41:00.001-04:002013-08-21T14:05:30.989-04:005 Minutes With Maria<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Rather unexpectedly yesterday, I found out that I'd have five minutes to talk with Maria Sharapova on behalf of <a href="http://www.tennispanorama.com/" target="_blank">Tennis Panorama</a>. I have to say if I was planning to have five minutes with Maria, I wouldn't have necessarily have selected a chic Fifth Avenue boutique as a venue. Nor would I have invited in about 30 cameras, ten other reporters (and/or bloggers), various handlers, a couple hundred adoring fans or the WTA superstar's ATP pro boyfriend, who loomed about thirty feet away, largely unnoticed. Still, no complaints here.<br />
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While it's been a tumultuous summer filled with injuries, coaching intrigue and uncharacteristic losses on court for Sharapova, we found her to be quite calm in the center of the media frenzy that frankly, she must be used to by now as arguably the most famous female athlete in the world. The four-time major champion was amiable and not at all intimidating despite looking runway ready and matching my 6'3" height in her heels. Maria was in New York, obviously for the US Open which commences on Monday, but also to launch Sugarpova's second set, an accessory collection, in association with Henri Bendel New York. So, how did we spend our time together? Maria and I discussed working with brands (<i>ed. note</i>: my own day job), building Sugarpova, connecting with her fans and of course, her tennis summer leading up to the US Open. I'm done rambling, here's my interview with Maria Sharapova.<br />
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Q: You've worked with a lot of great brands over the course of your career. How have you picked the brands you've worked with?<br />
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A: It's really about finding the values that are important to you, who you want to associate yourself with. It's also about the time commitment that you're able to give in a partnership in a relationship. When we launched the collection of Sugarpova, the candies itself, last year at Henri Bendel, it seemed like a very organic flow to accessories because that's what they're known for and have done for so many years. It's just a partnership that felt really real and honest. In terms of hair accessories, it's something that I use when I'm on the court, so it worked really well together.<br />
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Q: What has it been like going from working with brands to being the brand yourself? Because I hear you're very involved with Sugarpova.<br />
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A: Well that is one of the reasons I wanted to start this because I really wanted to create something that was my own where I made those final decisions in the end, because I've worked with many big brands and I was a very small part of that; which gave me so much experience which I really thought I could use in this kind of venture.<br />
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Q: Tell me a little bit more about your collection from Henri Bendel<br />
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A: Well, the accessories I personally designed. Henri Bendel is known for their accessories, that's what they're best at. And they've done it for so many years and I wanted this to be young and fun and with the energy of the candies as well. It just seemed like a really natural progression.<br />
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Q: Let's talk about what a brand gets working with Maria Sharapova. A lot of times a brand will bring a star in, they'll pose for some pictures, do some appearances and that's the end of it. Tell me how you get involved with the process with the brand.<br />
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A: I enjoy being in the process from the very get go, from the beginning. From creating the actual product, to drawing it, to bringing in ideas, to the way things are placed. I personally worked on the logo for over a year. it took two years to just create the candy and the packaging and the advertisements. The packaging was extremely important to me and all the different images. You see each one has a different kind of meaning and color and design and that doesn't come overnight. it takes a lot of time to create. So the same thing with the accessories, after we did the candies, there was a lot of demand. Everyone really responded well to the logo and we just thought it would be really fun to do it with accessories.<br />
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Q: Everyone I've seen you play in the last year or so, you've done Sugarpova launches. How was it making for that in the midst of your day job; the tennis?<br />
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A: I feel like it's been really fun. It's just an evening and a couple of hours of my time. We've expanded to so many markets and different countries that I never thought in a year...I mean this is just our one year anniversary, I never thought that we'd be in as many countries as we are in. And I feel like it's also a bit of an interaction with my fans. Because when they see you play on stadium court, when they see you at a photo shoot, or see you in a picture, they don't have that chemistry between one another. I don't know, I feel like I've really gotten to spend a bit more time with people that are my biggest fans.<br />
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Q: You've been coming to New York for a long time. You've had some extraordinary success here. Tell me what's your favorite thing about coming back to New York City?<br />
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A: I love the electricity, I love the energy. I love going on that center court and just feeling like this is what I've worked towards. I feel like I wanna compete. it's so different to all the other grand slams in terms of energy and the excitement around the players and you feel that when you're out there and it just makes it extra special.<br />
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Q: Last question Maria, you've had a bit of an unconventional run up to the US Open this year. Tell me how you feel with all the changes, not having gotten a lot of matches. How do you feel going into this tournament in 2013?<br />
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A: Well, despite everything, this is one of the biggest grand slams for us. It's the last grand slam of the year and. You know, I had a great start to my year. The first six months were great despite the last couple of losses. You know, I'm extremely happy to be here and still be No. 3 in the world, going into this tournament as one of the favorites. Yeah, I really hope that I'll be able to play great tennis. I've been practicing and working hard for it.<br />
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For more of my tennis ramblings, follow me on Twitter: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/vblacklabel" target="_blank">@vblacklabel</a></div>
V Blacklabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125615614758000251noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8322616399883515353.post-38687077343139762042013-08-19T08:59:00.002-04:002013-08-25T17:36:26.095-04:005 For The Open: Rafa Playing For History<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i>5 for the Open is a look at five storylines that will be major plot points going into 2013's final major, the US Open.</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">What are the odds of Rafael Nadal winning the 2013 US Open? Well, they're infinitely better than they were back in February when we weren't sure if his balky knees would even let him play the tournament, let alone be marked as a prohibitive favorite. Since those nervous first steps back onto the battlefield in Chile, the Spaniard has won his 8th title at Roland Garros, a record tying five Masters 1000 titles this season (Indian Wells, Rome, Madrid, Montreal and Cincinnati) and a season high 55 matches in 58 starts, including 15 consecutive wins on the North American hardcourts. This is clearly the most steam the Rafa Express has ever had buggy-whipping its way into Flushing Meadows. On the other hand, his biggest rivals Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray are all searching for answers after uneven hardcourt runs. As always, the draw will have its say, but all things being equal, it's hard not to consider Nadal the US Open favorite at this moment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">What would a win mean for him here? As he's fond of saying in his English-language pressers, a second US Open title would be "more than a dream" for the former World No. 1. It would further cement Nadal's exalted place in the tennis pantheon, putting his run even more solidly among the very best few to ever swing a racquet. Here's how.</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">No. 1 Now:</u> For starters, a US Open title means 2,000 ATP rankings points. While that wouldn't be <i>quite</i> enough points to immediately unseat Novak Djokovic (unless Djokovic lost before the final), it would mean a likely return to the No. 1 ranking in short order for the clear leader of the ATP Race to London. With no points to defend until February, a US Open title would shift the rankings pressure squarely onto Djokovic's shoulders. Djokovic is defending champion's points (3,000 of them total) at Beijing, the Shanghai Masters and the ATP World Tour Final (lovingly abbreviated as the ATP WTF). If Nadal bested Djokovic in the final in New York, the Serb's lead would be cut to just 120 points. If the Serb fell earlier, a title would secure Nadal's improbable bull run back to the top spot in the world rankings.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">All-Time Elite:</u> A win in New York would also make Nadal the odds-on favorite to finish 2013 as ATP Year End No. 1 for a third nonconsecutive season. (He's also finished No. 2 for five nonconsecutive seasons.*) Winning the ATP points race in 2013 would push him into even more select company. While 16 men have finished an ATP season as the world's best, only five of them have managed to claim the post three or more times. Here's your rundown:</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Pete Sampras (6x)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Roger Federer (5x)</span></li>
<li>Jimmy Connors (5x)</li>
<li>John McEnroe (4x)</li>
<li>Ivan Lendl (4x)</li>
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u>Lucky No. 13:</u> </b>A second US Open crown would mark Nadal's 13th major title, breaking his tie with Roy Emerson and putting him one major behind Pete Sampras, who ranks 2nd all-time with 14 majors--Roger Federer leads with 17. What's lucky about 13? Well, both men who have won a 13th slam to date have gone on to add to their trophy collections. </span><u style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold;"><br /></u></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold;"><u>One Away</u>:</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> A second US Open win would leave Nadal just one Australian Open shy of a second career Grand Slam, a feat never before accomplished by a man in open tennis. (Rod Laver's grand slams straddled the Amateur and Open eras). Nadal would be just this title from accomplishing the feat in New York if his blistering 5-set, 6-hour Aussie Open final in 2012 had tilted in the other direction, but the history it what it is. That said, a man often lauded (and derided) as the King of Clay could win his fifth major off of his favorite surface in New York and he would be one (admittedly large) step away from having proven himself twice over on all four of the sport's biggest stages.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Why does this matter now? For all the hand-wringing about the fading fortunes of fellow all-time great Roger Federer, this amazing 2013 run looks likely to be the beginning of the last major push for the Man from Mallorca too. Forget the balky knees, the numbers never lie. Nadal will turn 28 during next year's French Open, an age where even the healthiest players begin to truly face their tennis mortality. Remember Marion Bartoli? The reigning Wimbledon champion who retired just days ago saying she and her body have had enough; that she'd achieved her dreams and it's time to go. She's 28. Andy Roddick hung it up at the Open a year ago at 29. Would anyone be shocked to hear the Spaniard express similar sentiments in the not too distant future? One, two, three seasons more? We're not sure, but at 28, the clock on a pro tennis career really starts ticking loudly. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Believe it or not, the kid who upset the apple cart in disrupting Roger Federer's vice grip on the tennis world is now more an elder statesman himself. </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">An extremely accomplished one at that who's making what could likely be his last film bore run at history. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">We're not saying Rafa's done, but he's certainly not as far from it as he once was. A title at this US Open could dramatically alter how history remembers Rafa when he hangs up his Babolat.</span><br />
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V Blacklabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125615614758000251noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8322616399883515353.post-77366007573092242052013-07-20T15:33:00.001-04:002013-07-21T09:37:19.086-04:00The Truth About The Fed<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Alright, we've bitten our tongue more than once on this one, but it's really obvious isn't it? Do we even really need to say it? Sit down; it's time to talk about Roger. Yes, Roger the GOAT...Swiss guy, likes English grass, chocolates and Rolexes. Well...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Roger Federer is in irreversible decline. It's a simple statement, but one that will inevitably draw angry Federer fanboys and fangirls to this post like catnip. Thus, in advance of all the defending we'll have to do later, let us say simply what we are NOT declaring here:</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We're not saying Federer will never win another tournament...or even a major</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We're not saying Federer will continue losing eminently winnable matches to players outside the top 100</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">We're not saying Federer is being shipped off to the Shady Pines Retirement Village</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1325162971" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-family: inherit; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">tomorrow</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">, or that he should be</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></li>
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But let's have a rational, bloodless conversation about Federer, where he's been, where he is and where he's going. <span style="font-family: inherit;">We don't think we're overreacting to Federer's loss today to newly minted Argentine folk hero Frederick Delbonis, but the reality is that this kind of thing didn't used to happen. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">From 2004-2007, the man went 315-24, for American fans that's essentially the equivalent of playing back to back 12-loss Major League Baseball seasons, or four consecutive six loss NBA seasons. Apologize for the vulgarity, but that's otherworldly shit right there. </span></i> </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">That just doesn't happen in sports...unless your name is Roger Federer. That's the record of less a man and more a forehand launching machine carefully calibrated to destroy all that came before him. There's a reason the Fedal Wars (the term for the social media battles between fans of Federer and his arch rival Rafael Nadal) were so protracted and engrossing. Of those 24 losses in Federer's Halcyon days, fully one third, 8 losses, were at the hands of the Spanish icon. The casual observer will sometimes claim, oftimes without context, that clay is Federer's worst surface and mathematically, yes, the numbers bear that out...but let's examine those shades of gray. Federer's four losses at Roland Garros over that span were at the hands of Gustavo Kuerten (2004) and Nadal (2005-2007), two men who combined to win ELEVEN French Opens. Nadal single-handedly (or double-handedly if we're talking about his backhand) denied Federer a chance to earn the true calendar year Grand Slam twice (a semifinal loss to Marat Safin in a forgotten classic Australian Open five setter ended his chances in 2005). In 2006 and 2007 it was Nadal who turned Federer back in Paris from an even greater place in history than the one he's already carved out. Between 2004 and 2007, Federer played in 66 ATP and Grand Slam tournaments. He won 42 of them...Tiger, who?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Then came that match...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">You know, the great one, the only tennis match we've ever even considered (and wound up) buying on DVD. 2008, Wimbledon, Federer, Nadal. We all know how it ended. Nadal, twice himself turned back from Wimbledon titles at the last hurdle by the Swiss great, cracked his opponent's citadel. It was a watershed moment for Nadal, he was no longer going to go down in history as maybe just the King of Clay (he had only won four of his eight Roland Garros titles by then, mind you), but as a Wimbledon champion as well. There was now a player who could beat the great man no matter the surface. It was Nadal, not the heavily tipped Swiss, who would capture Olympic singles gold on the Beijing hardcourts. Then, exhausted from his breakthrough summer, Nadal would miss his next appointment with Federer at the US Open, which the Swiss would go on to win. After the "offseason" Nadal came roaring back, leaving Federer reduced to tears after a bruising five-set loss in the 2009 Australian Open final. Worse yet, it wasn't just Nadal, the World No. 1 and holder of three major titles (as Federer had been coming into the 2008 season) putting him on his heels anymore. A year prior in that same Rod Laver Arena, Novak Djokovic had stunned Federer in the semifinal on the way to the his first major title. Remember, </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Federer won 42 of 66 tournaments played between 2004 and 2007. That 2008 season, Federer played 19 tournaments and claimed just four titles. 2008 was the beginning of Federer's decline.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But hey, Federer didn't exactly go tumbling from his peak into the abyss, did he? Nadal's famously wonky knees and stress from his parents' separation contributed as much to his loss at the 2009 French Open as Robin Soderling did, and both conspired to keep him from even attempting to defend his hard-won Wimbledon title. Federer bagged both titles without much fuss; securing his career grand slam as Nadal had been removed from his path in Paris; then claiming the all-time Grand Slam title record with his 15th major title at that year's Wimbledon, again without facing Nadal, then a three-time finalist at the All England Club. Without the context of Nadal's absence, Federer looked resurgent in that triumphant 2009 campaign; he would end the year once again No. 1 in the world. Before that season concluded though, another crack formed in the veneer of the worldbeating champion. He unexpectedly snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in the 2009 US Open final, with Juan Martin del Potro capturing the title from two sets to one down. Prior to that tournament, Federer had lost five major finals before, but every one had been to Nadal. In short, this was not the same Roger Federer.</span></div>
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The 2010 season would commence with Federer winning the Australian Open over a not-quite ready for primetime Andy Murray, but from there the rest of the season belonged to a reinvigorated Nadal, as would the titles at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open. Federer's 13 losses that year included defeats to Albert Montanes, Marcos Baghdatis and Ernests Gulbis. Federer would only reach the semifinal of one other major, the US Open, where he would finish on the wrong side of a blockbuster loss to Novak Djokovic. Robin Soderling and Tomas Berdych would see him out of Roland Garros and Wimbledon respectively. From there, after eight straight years with a major title, Federer would go two seasons without adding to his then cache of sixteen. He again ceded the top ranking to Nadal in 2010, who would then be toppled, by Djokovic, the following year. The Serb was playing spectacular tennis in Robo-Nole mode in 2011, when in an ironic twist, Federer kept him from meeting Nadal (who Djokovic had beaten four times in a row to that point) in the Roland Garros final. Federer won a tight four-set semifinal over Djokovic, before losing to...you get the picture.</div>
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<i><i><span style="font-size: large;">Between 2004-2007, Federer was 12-10 versus Nadal, Djokovic and Murray</span></i></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">Since 2008, he's 23-34 versus his younger rivals</span></i></blockquote>
Once again, Federer was able to obscure his decline. He ended his major-less 2011 season with a flurry, winning his hometown event in Basel, the Paris Masters and the World Tour Finals, thrashing Nadal 6-3, 6-0 for good measure on the fast indoor surface at the O2 Arena in London. There seemed to be life in the old man yet. In hindsight, it seems to have been a final assault on the No. 1 ranking. Federer was one week shy of Pete Sampras' last big career record, most (non-consecutive) weeks at No. 1 and that one week margin would not be left to stand. Federer needed a major title to get back to No. 1 and he got it at Wimbledon in 2012. Nadal, the five-time finalist had been dumped out in the second round by Lukas Rosol, but it was still tough sledding for the venerable champ. He found his way past Djokovic in the semifinal and the hometown hope, Murray, in the championship match. Most majors, most weeks at No. 1, mission accomplished. Djokovic would end 2012 at No. 1 for the second year running, but Federer had done what he came into the season to do, leave no doubt that he was the greatest to have played.<br />
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Not that Federer's ready to go home. He still competes just as hard, but the shanks off his racquet frame come more frequently, as do the losses. He decided to play a shorter schedule this year, 14 versus his typical 18 events. Instead of keeping him fresh, the extra time off seems to have corroded his usually Rolex-precise game. His only title this season came on the grass of Halle, Germany right before Wimbledon. He didn't face a top 10 player there, but he did what he had to do; beat the guys in front of him before hoisting a trophy. He closed with tight three set wins over fellow over-30 stalwarts Tommy Haas and Mikhail Youzhny in the semifinal and final respectively. Federer has played six matches against other top ten players this year, he's won once, a five set slugfest against a 7th seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Australia. Tsonga returned the favor at his native major, Roland Garros, a clean kill, in straight sets. Where he reclaimed the No. 1 ranking at Wimbledon a year ago, a listless 2nd round loss this year to Sergiy Stakhovsky (best known to that point for his work on Twitter) left him clinging to a slot in the top five. Today, he added to the scrap heap in Hamburg, as the trophy that had to have been pre-engraved with Federer's name when he entered the event as the top seed, was rendered useless after he fell to Federico Delbonis in the semifinal.<br />
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We don't think today's match was a funeral, he's trying a new racquet, still has a bad back and was playing an unfamiliar opponent, but the dominant Federer is gone and he's not coming back. What about the still pretty damn good Federer we've seen the last few years? We haven't seen much of him either lately. The old racquet is gone and we wouldn't be surprised to see the back of Paul Annacone either.<br />
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Is Federer done? We're not arrogant enough to say so, but the evidence is mounting against him. We haven't seen many players much over 30 making an impact at the highest levels of the ATP Tour, Federer's now 32.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">For his longtime rival, Nadal, the biggest question has always been, how many times will injuries knock the guy to the mat before he loses the will to keep bounding back up? For Federer, the question is how long will be be able to publicly suffer the indignity of decline.</span></i> </blockquote>
Federer has not only been a dominant No. 1, but a proud one. Haas never really felt like he fulfilled his destiny, injuries derailed him at the peak of his career. Lleyton Hewitt relishes the fight so much that even at age 32, he's fought his way back into the top 100 to fight another day and another. What about Federer? Well, we've never seen anyone like him before. We've never seen a guy who's won so much; who's so thoroughly dominated (almost) all of his rivals. How will he react to no longer being No. 1, not to mention being farther away from that post than he's been in decade? How will he react to losing to players who aren't ranked high enough to even get direct entry to the majors where he's done so much damage? How will he react when he goes down a level to 250 and 500-level tournaments to get his groove back and can't get to the winners' circle? It's beginning to look like we'll see soon enough.<br />
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V Blacklabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125615614758000251noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8322616399883515353.post-69826554648210934202013-06-01T14:50:00.001-04:002013-06-01T14:50:29.408-04:00Playing Fair<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white;">As often happens at big events such as Roland Garros, the story is often simmering below the money quotes. What we all heard yesterday was seven time Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal complaining that his opponent scored an unfair advantage when officials scheduled his second round match on Thursday latest than that of his future opponent, Fabio Fognini. Nadal's profile ensures that the press will run with the quotes ruefully filed out to the press. .... "You think this is fair. I tell you this is not fair," opined the Spaniard. In fact, the fairest thing might be that it was happening to a top player for a change. Sport is the world's purest meritocracy, except when it just quite isn't. </span></div>
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">The last few years have seen players continuing in the history of their storied predecessors who launched the ATP and WTA tours. Venus Williams was famously on the frontlines of the battle for equal prize money for the men and women at Wimbledon. Andy Murray's suggestion of labor action (aka a strike) at the US Open seems to gone a long way in increasing the players' share of revenue from the Open and its sister major events.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But things in tennis overall, probably won't ever be as equal as prize money (no matter how much copy the press inspires a Gilles Simon-type to produce), while that ship has sailed and the majors are now on the right side of history, there are still issues with equality and they mirror those in society at large. Specifically, the (re)widening gap between the have and have nots, the top guns and the rank and file. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">To the credit of the top players, there has been consideration for the rank-and-file with regard to prize money; tourneys have newly committed to paying the journeymen enough to keep them filling out draws from Australia to S'Hertogenbosch and back, but for a change, money is neither everything nor the only thing. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The roof has been on fire for a few years now. While no one was particularly concerned about putting a chapeau on their show courts when Tennis Australia opened Rod Laver Arena in 1988, Wimbledon's move to cover Centre Court, two decades later, set the tennis world ablaze. A roof suddenly became a no-brainer on the order of online ticket sales (ahem, Wimbledon). Any major without one was in danger of having the players revolt, having TV networks turn away and having their tournament sanction sold to either the Far or Middle East...or Ion Tiriac's Caja Magic. When the rain comes, matches are obviously delayed, like Nadal's; except on those covered showcourts. Wimbledon's covered Centre is all well and good as a hedge on finals weekend, but what happens when it rains in week one, for days. Would a Daniel Gimeno-Traver and Viktor Troicki be afforded a center court berth if the event were backed up? What about Irina Camerin-Begu vs. Silvia Soler-Espinosa? Would the tournament put those players on their hallowed center courts? What would the fans say, let alone TV? Let's be honest, it would be ugly. How far are we from an event where the golden geese, your Djokovic, Serena, Federer, Rafa and Maria types are playing under the roof in the fourth round before the players who are often perceived as their fodder languish in round two. Sodden messes waiting to move on. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">What about the what esteemed commentator Mary Carillo refers to as game show that is electronic line calling? The ShotSpot/Hawkeye system that gives players three incorrect line challenges per set is only available at most events on "show courts," tennis code for the TV enabled courts where the top dogs feast on their prey. Except for the BNP Paribas Open which invested in the line calling system for every court at the complex hosting tour matches, the technology (approved in the wake of a horrendous bout of line calling during a Jennifer Capriati / Serena Williams US Open match) is only available on a regular basis to the very top players. Even when it is available, the system does not automatically overrule bad calls, it requires a player to stop play and request a review. While players accustomed to the system generally navigate it flawlessly, newbies often suffer. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">These issues are cracks in the foundation of the game itself. You can play under the roof if its raining, if you're famous. You can challenge bad line calls if you happen to be on the right court. In sport, the conditions of play are supposed to be equal, fair, even. Nadal was right, his scheduling on Thursday was unfair, but considering the advantages he and other top players take for granted, perhaps this instance of unfairness was a way of bringing him back to the mean. </span></div>
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V Blacklabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125615614758000251noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8322616399883515353.post-32326077818269666122013-05-27T16:22:00.001-04:002013-05-27T16:22:14.050-04:00Roland Garros 2013 - Day 2, Three Thoughts<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<u style="font-weight: bold;">Gael Force</u> - The consensus "best match on paper" of the first round, turned out to be the barnburner we all hoped for; 5th seeded Tomas Berdych vs. the wild card (in more ways than one) 81st ranked Gael Monfils, the former top 10 Frenchman on the comeback trail from injury. On Court Phillipe Chatrier, Monfils known as Sliderman had the big stage he relishes, the big opponent he loves to face and seemingly for the first time in too long, the health to play at the highest level of the sport.<br />
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Monfils came out firing, going up two sets to love on the big Czech, widely seen as the only threat to Roger Federer's death march to the final. Moreover, it was the Frenchman, not the Czech as would be widely expected, who dominated the early ace total (12-2) in those first two frames. Suddenly, a loose tiebreaker in the third set from Monfils and some inspired play in the fourth set from Berdych turned the match on its ear. Suddenly, two sets all, the match turned into a slugfest. Berdych fired flame-thrower forehands, Monfils scrambled like "How'dHeDoThat" was his middle name. With a couple of inspiring gets deep in the fifth set, the titanic struggle was over. A shade over 4 hours after it started, Monfils had scored the biggest non-upset upset of the first round, in a pyrotechnic 7-6 (8), 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-7 (4), 7-5 encounter.<br />
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We've often said we would watch Monfils play tennis anywhere. This was a perfect example of why, Monfils not only plays with an unquenchable passion and uncommon athleticism, but he's also got the game to go deep into majors, provided he's healthy. The sinewy Frenchman served 72% on the day and threw down 26 aces in the process, firing 66 winners (+22 on the winner/unforced error ratio), Berdych didn't have a bad day either, he was +15. This was great stuff all the way around. Hopefully, the oft injured 26 year old had some more of these great moments left and even over this fortnight. Next up for Monfils, another mercurial talent, Ernests Gulbis.<br />
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<u style="font-weight: bold;">The Book of Nadal</u> - Rafael Nadal opened his seventh defense of a Roland Garros title with a scratchy 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4, 6-3 win over Germany's Daniel Brands. When the definitive book on Nadal is written (were not counting his 2009 insta-autobiography) it will frame him as both one of the greatest champions to ever lift a racquet as well as one whom his closest competition largely couldn't figure out (save latter day Djokovic). The lesson the Serb's success should have taught the rank and file is that the 11-time major champion has an issue with zoning big hitters like Djokovic, Robin Soderling, Lukas Rosol and today, Daniel Brands.<br />
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Nadal dropped serve only once today, but the challenge wasn't limited to the first set. He refused to wilt, suddenly, the King of Clay was facing a coup d'état from a veritable peasant in terms of major tennis. Brands has won fewer matches in majors (five) than Nadal has won Roland Garros titles (seven), but the challenge was no less stout due to history. The German fired forehands from line to line, sending Nadal scurrying for cover. 51 winners flew off the German's racquet, his high risk/high reward style keeping the pressure on for the first two sets before taking slightly off pace in the second set breaker taken by Nadal. From there, Nadal looked set to take flight, scoring early breaks in the third and fourth sets, but the German kept the scoreboard pressure on, never falling back more than the initial break. <br />
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The King of Clay would survive the ambush 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4, 6-3. With a difficult draw and the specter of Djokovic on the horizon in a potential semifinal, this was either a seemingly unnecessary reminder to Nadal not to overlook his early competition and/or a lesson to the men who will come later on the way they'll have to play to get it done, for more than two sets.<br />
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<u style="font-weight: bold;">American Pie</u> - For all of our woes on red clay, the Americans completed a fine day on European clay. The Stars and Stripes contingent finished this Memorial Day an encouraging 8-4. Laboring on the back courts of the Roland Garros complex the day ended with wins for John Isner, Sloane Stephens, Bethanie Mattek-Sands, Varvara Lepchenko, Melanie Oudin, Ryan Harrison, Vania King and Madison Keys. Even Steve Johnson and Christina McHale who lost pushed their opponents to 5 and 3 sets respectively. Are things turning around for the Americans on the terre battue? Too soon to say, but at least we won't be making that judgment before the end of the Memorial Day weekend.</div>
V Blacklabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125615614758000251noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8322616399883515353.post-42537929052270110342013-05-26T15:48:00.000-04:002013-05-26T16:39:27.432-04:00Roland Garros 2013 - Day 1, Three Thoughts<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Roger Rolls</b> - World No. 3 Roger Federer coasted past a potential challenge from Pablo Carreno-Busta, launching his Roland Garros campaign with a rather routine 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 win. Coming into today's meeting with the all-time major champion, the Spaniard was the reigning King of the Futures, having amassed a 39-1 record on the lower-level circuit this year including a 25-0 run on clay. His success at lower levels encouraged some prognosticators to assume he would give the Swiss an early test. Federer, on the other hand, indeed proved that the future is not now, not yet at least. The Swiss master won 83% of his first serve points and going 7-for-7 on break points. Long story short, Federer blitzed the Barcelona native in a miserly 80 minutes as if he had lunch reservations at L'Entrecote. Federer will face another less-heralded qualifier in his second round match, 28 year old Somdev Devvarman of India. Federer won their first meeting back in 2011 and he'll be heavily favored to double up.<br />
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<b>Out Of Gas - </b>Lleyton Hewitt is 32 years old and unlike Federer, who's just a few months younger, Hewitt is over a decade removed from his last major title. He's also without a win of any sort at Roland Garros since 2010. The Aussie Battler wasn't given an easy road to reversing that streak, but early on, it didn't seem to matter. He jumped out up two sets to love over 15th seeded Frenchman Gilles Simon. To paraphrase Louis XIV, "Apres ca, la deluge." Hewitt needed just 66 minutes to claim the first two sets of the match, but a bit over two hours later, in a stunning turnaround, it was Gilles Simon moving on, 3-6, 1-6, 6-4, 6-1, 7-5. Simon wasn't exactly playing his best tennis, telling the press "my forehand was catastrophic, but I'm going to try to solve that," but it was enough on the day. The famously fiery Hewitt seems to have mellowed and was gracious in defeat, "You know, would've liked to have been on the other end of it. Disappointing, but he's a quality player." We wonder if it's Hewitt's last tango in Paris, given his age, injury troubles and lack of success of late on the biggest stages (he's only been in the second week of a major once since 2006), but if we know Hewitt, he won't give up the fight until he does so his terms.<br />
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<b>Serena Exorcises RG 2012</b> - One player at Roland Garros not looking back on their glory days is WTA No. 1 Serena Williams. She came on court today with a simple mission, to exorcise the demons of a shocking meltdown a year ago. She did so with a devastating 6-0, 6-1, 51 minute demolition of Georgia's Anna Tatishvili. How devastating? Tatishvili hit a grand total of zero winners in the first set, a set which lasted a grand total of 20 minutes. She raised that number infinitely to four winners in the 31-minute second set. Williams, on the other hand, fired 27 total winners past her severely outmatched opponent and nullified any lingering nerves from a year ago. "I was nervous - I'm always a little nervous going into first round matches at Slams," Williams said. "This time I wasn't as nervous as I was at other Grand Slams, though. But for the most part I felt pretty safe and felt good about my game." She didn't show those nerves show and now she's got even less reason to worry, she's now notched her best performance at Roland Garros since 2010. Serena's biggest threat, the lady in the mirror? Mmm-hmm.<br />
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V Blacklabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125615614758000251noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8322616399883515353.post-9525043576437075672013-05-26T02:33:00.001-04:002013-05-26T02:35:54.359-04:00Roland Garros 2013 Bracket Breakdown - The Women<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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After a few years in the wilderness, women's tennis has re-emerged with a cache of compelling storylines and its own big three: Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka, the queen bees dominating the current era of the game. The question going into this major is pretty much the same as it has been for the last two years. Will Serena Williams win the title...or beat herself so someone else can do it?<br />
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For the 2013 French Open men's bracket breakdown, <a href="http://www.blacklabeltennis.com/2013/05/roland-garros-2013-bracket-breakdown-men.html#morehttp://www.blacklabeltennis.com/2013/05/roland-garros-2013-bracket-breakdown-men.html#more" target="_blank">click here</a></div>
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The last few years of ATP tennis has basically been the story of the Big Four men dividing the big prizes among themselves and turning the rest of the tour into a veritable underclass. Serena Williams is on the verge of doing the same thing to the WTA Tour without the three other hangers-on. The ever-quotable world No. 1, when asked to name his biggest competition for a second title at Roland Garros, named Serena Williams, and we'd be apt to agree. Let's consider the four three majors she hasn't won: 2011 US Open (brain cramp vs. Stosur in the final), 2012 Australian Open (ankle injury vs. Makarova, 4th round), 2012 Roland Garros (choke job vs. Razzano, 1st round), 2013 Australian Open (ankle injury vs. Stephens, quarterfinal). Basically, if head and body are both in the game, Serena wins; same as it ever was.<br />
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Yes, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka are superstars and champions in their own rights, but they sport nearly identical 2-13 and 2-12 records respectively against the American superstar. In other words, the best way to defeat Williams is to wait for her to have a bad day, an injury or an inexplicable run of bad form. If she's playing anything near her best tennis, at this stage, Serena wins. We could belabor the point, but why waste your time and ours.<br />
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<b><u>First Round Five</u></b></div>
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<b style="text-decoration: underline;">(8) Angelique Kerber vs. Mona Barthel</b> - In the nastiest possible draw for a top eight seed, Angelique Kerber, the 8th seed faces another of the leading lights of post-Graf German tennis, Mona Barthel in round one. Barthel is ranked 33rd, just one spot shy of being seeded for the event and thus away from Kerber. Her issue, she's won only one match since Indian Wells, ergo her slide in the rankings. However, there are always twists and turns when countrywomen play each other and Barthel leads their head-to-head 2-1.<br />
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<u style="font-weight: bold;">(10) Caroline Wozniacki vs. Laura Robson</u> - Is there a point where former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki hits bottom and rebounds toward the summit of the game; or will she become a more Ivanovic-ian presence, consistently in the top twenty or thereabouts, consistently on the verge of a renaissance, but consistently inconsistent when it comes to putting up wins. We're not sure if we'll get the answer versus Laura Robson, but the 35th ranked Brit is a nasty first round draw for the (almost) Great Dane. Robson's had a respectable 2013, but ousting a vulnerable Wozniacki in round one could be a big step in the right direction.<br />
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<u style="font-weight: bold;">(1) Serena Williams vs. Anna Tatishvili</u> - This match should be a quick one, but Serena did fall at this stage a year ago from a winning position. That alone makes this first rounder a match must-see streaming.
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<u style="font-weight: bold;">(23) Klara Zakopalova vs. Kaia Kanepi</u> - Another tough opening rounder with the 23rd seeded Zakopalova drawn against the 40th ranked Estonian. Kanepi was in the top 20 a year ago and she's hot again right now coming in just off the Brussels title week and strong finishes at Rome (QF) and Oeiras (SF). Kanepi's the form player for sure, expect the paper upset.<br />
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<b><u>Bethanie Mattek-Sands vs. Lourdes Dominguez-Lino</u> - </b>The colorful American is back in the top 100 after struggling with injury for over a year. She posted a big win over Sara Errani back in Stuttgart and has zero fear of the clay. She will however open her Roland Garros campaign against a dirtballer journeywoman in Dominguez-Lino and one who played her way to the final in Marrakech a few weeks ago.<br />
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<b><u>Final Four</u></b></div>
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(1) S. Williams d. (5) Errani; (3) Azarenka d. (2) Sharapova</div>
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(1) S. Williams d. (2) Azarenka</div>
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We're fond of saying that the picks that are remembered are the bold ones. No one ever thinks twice about the guy who says "Nadal at Roland Garros; Federer at Wimbledon," but sometimes you have to go chalk; this is of those times. The men's tournament has a distinct top three contenders for the tour and no one would be shocked to see Djokovic, Nadal or Federer win on the men's side. With the women, there's a distinct top three, but there's a steep dropoff between each of them. The most evenly matched pair are Azarenka and Sharapova, with the Belarussian leading the head-to-head 7-5, ergo the semifinal result. Doesn't matter though, right now, the other women are playing for second place. It's simple, they're not Serena. The only question, will Serena be...?</div>
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V Blacklabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125615614758000251noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8322616399883515353.post-14962179719697621092013-05-26T00:16:00.000-04:002013-05-26T02:40:34.384-04:00Roland Garros 2013 Bracket Breakdown - The Men<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Apropos, no?</i></td></tr>
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It's the most wonderful time of the year to be a tennis fan. The annual European swing between Monte Carlo and Wimbledon heralds the start of the northern summer which means as many hours on court as a man can stand, not to mention on TV, two of the tennis calendar's crown jewels - Roland Garros and Wimbledon; to say nothing of the most venerable events on tour jammed into this period: Monte Carlo, Rome, Stuttgart, Queen's Club, and on and on.<br />
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With Roland Garros, aka, the French Open upon us, we take a look at the draws to find out who will leave Paris with shiny new hardware and who will leave as annoyed as a Parisian waiter who was just asked for ketchup. First up, les hommes (the men).<br />
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For the 2013 French Open women's bracket breakdown, <a href="http://www.blacklabeltennis.com/2013/05/roland-garros-2013-bracket-breakdown.html" target="_blank">click here</a></div>
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Weeks before any players or player entourages set foot into the Bois de Boulogne, most handicappers had narrowed the list of contenders for the Coupe des Mousquetaires to two men. Going off as chalk are world No. 1 Novak Djokovic and seven-time champion Rafael Nadal. At the time of this writing, William Hill had Nadal going off at 4:5 odds; Djokovic at 5:2. That said, the withdrawal of World No. 2 Andy Murray due to a back injury, put both of the presumed top contenders on the same side of the draw, rendering their projected semifinal, the de facto final. If they get there, Nadal's got to like his chances, he's played eight events this year and won six (losing finals in the other two events). Djokovic ought to like his chances too though, he's won their sole matchup this year, right in Nadal's kitchen, denying the Spaniard a mind-boggling ninth title at Monte Carlo.<br />
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The third man, at 9:1, is the only other active man to win Roland Garros in the Rafaelite Era, one Roger Federer. While it would be foolhardy to count out the 2nd seeded Swiss, he's a surprisingly mediocre 4-5 versus top 20 players in 2013. Skipping most of the claycourt season to rest his body, presumably for his Wimbledon defense, Federer is just 4-2 for the year on the red stuff. That said, there are plenty of positive signs for Federer as well. He reached the final of the Rome Masters a week ago, he is guaranteed to face qualifiers in his first two rounds and even better, he is clear on the opposite side of the draw from Djokovic and Nadal, with David Ferrer as his projected semifinal opponent.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>David Ferrer at Roland Garros (Retro Shot)</i></td></tr>
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Outside of the Big 3, the "Second Spaniard" David Ferrer, would be the man to watch. The fourth seeded "Little Beast" is one of the toughest outs on the ATP Tour, but he's 9-44 against the Big 3: Djokovic, Federer and Nadal; worse yet, he's never beaten his projected semifinal opponent, Federer...not once in fourteen attempts. That said, Ferrer is getting closer to the citadel. He's played Nadal VERY close on clay <i>almost</i> upsetting his countryman in the Barcelona final a year ago and a couple weeks ago in the semis of Madrid. Can he find the belief against the Big 3 at a major though? On paper, we would say no; but as we're fond of saying, paper is not an officially sanctioned surface.<br />
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<b><u>First Round Five (five first rounders to watch):</u></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u>(5) Berdych v. Monfils</u></b> - Arguably the most exciting tennis player to watch and a former top ten player on a long comeback trail from injury, Monfils, on paper, should be a tough first round matchup for the surging Czech, but he's not found his best tennis yet in his comeback and he has only cost Berdych one set in their three matches to date.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><b><u>(8) Tipsarevic v. Mahut</u></b> - The French fans love Nicolas Mahut, while Janko Tipsarevic can't seem to get out of his own way of late. Tipsarevic's struggles seem to be mostly mental at the moment, but with a solid opening stanza from Mahut and all bets would be off for the Serb coming through.</span>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><b><u>(26) Dimitrov v. Falla</u></b> - He canoodled with Maria Sharapova, kicked Novak Djokovic's ass and almost did the same to Rafa Nadal, it's been a good few weeks for the Bulgarian. That said, now it's not a warm up, but a major and the Colombian is as solid as they come, especially on clay. We're predicting a barnburner.</span>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><b><u>(24) Paire v. Baghdatis</u></b> - Two entertaining players with a lot of game. Baghdatis may be rapidly approaching his sell by date, but he always plays his best ball on the big stages. Roland Garros vs. the surging Frenchman would qualify in our book.</span>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u>Stepanek v. Kyrgios</u></b> - Another old timer versus young comer battle as 18 year old Aussie wildcard Nick Kyrgios match up. The kid, in the draw due to an untimely injury to his countryman John Millman, has been playing futures all year and has lopped almost 600 places off his ranking this year. Nonetheless, the Czech is a big step up. A strong showing would be a nice boost for Aussie fortunes.</span></span>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>How many times can we engrave the same guy's name onto this trophy?</i></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u>The Final Four</u></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Semifinals: Federer d. Ferrer, Nadal d. Djokovic</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">Rafael Nadal has arguably the toughest road to the Roland Garros title of the top seeds. He's likely to face a rejuvenated Stanislas Wawrinka and his nemesis Novak Djokovic BEFORE playing in the final. That said, this tournament has been the focal point of the Nadal tennis season since time immemorial, or at least since 2005. His run on the Latin American clay, his Euro clay swing, everything the Spaniard has done since removing himself from the fray after Wimbledon last year, has been building toward a return to glory at Roland Garros, a 12th major, tying Roy Emerson for third on the all-time list. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">Novak Djokovic, though, has been remarkably inconsistent this year. David Ferrer lacks belief on the big stages against the top competition and if Roger Federer faces Nadal, chances are we know the score. The other guys in the draw certainly matter, but we haven't seen much evidence that the current generation of non-Big 4 talent can win the big ones. It's doubtful we find that proof in Paris...not this year.</span></div>
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V Blacklabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125615614758000251noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8322616399883515353.post-63736978530335693192013-05-11T23:50:00.005-04:002013-05-12T00:50:51.527-04:00The Sunday Line: Madrid Finals <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Blacklabel Tennis' take on this weekend's ATP and WTA finals.</span></div>
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<b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><u>(1) Serena Williams v. (2) Maria Sharapova</u></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">When Maria Sharapova defeated Serena Williams to win Wimbledon (her first major) in 2004, she was all steely serve and stinging groundies; a player perfectly crafted to dominate the field on fast courts. Yes, she's won Wimbledon and the US Open, but the Siberian Siren who stands before us today has morphed into a clay court colossus. With 25 consecutive wins on the red clay, including seven at Roland Garros that completed her career grand slam, Sharapova should be considered the runaway favorite any time she plays on the surface. But yeah, there's Serena.</span></div>
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<a name='more'></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSGiDRynWAZslp_InIaHBKcGHT03Y-lroawTCb_0zNALEjoZvzrp7txbuSElitCfMIo11bT5pGdxmb4EC30rj41N9fgDbgj8VIKIniuZj4gY3i8j-fZzLX_LaFPhLynWAxaH0RK32Mn9Nq/s1600/Serena+Madrid+2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSGiDRynWAZslp_InIaHBKcGHT03Y-lroawTCb_0zNALEjoZvzrp7txbuSElitCfMIo11bT5pGdxmb4EC30rj41N9fgDbgj8VIKIniuZj4gY3i8j-fZzLX_LaFPhLynWAxaH0RK32Mn9Nq/s640/Serena+Madrid+2013.jpg" width="640" /></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">You remember Serena Williams, right? Muscular American,15 major titles, World No. 1, defending champion from last year's special smurf turf edition of the tourney. Maria Sharapova sure does. After that long ago loss to Sharapova at Wimbledon and a subsequent loss at that year's WTA Tour Championships, Williams seems to have vowed never to lose to Sharapova again. If she indeed did, she's kept that promise to herself. Nine years and twelve matches later, Serena is riding an unparalleled win streak against the Russian tennis star/candy magnate. Decisive proof of tomorrow's winner, no? Well, let us add one caveat; none of those matches were on red clay. </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggLA9vNL0ciJX9TR3XnlTW0teW-_bYhmOghwXMnVhhN_O663RE637rpOHvYqX7FjTAtL7Zpepmfc5SJP3tfq1Xt-2junRAm7PvNYzrMGvzAuWRfTznDUxzGc0-8KMf8v2hyphenhyphen2jDrj6j4mSi/s1600/Sharapova+Madrid+2013.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggLA9vNL0ciJX9TR3XnlTW0teW-_bYhmOghwXMnVhhN_O663RE637rpOHvYqX7FjTAtL7Zpepmfc5SJP3tfq1Xt-2junRAm7PvNYzrMGvzAuWRfTznDUxzGc0-8KMf8v2hyphenhyphen2jDrj6j4mSi/s640/Sharapova+Madrid+2013.png" width="640" /></a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">99% of Serena Williams matches are all about Serena Williams. This one is not, it's about both players. Serena has seemed a bit out of sorts all tournament long and Maria has seemed in her element. This is a big opportunity for the Russian, one we don't think she'll let slip.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Sharapova stated that this year her 2013 goals were to win Wimbledon and the US Open. Desires aside, Sharapova's game best matches up with Williams on the red clay. Serena's big serve is blunted somewhat by the slow clay. Maria's movement is as effective as Williams' on red clay, in part because the American's groundstrokes lose some of their trademark zip. Also, let's not forget that Serena's worst surface (she hasn't won a title on red clay since 2002) is Maria's best (she's won her last four starts). In addition to the title, the World No. 1 ranking is on the line and for Sharapova at least, a modicum of pride in stopping a near-decade long losing streak to Williams.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">The pick: Sharapova in straight sets</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><b><u>(5) Rafael Nadal vs. (14) Stanislas Wawrinka</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">The next time Stanislas Wawrinka beats Rafael Nadal will be the first time. Eight matches, eight Nadal victories. Seventeen sets, all to Nadal. Oh, and by the way, the match is on red clay and in Spain. It's fair to say that among those who analyze regressive analysis and home-court advantage, Nadal's the heavy favorite. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">The stats are the stats, but let's be honest, the history is history. Wawrinka, the longtime Swiss second fiddle is arguably playing the best tennis of his entire career. He will leave Spain back in the top 10 for the first time in almost five years. He's coming into this match on a nine-match win streak having won the title in Oeiras (nee Estoril) where he thrashed David Ferrer 1 and 4 in the final. He didn't leave his mojo there though, he dispatched Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Tomas Berdych back-to-back in Madrid en route to his audience with the King of Clay. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Nadal's return from exile has produced stellar results thus far. He's 29-2 with seven finals in as many events. A Masters title on the hardcourts of Indian Wells and two 500-level crowns in Acapulco and Barcelona is a strong start for a man who missed seven months of competition, but let's tell the whole story. While the King of Clay has certainly had regal moments in this comeback, his arsenal is not at full strength. Nadal has relied on rhythm and physicality to conquer Roland Garros seven times, but he won't be able to rely completely on either in Madrid. The Spaniard hasn't yet established that rhythm, there are head-scratching lapses against lesser competition and looser forehands than he typically fires. Nadal also finally has realized that running down every single ball is not a strategy for longevity. Benoit Paire shelled Nadal with precise dropshots in the second round, but instead of Nadal's trademark duck and charge, here he gauged the trajectory of the ball and started thinking about the next point, preserving his strength for the longer war.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">In other words, if the 28-year old Swiss is ever going to break his duck against Nadal, this might be the day. Nadal's winning, but vulnerable; Wawrinka's winning with heretofore unseen conviction. The Swiss is in with a shot for sure, how big of a shot...?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">The pick: Nadal in three sets</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">What do you think? Let us know in the comments.</span></div>
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V Blacklabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125615614758000251noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8322616399883515353.post-28771390054979323732013-01-14T08:48:00.000-05:002013-01-14T08:48:22.435-05:002013 Australian Open Day 1: Three Thoughts<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It always screws with our heads to see that first dispatch from Melbourne. Michael Russell's in full fledged, sleeveless, "gun show" mode while we're wondering if things at the office will be casual enough for us to wear our down puffer jackets versus our grin and bear it in wool car coats. Soon enough though, we reconcile ourselves to where we are, where they are and get down to the business of enjoying the tennis. The first day of this 101st Australian Open didn't deliver much in the way of major surprises, but it did deliver a strong start to the 2013 tennis calendar.<br />
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<b>The Audacity of Promise: </b>Every now and then ESPN or Tennis Channel or whichever network gives your tennis fix will inevitably display a graphic about the dominance of the Big Four men in Grand Slam play. Yes, 33 of the 36 majors played since 2004 have been won by just four men: Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray. That consistency has been great for TV, providing a steady narrative and stars who can be depended on to appear at the business end of the majors. It's also yielded consequences for the rest of the tour, locking the rank-and-file into the existing world order and all but smothering the tour's young talent.<br />
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Today, two potential future stars moved in opposite directions in Melbourne. Grigor Dimitrov lost in straight sets to 32nd seed Julian Benneteau while Ryan Harrison reversed the result of his Olympics opener getting past Santiago Giraldo in four. Dimitrov had become a fashionable sleeper pick after a run to the final at the warm-up tourney in Brisbane. Unfortunately, the Bulgarian nicknamed "Baby Fed" looked more like "Baby Chuidinelli" getting routined 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 by the Frenchman out on Court 13. Harrison, on the other hand, kept his temper in check after dropping the first set 2-6 in just 24 minutes. Harrison was out of sorts in that first frame, serving 48% and gifting 15 unforced errors to the Colombian's cause. His first serve percentage though perked up in the next three sets and he closed out Giraldo 2-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-4. <br />
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The reason at least this pundit saw such an opening for Dimitrov had less to do with his opening match than the fact that he fell in the presumably weak Ferrer/Tipsarevic quarter. With no offense to the solid Ferrer who won a tour leading 7 ATP titles last year, the opportunity to get through a few matches unimpeded by one of the Big Four was a huge one that has rarely been afforded to the young guns of the last decade. Dimitrov squandered that chance and will have to wait who knows how long for another one. Harrison, for doing things the right way, has a very different opportunity in his hands: a date with World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the second round. The last time Djokovic lost this early in a major was Wimbledon 2008. That said, the best way to make a breakthrough is less sneaking through a hole in the draw than blasting your own, right? We'll see how Harrison does.<br />
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<b>Maria Dominant: </b>2nd seeded Maria Sharapova blew past her compatriot Olga Pouchkova as if she wasn't there, 6-0, 6-0 in 55 minutes. With a dominant display of the power tennis that is the bedrock of Brand Sharapova, the Russia establishes herself as a contender again in the 2013 edition of the Australian Open. The stats that matter today are that Sharapova landed 68% of her first serves and won the same percentage of receiving points. In other words, despite a collarbone injury that kept her from playing any warm up events, she's in devastating form early. <br />
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The narrative on the Siberian Siren seems to have shifted a bit in the last couple of years. In the wake of stinging defeats to the likes of Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka, plus the shoulder injury that derailed her during what could have been the most productive period of her career, it seems some have begun considering Sharapova an also-ran. The reality is she remains a steely competitor, one of just ten women to ever earn the Career Grand Slam and a threat to win every event she enters, especially if she can keep the yips at bay.<br />
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<b>At Last:</b> We couldn't help but smile that Samantha Stosur won her first round match today. Stosur is a thoroughly likable, no frills workhorse of a player who seems to have brought her best tennis everywhere but her home country. Stosur came home to Australia after winning the US Open in 2011 expecting a hero's welcome, which she received. It was short lived though. For all the moxie she showed in claiming her first major title, over Serena Williams in the final no less, Stosur seemed to crumble under the pressure of her homeland's expectations. Her 7-6 (3) 6-3 win over Kai-Chen Chang was heartwarming after five consecutive losses (dating back to last season) in Australia. A tough date with Jie Zheng of China awaits, but for the moment, good on ya, Sam! </div>
V Blacklabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125615614758000251noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8322616399883515353.post-92206217981561127362013-01-13T18:53:00.001-05:002013-01-13T18:53:25.891-05:002013 Australian Open Women's Bracket Breakdown<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Dare we say it, for the first time in what seems like a decade, the best stories in Grand Slam tennis might just be on the ladies' side this year. Who's going to win it all? Here's our 2013 Australian Open Women's Bracket Breakdown:<br />
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The draw gods haven't done defending champion <b>Victoria Azarenka</b> too many favors. We can be honest, <b>Monica Niculescu </b>and her 65 MPH first serves (I wish I was kidding) shouldn't trouble the Bella Belarussian, neither should Greece's one time top 20 player <b>Eleni Daniilidou </b>in round two, but presuming her pedicure injury has healed enough for her to give Melbourne a fair start, it gets tough from there. <b>Urszula Radwanska</b>, yes, the other sister, surged in 2012. She entered the year just outside the top 10 and closed it earning a seeding for the year's first major. The 22 year old has never been past the second round of a major before, but if she can get past impressive young American <b>Jamie Hampton </b>and Sweden's <b>Sofia Arvidsson</b>, she could pull a major upset over the top ranked Azarenka. There's a lot of talent in the next section, the class of which are crafty 16 seed <b>Roberta Vinci </b>and the 21st seeded American <b>Varvara Lepchenko</b>. Lepchecnko has never been past the opening round in Melbourne, but she set new career marks in every other major last year and should be able to do the same here. A talent laden opening rounder between Russian <b>Elena Vesnina</b> whose carry on luggage included the trophy she won in Hobart last week (her maiden singles crown) and promising<b> </b> Frenchwoman <b>Caroline Garcia </b>(which we expect Vesnina to win) will decide Lepchenko's second round opponent. Azarenka should ultimately through the section, but not without a few bumps and bruises<br />
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The bottom half of the quarter is headlined by Italian 7th seed <b>Sara Errani</b>. Errani's 2012 was magical, after finishing four consecutive seasons just outside of the WTA Top 40, she ended 2012 ranked 6th. Considered a clay court specialist after reaching the Roland Garros final, Errani surprised us all by reaching the semifinals of the US Open. What's to stop her from making another magical hardcourt run? How about a nasty draw? Errani opens versus 33rd ranked <b>Carla Suarez-Navarro</b>, a diminutive, clay-loving Spaniard in the mold of Errani herself. Then there's the hard-hitting Jersey girl <b>Christina McHale</b>, WTA No. 36 and Errani's likely second round opponent. 26th seed <b>Su-Wei Hsieh</b> of Chinese Taipei (aka Taiwan) opens in the next section against one of the best names on tour <b>Lara Arruabarrena-Vecino</b>, the winner will likely take on double-grand slam champ <b>Svetlana Kuznetsova </b>lurking as an unseeded floater after injury marred the back half of her 2012. If she's in form, Kuznetsova could be the player to emerge from her toss up of a section. On the other side, slam-less former WTA No. 1 <b>Caroline Wozniacki </b>faces a deadly opener in Germany's 37th ranked <b>Sabine Lisicki</b>. Lisicki has won two of her three matchups versus Wozniacki, but only one match since the Olympics. This is a tempting upset special, but it's really a toss up. Another player worth watching in this section is <b>Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova</b>. The long-touted Russian is playing some of her best tennis since joining <b>Serena Williams</b> at the Mouratouglou academy. If she stays in the form that took her to the Brisbane final (with wins over <b>Angelique Kerber</b> and <b>Petra Kvitova</b>) it's hard to pick Wozniacki or Kerber to stop her. Whoever makes it out of this crazy-tough bottom half would likely be rewarded with a meeting with Vika Azarenka.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>First Round Five </b>(matches to watch)<b>: </b></span></div>
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(7) Sara Errani vs. Carla Suarez-Navarro</div>
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(10) Caroline Wozniacki vs. Sabine Lisicki</div>
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(31) Urszula Radwanska vs. Jamie Hampton</div>
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Svetlana Kuznetsova vs. Lourdes Dominguez-Lino</div>
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Lara Arruabarrena-Vecino vs. Su-Wei Hsieh</div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Dark Horse: </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Semifinalist </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Victoria Azarenka</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Second Quarter</u></b></span></div>
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It's a cop out to say this is Serena Williams' quarter and leave it at, isn't it? We don't say it to disparage ny of the other players competing here, but which of them are going to beat Serena? First round opponent <b>Edina Gallovits-Hall</b>, <b>Magdalena Rybarikova</b> who she gets next? How about golden set-woman <b>Yaroslava Shvedvova</b>. She's the first opponent, Serena's likely third rounder, that we'll give a puncher's chance. The 28 seed should have few problems making her date with the 15-time major champion and she even managed to take a set off her last year at Wimbledon Do we see it happening? Nope. <b>Maria Kirilenko</b> will certainly compete like the top twenty player she is, but she's 0-5 versus the American and the tide won't turn in Melbourne...that's if she gets there. Kirilenko has a tough opener against <b>Vania King </b>that, should the American win, could further roll out the red carpet for the Serena steamroller.<br />
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On the bottom half of the quarter, a still reeling <b>Petra Kvitova </b>opens her Australian Open versus <b>Francesca Schiavone</b> in what could be a major early upset. If Schiavone wins against a less-than-full-strength Kvitova, the doors open for young American <b>Sloane Stephens</b> and veteran Russian <b>Nadia Petrova</b> to tangle in the Round of 16 for the chance to take on Williams in the quarterfinal. Stephens has had a hot start to her 2013 reaching the semifinals in Hobart and pushing Williams hard in the quarterfinals of Brisbane. Petrova, at 30, is a contemporary of Williams having faced her ten times throughout her career. Petrova's last five contests against Serena have gone to three sets, Petrova's even won two of them. So Petrova? Stephens? It's still all about Serena.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>First Round Five </b>(matches to watch)<b>: </b></span></div>
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(8) Petra Kvitova vs. Francesca Schiavone </div>
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(14) Maria Kirilenko vs. Vania King</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">(20) Yanina Wickmayer vs. Jarmila Gajdosova</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">(29) Sloane Stephens vs. Simona Halep</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Timea Babos vs. Kristina Mladenovic</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Dark Horse: </span></b></div>
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Nadia Petrova</div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Semifinalist </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Serena Williams</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Third Quarter</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">No player in the third quarter looms as large as Serena does in the second quarter, but there are still title contenders afoot here, namely No. 4 seed <b>Agnieszka Ra</b></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>dwanska</b> and No. 6 <b>Li Na/Na Li</b>. Now coached by Carlos Rodriguez, everyone is watching Li to see if she can become full-time, the extraordinary player she has been in fits and starts over the last couple of years. Two years on from her surprise title at Roland Garros, she's ranked just two slots shy of her career zenith. What's troubling for Li is that last year she didn't get past the fourth round of any major. With the exception of <b>Kim Clijsters</b> in Melbourne a year ago none of those losses were to title contenders either. That said, s</span>he opened the year winning the Shenzhen title, then fell to Radwanska in the Sydney semis but that's not exactly a bad loss. <span style="font-family: inherit;">Her first test of consequence should be <b>Sorana Cirstea</b> in the third round. Cirstea ousted Li from Wimbledon last summer. The other side of Li's section is home to ninth seed and top Aussie <b>Samantha Stosur</b>. She has wilted so much in Australia, we almost can't take her presence in the draw as seriously here as we do anywhere else in the world. Five straight losses in Oz, she may get past 86th ranked <b>Kai-Chen Chang</b>, but <b>Jie Zheng </b>who tumbled out of the top 30 the week prior to seedings, will likely get the best of the Aussie hope.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Radwanska, 9-0 on 2012 has her side of the draw is co-headlined by the Serbian "sisters," <b>Ana Ivanovic</b> and <b>Jelena Jankovic</b>. Ivanovic and Jankovic are seeded to meet each other in the third round, but it'd be a mistake to consider either woman automatic. Ivanovic imploded in plain sight at the Hopman Cup with only <b>Novak Djokovic </b> on the doubles court to take the pressure off keeping her from falling to pieces. A second round showdown versus the eternal Slovak <b>Daniela Hantuchova</b> is likely to be her D-day. Jankovic should play to seed, but then fall to Hantuchova a round late. <b>Mona Barthel </b>and <b>Ksenia Pervak</b> will tangle in a tough opener, the winner of which is likely to succumb to Britannia's new hope, <b>Heather Watson</b>. Radwanska should manage her opponent, whomever she is, well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>First Round Five </b>(matches to watch)<b>: </b></span></div>
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(9) Samantha Stosur vs. Kai-Chen Chang</div>
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(13) Ana Ivanovic vs. Melinda Czink</div>
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(27) Sorana Cirstea vs. Coco Vandeweghe</div>
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(32) Mona Barthel vs. Ksenia Pervak</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Tsvetana Pironkova vs. Romina Oprandi</span></div>
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<b>Dark Horse: </b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Julia Georges</span></div>
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<b>Semifinalist </b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Agnieszka Radwanska</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Fourth Quarter</u></b></span></div>
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<b>Maria Sharapova</b> headlines the final quarter knowing that a title in Melbourne will return her to World No. 1 yet again. Sharapova's a lot like Serena Williams in that her toughest opponent is often herself. A collarbone injury that scuttled her preseason may preclude her from contending, but, depending on the severity of her injury she should get through her opening few rounds. Round three could serve up <b>Venus Williams</b>. While she doesn't have the same hoodoo over Maria that her little sister does, anything less than an in-form Sharapova will have trouble stopping Venus. The winner of that matchup is scheduled to take on <b>Dominika Cibulkova</b>. We'll put our money there on the winner of Sharapova and Williams.<br />
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With <b>Angelique Kerber</b> and <b>Marion Bartoli</b> the boldfaces on the top side of the quarter, we expect that section to play to form with Kerber taking on either Venus or Sharapova.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>First Round Five </b>(matche</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">s to watch)</span><b style="font-family: inherit;">: </b></div>
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(11) Marion Bartoli vs. Anabel Medina-Garrigues</div>
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(19) Ekaterina Makarova vs. Michelle Larcher de Brito</div>
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(23) Klara Zakopalova vs.Chanelle Scheepers</div>
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(25) Venus Williams vs. Galina Voskoboeva</div>
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Alize Cornet vs. Marina Erakovic</div>
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<b>Dark Horse: </b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Venus Williams</span></div>
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<b>Semifinalist </b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Angelique Kerber</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><u>Semifinals and Finals</u></b></span><br />
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S. Williams d. V. Azarenka</div>
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A. Radwanska d. A. Kerber</div>
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<b style="font-size: x-large;"><u>Champion</u></b></div>
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Radwanska is definitely positioned to win this title. She's won nine matches in a row to start 2013 and if Serena Williams falters, we'd consider her the odds on favorite. She won't, we'll make the call.</div>
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<b>Serena Williams</b></div>
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V Blacklabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10125615614758000251noreply@blogger.com1