personality - Indesit Company

P E R S O N A L I T Y :
L L E Y T O N
H E W I T T
Communication and External Relations Department
May 2005
ARGENTINA VERSUS SPAIN
The big
shoot-out
Gaston
Gaudio
1
Cover story
Gaston Gaudio
Carlos Moya
The big challenge
Back on clay again, the battle at the top is immediately Argentina versus
Spain, with Roger Federer the only obvious alternative. Last year the
South Americans dominated the field. This year revenge is in the air.
A
s soon as the world circuit
comes back round to the
clay courts, the battle at the
top narrows down to just
two countries, Argentina and
Spain, and possibly Roger
Federer and Marat Safin (on one of his good
days). You don’t need a degree in tennis to
understand this, just the patience to study
the clay court tournament scoreboards. Roland Garros 2004 was the last straw: three
Post
scriptum
2
semi-finalists out of four were Argentinean,
as were both of the finalists, with (surprisingly) Tim Henman the odd man out. There
was an unexpected dearth of Spaniards,
though to be fair Nadal was out through
injury and Moya only lost after an incredible
match with Coria.
Will it be the same story this year? Will everyone have to bow down before the Argentineans? They’re not likely to repeat such overwhelming predominance, partly because
the Spanish have some new arrows in their
quiver. Of all talent born in magical 1986 they
picked the joker, the baby phenomenon capable of scaring King Federer, even on American cement in Miami. Rafael Nadal is the
player any nation would want: good looking,
fearless and above all extremely strong. In
his sleeveless top and Pinocchio shorts, he
started the season on clay as an outsider
and after the first few tournaments is already
being hailed as one of the favourites.
102 of the top 104 world players have registered for Roland Garros, with German Popp
and Russian Tursunov missing the roll call Lleyton Hewitt is helping build an orphanage
in Cambodia New sites for a number of ATP players To find out everything about Marat
Safin just click on www.maratsafin.com, or for Filippo Volandri www.filippovolandri.it
Surprises
People are expecting Guillermo Coria
to manage at last to win at Roland Garros or that Gaston Gaudio will give us
an encore. Looking to Spain, the money
seems to be on the freshness of Rafael
Nadal, the experience of Carlos Moya
or the re-birth of Juan Carlos Ferrero.
And there’s no lack of outsiders. First
of all, the reborn Argentinean Mariano
Puerta, who after a long absence made
a thundering come-back by winning the
Casablanca tournament and reaching the
final in Buenos Aires. His backhand is still
a joy to see and it’s going to be great having him back on the major courts. In the
Spanish camp, David Ferrer may not be
the most talented player in the circuit but
even a top player, on an off day, will be
risking it against the consistency and solidity of this finalist at Valencia, who has
already shown himself a good all-rounder
by reaching the semi-final on cement in
the ATP Masters Series in Miami.
But Spain isn’t just Nadalito. Up to a couple
of years ago the king on clay was Juan Carlos Ferrero, a minor champion who spent
more time last season with his physiotherapist than anyone else. It’s hard to imagine
him back at the top but seeing him down
below the 50 mark in the INDESIT ATP 2005
Ranking for so long was an insult to his talent. Drawing him in the early rounds in Paris
or in the ATP Masters Series tournaments
won’t be fun for anyone, yet when you’ve
got 16 players in the world’s top 100 it’s
easy to come up with someone new every
season. 2005 seems to be David Ferrer’s
year; a highly physical talent, he plays like
he’s swallowed a box of Duracells. Perpetual motion in person, he plays back any ball
he’s given and can keep running for half the
day – vitality in tennis shorts, he gives 100%
on every point in every match, in every tournament. True he’s not a no. 1, but having a
supporting cast of his calibre is a luxury.
Fans will wonder if this commentator has
memory problems. “Er, hang on, what
about Mr. Carlos Moya?”. Potentially, he
would seem the perfect clay court machine, with his powerful serve, absolutely
lethal forehand, solid backhand and a top
of the class touch. But his best days seem
behind him, especially as he’s one of those players who can never be satisfied with
Mariano Puerta
winning less than a Roland Garros. If I had
to put money on it, I’d say we’re more likely
to see Nadal holding up the Three Musketeers Cup than our bel Carlitos.
The Spanish are ready to do battle but the
Argentineans are still the real favourites.
The Paris 2004 finalists - Gaston Gaudio
and Guillermo Coria - have been joined by
the ever reliable Canas, a Nalbandian who,
when not injured, is a pain for anyone and
even the “old” Mariano Puerta, a player who
used to be as competitive in the restaurant
as he was on court. Slimmer now and in fairly decent form, he’s technically peerless but
is handicapped by being only 175 cm tall.
There aren’t many alternatives, to be honest
maybe only one, King Federer. Though it’s
true the Swiss ace looks mortal again on
clay, but could win even in human mode.
He’ll be the favourite in any given match but
the problem is what might happen if the blindfolded goddess turns the other way when
the draw is made. Roger can beat Coria
and he can also beat Nadal, Moya and any
other clay specialist. But what if he gets all of
them, one after the other? If you have to go
to five sets with Nadal, how do you show up
on court the day after against another long
distance racquet wielder? The only year that
Pete Sampras looked like winning in Paris he
had to play 4 long matches in a row. Federer
has more miles in his legs, but will he have
them in his head as well? Rome and Paris
will pronounce the solemn verdict.
Rankings by
nation
Nations
Points*
1
Argentina
26
2
Spain
31
3
USA
40
4
Russia
46
5
Sweden
69
6
Czech Rep.
87
7
Croatia
97
8
Germany
100
9
France
127
10
Belgium
135
*Sum of first three players
in the INDESIT ATP 2005 Entry Ranking
Wilson Racquet Sports have decided to sponsor the Jensen Brothers Tour, a series of clinics
that tour the United States taking the game to young people 1986 promises to become a magical
year, with Rafael Nadal, Gael Monfils and Richard Gasquet all being born in it Formula 1 driver
Juan Pablo Montoya skipped the Bahrain Grand Prix due to an injury he got while... playing tennis
3
Personality
Lleyton
Hewitt
If all that counted in tennis
was fighting spirit, mental
energy, the capacity to get
excited, the 24 year old
Australian would be
the no. 1, permanently.
Battle cry “C’mmmooooonnnn”. Screa-
med after every important point
Mission... possible “Of course I’m
convinced I’m going to beat Federer. The
only problem is that it’s not going to be
simple. Everyone knows that Roger’s the
man to beat at the moment”.
Will to win “To pep myself up I always
think of the face my opponent would
make if he beat me”.
Never surrender “It never even occurred to me to withdraw against Nadal
in the Melbourne tournament. Even if I’d
broken my leg, I would have stayed on
court fighting”.
Ready, steady, go! “We all started
out as equals, we new generation players.
We were 6 or 7 and after a few hundred
matches here we all are again, together,
fighting for the big titles. It’s pretty surprising if you think about it”.
A question of centimetres “Tennis
is a game where a mere centimetre can
make the difference. I won a match against Agassi thanks to a lob that he missed
by a hairsbreadth. Obviously a cool head
is needed at times; the mental factor is
more important than anything else”.
Earnings “It’s obviously fantastic to
earn loads of money doing what you
love, but I’d play even if we didn’t earn
so much. I don’t earn much in the Davis
Cup but when I plan my year, it’s the first
thing I think of”.
Best qualities “Mentally I think I’m one
of the strongest players on the circuit.
And I believe I’m one of the fastest too.
You know? Passing shots, lobs, recoveries.... Well, if I’m at the top of the world
rankings, I owe it to these qualities”.
Ex-fiancée “In ending my relationship
Post
scriptum
4
Lleyton
Hewitt
with Kim Clijsters I think I behaved in a
very mature way and managed the situation perfectly, both on and off court”.
“In-laws” and adversaries “He
already made a few comments to me in
the locker room. He won’t be getting me a
Christmas present. He reckons today was
mine”. After beating Joachim Johansson
in the semi-final of the US Open (Johansson’s girlfriend is Hewitt’s sister).
On transfer “I never think anyone can
be stronger than me. I believe in myself
and in the past it’s got me out of lots of
complicated situations and this has made
me a stronger person. Like playing in a
Davis match on transfer: in those conditions I think I’m very competitive. It’s a
quality you’re born with and that you can
improve on, step by step. I have the never-say-die attitude”.
New loves “I just thought he was one
of the cutest, simplest guys around, easy
to talk to and have fun with”. Bec Cartwright, fiancée and famous TV personality in Australia
Davis companions “When I played
in the Davis Cup and the legendary Pat
Cash was on court, we were all more convinced and concentrated. The same thing
happens when Lleyton Hewitt’s in the
team”. Wally Masur
Force of mind “I don’t know any player
who wouldn’t be happy to have just a bit
of Lleyton Hewitt’s force of mind”. Todd
Woodbridge
Winning attitude “He plays every
point as if it were the second world war”.
Roy Emerson
Great praise “How can you not love
Lleyton Hewitt? He’s incredible for all of
us who aren’t 1 metre 90 giants, he offers
everyone the hope of playing this sport at
the highest levels. You can see he adores
tennis and that he fights over every ball.
God, I adore him”. Billie Jean King
One of us “He’s a great fighter, with
a consistent game. Even when he’s in
difficulty, he always tries to be aggressive. He’s ready to start winning the major
tournaments again. He’s earned his place amongst the greats of this sport”. Andre Agassi
Great refusal “Hewitt? He simply refuses to lose”. John Newcombe
Fancy enjoying a spot of tennis whilst flying? The video of the Masters Cup 2004, Facing
Federer, will be showing on British Airways, Sas, Cathay Pacific and Qatar Airways flights.
11th April saw the start of the ATP Fantasy Tennis 2005 game. To sign on, visit www.atptennis.
com Ongoing success for the line of clothing produced by Willy Canas and bearing his initials
Special Ranking
INDESIT ATP 2005 Race
1
Roger Federer (Sui)
1
Age 23 – Race points 475
35 wins/2 defeats
2
Rafael Nadal (Esp)
7
Age 18 – Race points 365
35 wins/6 defeats
3
Lleyton Hewitt (Aus)
2
Age 24 – Race points 253
18 wins/3 defeats
4
Marat Safin (Rus)
4
Age 25 – Race points 231
13 wins/5 defeats
5
Andy Roddick (USA)
Age 22 – Race points 228
23 wins/4 defeats
3
1
On clay he’ll be more vulnerable but this
year’s number 1 spot already looks set,
months in advance, to be his. Federer’s
only risk? Not winning a slam at Roland
Garros, maybe.
Ivan Ljubicic (Cro)
14
Age 26 – Race points 193
26 wins/9 defeats
The most threatening alternative to
Federer. He won his first Masters
Series in Monte Carlo and then the
Barcelona tournament, making him
one of the biggest favourites for Paris.
7
Andre Agassi (USA)
Always competitive, he’s hoping to
summon up the resources needed to win
just one more Slam. In the meantime, he
continues to inhabit the Top 10, though
he doesn’t look very competitive on clay.
This is the toughest moment of the
season - the clay court stage. He’s no
specialist but he has such confidence in
his own capacities that may well become
competitive on clay as well.
8
Gaston Gaudio (Arg)
The reigning Roland Garros champion has
a real chance of doing a repeat. Not a great
performer on fast surfaces, he suddenly
gets very dangerous on clay, so he can be
confident about maintaining his Top 10 ranking
You’d have to get into his mind to
understand what’s happening to him. He
has everything it takes to win on clay as
well but he seems to have lost the brilliant
touch he had at the start of the season.
9
Nikolay Davidenko (Rus)
One of the big surprises of the
season. A very complete player, he’s
competitive on all surfaces, though clay
isn’t his favourite. His main objective
now is staying in the Top 10.
Serving counts for less on
clay courts, where the first
point is very often won on a
second serve. Listed below
are the Top 50 INDESIT ATP
2005 Race players who win
the most points (%-wise) on
their second serves.
The world’s
greatest doubles
Bryan / Bryan
Age 26 – Race points 149
20 wins/7 defeats
5
Age 23 - Race points 144
17 wins/11 defeats
16
10
Guillermo Coria (Arg)
11
1
Second
serve
Age 34 – Race points 163
18 wins/6 defeats
8
Regained his winning habit in the
Houston tournament. Great things can’t
be expected of him on clay, at best he’ll
take home a few points to keep him in
the lead group.
Ranking in the INDESIT ATP 2005 Race
Roger Federer
The big surprise at the start of the
season must also prove his worth away
from the fast courts. It won’t be easy,
partly because he’s not used to playing
at this level every week.
6
Age 23 - Race points 141
17 wins/8 defeats
Back on clay again, the Wizard
immediately left his mark by reaching
the final in in Monte Carlo. Now ready
to fight for a place in the top 8 for the
Masters Cup at the year end.
INDESIT ATP Entry Ranking
Player
Roger Federer
Joachim Johansson
Rafael Nadal
Mariano Puerta
Wayne Arthurs
Andy Roddick
Stanislav Wawrinka
Marat Safin
Andre Agassi
Olivier Rochus
Marat Safin
Points won on
second service
60%
58%
57%
57%
57%
56%
56%
55%
55%
55%
Nation
Switzerland
Sweden
Spain
Argentina
Australia
USA
Switzerland
Russia
USA
Belgium
Giving nothing away
And here are the rankings of the
INDESIT ATP 2005 Race Top
100 players who commit the
fewest double faults per match.
Here are the strongest teams
in the current doubles season
in Europe.
Nation
Double faults
per match
Victor Hanescu
Romania
0,9
Christophe Rochus
Belgium
1,0
272
Nicolas Lapentti
Ecuador
1,1
258
Rafael Nadal
Spain
1,3
Arthurs/Hanley
235
Mariano Puerta
Argentina
1,3
Aspelin/Perry
208
Sebastien Grosjean
France
1,4
7
Paes/Zimonjic
203
Davide Sanguinetti
Italy
1,4
8
Cermak/Friedl
152
Marat Safin
Russia
1,4
9
Damm/Stepanek
141
Potito Starace
Italy
1,4
10
Bhupathi/Woodbridge
138
Tomas Zib
Czech Rep.
1,4
Pos.
Team
Points
1
Bryan/Bryan
327
2
Black/Ullyett
326
2
Knowles/Nestor
4
Bjorkman/Mirnyi
5
6
Player
The eight teams that will take part in the ARAG World Team Cup in Düsseldorf have been chosen: Argentina,
Germany, Chile, Sweden, Usa, Spain, France and Australia In American World Team Tennis, Boris Becker
will meet John McEnroe on 14th July Gasquet’s victory over Federer is causing great resonance in France:
the young champion from Beziers was interviewed on France 2 and given a three page feature in Equipe.
5
(Un)familiar faces
Surprise!
Richard Gasquet
They’re not as famous as the top players but on a good day
they can beat anyone. Consistency players and sloggers, speed
merchants and enfants prodiges, which of them will be the
surprises at this stage of the season?
T
he Americans like to call them the
underdogs but the term certainly
doesn’t do them justice. They’re
outsiders, players you wouldn’t expect to see in key matches but who
can beat a reigning champion.
The category breeds potential aces and
honest racquet workers, young talents and
precision athletes who would have made
perfect marathon runners. What they all have
in common is the ability to surprise, to beat
even His Majesty Federer and even to win
a little money if they’re good at betting. We
took a look at these people in the backwaters of the INDESIT ATP 2005 Race to find
out which players the top seeds should be
on the look out for on the way to Paris.
At the head of the queue is a kid that’s set
to reach the higher echelons of the game
and who is only outside the top group at
the moment because he’s maturing relatively slowly. Which doesn’t stop him being
the hottest tipped outsider at this stage in
the season. And in fact he’s moved to Paris. We talking about the French Richard
Post
scriptum
6
Gasquet, from Beziers, which usually turns out rugby champions rather than tennis
stars. At 9 years old his photo was on the
front cover of Tennis Magazine, with the
eloquent title, “A gift from heaven”. And you
didn’t have to be an expert to appreciate
this, it was enough to see his backhand,
having a gracefulness rarely seen in such
a young kid. He won his first ATP Masters
Series match at 15, in Monte Carlo but only
managed to follow it up three years after,
in the last ATP Masters Series, once again
the Country Club in Monte Carlo, where
he scraped into the qualifications as a wild
card. And as such he beat the world number one Roger Federer in a show of spectacular tennis. His backhand has few equals
in terms of elegance, as well as being highly
effective, but it’s his repertory as a whole
that so impressive, because this little French kid has rare fantasy. His physique is still
lagging somewhat behind his talent but as
soon as he puts on a few more kilos he’ll be
Top 10 material. His lucky stars permitting,
he’ll be public enemy no. 1 for the favourites
in Rome and Paris.
Following him we have the Spanish David
Ferrer,
Ferrer about as different from Gasquet as
you could imagine. For Ferrer is no monster of talent, which is also why he deserves even more respect. A tennis player who
came to the game from middle distance
running, the Spaniard can run after the ball
all morning without sweating and as long as
his physique holds out, he’s a dangerous
customer, especially if the game is drawn
out and high technique gives way to sheer
stamina and killer instinct. He can keep up
a punishing pace from the base line and recovers even the most impossible balls.
Between the two we have mano de Piedra,
aka Fernando Gonzalez. He doesn’t have
the pure style of Gasquet but it would be
hard to find anyone who slogs more savagely than this Chilean. With that forehand
that ought to have a firearm license, he can
leave you three metres off the ball at every
shot. Pity for him that he knows little of percentage tennis, ie. the tactical sense that
tells you not to risk more than is necessary.
Readers of the Chinese version of Tennis Magazine voted Roger
Federer as the most popular player. Over 50,000 readers voted
Jim Courier, the great champion who retired in 2000, will be back
as a doubles player at the Houston tournament with... Andre Agassi
Half measures are not for him.
And now for the first Argentinean in this
line up of outsiders. Mariano Puerta is a
strange player. If you meet him in the Club,
you could take him for a banker enjoying a
day away from the City. With his incipient
pot belly and generally somewhat less than
gladiatorial physique, he hardly encourages you to bet on him against the athletic
monsters that abound on today’s circuit.
But when you see him unleash that lefthanded text-book backhand, you realize
why the big names breathe a sigh of relief
when they see his name come out on the
other side of the draw. There are still doubts
though about his stamina in matches that
run to five sets.
A player that looks very solid physically on
the other hand, is Filippo Volandri. His limit is a technical one - his serve, though
improved, isn’t up to the rest of the shots
in his repertory. And in fact he’s the Top
100 player with the lowest ace rate. But if
he survives the first few shots in the game,
he’s wicked off the base line, being one of
the few who can play winning shots either
forehand or backhand.
Fernando Gonzalez
David Ferrer
An even more complete player is the Spanis Tommy Robredo who lacks only a
little more punch in his shots to make the
next quality leap. At the start of his career
he was dangerous on clay, now he’s maybe
more competitive on cement. He’s a tricky
customer because he can do everything,
including the subtle art of the chop, at which he excels.
Igor Andreev is very different from Robredo. He can hit hard, very hard, but is still
a little lacking in regularity. A great slogger
on a good day though, he can be formidable, as no less than Macho Nadal found out
when he lost to him in Valencia. But consistent performance is as important as power
and Andreev is decidedly wanting.
Something no one could say of Alberto
Martin. He has patience to spare but not
the power. A fine backhand, true, but before winning a point he has to nag away at his
adversary for ages and risks tiring himself
out in the process.
To close our Top 10 outsiders, another two
hard sloggers, the French Paul-Henri Mathieu and the Argentinian Agustin Calleri.
All we can do now is wait and see what
happens on court. Rome, Hamburg and
Paris might be launch pads that propel
them from relative nonentity into the top
player club.
Those are our “surprise” players. Only the
court will show if we’re right in our predictions. Rome, Hamburg and Paris might be
launch pads that propel them from relative
nonentity into the top player club.
Agustin Calleri
A 18 years 10 months, Nadal is the second youngest winner of a Masters Series after Michael Chang (18
years 5 months, Toronto) It was an honest and self-ironic Safin we saw in Monte Carlo, where he lost to
Ferrero: “One thing’s certain. When I play badly, I play really badly!” Hugo Boss renewed its sponsoring
of the Davis Cup till 2008. It will thus become the longest-standing sponsor of the over 100 year old event
7
Memorabilia
Borg’s headband
“
“
Clay means hard work, sweat, suffering, conditions that have
never worried me. Most fans remember my five consecutive
Wimbledon wins, but at Roland Garros I won 6 out of 8...
8
Bjorn Borg
ROME SPECIAL
Rafael
Nadal
The Rome tournament is a special event that
draws a colourful public and gets the whole city
involved, eager as it is to discover a new local
hero, like Adriano Panatta in 1976...
The gladiators
R
oma caput mundi. In tennis too. Rome has its peculiar charm, produced
by that strange combination of an archaeological setting and a local
population that’s one of the warmest
and most bizarre you can imagine.
Rome has always been the scene of incredible stories. Who doesn’t remember Thomas Muster turning up on court
with his leg in plaster and announcing
in all seriousness, “I’ll be back next
year to win”. Behind the smiles we
were all laughing. But the year after he
did win the tournament. Or the great
battle between Ivan Lendl and Guillermo Perez Roldan in the final in 1988.
And again, that old gentleman in the
tatty blue shirt who got up in the VIP
stand while Panatta was losing disastrously to Gerulaitis: “Adriano, you’re
the worst of the worst!” But he said it
with such affection that he managed to
spur on the champion to a come-back.
Post
scriptum
Rome and its public - an inseparable duo that makes this tournament
the most curious of the circuit. But
it’s also a public that knows and loves its tennis, that pays tribute to
the icons of the game and above
all spurs on the real gladiators, the
ones that never give up a ball, that
sweat blood and tears till the last 15.
Homage will undoubtedly be paid
to Andre Agassi because everyone
knows that it could be the last time
the Las Vegas Kid wields a racquet
in the Eternal City. An Agassi who
in Rome lost to Stefano Pescolido,
threw away a final against Alberto
Mancini but also triumphed when no
one thought he would any more, in
2002, in the final with Tommy Haas.
But Rome will above all be greeting the
two new phenomena of world tennis:
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. The
former they’ve already seen at work, at
a time when he was still mortal though.
They’re now keen to see the delights
Carlos Moya
Key info
Date: 2nd – 8th May 2005
Venue: viale dei Gladiatori, 31 00194 Roma
Tournament director: Sergio Palmieri
Surface: clay
Draw size: 64 players
Prize money: € 2,082,500
Winner in 2004: Carlos Moya
Onlyfive“teenagers”haveeverwonanATPMastersSeriestournament:Nadal(18,Monte
Carlo 2005), Medvedev (19, Monte Carlo and Hamburg 1994), Chang (18, Toronto 1990)
and Agassi (19, Miami 1990) In the Era Open, US players have won most in Rome, with
7 victories. Followed by Spain with 6, Sweden with 4, and Argentina and Austria with 3
9
ROME SPECIAL
Past winners
Here are all the winners in the Open Era.
Filippo
Volandri
of the extra-terrestrial version, even though on clay he becomes more vulnerable.
And over the head of the Swiss ace hangs the sword of Nadalito, who missed
Rome last year because of a minor injury.
This year though he’s one of the favourites after his success in Monte Carlo.
But the two of them won’t be fighting it
out on their own - there are hordes of
clay specialists ready to ambush them.
Top of the list is the Magician, aka Guillermo Coria, who after an operation on
his shoulder is back delighting the tennis
crowds again, with that physique of his
that makes you wonder how on earth he
stands up to athletes like Safin, Roddick
and Nadal (answer: tennis is played with
the arms and legs but also with the head).
And after him a numerous Spanish speaking
contingent, from the reigning Paris champion Gaston Gaudio, to the current Rome
Habitual winners
3 victories
Thomas Muster
2 victories
Bjorn Borg, Vitas Gerulaitis,
Andrei Gomez, Ivan Lendl,
Thomas Muster, Jim Courier
Post
scriptum
10
Andre
Agassi
champion Carlos Moya, not to mention
Juan Carlos Ferrero, Tommy Robredo,
Guillermo Canas, David Ferrer and a whole list bordering on the encyclopaedic.
And the other top players in the INDESIT
ATP 2005 Race? Remember, there are
big differences between the various surfaces, so the rankings may change when
the play moves to clay. On clay Andy
Roddick has so far achieved nothing
but embarrassment. Hewitt is little better and Safin isn’t encouraging anyone
to bet on him. Of this ace trio, Safin has
the best credentials, provided he’s willing to suffer even more than he had to to
win the season’s first Slam, in Australia.
But Rome isn’t only interested in foreign
champions. Italian players have often risen
to the occasion with the crowd cheering
them on to their first triumph. All the local
hopes are in Filippo Volandri, a player that
no one wants to meet on clay. If he had a
serve on a par with his other shots, he’d
be permanently in the Top 20. He reached
the quarter-finals in Monte Carlo, so one
would be justified in hoping for a miracle
at the Foro. An Italian, let’s not forget, hasn’t reached a final in Rome since 1978.
And from nearby Campania whole busloads will be arriving to support the kid from
Cervinara, Potito Starace. People are keen
to see if he can build on his exploits last
year; if he rises to the occasion, he could
cause a big upset. Attention will also be on
Each of the last 9
player to win twice in
Andre Agassi is the
17. Followed by Pete
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
John Newcombe (Aus)
Ilie Nastase (Rom)
Rod Laver (Aus)
Manuel Orantes (Esp)
Ilie Nastase (Rom)
Bjorn Borg (Swe)
Raul Ramirez (Mex)
Adriano Panatta (Ita)
Vitas Gerulaitis (USA)
Bjorn Borg (Swe)
Vitas Gerulaitis (USA)
Guillermo Vilas (Arg)
José Luis Clerc (Arg)
Andres Gomez (Ecu)
Jimmy Arias (USA)
Andres Gomez (Ecu)
Yannick Noah (Fra)
Ivan Lendl (Cze)
Mats Wilander (Swe)
Ivan Lendl (Cze)
Alberto Mancini (Arg)
Thomas Muster (Aut)
Emilio Sanchez (Esp)
Jim Courier (USA)
Jim Courier (USA)
Pete Sampras (USA)
Thomas Muster (Aut)
Thomas Muster (Aut)
Alex Corretja (Esp)
Marcelo Rios (Chi)
Gustavo Kuerten (Bra)
Magnus Norman (Swe)
Juan Carlos Ferrero (Esp)
Andre Agassi (USA)
Felix Mantilla (Esp)
Carlos Moya (Esp)
the young promises, from Andreas Seppi
to Fabio Fognini, a 17 year old who would
be well worth the effort of going to see in
the qualifying rounds (30th April – 1st May).
For the rest, the Foro Italico is the perfect venue for a day of splendid tennis.
Not to mention the evening, when the
village will host famous names from
show business and the court will see
champions that have written the history
of our sport. As a parallel event, in fact,
there will be a leg of the Senior Tour, featuring John McEnroe and Mats Wilander, Henri Leconte and Guy Forget, Jim
Courier and Thomas Muster, and the
Italians Paolo Canè and Renzo Furlan.
years has seen a different winner; the last
a row was Thomas Muster in 1995 and 1996
player who’s won the most Masters Series:
Sampras with 11 and Thomas Muster with 8
Historic moments
The Foro Italico has always been a stage for epic contests, extraordinary exploits and curious spectacles. Here’s our Top Ten.
Koeverman’s roll
Muster’s plaster
It could only happen in Rome! The match seemed over: Alberto Mancini on
the verge of defeat at the hands of Mark
Koevermans, who plays a killer shot
as a spectator throws a roll on court.
The ref orders a replay. Mancini takes
courage, beats the Dutchman and gets
through to the final. In 1991.
A drunk in Miami breaks his leg for him,
in 1989. He resumes training in a chair
specially made for him and swears he’ll
be back stronger than ever. Like Rambo
in tennis shorts. But he came back to
Rome the year after, and won.
Thomas Muster
Lendl’s whistles
Pistol Pete
1988 - Lendl in a ferocious five-set final
against Guillermo Perez Roldan, whom
the Roman public had adopted as underdog. The good-looking Argentinian
fought like a tiger but lost in the end.
Lendl was whistled during the trophy
ceremony and swore he’d never come
back to Rome.
Pete Sampras never liked clay, and of
his 14 Slam wins, in fact, there’s not a
single Roland Garros. But in 1994, in
Rome, he played pure attacking, textbook tennis on clay as well. Hats off.
Ivan Lendl
Local hero
What a court!
1976 was the golden year of Italian tennis, with Adriano Panatta winning in
Rome and Paris and spurring on the
Italian team to win the Davis Cup. In
Rome he won after breaking 11 match
points in the first round.
Some say it’s the finest court in the world, the “Pallacorda” in the Foro Italico,
surrounded by magnificent statues.
And when Italians are playing, there’s
an atmosphere of gladiatorial contests
in the Coliseum.
Adriano Panatta
Higueras’s coins
Vanity Fair
José Higueras, one of the most consistent (and boring) players on the circuit,
was showered with coins in his match
with Adriano Panatta in the 1978 semifinals and decided to abandon the
court.
Rome was famous for years not only for
its tennis tournament but also for the
parties that enlivened the evenings in
what became known as the most beautiful and desirable “village” in the world
of tennis.
Josè Higueras
Mantilla is Felix
The first time
If you’d bet even a few euro on Mantilla
winning in 2003, you’d have won a nice
little pile. In the final he beat the player
who was to become the current phenomenon: Roger Federer. Mantilla was the
first non-seeded winner since the time
of Martin Mulligan (1963).
The first International Championship
to be played in Italy took place in
Milan in1930. It was won by a tennis
legend, the American Big Bill Tilden,
who strolled through the final against
the Italian Uberto De Morpurgo (6-1,
6-1, 6-2). The tournament was moved
to Rome in 1935.
Felix Mantilla
Roger Federer seems stuck on 8 and has won 4 (out of a possible 9) different ATP Masters Series. The record is 7,
held by Agassi Useful tip: don’t miss the matches on the secondary courts, especially if Italians are playing. The
atmosphere is magic. One thing to remember, get there well before the match starts or you may not find a seat
The youngest Rome Tournament champion was Bjorn Borg, winner in 1974 at 17 years, 11 months and 28 days
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ROME SPECIAL
Head hunting for the Top 10
Italy isn’t going through a very happy stage at present, given it only has one
player in the top 30 in the INDESIT ATP 2005 Rankings. There are 16 other nations, in fact, that have at least one player ranking higher than the Italian Filippo
Volandri (no. 29). However, there are some new faces warming up for the big
tournaments, such as Potito Starace and Andreas Seppi. The special ranking
table below is to show Italy’s position with respect to the Top 10 nations. Italy’s
best chance of entering this grouping is in this season, since her best players
prefer clay. To attain 10 th place Italy needs to gain 40 places on Belgium. Anyway,
Italy has three players in the Top 100, as well as Seppi, who promises to join the
ranking soon, given his good start to the clay season. This puts Italy in an honourable 10 th place in terms of players in the Top 100.
Ranking by nation
Top 100
Top 3
Nation
Top 100
players
Argentina
26
Spain
16
Spain
31
Argentina
11
USA
40
France
8
Russia
46
USA
7
Sweden
69
Czech Rep.
87
Czech Rep.
7
Croatia
97
Germany
6
Germany
100
Russia
4
France
127
Italy
4
Belgium
135
Sweden
3
Italy
174
Croatia
3
Nation
Potito Starace
Future stars
Italy has been waiting for a Top 10
player since the times of Adriano Panatta and Corrado Barazzutti. Hopes
for the future are pinned on the most
promising of young Italian talents,
18 year old Fabio Fognini, a junior
who’s already performing well in his
first professional games. Particularly
good on clay, he has a sound baseline game and sufficient personality
to make the top levels. Expectations
are also focussing on another 18 year
old, Gianluca Naso, as well as on the
14 year old phenomenon Adelchi Virgili, though we’ll have to wait a few
seasons to see if his talent will really
come through.
Post
scriptum
Fabio Fognini
The oldest winner in Rome was Rod Laver: 1971 at 32 years, 9 months
and 1 day The centre court at Foro Italico holds 9,485 spectators
The tournament’s of ficial site: w w w.telecomitaliamasters.it
For further information, please contact Chiara Pascarella (Indesit Company, [email protected], tel. +39 (0)732 662432)
or Valentina Broglia (Indesit Company, [email protected], tel. +39 (0)2 30702551)
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