T4T 05 uk.indd

P E R S O N A L I T Y :
A N D R E W
M U R R A Y
Communication and External Relations Department
July 2005
on
The Race
is
1
Federer v. Nadal
Roger Federer
and Rafael Nadal
Streaks ahead
T
Rafael Nadal
Post
scriptum
2
hey’ve been at one another’s
throats for six months, a tennis version of the legendary
Rumble in the Jungle. In Zaire
there were two heavyweights
like Ali and Foreman, here we
have two young tennis phenomena who
promise to go down in the history of sporting rivalries alongside McEnroe and Borg,
Edberg and Becker, Agassi and Sampras.
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are 1st
and 2nd in the INDESIT ATP 2005 Race after some 50 matches played (and nearly all
won), a hundred or so hours spent running
after a tennis ball, and over two million dollars prize money. Each, of course. Yet only
a handful of points separates them, for the
moment in favour of Federer, who would
gladly cede them in exchange for the Roland Garros that Nadalito denied him after
a semi-final that fans had been awaiting
like some historic event.
Not all players have shoes suitable for grass. Anyone interested can buy them
from www.tennis-warehouse.com, a partner of the ATP Gerflor has signed a
3-year agreement with the ATP as “Official ATP Court Surface”. The Shanghai
Masters Cup will also be played on Taraflex, a surface produced by Gerflor
This season is
undisputedly theirs.
The INDESIT ATP 2005
Race looks like being
in the balance till the
very last tournament...
Their rivalry is based on different styles and
certain things in common too. The Majorcan “pescador” who turns up on court in
sleeveless vest and knee-length shorts
versus the candid elegance of our Swiss
gentleman. And again, on one hand Nadalito showing his muscles and never losing
hope even when in serious trouble. And on
the other the quintessence of tennis genius,
the most talented and imaginative tennis
player of all times. They share fine manners
on court, a polite and sportsmanlike attitude that’s a joy to everyone who still believes this is more a game than a business.
A game that’s unrivalled in this respect,
poles apart from many other less edifying
sports in which the point often seems to
be hoodwinking the referee, adversary and
ticket-paying public. In tennis, thanks to the
Roger Federer
Neck and neck
Federer
Nadal
INDESIT ATP 2005 Race
1
1
INDESIT ATP Entry Ranking
1
date of birth
8 August 1981
3
th
3rd June 1986
place of birth
Basilea (Switzerland)
Manacor (Spain)
home
Oberwil (Switzerland)
Manacor (Spain)
height
1m 85
1m 85
weight
80 kg
85 kg
play
right handed
left handed
back hand
one handed
two handed
professional since...
1998
2001
wins/defeats in 2005
46/3
48/7
tournaments won in 2005
6
6
tournaments won in career
28
7
Grand Slam titles
4
1
Masters Series titles
6
2
prize money in career
16,547,423
3,384,996
direct encounters
1
2
racquet
Wilson NCode Six-One Tour
Babolat AeroPro Drive
apparel
Nike
Nike
players, these things don’t happen.
Nadal & Federer are the best possible advertisement that tennis could have, a perfect combination of strength, talent, selfsacrifice, humility and fair play.
Not that this means winning isn’t uppermost in their minds as soon as they get on
court, obviously. The struggle will continue
to intensify for the no. 1 spot is at stake. Yet
only a couple of months ago anyone questioning Federer’s leadership would have
been recommended a rest in a psychiatric
home. “We play tennis, he plays another
game,” his adversaries used to complain.
Then Nadalito came into his own and
earned the title of no. 1 rival. As confirmed
by Guillermo Canas, a player who would
prefer a slow death to any kind of surrender
however honourable. “It wouldn’t be so bad
if this Nadal just beat you. The problem is
he robs you of your will to play”.
So one automatically wonders whether Nadalito is already capable of usurping Federer’s throne this year. If we were bookmakers, we’d be busy encouraging people to
bet on Nadal and taking advantage of the
general euphoria surrounding him at the
moment, because his actual chances are
really rather scarce. In all probability the
Pat Rafter, one of the best loved champions of the ‘90s, has been given a second child – a girl – by
the beautiful model Lara Feltham Tim Henman has launched a new bracelet, the sales proceeds
of which will go to his “Kids at Heart” charity. In collaboration with French Connection points of
sale, you can donate a euro for a limited edition green bracelet with the wording “Give and Get”
3
Federer v. Nadal
Roger
Federer
Rafael
Nadal
And the winner is...
We asked some of the most authoritative tennis journalists who they thought
would win the INDESIT ATP Race 2005 - Federer or Nadal. The result was
unanimous...
Antonio Costanzo (Sport Italia and
Eurosport – Italy)
“Federer will win. First of all because
he’s the best and then because Nadal
has to show he can maintain this level of play for the rest of the season.
And now the grass season is coming,
where Federer loses... only when he’s
injured. At the end of the year Roger
will be the no. 1”.
Gianni Clerici (La Repubblica and
Sky Sport – Italy)
“I’m very fascinated by Nadal’s
strength but Federer will win in the
long run. Grass and fast surfaces will
help him. And in any case he’s still the
most talented player around”.
Claudio Mezzadri (TSI – Switzerland)
“Federer will win. On grass and in the
indoor Masters Series he’ll be the best
again, while Nadal will find it hard go-
Post
scriptum
4
ing. It’s surprising though what the
Spanish player achieved on clay. Federer will have to take care to keep up
his level of play, as he has over the last
few months”.
Neus Yerro (Diario Sport – Spain)
“For the moment Federer is the more
complete player, whereas Nadal still
has a lot to improve, especially his
serve and volley. On his side though,
Rafael has the will to work hard and
the desire to keep on improving. Federer will win this year but the challenge
has only just started...”.
Cristopher Clarey (International Herald Tribune and New York Times)
“Federer will stay no. 1 this year because he’s the most versatile player and
he’s better than Nadal on fast surfaces.
He also plays with less physical effort
so he’s less susceptible to injury”.
grass will restore the status quo. Federer will
erect a new barrier between himself and his
opponents (or rather opponent – apart from
Nadal everyone else is light-years away)
and when the game is back on American
cement and in the European indoor season,
he will once again be the man to beat.
It’s surprising though what Nadal has been
capable of in the last two months. He won
two Masters Series, a Grand Slam title and
his “home” tournament in Barcelona. And
above all he showed himself highly competitive on cement. Federer is undoubtedly the
favourite but he can’t afford any distractions.
It was a good thing anyway that Nadal came
out so early. Federer’s superiority was so
obvious there was a risk of boredom creeping in. Sport is above all else struggle and
sacrifice. Yet Federer seemed to be winning effortlessly - till the Majorcan fisherman
came along. So he’s now in the unenviable
position of still being the no. 1 but without a
Slam title to his credit in 2005 and with Sampras’s record still ten lengths away.
For while Nadal is playing to be this year’s
no. 1, Federer has set his sights on becoming the no. 1 of all times.
What’s certain is that the Nadal-Federer
shoot-outs have appeal beyond the world
of tennis. They’re mass media events like
Brazil-Argentina football, New Zealand Australia rugby, an NBA basketball final.
Let’s hope it stays that way.
Jonas Bjorkman is the eighth player to have won all the Slam tournaments
in the doubles in his career. At Roland Garros he won with Max Mirnyi.
The other seven are Todd Woodbridge, Mark Woodforde, Jacco Eltingh,
Paul Haarhuis, Anders Jarryd, John Fitzgerald and John Newcombe
Special Ranking
INDESIT ATP 2005 Race
1
Roger Federer (Swi)
1
Age 23 – Race Points 665
46 wins/3 defeats
1
Rafael Nadal (Spa)
3
Age 19 – Race Points 665
48 wins/6 defeats
3
Nikolay Davidenko (Russ)
7
Age 24 - Race Points 314
32 wins/15 defeats
4
Marat Safin (Russ)
5
Age 25 – Race Points 275
18 wins/8 defeats
5
Andy Roddick (USA)
4
1
Age 22 – Race Points 251
26 wins/7 defeats
The impossible happened. Nadal has almost caught
up with King Roger, although Wimbledon should
restore the distance between them. Will it be the same
at the end of the year though? A question no one just a
few weeks ago would have thought of asking
6
18
Injury has kept him off the clay circuit,
which isn’t his favourite surface.
Meantime, if marriage doesn’t distract
him, he can still go for the Top 3.
7
Lleyton Hewitt (Aus)
2
Age 24 – Race Points 253
18 wins/3 defeats
The real surprise of the season. Though
it’s hard to see him still there in the top 3
at the end of the season, he’s good on all
surfaces, so who can say he won’t gain a
place at the Masters Cup in Shanghai?
8
Mariano Puerta (Arg)
Amazing. He played well on South American
clay at the start of the season but who would
have bet on him reaching the final in the French
Open? He now has to win some games on faster
courts though if he wants to stay in the Top 10.
Gaston Gaudio (Arg)
Roland Garros winner in 2004, he didn’t
manage to hang on in the Top 10 till the
end of the year. It’ll be tough this year too,
because he’s never achieved much off
clay courts even on good days.
David Ferrer (Spa)
He’ll fight till the end to stay in the Top 10
and, having proved in the Masters Series
in Miami that he’s competitive on cement
as well, he may very well be in with a
chance of succeeding.
Enigmatic. At the start of the season he
seemed to be the anti-Federer, but the
top spot now seems a long way off. On a
good day he can beat anyone. But when
is that good day going to be?
11
9
12
A shadow of himself. The season has
been disappointing so far, but with the
Wimbledon grass and American cement
drawing near, he should be back there
fighting for a Slam.
10
15
1
Federer
and
Nadal lead the
dollar rankings
as well. They’re
also the only
ones to have
topped 2 million
dollars in 2005.
Rafael
Nadal
Ranking under 21
After two Slams and six months
of play, here are the top placed
under-20s in the INDESIT ATP
Entry Ranking.
Year
of birth
3
Rafael Nadal
1986
17
Mario Ancic
1984
20
Richard Gasquet
1986
37
Robin Soderling
1984
49
Tomas Berdych
1985
68
Juan Monaco
1984
74
Stanislas Wawrinka
1985
77
Nicolas Almagro
1985
83
Gael Monfils
1986
88
Andreas Seppi
1984
Age 26 - Race Points 254
23 wins/9 defeats
Age 26 – Race Points 248
33 wins/11 defeats
Age 23 – Race Points 224
30 wins/16 defeats
Position in INDESIT ATP Entry Ranking
The
richest
ATP ranking Player
Coria is the big disappointment on clay this season.
He lost the Rome final to Nadal, his performance
wilted and then he bowed out to Davidenko in
Paris. He’ll probably make the Masters Cup but his
real objective was Roland Garros.
Age 23 - Race points 266
31 wins/11 defeats
Phenomenal. He’s won two Masters Series
(Monte Carlo and Rome) and now Roland
Garros. Meaning he now “sees” Roger Federer,
so given he’s also competitive on cement, it’s
going to be a long battle for the no.1 spot.
Position in INDESIT ATP 2005 Race
Mario
Ancic
Guillermo Coria (Arg)
Player
Rafael Nadal
Roger Federer
Marat Safin
Nikolay Davidenko
Lleyton Hewitt
Guillermo Coria
Mariano Puerta
Andy Roddick
David Ferrer
Max Mirnyi
Tommy
Robredo
Nation
Spain
Switzerland
Russia
Russia
Australia
Argentina
Argentina
USA
Spain
Belarus
Prize money
in 2005
2.677.114
2.585.868
1.189.435
825.454
778.162
776.496
744.978
653.070
646.497
631.336
*sum of the top three players in the
Indesit ATP Entry Ranking.
Nation
National rankings
Spain and Argentina were the
favourites for the top nation on
clay, but at the half way stage a
real leader hasn’t yet emerged,
as they’re first equal. They’re followed by the USA with Russia
close behind and now France
as well thanks to the “coming
out” of their young star Richard
Gasquet. The Top Ten’s Belgian
rearguard, however, will have
to watch out for Italy, who after
years now has five players in the
world’s Top 100.
Ranking*
1
Argentina
31
2
Spain
32
3
USA
40
4
Russia
46
5
Sweden
69
6
Croatia
89
7
Czech Rep.
90
8
France
95
9
Germany
106
10
Belgium
133
The famous Italian journalist Gianni Clerici has published another book, of poems this time,
some of which on tennis. Title: “Postumo in vita” Roddick has signed a tennis shoe agreement
with Babolat; apparel-wise he is currently Lacoste Nadal is only the third player in the Open
Era, after Nastase and Muster, to have won in Monte Carlo, Rome and Paris in the same year
5
Personality
Andrew
Murray
H
is name was back in the
news after the Beslan tragedy in Ossetia, when dozens of kids were killed by
Chechenian terrorists. Eight
years earlier, a similar fate
had been reserved for a school in Dunblane, Scotland. A man named Thomas
Hamilton walked into a class and killed 16
children. Andrew Murray was at school
there that day and could have been one
of them. Hamilton was at the door of his
class when they finally overpowered him.
Eight years on, that little kid won the junior category at the US Open and in the
classic after-final speech he dedicated
his victory “to all the families of Dunblane
and Beslan”. “I don’t remember much of
that day and I only really understood the
enormity of what happened three or four
years after, when the worst was over and
people started having normal lives again.
I lost some great friends of mine – I was
saved by a miracle”.
Andrew Murray soon left Scotland for
Spain, where he went to the Emilio
Sanchez Academy to “learn the basic strokes, spirit of sacrifice, the will to
struggle”.
This is how he ended up under the wing
of Pato Alvarez, who enjoys the simplicity of styling himself “the best coach in
the world”. A personal opinion, but with a
dose of truth in it, seeing that he’s trained
dozens of players in Spain and always
with good results. So Murray grew up
more Spanish than Scottish, tennis-wise.
Forget the serve & volley à la Henman, the
reverse backhands, and such like: Murray
is a product of modern tennis – solid, fast,
shrewd. When he’s finished developing
his physique, he can invent the knockout
shot he lacks at the moment. In the meantime he’s decided to abandon the “the
best coach in the world” on the grounds
of age limits. “Pato is great and has taught
Post
scriptum
6
He was 9 when
pure luck made him
a survivor of the Dunblane
school massacre.
At 18 he’s now the world’s
top junior and
is already impressive
at a professional level.
The UK seems
to have found an heir
to Tim Henman
me so much,” says Murray, “but there’s a
half century between us and when you
spend weeks away from home you need
someone who’s also a friend you can talk
to, laugh and have fun with”. This is where
the former English player Mark Petchey
comes in. Emilio Sanchez is keeping a
close eye on Andrew anyway, given this is
a temporary measure geared to the grass
season. A definitive decision still has to
be taken.
Murray will have to be very careful now
because people are starting to crowd
Andrew
Murray
round him. The
UK is an important
market and everyone’s looking for
an heir to Henman
- sponsors, the
Federation,
the
fans, the tabloids,
everyone.
And
who better could
they find than a
kid just turned 18
who has the nerve
to get through
two rounds at the
Queen’s, can beat
a certain Taylor
Dent (who’s afraid
of no one on
grass) and only
lose to Thomas
Johansson 7-5 in
the third set? It’s
worrying that he
had to play three
sets with cramp
but this was probably the effect of
his first matches
at high level rather
than insufficient
athletic preparation.
There’s already Murray-mania in London
now that the odds on Henman at Wimbledon have plummeted somewhat. No
one’s expecting to see him in the final of
course. Given his age and limited experience, any match he wins will cause a stir.
It’s an important test for Murray though
– not so much technical as mental. When
he was up against John McEnroe in an
exhibition event last year, filmed by the
BBC in the legendary Royal Albert Hall,
he was given a lesson by the old Johnny
Mac, who’s 46.
But Murray’s grown since then, has
achieved awareness of his own capabilities. As he says himself without hesitation, “I like tennis because it enables you
to make a show of yourself in front of
thousands of people. If you don’t like that
sensation, you might as well give up”.
Saying something is one thing, doing it another. So what better scenario
than the All England Club to see how
he squares up as a performer? He may
even win the honour of reaching the
Centre Court, and then we’d see if he
was bluffing or not.
In the Wimbledon qualifying rounds, Chris Guccione served 50 aces, 32 in the last
set won 23-21, he served three aces in a game eight times and on one occasion
four even. The unfortunate adversary was French Olivier Patience Belgian Xavier
Malisse is the player with the highest percentage of break points converted
Marat
Safin
Grand Slam
Ranking
Pos
Player
AO
RG
Total
1
1
3
4
4
4
7
8
8
10
Rafael Nadal
Marat Safin
Roger Federer
Lleyton Hewitt
Marian Puerta
Nikolay Davidenko
Andy Roddick
Guillermo Canas
David Nalbandian
Tommy Robredo
30
200
90
140
50
90
30
50
15
200
30
90
140
90
7
50
30
50
230
230
180
140
140
140
97
80
80
65
Recordman
And here are the Open Era players who’ve
played the most matches in Grand Slam
tournaments. Andre Agassi is the only
player in this Top 10 who’s still playing.
Followers up include Tim Henman (20th),
Lleyton Hewitt (29th), Marat Safin (38th) and
Jonas Bjorkman (39th).
A player’s season (and even more so his career) is determined by his performance in the Grand Slam tournaments. So here’s this season’s rankings after
the first two Slams (the Australian Open and Roland Garros). Wimbledon is
the third. In the lead are the two Slam winners, Marat Safin and Rafael Nadal,
neither of whom got past the quarter finals in their other tournament. For once,
we see Swiss Roger Federer lower down the podium. He could overtake the
others though at Wimbledon, seeing he’s the favourite. Then come Lleyton
Hewitt, as was expected, and two surprises, Nikolay Davidenko and Mariano
Puerta, French Open finalist. These are the only six players to have topped 100
points. Andre Agassi is already out of the Top 10.
Marathon
Man
Most wins in 5 sets
Most matches played to 5 sets
Pete Sampras
29
1
Ivan Lednl
42
2
Ivan Lednl
25
3
Todd Martin
23
2
Pete Sampras
38
4
Boris Becker
21
2
Todd Martin
38
4
Wayne Ferreira
21
4
Andre Agassi
36
4
Mats Wilander
21
5
Michael Chang
35
Wimbledon record
Pos
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
9
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Best 5th set record*
Player
Wins
Defeats
Total
Jimmy Connors
Ivan Lendl
Andre Agassi
Pete Sampras
Stefan Edberg
John McEnroe
Boris Becker
Mats Wilander
Bjorn Borg
Guillermo Vilas
232
222
214
203
178
167
163
144
141
137
49
49
50
38
47
38
40
37
16
45
281
271
264
241
225
205
203
181
157
182
1
2
3
4
5
5
5
Jens Knippschild
Bjorn Borg
Johan Kriek
Marat Safin
Harold Solomon
Damir Keretic
Stephane Simian
*out of at least
7 matches
100% (7-0)
87% (20,3)
86.7% (13-2)
86.4% (19-3)
85.7% (12-2)
85.7% (6-1)
85.7% (6-1)
Pete
Sampras
Wimbledon is the most prestigious tournament in the world. But who in the history of
the event has won the most matches on the
courts of the All England Club? Here are the
Top 10. In % terms, the best performer is still
Bjorn Borg, followed by Pete Sampras and,
way behind, Boris Becker.
Jimmy Connors
Boris Becker
Pete Sampras
John McEnroe
Bunny Austin
Jean Borotra
Bjorn Borg
Jaroslav Drobny
Stefan Edberg
Goran Ivanisevic
Player
The Slam tournaments are different from the others in that they’re played 3 sets out five right from
the first round. Detailed below are the “long-distance” players in the Open Era (since 1968) who’ve
recorded the best performances when the game reaches a fifth and decisive set.
1
Jimmy
Connors
Pos
Wins
Defeats
%
84
71
63
59
56
55
51
50
49
49
18
12
7
11
13
10
4
16
12
14
82.4
85.2
90
84.3
81.2
84.6
92.7
75.8
80.3
77.8
1 Markus Hipfl
0% (0-8)
2 Juan Ignacio Chela
0% (0-7)
3 Mark Kratzmann
10% (1-9)
4 Jonathan Stark
11.1% (1-8)
4 Agustin Calleri
11.1% (1-8)
Number 1!
Pos
If Roger Federer
wants to become
the most successful
player of all times,
here’s the record
he has to beat. Pete
Sampras won 14 Slam
titles, so Federer has
“only” ten to go.
Worst 5th set record
Player
Slam
wins
1
Pete Sampras
14
2
Roy Emerson
12
3
Bjorn Borg
11
3
Rod Laver
11
5
Bill Tilden
10
6
Fred Perry
8
6
Jimmy Connors
8
6
Ivan Lendl
8
6
Andre Agassi
8
6
Ken Rosewall
8
Andy Roddick leads the circuit in 4 of the 6 serve statistics: aces, points won on 1st serve, service
games won and break points converted. Roger Federer heads the tables in points won on 2nd
serve and Potito Starace percentage won on the 1st On the receiving side, three of the statistics
are headed by Rafael Nadal: points won against 1st and 2nd serves and receiving games won
7
S
P
E
C
I
A
L
WIMBLEDON
The world’s
most
prestigious
tennis event,
the one most
players dream
of winning
since childhood.
And where
Roger Federer
is clear favourite
to win his 3rd
title in a row
and lengthen
his lead again
in the INDESIT
ATP 2005 Race
One
for
all!
I
f Roger Federer was a
torero, he would come
to a sticky end. He
starts feeling unwell
when he sees red. But
as soon as he sets foot
on green he’s unstoppable
again. After defeat in Paris
at the hands of his new
rival in the INDESIT ATP
2005 Race, the Spanish
Rafael Nadal, the Swiss
ace immediately returned
to his threatening form
once on a grass court.
The Halle tournament saw
his 20th consecutive finals
win. He’s now limbering up for a third Wimbledon victory, having won the last two.
It’s hard to imagine anyone beating him.
Getting near yes, but actually usurping
the throne, that’s another thing. Just look
at the bookmakers. In any other grand
slam there are three or for players with
at least similar odds. But at Wimbledon
Federer is on his own. His objectives
are changing as well. Bjorn Borg’s five
consecutive wins, Pete Sampras’s sev-
Post
scriptum
8
en overall wins. Having won two on the
trot, Becker once said that the legendary
centre court was his “drawing room”.
So what should Federer be saying? The
Swiss came into his own on this court in
2001, when he eliminated Sampras, then
considered unbeatable. He had to wait a
while to build on that success but when
the first triumph came in 2003, it radically changed his career. “I always knew I
could win slam tournaments but it wasn’t
till that first win at Wimbledon that things
started moving”. And how! Since then he’s
won another Championships title, one in
Australia, another at Flushing Meadows.
John McEnroe himself was categorical
about it, “when I saw Federer win his first
Wimbledon, I immediately felt sure he’d
win another five at least. For the moment
I see no reason to change my mind”.
Only Roland Garros eludes him still but
it’s a question of time and a little luck.
Goran Ivanisevic aside, the last left-hander to win at Wimbledon was John
McEnroe 21 years ago Safin reached his first ever grass final at Halle
but Wimbledon is the only Slam where he’s never even made the semis.
He’s announced he’ll be taking a break afterwards due to bad knee pain
GS WIMBLEDON
Paris can spell doom for many players.
And between Roland Garros and Wimbledon there are only two weeks. Getting
used to the completely different surface
in such a short time is not for everyone.
Our young phenomenon Rafael Nadal
could be a major victim. His game isn’t
suited to grass anyway, let alone if he
hasn’t enough time to train for it. After the
victory party in Paris he flew to Germany
for the Halle tournament where he was immediately eliminated by the modest Alexander Waske. Nadal has the strength, the
mindset and the will to win on grass but
without time to train he’ll find it too arduous. If he’s drawn against a grass player,
he could be out of the running at the start.
A guy who’ll immediately be front-page
in the tabloids, on the other hand, is the
usual Tim Henman, desperate for a title
he’s been chasing since he first set foot in
the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet
Club. He was practically an infant still, but
the dream has always been the same. He
even discovered that over the last few
Habitual winners
Here are the players in the Open Era
(since 1968) who’ve won at least two
Wimbledons.
7 wins
Pete Sampras
5 wins
Bjorn Borg
3 wins
John McEnroe, Boris Becker
2 wins
Roger Federer, Stefan Edberg,
Rod Laver, John Newcombe
years he’s been somewhat hindered. Henman has never been a Goliath but he was
very surprised to see how the speed of his
shots at Wimbledon was gradually diminishing. He looked into this, detective-like,
and even involved Slazenger (his sponsor!). The upshot was that tennis balls are
“uncorked” two weeks ahead of the tournament so they can slightly deflate and
thus slow down a little. This is because
grass is already very fast in itself and the
idea was to prevent play from becoming
Roger
Federer
too unforgiving. Which is understandable, though no consolation for Henman.
It’s not Henman that Federer should
be minding so much as Andy Roddick, the other finalist last year, who has
just won Queen’s (the classic run-up to
Wimbledon) for the third time running.
They will be the two real Championships favourites, with Lleyton Hewitt in second row
carrying the unknown quantity of an injury
that’s kept him out for nearly two months.
Grass often conceals surprises. Though
the surface has almost disappeared from
the circuit, there are still experts around
who can make life hell for top players.
Two names spring to mind immediately
- the Croat Ivo Karlovic and the American
Taylor Dent. The latter is the son of an
Australian player and grew up on grass.
Many compare him to Pat Rafter, who
reached the final at Wimbledon twice.
His problem is staying in top physical
Andy Roddick won his 3rd consecutive Queen’s Tournament, the classic prologue to
Wimbledon; John McEnroe and Lleyton Hewitt are the only others to have done this
Penn, an ATP partner and the ball that’s used in Masters Series tournaments, has created
a new type of ball that lasts longer and is more visible thanks to Encore technology.
9
GS WIMBLEDON
form, but his serve & volley and attacking game make him a player to avoid.
Karlovic on the other hand is the most
atypical player you could imagine. He’s
the tallest on the circuit (2m 8), has an
astounding serve, a good volley, a nonexistent backhand and a mentality that
the best psychologist-coach on the circuit - Alberto Castellani - is building up.
Breaking his serve is a Herculean task
and nearly all his matches are decided
on two or three points. This is why the
psychological factor is fundamental.
Hall of Fame
Here are all the winners
in the Open Era (1968).
1968
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
Rod Laver (Aus)
Rod Laver (Aus)
John Newcombe (Aus)
John Newcombe (Aus)
Stan Smtih (USA)
Jan Kodes (Cz. Rep.)
Jimmy Connors (USA)
Arthur Ashe (USA)
Björn Borg (Swe)
Björn Borg (Swe)
Björn Borg (Swe)
Björn Borg (Swe)
Björn Borg (Swe)
John McEnroe (USA)
Jimmy Connors (USA)
John McEnroe (USA)
John McEnroe (USA)
Boris Becker (Ger)
Boris Becker (Ger)
Pat Cash (Aus)
Stefan Edberg (Swe)
Boris Becker (Ger)
Stefan Edberg (Swe)
Michael Stich (Ger)
Andre Agassi (USA)
Pete Sampras (USA)
Pete Sampras (USA)
Pete Sampras (USA)
Richard Krajicek (Hol)
Pete Sampras (USA)
Pete Sampras (USA)
Pete Sampras (USA)
Pete Sampras (USA)
Goran Ivanisevic (Cro)
Lleyton Hewitt (Aus)
Roger Federer (Swi)
Roger Federer (Swi)
Post
scriptum
10
Taylor Dent
On grass he seems to have found the
right spirit, seeing he made the final at
Queen’s after beating Hewitt and then
losing to Roddick in two tie-breaks (!).
Another talent to watch is Richard Gasquet, still not mature enough for the big
time but very close to posing a real problem for any adversary. And lastly Mister
Enigma himself, Marat Safin. He’s always said he loathes grass, cast doubt
on his playing at Wimbledon and also
announced he has a very painful knee
(having seen a doctor in Italy he decided
to rest a few weeks after Wimbledon).
But then he gets to the final in Halle,
plays some fabulous tennis against Federer and is suddenly dangerous again.
He’s the only player to have beaten Federer when the Swiss is performing at his
best. Can he do it again at Wimbledon?
So everything’s ready for another half million spectators to re-enact the Wimbledon rituals, including the “human snake”
that queues down the street outside the
club – thousands of people who camp
out all night in the anguished hope of getting a seat next morning. See why they
say Wimbledon is such a unique event?
Federer comes to Wimbledon having won his last 29 matches played on
grass The Roland Garros final had a TV audience in Spain of 4.7 million,
with a peak of 6.4m in the closing moments, and a 58% share, making
it the 5th biggest sporting event, in terms of viewers, in Spanish history
Top 10
Grass is a very funny surface and often upsets the rankings. Here are the ten “grass men” who
can go for the title.
1
Roger Federer (Swi)
2
Andy Roddick (USA)
3
Lleyton Hewitt (Aus)
4
Taylor Dent (UK)
5
Mario Ancic (Cro)
Winner 2003 and 2004
Finalist 2004
Winner 2002
3 rd round 2002 and 2004
Semi-finalist 2004
To beat him... he’ll have to be injured. When
in good health he’s practically untouchable,
unless maybe by Roddick serving his best.
If everything goes as normal, he should win
his third Wimbledon in a row.
6
Tim Henman (GBR)
Semi-finalist in 1998, 1999, 2001
and 2002
Last year he came close to beating
Federer in the final. This year though ARod isn’t playing his best tennis and the
absence of his strategist Gilbert could
be a serious drawback.
7
Ivo Karlovic (Cro)
Federer says he’s his main adversary on the
London grass. Lleyton missed out on the clay
season and now needs a few matches to regain
proper fighting form. Having improved his
service though, he’ll be a tough nut to crack.
8
Marat Safin (Rus)
Serve and volley both superlative,
return and crosscourt shots less so. The
primary factor though will be his athletic
form, which isn’t always perfect. He’s one
of the top grass specialists.
9
Thommy Haas (Ger)
In an astonishing performance last year he gave
Roddick an extremely rough time in the semi-final.
He hasn’t kept up that level of play but Wimbledon
is a world of its own. If he gets the right feel, he
could well do a repeat of last year’s feat.
10
4th round 2004
Quarter finals 2001
Third round 1998, 1999 and 2000
Richard Gasquet (Fra)
1st round 2004
Ivo
Karlovic
He’s been dreaming of winning this tournament
since he was a kid and he’s come close a couple
of times. He now seems past his best, but who
knows, maybe when no one’s expecting it, he’ll
turn into a Wimbledon winner, like Ivanisevic.
He has the most lethal serve on the circuit and is
strong on grass. Last year not even Federer was able
to break his serve and only beat him thanks to three
tie-breaks. He’s in good form and feeling confident,
so he’s a very dangerous contender indeed.
He’s always said he doesn’t like grass and
even considered giving Wimbledon a miss.
Then he turns up in the final at Halle against
Federer and plays a really great match. You
can never trust Marat, one way or the other...
He was once the world no. 2, then a
long injury kept him off court. He’s now
climbing back up and is a very versatile
player. At Halle he got Roger Federer
very worried.
Still a little green for the big times, he’s
certainly one of the players to avoid in the
early rounds. Vastly talented, he hasn’t
much experience on grass but these
young champions are very quick to learn...
The perfect serve
On grass the serve is an indispensable weapon.
Here are the best players in terms of the ratio
between aces and double faults per game. Just
for once, a Top 10 without Roger Federer in it.
Michael Owen and David Beckham offer their support for London’s candidacy
for the 2012 Olympics.
A London Olympics?
This is something the city really wants to win. London is one of the five candidate venues for the 2012
Olympics, with Paris, Moscow, New York and Madrid.
The UK and French capitals are the favourites. Madrid is penalized by the fact that Spain has recently
had an Olympics (Barcelona 1992), Moscow has serious economic and political problems and New York
would need a major structural overhaul. For the moment, Paris enjoys a slight advantage but the final
decision will be taken in Singapore on 6 th July. The
chairman of the “London 2012” project, the unforgettable middle-distance champion Sebastian Coe says
he’s in any case proud of what’s been done so far.
Wimbledon will be an opportunity to promote the city
in its Olympic challenge.
Player
ace
double faults
difference
Ivo Karlovic
Andy Roddick
Wayne Arthurs
Joachim Johansson
Mardy Fish
Mario Ancic
Ivan Ljubicic
Max Mirnyi
Lleyton Hewitt
Andrei Pavel
16.5
12.8
14
13.3
11.5
10.7
9.5
10.8
9.4
7.2
3.9
1.9
4.7
4.5
3.2
2.6
1.7
3.4
3.7
2.0
12.6
10.9
9.3
8.8
8.3
8.1
7.8
7.4
5.7
5.2
Let’s bet on it...
In the UK betting is one of the national pastimes and Wimbledon is one of the most bettable events. Before the start
of the tournament, one of the top bookmakers, William Hill,
was practically taking it for granted Roger Federer would
win his 3rd consecutive title. The odds on him winning are
in fact 1.6 (ie. one pound bet wins 1.66 pounds). Following
in order are Andy Roddick (5.50), Lleyton Hewitt (11), and
Rafael Nadal (13), who isn’t that competitive on grass but
has a lot of punters behind him after his success at Roland Garros. Also interesting are the odds on Mario Ancic,
a semi-finalist last year and a fine grass player, at 17, and
Taylor Dent, who can play divinely on grass, quoted at 81.
It’s also possible to bet on single matches, sets won/lost
and countless other combinations.
At the start of Wimbledon Federer will be the player with most tournaments won in 2005: 7 to Nadal’s
6 and Gaudio and Roddick’s 3 Marat Safin is the 3rd player to have topped a million dollars prize
money in 2005. Federer and Nadal are already over $2m Fancy buying a racquet made to measure
for you? At www.vantagetennis.com you can have a frame custom made to your specifications
11
Memorabilia
“
“
Tennis love
Lizzie Bradbury (Kirsten Dunst) is a promising young talent whose life is winning
at tennis. But when she falls in love with Peter Colt (Paul Bettany), facing his last
stand at Wimbledon, she discovers that life isn’t just winning or losing, when
the game is love. The dream cast of this romantic comedy by the makers of
‘Notting Hill’ and ‘Bridget Jones’ Diary’ includes the leading lady of ‘Spiderman 2’
12