Russian Retreat at TMS-Madrid, Henman Swallowed by Fish; Kournikova Set to Retire

Posted on October 16, 2003

ATP REVIEW/PREVIEW
A bad day for Russia with an 0-4 mark Tuesday at the TMS-Madrid, with casualties including the back-from-injury former No. 1 Marat Safin (l. to Bjorkman), former No. 1 Yevgeny Kafelnikov (retired in the second set against (Q)Enqvist with a foot injury), Mikhail Youzhny (l. to (Q)Ferrer), and Nikolay Davydenko (l. to (Q)Gambill). Nice TMS effort Russia, scoring those late-season points -- with no Russian in the Masters Cup race, may as well put on the flippers. Seeds were 0-3 on the day, with (13)Kuerten (l. to Massu), (11)Martin "Berzerk" Verkerk (l. to Chela) and (12)Calleri (l. to Spadea in three) sent home. "During the first set, I was not very confident," Kuerten said. That's loser talk. "I didn't think I could play the right shots. When I was able to finally break his serve, I felt the match was close to being mine. I felt more in the game during the second set. I thought in the second set, things were going to swing my way. But I fought until the end and tried to find a way to recover and win the match, until he beat me." Other un-seeds through included Fish (d. Henman), Costa (d. Gonzalez), Mirnyi (d. Blake), Kucera (d. Clement in three), and the crafty Spanish lefty Feliciano Lopez, who tamed Aussie Mark Philippoussis in three sets.

Today the big kids come out to play at the TMS-Madrid, with matches including Ginepri vs. (4)Schuettler, Mirnyi vs. (2)Roddick (A-Rod leads series 1-0), (3)Federer vs. (WC)Corretja (Corretja leads series 3-1), (1)Ferrero vs. Ferreira (JC leads 2-1), Gaudio vs. (5)Moya (tied 1-1, critical match for Moya in Masters Cup run), Fish vs. (14)Robredo (first meeting), (6)Grosjean vs. (Q)Ferrer, Costa vs. (7)Srichaphan (first meeting), (Q)Enqvist vs. (16)Mantilla (tied 2-2), (10)Schalken vs. (Q)Gambill (Jan-Mike leads 5-2), (15)El Aynaoui vs. Bjorkman in an all-veteran battle (Swede leads 3-1), and (8)Novak vs. Kucera in a Czech vs. Slovak clash (Kucera leads 3-1).

WTA REVIEW/PREVIEW
Wildcard Mary Pierce's injury troubles continued Tuesday at Zurich, where the struggling Frenchwoman retired against Katarina Srebotnik after trailing 0-6, 0-2. Pierce's ailments include a pulled ab muscle, an adductor strain, a throat infection, flu symptoms, and judging from her post-match interview, a bout of PMS. "What's not wrong with me? That's the way I feel," said the former French and Australian Open champion, who took to the court with both thighs strapped. "I guess I've been playing at a higher level and higher intensity recently and it's taking its toll. My body isn't used to that. My body needs to recover and get used to it again." Get used to what, losing? Higher level? Have you won some titles lately you haven't told anyone about? Daniela "The Walking Stick" Hantuchova was the only seed in action, edged 7-6(2), 7-5 by doubles expert Paola Suarez. "I am trying to learn how to play indoors so this is a nice victory for me," said Suarez, who only plays two or three indoor tournaments a year. "It's very different for me with the lights and everything. And you have to really play aggressive on this surface." Hantuchova was playing with a bandaged hand. Other unseeded winners were Russians Bovina (d. (WC)Molik) and Petrova (d. (WC) Mikaelian), and homecrowd favorite Schnyder (d. Daniilidou).

Only three matches on tap today in Zurich in Zvonareva vs. Frazier, Alexandra "Dr. A" Stevenson vs. Jelena "Where is My Mind?" Dokic in an all-mentally-fragile match-up, and an all-Russian clash in Petrova vs. Dementieva.

FERRERO RECEIVES NO. 1 TROPHY IN OFFICIAL ATP CEREMONY AT TMS-MADRID
Juan Carlos Ferrero was finally presented with the No. 1 ATP Entry Ranking trophy on the Pista Central on Tuesday at the Tennis Masters Madrid. ATP Chief Executive Officer Mark Miles presented the Waterford Crystal trophy to Ferrero to rapturous applause from the home crowd. Ferrero, the reigning French Open Champion, was upset after receiving no such awards or accolades following his US Open semifinal win that clinched the top spot. He joins Carlos Moya, who held the top spot for two weeks in March '99, as the only two Spaniards to have reached the pinnacle of the sport. Ferrero is the 21st player to reach No. 1 in the ATP Entry Rankings (since 1973).

NOTES, QUOTES, AND BARBS
ATP CEO Mark Miles thinks (aka hopes) that no players are involved in the Internet gambling/match rigging fiasco that has come to light: "There was a conclusion on site...that Yevgeny (Kafelnikov), he might not have played his best tennis, but he was giving a professional effort...I suppose anything is possible in some respects, but I believe that our guys, the athletes in tennis, are among the cleanest in any sport anywhere." Y-Man not giving his best? Say it isn't so, that hasn't happened much, eh? The match in question was at Lyon, where Fernando Vicente beat Kafelnikov in the first round. Problem was, Vicente was riding an 11-match losing streak and just before the match, someone put a large amount of jack down on the Spaniard to win. Hmm...After retiring with a foot injury Tuesday at the TMS-Madrid, Yevgeny Kafelnikov insinuated, for the 23rd time, that he may retire this year after next month's TMS-Paris: "As I see right now, I'm going to make a right decision after Paris, that's for sure. That's what I want to do." That "right decision" better be to RETIRE DAMMIT!...South African veteran Wayne Ferreira says he will likely retire at the end of the 2004 season or maybe after he breaks the Edberg Slam streak of 54 straight...Anna Kournikova Retirement Watch Update: "I do not want to go on playing unless I can participate 100%," she told reporters at the World Music Awards. "I can still do occasional exhibition games but I can't cope with the rigorous schedule of major tournaments. Tennis is my life and I really don't know what's going to happen but we will see in January." We have one word for what's going to happen -- Playboy. Kournikova told the London Evening Standard on Monday that she plans to quit tennis early next year and devote herself to becoming an actress and TV awards presenter...Just another example of the opposite career paths of Americans Mardy Fish and James Blake Tuesday at the TMS-Madrid, with Fish overwhelming Tim Henman at his own serve-and-volley game, and Blake going down to Max "The Beast" Mirnyi...Mardy Fish is looking forward to facing seeded Spaniard Tommy Robredo on the hardcourts at the TMS-Madrid: "This is the surface that I'd want to play Robredo on. I'm sure we'll play on the center court and it's his crowd. But those are the kind of matches I like -- me against everyone."...According to BBC Sport, Thai singer Tata Young caused an uproar by holding a press conference to announce she was officially dating Paradorn Srichaphan, and producing gifts from the Thai No. 1 for the assembled media -- "Young later said she was so horrified by the media response to her revelation that she 'fainted and vomited'" What the hell kind of dating culture is going on over there in Thailand?...Former French Open champ Al Costa is talking up his chances of making the Davis Cup team in singles for the final against Australia? On grass? Has he been smoking the grass?...Former No. 1 Marat Safin is still going after his goal of winning a lone match (not a title) before the season ends: "I still have two tournaments left. But I'm definitely not in the best shape. It's difficult for me." Must have been difficult to go jogging and stuff and get in shape with that wrist injury...Yevgeny Kafelnikov on his foot injury: "It's tendonitis. I just had an MRI and it came up on X-ray. I've had it since I lost to (Sargis) Sargsian in the Kremlin Cup, so about two weeks. I thought I could play, but unfortunately not." All bets are off, as they say...Serena Williams has pulled from the Linz event, and says she may not be physically ready after surgery to play the year-end WTA Championships, and may again go to the pull card.