Tennis-X.com Notes: Improving Roddick Still Winless Against Top 10
Posted on September 11, 2006DAILY TENNIS-X E-NEWSLETTER
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TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
Roger Federer becomes the very first player to win three straight Wimbledons and US Opens in the Open Era. Federer surpasses Jimmy Connors, Andre Agassi, Ivan Lendl, Fred Perry and Ken Rosewall with nine career Slam titles. Rosewall was on hand for the finale...Also on hand was Tiger Woods, owner of 12 Slams. Woods met with Federer for the first time just before the final for about 10 minutes. Afterward, Woods and his wife Elin spent nearly 90 minutes with Federer immediately after his title...Bjorn Borg won his 9th Slam in his 22nd event, Federer in his 30th, Pete Sampras in his 31st. Federer's last five Slam finals have gone four sets. Four of his first five went straights. Federer is the 10th straight European to win a Slam title. Gaston Gaudio was the last non-European Slam winner...Without Roger Federer would Andy Roddick have four, maybe more, Slam titles? After not reaching a final all year, Andy Roddick has reached the final in three of his last four events...Roddick's lone career Slam Top 10 win remains Juan Carlos Ferrero in the 2003 US Open final. Roddick moves up to No. 3 in the ATP Race and will likely finish Top 5 in the rankings...Tiger Woods and Roger Federer are both represented by IMG. Hence the meeting. Maria Sharapova is also with IMG and the "swoosh."...Andy Roddick has a better five-set record (8-8) than Roger Federer (9-10). Federer is the first man to reach all four Slam finals in a single year since Rod Laver's Slam in 1969...Pete Sampras won 14 of 18 Slam finals, only bested percentage-wise by Roger Federer's nine of 10. Federer again out-aced Roddick 17-7. That seems to always happen. The scoreline for the final was nearly the same as that of the Federer-Agassi match from last year...Brad Gilbert is serious about getting Andy Murray in fighting shape, according to the BBC: "Andy Murray will face two of Thailand's top kickboxers after his first round match at the Thailand Open. Murray, 19, will take on veteran Khaosai Galaxy, known as "the Thai Tyson", and Somluck Kamsing, who won an Olympic boxing gold medal in 1996. "He has to learn to fight first, so I'll go easy on him, but tennis player or boxer, I won't be letting him win," said Somluck, now a singer and actor. The Thailand Open takes place in Bangkok from 25 September to 1 October."...From X-Discussion boarder 443: "Such impossibility is not even worthy of hope. Federer could play the worst match in his life versus Roddick playing the best match ever and he'd still win. I have no problems with Roddick, but you can't race a donkey against a race horse and hope the donkey would win. That's why it's sad to hear the US media actually believing there is a chance. And then Roddick starts hoping he can do it and when he inevitably loses there is a huge disappointment and everybody calls Roddick a loser and a bad player -- which he isn't. There is no chance save Federer breaking a leg."...From blogger Peter Bodo on Maria Sharapova: "And those blood-curdling shrieks? Let's not kid ourselves, we know exactly what they are: cries for attention and acknowledgment, a petition for validity. See, see how hard I can hit the ball? See, see how hard I'm working? See, see how godawful hard this is and how good it feels and how terribly much I need to let loose and experience the sheer thrill of abandon, the one thing I can never afford to do when I see that ball coming toward me because -- because, lacking the talent of Justine, lacking the flair of a Serena, lacking the versatility of an Amelie, this is the only way I can experience a little bit of what they have, and still somehow be good. And without being good -- without winning that last point, I'm nothing."...Blogger Charlie Bricker on the offensive concerning reporters harassing Maria Sharapova about the banana/fingers incident during the US Open final: "Then, after Sharapova twice made it clear she didn't care to talk about it, a fellow who owns a little once-a-month tennis magazine you've probably never heard of began lecturing her. "...the question, in all candor, it's a fair question. There's a phrase that an honest question deserves an honest answer. And the issue relates to fairness in the competition and the no-coaching rule. It's a simple question, and we're interested in it." He put a full-court press on her for the next three minutes until someone, graciously, broke the joint up with a question that began, "Maria, no fruit involved..." Sharapova's sharp and right-to-the-point final word on the subject: "We should tell all the players, have a banana and they're all going to win."...From CBSSportsline.com on Maria Sharapova stating she'll do whatever it takes to win: "And, much to her chagrin, Sharapova was asked to address again the apparent signals she received from her father and her hitting partner during matches at the Open, including holding up four fingers or waving a banana. In-match coaching isn't allowed in tennis, but she and her agent offered this explanation: Sharapova focuses so much on the task at hand when she plays that she sometimes forgets to drink as much as she should to stay hydrated -- and the hand signals were simply meant as a reminder. When asked about it after the final, Sharapova deflected the question, saying it wasn't what she wanted to be talking about on a night she earned a major championship. "I believe, at the end of the day, personally, my life is not about a banana," Sharapova said Saturday night. "It's not about what I wear. It's not about the friends that I have. My career right now is about winning a tennis match. And right now, I'm sitting here as a U.S. Open champion, and the last thing I think people need to worry about is a banana."...Andy Roddick is 0-3 vs. Top 10 players in 2006 and 1-7 vs. Top 10 players career in Slams...From SI.com's Jon Wertheim: "Given how well Sharapova plays and how fiercely she competes, it makes her blatant cheating all the more disappointing. Someone in her camp of enablers ought to impress upon that she is discrediting herself and discrediting the sport. And just because the toothless administrators turn a blind eye, doesn't make it right. Sure it might just be a silly banana and some gesticulating fingers. But "you don't play fair" is one of the most serious charges you can levy against an athlete...Poor Willie Coria's forgettable year continues. Already embroiled in an unpleasant personal situation, a bum shoulder wreaks havoc on his game. His shoulder is finally better and he's so committed to rectifying his serve that he practices in a driving rain. He goes out against Sweeting, slips on the court, hurts his groin and retires after five games...So go to any West Side Story Web site and here are the lyrics from "I Feel Pretty.": "I feel pretty Oh so pretty I feel pretty and witty and gay." Yet in the Sharapova commercial the cast sings: "I feel pretty Oh so pretty I feel pretty and witty and...bright." Hmmm."...From Sportbusiness.com: "Mobile phone company Sony Ericsson agreed a three-year deal to become the official mobile phone of the Tennis Masters Cup, Shanghai. Under the deal Sony Ericsson has exclusive worldwide rights as 'Official Mobile Phone of the Tennis Masters Cup' and will enjoy prominent on-court brand presence, on-screen score graphics during all national and international broadcasts, global promotional rights and top level hospitality and tickets at the men's season-ending finale which takes place for the second year running at Qi Zhong Stadium, Shanghai from 12-19 November 2006."...Roger Federer on having Tiger Woods watch him win the US Open: "We have been trying to meet for a while, but he promised me he would come if I was in the final, so there was a bit of pressure, but thanks for coming...It's like maybe the first time your parents see you do something special, or somebody comes to you, you really maybe look up to. For me, it's like when I go out there and I see Tiger sitting there, it's like, I try to play well, you know?"...Roger Federer has clinched the year-end No. 1 ranking for three straight years with his US Open win -- does he have three more in a row in him to tie Pete Sampras' all-time mark?
A round-up of what's going on in the sport each morning in your e-mail box. Read what tennis industry insiders read each morning to get their heads around the latest news, insight and opinion on pro tennis. A year's subscription costs less than a meal and a pint. Less than a trip to Starbucks. The question is, how can you afford not to subscribe? Get the Tennis-X Daily Dish in your e-mail in-box, even before it's posted on the web, by signing up for the net's most complete daily e-newsletter at http://www.tennis-x.com/subscribe.php
TENNIS-X NEWS, NOTES, QUOTES AND BARBS
Roger Federer becomes the very first player to win three straight Wimbledons and US Opens in the Open Era. Federer surpasses Jimmy Connors, Andre Agassi, Ivan Lendl, Fred Perry and Ken Rosewall with nine career Slam titles. Rosewall was on hand for the finale...Also on hand was Tiger Woods, owner of 12 Slams. Woods met with Federer for the first time just before the final for about 10 minutes. Afterward, Woods and his wife Elin spent nearly 90 minutes with Federer immediately after his title...Bjorn Borg won his 9th Slam in his 22nd event, Federer in his 30th, Pete Sampras in his 31st. Federer's last five Slam finals have gone four sets. Four of his first five went straights. Federer is the 10th straight European to win a Slam title. Gaston Gaudio was the last non-European Slam winner...Without Roger Federer would Andy Roddick have four, maybe more, Slam titles? After not reaching a final all year, Andy Roddick has reached the final in three of his last four events...Roddick's lone career Slam Top 10 win remains Juan Carlos Ferrero in the 2003 US Open final. Roddick moves up to No. 3 in the ATP Race and will likely finish Top 5 in the rankings...Tiger Woods and Roger Federer are both represented by IMG. Hence the meeting. Maria Sharapova is also with IMG and the "swoosh."...Andy Roddick has a better five-set record (8-8) than Roger Federer (9-10). Federer is the first man to reach all four Slam finals in a single year since Rod Laver's Slam in 1969...Pete Sampras won 14 of 18 Slam finals, only bested percentage-wise by Roger Federer's nine of 10. Federer again out-aced Roddick 17-7. That seems to always happen. The scoreline for the final was nearly the same as that of the Federer-Agassi match from last year...Brad Gilbert is serious about getting Andy Murray in fighting shape, according to the BBC: "Andy Murray will face two of Thailand's top kickboxers after his first round match at the Thailand Open. Murray, 19, will take on veteran Khaosai Galaxy, known as "the Thai Tyson", and Somluck Kamsing, who won an Olympic boxing gold medal in 1996. "He has to learn to fight first, so I'll go easy on him, but tennis player or boxer, I won't be letting him win," said Somluck, now a singer and actor. The Thailand Open takes place in Bangkok from 25 September to 1 October."...From X-Discussion boarder 443: "Such impossibility is not even worthy of hope. Federer could play the worst match in his life versus Roddick playing the best match ever and he'd still win. I have no problems with Roddick, but you can't race a donkey against a race horse and hope the donkey would win. That's why it's sad to hear the US media actually believing there is a chance. And then Roddick starts hoping he can do it and when he inevitably loses there is a huge disappointment and everybody calls Roddick a loser and a bad player -- which he isn't. There is no chance save Federer breaking a leg."...From blogger Peter Bodo on Maria Sharapova: "And those blood-curdling shrieks? Let's not kid ourselves, we know exactly what they are: cries for attention and acknowledgment, a petition for validity. See, see how hard I can hit the ball? See, see how hard I'm working? See, see how godawful hard this is and how good it feels and how terribly much I need to let loose and experience the sheer thrill of abandon, the one thing I can never afford to do when I see that ball coming toward me because -- because, lacking the talent of Justine, lacking the flair of a Serena, lacking the versatility of an Amelie, this is the only way I can experience a little bit of what they have, and still somehow be good. And without being good -- without winning that last point, I'm nothing."...Blogger Charlie Bricker on the offensive concerning reporters harassing Maria Sharapova about the banana/fingers incident during the US Open final: "Then, after Sharapova twice made it clear she didn't care to talk about it, a fellow who owns a little once-a-month tennis magazine you've probably never heard of began lecturing her. "...the question, in all candor, it's a fair question. There's a phrase that an honest question deserves an honest answer. And the issue relates to fairness in the competition and the no-coaching rule. It's a simple question, and we're interested in it." He put a full-court press on her for the next three minutes until someone, graciously, broke the joint up with a question that began, "Maria, no fruit involved..." Sharapova's sharp and right-to-the-point final word on the subject: "We should tell all the players, have a banana and they're all going to win."...From CBSSportsline.com on Maria Sharapova stating she'll do whatever it takes to win: "And, much to her chagrin, Sharapova was asked to address again the apparent signals she received from her father and her hitting partner during matches at the Open, including holding up four fingers or waving a banana. In-match coaching isn't allowed in tennis, but she and her agent offered this explanation: Sharapova focuses so much on the task at hand when she plays that she sometimes forgets to drink as much as she should to stay hydrated -- and the hand signals were simply meant as a reminder. When asked about it after the final, Sharapova deflected the question, saying it wasn't what she wanted to be talking about on a night she earned a major championship. "I believe, at the end of the day, personally, my life is not about a banana," Sharapova said Saturday night. "It's not about what I wear. It's not about the friends that I have. My career right now is about winning a tennis match. And right now, I'm sitting here as a U.S. Open champion, and the last thing I think people need to worry about is a banana."...Andy Roddick is 0-3 vs. Top 10 players in 2006 and 1-7 vs. Top 10 players career in Slams...From SI.com's Jon Wertheim: "Given how well Sharapova plays and how fiercely she competes, it makes her blatant cheating all the more disappointing. Someone in her camp of enablers ought to impress upon that she is discrediting herself and discrediting the sport. And just because the toothless administrators turn a blind eye, doesn't make it right. Sure it might just be a silly banana and some gesticulating fingers. But "you don't play fair" is one of the most serious charges you can levy against an athlete...Poor Willie Coria's forgettable year continues. Already embroiled in an unpleasant personal situation, a bum shoulder wreaks havoc on his game. His shoulder is finally better and he's so committed to rectifying his serve that he practices in a driving rain. He goes out against Sweeting, slips on the court, hurts his groin and retires after five games...So go to any West Side Story Web site and here are the lyrics from "I Feel Pretty.": "I feel pretty Oh so pretty I feel pretty and witty and gay." Yet in the Sharapova commercial the cast sings: "I feel pretty Oh so pretty I feel pretty and witty and...bright." Hmmm."...From Sportbusiness.com: "Mobile phone company Sony Ericsson agreed a three-year deal to become the official mobile phone of the Tennis Masters Cup, Shanghai. Under the deal Sony Ericsson has exclusive worldwide rights as 'Official Mobile Phone of the Tennis Masters Cup' and will enjoy prominent on-court brand presence, on-screen score graphics during all national and international broadcasts, global promotional rights and top level hospitality and tickets at the men's season-ending finale which takes place for the second year running at Qi Zhong Stadium, Shanghai from 12-19 November 2006."...Roger Federer on having Tiger Woods watch him win the US Open: "We have been trying to meet for a while, but he promised me he would come if I was in the final, so there was a bit of pressure, but thanks for coming...It's like maybe the first time your parents see you do something special, or somebody comes to you, you really maybe look up to. For me, it's like when I go out there and I see Tiger sitting there, it's like, I try to play well, you know?"...Roger Federer has clinched the year-end No. 1 ranking for three straight years with his US Open win -- does he have three more in a row in him to tie Pete Sampras' all-time mark?