TENNIS WORLD

Roger Federer is training as if he is a happy child.

MONFILS

On The Edge Of Greatness

MUGURUZA

This is an importantmoment of my career

TOWNSEND

Hungry For Success

N° 17 - June 2014

Roger is training as if he isa happy child

by Roassana Bianco

Roger is training as if he is a happy child. Recalling the old days, hishair gathered in a ponytail, he jokes around with Stefan Edberg.

Roger is training as if he is a happy child.Recalling the old days, his hair gathered in aponytail, he jokes around with Stefan Edberg.The Swede, though serious himself, also laughsevery now and again as he walks around lookingfor stray balls. He is Federer’s idol, and there isno doubt Edberg has a fair share of admirationfor the Swiss.All of this happened far from the grass ofWimbledon, but it is clear that both of theirminds are actually on the green courts of the AllEngland Club. Even though the French Open isnot yet over for Federer, he is already lookingtowards England. After an approach shot goes

awry, Federer speaks to Edberg, who nods hishead. They try something else.It was only a day later that Federer lost in fivesets to Ernests Gulbis. He did not play badlyagainst Gulbis, though he did wasteopportunities to go up two sets to love. Yet theloss was not a bad one for the former worldnumber one. After the disaster of 2013, this yearhas proven to be very successful for Federer. Heis playing well and, above all, feeling fit andhealthy. At 33, that is the most important thing.There had been earlier warning signs thatFederer was not completely focused at RolandGarros. Against Tursunov he had been sloppy,

converting only four of 22 break points. His onlyworse conversion rate in Paris had been in 2007against Nadal, where he won two of 21 breakpoints. "There is a fine line between wanting somethingand wanting it too much," Federer’s formercoach Paul Annacone said some time ago. In thiscase, the wanting too much might not exactlyapply to the French Open, but to Wimbledon.Against Gulbis, he seemed distracted andunfocused, and woke up when it was way toolate to save the situation. Afterwards, at hispress conference, journalists wanted to knowwhat had gone wrong. Federer did not seem tooconcerned.

But perhaps we can cut Federer some slack. Hehas, after all, become a father of a second set oftwins recently, right in the middle of hispreparation for the French Open. This is not a distraction other players have todeal with. Also, given his age and the lack ofother players from his generation who are stillaround, just the fact that he is still rankednumber four in the world is incredible. So perhaps that wry smile after the loss to Gulbisis not so mysterious after all. Federer is simply a man who has seen it allbefore, who knows what he is capable of andknows what he wants.What he wants, of course, is simple: more GrandSlams. Specifically, Wimbledon is what he wants, and itis something he might very well get. The Swiss has been written off so often in thepast, only to come back stronger than ever. He has done the impossible before, and it willultimately surprise nobody if he does it again. He might not be sharing his plans or histhoughts with the public, but one thing is forsure: whatever he is brewing up will certainly geteveryone talking, no matter where it leads.

An Interview With GarbineMuguruza Blanco

by Francesca Cicchitti

“Garbine Muguruza Blanco is not the name of a fancywine or magic potion

“Garbine Muguruza Blanco is not the name of afancy wine or magic potion. It is the name of aSpanish tennis player that, it seems, we willneed to learn to pronounce in the future.” Thisquote is from an article two years ago aboutGarbine’s success on her debut at a WTAPremier tournament in Miami. Already then there was no doubt that the girlhad great talent. It is perhaps for that reasonthat is didn’t surprise a lot of people who knewof her when she beat Serena Williams at RolandGarros this year. It took eventual winner MariaSharapova to bring a stop to Blanco, and eventhen she did not go down easily, taking a set in a6-1, 5-7, 1-6 loss. When she played in Miami in2012 she was 208 in the rankings. Today she ison the verge of the Top 20.

You had a great tournament in Paris.What was it like beating SerenaWilliams? "It was an emotion that made my legs shake,

literally. It seemed to me something so distantand impossible to achieve. It was also nice tohear from Serena after the match, when shesaid: ‘Continue to play as well and you can winthe tournament.’ I told her that I would try, Iwould do my best."

When did you realize that you could win?"Towards the end, the last few games of thematch. I had won the first and if I'm notmistaken I was 4-1 up. I was nervous, but Irealized that if I just kept my cool I could winsuch an important match. She was verynervous."

Born October 8, 1993 E' una tennista spagnola. Garbiñe was born to a Spanish father, JoséAntonio, and a Venezuelan mother, ScarletBlanco, in Caracas, VenezuelaHeight 182 cm Wight 73 kgPrize money $870,037Turned pro March 2nd, 2012

Garbine Muguruza Blanco

It is true that Serena Williams has alwaysbeen your favorite player? How was it toprepare to play against your player idol?"It was very difficult, because since childhoodwhen I turned on the television I saw her play. Iadmired her, I have more than 100 videos ofSerena, I studied her play. But it was hard tostay calm, I pretended that it was not her butanother player. Perhaps because of this, Imanaged to win and play so well."

Who else inspired you growing up? "There is Martina Hingis, I always wanted to beable to get to her level. Then I really liked theplay of Pete Sampras."

Against Maria Sharapova you were veryclose to winning. At times you seemed tocontrol the match. Then, what happened?"It's true, I was so close. It's hard to admit, but Ireally had the opportunity to win the match. Ithink I need more experience to be able to faceand win matches like that, against such strongopponents. I think I played very well in all threesets, but in the important moments I missed, myhead was not up to the task. It's hard to admit it.I'll have to improve on this."

It seemed that it was harder for you toplay against Sharapova than againstWilliams. Before playing with Serena youexplained that you had nothing to lose.Do you think that you had just put toomuch pressure on yourself? "No, look, I really just didn’t have the experienceto play such an important match. Mary playswith great intensity, but it did not bother me, Iknow it is his style. Besides, even with her I hadnothing to lose...She's a tennis player at such ahigh level, and it is no coincidence that she wonthe tournament. I did everything I could do, Itried to focus on my game, but I could not playwell when I needed to."

Masha rewarded you with many beautifulwords. She said, for example, that thisFrench Open will represent a turningpoint in your career. Do you think so aswell? "Now I'm more confident, sure. I believemore in myself. All the matches I played, not justthose against Williams and Sharapova, made megrow. I do not know if this will represent aturning point in my career. We'll see. At themoment I'm happy to have reached a good levelof play. You can always improve (laughs)."

How did you get so good on clay? Weknow that you prefer the fast surfaces… "Yes it is true, but I also like to play on the clay, Itrained in Spain a lot, and there you know thereare not many alternatives to the red clay. Thesurface counts and does not count, and then ifyou lack concentration, then it has even less ofan influence."

for in the future. What does your choicedepend on? "I was born in Venezuela, in Caracas, but myfather is Spanish. Then, he moved to Venezuelato work, while my mother came to Spain. I livedin Venezuela for six years, and there I started toplay tennis, along with my brothers, then wemoved to Barcelona. As for my future, it's true,I'm still thinking about it, it is not an easydecision and not about money. The point is thatI have a great family, a part in South Americaand another in Spain, and I have to decide inwhich country I want to spend most of my time.

Is it true that grass is the surface that youprefer the most? Wimbledon is upon us,do you give yourself a chance to getanother important result? "I cannot wait. Also because there aretournaments on grass for only three weeks ayear, far too few. The idea of coming back for afew weeks to "graze" on the lawns makes me feelgood. A result equal to that of Roland Garroswould be a nice way to close the season inEurope. I hope so."

We know you're half-Spanish, half-Venezuelan, but you still have to decidewhich of the two nations you want toplay

To find regularity and continuity will beimportant

It's a bit like asking a child if she prefers hermom or dad. And then, this is an importantmoment of my career, I'm learning a lot ofthings, I'm getting better. To find regularity and continuity will beimportant. Even more so after a period full ofinjuries like last year, when I was forced to giveup half of the season. Making the right decisionwill be crucial for my future."

Growing Up Slowly

by Diego Barbiani

"As a child I struggled with focus during workouts. But now I understandwhy they are necessary, now I want to train, now I want to win."

"As a child I struggled with focus duringworkouts. But now I understand why they arenecessary, now I want to train, now I want towin."These are the words which fans of ErnestsGulbis have been waiting to hear for a long time.Of course, they have heard similar statements inthe past, such as when the Latvian beat RogerFederer in Rome four years ago, but this timethere is reason to believe that he means it.Indeed, his performance at Roland Garros seemsto indicate a turning point for the career of thetempestuous youngster, whose potential hasgone sadly unfulfilled so far in his career. To be sure, the court needs a character like him.Tennis players are often criticized for givingboring answers to questions in interviews and atpress conferences. Gulbis does not seem to havereceived this memo, for he rarely gives roteanswers to questions. Some of his comments areinteresting, such as the fact that he reads

Dostoevsky and would like to have dinner withAlbert Einstein. "Although I do not believe that he would havewanted to waste his time with a stupid athletelike me,” he adds smiling. Most of his comments go beyond beinginteresting, and are the sorts of words that makejournalists very happy indeed. For example, he does not want to encourageyoung women to take up tennis. "For women itis a difficult choice, they must enjoy life moreand then think to start a family, but how canthey do that if they have tennis on the brain?”Not quite as controversial as Richard Krajicek,but his comments did stir up a lot ofcontroversy."He’s a comic,” Maria Sharapova saidsarcastically in response. “A great comedian.When I'm in a bad mood I read his statements tomake me laugh." When asked about Murray’s choice of hiringAmelie Mauresmo as his coach, Gulbis said hewould rather hire someone like Ana Ivanovic orMaria Sharapova. Gulbis is, it seems fair to say,never at a loss for words.

Still young at heart It has been six years since Gulbis first made asplash on the men’s Tour, that time also atRoland Garros, where he reached the quarter-finals. Six years lost in the wilderness, for themost part, but even when he wasn’t playing wellhe still managed to make headlines. In 2009 inStockholm, for example, he was caught with aprostitute. "When I go out with a girl I do notask what she does,” he said at the time. “And ifshe asks me I tell her that I'm a musician orsomething." Never a dull moment with Ernests. He has not mellowed since then. After doing sowell at Roland Garros, he reportedly took hisprize money to a casino in Latvia and promptly

lost it all with his cousin. So his maturity on thecourt has not been reflected off the court. But onthe court things are much different indeed. Hisstaff, in fact, says that training sessions are amassive grind, and Gulbis is determined in eachand every one of them to improve his game.Gulbis grew up in Bavaria in the tennis academyrun by Nikki Pilic. It was his mother, an actress,who contacted Pilic, a Davis Cup captain, to askhim to take on her son. Indeed, they summonedhim to Riga, something which they could affordto do. Pilic took him, but his judgment was notflattering: "He’s too privileged to become good attennis."

Privileged background Gulbis’ father, Airnas, is the owner of one of thelargest oil pipelines in Latvia, and extremelywealthy as a result. Yet Gulbis was good inschool and in sports. His current coach, GuntherBresnik, is very proud of his student. "He's thebest I ever had. He knows how to do everythingand is well-prepared physically. He is verydedicated."Gulbis credits much of his success to Bresnik."It's true, there were years in which I did notwant to play,” he said recently. “I escaped toLatvia and spent days without doing anything.But when I met Gunther I realized that I would

"Gulbis likes to joke around,” Djokovic said

have to be different. He did not tell me not to goout or not to have fun, I was only required to beready at ten o'clock the next morning fortraining. Since we started working together Ihave been late only once. Ask him if you do notbelieve me." "Gulbis likes to joke around,” Djokovic said ofhis former training partner and semi-finalopponent in Paris. “We often played cards, weliked to laugh together, yet now we findourselves here again. He has always been a loverof life, a well-rounded person."

Music and beer "I like the opera, I love the music of Philip Glass,Pierre Boulez and Irmin Schmidt,” says Gulbis.

“And I love beer. If I go out in the evening andstart to drink, I do it all night. I like theNetherlands, marijuana is legal there. We tennisplayers cannot smoke it, but I like the idea."“As early as 14,15 years old we could see hispotential,” Djokovic, who trained with Gulbiswhen he was younger, remembers. “He playedloose, without worrying, and destroyed the otherguys."Now he has changed his style of play and hisrelationship with the court. "Today I go on court with the desire to win,”says Gulbis. “It is a matter of whether you willgive up or not. It is up to you and you alone."

An Interview With AmelieMauresmo

by Daniele Azzolini

It is essential that women are recognized and appreciated in this type ofwork, which in the past was characterized by a strong male presence

When she was still playing and, moreimportantly, winning, the French press used tocall Amelie Mauresmo “notre doucecoquelouche,” or “our sweet darling.” It isdoubtful whether Andy Murray uses suchnicknames when he is training with her, butthere is no doubt that he will call her anythingshe wants if she helps him win another GrandSlam. Amelie Mauresmo was a surprising choiceas coach for Andy Murray, who parted ways withIvan Lendl earlier this year. Their firsttournament together in Queen’s did not go well,but they are hoping that things will get betteronce they are more used to each other.

Amelie, you won your only Grand Slam atWimbledon, without much of a net game.Perhaps it is this that encouraged Murrayto approach you? "His choice also surprised me. We talked for along time, in recent weeks, after his first phonecall. And little by little, the decision took shape.It is not for me to reveal all the details. If youwant, you can ask Andy. But it is a task that Ifeel within my reach. I've seen him play often,and I have some ideas to take forward."

Before Andy you trained with MichaelLlodra, and you won two tournaments

«I hope I can help Andy reach some big goals»

together. A good result, but the job didnot last long. What are your anxietiesabout this job? "Andy offered me a challenge, and I'm not one torun away when the choices are difficult. I thinkthe split with Lendl was due to the fact that Ivancould not assure a constant presence. On thispoint, I gave him full assurance. The rest, we'llsee. We will deal with the grass season and therewill see if we are good or not."

You are the first choice of a Top Tenplayer… "Us girls, we are prepared. I'm not the only oneto work as a coach, Andy himself had long beenbeside his mother, Judy, who is a greattechnician

and is now also a Fed Cup captain. Then there's a great champion like MartinaHingis. I am not the first, but I hope I can helpAndy reach some big goals. It is essential thatwomen are recognized and appreciated in thistype of work, which in the past wascharacterized by a strong male presence. Wehave a different way of approaching things, thisis true, but I think it is also interesting. We havesomething different to offer."

On The Edge Of Greatness

by Gianluca Maestri

Gael Monfils

In many ways, the quarter-final match betweenAndy Murray and Gael Monfils at the 2014French Open was a perfect microcosm of theFrenchman’s career. Drama, explosiveness,reflexes and incredible shotmaking have been ahallmark of Monfils’ days as a pro, but hisinability to play his best tennis when it reallymatters has haunted him from day one. As hadhappened so many times in the past, Monfilswent toe to toe with a top player in a big matchat a prestigious tournament, and came up justshort.It is a story Monfils is getting tired of, as wasevident after the match in his press conference.What could have been a turning point in hiscareer turned out to be just anotherdisappointment. He felt betrayed by himself andthe thing he loves most: tennis.Monfils has loved sports his entire life. As achild, he enjoyed a number of sporting activities,especially basketball of any variety.

He even played in a minor league in Geneva. Hewas also very good at athletics, running the 100and 400 meters. Judo and cycling were alsofavorites. Physically gifted, tall and strong, Monfilseventually settled on tennis as his sport ofchoice. From a young age he boasted a big serve,great court coverage and incredible power. His love for tennis was equaled only by his lovefor showmanship. On court he would oftenengage in silly antics, such as sliding on hardcourts, diving for volleys and playing trick shots.While the crowds loved his displays, manytennis pundits criticized him for not taking histennis seriously enough.Monfils arrived at Roland Garros having alreadyplayed at a few clay court events, such asBucharest and Monte Carlo. He had not playedas much as he had hope to, however, as injuryplagued him throughout the first months of theseason. Injuries have been a big part of, and abig problem for, Monfils’ career. He has sufferedfrom everything from knee and back injuries toankle and wrist complaints. The frequency ofthese injuries often meant that Monfils would

The only man who can get Gael to behave is his father,Rufin Monfils

not be able to play for more than a few months ata time before having to take an extended break.Each time he had to discover his game and hisconfidence all over again. Along with the many injuries, the Frenchmanhas also had many different coaches: RichardWarmoes, Thierry Champion, Tarik Benhabiles,Roger Rasheed, Patrick Chamagne and EricWinogradsky. None have managed to get themost out of the talented youngster. Though Monfils said in Paris that he wasworking hard and that he is more committedthan ever to tennis, he still could not keephimself from enjoying life off the court. Onenight during the tournament, for example, hepostponed an appointment with a masseusebecause he wanted

to find a good kebab restaurant. As a result, themassage session began only at 1:30 AM. The only man who can get Gael to behave is hisfather, Rufin Monfils. "When was the last timeyou met your childhood idol?” Monfils wasrecently asked. "I encounter him every day,” hereplied. “He’s my father."A former soccer player, now employed by FranceTelecom, Mr. Rufin hails from Guadeloupe.Sylvette, his wife, who works as a nurse, is fromMartinique. Rufin was his son’s first coach, eventhough young Gael could beat him easily by thetime he was 12.Monfils takes refuge with his family when thingsget tough. This was particularly necessary whenhe fell from 7 in the world to 108 in the space

of a few months thanks to injuries. In Paris, Monfils found the stage on which hewould resurrect his career once more, and thefans embraced him from the start. Hanescu,Struff, Fognini and Garcia-Lopez all fell to thenewly inspired Monfils, who made more than afew spectacular dives during those matches. Then, at 21:40 on a wet and windy Wednesdaynight, his resurgence was halted by AndyMurray, who put Monfils away in front of ascreaming and partisan Parisian crowd. Half an hour earlier, in the near-darkness, chairumpire Stefan Fransson had called the twotogether to tell them there would not be muchtime left before bad light stopped play.

Under pressure, Monfils tried to speed thingsup, going for more winners than he usuallywould. It was a grave mistake that ultimatelycost him the match. "No. I do not think it was agreat tournament for me,” he said afterwards.“Make no mistake, I am sad. I have to workharder, this match was the key to becoming achampion."Monfils had wanted to prove to all his critics,and even his fans, that he could win his way. That he did not need a coach to tell him what todo. That he could still enjoy life off the court andbe himself while winning importanttournaments. He wanted to be the person to give France itsfirst men’s champion since Yannick Noah liftedthe trophy in 1983. But ultimately, though hewanted it more than anyone, his desire was notenough to get him across the finish line. Monfils is still relatively young, and he certainlyhas the talent to one day become France’s firstGrand Slam champion in 30 years, but he stillhas a long way to go before then. Ultimately itmight require a little more discipline from theFrenchman, and whether he is willing to admitthat to himself is an open question.

David Nalbandian’s NewLife

by Alessandro Varassi

His driving debut took place in Villa Carlos Paz, near Cordoba,on the 22nd and 23rd of March.

The last time we saw David Nalbandian on anofficial court was in March of 2013, when heplayed, and lost, his last match as a tennis pro.The former world number three is now retired,thanks in large part to an unending stream ofinjuries. The birth of his first child, Sossie, alsoplayed a part in the decision to retire, which heannounced at a press conference on 1 October,2013. But sport is in his blood, and Nalbandiansoon found himself itching to compete in someway again. Ultimately, he decided to trade in hisracket for a steering wheel. And he is not takingthe exercise lightly either, as the Argentine iscompeting in the Argentine national rally

championship, which started in March and hasten stages. Part of his team is Marcos Ligato, aprofessional driver, and former soccer playerClaudio Lopez.His driving debut took place in Villa Carlos Paz,near Cordoba, on the 22nd and 23rd of March.Nalbandian came 15th, paired with compatriotDaniel Stillo. Nalbandian’s car was eagerlywatched by an adoring public, even if things didnot go so well at first. "We went out twice in thestreet, and we lost at least 15 seconds,” hereported at the time. “In the second session, wewere slowed down by a competitor who turnedright in front of us.

"But we will fight for victory, it is a kind of apprenticeship, Ihave to make as few mistakes as possible, and gainexperience. The car is fantastic, completely different from theprevious ones, and with an impressive braking system.”Nalbandian might not have won anything yet, but he has notexcluded the possibility of taking part in the worldchampionships. "I prefer to proceed in stages," he said of thematter. His results have certainly improved since March andin the last race, held in Catamarca, Nalbandian and ClaudioLopez finished in fifth place. Nalbandian’s love for rallydriving goes back quite a while, and is one of his manysporting passions. Another is fishing. It is an often-told storythat Nalbandian was busy fishing in 2005 when he wasinformed that he would be participating in the Masters Cupin Shanghai. His participation was not planned, andhappened thanks to a strange series of events. Despite hislack of preparation, he went on to win that tournament,beating Roger Federer in one of the greatest comebacks theevent had ever seen.But in late 2007, with his performances at Madrid and Bercy,Nalbandian reached his peak. He was absolutely unplayable,beating Nadal, Federer and Djokovic without even breaking asweat. Even though he did reach a Grand Slam final in hiscareer (at Wimbledon in 2002, where he lost to LleytonHewitt), it was during this time in 2007 that he played his

Nalbandian’s love for rally driving goes back quite a while, and is one of his many sporting passions. Another is fishing.

The biggest controversy of his career came in 2012, when hewas disqualified from the Queen’s Club final for injuring alinesman after kicking at a wooden fence in anger over a lostpoint.

best tennis. Yet despite all his success, some people hadexpected more from the Argentine in his career.Tremendously talented with all the weaponsneeded to dominate the modern game,Nalbandian always seemed to be at the edge ofgreatness, but was never able to cross thethreshold. In addition to his final at Wimbledon,he reached the semis at all the other Slams atleast once. The most memorable of those semiswas at the US Open in 2003, where he blew atwo set lead to lose to eventual champion AndyRoddick. He also experienced a lot of success atDavis Cup level, but was involved with a fairnumber of controversial episodes.

The Trouble With BeingTaylor Townsend

by Marco Avena

When you think about certain sports stars, the first thoughtthat might spring to mind is of someone who looks like amarble statue, with every feature perfectly carved.

When you think about certain sports stars, thefirst thought that might spring to mind is ofsomeone who looks like a marble statue, withevery feature perfectly carved. While this mightoften be an accurate reflection of reality, it is notalways true of everyone. Just think about sportswhere a bulky figure can be advantageous, suchas hammer throwing or weight lifting.In women’s tennis, however, the image of thebeauties that dominate the sport is hard toshake. From Maria Sharapova to DanielaHantuchova and Flavia Pennetta, the ladies ofthe court are more akin to supermodels thanrough and tumble athletes. Yet tennis is perhapsthe most biologically forgiving sport of all sports,at least for women. You can win if you are twometers tall or if you are 1.7 meters short.

You can win a Grand Slam if you have a catwalk-thin physique, and you can win the same Slam ifyou have a much portlier figure.One needs only think of Maria Sharapova as anexample of the former, and the latter isembodied by the likes Wimbledon championMarion Bartoli, or even Dominika Cibulkova,who reached the final of the Australian Openthis year.Serena Williams and Vika Azarenka can also benamed as examples of female athletes who donot have a tremendously slender physique. Onewould certainly not call them fat, but theirproportions are certainly different from many oftheir other colleagues. But their success,whatever their physical characteristics, is welldocumented.We mention this because another American,Taylor Townsend, made headline at RolandGarros this year for her figure. Taylor Townsend,an 18-year old who weighs in at 80 kilograms,caused quite a few waves in Paris when shereached the third round at the expense of aFrenchwoman, Alice Cornet.

So if Townsend does win Wimbledon oneday, remember you heard it here first.

The French never like it when their players lose,especially when it is at the hands of Americans.This is even more so when that American doesnot possess a traditional physical frame. Butcriticism about her weight has followedTownsend for years, going back as far as herappearance at the US Open Junior event in2012.Yet for all the nasty comments – and there havebeen many – Townsend did what many of herAmerican colleagues could not do in Paris: winmatches. Indeed, she did better than many localsas well. Other tennis players have praisedTownsend, and even said they admire her.Andrea Petkovic admitted that "Taylor is myidol," and Andy Murray had similarly kindwords to say about the young American.

At the end of the day, Townsend just wants towin, and there is no reason why she cannot goon to do just that. After all, it was just a year ago that an even moreunlikely person that she, Marion Bartoli, wonWimbledon against stupendous odds. Few pundits would have ever wagered a centthat Bartoli would one day be a Grand Slamchampion, yet she proved that with will powerand determination basically anyone can win thegreatest prize in tennis. So if Townsend does win Wimbledon one day,remember you heard it here first.

A Whole New Game

by Gianluca Atlante

A generational change has started in women's tennis. Themen? Not quite yet.

The red clay of the Bois de Boulogne is cruel.Blame the English Channel, perhaps, for thosesudden changes in temperature. This clay, theclay of Roland Garros, knows only one mantra:“Take nothing for granted.” This is as true asever among the women who hope to advance farat the French Open. In the women’s draw, theline between victory and defeat is as thin as it’sbeen in years. Unlike with the men, wherestrength and athleticism play a much bigger partat the top of the sport – just see how long it hastaken the likes of Grigor Dimitrov and MilosRaonic to break through – the women’s gamestill relies more on finesse and grace than brutestrength. We collected opinions during the two weeks atRoland Garros, analyzed the situation carefully.In the end we also had a close look at the manynumbers the tournament gave us, for after allthat is the most solid evidence for any theory wemight come up with.

On a wet afternoon at the stadium complex, westarted with Jose Luis Clerc, former Argentineplayer who ranked as high as four in the world.He made the semi-finals here at Roland Garrosin 1981 and 1982, and is now a commentator forESPN America. "Today, there is Nadal, Djokovic, Federer andMurray,” he says of men’s tennis. “Tomorrow,there will be Raonic, Dimitrov and Nishikori.The rivalries in tennis have never been lacking,and they will continue. I believe in generationalchange, but all things have their time and untilthose four players at the top, at least in themen's field, stop being hungry for trophies, itwill not be easy for others to try to sit at theirtable. But it might happen soon, provided thatthe three I mentioned – Raonic, Dimitrov andNishikori – have the right credentials to changethe history of the sport. “In women’s tennis it is different,” he went on."The process of change, and as we have seenright here at Roland Garros, has already begun.Serena Williams lost in the second round toMuguruza, a very interesting player, and Li Nalost to Mladenovic.

In the men’s draw, especially at a Grand Slam, it's unlikely tobe seeded number one or two and then go out early. In thewomen’s draw, it happens a lot lately

In the men’s draw, especially at a Grand Slam,it's unlikely to be seeded number one or two andthen go out early. In the women’s draw, ithappens a lot lately. Today the muscles oftenmake the difference, and not the talent,especially with the men. Although there areplayers like Muguruza, Mladenovic and theCanadian Bouchard, not to mention Halep, whoseem to be able to play great tennis withoutbeing very strong. Today, women's tennis seemsto have more moving parts, and the playing fieldis pretty level. For the men the field is very top-heavy. It takes considerably longer for theyounger guys to make an impact." After we saidgoodbye to Luis Clerc, we continued on ourjourney, pushed on by that annoying drizzle thatmakes everything

more difficult. We found shelter in the players’lounge with Riccardo Piatti, the man who,together with Ivan Ljubicic, is coaching MilosRaonic. He accepted our invitation for a chat,but did not want to talk about the women."I really admire coaches who work with women,”he started. “I think it takes a lot more patiencethan with men. But I have no experience with it,so it does not seem fair to talk about thewomen’s field. I’ll just say on clay things aremuch more even between them." About Raonic, he is more comfortable to talk."He's very close to the big guys, much more thanyou could ever imagine," he said. "I think thegap is small, for him and for Dimitrov andNishikori, players who currently represent whatyou might

call the new generation. Milos is making greatprogress, from a technical point of view, but alsofrom a purely psychological point of view. Hehandles everything well, especially in times ofdifficulty. I think the distance is minimal andthat the time for a change at the top…it shouldbe soon."Francesco Cina, Roberta Vinci’s coach, wasnext on our list. He had no problem delvingstraight into the women’s Tour, and goes againstthe prevailing opinion that the women’s field iswide open. "I do not know this, but I say that ifthe top players, and I speak of Serena Williams,Li Na, Sharapova and Sara Errani, are playingwell, it is difficult for the others.

Halep, Muguruza and Bouchard are players thatare coming out great. They are young, andcertainly have big room for improvement, butthey need work on their games. Sure, if youcarefully analyze the numbers the women’s Touris more open than the men’s, but I don’t think amassive change at the top is due."Our final stop was Giorgio Di Palermo, amember of the ATP Board. He thinks change isafoot among the women, but less so with themen. “Nadal, Djokovic, Federer and Murray still havea little more,” he insisted. “They have thequalities to manage the match to their liking.They know how to start a Slam and how to endit. It happens that they can stumble, but if welook at the numbers of the last Majors, we seethat they are still calling the shots. They knowhow to handle the tension of an importantmatch, like taming an important game, how toapproach it and bring it home. This is the maindifference. Raonic, Dimitrov and Nishikori, thethree knocking on the door of the top players,are improving but they are not there yet. Amongthe women, however, the situation is different.Mainly because the physical qualities requiredfor success are not such a big factor. It canhappen very quickly that Serena does not dowell, and then the field is wide open foreveryone.

"Here at Roland Garros, everything happened. LiNa and Serena came out early and opened bothhalves of the draw."

Here at Roland Garros, everything happened. LiNa and Serena came out early and opened bothhalves of the draw. Players like Halep, Bouchard and Muguruza,who are talented players who can beat everyone,came to the fore." Perhaps the biggest argument in support of thistheory is that, without a slip-up by Federeragainst Gulbis, we would have had the Fab Fourin the semis again. Bouchard, Halep and Petkovic, however, allmade the semis without a lot of people expectingthem to.

The greatest game everplayed

by Princy Jones

The 2008 Wimbledon final between Federer and Nadal isconsidered by experts as the greatest final ever played

A few decades back, football fans used to sayhow lucky they were to have lived in an erawhich witnessed the phenomenal brilliance ofDiego Maradona. We can say the same aboutRoger Federer and Rafael Nadal and theirenchanting rivalry that elevates tennis fans toeuphoric heights. Indeed, we are fortunate towatch two of the best, fiercest rivals clashagainst one another, especially in the GrandSlam tournaments. Roger and Rafa make tennisa pleasurable experience for the spectators withtheir contrasting styles. Both of them have beeninstrumental in bringing out the best in theother, even though Nadal has once quipped thatit was unlucky that he had to

play in the same era as ‘the best player of thehistory, Roger Federer.’The 2008 Wimbledon final between Federer andNadal is considered by experts as the greatestfinal ever played. All those who watched the final from the CentreCourt and from their televisions sets at homewould concur with that. In a rain-interrupted match that lasted for fourhours, 48 minutes, 22-year-old Nadal emergedas the champion, defeating Federer, who waseyeing for his sixth consecutive Wimbledon title- 6-4 6-4 6-7 (5) 6-7 (8) 9-7.

It was a nail-biting finish for that Sunday evening, and eitherof them could have become the champion; there was noloser. Nadal had won 209 points against Federer’s 204. It was also their third straight Wimbledon final, and alsoNadal’s first and only win against Federer at Wimbledon. In 2006, Federer beat Nadal in four sets -- 6-0, 7-6 (5), 6-7(2), 6-3; in 2007, Nadal displayed a brilliant tennis, butFederer once again proved to be too good for him, crushinghis young opponent 7–6 (7), 4–6, 7–6(3), 2–6, 6–2.That evening, the odds were in favour of Federer, eventhough Nadal had a head-to-head advantage of 11-6 over theSwiss maestro. After all, it was Wimbledon, not RolandGarros; to beat the ‘King of Grass’ on his favourite surfacewas a big challenge. But Nadal was in incredible form, moreover, he wasconfident after a lopsided 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 win over Federer atthe French Open the previous month. Nadal clinched thefirst set 6-4, breaking Federer in the third game. In the second set, Federer broke Nadal in the second gameitself, and took the lead to 1-4. The Spaniard then made anamazing comeback winning the next five games insuccession for a two-set lead.

Nadal had won 209 points against Federer’s 204.

Finally, that happened - Nadal became theWimbledon champion - terminating Federer’s halfa decade of dominance on grass

In a rain interrupted third set, Federer bouncedback sealing his first set in a tie-break. Federer,who finally found his rhythm back, denied Nadalan easy win. Also, Nadal started displaying signsof nerves as he was on the verge of winning. Heseemed to be in a hurry to finish off thebusiness. While Nadal was serving for the matchat 8-7 in the tie break, Federer, who sensed theanxiety of his opponent, grabbed thatopportunity back from him with an amazingbackhand winner. A dejected Nadal watched indisbelief as Federer clinched the set 10-8 in thetie-break.After finishing four sets, both the players hadwon the exact same number of points - 151! Asthe duo were heading for a fifth set, the crowdwas reeling in exhilaration.

Once again, rain played the spoilsport as thescore stood 2-2 in the fifth and final set. Despite getting their chances to break theiropponent’s serve, both the players took the scoreto 7-7. By then, it was already dark, and peoplebegan to wonder whether the match willpostponed to the following day. But a forehand error by Federer helped Nadal tofinally break his rival’s serve and take the scoreto 8-7. During the match point, Federer’sforehand return landed on the net, and anexhausted Nadal fell to the floors. Finally, that happened - Nadal became theWimbledon champion - terminating Federer’shalf a decade of dominance on grass.

As the 22-year-old new champion climbedthrough the stands to celebrate his historic winwith his family and also with the members of theSpanish royal family, Roger Federer sat on hischair trying to come to terms with the reality. Itwas the first time ever he had to be satisfied withthe runners-up trophy at Wimbledon, his mostfavourite ground.That final changed the whole equation ofFederer-Nadal rivalry. It heralded the beginningof Nadal era in tennis. After that loss, Federerhasn’t managed to defeat Nadal in a Grand Slamevent again. In the fifteen encounters thatfollowed, he was able to topple Nadal only fourtimes.

Age finally took a toll over Federer’s game. Hisimpeccable backhand, which used to be the mostlethal weapon in his arsenal, started losing itssharpness and it has now become his ‘Achilles’heel’ , much to the delight of Nadal. Nowadays,the Spaniard’s chief strategy against Federer isto fire his shots repeatedly towards the latter’sbackhand, eventually forcing him to commit anerror. Both Nadal and Federer added two moreWimbledon titles to their names after their epicencounter of 2008, but they never had to faceeach other. Federer is 32 now; Nadal 28. If theyever meet again at Wimbledon finals, it wouldn’tbe as exciting as it used to be since both theplayers are past their prime. We were lucky tohave witnessed such a historic final between twobest players -- the serve-and-volleyer and thebaseliner -- displaying their best performance ina quest for the top spot.It was a final which inspired a book - ‘Strokes ofGenius: Federer, Nadal, and the Greatest MatchEver Played,’ by Jon Wertheim; it was a finalwhich symbolises the triumph of the will; it wasa final which embraced diverse playing styles -the offensive and the defensive; moreover, itshowed us how thin the line is that separatestears and triumph!

Hungry For Success

by Fabrizio Fidecaro

The rise of Taylor Townsend

Fat, lazy pigs.” This is what Richard Krajicekfamously called "80 percent" of female tennisplayers in the early 1990s. It sparked a firestormof controversy and, days later, the futureWimbledon champion corrected himself,admitting that he exaggerated, having meant tosay "75 percent." Seeing Taylor Townsend playcannot help but bring to mind the mockingwords of Dutchman. The young American, whoturned 18 in April, enchanted French Opencrowds with her powerful tennis, butunfortunately the first thing that fans noticed –and it was commented on early and often inParis – was her size. Townsend currently weighs80 kilograms, and is working hard withdieticians from the USTA to try and shed someweight. She has already lost several pounds onthe diet, according to reports.

Weighty issuesThe issue of her weight had already been raiseda couple of years ago. In April of 2012, havingwon

the Australian Open junior title, Townsendbecame the number one under-18 player in theworld. As a reward, the USTA refused to pay for her toparticipate at the US Open junior event as apunishment for “not having made thecommitment to becoming fit.” Her mother, Sheila, had to cover all costs.Townsend did participate in the end, but onlyreached the quarter-finals. "Our concern is her long-term health, numberone, and her long-term development as aplayer,” Patrick McEnroe of the USTA said of theissue.

Date of Birth: 16 Apr 1996Birthplace: Chicago, IL, USAStatus: Pro (November 2012)

2013 - Played first three WTA main draws,reaching 2r once at Indian Wells and falling1r twice; fell in qualifying four times (incl.US Open). 2012 - Continued to play on ITF Circuit. 2011 - Played first WTA qualifying at USOpen (as WC).

«We have one goal in mind: for her to be playingin Arthur Ashe Stadium in the main draw andcompeting for major titles when it’s time» (USTA)

“We have one goal in mind: for her to be playingin Arthur Ashe Stadium in the main draw andcompeting for major titles when it’s time. That’show we make every decision, based on that. Notournament is worth more than a player's career,especially when she is only sixteen years old."Townsend did not like the treatment shereceived at the hands of the Federation. "It wasshocking," she said. "I was very disappointed, Icried. I had worked hard…becoming number onewas no miracle."She turned pro soon afterwards, and althoughresults were slow in arriving at first, and despitethe controversy about the US Open, the USTAhas continued to reserve Wild Cards forTownsend at the bigger events.

The American has shown some progress in 2014,winning some matches in Indian Wells andgoing on to win her first title at the ITF event inCharlottesville. She quickly followed that upwith another trophy at Indian Harbor Beach.Following these successes, she was granted aWild Card into the French Open, where shemade her biggest splash to date. each.

Upsetting the localsTownsend came into the French Open with a lotof confidence, and quickly showed that she wasready to make her mark on the upper echelonsof the game. In Paris, she reached the thirdround after beating compatriot Vania King andhometown favorite Alize Cornet, the 20th seed.

It was against Cornet that Townsend impressedthe most, overcoming her heavily favoredopponent in front of an intensely partisancrowd. Against Suarez-Navarro in the nextround, there was not much she could do againsther vastly more experienced opponent. YetTownsend left Paris in a good frame of mind.She had arrived ranked 205 in the world, andleft in the Top 150. After her heroics in Paris,Andy Murray took to Twitter to praise theAmerican’s efforts. Where she goes from here remains to be seen.Her relationship with the Federation is stillstrained at best, and she apparently has nointerest in training exclusively at their facilities.

She divides her time between Chicago andWashington, where she works with her coach,Kamau Murray, who has known her since shewas six years old. She is also working with 1990Wimbledon finalist Zina Garrison. Townsend’s talent is obvious, and she is able tocreate some incredible angles with her forehand."Having so much choice on the court is a giftand a curse at the same time, the risk is that youconfuse yourself," she admitted recently. But it is undeniable that she will have to loseweight to realize her full potential. Currently her movement is limited by her figure,though it is not as obvious as one might think.Townsend seems to be truly committed to hercareer, and it’s clear that she will do anythingshe can to become the best player she is capableof being. We just hope that she does not let all thenegativity get to her. Luckily, that has nothappened so far.

What It Takes To Win A Slam

by Alessandro Varassi

CNN has tried to analyze what the keys to success are for atournament that is played over two weeks and featuresmatches that are the best-of-five sets.

Roland Garros 2014 was just another chapter inthe endless clay domination of Rafael Nadal. Buthis incredible accomplishments have often ledpeople to question: what is the secret to hissuccess?Like any tournament, a Grand Slam requiresmeticulous planning, preparation and supportfrom a player’s team. The biggest differencewhen it comes to the Majors is that you couldpossibly play a five-set match in any round.Usually there is a day of rest in-between eachmatch, but rain and darkness can wreak havocwith that assumption. You might even find thatyou have to play multiple five-set matchesstretched over several days, and that can take amassive physical and mental toll on a player.

The surface also makes a big difference. At the clay of the French Open, for example,rallies can last much longer than on grass or onhard courts. The effects on the body also differ depending onwhether you play on the hard, unforgivingcement or on the softer grass. Muscles can often go into spasm at the end of along five-set match, something which can takequite a toll on a player who has to potentiallyplay another five-set match in just 24 hours’time.An important element in maintaining the bodyduring such a tournament is diet. Most players eat diets rich in proteins andcarbohydrates, and try to get as many calories intheir bodies as possible. There are no official statistics, but on average itappears that between 500 and 800 calories areburned per set in a five-set match. That meansas many as 4000 calories are burned per match!While hearty meals are important, otherresources must also be taken advantage of, suchas protein shakes.

But managing all of this is not easy. You neverknow how tough a match will be, and there isalways the danger that you over or under-prepare in terms of your diet. If you have an easywin on the one day, you might want to take iteasy in terms of food for the next match, but thatcan have tough consequences if it turns out to bea long encounter.Adequate physical recovery after each match isessential, but not always possible. It is difficultto know your exact daily schedule, or whetheryour match will be delayed for whatever reason.If you end later than you expected, it is entirelypossible that you will have only a fraction of thesleep you are used to, which can severely affect

your performance.Playing five-setters can take its toll over twoweeks, and it is very difficult to play more thantwo such matches and still be effective in thesecond week of the competition. GustavoKuerten won three five-setters to win RolandGarros in 1997, but that is the exception ratherthan the rule. One of the secrets of Roger Federer’s success itthat he has limited the number of long matcheshe has had to play in Slams, especially in thefirst week.So doing well at a Grand Slam depends on manyfactors, a lot of which has nothing to do withyour talent as a tennis player. It requires incredible physical preparation andthe management of a variety of factors. It is telling that Novak Djokovic only becamenumber one after he completely changed hisdiet. Knowing this makes it all the moreincredible that certain players can keep winningso many tournaments for such long periods oftime.

No Sport For The Young

by Brent Kruger

By winning Roland Garros for the ninth time this year, Rafael Nadal seemsto have righted the ship that had hit such rough waters after the AustralianOpen

By winning Roland Garros for the ninth timethis year, Rafael Nadal seems to have righted theship that had hit such rough waters after theAustralian Open. In Melbourne, of course, helost to Stanislas Wawrinka in the final. It was thefirst Slam the Swiss had ever won, and he did itat the relatively advanced age of 29. Of the 40Majors played in the decade covering 2004-2013, 35 ended up in the hands of the just threeplayers: Federer (16), Nadal (13) and Djokovic(6). Only four other players have had thepleasure to lift a Slam trophy during the sameperiod: Gaston Gaudio, Marat Safin, JuanMartin Del Potro and Andy Murray (twice).

Federer was 22 years old when he wonWimbledon in 2003, while Rafa was 19 at hisfirst triumph at Roland Garros in 2005.Djokovic prevailed in Melbourne in 2008 at theage of 20.In the ATP rankings, no player in the Top 100can emulate either Nadal or Djokovic, given thatthey are all already older than those two werewhen they first won. Only four could emulateFederer: Dominic Thiem, Jiri Vesely, Jack Sockand Bernard Tomic. Of these, the American Sockwon the junior US Open in 2010, the CzechVesely won the boys’ singles at the AustralianOpen in 2011, while the Australian Tomic liftedthe trophy in Melbourne in 2008 and in New

the following year. But what are the chances that theseyoungsters will win Slams at all, never mind at such a youngage? Why has tennis become so hostile towards youngerplayers and, more importantly, what has happened to thewinners of the 40 junior tournaments in the sametimeframe?Well, of the 33 winners of the last decade, only Andy Murray(who won the US Open in 2004) has been able to repeat hisexploits as a professional. Nobody else has managed to evenreach a final.Some of them (Gael Monfils, Marin Cilic) have built decentcareers with Top 10 potential, but many have disappearedentirely. Bernard Tomic, born in 1992, reached the quarter-finals atWimbledon when he was eighteen, while fellow formerjunior champion Jeremy Chardy got the same result(quarter-final at the Australian Open in 2013). Both these results were many years removed from theirjunior triumphs. And then there's Grigor Dimitrov, thechampion at junior Wimbledon and the US Open in 2008. He is currently number 13 in the world, has won fourttournaments and reached the quarters of the AustralianOpen already. However, his results in other majors have been somewhatdisappointing.

Some of them (Gael Monfils, Marin Cilic) have built decent careers with Top 10 potential, but many have disappeared entirely.

As has already been mentioned, most juniorSlam winners fail to become successful pros. Anexample is the American Donald Young, whohad a sterling junior career. He won the title inMelbourne at the young age of 15, but peaked at38 in the ATP rankings and today mostly splitshis time between the Challengers and lower-levelATP events.Slovak Martin Klizan is another example. Hewon in Paris in 2006 and was number 26 in theworld at one point, while American RyanSweeting, a junior US Open champion in 2005,has won just one small title on the ATP Tour.Some junior Slam winners have never been inthe Top 100. Alexandre Sidorenko’s best rankingwas

145, with Australian Brydan Klein reaching only174. The Belarusian Uladzimir Ignatik (137),Ukrainian-born American Alex Kuznetsov (120)and the Czech Dusan Lojda (161) have struggledsimilarly.It seems a long shot, then, that the likes ofAustralian Nick Kyrgios (born in 1995) can makea huge impact on the Tour in the next few years.That being said, Kyrgios is one of the morepromising cases. The boy from Canberra won the NottinghamChallenger recently, where he started from thequalifying and won 8 consecutive matches. Healso played well at the Australian Open and hasshown some good form in Davis Cup play aswell. His compatriot Kokkinakis, along with theItalian youngster Gianluigi Quinzi, juniorchampion at Wimbledon a year ago, have alsoimpressed pundits recently.Time will tell if they can make it in the bigleagues, but one thing is for sure: history is noton their side

Smart Court, TrainingTechnology

by Laura Saggio

A Smarter Way To Play

Call it a sort of helpful Big Brother. Or perhaps apersonal technological trainer. Maybe a multi-tasking, interactive coach is a betterprescription. I am talking about the Smart Court,an innovative data collection system which wasoriginally designed for the training of fighterpilots. The highly sophisticated software,developed by a US company called PlaySight,uses five HD cameras strategically placedaround the court to measure speed, depth androtation of shots, types of errors, number ofsteps taken, calories burned and meters covered.It then provides specific analysis of a match or asimple training session without the aid of anysensors.Smart Court is therefore a special statisticalmachine capable of showing every detail of amatch in real time. One of the features of thissystem that most impresses is its trainingfunction. In fact, Smart Court allows you toanalyze tactical aspects of a person’s game, suchas the exact height of the ball over the net.

All of this information can be sent to a PC orsmartphone.Smart Court is certainly newsworthy, not onlyfor the advanced technology it uses, but also forthe way it changes the way we practice. Anothernewsworthy feature is that the project hasattracted so many big-name investors, includingthe likes of Novak Djokovic, Billie Jean King, BillAckman (founder of Pershing CapitalManagment LLC), Mark Ein (Member of theInternational Tennis Hall of Fame) and JimLoehr (co-founder of the Human PerformanceInstitute and coach of Jim Courier and MonicaSeles).Cen Shachar, the CEO of PlaySight, says thathaving a group of such important investors is asource of great pride for the company."We aim to spread Smart Court globally, to putour technology at the service of the players ofevery club,” he said recently. “This technologywill forever change the way you play tennis."Today, Smart Court is available at 35 locationsworldwide, 19 in the United States alone. Thecompany has set a goal of installing 100 devicesby the end of 2014 in the areas covering NewYork, Florida and California.

Although romantic purists might scoff at SmartCourt, it is hard to argue against its usefulness.

Given the enthusiasm behind the technology,especially from tennis professionals themselves,Smart Court seems poised for quickproliferation.Moreover, it has already started rolling out atRoland Garros, the Court Sense Tennis TrainingCenter in New Jersey, Queen’s Club in London,the Stefan Edberg Academy in Sweden,Laurense Tennis Academy in the Netherlandsand finally, at Ramat Hasharon Tennis Center inIsrael.“The technology is very powerful, it is a greattool available to the coach and the player,"Stefan Edberg said of the technology. And ifEdberg likes it, who are we to argue?

The Slam that never lovedPete Sampras

by Princy Jones

In his all glory, could never lift the trophy at RolandGarros

Pete Sampras is a legend, without question; awinner of 14 Grand Slam titles, his record ofmost year-end No:1 rankings, that tooconsecutive (1993-1998), still remainsunmatched. Yet, the iconic player, in his allglory, could never lift the trophy at RolandGarros. In the 14 years of his career, his bestperformance in Paris was reaching the semi-finals in 1996. He is a legend, indeed, but the‘French Open jinx’ will always cast a shadowover his greatness.Of all the four Grand Slams, French Open is thehardest, and also the most ‘biased’ - the red dirthas its favourites, and it takes more than will ortalent to conquer that surface. The Slam isnotorious for tearing down the top seeds,thereby making any predictions pointless;although there

are exceptions like Bjorn Borg and Rafael Nadal.But historically, Roland Garros had turned itsback towards many of the famous players - BorisBecker, Stefan Edberg, John McEnroe, JimmyConnors, etc., to name a few. On a court wherepower and speed are of little significance, theseplayers have stumbled on their way despiterepeated attempts. The most significant name isperhaps that of Pete Sampras, bearing in mindhis many records.At French Open, Sampras had lost eight times ineither the first round or second; reached thequarterfinals at least three times; and the semi-final for once during his career. In 1994, he cameclose to completing a Career Grand Slam afterwinning the Wimbledon, US Open andAustralian Open consecutively, but was knockedoff rather easily by Jim Courier, a player whomhe had defeated in the previous Wimbledonfinal. The following year, he suffered a shamefulfirst round exit in the hands of a relativelyunknown Gilbert Schaller of Austria. Bycrushing the World No: 1 and second seed,Schaller proved that Sampras is

not a formidable, but rather a vulnerable playeron clay.But in 1996, much to the surprise of everyone,Sampras, seeded No:1, reached the semi-finals ofthe tournament, defeating hot favourites likeSergi Bruguera and Jim Courier enroute. Thatyear was his best shot at winning a Slam on clay,but Yevgeny Kafelnikov proved to be too goodfor him. The sixth seed crushed Sampras instraight sets -- 7-6, 6-0, 6-2; the Russianeventually went on to win the title that year.Sampras eventually had to pay the price for hislongest stint ever at French Open when hesuffered an early exit at Wimbledon thefollowing month.

No one foresaw his defeat to Richard Krajicek inthe quarterfinals, and a physically drainedSampras gave up rather easily to his Dutchopponent, who was seeded 17th.The year 1996, was his best ever in RolandGarros, but it was also his worst ever atWimbledon. It is unfair to draw any conclusions,but Sampras never went beyond the third roundat French Open after that. Incidentally, for thenext four years, he won four consecutive titles atWimbledon.Clearly Sampras’ style of play never suited thehigh-bouncing slow clay courts. His penetratingserves and razor-sharp volleys became inert onclay. Unlike on grass, he could never conjure upthat magic on clay - the court was so inapt to hisgame that it drove the usually cool championnuts! Sampras is known for his ice-colddemeanor, but at French Open, he is a differentman, especially when he makes errors. He willkick the clay, slam his racket, and at oneinstance, threw his towel and smacked the ballinto the stands. He even got a warning from theumpire for ball abuse once.After his second round exit in 1999, thedevastated champion told the press: “I was veryfrustrated. I wanted to contain myself. I’m stillboring, let’s not forget that. But I was on theedge of breaking a few sticks.”

“On every surface, it’s a natural instinct. Sometimeson clay, my instinct is not the right call” Samprasadded

“On every surface, it’s a natural instinct.Sometimes on clay, my instinct is not the rightcall,” he added.Sampras even resorted to hiring clay courtexpert Jose Higueras as his coach in a desperateattempt to win in Paris. Even Jose’s magic didn’tdo much help to the American.Despite being the World No: 1 and multipleGrand Slam winner, Sampras was the leastfeared player on clay. Like how Andre Agassiputs it, “Pete was obviously off the hook onfaster courts but during the clay season, playerswanted to play against him. It was anopportunity to get a win over him, it was anopportunity to beat him.”

Agassi was right - French Open was the onlytournament where low-ranked players couldtopple Sampras. He was only as good as anyother rookie player in Roland Garros. Clay toPete Sampras was what grass was for Ivan Lendl.Unfortunately, his failure to complete a CareerGrand Slam has prevented him from beingregarded as G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time). Itwill always remain as a blotch on the legendarychampion’s career, and also a pain in the heartsof his fans.

Sports Parents – Can ItWork?

by Sara Di Paolo

Being a top tier tennis player comes with many challenges, and theymultiply significantly as soon as you are planning to become a parent.

"I am happy, it is the best…I cannot wait toexperience fatherhood. I see it in a very positivelight. You will get tired but a child gives you newenergy. I will try to win all the tournaments, butwith the arrival of my child my priorities willdefinitely change.”These were the words of Novak Djokovic whenhe announced to the world that his girlfriend,Jelena Ristic, was pregnant. Rumor is that thedue date is as soon as 9 July. He is the latestplayer to have children while still on Tour, buthe is not the first. Federer has two sets of twins,while Tommy Haas, Lleyton Hewitt, Bob Bryanand Andre Agassi all had children while stillplaying. And that’s just the men. Kim Clijsters,Lindsay Davenport and Sybille Bammer also hadchildren, even though they did take quite bit oftime off to do so. In Rome last year Serena Williams said: "Itwould be nice to have a child, but there is alwayssomething that you have to give in exchange for

success. Alas, everything has a price." Though her comments did cause a littlecontroversy, there is no doubt that raisingchildren as a professional athlete is enormouslydifficult, especially for women. This is eventruer, today, with the tennis season being as longas it is, and constant travel being a requirementfor players of every level.

Breaking the newsHaving children is a trying experience, even fornormal couples. For celebrities and professionalathletes it can seem almost impossible.Something trivial, such as announcing the newsto the world, requires an enormous amount ofplanning and consideration.These days, announcements come throughcarefully crafted statements on Twitter orFacebook. Kim Clijsters did just that when sheannounced the birth of her second child: "Helloeveryone, I have very exciting news to announce,Jada is going to be a big sister," she wroteonline. A few months later, she wrote: "JackLeon Lynch is born. We're both fine…His sister,dad and I are really happy."

Kim's old flame, Lleyton Hewitt, also wroteabout his children online: "Bec, Mia, Cruz and Iwelcomed a beautiful baby girl. Mom and babyare fine, dad and siblings are radiant."And who else? Poland's Klaudia Jans-Ignacik(ranked 28th in doubles in 2012), in a verythorough interview, recalled: "My pregnancywent very well, I did not have any problems. Ieven played a little tennis until the seventhmonth, and I did a lot of yoga, so I preparedmyself to come back much faster afterchildbirth. Three months after the birth of mydaughter, I started to train and do all thephysical preparation. It was tough and I knew itwould be

a bit more difficult than usual, but I wanted tocome back and be fit again."Keeping fit while pregnant seems to be a bigfactor in the time it takes to return frompregnancy. Davenport and Bammer are examples. The shortamount of time that separated them giving birthand winning titles leaves no doubt that thereturn to active play must start when thepregnancy is still in its infancy. The question of motherhood, on the other hand,is interpreted very differently by everyone.But does "the price to pay", as indicated bySerena Williams, apply only to female tennisplayers, or does it affect men in the same way? It seems obvious that it is much less of aproblem for men. For one, they do not have tospend nine months being pregnant. Agassi, the Brian twins and Haas managed tocontinue their career with barely a blip on theradar. The fact that their physical involvement was notrequired was a big factor in their ability to keepplaying through the pregnancy and afterwards.Roger Federer was present for the birth of histwin sons, and withdrew from Madrid to be withhis family. However, he rushed to play in Rome soonafterwards.

He was distracted and lost early, but he wasobviously determined to get his career back ontrack as soon as possible. "So far everything is going well and we hope itstays that way,” he said at the time. “Four years ago, when we heard that the twogirls were coming, it was different. Everythingwent well back then and now everything seemseasier, mainly because Myla and Charlene arenow grown up a bit. I am less tense now, buttwins are still a massive commitment.” But it is not simple for everyone. Certainly therehave been cases where relationships were tornapart by the fact that the parents had differentideas about how involved the sporting half of therelationship had to be with the children. There iscertainly no easy remedy for any of this, andeach couple has to make their own way duringthis challenging time of their lives.Interestingly, it seems that many players areputting off having children because of how theywere treated by their parents growing up.

“They told me just how important it was to behappy and to behave on the court. That was themost important thing for them. Looking back, Ithink about how nice it was to have them by myside."Having children while still maintaining anactive sporting career is something that willnever become easy. The demands of being aprofessional athlete are immense, and whencombined with the demands of being a parent,the strain can be overwhelming. That being said,it can be done, and we can only hope thatparents are able to balance all of the demands ofthe two worlds successfully, and give theirchildren a good and happy life.

"When I was a player, my mother decidedeverything: my hairstyle, my clothes, my shoes,"Arantxa Sanchez wrote in 2012 about herfamously tempestuous relationship with herparents. "If you decide to train your child, itbecomes difficult to separate the role of a parentand a coach. It is impossible to talk aboutsomething that is not tennis and it is easy for ayoung tennis player to think: ‘OK, let me live mylife a little.’ To live their dreams through theirkids is wrong and counterproductive."Luckily, not all players had such toughrelationships with their parents. "My parentsnever put pressure on me,” Ana Ivanovic oncesaid.

The Importance Of Spin

by Andrea Guarracino

In order to reach the heights of modern professionaltennis, you need to be able to hit with great power

In order to reach the heights of modernprofessional tennis, you need to be able to hitwith great power. To this end, the knowledge and proper use ofball spin is absolutely critical if you are to get themost out of your game. The ball can be made to rotate in various ways,which affects the way it travels through the airand bounces once it hits the ground.If the ball rotates from top to bottom, we call itnormal topspin, and when it rotates in theopposite direction we call it backspin. Heavy topspin rotation is fundamental to themodern game.

It is obtainable by brushing the ball from thebottom upwards, attacking from a lower level tothat of impact. By hitting the ball with topspin you can gain thefollowing benefits:1 – You drastically reduce net errors, as thetopspin will allow the ball to travel over the netin an arc. Nadal’s balls travel over the net, onaverage, at a height of more than one meter.2 – You can more easily keep your opponents onthe defensive, since your balls will bounce highand far, forcing your opponents to stay backfrom the net.

3 – You create the opportunity of exploitingnarrow angles that are unattainable with a flatshot. This lets you move your opponent aroundmore easily.

4 – You make it difficult for your opponent tocontrol the ball. A professional generally hits aforehand with revolutions of up to 2000 aminute. Nadal has been measured at up to 5000a minute. More spin for you means less controlfor your opponent.

5 – You are able to mix up the speed of yourshots. Topspin lets you vary the speed of therally greatly, which makes life more difficult foryour

opponent.

6 – You are able to create difficult shots for youropponent. If you hit with a lot of top spin, theball bounces very high and becomes reallydifficult to control. Just observe Nadal’sforehand topspin to Federer’s backhand.

7 – The ball will dip towards the end of its flight.Because of its rotation, the ball will come downquickly towards the court at the end of its flight,making it more likely that it will land inside thelines.

8 – You can control your shots more effectivelywith topspin. Hitting the ball with the sameforce using different speeds will result in manydifferent shots, but does not require a lot oftouch on the side of the player.

9 – Your motor memory will improve, since theball stays on the strings for marginally longerwhen you hit extreme spin shots. It will alsoaffect your feel for shots.

10 – You will gain more confidence in yourgame, since you will be making fewer errors thanbefore due to your increased control.

A stroke can be defined as topspin when itshorizontal thrust component is less than or equalto the vertical thrust component.

Heavy topspin shots will react to the grounddifferently depending on which surface is beingplayed on. Every surface has different resistanceand friction, which means that the same ball willbounce completely differently on each. On clay,for example, the surface offers a lot of frictionwhich, when combined with the topspin of theshot, means the ball will bounce extremely high.It will, however, lose some speed when itbounces. This behavior is, as has already been explained,a big reason why Nadal has been so successfulagainst Federer in the past on clay. Grass, on theother hand, offers little friction and resistance,which means that the ball will shoot throughmuch more effectively and easily, bouncing lowand travelling fast.

The Mental Side Of Tennis

by Laura Saggio

Attention is one of the main elements that influence anathlete’s performance

Today we will focus on the main psychologicalaspects linked to tennis, with a special focus onthe factors that characterize competitiveperformance as well as the mind and itscognitive abilities. In modern tennis, unlike a few decades ago, weare realizing that the knowledge of physical skillsand talent are not enough to produce a top-tiertennis player. Instead, the physical factors must be supportedby solid mental elements as well.

Why do some athletes lose concentration duringa match, while others are able to maintain amore consistent level of focus?

Attention is one of the main elements thatinfluence an athlete’s performance, and can bethe decisive factor in a match’s outcome. Sportpsychology is an integral part of an athlete’spreparation for competition, and supports boththe management and overcoming of problemsthat stand in the way of victory.The performance of a player is conditionedmainly by four interconnected factors: 1. Tactical and technical elements 2. Coordination 3. Conditional elements (strength, power, speed)4. Psychological elements (focus, cognition,psychomotor and emotional control)

Let us look more closely at attention span as itrelates to tennis, trying to answer the questionswe posed above.

Focus is defined as the process that allows youto steer and focus your mental activity on aparticular item. People who practice a sport suchas tennis need to be able to be selective in theprocessing of stimuli.

Tennis players need to prevent themselves frombeing overwhelmed by the stimuli that theyreceive, and only focus on those that areabsolutely essential to them. For example, specific stimuli such as thepositioning of the feet of the opponent and themovements that need to be carried out to hit theball effectively need to be focused on. More general stimuli, such as the probing of theopponent’s strategy and choosing one’s shots,are also important. Eventually, technical movements becomeautomatic and focus consciously shifts to tacticaland strategic elements.

We now come to focus during a match. As wehave previously said, the problem ofmaintaining your concentration is an importantone, since it might very well make the differencebetween victory and defeat. It is easy to lose yourfocus in a match for a variety of reasons,whether they are related to fatigue, stress orsimple boredom due to the rhythm and routineof the match. To avoid problems with focus, there are certaintactics that a player can use. These might be assimple as training exercises performedbeforehand, or more specific routines usedduring a match. Usually, players who tend toperform constant analysis of the situation theyfind themselves in, as well as what tactics theyshould use in that situation, are the ones wholose focus first. On the other hand, players who are moresingular in their tactics and approach, such asserve-and-volley specialists like Stefan Edberg,are able to maintain their focus more effectively.In essence, players who have the most completegame, both tactically and technically, have toremain the most vigilant in order not to losetheir concentration on the court. That beingsaid, ultimately having a complete game is betterbecause it gives you many more options forgetting out of trouble in various situations, but itrequires more work from a mental standpoint.