1987: Boredom with the Big Two

Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova staged a tight three set French Open final in 1986.  At 10 years of age, I was a bit bored by how frequently these two met in big matches.  I recall Steffi Graf pushing Navratiolva hard at the 1986 US Open and thinking this is who I will pull for in women’s tennis.  Graf beat Navratilova 6-3, 6-2 in Miami as she started 1987 off on a tear.  Graf moved to #2 in the rankings pitting Navratilova and Evert against one another in a semifinal rather than a final.  Navratilova beat Evert 6-2, 6-2 to reach the final while reversing two consecutive French Open championship losses to Evert.  Graf beat another new face in Gabriella Sabatini 6-4, 4-6, 7-5.  This set up a match that I hoped would usher in a new queen of women’s tennis and end the dual reigns of Martina and Evert.

Maybe Tiriac had it right – this video feed from the red clay and non-high definition cameras is awful

Half of my wish came true.  Graf won her first Grand Slam title by beating Navratilova 6-4, 4-6, 8-6.  Graf won in large part because of how error prone and nervy Navratilova was in that match.  Graf showed mental fortitude by winning a long third set against a great champion, but this was not a dethroning.  Martina would beat Steffi in straight sets to win both the 1987 Wimbledon and US Open titles.  It was exciting for me as a young fan to see my favorite player win her first major, but I feel a bit silly looking back at my disdain for the excellence that Navratilova and Evert displayed.  Then again I was 10 years old.

1988: Double Bagel

Steffi Graf won the 1988 Australian Open, but beat Evert instead of Navratilova in the final. Graf was ahead on computer points due to playing and winning far more events than her veteran rival, but it was still unclear as to who was the best player on the women’s tour.  Graf owned the #1 ranking and reigned in Melbourne and Paris.  Martina was the titleholder in London and New York.  Navratilova expected to win Paris and said as much.  Instead she was shocked by the former #1 junior player Natalia Zvereva.  The young Russian put off a Graf Navratilova showdown until Wimbledon 1988 by winning 6-3, 7-6. As shocking as the match was, Graf administered a career altering defeat of Zvereva by winning the championship match 6-0, 6-0 in 32 minutes.    Graf now had two legs of the Grand Slam under her belt and the debate about #1 was clearing up to a degree.  Her win over Martina in London one month later cleared up any doubts about who the #1 player in tennis was.

My memories of this final all revolve around how quick the match was.  I was elated to see Steffi win yet another slam.  Zvereva went on to become a highly decorated doubles champion, but this loss seemed to sap the joy out of singles for her for many years.  Zvereva saved two match points in her semifinal win and perhaps a big upset followed by a win and a close loss in the French Open semifinal round would have served her better than being demoralized by Graf who was quite invincible that day.

1989: No One Saw It Coming

Steffi Graf won the Golden Slam in 1988.  She opened 1989 with a convincing defense of her Australian Open title.  Some wondered if she would become bored with tennis due to her dominance.  If Graf was going to be beaten in 1989, people figured it would be her contemporary Gabriella Sabatini via a herculean effort.  This was not to be as Sabatini lost in the round of 16.  Graf played a youngster named Monica Seles in the semifinal round.  I remember in the first set thinking how ridiculous it was that Seles was trying to overpower Graf.  That strategy seemed about as wise as trying to drown the ocean.  Graf won the first set 6-3.  In the second set, the player hitting two-handed backhands and forehands (!) did knock Graf out of her comfort zone and took the set 6-3.  Steffi’s experience pulled her through in the third set with another 6-3 set.  Still, Seles looked like a champion to me.*

Challengers Arise

Graf faced Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario in the final.  Graf was taller, had more weapons and seemed like a lock.  Sanchez-Vicario kept running balls down.  NBC tape-delayed coverage foreshadowed the upset by saying Graf only makes headlines if she loses.  However in the age before widespread internet acces, I had no idea who won the match.  NBC showed the first set won surprisingly by the Spaniard 7-6.  NBC then did a quick summary of the second set won by Graf 6-3.  In the final set, I watched as Graf sprayed a number of errors against her never-say-die opponent.  I was both dismayed and shocked as Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario pulled one of the upsets of the decade in a 7-6, 3-6, 7-5 win over Steffi Graf.

Attacking the net helped the tireless retriever win the match

This match was not the end for Graf, but Seles attacked Graf’s slice with power.  Sanchez-Vicario made jaunts into the net off of Steffi’s backhand as well as drawing errors from her forehand.  There was now a book with several chapters on how to play against the invincible champion.  Steffi from 1987 through 1989 took me as a fan through a ride of challenging the powers that be, to becoming the lone power in women’s tennis and finally to being dethroned in Paris.  Graf would have to wait until 1993 to win the French Open again.  It was a great ride as a fan.  Steffi also provided a few more French Open memories that I will get to in the coming days.

Tyson losing to Douglas was a lot like Graf losing in this situation

* In early 1990 when everyone was hyping Jennifer Captiati, I kept thinking that Seles was the real story.

The US Open is obviously a Grand Slam event.  One third of the ATP’s Masters 1000 events reside inside of the United States.  The Wimbledon and French Open championship start times are designed to get access to some of the television market in the US.  Yet, the US does not currently have a male player ranked within the top 15 in the world.  Under ordinary circumstances, this would mean casual tennis fans would tune out inside the US.  Luckily, Roger Federer has been an incredible ambassador for tennis since 2004.  Rafael Nadal has won over many fans with a different style than Roger’s.  Novak Djokovic has brought a different personality and style of play that has made its way into the US sporting consciousness.  Andy Murray’s Olympic Gold and US Open title in 2012 helped him to make strides as well.  Federer reached his first major final in 2003, Nadal in 2005, Djokovic in 2007 and Murray in 2008.  Their consistency and general affability, along with Andy Roddick’s results, have helped keep tennis relevant for general fans of sports inside the US.

Where Have You Gone Andy Roddick or Aaron Krickstein?

Andy Roddick won the 2003 US Open and was runner-up at four other Grand Slam events.  Andy Roddick reached at least a Grand Slam semifinal round on ten different occasions.  His contemporaries James Blake and Mardy Fish have combined for a handful of Grand Slam quarterfinal appearances, but neither has yet reached the final four of a slam.  Younger US  players have combined for a total of one Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance.  John Isner lost in the 2011 US Open quarterfinal round.  Sam Querrey, the highest ranked US player, along with Jack Sock, Ryan Harrison, and Denis Kudla have yet to reach a quarter at a major.

Todd Martin (no relation) was runner-up at both the 1994 Australian Open and the 1999 US Open. Mal Washington was runner-up at the 1996 Wimbledon Championships due in part to defeating Todd Martin in five sets in the semifinal round.  Aaron Krickstein reached a US Open semifinal in 1989 and an Australian Open semifinal in 1995.  David Wheaton reached the 1991 Wimbledon semifinals.  Robby Ginepri’s 2005 US Open semifinal run is the only comprable story in recent years.*

Where Things Stand

No country can ever bank on producing record setting champions such as Andre Agassi, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe and Pete Sampras.  To this point, the current crop of US players has not come close to producing results along the lines of what great players such as Michael Chang, Jim Courier, Vitas Gerulaitus or Andy Roddick achieved.  Few tennis fans remember Todd Martin or Mal Washington as key US players during the 1990s.  However, a male US citizen becoming a Grand Slam finalist would be a welcome site for the USTA.

Silver Linings

Mardy Fish won a silver medal in 2004.  James Blake and Mardy Fish have each appeared in Masters 1000 championship matches.  Blake contested a classic match against Andre Agassi at the 2005 US Open.  We’ve seen Isner compete in a historic marathon while also carving out a lot of success on faster courts and in Davis Cup.  Sam Querrey has rebounded nicely from an injury.  Finally, the very group of uber consistent Europeans known as the Big Four have made second week Grand Slam efforts harder to muster.

The US is becoming increasingly diverse.  A top ten dominated by players from Europe, South America and Asia will find prospective fans living in various parts of the US.  Beyond that, advances in broadcast quality have made tennis easier and easier to appreciate.  A US citizen won at least one slam on the men’s tour from 1989-2003.  Yet, tennis has been enjoying a popularity spike within the US that began in 2006?  Maybe things are not as gloomy as they appear.

In 10 Years?

In a decade Roger Federer will be 41.  Nadal, Djokovic, and Murray will each likely be out of tennis as well.  If the US does not produce a few top ten players over the next decade, I cannot imagine that tennis will be as popular as it is today in my home country.  Federer and Nadal are transcendent champions.  Novak Djokovic has done ballroom dancing en route to an Australian Open title.  Nole is close to joining the ranks of tennis’ pantheon.  Regardless of who the US produces, tennis will need to find some exceptional players to fill the void that the Big Four will leave.  Still, a few US players making runs can only help keep the profile of the sport high.  That is vital for tennis given the events that are held on US soil and the importance of the US television market.

* Since Ginepri is still out there grinding away on tour, he is the only active US citizen on the ATP Tour with a Grand Slam semifinal appearance to his name.

The Indian Wells-Miami section of the tour is a great stretch for tennis fans.  Most of the top players on the ATP and WTA play both events and great matches abound.  It also leads to talk of a “Fifth Major” status for one or the other event.  This talk is not limited to these two locales.  Many people claim the Italian Open or Masters Roma is the fifth major.  During Olympic years, the winner of the gold medal is often discussed as having won the fifth most important event of the year.  What about the World Tour Finals/Masters Cup/ATP World Championships/Masters held at the end of each season?  Is it the fifth most important tournament?  Doesn’t BNP Paribas, who now sponsors Indian Wells, also sponsor and have longer ties with the Bercy in the fall?  Is it then the fifth major?

Does Monte Carlo get Consideration or is it a Masters Emeritus?

Hypothetical Rules for a Permanent 5th Major Designation

1. The World Tour Finals Despite Offering the Most Computer Points Outside of the Slams is a Different Animal so the WTF is not a Major 
2. During Olympic Years – The Gold Medalist Holds the 5th Major
3. During Non-Olympic Years the Tournament with the Best Draw, Best Amenities and Highest Prize Money is the 5th Major
4. Ignore the Defunct Volvo International and WCT Finals in Dallas Having Once Been Prestigious
5. Ignore the Growth of Tennis in Asia Despite China having 5th Major Potential

More Trouble than it is Worth

I’d rather listen to “A Fifth of Beethoven” than figure out what is the 5th most important tournament.  The Grand Slams have some normative status.  If a player, like the young Agassi, skipped Wimbledon for several years, it would still be Wimbledon.    Carlos Moya won the Masters Roma title in 2004 and won Masters Cincinnati in 2002.  Moya likely places his Rome title just below his 1998 Roland Garros title and Spain’s 2004 Davis Cup win.  Andy Roddick would likely value his Masters Miami, Canada and Cincinnati titles more than any clay court title outside of the French Open.  Views on the most important titles shift a great deal depending upon a player’s surface preference.

For better or worse, all four Grand Slams have importance that is a given at least since Pete Sampras made breaking Roy Emmerson’s record a public goal.   It is great that Indian Wells is voted as a player favorite venue right now, but that does not confer upon it an added quality to my mind.  It is a great tournament and should just work at staying that way.  Indianapolis was praised in John Feinstein’s book Hard Courts that chronicled the tour in 1990.*  Indianapolis was sponsored by RCA at that time, and players loved the event due to having access to virtual reality and other audio visual prototypes that RCA was developing.  Less than 25 years later, the Indianapolis Tennis Center is now gone, as in plowed under, and a basketball arena sits in its place.  So long as Indian Wells and Key Biscayne/Miami keep holding great tennis events and don’t get plowed under, I will be happy.

Better Days for Tennis in Indianapolis

* – Feinstein referred to Key Biscayne/Miami as the 5th major in 1990.  Therefore if  Indian Wells is now the 5th major, it stands to reason that this title is a short term distinction at best.

Today a tennis fan asked Jon Wertheim if Venus Williams will ever win another singles major.  Wertheim, an all-around good guy, answered that it was unlikely due to age, health and form.  This is an answer I think most tennis writers would give.

It is easy to forget that Venus first reached a Grand Slam final in September of 1997.  That is a long time before Roger Federer broke through at the Wimbledon 2003.  Granted Serena won her first major at the 1999 US Open and she is still rolling.  Venus is older than Serena, her serve has always had a hitch in it, and she has a chronic health issue.

Is Venus Done?

In singles, I think Venus could make a second week at any slam not on red clay.  That is about as far as I can see her going.  Although her 2005, 2007 and 2008 Wimbledon runs make me leave a small door open for her on grass to reach a semifinal or final round.  Winning 7 matches even at Wimbledon seems highly unlikely.

However, Venus is not done.  She won a third Olympic Gold Medal in doubles last year.  That coupled with Venus’ 2000 singles gold makes her a 4 time gold medalist.  Venus also teamed with Serena to win her 5th Wimbledon doubles title in 2012.  Doubles is not dead in women’s tennis.  Top players sometimes still play the events.  If Venus and Serena want to keep winning slams and medals in doubles, there seems to be little in their path.  The Williams Sisters have a chance for a 5th Australian Open doubles crown this year.

Venus’ Grand Slam and Olympic Resume

1. Australian Open: Singles Runner-Up 2003, Doubles Champion 2001, 2003, 2009, 2010, Mixed Doubles Champion 1998
2. French Open: Singles Runner-Up 2002, Doubles Champion 1999, 2010, Mixed Doubles Champion 1998
3. Wimbledon: Singles Champion 2000, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2008 & Runner-up 2002, 2003, 2009, Doubles Champion 2000, 2002, 2008, 2009, 2012
4. US Open: Singles Champion 2000, 2001, Singles Runner-up 1997, 2002, Doubles Champion 1999, 2009
5. Olympic Games: Singles Gold 2000, Doubles Gold 2000, 2008, 2012

First Ballot Hall of Fame

Venus is clearly a Hall of Fame player with 7 Grand Slam singles crowns, 4 gold medals, 13 Grand Slam doubles titles and 2 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles.  She can keep adding to this total.  Given that she and Serena have combined on 13 Grand Slam doubles titles and 3 gold medals, the longevity with one partner only adds to one of the most fascinating sports stories of the past 2 decades.  I hope she and Serena take a 5th Australian Open doubles title just to keep questions of Venus’ retirement at bay.

The Russian Are Coming

If 2004 was the year of the Russian breakthrough in women’s tennis, the 2008 Olympics were a defining achievement of that Russian wave.  Elena Dementieva won Gold by beating Dinara Safina.  Vera Zvonareva won the Bronze medal.  Russia had a clean sweep of the 3 women’s singles medals.  On the way to the medal rounds, Dementieva beat a young Caroline Wozniacki and Serena Williams.  Na Li beat Venus Williams and reached the medal round only to lose to both Safina and Zvonoreva.  Still, it was good for a Chinese player to advance so far at the Bejing games.  Na Li’s 2011 French Open title and Australian Open runner-up finish were foreshadowed by her solid play at the 2008 games.

Women’s doubles provided a lot of spark as well.  Serena and Venus Williams added a second Gold medal in doubles to their first medal haul in 2000.  Yan Zi and Zheng Jie delighted the home crowd with a Bronze medal.  I think the rise of tennis in China is a story that is just beginning to unfold, but it is a story of vast importance.

Nadal’s Edad de Oro

Men’s tennis was riding a huge wave of momentum in 2008.  Rafael Nadal had ushered in a changing of the guard with his scintillating 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 9-7 victory over Roger Federer in the Wimbledon championship match.  Novak Djokovic won the 2008 Australian Open, Indian Wells, and Italian Open titles.  A lot of questions were surrounding the fate of Roger Federer after such a painful and potentially paradigm shifting loss.  The 2008 games were set for some epic tennis.

Rafael Nadal, on the cusp of his first turn holding the number one ranking, reached the medal rounds by dismissing 4 opponents while only losing a single set.  Still, Novak Djokovic who had recently bested Rafa on a similar hard court in Cincinnati awaited in the semifinal round.   Roger Federer appeared to regain some footing with 3 solid victories only to drop a match to James Blake for the first time in his career.  James Blake advanced to the medal rounds to face 2004 Olympic hero Fernando Gonzalez.  Gonzo and Blake played a 3 set match that involved some controversy as to whether a ball touched Gonzo’s racquet on a Blake passing shot that was called out.  The chair umpire did not call the touch, and Gonzo did not call it on himself.  Replay showed that the ball did hit Gonzo’s racquet.  Gonzo advanced 4-6. 7-5, 11-9 as Blake fumed.  Djokovic and Rafa put on an equally intense match that lacked the acrimony of the Blake-Gonzo semifinal.  Rafa beat Djokovic 6-4, 1-6, 6-4.  Djokovic claimed Bronze beating Blake 6-3, 7-6.*  Nadal routined Gonzo 6-3, 7-6, 6-3.  Gonzo added a 2008 Silver medal in singles to his 2004 Gold in doubles and Bronze in singles to complete an Olympic set.  Nadal set the stage for his career Grand Slam that would be realized at the 2010 US Open.  Djokovic’s Bronze medal helped further his eventual status as the most decorated Serbian athlete.

The men’s doubles did not disappoint either.   Despite a few upsets, fans got to see a lot of top singles players in the doubles draw.  Rafa, Nole, Federer, Andy Murray, and Lleyton Hewitt joined a draw led by the Bryan brothers.  Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka moved through the draw to meet Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes in the quarterfinal round.  With a straight set win, the Swiss team moved on to face the Bryan Twins.  Once again Roger and Stanislas beat a decorated doubles team to advance to the Gold medal match.  The Swiss team took a Gold medal that helped propel Roger Federer to his 5th consecutive US Open crown.  The Bryan Twins won the Bronze medal.

Final Verdict – Tennis’ Top Players Were All In

Rafa, Nole, Fed, the Williams Sisters, the Bryan Twins … all have marquee value.  Each player or doubles team found a way to take a medal home.  Chinese players advanced to the medal rounds in both women’s singles and women’s doubles.  The Russians swept the women’s singles field.  These games had a little something for multiple fan bases.  Rafa fans saw the 2008 medal as validation of his #1 status.  Nole fans saw hope for the future.  Federer fans could see that there was life after Wimbledon 08, and fans of the famous sibling teams of the Williams Sisters and the Bryan Twins could hang their hat on Olympic successes.  The 2008 games were the best ever.

PS – 2012 Has Surpassed 2008

I write this on the eve of the Gold medal matches in men’s singles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles.  I have no idea how any of those 3 matches will turn out.  Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka have added a Gold, Silver and Bronze medals in women’s singles to their career achievements.  The Bryan Twins won the 2012 Gold in men’s doubles.  The 2012 games have surpassed the 2008 games as the greatest ever for tennis and 3 big matches still have not been decided.

* – I still maintain that Blake’s career took a serious dip after that controversial semifinal loss to Gonzo.  Had he won he’d have at worst claimed a Silver medal, instead he went home empty handed.

Serena Shines in 6-0, 6-1 Win

Serena Williams demolished Maria Sharapova.  There really is not much else to say about today’s match.  Both players like to dictate play and take control of a point early.  Serena was better at dictating play and that made Sharapova a defensive player.  Maria Sharapova is not a defensive player.  On the few occasions that Sharapova was in command of a point, Serena was able to defend well enough to entice an error or poke an unexpected winner.  The match was as one-sided an affair as anyone is likely to see when two players with career Grand Slams collide.  Now, Serena has a career Golden Slam and Sharapova has a career Silver Slam.  Serena owning 14 Grand Slam singles titles, 13 Grand Slam doubles titles, 1 Olympic Gold in singles and 2 (either 3 or 1 silver medal after tomorrow) Gold Medals in doubles means that she is the only man or woman to have a career Golden Slam in both singles and doubles.  I am not going to speculate on GOAT debates just yet (I have a forthcoming look at the top 30 male and top 30 female players of the Open Era), but Serena put on one of the all-time great performances today.  She comprehensively beat a great champion on Centre Court at Wimbledon for an Olympic Gold Medal.

This is not the greatest video quality, but I work with what is available

With the addition of mixed doubles, a tennis player can certainly win 3 gold medals in one Olympic games.  However, we found out in 2008 that 8 gold medals is the apex of Olympic achievements.  Of course, I will ignore that swimming gives multiple medals for covering the same distance with different techniques and has a lot more relays than say track and field does.  After all, who wants to see Usain Bolt backpedal or skip for 100M?

It would take too much training to win medals in both tennis and another racquet sport unless paddle tennis became an Olympic sport

So here is my improbable path for Roger, Novak, Andy or Serena to achieve 8 gold medals.  The given player would have to sweep the 3 tennis events.  Badminton has singles, doubles and mixed doubles events as well.  This would get a racquet maestro to 6 gold medals.  Table Tennis has singles and doubles events but does not have mixed doubles.  This is likely the path of least resistance for a tennis player to win 8 gold medals.  It is the easiest path and also quite impossible even if the schedule would allow for an athlete to compete in all 8 of the events I listed.  Of course, maybe a tennis player could be added to a dominant sailing team or maybe fence his or her way to another gold medal.  Handball is another possible candidate as one of the early names for tennis was jeu de paume (game of the palm).

Tennis could add a Triple Crown to go along with the Grand Slam

It is impossible for a tennis player to get to 8 or even to 4 gold medals in  single Olympic games, but I would love to see a tennis player win 3 gold medals.  For this to happen, it would likely need to be a dominating player on the women’s tour.  If mixed doubles had been around in 2000 when Venus won 2 golds, why couldn’t she have picked up 3?  Serena Williams may win 3 golds in 2012, but the last I heard she was leaning toward not playing mixed doubles.  For the men, Stefan Edberg won bronze in singles and doubles in 1988, but he had the doubles acumen to make a triple gold possible if things broke his way.  Had Federer convinced Martina Hingis to play in the 2012 games, he would have had a slight chance at pulling off 3 gold medals.