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Olympic Tennis Review: 1992 The Women Delivered & The Men Did Not

21 Jul

The 1988 Olympic Games brought tennis back as a medal sport.  Steffi Graf completed a “Golden Slam” in 1988, and the overall success of the tennis events brought about a great deal of excitement for the 1992 games.  These games were held in Barcelona, Spain so Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario looked to be a major factor.  The 1992 Olympics were held between Wimbledon and the US Open so players were looking at transitioning from clay to grass to clay to hard courts from June – early September.  Surface speeds were not as uniform then as they are today so this was not n easy proposition.

The Women’s Event: Great Results

Steffi Graf had been runner-up at the 1992 French Open and had won the 1992 Wimbledon championships in a decisive fashion over Monica Seles.  Graf was an Olympic veteran who won gold in singles and bronze in doubles in 1988 and who won the singles demonstration event at the 1984 games.  Seles could not play due to citizenship issues.  Sanchez-Vicario won the French Open in 1989 upsetting Graf in the final.  She also beat Graf in the 1991 French Open semifinal round and lost a tight 3 set affair at the 1992 French Open to Graf.  On clay and in Arantxa’s backyard, it looked to be an event with two clear favorites.

The tournament did not work out quite as planned, but there was drama to end the event.  Jennifer Capriati beat Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 in the semifinal round to set up a gold medal match with Steffi Graf.  Capriati pulled yet another upset with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over Graf who would add a silver to the gold and bronze medals she won in 1988.  Mary Joe Fernandez and Sanchez-Vicario each received bronze medals.  The Spanish fans had to be happy that Arantxa won a second medal in doubles by claiming silver with Conchita Martinez while Mary Joe Fernandez and Gigi Fernandez claimed the gold medal in doubles.

The Men’s Event: Marc Rosset? Jordi Arrese?

Jim Courier won the 1991 and 1992 French Open and looked forward to the 1992 Olympic games being played on clay.  Courier and Pete Sampras won the Italian Open as a doubles tandem early in their careers and the US fielded a team of the #1 and #3 singles players in the world for the doubles event.  Jim Courier bragged that he would stay in the Olympic Village.  The US men’s team that boasted Courier, Sampras and 1989 French Open champion Michael Chang was even compared to the 1992 USA Basketball Dream Team(!).  World #2 Stefan Edberg was in the singles and doubles events as well.  Germany fielded Boris Becker and Michael Stich for singles and doubles.  This was billed by many as the tennis event of the year.  Someone needed to clue the top seeds in to this idea.

Boris Becker, who expressed similar sentiments to those of Jim Courier prior to the 1988 games, ominously said in 1992 something along the lines that he was just looking forward to getting coffee with non-tennis athletes.  Courier decided he did not like the Olympic dorms after all (see below for more).  Stich complained that the courts were rigged to favor Spanish players.  Courier was beaten by Marc Rosset in the round of 16.  Edberg, Sampras, Stich, Chang and Becker all also lost prior to the medal rounds.  Goran Ivanisevic did win bronze medals in singles and doubles with Goran Prpic.  Boris Becker took a short enough coffee break to win the gold in doubles with Michael Stich.  Still, Marc Rosset vs. Jordi Arrese for the gold medal did not exactly project that the best of the best was standing on the medal stand to end the event.

Final Verdict – Men’s Olympic Tennis Took a Step Back

The 1992 games having all matches be 3 out of 5 set affairs on slow clay coming on the heels of Wimbledon and interfering with preparation for the US Open set up an incredibly weak men’s field for the 1996 games.  Jim Courier mentioned that he was fatigued following his four set 1992 US Open quarterfinal victory over Andre Agassi.  He explained that the fatigue was a result of not properly being prepared for the US Open because of the Olympic games.  Women’s tennis continued to place elite players on the medal stands, but by 1996 the prevailing belief on the ATP tour was that the Olympic games hindered Grand Slam prospects.

Post Script – Pete Sampras Remembers the 1992 Olympics

From The Tennis Space (tennisspace.com)

What are your own Olympic memories from the Barcelona Games in 1992? “My memory of 1992, I walked into the Olympic village, I had a cot, and it was 95 degrees. I saw Jim Courier, who was literally two feet away from me in another cot and I said, ‘You know, I might go to the hotel’. So that started off things. It is obviously a very big event, a lot of people, I enjoyed my time there. I didn’t have a chance to see any other events. I lost in one of the early rounds in a tough match. It was a good experience. Tennis, to me, in the Olympics, in my time growing up, it was an exhibition

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Olympic Tennis Review: 1988 Graf was Golden

20 Jul

Preview

Olympic Tennis has had a lot of ups and downs.  During some Olympic years, the tennis events have seemed at best like a 500 point tour level tournament while other years have produced high drama for the sport.  With Davis Cup, Federation Cup, Hopman Cup, World Team Cup, and tennis’ four majors being held on three continents, it is a valid question to ask if tennis should be in the Olympics.  Every tournament, with the possible exception of Atlanta this week, has a United Nations feel to it.  I used to think tennis should not be an Olympic sport, but I changed my mind after seeing how Olympic status has helped tennis receive more systematic support from various nation-states.  I similarly thought the addition of mixed doubles as a medal sport was an awful idea, but given the rarity of men and women competing both along side one another and against one another during the Olympics I have softened my stance.  I am going to take a quick walk down memory lane and review both the strong and weak years for Olympic Tennis.

1988: Steffi Graf Conquers the World

1988 was a strong year for Olympic Tennis precisely because it was the first contemporary games to to have tennis as a medal sport.  Steffi Graf had already won a calendar year Grand Slam in 1988.  She entered the event with a great deal of momentum and pressure.  Graf beat Gabriela Sabatini 6-3, 6-3 to achieve a Golden Slam in 1988.  Zina Garrison and Manuela Maleeva picked up bronze medals as tennis at this time did not have a consolation match between the losing semifinalists to determine a sole bronze medal winner.  Graf also collected a bronze medal in doubles.  Graf’s 1988 included winning all 4 Grand Slam singles titles, a gold medal in singles, a Wimbedon doubles crown and a bronze medal in doubles.

On the men’s side, Miloslav Mecir was a surprise gold medalist, but Mecir had reached the 1986 US Open final, won the 1987 Key Biscayne event, and would reach the 1989 Australian Open final.  Mecir could clearly play on the hard court surface at these games. Mecir also reached the 1987 French Open semifinal round and 1988 Wimbledon semifinal round.  He was incredibly talented but was also sadly often injured.  Tim Mayotte  captured the silver medal while Brad Gilbert and Stefan Edberg each collected a bronze medal.   Stefan Edberg also won a bronze medal in doubles.

Final Verdict – A Strong Games for Tennis

These games were a big success.  I think falling after the US Open, as the Sydney Olympics also did, helped the tennis event.  The excitement about tennis’ return as a medal sport all but insured that these games were a success for tennis.  Graf’s pursuit of a singular level of excellence during a tennis season also added to the overall heft of these games.  From my point of view, the general success and momentum from 1988 built up expectations for 1992 that were not realized.

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Youtube Tennis for the Week of 4-10 through 4-14-2012

10 Apr

1. Edberg vs. McEnroe at Wimbledon 1989

2.  Muster vs. Sampras 1995

3.  John Isner vs. Gilles Simon 2012

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The Psychology of Defending Points

19 Mar

Historical Difficulty with Repeating

Rafael Nadal won nearly everything of importance from the onset of the clay court season of 2010 through the conclusion of the US Open 2010.  Nadal’s 2011 did not feature the same level of success.  The same could be said for Nadal’s 2008 French Open, Wimbledon, and Olympic Gold trifecta was followed by an Australian Open title in 2009 and not much else from Nadal.  Jim Courier first launched himself into the top tier of tennis by winning both Indian Wells and Miami in 1991.  After winning the 1992 Australian Open, Courier claimed the number one ranking right as he had many points to defend.  Courier stumbled at both hard court events and lost the number one ranking.  Courier of course rebounded winning two indoor events in a now defunct Asian indoor swing that followed Miami, winning the Italian Open and winning the French Open to reclaim the number one ranking.  Still, Courier admitted that the computer had impacted his play in Miami and California.  For the remainder of 1992 and 1993, Courier would simply say a player cannot beat the computer and therefore should simply ignore it.

Different Approaches

John Feinstein’s 1991 book Hard Courts explored how at that time U.S. born players such as Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe viewed the number one ranking as something to claim and defend.  He noted that European players such as Boris Becker and Mats Wilander looked at the number one ranking like an honor to attain, but did not view it as something akin to a boxing heavy weight title that requires defense.  Ivan Lendl and Stefan Edberg were already exceptions to Feinstein’s observation.  The presence of these exceptions throws some doubt onto the notion in the first place.  Undoubtedly, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic all take pride in holding the number one ranking as well.

Still, if one considers that Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg had pretty similar levels of success with the lone exception of their time at number one.  Becker never finished a single season ranked number one and held the ranking for a total of twelve weeks.  Edberg finished 1990 and 1991 ranked number one and spent seventy-two total weeks atop of the rankings.  A sixty week difference implies to me that Becker did not care a great deal about holding the number one ranking.  This counter-intuitive approach would save a player from any stresses associated with fears of losing the top spot.  If a player does not care where he is ranked, he may be free to play better tennis in any given situation.

The approach of holding the number one ranking and defending it resonates more with my gut than the idea of keeping the ranking at arms length.  Jimmy Connors held the number one ranking for many weeks when most tennis pundits considered Bjorn Borg to be the top player in the world.  John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl locked horns over the number one ranking and a changing of the guard occurred in 1985 from which McEnroe never really recovered.

Today’s players seem to be somewhere in-between Feinstein’s two approaches to the number one ranking.  Roger Federer clearly wanted to hold the top spot in 2008, but when he lost the number one ranking it did not stop him from winning the 2008 US Open or having a successful 2009.  Rafael Nadal philosophically says that he seeks to be the best he can be and if that is behind someone else being number two is not bad.  He however says he will always seek to improve making a return to number one plausible.  Even Pete Sampras gracefully gave up defending number one in 1999 only to win Wimbledon in 1999 and 2000 while also winning the US Open in 2002.

Hunter versus Hunted

To get to my point, I think Novak Djokovic will need to come to some sort of solution that works for him.  From January 2011 through September 2011, Djokovic won nearly every big tournament.  He piled up enough computer points that the need to defend points from March through June 2012 should be minimal.  To paraphrase a comment on this week’s power rankings, Novak does not need to win everything in 2012, but he does need to win more than anyone else does.  His Australian Open title is a great start to carving out a 2012 that will keep him atop of the rankings.  Djokovic is a smart guy and seems to be taking all of this in stride.

Roger Federer, despite being thirty and having finished each season starting in 2001 among the top eight players in the world, seems to be relishing a chance to build his rankings up toward a tangible goal rather than defending territory earned in the previous seasons.  To this point, Federer’s three consecutive titles place him in a clear second slot for 2012.  At both Indian Wells and Dubai, Federer has gained on Djokovic relative to last year’s results.  2012 is shaping up to be a season in which the old man may get one last run at the top while Novak methodically puts together a year that leaves him number one when the season finishes.  Given the wrinkles added by the Olympic games, some positive signs in Andy Murray’s game, and Rafa’s iron will, 2012 may be a most interesting year in terms of tennis psychology.

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Best Two Time Australian Open Champion (Poll)

17 Jan

Tennis has produced a lot of two time Australian Open champions.  All of the solo winners plus Andre Agassi (4), Roger Federer (4) and Mats Wilander (3) are not eligible, but who was the best player to win the crown twice?

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Federer d. Nadal 6-3, 6-0 – Are You Kidding Me?

22 Nov

The Indoor Setting Matters

Before I make too much out of this match, it should be noted that Roger was 3-0 versus Rafael Nadal at the World Tour Finals/Masters Cup.  Roger had won 6 of 7 sets the two had played in this event prior to today.  Now, Roger stands 4-0 vs. Rafa at this event having won 8 of 9 sets played.  On an indoor court, Roger can hit more service winners/aces and he can end points off the ground more quickly.  This all makes it much harder for Nadal to grind Roger down.  Roger is a 5 time champion at this event.  Even if his two titles in Houston were on outdoor hard courts, Roger clearly is the best indoor player in the post- Sampras, Krajicek, Stich etc. era.    Still, to bagel Nadal … not bad for someone old enough to play on Jim Courier’s Champion’s Tour.

November Reign?

With my apologies to the gunners, Roger’s titles in Basel and Paris along with his 2-0 start in London demonstrate that he has the mettle to win more slams.  Roger has now won 2 titles since turning 3o.  This November Roger has posted wins over Nadal, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (twice), Thomas Berdych, Stanislas Wawrinka and Richard Gasquet.  He can win a 17th slam title.  I take Roger’s slams 1 at a time, but if he wins 17, 18 and beyond is plausible.

Stress Free?

Roger can play with less and less pressure against Nadal, Novak Djokovic and anyone else that comes along to face him.  As excellent and unprecedented as his run was from 2004-2007, everyone knows that he is 30.  Roger has won just about every event or award he could want.  He can simply play with the notion that any win adds to his legacy, but that his legacy is in tact if he gets trounced or edged out by a young gun.

Federer playing without stress could be a nightmare for people trying to push him further into the background of the sport.  This is doubly true given the fan support Federer enjoys around the globe.  Jimmy Connors once roughly said that the problem with being experienced is that once one has experience he is too old to use it.  Federer is still healthy at 30 and has an abundance of experience.  Federer is champion emeritus until he retires.

Health

The 2011 US Open championship match was the most punishing tennis I have ever witnessed.  While watching it, I thought it might shorten the careers of each man.  Roger’s style of play keeps some stress off of his body.  At 30, I think Roger is not as spry as Nole or Rafa currently are.  Still, it would not shock me that Roger being ranked ahead of either of them in 2 or 3 years.  Health has been a major factor in Roger’s longevity and consistency.  I am not arguing with Rafa’s 10 majors or Nole’s 2011.

Still, I think something should be said for players such as Stefan Edberg, Pete Sampras and Roger Federer who moved around the court in a manner that minimized impact on their bodies.  Federer has withdrawn mid-tournament once and has never retired mid-match.  This is quite impressive to me given that this has been the most physically demanding period of professional tennis I have seen in my 36 years. I don’t begrudge Nole for pulling out of Paris or Andy Murray for pulling out of London.  Roger’s ranking trails both men, but his health is likely better than either heading into 2012.

Final Word

Roger Federer may or may not win this event.  However, he has made his point.  Roger Federer is a relevant force, not a factor but a force, on tour for the foreseeable future.

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