SMASH goes to the cutting edge to let you know what's heating up the game.
!Brooklyn DeckerHot Newcomer: Brooklyn Decker
“I think I lost half my fan base today.”
Those were Andy Roddick’s words after he announced his engagement to model Brooklyn Decker in 2008. While Roddick’s followers may have jumped ship for single tennis stars, the 27-year-old did the sport a huge favor when he married Decker in 2009. What better way to attract (certain) fans to the sport than to have a swimsuit model courtside? Roving lenses are nothing new for Decker, 22, who has been in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue the past four years, and appeared in body paint in 2009. It was in those pages that Decker first caught Roddick’s eye. He had his people call her people, took her to a comedy show, and a couple years later American tennis has a seriously hot first lady.
While Decker is a laid-back Southern girl at heart—she’s from Charlotte, N.C.—the former high school cheerleader and class president moved to New York to model at age 18. Within a month she had worked for Sports Illustrated and Victoria's Secret, and since then she’s been in campaigns for Gap and American Eagle and appeared in Cosmopolitan, Seventeen, Glamour, GQ and FHM—whose readers now have even more reason to watch tennis.
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!Sam Querrey, Melanie OudinHot Yanks: Sam Querrey and Melanie Oudin*
In tennis terms, it wasn’t long ago that “Hot American” was an oxymoron. But no more: With Melanie Oudin’s emergence and Sam Querrey’s summer offensive, pro tennis in the U.S. is looking up.
While everyone was busy lamenting the lack of up-and-comers, Oudin broke through this summer. Though she was a top junior, no one took notice of her pro chops until she qualified at Wimbledon and beat Jelena Jankovic to reach the fourth round. But she earned instant celebrity when she became the first 17-year-old American since Serena Williams in 1999 to reach the U.S. Open quarterfinals. After the Open the new starlet made the media rounds, appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien. Oudin rose to No. 42 after the Open, and with her quick feet, killer forehand and excellent court sense, she won’t stop there.
As for Querrey, he did what Southern Californians do best: had an awesome summer. With a title in Los Angeles and runner-up finishes in New Haven and Indianapolis, he won the U.S. Open Series and cracked the Top 25. Maybe Querrey has had so much success because he’s gotten serious about his career: The 22-year-old hired a friend as an intern this summer to help with booking flights and gripping racquets. After all, a pro’s life can be hectic; now Querrey can concentrate just on his tennis.
!Mi AdidasHot Kicks: Mi Adidas
Adidas might as well rename its Mi Adidas customized sneakers the cha-ching line. Days after Melanie Oudin debuted her yellow and pink Barricade V shoes at the U.S. Open and proceeded to reach the quarterfinals, Adidas said sales and visits at miadidas.com increased fivefold.
The customized sneakers, which consumers can design online and come in styles for tennis, basketball, football and running, cost between $95 and $240 (the Barricade V is $140). The buyer gets to choose colors for the upper, outsole, laces, stripes and eyelets, and the tennis shoes have hard-court or “omni” (for clay and grass) outsole options. Then there’s the personalized message, which Oudin made famous by choosing the word BELIEVE as her signature statement.
Despite the success of Mi Adidas, other brands are not joining in the love fest over make-it-your-way tennis shoes. Nike has a line you can customize for running and basketball styles, and Puma has one for retro running and skating sneakers, but neither have plans to offer tennis players the same perk.
With all the shoe clones on courts these days, it’s nice that there’s a brand bringing some individuality to the sport.
!Juan Martin del PotroHot Champ: Juan Martin del Potro
When he began the U.S. Open final, Juan Martin del Potro was a scruffy, too-tall 20-year-old with slumped shoulders. A day later he was a clean-shaven, stylishly dressed champion with a mug not unlike John F. Kennedy Jr.’s. Amazing what a major title can do. The question now is, Will winning his favorite tournament be enough to satisfy del Potro, or is he about to go Federer on the rest of the field? The 6-foot-6 Argentine has the talent to reach the top of the game and pile up Grand Slam titles. He hits his forehand perhaps harder than anyone in history, his two-handed backhand is immune to high bounces, and his serve has gone from good to exceptional. After winning the Open, del Potro showed off a quiet persistence that might become his trademark when he gently pried a microphone away from Dick Enberg and said a few words in Spanish, despite CBS’ plans to move the trophy presentation along. He may seem shy, but del Potro has a way of getting what he wants. And he’s aiming high: “I had two dreams,” del Potro says, “the first one to win the U.S. Open, and the second one to be like Roger.”
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!Maria SharapovaHot String: Luxilon M2 Pro
Ever since Gustavo Kuerten came out of nowhere in 1997 to win the French Open with a polyester-based string, more and more players have been telling stringers, “I’ll have what Guga’s having.” Those strings, produced by Luxilon, a Belgian manufacturer of medical sutures and bra straps, are now used by the overwhelming majority of pros, either as a full set or in a hybrid. Pros and amateur tournament-level players like Luxilon’s dead feel. It frees them up to swing their hardest and still impart enough spin to keep the ball in the court.
The rub is that Luxilon can be hard on the arm. Enter the new Luxilon M2 Pro. It has the juice of its older siblings, like Big Banger Alu Power and Big Banger Timo, but is kinder and gentler on the arm. It’s even used by Maria Sharapova, who is making a comeback after rotator cuff surgery. But a word to the wise: If you’re thinking Lux, you need sound stroke mechanics, because it will expose your shortcomings. Put another way, you should have an NTRP of 4.5 or higher if you’re going to try to follow in Guga’s footsteps.
!Gisela Dulko, Victoria Azarenka, Svetlana KuznetsovaHot Accessory: Bandanas
The bandana never went away, but has it ever played a bigger role in the sport’s fashion than it does today? Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have had a bandana rivalry for years, and many others are joining them. Juan Martin del Potro wears one. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga sports a bandana when his hair is long. Sam Querrey doesn’t wear one, but his Samurai followers do. Grigor Dimitrov, the former top junior who reminds many scouts of Federer, has adopted the look, too. The women’s tour has undergone even more of a bandana makeover. Gone, for the most part, are the visors and baseball caps of recent years. Instead, Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Gisela Dulko, among others, have adopted the bandana. One question remains: Will Justine Henin, who is set to return to the tour in January, ditch her signature cap and tie her hair back instead?
!Serena WilliamsHot Call: Foot Faults
With the institution of Hawk-Eye, it seemed that one longtime feature of the pro game, the berserk tirade, had become a thing of the past. The computerized challenge system gave players a chance to see for themselves whether a line call really was correct. But there was one element of the sport that had gone uncovered, the foot fault, a fact we learned in no uncertain terms at this year’s U.S. Open. That’s where Serena Williams, down a set, was called for a foot fault at 5-6 in the second set of her semifinal against Kim Clijsters. As the world knows, the tirade was back with a vengeance, and Williams was soon off the court, a loser due to a pair of code violations.
Afterward, the actions of both Williams and the lineswoman were called into question. Some said a line judge shouldn’t make such a borderline call—the tennis equivalent of basketball’s “ticky tack” foul—at such an important moment. Others maintained that it’s a player’s responsibility not to allow herself to have a foot fault called on her when she’s serving to stay in a match. But what both camps can agree on is that the call should become part of the challenge system. This is doable, according to the folks at Hawk-Eye. The only trouble is, Where will we go for our tirades from there?
!Kim ClijstersHot Retirees: Belgians
Step one: Play your way to the top. Step two: Become disenchanted with the travel, the training, the injuries and the never-ending season. Step three: “Retire,” Brett Favre–style, from the game, and start a family or a tennis academy. Step four: Come back better than ever. That’s how it worked for Kim Clijsters, who went from stay-at-home mom to U.S. Open champion after playing just two warm-up tournaments. Clijsters’ return was so successful, and so seemingly easy, that Justine Henin, who retired as the No. 1 player in the world in 2008, couldn’t resist giving the tour a second try, too. Henin hopes to compete at the 2010 Australian Open and eventually win a Wimbledon title to complete a career Grand Slam. If she succeeds, the Belgian method might become the approach of choice on the women’s tour, where burnout has claimed many players over the years. The next candidate who could use a Belgian break, followed by a smashing second act? Ana Ivanovic, the former No. 1 from Serbia who can no longer hit a serve. Watch and learn, Ana, as Kim and Justine show you the way.
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!Roger Federer, Mirka VavrinecHot Trend: Settling Down
Is there something new in the Evian the pros are always sipping? There must be, because a lot of players have been settling down lately. Roger Federer married his girlfriend of nine years, Mirka, in April, and the couple welcomed twin girls in July. Kim Clijsters got away from the tour in 2007 to start a family, but she was back to win the U.S. Open two years later. And while there may not yet be children for Andy Roddick, he proved he’s the marrying kind when he tied the knot with model Brooklyn Decker a week after Federer got married. One question remains: Can a globe-trotting professional tennis player ever really settle down? Seems more like a traveling family circus.
!Noppawan LertcheewakarnHot Junior Girl: Noppawan Lertcheewakarn
Here’s a name to remember in 2010: Noppawan Lertcheewakarn. Don’t worry, you can call her Nok.
In 2008, Thailand’s Lertcheewakarn, 18, was the first Asian girl to be named an ITF junior world champion after she reached the final of the Wimbledon junior event and went 39-12 in singles and 31-12 in doubles. In 2009, her last year as a junior, she returned to the Wimbledon final, and this time she won the title. She also captured the junior doubles titles at the French Open and Wimbledon.
Lertcheewakarn’s journey to the top began by chance. Her mother was a nurse at the hospital in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where the wife of Steffi Graf’s former coach, Marek Malaszszak, was due to give birth. She asked Malaszszak to watch her daughter play tennis. He saw potential in the 10-year-old and offered to coach her for free. Recently, she has been working with former Clemson University men’s coach Chuck Kriese through the Rising Star Program of the Lawn Tennis Association of Thailand.
Emulating her idol, Monica Seles, the Thai plays double-handed off both wings. She now has her sights set on the WTA tour. By the way, her nickname, Nok, means bird in Thai. This bird is ready to fly.
!Yuki BhambriHot Junior Boy: Yuki Bhambri
Things weren’t looking good for India’s Yuki Bhambri last year. He crashed out early in the junior events at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. But then suddenly he got hot, winning 15 consecutive matches. A week after his streak ended, in the semifinals at the Eddie Herr championships in December, he was holding the champion’s trophy at the Orange Bowl. He finished the year ranked No. 2 in the world. His run didn’t end there. In February, Bhambri won the junior Australian Open and became the top junior in the ITF world rankings, a spot he’s held ever since. Bhambri has also won five Futures events in India, and moved into the ATP tour’s Top 350.
Bhambri, who turned 17 in July, grew up in New Delhi and learned the game with his older sisters, Ankita and Sanaa, who are now on the WTA tour. He currently trains at Nick Bollettieri’s academy in Bradenton, Fla. At 5-foot-11, 165 pounds, his game lacks major-league power, but he makes up for it by playing smart, building points and utilizing his defensive skills and killer forehand. If Bhambri’s game stays hot, expect to see him in the main draws at the Slams next year.
!Hayden ChristensenHot Celebrity Player: Hayden Christensen
There are a lot of celebrities who play tennis, but there’s only one who could hit with a light saber.
Hayden Christensen, the face of Lacoste’s new men’s fragrance line, Challenge, grew up playing tennis in Ontario, Canada. He once served as a ball boy at the Canadian Open, and was nearly hit with a racquet swung by John McEnroe when he ran out too soon to retrieve a ball. Christensen was good enough to be a nationally ranked junior, but decided he’d rather pursue a professional acting career than a scholarship to play in college. Within a couple years, he was cast as Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. The rest, as they say, is Hollywood history.
This summer, to promote Lacoste, the actor attended Roland Garros and the U.S. Open, accompanied by his Jumper co-star and fiancée, Rachel Bilson. He also got to hit with tennis legend Mats Wilander. “That was one of the highlights of my tennis experiences in life,” Christensen, 28, said in a video interview for French Elle. Whether he’s wielding a racquet or a light saber, Christensen is as hot as it gets.
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!Maria SharapovaHot Designer: Maria Sharapova**
When Maria Sharapova sat out nine months to rehab her injured shoulder, she did a lot of sitting by the pool. But she wasn’t just soaking up rays. She was spending time on her other passion, fashion, sketching her ideas for a signature line of shoes and handbags for Cole Haan. If you think the combo of the young tennis star and the sophisticated brand seems strange, just take a look at Sharapova’s style. The girl can dress, and she loves designers. Oh, and did we mention that Cole Haan is owned by Nike, Sharapova’s apparel sponsor?
But forget the business, let’s talk about the line. While other much-hyped celebrity collections have lacked style and cohesion, Sharapova’s are chic and edgy. From the Maria Air Koko Pump, a black suede ankle-tie heel, to the Maria Air Sarafina, an over-the-knee flat suede boot, to the sleek Maria Black Snake Embossed Clutch, these accessories are striking and scream high fashion. And since Nike is involved, the shoes include Nike Air technology to make them a bit more comfortable. That’s a good thing, because Sharapova likes her heels high, at 4 1/3 inches. When she wears them, she stands 6-foot-6 1/3. Watch out Juan Martin del Potro.