Tim, is this any way to repay someone’s hospitality? Sure – just ask Goran Ivanisevic. Wimbledon organizers gave the Croatian a wildcard for the 2001 Championships and he proceeded to beat the two top British contenders on his way to the title, defeating Greg Rusedski in the fourth round and taking out Tim Henman in a wild five-set semifinal that rain extended over three days.
Henman, given a wildcard into Madrid, took out local boy Fernando Verdasco in the first round and then followed up by defeating another Spaniard, David Ferrer.
Martina, does the participation of home stars really boost an event? In Switzerland, not too much. In September, tickets for the Switzerland vs. Serbia Davis Cup tie in Geneva were moving slowly even though Roger Federer was on the program. Last week, ticket sales in Zurich fell about 10% below target despite Tomas Berdych the presence of two top-10 Swiss players in Martina Hingis and Patty Schnyder.
“The ‘Hingis effect’ didn’t prove itself,” said tournament director Beat Ritschard, who had already been considering downgrading the event or moving it to another city.
Andy, do you want to take a stab at next week’s lottery numbers too? On this form, why not? Having served three lets in a row against Tomas Berdych in Madrid, Roddick bet umpire Carlos Bernardes $100 that he could serve a fourth. And sure enough, his fourth serve brushed the net and dropped in. It’s not known whether he managed to collect.
Still, a humorless official could have ended up putting Roddick in the red– a $100,000 fine is one of the penalties for players caught betting on matches. Roddick did at least make sure he followed the letter of the law on another front: with little hope of winning the match once he hurt his ankle during the match, he played on till the end – but not before consulting with the supervisor to make sure he wouldn’t be fined for lack of effort.
Tomas, was it a bit of an emotional week for you? The pictures say it all. (see right)
Can your surroundings affect your mood? It's not exactly scientific evidence, but the electic décor at one of Madrid’s player hotels coincided with an unusual level of crankiness among the players. Even before shushing the partisan Madrid crowd, Berdych betrayed some testiness by mimicking Rafael Nadal’s victory jog during the last game of the match. Nadal then not only called Berdych “very bad” at the net, but dredged up old grievances, saying, “I said that because in Toronto I didn't say anything, but he was constantly giving bad looks and nasty looks to the opponent. At that time it was not good. And today during the match it happened again constantly… I wasn't about to say anything during the match. But maybe the last thing he did with his finger was out of place.”
David Nalbandian has been on a trash-talking spree since the beginning of the fall, taunting the Australian team at Davis Cup and brashly predicting victory against Russia when he played in Vienna two weeks ago. In Madrid, he made some dodgy requests for Hawkeye replays and was AWOL from his ATP blog after just two curt entries. After he and Tim Henman sparred verbally on court during their third-round match, Nalbandian questioned Henman’s sportsmanship. Henman responded with, “I think if we're going to go down that road, there's only one winner in that debate.”
David Ferrer described losing to Henman as the worst day of his career. Juan Carlos Ferrero was glum after losing in the second round and almost being moved to the second court for his match. “I knew they wanted to change my match court because of the delay, but that doesn't matter right now. Of course I'm disappointed. I cannot be happy with myself… My mood is low right now.” And so it went.
Meanwhile, the hotel rooms had certainly struck players as something to write home about. Jonas Bjorkman: “One floor is all white, another all red, a third pitch black (they say that even the toilet paper is black)... My room is all white, with a round bed and swirling shapes. Feels like I am staying in Antarctica...” Nalbandian: “The hotel we are staying is a bit crazy. The rooms on my floor are all white, while I don't really have a problem with that I have been told that some rooms are all black and this could be a problem in waking up.”
Imagine what the week would have been like if Nalbandian had been put on the red floor.
Maria, what’s a sign that the withdrawals on tour are really getting out of hand? When players have to make announcements not when they pull out, but when they don’t pull out. Linz had already named Maria Sharapova as one of the players taking part when it originally announced the field. So when Sharapova’s website a couple of weeks ago said she would be playing the event, it shouldn’t have been news. But in the current climate of uncertainty, it made headlines in Austria.
Gael, does the irony soothe the pain? Probably not. Gael Monfils leapt in vain pursuit of an unreachable shot from Dominik Hrbaty in the first round of Madrid, and came down hard on his right ankle. He was taken off court in a wheelchair and will be out for at least four weeks.
The ironic part? The match was his comeback from a left foot injury suffered at the US Open.
James, don’t they teach math at Harvard? You wouldn’t guess it. Former Harvard player James Blake won Stockholm two weeks ago, leaving him depleted for Madrid, where he lost in the first round. He said that if he had to do it again, he would – being able to defend a title for the first time was worth it.
But by the numbers, it didn’t make much sense. Blake’s net gain from Stockholm (versus not playing) was 70 ranking points, compared to the 75 points he would have got for winning just one match in Madrid. What’s more, the early loss in Madrid seriously hurt his chances of qualifying for the season-ending Masters Cup in Shanghai, where winning just one match is worth 100 points.
Boris, what’s the secret of a happy retirement? Don’t take advice from the wrong people. Boris Becker hasn’t exactly faded into the sunset after retiring from tennis, making frequent appearances in the tabloids after failed business ventures, tax problems, romantic liaisons and an unplanned child with a Russian model.
He predicted that retirement would also be an adjustment for his fellow German sporting legend Michael Schumacher, who retired after the Formula One race in Brazil over the weekend. “Over the next six months or so he will ask himself many times if he made the right decision or not,” said Becker, who was working for a German TV station at the race. “I don't know a single sportsman who made the transition smoothly.”
Is it possible to be too excited about the upcoming tour championships in Madrid? The WTA website says no: