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May is all about the clay. If you like Europe then this is the perfect time of
year, as the string of tourneys that lead up to the French Open at the end of
the month has both tours scattered across the continent.
 This Month...
I Love Paris in the Springtime
On May 29th, we arrive at the second Grand Slam tournament of the year. If
Rafael Nadal and Justine Henin-Hardenne repeat, they will have to contend with
the world No. 1’s to do so. Roger Federer looks to capture the one major that
has eluded him, and if he does he will be halfway home to the Grand Slam. Amelie
Mauresmo has not fared well at home on the clay, but she is playing better than
ever, plus she’ll have the fans on her side.
Log onto TENNIS.com for exclusive live coverage from the French Open.
Rome x 2
The ATP and Sony Ericsson WTA tours head to Rome on back-to-back weeks starting May 8. For the
men it is a Masters Series event, and for the women a Tier I tournament. Not to
sound repetitive, but Rafael Nadal looks to repeat as champion at the Campionati
Internazionali d’Italia. Last year Mauresmo won the ladies’ edition, proving
that she can win on the dirt.
This is the End?
Will May be the end of the University of Colorado men’s tennis team? The
athletic department dropped the program as a means of cutting the budget. The
team was notified of the decision on March 23 and was given until May 13 to
raise $1 million (a three-year operating budget) to save the program.
Click here to read about the plight of the CU men’s tennis team.
Seize the Moment
Qatar (WTA Tier I) and Hamburg (ATP Masters) are both big events, but with the
other top events in May, these two are slightly overshadowed. These are still
big time events and are not to be missed.
 On Newsstands -
May 9th
TENNIS
Martina Hingis: Back in the Swing of Things
French Open Preview: Can Federer Win on the Dirt?
5 Secrets to Clay-Court Success—From Spain’s Top Academy
Great Racquets for Good Players.
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SMASH
Rafael Nadal: All Fired Up
Exclusive Q&A: Agassi, Sampras, Courier & Chang
20 Great Looks for Summer
Maria’s Swimsuit Adventure
Click Here to Subscribe
 Last Month...
NASDAQ-100
Ho-hum, Roger won another hard-court event. For the second year in a row Federer
won the “American Double” (the Pacific Life Open & NASDAQ-100 Open). His
dominance has to be taking its toll on the rest of the tour. On the women’s
side, for the first time since September 2004 Svetlana Kuznetsova savored the
sweet taste of victory when she defeated Maria Sharapova.
Rafael the Conqueror
Rafael Nadal continued his dominance on clay, and over Roger Federer, in Monte
Carlo as he defended his title. He upped his career mark to 4-1 against Federer,
and the Spaniard added a title at home in Barcelona for good measure. Nadal’s
47-match winning streak on clay is one of the best ever. He’s reached the point
where a loss to anyone on clay would be an upset.
Wimbledon Prize Money
Wimbledon has once again decided not to pay the men’s and women’s singles
champions the equal prize money, and a lot of the tennis world is
none-too-pleased. The television and sponsorship revenues come from both tours
so they should be paid the same . . . right? But the men play best-of-five-set
matches, as opposed to the ladies who play best of three. It is a huge debate,
and emotions are running high.
Davis Cup, Fed Cup
What a month for the U.S. teams. The men were supposed to win on the grass and
they did just that. Andy Roddick was huge, earning two points, and the Bryan
brothers picked up the other one, as the Americans earned a spot in the
semifinals against Russia this September. The women, on the other hand, sent a
team of underdogs to Germany, and many thought they would come home
disappointed. But Jamea Jackson and Jill Craybas both won on the first day, and
Jackson sealed the victory for the U.S. a day later.
Politics
Does politics play a role in sports? It did when the U.S. boycotted the 1980
Summer Olympics in the Soviet Union, and it appears to be playing a similar role
for Indonesia. The Indonesian Fed Cup team is scheduled to play in Israel in
July, but the Indonesian Tennis Federation refuses to play unless the tie is
moved to a neutral site. Indonesia is home to roughly 190 million Muslims, and
they don’t have any diplomatic relations with Israel. If they refuse to play
they will be fined $5,000 and banned from Davis Cup competition for one year.
Don’t Miss…
- TENNIS.com Live at the French Open
- Peter Bodo’s TennisWorld Blog
- The Wrap by Steve Tignor: The French Daily Edition
- Peter Dopkin: Live From the Grounds
- Breaking news, live scores, schedules, results, photo galleries, and more,
from start to finish.
- SMASHtennis.com News
What’s going on with all your favorite players off the court?
Log onto SMASHTENNIS.com for the
latest news, as well as Vince Spadea’s and Bryanne Stewart’s Blogs.
- Coming Mid-June: The “New” TENNIS.com
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