By TW Contributing Editor, Ed McGrogan
Tournois de la semaine dernière (Last Week's Tournaments)
ARAG ATP World Team Championships (ATP - Clay - Dusseldorf, Germany)
- Final: Sweden def. Russia 2-1.
- First Rubber: Robin Soderling (SWE) def. Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) 6-3, 6-1.
- Second Rubber: Igor Andreev (RUS) def. Thomas Johansson (SWE) 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.
- Third Rubber: Robert Lindstedt/Robin Soderling (SWE) def. Dmitry Tursunov/Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) 4-6, 7-6, 11-9.
- Bracket
The Hypo Group Tennis International (ATP - Clay - Poertschach, Austria)
- Singles Final: Nikolay Davydenko def. Juan Monaco 6-2, 2-6, 6-2.
- Singles Semifinal: Nikolay Davydenko def. Igor Kunitsyn 6-3, 6-2.
- Singles Semifinal: Juan Monaco def. Ivan Ljubicic 6-4, 6-7, 7-6.
- Singles Bracket
- Doubles Final: Marcelo Melo/Andre Sa def. Julian Knowle/Jurgen Melzer 7-5, 6-7, 13-11.
- Doubles Semifinal: Marcelo Melo/Andre Sa def. Philipp Oswald/Juan-Claude Scherrer 6-3, 6-7, 10-3.
- Doubles Semifinal: Julian Knowle/Jurgen Melzer def. Robin Haase/Rogier Wassen 6-4, 1-6, 10-1.
- Doubles Bracket
Grand Prix Hassan II (ATP - Clay - Casablanca, Morocco)
- Singles Final: Gilles Simon def. Julien Benneteau 7-5, 6-2.
- Singles Semifinal: Gilles Simon def. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (walkover).
- Singles Semifinal: Julien Benneteau def. Agustin Calleri 1-6, 6-1, 6-3.
- Singles Bracket
- Doubles Final: Albert Montanes/Santiago Vertura def. James Cerretani/Todd Perry 6-1, 6-2.
- Doubles Semifinal: James Cerretani/Todd Perry def. Florian Mayer/Rainer Schuettler 6-3, 6-2.
- Doubles Semifinal: Albert Montanes/Santiago Vertura def. Agustin Calleri/Pablo Cuevas 6-3, 6-4.
- Doubles Bracket
Internationaux de Strasbourg (WTA - Clay - Strasbourg, France)
- Singles Final: Anabel Medina Garrigues def. Katarina Srebotnik 4-6, 7-6, 6-0.
- Singles Semifinal: Katarina Srebotnik def. Yung-Jan Chan 6-1, 6-7, 6-4.
- Singles Semifinal: Anabel Medina Garrigues def. Timea Bacsinszky 6-3, 6-3.
- Doubles Final: Tatiana Perebiynis/Zi Yan def. Yung-Jan Chan/Chia-Jung Chuang 6-4, 6-7, 10-6.
- Doubles Semifinal: Yung-Jan Chan/Chia-Jung Chuang def. Yuliana Fedak/Ayumi Morita 6-2, 6-1.
- Doubles Semifinal: Tatiana Perebiynis/Zi Yan def. Casey Dellacqua/Natalie Grandin 6-2, 6-2. - Singles & Doubles Bracket
Istanbul Cup (WTA - Clay - Istanbul, Turkey)
- Singles Final: Agnieszka Radwanska def. Elena Dementieva 6-3, 6-2.
- Singles Semifinal: Elena Dementieva def. Akgul Amanmuradova 6-2, 6-4.
- Singles Semifinal: Agnieszka Radwanska def. Tsvetana Pironkova 7-6, 3-6, 6-1.
- Doubles Final: Jill Craybas/Olga Govortsova def. Marina Erakovic/Polona Hercog 6-1, 6-2.
- Doubles Semifinal: Marina Erakovic/Polona Hercog def. Anastasia Rodionova/Arina Rodionova 4-6, 6-2, 10-0.
- Doubles Semifinal: Jill Craybas/Olga Govortsova def. Alla Kudryavtseva/Martina Muller 6-3, 6-2.
- Singles & Doubles Bracket
Par la lettre (By the Letter)
T...ennis feel good story: Eduardo Schwank won a Challenger tournament in Bordeaux earlier this month, but lost his passport, prize money and other possessions that same week in a hotel fire. On Sunday in Paris, he upset former French Open champion Carlos Moya in five sets, 7-6, 6-2, 6-7, 4-6, 6-3. Schwank, who had to qualify for Roland Garros, will surely be able to recoup what he lost with the prize money earned from this victory alone.
E...tienne de Villian: Novak Djokovic didn't exactly give a ringing endorsement to ATP boss Etienne de Villiers in a recent press conference at Roland Garros.
N...ot to be missed: Four-part forum from the International Herald Tribune (featuring SI.com's Jon Wertheim) about various Roland Garros-related topics. Part one, two, three, and four.
N...ew York Idol: The USTA is having auditions for children who want to sing at this year's U.S. Open at Radio City Music Hall on June 9.
I...ndia's Drama: The division between members of the Indian professional tennis community continues; this time about the Olympics. Mahesh Bhupathi, who is scheduled to play doubles in Beijing with Leander Paes, wishes otherwise.
S...enior members: Blackrock Tour is getting a boost with the additions of Michael Chang, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, and Malivai Washington to its roster. Tentatively, they will begin playing at the Eindhoven event in October.
W...awrinka joins Federer: Not as a doubles partner (Roger plays almost exclusively with Yves Allegro), and not as a permanent Davis Cup teammate (a dream scenario for Swiss fans) - but with IMG, the international sports management company.
O...n newsstands in August: After her 6-2, 6-1, defeat to Serena Williams on Sunday, Ashley Harkleroad said that she will appear in an upcoming issue of Playboy magazine. "I'll be the first tennis player ever. That's kind of cool," said Harkleroad.
R...etirement reassurance: Justine Henin has ruled out any hopes of a comeback - at least for now - during a press conference at the French Open. "I don't think I will ever come back," the four-time Roland Garros champion said.
L...ate French Open withdrawals: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Nicolas Kiefer, Fabio Fognini. Tsonga, this year's Australian Open finalist, was replaced by clay specialist Luis Horna of Peru.
D...avydenko blog: Check it out, especially if you haven't seen the picture of him and the glasses. And once again, there seems to be some good karma for those who write for the ATP's website - Davydenko won in Austria.
Les héros de McGrogan (McGrogan's Heroes)
ATP - Robin Soderling!Soderling
During some tennis telecasts, I've heard commentators question whether a Masters Series event (five or six best-of-three set matches in a week, against highly-ranked players from the onset) is more difficult to win than a Grand Slam tournament (seven best-of-five set matches over two weeks). I don't buy the argument. But for those who wish to debate, I have another impressive achievement for you to consider: winning eight main draw matches in one week.
Such a scenario is almost impossible to even attempt, let alone accomplish. But the tournament structure of the ARAG ATP World Team Championships in Dusseldorf allows players the chance to pull off this rare octet. Countries play three round robin ties apiece, each consisting of two singles rubbers and one doubles match. Singles players can also play in doubles matches, giving some tireless athletes the opportunity to play six matches (which Soderling, Feliciano Lopez, and Simone Bolleli all did last week). But only Soderling, whose Swedish team advanced to the championship tie (and won) played in two additional matches, bringing his total to eight. And not only did Soderling play in eight matches, but he won them all as well.
Only twice previously has a player won eight matches at the World Team Championships - John McEnroe did so in 1984, and most recently, Fernando Gonzalez in 2003. Soderling joins this exclusive club after his exceptional play led in some part to the defeats of eleven different men. The Swede's hit list was impressive, including potent opponents such as Guillermo Canas, Tomas Berdych, James Blake, Mikhail Youzhny (all in singles matches).
There's absolutely no rest for Soderling this week at Roland Garros, who deserved a kinder draw for his yeoman efforts in Germany. Soderling opens on Tuesday against the No. 13 seed Juan Monaco, who plays his very best on clay. Should Soderling advance past the Argentine, his draw becomes much more manageable, until the fourth round - where he'd likely face Roger Federer.
WTA - Agnieszka Radwanska!Radwanska
Ever since Justine Henin announced her retirement, everyone has been looking for the Belgian's heir to her throne at Roland Garros. Some of these names are impossible to avoid. The possible breakthrough for Serbia's Jelena Jankovic or Ana Ivanovic comes up all the time. The fighting spirits of Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova are frequent discussion points. And many other high seeds are talked about as well, for varying reasons. Some include Svetlana Kuznetsova (for her sheer power), Venus Williams (because you can't ever count her out), Elena Dementieva (for her dark horse potential), and even Dinara Safina (for her recent title run in Berlin).
One person that I've heard almost nothing about is Agnieszka Radwanska. That might be the best thing for her chances in Paris - pressure is one less thing she has to fight - despite all the attention her peers are receiving. But looking at what she's accomplished this year, there's evidence to suggest that she could play a big role in this Grand Slam.
Radwanska's year started with a bang, reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, her best ever finish at a Grand Slam. She'll build on this experience in future Slams for sure. Since then, her play has been solid, but it hasn't made headlines. She won Pattaya City as the top seed, which was her first tournament after Melbourne. Agnieszka then reached the semifinals of Doha (losing to the then-undefeated Sharapova) and the quarterfinals of Indian Wells (losing to eventual finalist Kuznetsova). On clay, she reached the third round at her first four events, before finally posting a bigger result this past week in Istanbul.
The Istanbul Cup couldn't have started off better for Radwanska - she won 6-0, 6-0 against Sorana Cirstea of Romania. Her next two opponents, Andreja Klepac and Tsvetana Pironkova, provided more of a challenge, but Radwanska fended them both off in three-set victories. The Pole's toughest test came in the final against world No. 7 and defending champion Elena Dementieva, who was looking for her tenth career title. Instead, it was Radwanska who would win her third career tournament - and first at the Tier III level - defeating Dementieva 6-3, 6-2 after winning 12 of the final 14 games.
Théâtre de tennis (Tennis Theatre)
Part of this video involves our hero of the week Soderling, but not for his actual tennis:
Le tournoi de cette semaine (This Week's Tournament)
TELEVISION SCHEDULE
Roland Garros (ATP & WTA - Clay - Paris, France)
Au-delà de la fourchette (Beyond the Bracket - anyone who knows French please help me on this one - I don't think it's correct.)
While watching Gustavo Kuerten play his final match against Paul-Henri Mathieu yesterday, I got thinking about another match in Guga’s storied career. It wasn’t any of his three French Open finals, or the “heart match” against Michael Russell in 2001, or even his run at the 2000 Tennis Masters Cup, when he beat Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi indoors in back-to-back matches. It wasn’t a match that any of you were reminiscing about.
The match in question was at the 2005 U.S. Open, when Kuerten played against Tommy Robredo in the second round. That match was special to me for reasons beyond what happened on the court. It was the first professional tennis I had ever seen in person. That morning, I entered the sunny outside court eagerly waiting to see tennis like I’d never witnessed before, and these two great ball strikers did not disappoint.
As nostalgic as I am, I also recognize the realities of that match. Kuerten’s career was already on the wane, and he looked old out there. At just 29, he was already a veteran on tour. He tried to muster up all he could against his younger opponent, and started strong, winning the first set 7-5. But Guga expended most of his reserves at the beginning of the match, and by the end, Robredo was cruising, ultimately winning in four sets.
When I watched Kuerten yesterday on Court Philippe Chatrier, he looked ancient. But this isn’t anything new in tennis – Agassi was beat up when he called it quits at age 36, and the same can be said for Patrick Rafter, who retired at only 30. Tim Henman, who retired last year at age 33, was also plagued with injury problems.
Agassi, who had some of his greatest successes later in his career, is the exception to the rule in men’s tennis. There’s hardly anyone who’s had his career longevity; instead, tennis players are usually scrap heaps by the end of their 20s. We often marvel at how Carlos Moya has kept in great shape and has stayed near the top of the rankings – yet he’s only 31!
I find this so surprising because in other sports, 30 isn’t a death sentence. Brett Favre was one of the best producing quarterbacks in the NFL last season at 38. Joe Sakic of the Colorado Avalanche is 38, and has averaged well over a point-a-game for the past four seasons. Zinedane Zidane was a constant threat for Real Madrid well into his mid-30s. And didn’t Barry Bonds do something noteworthy during his last few years in baseball? (Let’s just leave it at that.)
Point is, tennis is a young man’s game. A very young man’s. The first time I heard people saying that Roger Federer only has X number of years left to win Roland Garros, I laughed – after all, he’s only 26. But once I saw the limited success of players over 30, I gave these predictions a second look. I think Federer is better than this, based on his unique skill and mentality, but you never know what will happen.
Beyond Federer, I look at Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. These two just left the teenage world, but already have immense expectations on their shoulders. Again, I once dismissed claims from observers that they “need” to win Slams now. But now, I look at Rafa’s and Novak’s situations differently. When will their chances be better? They may never be – and with each passing year, their journey will only become harder.
And then I think of Richard Gasquet, burdened with expectations. I don’t envy his position this week, playing in front of a demanding French crowd.
Let the best player win at Roland Garros. Whoever comes out on top - young or old - will have earned it. And goodbye, Gustavo. Thanks for giving me my first glimpse of the big time.
si... (if...)
you could have any unseeded player win Roland Garros, who would it be and why?