Exciting Women's Tennis

The power houses of Venus and Serena Williams, Sharapova and Henin have brought unpredictability and excitement into Women’s Tennis. Women’s tennis had always been branded as a monotonous one, so this situation is long awaited. These Ladies are the modern tennis icons whose names are listed in finals of the past 9 grand slam events. Svetlana Kuznetsova, Amelie Mauresmo and Ivanovic are tagging very closely, but are yet to match the records of the players above. Rivalries are always scrutinized closely, but with so many star players, it only makes for more exciting days ahead.Migrating to a foreign country at seven years to become a tennis star may be a page out of a fairy tale for some, but for Maria Sharapova the fantasy became a reality. Clutching on to nothing but a dream is downright scary in today’s world, but what gets them going is those streaks of genius that are visible from early on. 2005 was a stellar year for Maria having won the Wimbledon and US Open. Her speed on court is not one of her strengths, but her single-minded focus and intensity is admired by peers alike. Chris Evert says “Maria Sharapova is an excellent pressure player and she reacts the best of all the current players.” While Steffi Graf was busy winning her Golden Slam in 1988, eight year old Venus Williams recorded an astounding 5:30 minute mile and was matching shot for shot with older promising kids. Richard Williams declared to the world that his daughters Venus and Serena would rule the tennis world. The words of Richard were followed by an intense training regimen of six hours a day during their teen years at the Rick Macci Academy in Florida. Richard Williams dreamt of building an annihilating tennis machine in Venus and Serena and in terms of power and aggression. Many might have thought him a bit boastful, but his words came to light in 2002 when they were ranked 1 and 2 in the rankings.Venus almost defies the law of gravity when she pounds that swinging volley from mid air which is so effective on grass. Serena’s wing span combined with her sheer tenacity makes her a daunting opponent for any person. They have won 14 grand slam singles titles between them, with Serena leading in the winners tally. The downside to the sisters is that they have many off court distractions and have a limited playing schedule.In contrast, Justine Henin appeals to the common player as she is more slender and petite in size, but makes it up with her foot speed. A notable aspect in her game is her fluent single handed backhand which is a rarity among the women today. Her achievement at no. 1 in the ranking has come after winning 3 out of the past four grand slams. Wimbledon is the only grand slam that has evaded her so far. John McEnroe says she is the player on the tour whom he most enjoys watching, and has compared her career to his, in terms of her need to outsmart and outplay bigger and stronger opponents. Clay is especially her favorite surface having won the French Open for the past 3 years.Standing just 5 feet four inches tall, Billie Jean King captured six Wimbledon and four US Open titles with her serve and volley game .She was also monumental in starting the Women’s Tennis Association. Incorporating fitness into a regimen was first brought about by the legendary Martina Navratilova. Few might know that at one time she was called the GREAT WIDE HOPE by a journalist owing to her flabby structure. Her trademark serve and volley game needed extraordinary fitness and she thus ruled Wimbledon for nine years .Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova had similar styles of play ,but are not easy to emulate in today’s tennis due to more powerful return of serves and ground strokes. Their compatriot and arch rival Chris Evert was completely the other end of the spectrum. She brought a feminine touch to tennis and was called Ice Maiden due to her cool composure. Her flat and precise ground strokes won her many French Open titles. Power was an element missing at that time.The next generation of players like Steffi Graf, Monica Seles and Martina Hingis had a blend of both power and finesse. Steffi Graf will be remembered as the only player in the world with a golden grand slam which includes the Olympics as well. Evert has said that Graf's forehand was "the best in women's tennis". Billie Jean King said in 1999 that she considered Graf to be the greatest female tennis player ever. Navratilova said in 1996, "Steffi is the best all-around player of all time, regardless of the surface."Steffi Graf’s array of accomplishments might have been a few less if Monica Seles had not been stabbed. Seles was the one nemesis for Steffi Graf even at her prime. Monica Seles’s acute angles combined with her signature double handed shots of both sides made her unequalled at one time. In my opinion Steffi and Monica were the two players who could have given the Williams sisters, Sharapova and Henin a run for their money. Martina Hingis could have been a threat with her magnificent ball feel and guile but against the Williamses power, she wilted. She also had her share of injuries to deal with.All the girls who play today may have stumbled upon the sport, but luckily for them they had been singled out and trained by professionals from a very early age. Sharapova, Henin and the Williams sisters have been known to have picked up a racquet as early as four years old. Incredibly, Serena won 46 out of 49 tournaments she competed in before the age of 12.Her first tournament was when she was four and a half years old!!!!In today’s Women’s tennis, consistency with power on the ground strokes is a must. Glaring weaknesses are immediately trampled upon and net game is almost void. Powerful racquets and stronger players have made the serve and volley style of game almost non-existent. Off-Court fitness like pliometrics, medicine ball drills, sand running are all normal training routines today. Weight lifting is equally incorporated not only to build muscles but also to avoid injury. Players travel with an entourage-a fitness expert, a physiotherapist, parents, coach, agent, psychologist, and so on. If we were to play fantasy match-ups, I would choose for a Navratilova-Serena Williams or a Graf-Venus Williams on grass, Chris Evert- Hingis on clay and a Sharapova-Seles on hard courts. It is only speculation, but Sharapova and the Williams sisters might have had the upper hand owing to their supreme power. But if you looked at the variety and guile of today’s’ women’s players, there is work to be done. Gone are the days when you could admire a short angles slice or a serve and volley put away. The odds are with the powerful and the fittest, but the grace and class that the past champions brought to the game is beyond compare.

India's stellar Davis Cup performance April 08

India clinched an impressive 3-2 win over Japan in the Davis Cup semi-final of the Asia Oceania group. India now has advanced into the World Group Play offs .The next tie is due to be held in September though the draw is yet to be made.There are athletes who succumb to the pressure of playing under a national flag and then there are some who are able raise their game to delirious heights. The due credit for this remarkable victory will need to be given to the singles players Prakash Amritraj and Rohan Bopanna. Though their sharpness was never in question, both were nursing injuries . Bopanna had to sacrifice his final of an ITF Men’s event as a precautionary measure, a week before the Davis Cup. Harsh Mankad was added as an alternate at the last minute in lieu of his recent performances in the ITF events at Mumbai and Chandigarh.
When I spoke to Bopanna 2 days before the tie, I could sense the excitement in his voice. As per the draw he got what he wanted, a first match against the top ranked Nishikori. The two Indian singles players, whose rankings are not an indication of their grass prowess, showed their Japanese rivals that rankings are a mere formality in Davis Cup. Bopanna’s match lasted approximately three hours and it was the break in the fifth game of the fifth set which ended with a 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 victory over 118th-ranked Kei Nishikori. His powerful serve and volley game packed with enough aces made him almost invincible in the fifth set.Prakash Amritraj’s battle was just as nail-biting as he fought from a 2 set deficit to close the match at 4-6, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-4, 8-6. His opponent Go Soeda ranked 156 in the ATP turned pro in 2003 and is a familiar face on the challenger circuit. Their match lasted more than four hours with Soeda losing serve early in the 3rd set. Despite facing the barrel of two match points in the final set, Prakash remembered his father’s advice to him to “hang in there”. And hang in, he did, to put India in the driver’s seat with a 2-0 overall lead on the first day.The second day proved to be fairly a routine one at the office for the doubles pair of Bhupathi and Leander. After a brief hiccup, the former no. 1 duo had a 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over veteran Japanese team of Satoshi Iwabuchi and Takao Suzuki. Iwabuchi, the lanky lefty proved to be a weak link in the doubles and admitted later that he could not keep his nerves under control.Having wiped out Japan in the first 2 days itself, both Prakash and Rohan decided to rest and opted out of the reverse singles. Leander and Mahesh Bhupathi played singles after many years just as a formality to finish the tie. They both lost rather tamely to their younger rivals. If there were an option, the alternate players could have benefitted from a Davis Cup match.For me the most surprising factor was Japan’s preparation or actually the lack of it, on grass. They arrived in Delhi only 3 days before the tie. The last time their number one player played on grass was 3 years ago in the Wimbledon Junior event. Whether it was over-confidence or nonchalance, bad preparations might have cost them the tie. This is surely not to take away the scintillating 7 hours of display from Prakash Amritraj or Rohan Bopanna.This magnificent performance had an undercurrent of uneasiness before the tie. While Prakash and Rohan had sent a letter to the AITA that they want Leander replaced as captain, it was meant to be a closed affair. How the letter was leaked out was something no one will know, but the boys seem to have learnt from the lesson and were all business before and after their matches. They came together and fought hard commendably and have shown their worth to the AITA and to the world. What they want is an experienced non-playing captain who can make unbiased decisions and focus on just that. Being a playing captain has its challenges. The issue was not about Leander’s distinguished Davis Cup record. Having played for India since 1990, his myriad upsets over top players have made him an icon. The issue was that he made some decisions without consulting the team regarding line-ups and that he had far too much on his hands.In all this, the AITA have chosen to side with Leander. By giving into the demands of players, the AITA might be faced with recurrence of these revolts. So they have tactfully avoided making any decisions until September.Going forward, the top item on the agenda should be to get Bhupathi and Leander on the same page to start their preparations for the Beijing Games. The reason why they gel as a team from a tennis perspective is that in doubles there needs to be one solid player who can set up the point and one aggressor to finish and blast it off. Mahesh is the rock with his low return of serves, while Leander is the guy with the lightening speed feet and hands who can punch a volley off before the blink of an eye. What makes their doubles team a rare combination is also the fact that Leander is most comfortable playing on the right side(deuce) of the court while Mahesh’s forte is the left side(advantage) of the court.I have known both Leander and Mahesh and their differences in opinions started way back when Leander’s father Vece Paes was the manager for Bhupathi as well. Ego clashes along with twisted quotes from each other’s press conferences have spiraled this into a bigger problem. In my opinion, many of their issues have skyrocketed partly due to many people around them who have instigated it further for their own benefit. I feel the All India Tennis association can take a more affirmative role by appointing a person or persons to bring them to talking terms .The timing is just as crucial as few more matches with each other will increase India’s chances at a medal in tennis at the Olympics It is ironical yet quite important that their interaction is absolutely necessary for them to be featured together a s a team. Bhupathi is the highest ranked Indian at 13, while Leander is behind him at 24 and Rohan Bopanna is 54 in the ATP doubles ranking list. Olympic participation in tennis will depend upon rankings and the Federation’s nomination. These guys have shown that they have the game and the heart. Now it is up to the All India Tennis Association to bring this team together

Davis Cup

The latest controversy in Indian tennis involving the Davis Cup team members revolting against captain is surely unheard of but not completely unexpected. The AITA has confirmed receiving a letter from Prakash Amritraj and Rohan Bopanna complaining against Leander Paes and threatening a boycott of Davis Cup matches if Paes remained captain.

In my view,the red flag went up when I read one of Leander Paes's press conference during their recent tie against Uzbekistan. Leander was quoted saying on one of the papers that Prakash had an unprofessional attitude and had gone out Saturday night and returned with a Delhi belly. I immediately felt that it was not in India's best interests when the captain is giving out on his teammates. I feel that Leander need not have disclosed that much to the public.These things have to be resolved inside closed doors with the player and captain.

With this latest development, All India Tennis Association is put in a precarious situation. Leander has been accused of putting his interests first. With Bopanna, Amritraj,Bhupathi and Rastogi in conflict with Paes, there are not too many players left except Somdev Varman.

Leander has been a Davis Cup legend and his appearances and victories are unparalleled. For AITA, it is a double-edged sword. If they were to support Leander, they will not have the best team line-up for India's next Davis Cup tie. But if they choose to side with Bhupathi,Bopanna and Amritraj, they will probably lose a sports icon from Indian tennis scene. Furthermore they also will need to consider the fact that once AITA gives in to players demands, there is no question that this tactic maybe followed by other players in future.