Ladies, Ladies, Ladies
It has been an incredibly interesting month in the women’s game.
The fairy tale win for Kim Clijsters at the US Open is in the books.
I knew she was going to come good, but I never thought that much good would come that quick. Very admirable that she’s putting family first, with only one tournament on her itinerary for the fall schedule. I hope Kim keeps up her momentum and ends the year on a solid note.
Now the rumors are true, Justine Henin is on the comeback trail.
Judging by how quickly Clijsters reclaimed her throne, it seems like a perfect time for the 27-year-old Henin to get back in the mix and restore order in the women’s game. I’m glad she’s doing it now, as opposed to waiting another three or four years — if ever — and spending retirement with regret.
I am inclined to compare Henin’s sudden retirement to that of Bjorn Borg’s. If you remember, Borg chose to wait 10 years for his attempt at a comeback which proved too little too late. I like Justine’s odds. It‘s a good window of opportunity for her. The top ladies really aren’t playing at their best and maybe this time away from the game has given her a time to recharge and re-motivate. I’m surprised she’s waiting until the new year to launch her comeback, but for fans, the wait will be worth it.
I’m seeing a major on Justine’s docket for 2010.
Like I predicted for Clijsters that she would be back in the top 5 in no time, I feel the same for Henin. 2010 should be a big year for the Belgians.
It was a crazy week in Tokyo last week as the top six seeds crashed out in the first round.
Dinara Safina continues to play poorly and will now lose the top ranking to Serena Williams — justice does exist.
It was a massive week in Japan for Maria Sharapova as she steps up and wins her first tournament of 2009. She seems to be regaining her form from pre-shoulder surgery and the double faults seem to be on the mend as well. She’s off to a great start in China with an upset over Victoria Azarenka.
If Shaza can finish the year strong, I think she has a good chance to get back in the top eight. Considering she missed the first 5 1/2 months of the season, making the WTA Tour’s season-ending Sony Ericsson Championships would be an amazing achievement. We need our stars to shine.
Nice to see the loaded field again in China lead by Serena Williams, hopefully regaining the number one ranking will inspire Serena and let everyone forget and forgive.
I know the ITF is still looking into the Serena situation from the US Open. I think a suspension would be a travesty. Let’s put the event behind us and move forward. It only hurts the tournaments and the fans.
In my book, 2010 could be one of the most interesting years in women’s tennis ever. All eyes will be on the Aussie Open. You’ve got three months to get your tickets.
I do not share your opinion. Unhappiness at Serena’s outburst was and is not a travesty. Her outburst was unprofessional, unacceptable and abusive in attitude and spoken words. Her initial reactions at the press conference showed no remorse. It was only after a profusion of remarks from fans stating their dismay did Serena (and probaly not without prodding from her family and sponsors) try to show remorse. Serena showed her usual arrogance throughout this unfortunate incident.
Comment by Sandra — October 7, 2009 @ 10:18 pm
Suspension would lend some integrity to the game of tennis…..her behavior was inexcuseable……..I agree with Mary Carillo, she should never have been allowed to play the women’s US Open doubles final. If the ITF and the WTA, and the ATP could ever come together to form one entity, tennis would be better off. And why in the hell can’t they find a way to call foot faults electronically? Then this would all be a mute point.
Comment by Bill — October 8, 2009 @ 5:03 am
I don’t think so, we can not forget and forgive it, if ITF will not punish this bad behavior it’s surely ‘ll look like bad example for future possible case(she definitely look like bad role model(with this kind of behavior) for young tennis players who watched with adults that match in US Open) .
Punishment not hurts fans and tournaments don’t be so naive.She MUST be suspended as soon as possible for 4 Slams or 12 months.
Comment by Alex — October 8, 2009 @ 3:53 pm
AGASSI IS AT DOUBLE FAULT FOR LOSS TAKES SHOTS AT OFFICIALS ON AND OFF COURT
BY FILIP BONDY
Saturday, July 7th 2001, 2:22AM
WIMBLEDON - The closer he comes to the end of his career, the more Andre Agassi bristles at defeat. Each opportunity frittered away now at major events is a precious waste of his biological clock - 31 years old and ticking.
Agassi still won’t talk about Bill Clinton at the French Open in May, a distraction that led to a quarterfinal disaster. And then yesterday, as another Wimbledon slipped away from him, Steffi Graf’s balding companion wouldn’t allow a classic five-set match to stand on its own graceful, heart-stopping merits.
Instead, Agassi tainted the 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, 8-6 loss to Patrick Rafter with an ugly ending, an awful exit. Before he had departed Centre Court, Agassi orchestrated the switch of one linesman, smacked a 120 mph-plus serve at the poor guy, was cited for an obscenity-code violation and swatted a ball at a lineswoman as he approached the net to congratulate Rafter.
Refusing to defuse the situation, Agassi was coarse and unapologetic afterward.
“I was trying to hit the line, and it just got a little bit away from me,” Agassi fibbed, about the serve.
Commenting about a lineswoman’s decision to report a barely audible obscenity to the umpire during the 13th game of the fifth set, Agassi sunk to locker room bawdiness with an apparent reference to her sex life:
“I blame her husband for that,” he said, later calling the lineswoman, “classless,” on a BBC interview.
Ugh. Agassi, with a handful of vile actions and a petulant press conference, had nearly managed to make people forget three hours of brilliant shotmaking. It was the sort of nonsense one hadn’t seen since, or heard, since the brattiest days of Connors and McEnroe.
The tennis itself had been glorious stuff, even though Agassi, in sore-loser mode, would characterize the match in terms unpublishable in this newspaper. Rafter and Agassi, who played to a five-set match with the same result in a 2000 semifinal, are built for each other’s styles and temperaments. They ought to meet this way, every July, every Wimbledon.
Rafter serves to the corners and heads for the net. He chips and charges on Agassi’s second serves. Agassi then is called upon to pass Rafter with his wondrous running angles, and does so often.
Yesterday, there were long rallies from the baselines, eye-popping topspin lobs, astounding reflex volleys, and a series of momentum changes that ultimately swung in Rafter’s favor.
Rafter played from behind throughout the match, rescuing several key points in the decisive set that might have doomed him. Serving at 0-2 and 15-40 in the fifth, Rafter successfully managed a desperate reflex volley at the net, off Agassi’s grooved forehand, on a point that threatened to move Agassi two breaks up.
With Agassi serving at 5-4, 30-all, within two points of the match in the 10th game, Rafter courageously applied pressure on Agassi to force a wide backhand pass, then broke through with another rush to the net and a winning forehand volley.
Finally, in the 14th game, Rafter clinched with a touch of finesse, a looping, topspin backhand crosscourt passing shot that fell inside the sideline.
“I’m sort of relieved and excited at the same time,” Rafter said. “It’s a funny game, not over until the last point is played.”
That was the tennis part of it, admirable from start to finish. Agassi’s behavior, however, deteriorated as the climax neared.
He first became upset in the sixth game of the fourth set, when he was broken on two marginal sideline calls by one linesman, who judged Rafter’s shots to be in.
“They could have been called out and I would have accepted the calls,” Rafter said.
On the changeover, Agassi demanded that umpire Mike Morrissey switch linesmen.
“You’ve got plenty of people,” Agassi said. “Get rid of him.
“If he misses the slow ones, how can he call the fast ones?” Agassi asked. “Get him out of here. Do you want me to find one (a replacement)?”
Morrissey ordered the linesman in question to move over to the center service line, where Agassi targeted him from the other end of the court with a 122-mph serve on a meaningless point that landed just past the baseline. Agassi raised his hand, in an apparent mock apology.
Then, after one of his backhands was called wide to give Rafter advantage in the 13th game, Agassi cursed. The center lineswoman walked over to Morrissey and whispered the violation.
“What affected him was the lady who reported it,” Rafter said, sympathetically. “Just let it go. Only one person heard him. Let it go. It was the lady who really got to him at the end.”
Rafter watched nervously afterward as Agassi positioned himself at the net to hammer a forehand a couple of feet wide of the lineswoman.
“He was a bit hacked off,” Rafter said.
If Agassi had won here, he would have captured his eighth major, and completed an unprecedented, four-event Grand Slam after the age of 29.
Instead, he left with another two weeks’ worth of pages torn off his calendar, a possible fine to be announced today and some good memories wrecked by bad behavior.
Comment by R J Willams — October 10, 2009 @ 11:00 pm
Brad,I agree. This incident should not define Serena. Yes,it was wrong, but she has apologised and the three who have already replied to your article do not speak for the fans. I’m not saying that I am, but I have forgiven Serena and so have countless others. This ‘investigation’ is just pathetic-she’s World Number 1 but can’t enjoy it with this hanging over her head.
Comment by Yasmina — October 15, 2009 @ 12:36 pm
Although I’m sure fans and tournament organizers would prefer to have Serena in the draw, she is not bigger than the game, contrary to what she may think. The integrity of the game must take priority and she must be sanctioned with some sort of suspension (at least 1 Grand Slam)in fairness to others (including John McEnroe)who have put themselves in similar predicaments with their abusive behavior. This incident will not define Serena. After all, she has handled other incidents that went against her remarkably well, and her record speaks for itself. But it cannot be used to excuse her behavior either. And as far as her non-apology apology goes she has set a bad example for all of her younger fans who idolize her. That is perhaps the most convincing reason to ensure that there are real consequences. One can only wonder if there would have been any apology at all if she wasn’t promoting her book “On The Line”. Brad is wrong on this one, folks. All credit to Mary Carillo, who was the only commentator at the Open to have the guts to tell it like it is on the air.
Comment by Rosemary — October 21, 2009 @ 9:39 pm