SAM STOSUR: WTA PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Part 4 in our Series of contenders for WTA: Player of the Year. Next week we will look at some other contenders for this prestigious title.

See Part I, II and III.




Winning a Grand Slam is the highlight of many players’ careers. They work hard. Train hard and they sacrifice a lot just to be able to even qualify for a Grand Slam and even getting to the second week of a Major is a really big accomplishment. When you come from circumstances that are not the usual places, i.e. country clubs or you do not have a big name trainer, or you do not have the money or the looks that comes with being a protégé, when you finally win a Grand Slam, you are showered with so many expectations and money and so much is expected of you that some players falter while others use it as an opportunity to shine.

For years Samantha Jane Stosur, a player from a country that has provided Grand Slam champions in the same way that many others have not, was known more for her doubles prowess, moreso than her singles career. In late 2007 Stosur was struck down with Lime disease, a condition that left her off the Tour for a time. When she returned in 2008 she decided to concentrate on her singles career, rather than doubles. The going was tough and she took her losses with a stoicness that has always defined her. In the face of adversity she would have a semblance of a smile on her face.

In 2010, Stosur went on a run on the red clay of Europe, the likes of which had never been seen before the great Justine Henin. In getting to the finals of Roland Garros, she beat in succession, Serena Williams, Justine Henin and Jelena Jankovic. It was a masterclass in topspin, big serving and playing your best tennis when under pressure. Unfortunately for Stosur she came across another player who was playing with complete and utter abandon. She would lose in straight sets to Francesca Schiavone of Italy in what I consider one of the best tennis matches I have ever seen and what is sure to be a classic that needs to be shown on rain delays.

After that defeat, most players would have gone away, but not Stosur. She persevered, hired herself a sports psychologist and went back to what she did best. There were no titles and her losing streak would see her fall outside the top 10 for a brief moment in 2011, but it is said that “what is for you cannot be unfor you” and watching her performance in the 2011 US Open final against Serena Williams, you have to think that it was her destiny that she would win a Grand Slam.

Stosur faced insurmountable challenges during her 2 week stint in Flushing. She played some of her best tennis when under pressure. She came up big when she needed to against Nadia Petrova, Maria Kirilenko and against Angelique Kerber. These names are not Grand Slam champions. They are not players who you would put your money on, but Stosur struggled mightily against these players but she came through. When she got to the final, she faced a player who had endured a lot since her last Grand Slam title. Serena had just beaten her a few weeks ago decisively in the Toronto finals and here they were once again. This time, Stosur would do what she needed to do when it mattered most.

That stoicness that has defined her career was put on full display. Her serve worked. Her groundstroke worked. It helped that the person on the other side of the net did not seem to turn up for work that day, but in saying that, it would have taken away from the shine of Stosur’s victory. She played amazingly well and fully deserved her victory.

Stosur’s year has not been kind to her. She had a losing streak heading into Flushing and apart from that title, she has yet to win another this season, having just lost to Marion Bartoli in the final of Osaka. She has qualified for the Year End Championships but one has to wonder just how she will deal with the expectations that have been placed on her now that she has won a Grand Slam title.

PETRA KVITOVA: WTA PLAYER OF THE YEAR

This is the third part in our series of contenders for WTA: Player of the Year. Part 1 can be found here and Part 2 here.


The year was 2008. The event: French Open. She was playing Kai Kanepi, a player that I have always personally liked to watch and who I believed had a sure shot at reaching a Grand Slam final or even winning one. Before that though, there was a result that left me in awe. Petra had taken out Venus Williams in 3 tough sets in the Cellular World Cup in Memphis earlier in the 2008 season.

When she was slated to face Serena Williams in the second round of the Australian Open in 2010, I was understandably nervous for Ms. Williams. However, she lost to Ms. Williams 6-2, 6-1. Later that season she would go on to face Serena again in the semifinals of Wimbledon, where after putting up a tough fight in the first set, taking it to a breaker, she would lose the match in straight sets. However, prior to that Wimbledon semifinal match, Petra would go on to save multiple set and match points in her quarter final match against Kaia Kanepi. However, it was early on in the season that Petra had started to make her presence felt on the women’s tour.
The 2010 season however signified just what was to come with Kvitova in 2011.

In her first tournament of the season at the Brisbane International, she defeated up and coming rising star, Andrea Petkovic to win that tournament. She then lost in the third round to eventual champion Kim Clijsters at the Australian Open. Showing that she has the capacity to rebound from defeats, the next time she met Clijsters was at the Open Gaz, Paris Indoors. In that tournament she beat Kim Clijsters in a display of power and precision to win her second title of the season.

Kvitova has always been an inconsistent player and her results in 2011 have showed why many of her fans are left holding their heads and wondering what is going on with her. Petra’s results throughout the season have been head scratching or blink and you miss them moments. Her results after winning the Paris Indoors went something like this:-

• fell 1st round at Dubai
• fell 1st round at Indian Wells
• reached 3r at Miami
• won fourth WTA title at Madrid
• reached 4th round at Roland Garros
• runner up at Eastbourne

Since winning Wimbledon, Petra has reverted to her first round losing days. Much of this has to do with her inconsistency, but some of it can also be attributed to injuries. She was diagnosed earlier this year with asthma, which seemed to affect her more during the North American part of the Tour, perhaps due to the high level of humidity that occurs during this time of the year.

Receiving a wild card and seeded No. 1 at the tournament in Linz, Petra would go on to beat some notable players, including former No. 1, Jelena Jankovic in 3 sets, in a match which included some wonderful tennis and then went on to beat Dominika Cibulkova in straight sets in a display of tennis not seen since her Wimbledon run.

Every tennis fan agrees that when Petra is on, she is really on, and when she is off, all you can do is say Oh My in the same way that Dick Enberg says it. Petra has always reminded me of a young Venus Williams. All that power, poise, no outward sign of emotion, those deep hard groundies and those unforced errors that just keep piling up during a match and then she wins, despite her best efforts to lose.

With 5 titles to her credit this year, her wins against top 10 opponents, the fact that she has won a Grand Slam, a Premier Mandatory event, and has qualified for the first time for the Year End Championships, Petra Kvitova has put herself in the driver’s seat for WTA Player of the Year.

LI, NA, WTA PLAYER OF THE YEAR

I have tried on several occasions to write the second in our series on contenders for the WTA: Player of the Year. You would think with 4 different Slam winners, 3 of them first time winners, that it would be easy to write the narrative for these awesome women of the WTA, and especially the narrative for Li Na, but this has been without a doubt the most difficult post I have ever written.

I think one of the reasons why I am finding it so difficult to write about Li is that I am intrigued and confused about Li. I have always been unimpressed with her style of play. There does not seem to be much imagination to her game, and her attitude on court leaves a lot to be desired. However, her press conferences and the paths that she has taken to winning her first Grand Slam title and being the first player from China to win a Grand Slam title has left me being intrigued and admiring of that aspect of her persona.

However some of her recent utterances have left me shaking my head in disgust as for a woman to basically imply that the women of the WTA are not as mentally tough as the men leaves a really bad taste in my mouth. I understand that there is a level of sexism that permeates the narrative about women’s tennis. It is either they are all lesbians; they are on steroids; or as some would say they are so muscular as to not even look feminine, the commentary about the women of the WTA has not always been, to put it politely, very tennis friendly.

However, when a champion such as Li, a champion who has overcome so many personal obstacles in her own life, to now be ranked as one of the biggest stars of the WTA, a signal of hope for a country’s women and a player who will now find herself in the conversation every time she enters a tournament, her recent utterances leave a lot to be desired and really sets back the progress that have been made by Billie Jean and the Gang of Nine in seeking equality and recognition for female professional tennis players.

In reviewing Li’s year, one could be asked how in the name of all that is holy did she manage to win a Grand Slam, beating the likes of Sharapova, the allegedly toughest player on the WTA mentally, or indeed beat defending champion Francesca Schiavone in straight sets. Li’s path to the final was filled with intrigue and drama. She played some tough matches but in the final, just as Schiavone did before, she played absolutely flawless tennis. She served well, returned even better, did not get down on herself, and took the opportunities when they were presented to her.
Li has won one other title this year, at Sydney, beating Australian Open champion Clijsters in what was a very good match.

There have been much written about Li’s slump since winning the French Open, but a quick check of her year in review on the WTA’s website shows an observer exactly what you usually get with Li. There is a reason why she has such a small number of titles since joining the Tour. In her first 5 tournaments, apart from reaching the final of Sydney and the final of the Australian Open, Li’s record at regular Tour events have been a series of 1st rounds, 2nd round etc. Her best performance at regular Tour events prior to the French Open were at Rome where she fell in the semifinals to Stosur and her win at Sydney.

By winning a Grand Slam, Li has put herself in the conversation for Player of the Year. She has qualified for the Year End Championships and one can only hope that despite her recent utterances of not being able to find her game, she will embrace the challenge of being a Year End Champion and play like the champion we know she can be.

Give us your thoughts on Li as WTA Player of the Year

Next up: Petra Kvitova

PLAYER OF THE YEAR - KIM CLIJSTERS?

Today starts the first in a series of the list of contenders for WTA Player of the Year. Before we reveal the players, it is instructive to note what are the requirements for Player of the Year. These fall into 5 categories, namely:-

• Number of titles won;
• Win/loss record against top 10 opponents;
• Performance at the Grand Slams;
• Performance at the Tour level; and
• Still being talked about


Number of Titles Won:

This category is self-explanatory. It basically shows which player has been the most consistent. The most healthy and who has, despite the opponent across the net has battled through and won a given number of tournaments.

Win/Loss against top 10 opponents:

In this category, while most of the top 10 may not have reached the quarters onwards of most events, at some point, whomever is at the top of this category has shown some amount of consistency in her game and indeed in her approach to the game to be able to beat the majority of her peers on all surfaces throughout the year.

Performance at the Grand Slams:

Again, this is self-explanatory. Performance at the Grand Slams are different in that there is no one there holding your hand (on court coaching), there are no do-overs (you only get 4 chances) and your name will be written in history if you are able to bag one of the 4.

Tour Level Performance

Day in and day out you are there. You are consistently in the quarters, semis and sometimes even the finals of the regular Tour events. Your ranking, and indeed your status in the game shows what an incredible performer you are.

Still Being Talked About

What is the level of talk that surrounds you when you play? Did you hit a great shot? As fans reminisce about the year that was are they still talking about the shot that you hit in the early part of the season? Are fans and journalists still watching your matches on YouTube?

The first contender for Player of the year is none other than Kim Clijsters.

If there was a player who generates so much commentary from both fans and tennis journalists alike it would be Kim Clijsters. In her second career Clijsters has redefined her career. From a choker who could not finish at the Majors, Clijsters became a force to be reckoned with at the hard court Majors. This year she won her first Major outside of the US Open by winning the Australian Open. Clijsters has for better or worst (depending on who you speak with) somehow made us believe that getting married, having a family and playing tennis is a great accomplishment. As someone who has personally raised children all the while working, I wish someone had given me the kudos that Clijsters seems to have generated for herself just by doing what comes naturally.

In any event, Clijsters started the season on a positive note. She got to the finals of Sydney, where she played Li Na. Up 5-0 in the first set, Clijsters would go on to lose the next 6 games, losing the first set in a tie-break. She would then promptly go away for the second set, handing Li her first title of the new season.

Of course, this loss prompted the pundits to start revising their views as to whether she would finally win a Major outside of the US Open. She answered those questions comprehensively by playing an effective game plan through 6 rounds at the AO, where she raised the trophy and secured her place in the Hall of Fame.

Unfortunately for Clijsters that is where her season started and stopped. At the Paris Indoors she was beaten by young rising star, Petra Kvitova in straight sets in the finals and literally disappeared after that. She retired in her first round match in Marbella and did not show up for the rest of the clay court season, citing injury. She did not play the French Open and exited in the third round of Wimbledon. She returned to the Tour in Toronto and retired in her opening round match. She did not defend her title at the USO.

During the spring, citing the radiation concerns in Japan she informed the media that she would not be playing the Asian swing this year. While she has qualified for the End of Year Championships, I am not confident that Clijsters will play for the rest of the year.

I don’t see retirement coming in early 2012, but once the Olympics are over, I think that will be Clijsters’ swan song.

In assessing whether Clijsters is the WTA Player of the Year we look at whether she has met any of the criteria mentioned above:-


• Number of titles won – 1 – Australian Open

• Win/loss record against top 10 opponents – 2

• Performance at the Grand Slams – on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being exceptional, you would have to give her a 3 having regard to her win at the Australian Open.

• Performance at the Tour level – due to injuries sustained over the season this was negligible at best.

• Still being talked about – unfortunately Clijsters is being talked about for all the wrong reasons, as most of the talk is centered around whether she will indeed retire before or after the Olympics.

THIS AND THAT

Usually the time after the US Open is when tennis goes into the doldrums but due to the constant whining of some of the top players on the men's tour, tennis is in the news now more than ever.

STRIKE, STRIKE, STRIKE

I have always taken exception to millionaires griping about how life is unfair. I usually say, wail and gnash your teeth to me when you are unable to pay your utility bills or when you have to look at your children dying for hunger. Same thing applies in tennis. While the top male players gripe about the schedule and threatening strike action, I can only say to them, in the words of Michael Stich (and it really pains me to agree with him, especially knowing his views on female tennis players) but these young professional male players really need to just shut up and play.

A quick glance at the amount of money earned by the top 4 players on the ATP, as against the rest of the field, makes you realise that these players who are complaining about scheduling and in the case of Murray stating that if they had to play for longer periods they would need to get more money, stops short of being greedy, not really in tune with what is happening in the world of economics, and indeed supposes that men's tennis is all about the top players.

One of those 4 guys who are complaining so vociferously about the schedule and prize money should go and talk to Dennis Kudla who has only made 33,000 for the year. Andy Murray has made 3.5M, Rafael Nadal has made 6.2M, Djokovic 10M and Federer 3M. Compare that to even the rest of the men in the top 10 and one wonders what Murray and Nadal are complaining about.

SERENA AND THE USO

In today's Mailbag, L. Jon Wertheim intimated that as with criminals, your past is taken into account when judgment is being passed. Judges, he posits, look at the records of criminals before them in order to consider whether some type of leniency or whether they should throw the book at repeat offenders. In this regard, one would think Serena Williams' history of professional conduct would mitigate her in the public's eye in terms of her behaviour. Apparently, that is not the case, because according to L. Jon Wertheim, Serena's behaviour has been so egregious on the 2 occassions that it has occurred that the book should be thrown at her.

In the same breath, Mr. Wertheim is of the view that because Serena is a star of tennis, her behaviour, because it takes place on a show court, on public television is a more serious violation in tennis, than Mike Bryan allegedly hitting an official on an outside court.

The question I have to ask Mr. Wertheim is this, if a woman is assaulted in the dead of night where no one sees what happens and another woman is assaulted in broad daylight, is it not the same assault? What makes one assault more poignant than the other. As far as I am aware the rules of tennis are the same regardless of which court you are on.

Mike Bryan's fine was swept under the carpet by journalists because they did not consider it newsworthy, plus the Bryans have a reputation as good guys. Serena on the other hand has a reputation, ill deserved of being an aggressive, angry player who uses her power to dominate opponents. I have never seen an article written by any journalists that describes the way that Serena plays as anything but dominating, overpowering, savage, brutal, etc. I guess that is one way of sticking to the narrative.

SHRIEKING, GRUNTING, WHATEVER

The hindrance rule was put into full effect during this year's USO. There were a number of decisions that invoked the hindrance rule, none of which involved players who shriek, grunt, scream or otherwise release air upon contact with the ball. There were numerous cries of come on, vamos, allez or any other words that players use to pump themselves up during a match. It is important to note that the only time a hindrance rule was called on a come on was during the Stosur/Williams match. I understand that a hindrance call was also made during Bartoli's match. We are not told just what the hindrance was.

The calling of the hindrance rule has renewed calls for the WTA to take action regarding the shrieking, grunting or other exclamations of air that players use during matches. It is instructive that no calls are being made for this rule to go into effect for the men. In case you are not aware of the men who actually do grunt, shriek or otherwise exhale upon contact with the ball, here are their names:-

Rafael Nadal
Novak Djokovic
Andy Murray
Every single Spanish player
Gael Monfils

If you know of any male player who grunts, shrieks or otherwise releases air while playing, please tweet those names to the ITF, journalists, and to anyone who is interested.

There is a concerted attack on women's tennis. I think it is unfair that the cries to silence the women is being met with silence when questions are raised about the men. If tennis is to go silent, then I say in this day and age of equality, silence the men as well.

There are women on the Tour who are powerful. They command millions of dollars in sponsorship dollars. They are affiliated with sporting goods companies that are worth billions. These women need to take to social media and stamp out this unfairness in sports journalism.

Silence everyone. Not just the women

SERENA WILLIAMS - 2 FOR 2

Today a question was asked and answered. Would Serena Williams be able to win another tournament in her comeback. The answer was an emphatic yes.

Today in the finals of the Rogers Cup in Toronto, Canada, 2 of the best servers in women's tennis went toe to toe and the steadier and for me personally, the better of the 2 servers prevailed. Serena Williams showed once again, as Judy Murray pointed out on twitter, Serena is all class.

The match started out like any other with a few tentative moments by both players in holding serve, although Stosur had an easier time of it. She started the match serving at a high of 76% first serve and was looking quite comfortable. Serena on the other hand seemed a bit out of sorts but she maintained her composure and did what she needed to do. There would be no breaks of serve in the first 8 games played, but at 4-4, with Stosur serving, something changed. I will definitely have to watch the repeat on Tennis Channel later tonight. Suffice it to say that Stosur was 2 games point away from holding for a 5-4 lead in the first set. She would fault on her first serve and Serena punished her second serve. 40-30. Stosur would then miss her first serve again. Serena stepped inside the baseline for the second serve and a short rally ensued which Stosur lost. Deuce. It was telling that before Stosur served that second serve, Serena stepped away from the line and turned her back and mumbled to herself. One can only surmise that she was remembering and repeating what coach Venus had told her to do in her match against Stosur.

Serena would go on to break the Stosur serve for a 5-4 lead. She would serve out the set comfortably. In the second set it was all Serena. There was nothing that Stosur could do and the look of bewilderment that usually accompanies Stosur when she is playing maintained its hold over her until 5-1 in the second set when she held serve. She would get her one and only break point in the match on Serena's serve when Serena served for the match, but even that faint spark of hope went away when Williams served an ace that left Stosur hanging.

The joy and celebration on Williams' face was great to see. She played tennis that was out of this world during her semifinal and final and she looked absolutely happy and relaxed during her on-court interview. She says she will be playing Cincinatti where she is slated to meet Stosur in the 2nd round. Word is that Stosur is currently suffering from wrist tendonitis so there is a possibility that she may either rest her wrist for the Open or she may decide to play and who knows maybe get a win and build more confidence going into the Open.

It is really good to see Williams back and playing top level tennis once again. She has been missed and it was really good to watch a women's match where the conversation in the booth was more about the quality of the serving display, rather than who was throwing in the most double faults.

As with all the Majors this year, the women's storyline is much more enticing than the men. As it is we may have another 3 Grand Slam in a season winner on the men's side, while on the women's side there are so many contenders as well as the return of a great champion.

I am looking forward to Cincinatti and coverage of that tournament will be on Tennis Channel tomorrow (Monday). I would think that coverage on ESPN2 may not be before the quarter-finals. Hopefully, they will take the opportunity to share matches with Tennis Channel

ONWARDS

Today I learned via twitter that recently retired pro Patty Schynder has not only been left hanging by her husband but apparently she has filed for bankruptcy and has lost everything, including her cat. I am not sure how much of this story is true as it has not been picked up by the English media and the article that I saw posted on twitter was in German. However, if this is indeed true, I hope for Patty's sake that there are many tournaments as well as clubs who would be lining up to offer her employment in order that she can see better days.

This incident with Patty has me thinking about a recent article that someone posted in relation to the players on both Tours needing a Union. I am in agreement with this. I would go even further and say that both Tours should seriously think about starting some type of pension plan that could allow retired players to have a small nest egg upon their retirement from the sport.

Tennis is an exceptionally tough sport and the men and women who play it day in and day out are not only working their bodies to the bone, but their bank accounts as well. Unless you are a top pro, travelling first class and being given large appearance fees by tournament directors, you are basically living hand to mouth. I really think that the Tours should look into having something to aid players who for one reason or another have fallen on hard times.

USO SERIES ... THE WORST ROAD TRIP IN SPORTS

It started about 6 or 7 years ago and billed itself as the USO Series... The Greatest Road Trip in Sports. It offered millions of dollars in prize money and promised fans that they would get the best in tennis that the ATP and WTA had to offer. It starts in July and ends at the US Open with the winner of the Series getting a chance to double their prize money if they win the Series and win the US Open. Since the start of the Series we have 2 players who have won the Series and won the Open. They are Kim Clijsters in 2005 and Roger Federer in 2009.

One of the worst things about the USO Series is the lack of coverage that fans have to put up with. This is not only true of the Series but really of most tournaments held in the US. What is the use of having a channel that is solely dedicated to tennis when most of the tennis that is occuring is blacked out because a major network (ESPN2) decides when and what time fans should get to see matches and even worse, picks and chooses which matches fans want to watch.

A case in point. Yesterday was semifinal day at the Toronto and Montreal events. Most of us who rely on American television for our tennis were disappointed when a really good match featuring Radwanska and Stosur was not aired anywhere in the US. Fans in Europe and elsewhere were able to see this match. For people like me who tried to watch the match on a livestream, it was extremely frustrating as the stream would die right in the middle of a rally and then commence once the players were at the service line or at the changeover. I checked in on ESPN2 and Tennis Channel and neither channel was broadcasting this match.

However as soon as the Fish v. Tipsaravic semifinal was on ESPN2 was ready to do its broadcast. Because that match finished quite early, we were then treated to the last 3 games in the women's semi played earlier. Later in the day we got the second women's semi featuring Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka and later that night the Djokovic v. Tsonga semifinal.

Today is the start of main draw play from Cincinatti, another combined event. As I am writing this, Tennis Channel is showing a Fed Cup match between Russia and Italy to be followed by a fan's guide to the US Open. Coverage of Cincinatti does not begin until Monday afternoon on Tennis Channel and of course ESPN2 will perhaps not come online until about quarter-final day, at which point all we will get are selected matches featuring only the top players.

Why can it not be a case of ESPN2 and Tennis Channel sharing the coverage of these combined events. It could be that one could do the men and another network the women, or they could share which matches they cover. If ESPN2 wants only the marquee players, Tennis Channel could, of course, take those matches that feature lesser known players, but who have reached the quarter-final of these events.

We saw earlier this year at Wimbledon when only matches featuring marquee players were featured on tv. Turns out that it was a player that was hardly featured on either ESPN2 or Tennis Channel who ended up winning the Ladies Singles title.

I cannot imagine why Tennis Channel makes such a hue and cry about getting equal access to cable providers in the US. It could be said that it is a chicken and egg situation. If we had more markets, we would make more money and therefore able to carry more live events, or if we covered more events, we would be able to say that we have a wider audience clamouring for our channel and therefore deserve to be treated on par with Golf Channel etc.

I don't know what the solution is to this problem, but it cannot be that every time tennis gets to the US, the visibility of the sport dies a natural death.