Hewitt Settles Dispute With Friend; Markets Softer Side In DVD

This story is a bit old, but interesting nevertheless:
Yahoo Sports **
Mon Nov 14, 6:21 AM ET

SYDNEY (AFP) - Tennis bad boy Lleyton Hewitt found himself in court in an unusual dispute with his former best friend over Aboriginal cultural rights.

Andrew McLeod, an indigenous star player for the Australian rules football team in Hewitt's hometown of Adelaide, took the world No. 4 to court over a documentary film Hewitt hopes will show the world his softer side.

The film entitled "Lleyton Hewitt: The Other Side" included footage of Hewitt and McLeod visiting Aboriginal sacred sites together in Australia's Northern Territory last year.

In the DVD, McLeod showed Hewitt several aspects of his culture, including bush walking, dancing, fishing and story-telling. Parts of the film were shot in areas considered sacred by Aborigines.

McLeod later sought an injunction to block the marketing of the DVD, claiming Hewitt had not sought his permission or that of traditional landowners before including culturally sensitive footage in his film.

But when the pair arrived at Melbourne court on Monday, Hewitt and McLeod quickly closed themselves up with their lawyers and hammered out a settlement in nearly five hours of discussions.

In a joint statement, McLeod and Hewitt said the "concerns in relation to the DVD arose largely as a result of misunderstandings about the way in which the DVD would be put together".

"Those misunderstandings have now been addressed and Andrew McLeod has advised that he has no objection to and supports the release and distribution of the DVD without change."

The film was expected to be on store shelves before Christmas.

Who would have thought Lleyton Hewitt had black friends? Especially after the 2001 U.S. Open incident in which African-American tennis star James Blake took exception to some of Hewitt’s comments about a black linesman. For the record, referees determined that the evidence was inconclusive as to whether Hewitt's comments were racially motivated, and thus he did not violate the Grand Slam code of conduct.

As a dad-to-be Hewitt wants to market his softer side. Perhaps he just gets a bad rap.

**Again, I apologize for the link not working. I'm still trying to work out with Blogger what the problem is. If you want to go to the story, just click on the link and delete the: http://www.blogger.com/”
that pops up before the url in the address bar and hit return.

40 Greatest Tennis Players

This may be of interest to you tennis historians. Tennis Magazine has created a list of the 40 greatest players of the last 40 years. The above link has justifications for players 5-32. You must become a member of Tennis Magazine to read the rest. But here's the list:

1. Pete Sampras 2. Martina Navratilova
3. Steffi Graf 4. Chris Evert
5. Bjorn Borg 6. Margaret Court
7. Jimmy Connors 8. Rod Laver
9. Billie Jean King 10. Ivan Lendl
11. John McEnroe 12. Andre Agassi
13. Monica Seles 14. Stefan Edberg
15. Mats Wilander 16. John Newcombe
17. Serena Williams 18. Boris Becker
19. Roger Federer 20. Ken Rosewall
21. Roy Emerson 22. Martina Hingis
23. Evonne Goolagong 24. Guillermo Vilas
25. Venus Williams 26. Jim Courier
27. Arantxa Sanchez Vicario 28. Ilie Nastase
29. Lindsay Davenport 30. Arthur Ashe
31. Justine Henin-Hardenne 32. Tracy Austin
33. Hana Mandlikova 34. Lleyton Hewitt
35. Stan Smith 36. Jennifer Capriati
37. Gustavo Kuerten 38. Virginia Wade
39. Patrick Rafter 40. Gabriela Sabatini

Right players? Right order?

Federer Around the Web

Roger Federer took a beating on court losing in the 2005 Tennis Masters Cup final. But he didn't take one in the press. Here’s a sampling of what has been written:

Roger Federer, an exceptional athlete defying descriptions
The Hindu

Federer has become a familiar traveller, but his journey's end is not even in sight, writes Rohit Brijnath.

Eleven tournaments he has won this year. Five of the last eight slams. Ten matches lost in two years. A head-to-head record since 2004 that stands at 4-1 vs Safin, 8-0 vs Hewitt, 6-0 vs Agassi. Of the four matches he lost this year, in two (Safin, Australian Open final; Gasquet, Monte Carlo) he had match points, and in a third, against Nalbandian, he served for the match. Only one day in the year, against Rafael Nadal in the French Open, did someone truly own him...

Tough season gets to the Swiss master
Reuters

Roger Federer proved he was human after all but still managed to reinforce his reputation as being arguably the greatest player of all time despite losing his Masters Cup title last weekend...

[I]t did nothing to shatter Federer's aura of invincibility. Federer had single-handedly rescued the tournament from becoming a farce after the sudden pullouts from injury of Rafael Nadal and Andre Agassi...

Federer beaten but his reputation remains unbowed
Yahoo Sports
By Alastair Himmer

Nalbandian, to his credit, refused to be beaten. But the manner of Federer's defeat will be an ominous warning to his rivals ahead of the 2006 season.

Federer's play, demeanor is unmatched
ESPN.com
By Bonnie DeSimone

[Federer] is consistently excellent without being mechanical, passionate but not surly, amiable without being cloying, an extraordinary yet accessible athlete who has gone for lengthy stretches without an agent or a full-time coach. Not too good to be true. Truly good.

And he showed up even though he wasn't completely sound, giving the Shanghai fans a special incentive to root for him. Five of the other seven players originally scheduled to play in the tournament scratched...

Federer's still the man to chase for '06
msn.foxsports
Matthew Cronin

Now that Roger Federer has proven he's not invincible — when playing on one leg — hope springs eternal for the rest of the elite players in 2006.

Or does it?

Nalbandian battles back to end Federer's final run
The Guardian
Stephen Bierley in Shanghai

And so ended the Wimbledon and US Open champion's run of 24 consecutive victories in finals, stretching back more than two years. Federer had also won his previous 35 matches, and this was only his fourth defeat this year. Remarkable statistics for a remarkable player. On this occasion it was simply a match and a final too far, although "giving up was never an option", he said...

But has David Nalbandian given Federer something to think about next time he walks on court? Has the Swiss’ confidence been shaken?

**I apologize for the links not working. I'm still trying to work out with Blogger what the problem is. If you want to go to the story, just click on the link and delete the: http://www.blogger.com/”
that pops up before the url in the address bar and hit return.

Blake Reflects On 2005 Season

Bonnie DeSimone of ESPN.com interviews James Blake about his incredible comeback year:

Question from Bonnie DeSimone: What exactly did it mean to win in Stockholm?

Answer from James Blake:: I'd never even been in the semis of a tournament in Europe. To go through and win one made a big difference to me, [especially] the way I did it. I was down a set and a break at one point in the second round. So I very easily could have made it another European trip where I don't have a whole lot of success and I come home and say, 'Oh, I'll get it back in the States or in Australia or whatever.' But I didn't have any thought of getting down on myself or being a little burned out because it's near the end of the year. I just kept playing my game and doing my best and that's something I'm proud of. Being a little older makes it easier to have that kind of perspective.

Q: Seems a little unfortunate that so many people saw you lose at the U.S. Open, while Stockholm didn't get nearly as much attention.

A: It started in D.C. [where Blake lost to Andy Roddick in the finals], then I did well in New Haven and then the U.S. Open, all close to where I grew up, and so I had friends there, people cheering for me. Going to Europe, a lot of people would then kind of nosedive. But I proved to myself that I can do it without all the friends and family around. Winning a tournament in Stockholm, where I really just had my coach out there with me, was pretty exciting for me, to know it's me doing it, all the hard work I've put in.

Continue reading the interview.

Blake is also appearing on 60 Minutes this Sunday.

The Sexiness of Federer

Federer. (Not sure who took this photo)

In a post match interview last Thursday, Federer commented on being named one of People Magazine’s “International Men of Sexiness.” I found this rather amusing:

Q. I understand People Magazine has
included you in one of their sexiest people
alive.
ROGER FEDERER: You know why
(smiling).

Q. Is that a compliment or a burden?
ROGER FEDERER: It's a compliment,
yeah. That's why I put on clothes tonight so we
can speak normally together, don't get all
overexcited (smiling).

Q. Tony Roche is coming here.
ROGER FEDERER: He is here.

Q. Did have you any advice from
him?
ROGER FEDERER: Yeah. He doesn't
just come here to hang out with me. I mean, he
likes to visit the most sexiest guy alive once in a
while (laughter).
He gave me some advice, yeah.


In previous years People has so recognized other tennis players including Mark Philippoussis, Pat Rafter, Andy Roddick and James Blake.

Agassi Inspires Shaq

NBA superstar Shaquille O'Neal wants to open a charter school similar to the Andre Agassi College Preperatory Academy. This is wonderful news! From Indystar.com:

Miami Heat center Shaquille O'Neal and his wife, Shaunie, like to give back to the community, serving "Shaqsgiving" meals to the poor; handing out toys for his Shaq-A-Claus event; collecting donations for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

But the couple's long-term charitable focus is their Real Models Foundation. Formed in Los Angeles in 2003 and named for a signature Shaquille expression -- "He says he's a real model, not a role model," Shaunie said -- the foundation wants to create a more lasting legacy for South Florida children.

"Our ultimate goal with Real Models is to open a school, and I would love to do it here in Miami, open up a charter school," Shaunie O'Neal said. "So one day that's going to happen, the sooner the better."

A charter school is a public school that receives state funding but is free of most regulations. Shaunie O'Neal said the Real Models Foundation typically focuses on organizations that help homeless women and children. The school is their "ultimate goal," however.

The couple will probably follow the model of tennis star Andre Agassi, whose agent, Perry Rogers, is also O'Neal's agent. The Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy, a charter school, opened in 2001 in an economically depressed area in West Las Vegas.

Agassi's foundation raised $20million for construction of the school, which opened for third-, fourth- and fifth-graders in 2001. A middle school opened in 2003. A high school and gymnasium are expected to open next year.

Comment On Men's Year End Championship

There’s been a lot of talk about a “giant” being “slain.” I’d like to say: no. The giant has not been slain. David Nalbandian played a great match against Roger Federer, especially to come back from two sets to love down. But Federer, even Nalbandian admits, was not at his best. Federer had just gotten off crutches three weeks prior, so to come within two points of winning the match is a remarkable achievement.

Some people are saying Nalbandian’s win will erase the Federer fear factor and give hope to Roddick, Hewitt, Agassi, etc. Unlikely. All this loss proves is that if you give 110% and Federer is recovering from an injury, you have a chance of winning if the match goes the distance. The Fed still wound up 81-4 on the year and, when healthy, is utterly dominant.

With every loss this year, he bounced back quickly and rattled off another win streak. I think we can expect Federer to not only return to form next year, but to be even better.

Nalbandian Upsets Federer In Masters Cup Finale

David Nalbandian, copyright © Getty Images

The Argentian David Nalbandian got the best of Roger Federer in a five set duel lasting 4 hours 33 minutes, 6-7,6-7, 6-2, 6-1, 7-6. The Swiss superstar had not played a match in the six weeks leading up to the Masters Cup due to a strained right ankle ligament, nor even had much opportunity to practice.

Federer no doubt suffered due to the change in format to best of five sets. After pulling out the first two sets in very close tie breaks (7-4, 13-11), he did not have anything left in the ‘tank.’ Nalbandian was not giving away anything and continued to fight. He cruised through third and fourth sets, frequently employing the drop shot, and the two handed backhand up the line. A listless Federer could not move quickly enough to the balls.

While receiving treatment during the fourth set, Federer reportedly told an ATP trainer, “I have nothing left in my legs.” At one point, ending the fourth set and moving into the fifth, Nalbandian had won ten games in a row!

Down four games to love, and 0-30 on Nalbandian’s serve, Federer found new life, managing to break back and win four games in a row to pull even. Four games later, Federer served for the match at 6-5, but Nalbandian broke back, forcing a tie break. Federer struggled with his first serve, and Nalbandian’s return of second serve proved too much for him. Nalbandian took the tie break 7-3.

David Nalbandian takes home a new Mercedes, $1.4 million, and the biggest win of his career. He also improves his winning record versus Federer to 6-4. He said, regarding Federer: “Every time we play, the match is very close, is very tough. So I don't know what's gonna happen next match. I hope don't play this long, but is gonna be a tough either way. Doesn't matter who's leading in the history.”

Federer ends his incredible win streak in finals at 24; his 35 match win streak; and 44 matches won consecutively on hard courts. He said in a post match interview, “I knew I was putting all those records on the line when I came here. So that it happened is sort of in a way almost normal. It's just a pity now that I was so close..”

Earlier in the week, the world number one had subtly chided those who pulled out the tournament, saying: “I came here not knowing if I can play, and I went through all the therapy just to really show the people also how much this event really means to me. . . I thought I was the worst injured of all. Now that I can play, for me, it means very much to me. It also should show a message how much and how important this tournament means to tennis. For me, this is equaling like a Grand Slam.”

Roger Federer would have taken home more than $1.5 million had he won the tournament. But let’s face it, he doesn’t need the money. What we see here is a player risking his place in history and possibly aggravating an injury for the enjoyment of the fans out of respect for the Masters Cup.

Federer Defeats Coria, Continues Win Streak

Federer celebrates at Masters Cup, copyright © AP

With the red group semifinal entrants already decided at the 2005 Master’s Cup, there didn’t seem to be a lot riding on the match between Gillermo Coria of Argentina and the Swiss stylist Roger Federer--unless you count a 34 match win streak and $120,000. Federer would have both, in what would be perhaps his most interesting round robin match.

Coria got off to a lackadaisical start and Federer broke him immediately. He continued to crank winner after winner to cruise to a 6-0 win of the set. Coria received treatment from an ATP trainer on his feet at 5-0, but still seemed to be going through the motions into the second set.

Considering the first set result and Coria’s lack of enthusiasm, I, along with most people, expected Federer to put away the second set easily. But Federer seemed to lose interest, and before long Coria had a 4-0 lead, and the set (6-1).

I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised by the second set result. Every match Federer has played this week, he has cruised through the first set, gotten beaten badly in the second, and refocused and come back to win in the third set.

This is precisely what happened today. Both players came out firing at the start of the third set, but it wasn’t long before Federer regained control of his forehand (which had troubled him greatly in the second set) and gained the advantage by breaking in the sixth game of the set for a 4-2 lead. Two games later Coria double faulted to end the match.

With the win, Federer improves to an ATP best 80-3 on the season, despite throwing in 33 unforced errors. He also remains in position to tie John McEnroe’s win percentage record for a season of 82-3 (.965) set in 1984.

Clijsters Loses Match, Possibilty of No.1 Ranking

With Kim Clijsters’ loss Wednesday to Amelie Mauresmo 3-6, 6-7 at the WTA Championships, Clijsters will not likely advance out of round robin competition to challenge American Lindsay Davenport for the year end number one ranking. Clijsters is 0-2, while Davenport is 2-0 in competition thus far.

Are you serious? You mean there’s no way Maria Sharapova can catch Davenport? Somebody? Anybody? OK, I suppose I’ll have to accept reality.

What can I say? That I’ve never liked Lindsay Davenport? That I was never so happy as I was during Wimbledon 2005, when Venus came back from being down a set and a break, to beat her in the final? But Davenport was gracious in defeat, wasn’t she? Yadda, yadda, yadda...

But I digress. Clijsters struggled during her match Wednesday, only winning 37% of points on her second serve, and committing 36 unforced errors, to 22 winners. Though she has not been in top form this week, she has had a good year, hasn’t she? Nine titles, to number one Lindsay’s six. Those nine include a Grand Slam; Lindsay can’t say that. Clijsters picked up a $2.2 million dollar check at that Grand Slam (the U.S. Open), for winning the U.S. Open series in dominant form. No multi-million dollar checks for Davenport either (yet anyway).

So should Clijsters fret over not ending the year at number one, and winning the year end championship? She won the WTA Championships in 2002 and 2003, and did not play last year. After missing 2004 with injury troubles, I think she had a terrific, comeback year. While being number one would have been nice, she’ll have plenty to smile about looking back on 2005.

Roddick Injured, May Not Play Masters Cup

Another top player has become doubtful for the $4.45 million dollar season finale. Andy Roddick, who a few days ago was the only healthy member of the top six, now suffers from a back injury, which effected him during a 3-6, 5-7 loss to Ivan Ljubicic yesterday. "Obviously I'm not as optimistic as I was two days ago [about playing the Masters Cup]," says Roddick. This leaves Coria, Davydenko, and Ljubicic as the healthier members of the elite eight.

Richard Vach, Tennis-X.com senior writer, had an amusing comment on the injury situation. He writes:

The Federers, Safins, Agassis and Hewitts you expect at the year-end championship are among the best -- separate from the Ivan Ljubicics, Gaston Gaudios and David Nalbandians who will likely fill the injury gaps. Sure, everyone loves Ljuby, but this is the Masters Cup, not the Guy-Who-Loses-Almost-Every-Final Cup.

Ljuby has a chance to turn that around today. The way things are going, it may just be a Ljuby or a Davy who wins the cup.

Roddick, Ljubicic, Stephanek, Berdych Into Final Four

So the Final Four has been set in Paris. Roddick versus Ljubicic, and Stephanek versus Berdych. Roddick continues to impress with a three set win over David Ferrer yesterday. This sounds like great stuff: Roddick, down match point in the third set tie break, battled back to take it 10-8! He will face the big serving Ivan Ljubicic who secured a spot in the Masters Cup with his win yesterday. This should be a great match folks. How I wish I was in Paris!

In the other semifinal match, the two Czechs, Stephanek and Berdych, will do battle. The two have never faced each other.

WTA Championships Minus Venus

Venus at Wimbledon, ©Getty Images
Originally uploaded by guchuj05.

With a win today, Russian Elena Demetieva will knock Venus Williams out of the year end WTA Championships, and ticket sales will plunge in L.A. The Williams sisters have done for women's tennis, at least in terms of African-American interest in the sport, what Tiger Woods has done for golf. Tennis was, after all, perceived by many as a country club sport. (Still is by some.) We know that Venus and Serena grew up playing on public courts in Los Angeles and managed to rise to the top of tennis. This helped change the perception of the sport somewhat, and make the Williams sisters fan favorites.

Why do they rank so low that their places are not secured at the year end championships? It's true that they now have other interests outside of tennis, which is good. Better that than to have an obsession with something you cannot do for a very long period of time anyway. But both have expressed interest in returning the top of the rankings. So will they return to dominant form? One can only hope that they can balance their other interests (fashion, interior design) with tennis and still be at the top of their games.

So Federer Says He's Fit...

© CNN

Read here how the Fed says he's ready to play. He just got off crutches a week ago, and now is ready to compete? I know, I know, I'm flogging a dead horse. But Matthew Cronin, on msn.foxsports.com had this to say of Federer:

But if Nadal can find a way to knock out Federer for the second time in three tries this year in Shanghai, then he'll have certainly dented the Swiss' confidence going into 2006 and stop the premature thoughts that Federer is ready to win the calendar year Grand Slam. Then, Federer would have finally found a real rival.

I'm a Federer fan, but I think he's a little too hung up on winning the Masters Cup. There's no shame in skipping the event. As the winner of two grand slams, and four masters events, he is clearly number one in everyone's mind. Perhaps Mr. Cronin has a point. Then, should Federer risk playing injured and possibly shaking his confidence? While I write this, I remember that he wasn't playing his best tennis at Masters Cincinatti or the U.S. Open and he still won both tournaments. Maybe he can pull it off. If anyone can do it, it's Federer.

Masters Paris: Americans Ginepri and Roddick Advance

Can we say enough about Robbie Ginepri? Ranked 103rd on July 4th, Ginepri has posted a 28-8 record since to rise into the top 20. He reached the semifinals of Masters Cincinatti, Masters Madrid, and the U.S. Open, while also claiming the title at the RCA Championships, during that time period. Today he has defeated Spain's Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 6-7(7), 6-3 to advance to the third round of BNP Paribas Masters. How good has this young man become? Read more about him here.

Other news: Two of the best servers on tour, Andy Roddick and Taylor Dent, faced off today in the second round of Paris. Dent snapped a streak of three first round losses with a win yesterday over Sebastian Grosjean 6-4, 7-6(4). Though today, his luck turned. Dent lost to Roddick for the fourth consecutive time. I was a bit surprised that it took Roddick three sets to finish Dent off 6-4, 6-7(2), 7-5. Roddick saved eleven break points in his win today. The results are a testament to the his skills and tenacity. Roddick will face Dominic Hrbaty for a spot in the quarterfinals next. Keep up with the latest happenings at the BNP Paribas Masters here.

Tennis Season Too Long?

Andy Roddick

copyright © Getty Images

From my previous post you'’ll notice several top players remain question marks for the season ending Masters Cup, including: Federer, Nadal, Agassi, and Hewitt. Marat Safin has already withdrawn to focus on being fit for the 2006 Australian Open. The organizers of the final masters tournament of the year in Paris have complained, as their main draw has been depleted of top players due to injury. According to players, the sport has grown more physically demanding, thus making them more prone to injury. Many have called for shortening the competitive season. Mark Miles, former ATP chief executive agrees that the season is too long and that nine masters tournaments is too many. I agree. A season that stretches from January to November is too long. Reducing the number of tournaments is essential. Which tournaments would go? It will require making tough decisions--decisions that need to be made. I would suggest ending the season in September. Follow the U.S. Open directly with the Masters Cup and Davis Cup finals, and call it a year.

Andy Roddick, who also has complained that the season is too long, should consider himself lucky, as being healthy puts him in position to win the Masters Cup after what some call a lackluster year. Critics complain that he lost in the first round of the U.S. Open, Masters Montreal, and Masters Madrid and seemed unfocused. Further, he still has not found a way to beat Roger Federer, whom he faced in the finals Cincinatti and Wimbledon. But in all fairness, few people have found a way to defeat the world number one. Roddick has posted a 56-13 record while winning five tournaments (Houston, London / Queen's Club, San Jose, Lyon, Washington ). His supporters point out that he has improved his game; working on his backhand and coming to net more often. They also note that his titles come on multiple surfaces (grass, hard, clay, indoor). I say he had a good year, consistently remaining one of the top players of the world. He may not rank as high as he did in 2003, but he has become a more complete player.

Hawk-Eye Technology

This is an old story, but an important one nonetheless. Hawk-Eye technology will finally be used at a major men's tournament. Hooray! Chair umpires will make used of the technology at this year's Masters Tennis at the Royal Albert Hall November 29th-December 4th. Hawk-Eye is the only ball tracking technology which has met International Tennis Federation approval for accuracy.

Tennis great John McEnroe sees this as a positive step forward, as do I. "If anyone's been listening to my commentary the past year then they know I'm in favor of using replay. I think it will make it more interesting," he says. "The bottom line is if the U.S. Open decides tomorrow they'll use it and if Wimbledon decides they want to use it, then they'll use it." Many observers hope the U.S. Open will employ the technology, though it is doubtful that the traditional Wimbledon will.

I believe the move to use Hawk-Eye in major tournaments is long overdue. Even if it's 90% accurate, it's more accurate than a person. As fans watching on television, we're left time and again with the feeling that a player was robbed of a point he/she should have won. Using hawk-eye will empower the players, and give a sense of fairness to the fans.