I am a bit behind the times this week but I still need to get my thoughts on Davis Cup out. It was such a great event for the city of Boise and for tennis in Idaho in general. I think we were all witness to a watershed moment for the sport in our state last week. Let's cover some winners and errors in review:
WINNERS:
1. Sam Querrey can battle. Early on, it did not look good for Sam on Friday afternoon. He was struggling to find his range and was a bit flat overall. But boy did he turn it on and make a comeback. His win on Friday to even the tie at 1-1 put the US team in the position I think everyone figured and hoped to be in heading in to Saturday.
2. The crowd. While it may not have been a sellout, I thought the crowd was great. The arena, especially on Saturday and Sunday, was loud and into the match. I also thought the Serbian contingent that was able to make it to the matches was very vocal and supportive of their team. I think the crowd support and excitement was everything the USTA could have hoped for.
3. Novak Djokovic showing why he is the world number 1. Whether it was his domination on Friday or his sheer will to come through turning his ankle on Sunday, you have to be impressed by the guy. His competitive fire is second to none. For a guy who early in his career had a reputation for going "walkabout" and retiring from matches if he didn't feel exactly perfect, he has shown over the last couple of years that he has become the complete player both on court and mentally.
4. Ilija Bozoljac. How could anybody walk away from the doubles match and not be at least mentally rooting for him? He came in ranked in the 1100's in doubles and played absolutely out of his mind in a match they had to have. I now dream of being able to hit anything remotely resembling his backhand return down the alley. That thing was a display of sheer beauty and violence. Even if his win resulted in disappointment for the US squad, the trues tennis fan should be able to tip their hat and acknowledge one of the gutsiest performances in recent memory.
ERRORS:
1. U.S. team engagement. Hopefully I won't get nailed for this opinion. I thought the American team showed a real lack of engagement on the bench. Between the singles guys just up and disappearing and them texting and playing around on their phones during matches, I was severely underwhelmed with the team's enthusiasm. To me, they all just looked obligated to be there. Even when they were engaged, it was not to the level that the Serbian team was. Passion is a must for Davis Cup. It gets the crowd into it and can definitely swing the momentum. It nearly cost the U.S. in the last round against Brazil and I think it was a factor here.
2. Altitude/Court Surface. Well, this was a choice that seemed to backfire. The altitude and faster court seemed to help the Serbians more than the U.S. squad. In singles, we looked like we struggled to find our range while Djokovic and Troicki played smart, opportunistic tennis.. In doubles, the Serbians were hitting out on the ball while the Bryans looked a bit tentative.
3. Strategy. I felt like the Serbian team made the better adjustments throughout the weekend. They played to their own strengths and found weaknesses in the Americans game. On the U.S. side, some of the decisions were kind of head scratchers. I think at some point, I would have been done giving Bozoljac backhand side serves on crucial points.......
Overall, this was the most exciting weekend of tennis in Idaho ever. To have the #1 player in the world and the #1 doubles team of all time in our city playing for their countries was just an awesome sight to see. I got to meet players and coaches from both sides and all of them were 100% genuinely excited to be in Boise and had a great experience. Hats off to Serbia for pulling through and my hopes are that the U.S. will come out strong and hungry in next year's World Group. How did you feel about the Davis Cup tie in Boise?
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Saturday, April 13, 2013
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Show Them The Money!!!
Psst, hey journeyman players...
You're about to get a nice gift from the USTA over the next few years at the U.S. Open. This week, the USTA announced that not only are they adding an additional $4 million to the overall prize money at the 2013 Open (on top of the $4 million increase agreed to in December) but that they will increase the overall prize money to $50 million by 2017. That will essentially be double what the prize money was last year at the U.S. Open. Here's the good stuff about the agreement:
1. This will have a great impact on lower ranked players that most likely make early exits from the tournament. A good share of the money increase will probably go to increasing the early round payouts. This gives those players a better opportunity to offset their travel, coaching and training costs. You have to remember that not everybody on tour is rolling in the sponsorship cash like the big 4. Djokovic made a strong point when he said that players in the top 200 "...deserve to have a better living in the sport."
2. Could this possibly mean that the doubles players might get a pay bump?! I feel that the doubles side of the tour is greatly underrated and under compensated. It would be nice to see a pay bump come their way since we are out of the era where players made a living by playing both singles and doubles.
3. The USTA, ATP and the Player's Council are working together. After having to sit through annoyingly contentious labor disputes in the NFL, NBA and NHL, it is nice to see a professional sport that is able to have meaningful discussion and debate. They were ultimately able to reach a solution that doesn't involve strikes or ridiculous sniping over media outlets for months on end. The USTA also showed it was willing to listen when they made the decision to scrap the Super Saturday format and permanently schedule the men's semis on Friday and the final on Sunday. The players have asked for that the last couple of years and the USTA recognized the tour is a different animal now and that change was necessary.
My one area of concern with the pay bump is the USTA's acknowledgement that they will be taking a hit by increasing the prize money payout. As an employee of a USTA district, we are reliant on funding from U.S. Open revenue. I just don't want to see the resource distribution to districts get impacted in a negative way. We need all the resources we can get to grow the sport and I am positive USTA National knows that. They have said they have a plan and I look forward to hearing what that plan entails.
That's it for now. The Davis Cup countdown is now at 9 days! I'll be doing some blogging from the matches throughout next weekend. The office is going to be certifiably INSANE until it's over. But that's what happens when the biggest tennis event in Idaho history comes to town.
Ps. Captain Courier: If you need a last minute fill in for doubles, I will bring my gear and dress in the red, white and blue. You can count on me!
You're about to get a nice gift from the USTA over the next few years at the U.S. Open. This week, the USTA announced that not only are they adding an additional $4 million to the overall prize money at the 2013 Open (on top of the $4 million increase agreed to in December) but that they will increase the overall prize money to $50 million by 2017. That will essentially be double what the prize money was last year at the U.S. Open. Here's the good stuff about the agreement:
1. This will have a great impact on lower ranked players that most likely make early exits from the tournament. A good share of the money increase will probably go to increasing the early round payouts. This gives those players a better opportunity to offset their travel, coaching and training costs. You have to remember that not everybody on tour is rolling in the sponsorship cash like the big 4. Djokovic made a strong point when he said that players in the top 200 "...deserve to have a better living in the sport."
2. Could this possibly mean that the doubles players might get a pay bump?! I feel that the doubles side of the tour is greatly underrated and under compensated. It would be nice to see a pay bump come their way since we are out of the era where players made a living by playing both singles and doubles.
3. The USTA, ATP and the Player's Council are working together. After having to sit through annoyingly contentious labor disputes in the NFL, NBA and NHL, it is nice to see a professional sport that is able to have meaningful discussion and debate. They were ultimately able to reach a solution that doesn't involve strikes or ridiculous sniping over media outlets for months on end. The USTA also showed it was willing to listen when they made the decision to scrap the Super Saturday format and permanently schedule the men's semis on Friday and the final on Sunday. The players have asked for that the last couple of years and the USTA recognized the tour is a different animal now and that change was necessary.
My one area of concern with the pay bump is the USTA's acknowledgement that they will be taking a hit by increasing the prize money payout. As an employee of a USTA district, we are reliant on funding from U.S. Open revenue. I just don't want to see the resource distribution to districts get impacted in a negative way. We need all the resources we can get to grow the sport and I am positive USTA National knows that. They have said they have a plan and I look forward to hearing what that plan entails.
That's it for now. The Davis Cup countdown is now at 9 days! I'll be doing some blogging from the matches throughout next weekend. The office is going to be certifiably INSANE until it's over. But that's what happens when the biggest tennis event in Idaho history comes to town.
Ps. Captain Courier: If you need a last minute fill in for doubles, I will bring my gear and dress in the red, white and blue. You can count on me!
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Every "Hard Yard" is a Mile...
I read an article in the last few days about the most recent "scandal" involving up and comer Bernard Tomic. It had something to do with his association with some criminal/underworld types back home in Australia. Reading this got me thinking about some things. Tomic is no stranger to controversy. He can't seem to figure out how to drive a car within the limits of the law, punches friends and does various other things that could be chalked up to youthful stupidity. However, he is also widely viewed as frequently wasting the large amount of tennis talent he has. His own Davis Cup captain and advisers have labeled him as having a poor work ethic and a lack of commitment.
Tomic is not alone. When I think of him, some other names come to mind. Ernests Gulbis, Richard Gasquet and Donald Young are a few that come to mind immediately. All of these guys have large amounts of talent but seem unwilling/unable to apply the necessary steps to capitalize on it. Gulbis and Young say really stupid things publicly and Gasquet fluctuates between playing incredible tennis and incidents like the one where he had to fight a drug suspension by saying he tested positive for cocaine after kissing a girl in a club (seriously?) They all are also widely viewed as having poor work ethics.
There was a great quote about Andy Murray's off season training this winter that talked about him putting in the "hard yards." To me, that perfectly sums up what separates the big 4 from the field and especially the aforementioned players. Each of them are consumed by a desire to be great. Federer is well known for having a tremendous competitive fire. Djokovic has transformed into a monster in the last couple years. Nadal has shared how he finds pleasure in the painful moments on court and Murray broke through last year and transformed his game's weaknesses. Each of them has a passion for tennis that goes beyond just the on court hours. Tennis is a part of who they are, not just what they do. It is these "hard yards" that result in them seeming to be miles above their competition. Tomic, Gulbis, Gasquet and Young seem to be content to be where they are (still amazing compared to any of us hackers), but don't seem to grasp what is necessary to be great. For them, tennis has office hours and an off season.
To me, the hype surrounding a lot of these up and coming players (Tomic, Raonic, etc) needs to slow down. Somebody will break through at some point. For now though, the big 4 are clearly beyond the rest of the tour when it comes to commitment and desire. Talent is nothing without the will to apply it. It will be a race to see which younger player can figure out that puzzle first.
"Champions keep playing until they get it right." -Billie Jean King
Tomic is not alone. When I think of him, some other names come to mind. Ernests Gulbis, Richard Gasquet and Donald Young are a few that come to mind immediately. All of these guys have large amounts of talent but seem unwilling/unable to apply the necessary steps to capitalize on it. Gulbis and Young say really stupid things publicly and Gasquet fluctuates between playing incredible tennis and incidents like the one where he had to fight a drug suspension by saying he tested positive for cocaine after kissing a girl in a club (seriously?) They all are also widely viewed as having poor work ethics.
There was a great quote about Andy Murray's off season training this winter that talked about him putting in the "hard yards." To me, that perfectly sums up what separates the big 4 from the field and especially the aforementioned players. Each of them are consumed by a desire to be great. Federer is well known for having a tremendous competitive fire. Djokovic has transformed into a monster in the last couple years. Nadal has shared how he finds pleasure in the painful moments on court and Murray broke through last year and transformed his game's weaknesses. Each of them has a passion for tennis that goes beyond just the on court hours. Tennis is a part of who they are, not just what they do. It is these "hard yards" that result in them seeming to be miles above their competition. Tomic, Gulbis, Gasquet and Young seem to be content to be where they are (still amazing compared to any of us hackers), but don't seem to grasp what is necessary to be great. For them, tennis has office hours and an off season.
To me, the hype surrounding a lot of these up and coming players (Tomic, Raonic, etc) needs to slow down. Somebody will break through at some point. For now though, the big 4 are clearly beyond the rest of the tour when it comes to commitment and desire. Talent is nothing without the will to apply it. It will be a race to see which younger player can figure out that puzzle first.
"Champions keep playing until they get it right." -Billie Jean King
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