In regards to the last post, the comments from Roger Federer were I thought interesting to say the least.
The great man believes that if every player were to be offered a mil at every tournament it would not necessarily mean that the match fixing would go away, I am not so sure about that.
If 'Alberto- Ramolis- Santiago- Sanchez' from an obscure South American Country was earning those sorts of dollars then surely he would not be interested in taking a bribe from 'Jonny Bloggs' the con man match fixing guru who makes all of his annual salary from his filthy habit. Why Roger wouldn't it go away ?
The smaller players in the smaller events are being targeted because they make peanuts from tennis and Billy Bloggs knows that to be a fact and he will only look at higher ranked players if they are known to be a little 'dodgey' with their book keeping. Guys ranked in the top 50 make big bucks, that's a fact, everyone knows that so I would be surprised if Billy even went near them. It's the guys ranked outside the 50 that are in need of a few extra dollars, the statistics prove just that.
The problem is simple, there are only a slight percentage of tennis pros who are actually making any profit, the rest are simply turning over funds to make it to the next tournament so if Billy approaches a player who he knows is not making enough to make ends meet then why wouldn't that player consider it ?
Ethics ? Ha, that's funny, when you are scratching around trying to find enough Euros to take a train to Milan to fight it out in the qualification event to lose first round and pick up around $250 Euros for the 'privilege' of it all, well you can stick your ethics fair up ya bum.....
Roger Federer probably has never been approached by someone asking him to throw a set or a game or two because he was a superstar almost from the beginning and since he has started playing the prize money has escalated to such an extent that the first round losers in a Slam go away with $50,000. From memory, my hero Mats Wilander picked up around $60,000 for winning the French Open in 1982. Puts it into perspective.
Does the winner of a Slam really require nearly 4 mil ? Oh please, a win in a Slam will guarantee you double that in endorsements in a short time frame. You will have people knocking on your door at all hours just looking for your signature for some clothing brand, a car perhaps or even a kids toy that looks and sounds like you with the switch of a button.
A win in a Slam will belittle any pay cheque you will ever get yet for some reason sponsors want to see the winner with an amount of cash that would feed 55 starving young tennis professionals battling it out in Mexico who sleep in foyers in hotels cos they can't afford a bed.
Pardon me for repeating myself but the next Novak is indeed sliding around somewhere in a clay court event in South America and he will probably never even get to that sort of status because he will either run out of money before he reaches his potential or he will get suspended for taking a bribe all because he couldn't afford to fund his dream.
The ATP does not do enough to help struggling tennis pros because it keeps making the rich even richer and is obsessed with immortalizing the already immortals.
Look after the future of the sport, for f... sake, it's not too hard to see that currently it doesn't seem to be on the list of 'things to do' for those who are supposedly in charge of World Tennis.......
Thursday 23 February 2017
Tuesday 21 February 2017
'THE REALITY OF IT ALL'
ABC NEWS STORY JAN 20, 2016
Aspiring tennis professionals are washing their shirts in hotel baths, sleeping on sofas and relying on crowd funding to chase their grand slam dreams — a stark contrast with star players which some fear could be fuelling corruption in the sport.
Experts said tennis was ripe for corruption due to the ease of fixing a one-on-one sport, as well as the large disparity between the multi-million dollar earnings of top players and the lower rungs of professionals, where even mundane costs like laundry add up.
I filled up a bath and did 30 pieces of clothing then used anything I could to hang everything all over the place.American professional tennis player Denis Kudla
"Hotel laundry was $US10 ($14.45) a shirt and there was no other laundry, so I hand washed everything," American pro Denis Kudla, who balked at the cost at a hotel in the South Pacific island of Noumea, told a small group of reporters.
"I filled up a bath and did 30 pieces of clothing then used anything I could to hang everything all over the place."
Kudla, now 69th in the ATP rankings, said he has never been approached about match-fixing and was surprised by the reports.
While he now makes a comfortable living from the tour, many of his colleagues do not.
Life on tour for tennis pros (average earnings in Australian dollars)
Top 50 in the world: $1.45 millionPlayers ranked 51-100: $289,000
Players ranked 101-250: $122,830
Players ranked 251-500: $23,120
Average annual tour costs: $56,069 (men), $58,063 (women)
Percentage of pros who make no money: 45
Percentage of pros who cover costs: 10
According to research conducted on behalf of governing body, the International Tennis Federation, almost 45 per cent of the 13,736 players at all professional levels of the sport earned nothing from it in 2013.
Only about 10 per cent covered their costs.
The research carried out by Kingston University in London, also found that players ranked in the top 50, on average, earn more than $US1 million ($1.45 million) a year on both the men's and women's tours.
Those ranked from 51 to 100 earn in excess of $US200,000 ($289,000), while those ranked 101-250 average around $US85,000 ($122,830).
For those players ranked from 251-500 the earnings drop away to just $US16,000 ($23,120) a year.
The average cost just from food, travel, accommodation and equipment to play professional tennis in 2013 was $US38,800 ($56,069) for men and $US40,180 ($58,063) for women, the Kingston research found.
By comparison, US secondary school teachers earn roughly $US59,000 ($85,260) a year, while journalists earn about $US45,000 ($65,000) according to US Department of Labor statistics.
Players turn to crowd-funding to pursue dream
Even the best players take on average five years to make the top 100, where they can earn a living from the sport.During that time, the majority are supported mostly by family members, while small commercial endorsements and national federation grants help offset the costs.
New Zealand's top-ranked player Finn Tearney adopted a different approach.
The 25-year-old Tearney, now ranked 366 in the world, opened an account on a crowd-funding website to fund his 2016 campaign.
I'd say about $40,000 is a pretty accurate figure, but that doesn't includes coaching or trainers when you're back home.New Zealand professional tennis player Finn Tierney
"It's just to cover my expenses," said Tearney, who turned professional in 2013.
"I'd say about $40,000 is a pretty accurate figure, but that doesn't includes coaching or trainers when you're back home.
"It definitely doesn't include a coach on the road with you, which all the top guys have."
While Tearney was not having to rely on the goodwill of friends to spend a week sleeping on a living room sofa, accommodation at many of the lower-level Futures tournaments was provided by local families who would billet the players.
Some of the second-tier Challenger tournaments now provided free accommodation until the player was knocked out, he said.
Push for greater prize money at lower levels
With many players struggling to make ends meet, former world number 31 Sergiy Stakhovsky used his place on the ATP Players' Council to lobby for increased prize money for players knocked out in earlier rounds.At this year's Australian Open, a player losing in the first round will take home $38,500, up from $30,000 two years ago.
Extending the pool of money to the lower level tournaments, however, might not be the answer to the match-fixing issue, according to 17-times grand slam winner Roger Federer.
"It doesn't matter how much money you pump into the system, there's always going to be people approaching players, or people, any sport," Federer said.
"It's going to go away if you offer $1 million for every player to play at every tournament?
"It's not going to change a thing."
Monday 13 February 2017
'THE TRUTH BEHIND HEWITT'S HAND SALUTE'
'THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, DECEMBER 22, 2007
'THE player who introduced the famous "vicht" salute to world tennis is outraged that Lleyton Hewitt has adopted the trademark, standing to make millions from it.
The former Wimbledon champion is understood to have pounced on the rights to the distinctive celebratory gesture after former Swedish pro Niclas Kroon inadvertently let it lapse.Kroon, 41, and former world No1 Mats Wilander held the rights from 1988 and often used the signal when they won a point or game.
Broadly meaning "for sure", it is now widely used by athletes from other sports, including Australian swimmer Grant Hackett.
"I wish he had called me first," Kroon said from Houston, Texas.
"I don't know what to say. It's all about business and making money. I'm so sick and tired of sh-- like that.
"He's surrounded by people who are probably going to make money from this.
"The thing about using the word 'mate' in Australia ... it probably doesn't sound so good any more."
Kroon conceded the trademark may have lapsed several months ago when his father, who handled all his business affairs, died.
"My dad just passed away and I haven't got the papers here, but I'm going to check all this out in the next few days," Kroon said.
He believes Hewitt's advisers were aware the trademark due date was looming and waited to see whether it would be renewed before pouncing.
It's not the first time people have tried to claim use of the signal, which he and brother Michael first started using when playing games in the 1970s.
"We were fighting with some people in Sweden a long time ago," he said.
"But Mats and I had the patent. We were paying (the fees for the trademark) even though we weren't using it.
"I've been doing stuff with it for years, even here in the States, for a small market. It's funny that it (Hewitt's move) happened now, because I was just about to launch it here in the US and put it online within half a year."
Kroon said he had planned to launch a boutique brand of vicht clothing at a tennis and fitness club in Houston. Eventually he intended to market the brand more widely because of its popularity - similar to golfer Greg Norman's famous shark logo.
Kroon, a popular tennis journeyman who won an ATP title in Brisbane and reached a career-high ranking of 46, said he recalled Hewitt using the gesture at the 2004 Masters Cup in Houston.
"He said it was Mats Wilander who started it, but a friend I was with told him that I was the one who started it," Kroon said.
"Every time he was walking off the court during his game I'd do the vicht sign and he'd be responding. We were doing it for fun, there was no big deal."
Kroon said he would consult lawyers over his rights.
"We paid a hefty amount to get the rights years ago but back then Wilander was on top of the world, making money out his bum and not thinking about the future," Kroon said.
"Neither was I. You're living in a dream world on tour so you don't think about making money from something like that."
Hewitt's manager David Drysdale said the gesture and the accompanying "C'mon" was widely known as "doing a Lleyton".
"It's unique to him," he said.
Hewitt has already begun wearing clothing with a stylised vicht signal. It is understood to be part of a major marketing push by his team and will involve casual and sports shirts and shorts'.
***** AND THAT'S JUST ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I NEVER LIKED LLEYTON HEWITT ( Mr Original ) *****
Sunday 12 February 2017
'THE ROBOT FACTORY'
WRITTEN IN 2014. ( please excuse the lack of writing expertise, I reckon I have improved since then )
Explaining to a kid who is just learning the game the importance of not being a robot on a tennis court I believe is imperative. When you first explain this terminology to someone it is greeted either with a blank look or raised eyebrows , until i explain the theory that i am sure is not just mine.
My view on junior tennis is this ; If we had 40 of the best kids in the state all lined up over 20 courts of singles play then eventually at the end of the day a winner would emerge. However what would the winner have that the other 39 didn't and what would make him a player who actually could keep winning regularly with a style that is very similar to the others? Answer is simple , unless he has a forehand like Nadal , fitness and consistency like Novak , an all round game like Federer or perhaps a serve like Isner's then chances are this 'hot shot' kid is susceptible to a loss in his very next tournament.
What makes guys like the above mentioned consistent winners ? They do something a little bit different , that's what needs to be taught by people teaching the game to the next generation. Last year at the Brisbane International I watched an Australian by the name of John Millman take on Andy Murray , entertaining match . Millman however did nothing that was really going to upset Murray despite a second set win as his style to me was simply 'ho hum'.
He had a good serve and consistent ground strokes but how many other 'robots' on the pro tour own these ?? How would you win consistently with just this in your repertoire of shots ?
My point that i make is that this is where I see the game from as a coach of 27 years; only the players that are prepared to do something a little different really become successful , consistent winners. The Australian Millman was ranked somewhere around the 200 mark , Murray was 3 and has probably seen it all before as far as what was presented to him that day .
This year at the Australian Open Federer played another Aussie James Duckworth , good player but another 'robot' with nothing to bother any of the big boys with . Fed paid the youngster a few compliments but knew that no matter how well Duckworth played he simply had nothing to bother him with so he simply waited for his best to be played then won comfortably.
I refuse to teach a kid to just hit a tennis ball because it will only do so much , I will however teach more on the tactical side of the game , this is what can win you a game of tennis if you lack a weapon.
Tennis needs to be taught not unlike when you go into a kids toy shop and look for a robot , you want one that does something a little different , one with a bigger gun than the rest, sound familiar ?
Tennis coaches in this situation are like the 'manufacturer' in a process that is churning out robots on a daily basis without much thought about how to make the robot different than the rest. I had a lesson with a new kid just last week who tried to drive every ball I offered him .
I asked him what was wrong with slowing the pace and looping some balls higher over the net to conserve some energy and to stop making his play so predictable ?
He actually warmed to the idea as the session wore on. He isn't new to the game but he has never been shown how to vary his play, this is disappointing.
Think outside the square when you play and when you coach , it's a thinking man's game.......
Explaining to a kid who is just learning the game the importance of not being a robot on a tennis court I believe is imperative. When you first explain this terminology to someone it is greeted either with a blank look or raised eyebrows , until i explain the theory that i am sure is not just mine.
My view on junior tennis is this ; If we had 40 of the best kids in the state all lined up over 20 courts of singles play then eventually at the end of the day a winner would emerge. However what would the winner have that the other 39 didn't and what would make him a player who actually could keep winning regularly with a style that is very similar to the others? Answer is simple , unless he has a forehand like Nadal , fitness and consistency like Novak , an all round game like Federer or perhaps a serve like Isner's then chances are this 'hot shot' kid is susceptible to a loss in his very next tournament.
What makes guys like the above mentioned consistent winners ? They do something a little bit different , that's what needs to be taught by people teaching the game to the next generation. Last year at the Brisbane International I watched an Australian by the name of John Millman take on Andy Murray , entertaining match . Millman however did nothing that was really going to upset Murray despite a second set win as his style to me was simply 'ho hum'.
He had a good serve and consistent ground strokes but how many other 'robots' on the pro tour own these ?? How would you win consistently with just this in your repertoire of shots ?
My point that i make is that this is where I see the game from as a coach of 27 years; only the players that are prepared to do something a little different really become successful , consistent winners. The Australian Millman was ranked somewhere around the 200 mark , Murray was 3 and has probably seen it all before as far as what was presented to him that day .
This year at the Australian Open Federer played another Aussie James Duckworth , good player but another 'robot' with nothing to bother any of the big boys with . Fed paid the youngster a few compliments but knew that no matter how well Duckworth played he simply had nothing to bother him with so he simply waited for his best to be played then won comfortably.
I refuse to teach a kid to just hit a tennis ball because it will only do so much , I will however teach more on the tactical side of the game , this is what can win you a game of tennis if you lack a weapon.
Tennis needs to be taught not unlike when you go into a kids toy shop and look for a robot , you want one that does something a little different , one with a bigger gun than the rest, sound familiar ?
Tennis coaches in this situation are like the 'manufacturer' in a process that is churning out robots on a daily basis without much thought about how to make the robot different than the rest. I had a lesson with a new kid just last week who tried to drive every ball I offered him .
I asked him what was wrong with slowing the pace and looping some balls higher over the net to conserve some energy and to stop making his play so predictable ?
He actually warmed to the idea as the session wore on. He isn't new to the game but he has never been shown how to vary his play, this is disappointing.
Think outside the square when you play and when you coach , it's a thinking man's game.......
Saturday 11 February 2017
'THE CAMEO APPEARANCE'
Wrote this a while back, it has reared it's ugly head again, as it does regularly in this wonderful sport of ours called tennis.....
Did any of you see 'Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves' starring Kevin Costner ? Great movie, one for the archives of all time great action flicks. Do you recall the ending where in the last 5 minutes of the movie the great Sean Connery makes a cameo appearance ? Fancy waiting that long to put him in to that classic movie, he surely deserved a bigger part.
Well this chapter dares to go where no one has dared to go before, the 'Tennis Coach Cameo Appearance'. The one where the 'Zen Master', the 'Tennis Coach from Heaven', the 'Supercoach', or the 'Groundstroke Guru' finally gets around to hitting a ball to the students who have paid top dollar for their 'wizardry'.
There have been many examples of the 'cameo tennis coach appearance' but none quite as comical as a story I was given by someone living in the City. No this story is one for the ages, factual without a tinge of fiction, a laughable situation that unfortunately occurs all too often.
A Tennis Club in a certain Capital City a little while back was asking for coaches to put forward their best argument as to why they should be considered 'Club Coach'. Now when a tennis club asks for someone to be the coach, well that's what in fact should happen, the coach should be there to do the job. Not so apparently.
You see what the tennis club in fact was after was a 'name', not someone to do a great job teaching the art of tennis but a NAME. They were in fact seeking someone who would make the public go weak at the knees on arrival, like a Rock Star arriving at a press conference.
The player in question was once a high profile player who on retirement took up coaching. Whilst they had received coaching themselves they were in fact relatively new to the art of teaching the game.
So to cut a long story short the club did what everyone thought they would do and they hired the 'Rock Star' as resident Club Coach.
So is there anything wrong with this sort of 'Business sense' from a tennis club looking to become successful with membership or student numbers ?
Absolutely not, it's how to create publicity for sporting clubs, names are always good for business. But what about blatantly lying to the public in regards to the 'availability' of this new 'Wonder Coach' ? Surely that is an injustice to every student who signs up for coaching ? Apparently not.
You see when these 'Zen Masters' sign up at a tennis club as Club Coach all that has to happen is that they make a 'cameo appearance' from time to time.
For the other 99 per cent of the tennis season the students will in fact be coached by someone who has as many credentials as 'Willy Wonker' from the 'Chocolate Factory'.
Now by all reports the ex player who has now become a coach spends around ONE week each term at the tennis club that they are now aligned to. Apparently they have Business dealings left, right and centre that they have to manage both here, Interstate and abroad.
One unsuccessful applicant spent many years on the Challenger Circuit and was a former State Number 1 player for the 16's age bracket. This Level 2 Tennis Coach has in fact had more than 20 years coaching experience than the higher profiled successful applicant.
So what did the Tennis Club really receive when they signed up this new coach ? Nothing more than a week of publicity each school term along with an inexperienced assistant who is being paid way too much for what they actually know about tennis.
This 'farce' unfortunately is common but in the sport of tennis it is simply accepted by the public. There are many examples of tennis coaches advertising their services throughout the season who never see some students.
An assistant will be placed at a venue and a handsome catch will be taken by the person using their name as the bait.
Even in a 60 minute session of say 20 students over three courts I would personally use a rotation system of roughly 17 minutes per court. Each group would see each assistant plus the 'Main Man'.
When you really look at it all it's up to the public to ask the question. 'Who am I really signing up as my coach when I pay my fees '? Should a reduced rate be offered for certain sessions or clinics if the person who is advertising it does not in fact do the coaching ?
You know my answer......
Did any of you see 'Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves' starring Kevin Costner ? Great movie, one for the archives of all time great action flicks. Do you recall the ending where in the last 5 minutes of the movie the great Sean Connery makes a cameo appearance ? Fancy waiting that long to put him in to that classic movie, he surely deserved a bigger part.
Well this chapter dares to go where no one has dared to go before, the 'Tennis Coach Cameo Appearance'. The one where the 'Zen Master', the 'Tennis Coach from Heaven', the 'Supercoach', or the 'Groundstroke Guru' finally gets around to hitting a ball to the students who have paid top dollar for their 'wizardry'.
There have been many examples of the 'cameo tennis coach appearance' but none quite as comical as a story I was given by someone living in the City. No this story is one for the ages, factual without a tinge of fiction, a laughable situation that unfortunately occurs all too often.
A Tennis Club in a certain Capital City a little while back was asking for coaches to put forward their best argument as to why they should be considered 'Club Coach'. Now when a tennis club asks for someone to be the coach, well that's what in fact should happen, the coach should be there to do the job. Not so apparently.
You see what the tennis club in fact was after was a 'name', not someone to do a great job teaching the art of tennis but a NAME. They were in fact seeking someone who would make the public go weak at the knees on arrival, like a Rock Star arriving at a press conference.
The player in question was once a high profile player who on retirement took up coaching. Whilst they had received coaching themselves they were in fact relatively new to the art of teaching the game.
So to cut a long story short the club did what everyone thought they would do and they hired the 'Rock Star' as resident Club Coach.
So is there anything wrong with this sort of 'Business sense' from a tennis club looking to become successful with membership or student numbers ?
Absolutely not, it's how to create publicity for sporting clubs, names are always good for business. But what about blatantly lying to the public in regards to the 'availability' of this new 'Wonder Coach' ? Surely that is an injustice to every student who signs up for coaching ? Apparently not.
You see when these 'Zen Masters' sign up at a tennis club as Club Coach all that has to happen is that they make a 'cameo appearance' from time to time.
For the other 99 per cent of the tennis season the students will in fact be coached by someone who has as many credentials as 'Willy Wonker' from the 'Chocolate Factory'.
Now by all reports the ex player who has now become a coach spends around ONE week each term at the tennis club that they are now aligned to. Apparently they have Business dealings left, right and centre that they have to manage both here, Interstate and abroad.
One unsuccessful applicant spent many years on the Challenger Circuit and was a former State Number 1 player for the 16's age bracket. This Level 2 Tennis Coach has in fact had more than 20 years coaching experience than the higher profiled successful applicant.
So what did the Tennis Club really receive when they signed up this new coach ? Nothing more than a week of publicity each school term along with an inexperienced assistant who is being paid way too much for what they actually know about tennis.
This 'farce' unfortunately is common but in the sport of tennis it is simply accepted by the public. There are many examples of tennis coaches advertising their services throughout the season who never see some students.
An assistant will be placed at a venue and a handsome catch will be taken by the person using their name as the bait.
Even in a 60 minute session of say 20 students over three courts I would personally use a rotation system of roughly 17 minutes per court. Each group would see each assistant plus the 'Main Man'.
When you really look at it all it's up to the public to ask the question. 'Who am I really signing up as my coach when I pay my fees '? Should a reduced rate be offered for certain sessions or clinics if the person who is advertising it does not in fact do the coaching ?
You know my answer......
Monday 6 February 2017
' ALWAYS REMEMBERED '
Certain people do things in life and according to how big or small the thing is the person may never shake the tag that they have been given, sometimes it's a tag they would give anything to lose.
The recent Davis Cup tie between Great Britain and Canada is a classic example with the young Canadian Denis Shapovalov being defaulted for hitting the umpire fair in the eye with the ball. Did you see it ? Un f....... believable !!!
Not quite certain what the 17 year old was actually trying to do because if he had missed the umpire it probably would have hit a spectator and perhaps Denis may have had a Lawyer knocking on his door the next day with a Law suit ready to file. Maybe it was lucky the umpire got in the way, I am sure the ATP will smooth things over.
Over the years in tennis we have seen some classic things unfold in regards to certain antics becoming almost legendary. Mac the mouth gets paid now days to do Television advertisements because his on court antics were larger than life.
For the record Denis, don't be too upset, even the great John McEnroe got defaulted once as well, just maybe don't make a habit of it young fella.....
One of the greatest things I have ever witnessed in tennis was a young Swedish gentleman by the name of Mats who at the same age as Shapovalov took out the French Open beating four top ten seasoned players in the process. However it was his 'antics' in the semi final against Clerc that got people talking, for all the right reasons.
At 6-5 and match point in the fourth set Mats watched a huge Clerc forehand go whistling by him that was in fact called out, Mats didn't agree so he walked over to the umpire and asked if the point could be replayed. Yep, he asked the umpire just that. So that's what they did and this time Mats won the short rally that took him to the final against Vilas which he won in 4 sets. Well played young fella...
Jimmy Connors did so many things on a tennis court over his career that finding things that stood out from the rest is sort of like going through the entire ABBA song collection and trying to find the best one, not easy. One stands out for me though with Jimbo.
The Michelob light challenge exhibition match between Jimmy and Mac, also in 1982 was perhaps one of the most entertaining as Jimbo felt the urge to climb over the net and walk to within an inch of Mac's face to tell him that he didn't appreciate his behaviour. The crazy thing was this, it was only an exhibition match, yep an exhibition that Connors won 6-7, 7-5, 6-7, 7-5, 6-4. You reckon the crowd got their money's worth there ??
Ivan Lendl, now there was a man who had such a big forehand that many opponents didn't even see it coming, just ask Sanchez, McEnroe and the late great Vitas Gerulaitis. All of those guys did something to make the big Czech angry enough for him to smack a ball straight at them and none were quick enough to get out of the way. Perhaps that's why Andy employed Lendl as his Coach, to maybe put a bit of mongrel into his game.
I wrote a post just recently on the rather entertaining Austrian, Stefan Koubek who attempted to strangle his opponent at the change of ends during their match. I found that antic entertaining to say the least but hey, Koubek was simply expressing his feelings, nothing wrong with that, it keeps life interesting.
Nick Kyrgios, well he has taken things to a whole new level with his rather below the belt dig at Stan and in particular his girlfriend, possibly not the smartest thing he has ever said on a tennis court but Nick is a walking, talking advertisement for tennis one way or the other. He simply just does or says what he feels at the time, tennis can do that to your mind, it can drive a sane person insane, no question at all. Was Nick ever sane do you think ??
I think we have all done something silly on a tennis court, myself included. Ten years ago I played a local singles competition and admittedly my head wasn't in the right place to be playing tennis as I had a bit going on in my personal life.
To put it into perspective, exactly a year earlier I had won the corresponding match against the same player 6-0, 6-1 however I was furious with myself as I had served for a double bagel and lost my serve to love !!
This time around I lost in a third set breaker and before walking off court I smashed my racket into three pieces and threw it over the fence before commencing a long walk home. Not my proudest moment but I have been a good lad ever since, sort of anyhow. On court I have been well behaved, off it, well I am still an argumentative prick.
If you are going to be remembered for something in tennis, well personally I like the Mats Wilander gesture of 1982 in Paris. Mats will long time be remembered as a nice guy, that's a good way to be remembered I reckon............
The recent Davis Cup tie between Great Britain and Canada is a classic example with the young Canadian Denis Shapovalov being defaulted for hitting the umpire fair in the eye with the ball. Did you see it ? Un f....... believable !!!
Not quite certain what the 17 year old was actually trying to do because if he had missed the umpire it probably would have hit a spectator and perhaps Denis may have had a Lawyer knocking on his door the next day with a Law suit ready to file. Maybe it was lucky the umpire got in the way, I am sure the ATP will smooth things over.
Over the years in tennis we have seen some classic things unfold in regards to certain antics becoming almost legendary. Mac the mouth gets paid now days to do Television advertisements because his on court antics were larger than life.
For the record Denis, don't be too upset, even the great John McEnroe got defaulted once as well, just maybe don't make a habit of it young fella.....
One of the greatest things I have ever witnessed in tennis was a young Swedish gentleman by the name of Mats who at the same age as Shapovalov took out the French Open beating four top ten seasoned players in the process. However it was his 'antics' in the semi final against Clerc that got people talking, for all the right reasons.
At 6-5 and match point in the fourth set Mats watched a huge Clerc forehand go whistling by him that was in fact called out, Mats didn't agree so he walked over to the umpire and asked if the point could be replayed. Yep, he asked the umpire just that. So that's what they did and this time Mats won the short rally that took him to the final against Vilas which he won in 4 sets. Well played young fella...
Jimmy Connors did so many things on a tennis court over his career that finding things that stood out from the rest is sort of like going through the entire ABBA song collection and trying to find the best one, not easy. One stands out for me though with Jimbo.
The Michelob light challenge exhibition match between Jimmy and Mac, also in 1982 was perhaps one of the most entertaining as Jimbo felt the urge to climb over the net and walk to within an inch of Mac's face to tell him that he didn't appreciate his behaviour. The crazy thing was this, it was only an exhibition match, yep an exhibition that Connors won 6-7, 7-5, 6-7, 7-5, 6-4. You reckon the crowd got their money's worth there ??
Ivan Lendl, now there was a man who had such a big forehand that many opponents didn't even see it coming, just ask Sanchez, McEnroe and the late great Vitas Gerulaitis. All of those guys did something to make the big Czech angry enough for him to smack a ball straight at them and none were quick enough to get out of the way. Perhaps that's why Andy employed Lendl as his Coach, to maybe put a bit of mongrel into his game.
I wrote a post just recently on the rather entertaining Austrian, Stefan Koubek who attempted to strangle his opponent at the change of ends during their match. I found that antic entertaining to say the least but hey, Koubek was simply expressing his feelings, nothing wrong with that, it keeps life interesting.
Nick Kyrgios, well he has taken things to a whole new level with his rather below the belt dig at Stan and in particular his girlfriend, possibly not the smartest thing he has ever said on a tennis court but Nick is a walking, talking advertisement for tennis one way or the other. He simply just does or says what he feels at the time, tennis can do that to your mind, it can drive a sane person insane, no question at all. Was Nick ever sane do you think ??
I think we have all done something silly on a tennis court, myself included. Ten years ago I played a local singles competition and admittedly my head wasn't in the right place to be playing tennis as I had a bit going on in my personal life.
To put it into perspective, exactly a year earlier I had won the corresponding match against the same player 6-0, 6-1 however I was furious with myself as I had served for a double bagel and lost my serve to love !!
This time around I lost in a third set breaker and before walking off court I smashed my racket into three pieces and threw it over the fence before commencing a long walk home. Not my proudest moment but I have been a good lad ever since, sort of anyhow. On court I have been well behaved, off it, well I am still an argumentative prick.
If you are going to be remembered for something in tennis, well personally I like the Mats Wilander gesture of 1982 in Paris. Mats will long time be remembered as a nice guy, that's a good way to be remembered I reckon............
Thursday 2 February 2017
'INTERESTING CHARACTER'
My apologies however I wrote this in 2014. Someone sent me an email just recently and said they thought it was rather amusing so I thought I would repost it. I had forgotten about it, one of my earliest pieces of writing......
Stefan Koubek is no house hold name, he never was, he was a tennis professional from Austria and in 2000 he reached a career high of World number 20 in singles. He made over 3 million dollars in prize money. Stefan Koubek was an 'enigma'. Here's some random stories regarding the life and 'infamous' times of the Austrian who a movie should be made about, here's why;
In 2002 Koubek played a Frenchman by the name of Cyril Saulnier of France in the first round of the Australian Open. What the hell was Koubec doing while trailing 0-6, 1-6, 1-4, 15-40 ? Was he on the phone to his bookie to raise the odds at the change of ends ??
The Austrian put his opponent to sleep for nearly the entire first three sets then while the Frenchman was tucked up in bed with his victory speech already in his dreams, the scoreline in the paper the next day read Koubek def Saulnier 0-6, 1-6, 7-6, 6-4, 8-6, work that one out......
Next round he played American James Blake , (within 4 years Blake would become World number 4) Blake won the first two sets while Koubek was still eating his breakfast, 6-4, 6-2. Koubek wins the next three sets 6-4, 6-1, 6-2, does this make any sense?
In his last seven matches of 2002 Koubek lost in the first round, interesting to say the least.....
In 2004 Koubek tested positive to drug use at the French Open. He claimed it was for an 'injury' to his wrist, it was inconclusive......
Koubek had a couple of 'off years' , he played mainly Challenger Events before 'getting it together' in 2007.
The Australian Open of that year saw the Austrian up against Aussie Wayne Arthurs, playing his last Australian Open , Koubek had him on toast, two sets to love, he lost in 5, hmmmm....
In Sopot, Poland in 2007 Koubek played Augustine Calleri of Argentina, this match was ridiculous. In Koubek's previous tournament he lost 4-6, 0-6 so his very next match was the one against Calleri. Shall we put it into perspective?
Koubek lost his last tournament 0-6 in the second set , then trailed 0-6, 0-4 in his next outing, what was this guy doing??
At 6-0, 4-0 did the Argentinian get a call from Cyril Saulnier ?? What ever happened will go down in tennis history as possibly the most ridiculous match ever played.
Koubek def Calliri 0-6, 7-6, 7-5, saving 5 match points, is there a pattern here ??
In Metz , France , Koubek took on Sebastien Grosjean, he lead 5-7, 7-6, 4-2, in the driver's seat, received a bad call , went nuts, was disqualified, is there a pattern here ??
In 2010 a 'friendly' league match between two Austrians, Koubek and Daniel Kollerer got way out of hand as Koubek took offence to his opponent's language so he did what anyone else would do, he choked him !!
Yep he put his hand around his opponent's neck and tried to kill him , plenty of us have wanted to do the same to our opposition, however it's probably not in the book of 'tennis etiquette'.
Kollerer however was no angel, he had a string of offences in World Tennis including racism taunts towards opponents, he was banned for life in 2011 for match fixing.
So what about our Austrian live wire Stefan Koubek ? He retired in 2011 with just over three million earned. Take off tax and expenses, add on endorsements, he probably finished with around two mil in the bank. Enough to buy a villa in the Austrian alps and teach the next generation how to play, perhaps with not as much 'exuberance' as he did though.
Funny game tennis, Stefan Koubek of Austria is living proof, legend......
Stefan Koubek is no house hold name, he never was, he was a tennis professional from Austria and in 2000 he reached a career high of World number 20 in singles. He made over 3 million dollars in prize money. Stefan Koubek was an 'enigma'. Here's some random stories regarding the life and 'infamous' times of the Austrian who a movie should be made about, here's why;
In 2002 Koubek played a Frenchman by the name of Cyril Saulnier of France in the first round of the Australian Open. What the hell was Koubec doing while trailing 0-6, 1-6, 1-4, 15-40 ? Was he on the phone to his bookie to raise the odds at the change of ends ??
The Austrian put his opponent to sleep for nearly the entire first three sets then while the Frenchman was tucked up in bed with his victory speech already in his dreams, the scoreline in the paper the next day read Koubek def Saulnier 0-6, 1-6, 7-6, 6-4, 8-6, work that one out......
Next round he played American James Blake , (within 4 years Blake would become World number 4) Blake won the first two sets while Koubek was still eating his breakfast, 6-4, 6-2. Koubek wins the next three sets 6-4, 6-1, 6-2, does this make any sense?
In his last seven matches of 2002 Koubek lost in the first round, interesting to say the least.....
In 2004 Koubek tested positive to drug use at the French Open. He claimed it was for an 'injury' to his wrist, it was inconclusive......
Koubek had a couple of 'off years' , he played mainly Challenger Events before 'getting it together' in 2007.
The Australian Open of that year saw the Austrian up against Aussie Wayne Arthurs, playing his last Australian Open , Koubek had him on toast, two sets to love, he lost in 5, hmmmm....
In Sopot, Poland in 2007 Koubek played Augustine Calleri of Argentina, this match was ridiculous. In Koubek's previous tournament he lost 4-6, 0-6 so his very next match was the one against Calleri. Shall we put it into perspective?
Koubek lost his last tournament 0-6 in the second set , then trailed 0-6, 0-4 in his next outing, what was this guy doing??
At 6-0, 4-0 did the Argentinian get a call from Cyril Saulnier ?? What ever happened will go down in tennis history as possibly the most ridiculous match ever played.
Koubek def Calliri 0-6, 7-6, 7-5, saving 5 match points, is there a pattern here ??
In Metz , France , Koubek took on Sebastien Grosjean, he lead 5-7, 7-6, 4-2, in the driver's seat, received a bad call , went nuts, was disqualified, is there a pattern here ??
In 2010 a 'friendly' league match between two Austrians, Koubek and Daniel Kollerer got way out of hand as Koubek took offence to his opponent's language so he did what anyone else would do, he choked him !!
Yep he put his hand around his opponent's neck and tried to kill him , plenty of us have wanted to do the same to our opposition, however it's probably not in the book of 'tennis etiquette'.
Kollerer however was no angel, he had a string of offences in World Tennis including racism taunts towards opponents, he was banned for life in 2011 for match fixing.
So what about our Austrian live wire Stefan Koubek ? He retired in 2011 with just over three million earned. Take off tax and expenses, add on endorsements, he probably finished with around two mil in the bank. Enough to buy a villa in the Austrian alps and teach the next generation how to play, perhaps with not as much 'exuberance' as he did though.
Funny game tennis, Stefan Koubek of Austria is living proof, legend......
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