Ted Robinson’s Matchpoints

Forty-eight hours later and I’m still in awe over Sunday. A 10-hour plane flight, with time to absorb nearly a dozen London newspapers along with nearly a hundred messages, many from those who would be classified as “casual” fans, has lent to the aura of this match as “the best ever.”

Now I hear today that SI will feature the match on its cover. When Pete Sampras won his record 13th Slam and 7th Wimbledon, we came home to see a muscled and tattooed Jason Giambi on the SI cover. Sampras was appalled. And now we know that tennis fell victim to the BALCO scam.

This was pure.

This was cojones grande, the only way to describe Rafa doing what he could not 12 months earlier, find a way to win the third set from Federer.

This was a champion falling in “brutal gladiatorial combat…but tumbling with valour” in the stirring words of London Daily Mail writer Paul Hayward. And how fine is that description.

In 24 hours back home, there is a talk-show buzz and coffee shop chat about this match that I have not witnessed in many years.

These two made tennis relevant. Now can it sustain what these two have created?

More from the Wimbledon cache:

* The disappointment over early exits by Andy Roddick and James Blake certainly went away. Stories always emerge; be it Andy Murray’s next step towards the top echelon, Marat Safin (up 35 places to 40), Rainer Schuettler (up 55 to 39) and Arnaud Clement (up 73 to 72) all made themselves relevant again, the two-week siege and double wins for the Sisters, Britain’s obsession over 14-year-old junior champ Laura Robson and her marvelously refreshing attitude over new fame, and the continuing presence of so many former champions at the AELTC.

* The roof can’t arrive fast enough. Sunday’s final ended about 10 minutes before a nightmare encounter would have occurred. The Club, understandably, wanted play to continue until 9:30-9:45 p.m.. They, like everyone, wanted a result. The money and disruption for Monday play, perhaps as little as two games, would have been wasteful. Yet, there was a point at which the players would have said, understandably, that a Championship, particularly from a match so superior, couldn’t be decided in darkness. Thankfully, we were spared the moment. A match for the ages had a proper ending in the dusk of Centre Court.

And traditionalists need not weep. Centre Court will still be open. Remember that grass needs light. The roof will only close once it rains, a 12-minute process. Thus, the courts will be still be covered for a short period. The benefit of the roof will be to guarantee play after a short stoppage and thus never again the drama of Sunday night.

* Major consensus in London was that the Williams Sisters success was due in part to the weakness of the WTA Tour. This is a debate for another time but the perception must be countered by the Tour.

* Start perhaps with Aggie Radwanska, the most impressive of the game’s young women. She has a Martina Hingis-like presence on the court that adds conviction to less-than-punishing shots. She simply doesn’t beat herself. Her lack of serve may hinder the hopes of a Wimbledon title, but the women’s game needs a player like Aggie to rise.

After all, this week’s rankings still feature Patty Schnyder, a career fourth-round player with one Slam semi to her credit, at 13 in the world. Lindsay Davenport won one round at Wimbledon and rose to 23. Tough to explain that to the sporting public.

* While we’re on that point, Serena passed Venus on the computer (reason 5,742 why I hate the concept). But my colleague, SI’s Jon Wertheim, poses a terrific question: has Venus’ career eclipsed Serena’s?

* Now we move to the hard courts and wonder whether Donald Young, John Isner (both of whom fell and are close to being out of the top 100) and Sam Querrey can make a move. Can Bethanie Mattek continue her momentum from the spring/summer and make a Robby Ginepri-like charge through the summer?

And can Rafa play well in the States, particularly the Open? Will his knees, the ones that Uncle Toni admits are so tender that the family wants Rafa to play LESS on the hard stuff, allow him to show New York his greatness?

And does Roger, whose performance at Wimbledon showed he is certainly not done, feel a little pressure to win Slams sooner rather than later?

One immutable truth emerged from Wednesday’s men’s quarters: the Big Two are so far apart from the rest of the field (Novak Djokovic’s objection is immediately raised) that the men’s game is a race within a race.

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal obliterated their foes; Rafa taking down a top-10 player (Andy Murray) so thoroughly as to render his five-set comeback career changing win in the fourth round irrelevant.

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Federer and Nadal are ManU and Chelsea. They are the Yankees and Red Sox – in good years. They are the kings; Rafa owns clay, Roger owns hard courts and the grass is looking more like a tossup despite Roger’s five consecutive titles.

Mario Ancic had precedent in his corner as the last man to best Fed on grass. Three games into their quarter, it was clear that the 2002 result would never be repeated. The King served impeccably, dropping only 10 points. Ancic was destroyed in the first set, fought back after a two-hour rain delay to play with passion but never made a dent on Federer’s serve.

Tickets for the Nadal-Murray affair started at $3000 on the broker’s market. England was captivated by a marriage certified Monday night on Centre Court; Murray bonding with his fans for the first time.

Could the recently maturing Murray enter the “big time” with a resounding match in the biggest moment of his career?

Nadal has made his living the last 3 years smothering such hopes and dreams. Murray fell as many before him, working so hard to hold serve only to see Nadal, with a better serve yet few aces, be unbreakable. When Murray became engaged in baseline rallies, Nadal would uncork a winner from unfathomable positions, no different than if he was rolling in the red clay.

The general theme of the BBC commentary was that Murray simply wasn’t ready to match up with Nadal.

But who is?

And with Federer for that matter?

These are the two Kings. Djokovic may demand his place in a troika, but he must another major first. I am a Federer fan for Rafa has yet to prove his worth on the hard courts that dominate the tour. But it would be an utter shock, despite Marat Safin’s resume and 2005 upset of Fed in the Aussie semis, to see anything but a third straight Wimbledon final between the Kings.

This is a glorious time in tennis. Those of us blessed to watch and chronicle this should be grateful to have another Bjorn Borg-John McEnroe or Pete Sampras-Andre Agassi in our midst. We know it will be short-lived, that the game will claim these greats sooner rather than later thus we need to treasure them now.

The grass is pristine on the first day of Wimbledon. Pure green for one day a year, before the relentless baseline game that marks this era of tennis creates brown dust at both ends of Centre Court.

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I thought of that as I watched Roger Federer easily move through his first-round match Monday. Seven years ago Federer’s moment of arrival was a Centre Court upset of Pete Sampras, a match that featured a heavy dose of serve and volley play from Roger.

As is well known, Federer claims he has no need to use that style now, so easily has he won five straight Wimbledons. Will Rafa Nadal or perhaps Novak Djokovic force him to change?

Federer gave several interviews Monday and stood firm against any line of questioning that suggested a hangover from the French final. The moment Fed walked off the court after his beating by Rafa, Roger said he bade the clay farewell for 11 months. And in that farewell went any impact of that match.

I tend to believe Federer. If there is a carryover, Federer will feel its full impact next spring. If the two meet again on clay, Roger will know the feeling of being a significant underdog with the need to prove himself in a way unknown for a 12-time Slam champion.

But Wimbledon is Roger’s until beaten. Rafa came close last July, but all that earned him was a second runner-up plate.

Disappointing day for Sam Querrey. The big serve would seem to bode well for his chances at Wimbledon but the American fell in four sets to Juan Carlos Ferrero. Querrey says he is uncomfortable on grass and feels veterans have a huge advantage playing on the surface used only one month a year.

Ivo Karlovic lost in the first round for the fourth consecutive year, stunning for the 6-foot-10 (208 centimeters) Croat with the huge serve.

So, I wonder – if Querrey and Karlovic are early KOs, has the impact of grass lessened? Does the grass court game play differently than a generation ago?

An era was officially closed Monday as the USTA announced a new TV deal that will place the US Open on ESPN and Tennis Channel beginning in 2009.

This September will be the 25th and final Open to air on USA. The obvious disclaimer: this will be my 22nd as a play-by-play voice for USA’s coverage.

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And here’s what I have learned: no tennis event that I have been blessed to cover, which now includes 8 Wimbledons for NBC, generates more conversation than the Open.

The most frequent tennis comment I receive (after “What’s Johnny Mac really like?) is: “I plan my nights for 2 weeks around USA’s prime time coverage of the Open. I love listening to John, Tracy and you every night.”

It’s been flattering and it’s also a tremendous endorsement for the growth of the Open. Arlen Kantarian and his excellent staff have transformed the Open from a tennis championship to an EVENT. It is the only sporting championship contested on an annual basis in New York and the USTA has magnificently built that aura.

What we’ve learned is that it’s great TV. Not for USA, I acknowledge, for it’s the top-rated cable network and sports aren’t a part of that equation.

But for ESPN and Tennis Channel, partners now in the cable presentation of all Slams, it is perfect programming. And they will treat the Open well- fear not, the quality of the coverage will be high.  No time zone issues, LIVE tennis in prime time, and American players enjoying success are huge benefits.

It all pales, though, next to NIGHT TENNIS.

That is the Open’s magic, the buzz of a significant night match that can only be heard in New York. It is the two weeks every year when tennis truly matters in America. Great theater and entertainment are the byproducts of superior competition.

Writing this brings memories flooding back: Vitas Gerulaitis, truly one of the kindest and most generous people I have been blessed to call a friend, Jimmy Connors in ’91, Chris Evert’s last match, Martina Hingis waxing Anna Kournikova in a junior match, Sampras-Agassi ’01, the highest quality match I have ever called and Andre’s ’05 run.

There will be more time for these in the fall. For now, the hundreds of talented professionals involved in the USA telecasts will spend several months preparing for one more run at something we love.

* * *

There’s a severe shortage of intelligent writing about tennis. Fortunately, Paul Fein is trying to compensate, releasing his latest book, Tennis Confidential II. Mary Carillo writes the foreword and she presents Fein as a tennis version of baseball’s Bill James. Someone bright enough to address the game’s crucial debates and figures without being trapped in other eras; forward thinking, what a concept in tennisworld! I look forward to a good summer read.
 

At Key Biscayne for the first time, the tournament regarded by many as the “Fifth Slam,” and I can see why this event has earned that title.

A terrific tennis center with spacious grounds for fans to roam. Justin Gimelstob, my broadcast partner, says it’s too big, that the grandstand court feels as if it is in a neighboring county.

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First-class operation headed by IMG. This is nearly a Slam, 96 draws for men and women, full doubles and qualies. Working it all smoothly at “spring break” time in South Florida is a challenge well met.

Proof? The attendance. Only Maria Sharapova and Marcos Baghdatis are MIA among the top 20 men and women.

So there are quality matches every day and the argument grows that winning here is as challenging as a Slam, given the depth of field and fewer rest days. Certainly Roger Federer’s double of Indian Wells-Key Biscayne is outstanding, twice is astounding.

Tidbits from Saturday:

It was still an hour before Pete Sampras and Roger Federer would take the court at Madison Square Garden. Two highly ranked 15-year-olds were playing an exhibition and there was already a buzz flowing from the crowd. Standing on the court while the youngsters hit, you could look up to the highest parts of the building and see seats filling and every suite occupied.

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Although news reports told of scalper prices over $1,000 per ticket, it was still stunning to feel the vibe in the Garden last night.

There were champions everywhere and Tiger Woods made sure it wasn’t just a tennis crowd.

Tennis royalty, spanning generations, was honored. The three men with the most Slams were together for the first time as Roy Emerson joined Pete and Roger for on-court photos. Tony Trabert and Stan Smith were honored for their Davis Cup contributions, as was current Captain, Patrick McEnroe.

There was the odd sight of my partner, John McEnroe, greeting the event’s co-promoter, Ivan Lendl. Two men, never particularly close but linked through many memorable matches, including a pair at the Garden, finding some ease in their mid-life relationship.

So you get the idea — it was a New York night, a who’s who of tennis, sports executives and engaged fans.

The tennis was puzzling and uncertain. Johnny Mac visited the locker room 30 minutes before the match and came to the booth surprised by Pete’s level of tension.

It showed early in the match, especially to Federer who took the first set with ease.

When Roger eased up, displaying the respect that characterizes both of these champions, and seemed willing to carry Pete through the second set, something dangerous happened: Pete found his bearing. He became younger before our eyes. His serve ripped through the fast court and his volleys regained the crispness of better times.

Taking the second set, Sampras pleased a crowd that wanted more, although not necessarily Federer. And Roger charged through the first two games of the third set as if he wanted no mystery. But as McEnroe related from personal experience, regaining one’s edge is tricky once you let up. And Federer lived that through the rest of a third set that ended with Roger surviving an 8-6 tiebreak.

And at the end, as the friends embraced at net, most of the Garden, filled to 19,900, stood and cheered.

My inbox has delivered opinions from critics of this event and the concept of “Sampras Across America.”

Acknowledging that “purists” seem to find more enjoyment from the Umag qualies than any exhibition, I challenge anyone who was in the Garden to question the night.

This was a New York crowd. The U.S. Open plays in New York 2 weeks a year and smashed attendance records. But this event, on a Monday night in March, sold out in 3 weeks — to New Yorkers. They spoke with their wallets as well as their cheers.

No argument — this was entertainment. But it was provided by tennis. No one in the house could buy an argument that pairing the two greatest men’s champions in tennis, even for an exhibition, is a bad thing.

One of the best parts of the evening was seeing the cooperation within tennis. The ATP granted a waiver for Federer to play an exo the same week as a Masters, the USTA helped promote the event to its membership, and the Hall of Fame showed the event in its Newport, RI theater, one of 12 US locations to air the telecast.

Personal note: in a time of steroids, HGH, Spygate, Betfair, congressional hearings and a week that saw an Olympian enter jail, it was comforting to have a feel-good night in sports. All the better that tennis was the provider. And it should be guilt-free.

Roger Federer’s loss to Andy Murray in Dubai reminded me of a talking point in my recent conversation with Pete Sampras.

Pete was accepting, philosophical and almost predicting that his record 14 Slams would fall to Roger. The only comment I made was that athletes generally find out that the last steps towards a record are the toughest.

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We have seen it in every sport, when all records are broken. Some is due to the advanced age of an athlete who has played long enough to break a record. Some is likely due to nerves and stress. And some is likely due to the fact that you just can’t be the best forever.

Is Roger Federer beginning down the last path?

(At this point in the exercise, the author acknowledges the potential for foolishness and embarrassment involved in any exercise predicting doom and/or gloom for Federer. The author also acknowledges vast prior experience in foolish statements.)

He is 26 1/2, old in the hyper-competitive men’s game. He has beaten all comers (save Rafael Nadal and in the last 6 months, Novak Djokovic) so thoroughly that a mental dominance has been established. But hunters look for any weakness, any opening they can seize to bag their prey.

Has Roger given them an opening? He will be in New York for a Monday exhibition with Sampras before the Masters in Indian Wells and Key Biscayne. That means he takes the court in the California desert with no momentum. In fact, there will be some nagging doubt to be answered.

Pete thought Roger would break his record late this year or early next year. If my sports history tells me anything, I suggest Pete holds his record longer than he believes.

To his credit, he rallied from one set down to defeat Alejandro Falla and advance to a second round against qualifier Kevin Anderson. Top seed Fernando Gonzalez looms in the third round.

Talked to Pete Sampras before his San Jose exhibition Monday night and came away convinced, though he admits temptation, that he will not come back to play, not even another Wimbledon.

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No Sugar Ray Leonard, Michael Jordan resurrections of an aging superstar are likely with Pete.

And Pete’s answer to the question cemented that view. “I don’t need it,” he said. That’s a very important distinction from wanting to play again, a feeling to which Pete admits. The aforementioned stars, and countless other greats, competed beyond their time because of the need to be in the arena, not simply desire.

Sampras is happy with his family, two young sons and a wife who is dabbling in her acting career. His time on court affords him the adulation any champion loves, without any of the accompanying pressure. He is playing more on Jim Courier’s Champions Tour but I sense the exhibitions, particularly with Roger Federer, are Pete’s true pleasure.

He is expansive talking about the friendship he has struck with the man stalking Pete’s record. They are similar people, Pete using the phrase “humble champion” to describe Federer, the very term so often used about Pete in his career.

Tennis will win as Federer approaches and likely surpasses Pete’s 14 Slams. Unlike baseball’s melodrama of last summer, Sampras freely says he wants to be on hand if Federer wins his 15th (Australia travel may be too much.) But if the day comes, and I think the last few will be tougher than most imagine for Roger, the passing of the tennis torch will be done with style and class.

One contrast is obvious: whereas Andre Agassi, Pete’s eternal rival, morphs into a multi-layered businessman with interests both philanthropic (schools) and profit-driven (resort hotels), Pete is adjusting to a life formed by a single-minded focus on tennis. So the search for post-playing options has been more involved.

It’s the price one pays for the mantle of champion. Pete admits he is most proud of his consistency — 5 consecutive years finishing No. 1 — but the cost of that is paid when the racquets are put away. That’s why Pete is playing again, casual though it may be, and why he and Federer, headed to NYC March 10, are slowly becoming linked as the two greatest to play the game.

Asides from San Jose: Another foreign-born but American-trained player is this week’s rage on the men’s tour. Kei Nishikori, 18 year-old Japanese-American, developed his game at the Bolletieri Academy on Florida. Beating James Blake in Delray Beach to win his first ATP title earned him a San Jose wild card. He won his first round and draws Andy Roddick tonight. A win over Roddick would catapult the teen into the Top 100 and grab everyone’s attention.

Meanwhile, a lost opportunity for Donald Young. His first round opponent, Hyung-Taik Lee, withdrew from San Jose with back problems. The late sub, American Wayne Odesnik, took Young out. Donald has some pressure to back up his strong year-end run with some main-draw wins while his rank allows him direct entries.

We all need to exhale and appreciate Roger Federer.

At a time of unprecedented depth, he is crushing men’s tennis. We have never seen someone so thoroughly excel on the biggest stages.

By taking out James Blake in straight sets, Federer is now one match away from his 11th consecutive Slam final. I never thought I would see such a streak. And I don’t believe I’ll ever see another.

He has now won 19 consecutive matches at the Aussie and has a shot at a third straight title to add to his 5 Wimbledons and 4 US Opens.

This year has seen him tested and he still stands. Blake played the right kind of match, aggressive and bold. James used his power, rebounded from the misses that resulted from that play and never backed away from the great Federer.

But this was a match where Federer channeled his Pete Sampras. He was at his best late in sets, looking for the one break to turn a set.

Federer pulled that off in the first set, one that started poorly for Blake. James was broken in his first service game, tossing in 2 doubles. What made this match better for Blake was that he immediately rebounded to break Federer.

The two moved on serve to 4-5 when Federer put together 3 terrific points to rip the set away from Blake.

Second set, same pattern- early break by Federer for 2-0, Blake counters with a break back for 2-1. Then on serve to a tiebreak where Federer was special.

If you have the match taped or Tivo’d, and you can only watch two points, catch the 4th and 5th points on the second set tiebreak. They were Federer at his best. At 2-1 Blake, James played a magnificent point, striking a huge return of serve that Federer calmly half-volleyed. Blake then struck two more shots that would be winners against all but the great One. Federer calmly answered each and finally put the point away with an overhead.

At 2-2, Federer was in command of the point only to see Blake unleash a terrific array of defense. Fed struck 3 winners that all came back. Does he get frustrated? No, rather he kept striking winner after winner until Blake could only helplessly above.

The tiebreak went to Federer and despite a late third-set kick from Blake, so did the match. James had nothing to lament, like his friend Andy Roddick; even their best has not been good enough against Federer.
 
Now on to Djokovic, who easily took out David Ferrer. The Serb does know what it’s like to beat Federer (Montreal last August) and challenge him at a Slam (the Open final.)

Novak wobbled through the end of last season but looks refreshed in Australia. He hasn’t been challenged with the benefit of facing a spent Lleyton Hewitt in the 16’s and the overachieving Ferrer in the quarters.

Most importantly, he already has the quality that Blake needed to (and did) show against Federer — fearlessness. Djokovic need not be reminded of Federer’s greatness, or the fact that he can be beaten. That mental hurdle that Novak has already cleared may be his biggest edge heading into the semis.

Here’s what is great about the U.S. Davis Cup title: Mike Bryan answers a question during the Saturday new conference only to have Andy Roddick stop him with a “long answer” quip followed by James Blake’s “wrap it up.”

In the most individual of sports, a true team brought the Davis Cup back to the U.S.

Spend any time around tennis and you quickly weary of talk about agents, fees, sponsor contracts, fees, schedules, fees, empty alphabet organizations and what’s best for me, etc.

Perhaps there has been no better coaching job in sports than that of Patrick McEnroe, who conquered those seemingly insurmountable hurdles in molding this team over seven years.

Roddick was the first anchor, taking the mantle after Andre Agassi left the Cup scene for good. The Bryans had to prove themselves at the Slams before they were on board. Blake’s quick rise after his broken neck in 2004 cemented the last spot that had spun around Mardy Fish and Robby Ginepri.

So, those four became a team. A marketing mind dubbed them a “Band of Brothers” and, the obvious motivation aside, it’s spot on.

Roddick has set the tone, placing Davis Cup at a level of importance not seen by the Americans since John McEnroe. He has been the spiritual leader as well as the “clubhouse” force, leading the good-natured hazing of young guns like Donald Young just as Roddick was baptized by Agassi during a 2000 tie.

This win is great for Roddick, who has found the stage where neither Roger Federer nor Rafael Nadal perform.

It’s great for Blake, the arena where his Slam results are meaningless.

And it’s unworldly for the Bryans, twins in body but one in every way. A sideshow elsewhere in the tennis year, doubles shines in Davis Cup and no one has taken better advantage of that than the “excitable boys.”

Finally, think of Patrick. The New York Times compared him to Joe Torre this weekend, a compliment of massive proportion. Like Roddick, Patrick, a champion coach, has found in Davis Cup a niche apart from his brother, the champion player. No one deserves this good fortune more than the younger McEnroe.

Now, here’s what is wrong with tennis: Pete Sampras played an exhibition in Chicago Saturday. Wayne Bryan, a professional host nonpareil, had to beg out of his assignment to get to Portland for his sons’ finest moment.

This is not meant to pick on Pete, I’m sure there were other exo’s featuring top pros this weekend, but why can’t everyone just stop for one weekend?

Can’t everyone just pause and let the Davis Cup final on American soil stand alone?

Since April, it has been known that the Americans had a great chance to host the final? Can’t the game stop for a few days?