TENNIS WORLD

A lot happen in a monthnis

March2014

ANA IVANOVIC

Rediscovering The Road To Greatness

PETE SAMPRAS

I don’t miss the stress of the tour

HOW TO PREPARE THE MATCH

The state of flow and the self – overcoming

The child who has movedRafael Nadal

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Contents

ANA IVANOVIC

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Rediscovering The Road ToGreatness

PETE SAMPRAS

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"I don’t miss the stress of thetour"

JOHN NEWCOMBE

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Interview

LEARNING TO LOVE LEFTIES

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The "hand of the devil"

PREPARING FOR THE MATCH

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For top match performance

THE STATE OF FLOW

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The self – overcoming

KINESIOLOGY

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Holistic approach to health andwell-being

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ANA IVANOVIC

by Dario Torromeo

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"Only he who knows thedestination knows the way."

"Only he who knows the destinationknows the way." This is the maxim that greets visitorsto Ana Ivanovic’s Twitter page. TheChinese philosopher Lao Tzu, thefounder of Taoism, is the author of thestatement. It seems appropriate that Ana shouldturn to philosophy to help her betterunderstand life and, ultimately,herself. She has changed coaches so often andabandoned so many strategies that allthat is left is to look inward. I am no psychologist, but I've seen herplay and interviewed her a few times. I do not know exactly what issues andinsecurities are keeping her from

performing the way she did six yearsago. However, it seems to me that hercontinuous search for new guides andstrategies has finally arrived at adecisive point. Since the summer of 2013, things havebeen moving in the right direction forIvanovic. Her team now consists solelyof compatriots, like Nemanja Koutich,a good player and better coach, andZlatko Novkovic, the black beltphysiotherapist. "Ajde!" screamed Ana.She then lowered her visor andtightened her fist. "Come on!" repliedSerena Williams. It is a short, a universal battle cry thateveryone pronounces it their own

Her big break came thanksto a generous sponsor, Mr.Dan Halzmann of DHManagement.

He put up $400 000 forher journey to becoming aprofessional. Some people say he nevereven saw her play beforemaking the decision, butonly ever saw a picture ofher.

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language Against Serena, Ana hadnever won. She had never even taken a set fromthe world number one. Yet she managed to easily dispatch ofthe American at the Australian Openthis year, advancing to the quarter-finals of the year’s first Slam. It was just a few weeks after she hadbeaten Venus – another first for her –in the final at Auckland. It might just be the start of a veryspecial year for the Serbian. I admiredher in 2008. I had applauded her in Paris, when shewon Roland Garros and became thenew world number one. She tenaciously stuck to the baseline,wearing down and often overwhelmingher opponents.

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Her story has always seemed a bit over thetop, as if it couldn’t be more perfectly craftedto make an emotional impact.

I compared her flat forehand to thedevastating punch with which ThomasHearns knocked out Roberto Duran. A gunshot that brooks no escape. Apowerful serve, a good return andgreat tactical awareness…these are allthings that Ana excelled in back in2008. They won her many fans, almost asmany as her beauty. Watching fromthe stands, you cannot help but realizewhy so many lose their heads for her. Her long brown hair is usually in aponytail, and her sensual face andbeautiful eyes are easy to get lost in.She has often made me thing of AnnaKournikova.

She excites the crowd like few others,and she has made more money off thecourt than on it. But then, the bigdifference is in the results. AK did notwin a single one of the 127tournaments in which sheparticipated. Ivanovic has won 12. Her story hasalways seemed a bit over the top, as ifit couldn’t be more perfectly crafted tomake an emotional impact. Her initiation to the sport came duringYugoslavia’s bloody civil war, when shepracticed in a swimming pool filledwith dirt. She trained every morning from 7 to 9,without ever skipping a single day.

Her initiation to the sportcame during Yugoslavia’sbloody civil war, when shepracticed in a swimmingpool filled with dirt.

She trained every morningfrom 7 to 9, without everskipping a single day.

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Of course, there was the NATObombing campaign, but as she pointedout in an interview: "They took placeat noon, I had time to play." MonicaSeles was her hero growing up, thoughshe also admired Martina Navratilova. Her big break came thanks to agenerous sponsor, Mr. Dan Halzmannof DH Management. He put up $400 000 for her journey tobecoming a professional. Some people say he never even saw herplay before making the decision, butonly ever saw a picture of her.

2008 was the year of magic. Then,inexplicably, things fell apart. On topof the world at age 21, she foundherself down to number 65 in

the rankings two years later. She seemed to already be of an earliertime…a beautiful memory. Her game was clearly in crisis, with theserve in particular being unreliable.Her toss was a mess, following theright trajectory only a fraction of thetime. It was perpetually too high or too low,too far left or too far right. Hergroundstrokes also lost some power,and more than a little accuracy. Perhaps she had simply lost her waybecause she no longer knew thedestination. Fortunately for her, family has beenable to help her. She comes from a

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middle class family. Her mother was a lawyer, and one canimmediately see where Ana got herlooks and charms. Her father is aformer basketball player who nowworks as a financial advisor for atelephone company. They never put pressure on her, andshe has never been lacking for support.When she decided to follow her tennisdreams, they stood right beside herevery step of the way. But just when she thought she hadfound the man she would spend therest of her life with, FernandoVerdasco and Ana split up. Many speculated that this also had aneffect on her performance. Yet she hastried to put all of that behind her now.Ana started the season on fire, winningnine matches in a row. Her Australianrun ended at the hands of EugenieBouchard, but her momentum is stillstrong. Ivanovic seems like a new person. Sheappears to be at ease with herself, hergame and her role as a celebrity. Shealso seems to be fully recommitted totennis in every way. She watches her diet carefully, andonly drinks water. The only thing she fears? Dogs, notopponents. Ana has realized that herlife should be nice. After all, she earnsa very good living from travelingaround the world, playing a sport sheloves and having her picture taken. Sheis ready to be happy. "The Monk who Sold His Ferrari" isone of her favorite books now, andwhen she looks inwards, she likes whatshe sees. She once again knows what thedestination is.

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Muguruza BlancoTo Be, Or Not To Be Spanish

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he future of Spanish tennis was born in 1993 in Caracas,Venezuela. At least, that is what many of the sport’s greatest mindsbelieve. While people like Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer and Juan Carlos

She is not sure whether she wants torepresent Spain or Venezuela

Ferrero have brought glory and prestige to men’s tennis in Spain for over adecade, the women’s side has not been as lively. Carla Suarez Navarro is the only Spanish woman of note at the moment, andeven she can barely stay in the Top 20. Garbiñe Muguruza Blanco, however,might just change all that.But Spanish fans cannot celebrate quite yet. Apart from still needing toproduce big results, there is another issue with Blanco…she is not surewhether she wants to represent Spain or Venezuela. The indecision is due tothe fact that her own family is divided between the two countries: her father,who is Spanish, works in South America, while her mother, who isVenezuelan, now lives in Barcelona. Having ended the 2013 season early due to a bad foot injury, Blanco flew toHobart at the start of 2014, where she started from qualifying and eventuallywent on to win the title, to the surprise of everyone – including herself. Shebeat the Czech Klara Zakopalova 6-4, 6-0 in the final. It was a great moment for her, as in addition to winning the title, she enteredthe Top 40 for the first time. Winning begets winning, and Blanco went on to post an impressiveperformance at the Australian Open. There, she beat Kaia Kanepi, theEstonian who is always a tough opponent for everyone. Even more significantwas her victory over Caroline Wozniacki in the third round – Blanco’s firstTop 10 win in a Grand Slam. It was a tough victory, and she had to come back from a deficit a number oftimes, but she eventually managed to get home.

by Diego Barbiani

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It was perhaps ironic that Radwanska shouldstop her in Melbourne, since it was the Pole whoalso defeated her in her first big tournament backin 2012.

Agnieszka Radwanska proved to be toomuch in the fourth round, but it hardlymattered. Blanco had made her mark.It was perhaps ironic that Radwanskashould stop her in Melbourne, since itwas the Pole who also defeated her inher first big tournament back in 2012. Back then, Blanco was just 17 yearsold, and had caused some seriouswaves by beating Vera Zvonareva(ranked 9) and Flavia Pennetta (25) inMiami, before losing in the quarter-finals.2014 will be very important for Blanco.She has no points to defend from Julyto October (due to her injury last year),so there is a very real possibility thatshe can make a run to the Top 20 bythe end of the season.

What makes Blanco most interestingto watch is that, unlike so many of hercompatriots, she does not care for topspin and defense. Her shots are hard and flat, and workvery well on the faster courts whereSpaniards traditionally struggle. Her game is similar to the PuertoRican Monica Puig, another rising star,though Blanco is more capable ofcontrolling her power than Puig is atthe moment. Perhaps the mostimportant thing Blanco has to work onis her tactics. Her inexperience canoften be seen on the court, when she isoutwitted by her opponents’ strategies.But once she addresses that issue,there is no limit to what she will beable to do.

Her game is similar to thePuerto Rican Monica Puig,another rising star, thoughBlanco is more capablecontrolling her power thanPuig is at the moment.

Perhaps the mostimportant thing Blanco hasto work on is her tactics.Her inexperience can oftenbe seen on the court, whenshe is outwitted by heropponents’ strategies.

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She knows the road will be long andhard, especially considering thedecision she has to make regarding hernationality. “I'll end up making enemies,” she says.“Someone will not like one or the otherchoice.” But that does not seem to bother hertoo much. Her focus now is squarelyon her tennis, where it should be.________________

Coached by Alejo Mancisidor. Began playing at age 3. Aggressive style of play; favoritesurface is hard; favorite shot is serve.Speaks Spanish and English. Enjoys cooking, reading, listening tomusic. Favorite tennis players growing upwere Serena Williams and PeteSampras.

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Taking A Riske

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merican tennis might be in a crisis as far as the men are concerned,but the women are experiencing something of a Renaissance.Of course, some promising stars have quickly faded away, such as

Alison Riske might be a late bloomer, butshe is making up for lost time

Melanie Odin, who failed to build on a quarter-final showing at the US Openin 2007 at the age of 17.But many others are showing consistent results at the highest levels, whichmight soon translate to Grand Slam success. In addition to Sloane Stephens,who is already blazing a trail to the Top 10, players like Jamie Hampton,Madison Keyes, Christina McHale, Lauren Davis and Alison Riske are all onthe rise.

Renewed confidence

Of this group, Alison Riske is particularly interesting. Born in 1990, shereached the third round of the Australian Open this year, and recently brokeinto the Top 50 for the first time in her career.Alison plays particularly well on grass. Curiously, her first 11 WTA wins cameon the grass courts of Birmingham. In 2010, she reached the semi-finals after coming through qualifiers and, andmade it to the same stage again in 2013. For most of her career, Riske has earned her points on the ITF circuit, withoccasional ill-fated forays onto the WTA Tour. However, after her run in Birmingham last year, things have changed. The American won her first match at a Grand Slam (reaching the third roundat Wimbledon, the second round at the US Open and the third round inAustralia) and her ranking has taken off. In some respects, she is the mostpromising player in America apart from Sloane Stephens.

by Giulio Nicoletti

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The key to the breakthrough is mental,as is so often the case. Until the resultsof last summer, Alison did not feel likeshe belonged to the elite of worldtennis. This change of mind-set has come, inpart, due to working with Yves Boulais,who she also worked with as a child. He helped her understand that even ifshe does not play well on a particularday, she can always play better thenext day. Now, with the help of other emergingyoung Americans, with who she hasformed a close-knit group, she knowsshe can hold her own in any and everytournament.

An early startAlison was born in Pittsburgh, and isthe daughter of an FBI agent and aschoolteacher. She started playing tennis at the age ofthree, and played through college,becoming the top ranked player in thecategory in 2008. That year she accompanied thenational Fed Cup team as a sparringpartner to the semi-finals againstRussia, which was her first taste ofprofessionalism.Her love for playing aggressively fromthe baseline caught the eye of BillieJean King when she was just ateenager.

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King also praised her tactical visionand ability to play each point with apurpose. Allison came late to the Top 50, at age23, but has arrived with the freshnessof a young girl. During her run to the second round ofthe US Open, she won the hearts ofAmerican fans by revealing that shestill carries her baby blanket with her.

Great expectations In Australia, she beat both Vesninaand Wickmayer with authority and insearing heat, before succumbing toKerber in a tight match. With few points to defend until July, itwould not be surprising to find her inthe Top 30 by the start of the clayseason.

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The Law of theiron wire

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The new Tennis WorldChampions starts:PS4’s and manyother prizes up forgrabs.

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he new Tennis WorldChampions brings back thesame feeling of the oldTennis

Manager, with players facing each otherin a real scoreboard, with a rankingdivided into master and general, with aseason’s ranking that recalls the ATP’sconcept.

The law of the iron wire.Besides, depending on the tennisplayer’s

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The new Tennis World Championsstarts: PS4’s and many other

prizes up for grabs.

“specialization”, it’s possible to developa real schedule so that you can increaseyour surface’s training and improvethose skills that allow you to valueyour playing style.The game keeps its arcade’s imprint,not particularly managerial, as thechallenges on the scoreboard don’tconsist of a single match, but everytennis player will be able to challengethe opponent 10 times and the one thatwill have scored more points will go tothe next round.

Unsrew the neck, tear off theheadSimultaneously to out player’s“technical” growth, there will also bethe strategic one, as for each match itwill be possible to set the best

strategies both in case you are thechallenger and the challenged.There has been an increase ofimportance for abilities such as: mood,experience and surface training!These abilities increase or decreaseaccording to the tennis player’s trendin the tournaments.The shop hasn’t changed and it allowsto buy equipment and to increase theskills. Everything is possible thanks tothe credits that can’t be won throughthe tournaments anymore, but onlythrough friendly matches in theRanking Championship: every hourthe points will be assigned based onthe position!

Tennis World Championevolves also in terms ofprizes: not only oneMaster but 3 Masters inone calendar year. At theMaster you can win manyprizes among which Ps4’s,Wii’s, tennis racquets…Every tennis season isformed of 54 play rounds.Every round lasts 2 days.During these two days theplayers will face each otherin order to proceed roundafter round and get to winthe tournament.

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RIGHT, LEFT; LEFT, RIGHTIn this new version every user will beable to choose which way to follow andthe best player’s strategy will cause thepossibility to be the best player inTennis World Champion.At the end of the season there won’t bea score’s reset: the game will beperpetual.Once a season is ended, the pointsscored during the previous season’srounds will have to be confirmed orimproved in the following one…otherwise you will relentlessly losepositions and so you won’t be able toreach a good position in thetournaments (among the first 8seeds!).At the end of every season there will bea master. The first 64 best players ofthe final master’s specific Ranking willtake part in it. This Ranking is basedexclusively on the points scored in thetop Level tournaments

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A Bright Future

by Alessandro Varassi

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Though Eugenie Bouchard has enjoyedgreat success on the court, she might verywell have an even brighter future off thecourt. Is she the new Maria Sharapova?

The new face of women's tennis. That is the gift that the 2014Australian Open gave the world. Li Na might have taken the title, but itwas Eugenie Bouchard, the 19 year-oldCanadian, who stole the show. She now finds herself in the Top 20, anincredible achievement consideringthat this time last year she wasn’t evenin the Top 130.Though her tennis achievements havebeen great of late, it is for anotherreason that advertisers andtournament organizers are excitedabout Bouchard: her looks. Many have already pegged her as thetrue heir to Maria Sharapova.

Indeed, Sam Duvall, Bouchard’s agent,is already playing up these hopes, andis looking to translate his client’spersonality, playfulness and beautyinto the kind of long-term commercialsuccess that Sharapova is stillenjoying.Among her fans, Eugenie can countStacey Allaster, the CEO of the WTA.Allaster is no fool, and knows howpopular someone like Bouchard canmake the women’s Tour. The BBC hasalready pointed out that manycompanies feel the same, and say thatshe is "an incredible talent, and a goodambassador for any company thatwants to offer her a contract."

The Canadian’s star isrising at an incrediblerate, with her Facebookpage getting more than100 000 new likes duringthe Australian Openalone.

She also got 107thousand followers onTwitter.

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Of course, Maria Sharapova knows thepower of a beautiful spokespersonbetter than anyone, and reportedlyasked Nike to have Bouchard wearSharapova’s clothing line on court.Both players are under contract withNike.But which sectors would be interestedin a partnership with Eugenie? Surely the world of fashion andentertainment would be at the top ofthe list, but car companies, financialinstitutions and countless otherbusinesses would love to have thisyoung face, so graceful and confidence-inspiring, to promote their products.There is currently a void at the top ofthe WTA, with no young player reallymaking it big enough to become asuperstar. Bouchard seems more thanhappy to fill that void.

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“I miss the moment, I miss the last weekend of a major.

I miss the excitement. I don't miss the stress.

I don't miss the pressure, the expectations I put on myself.

I miss the game, but I don't miss the stress of it.

It's a tough sport. I feel like I walked away at the right time”

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PeteSampras

‘I don’t miss the stress of the tour’

It’s 12 years since Pete Sampras hunghis racket up for good, assured of hisplace as one of the greatest in history,and he says he hasn’t once beentempted to return. At times, rumours have circulated thatSampras was planning one last hurrahon the lush lawns of SW19 andalthough he admits he occasionallymisses the unique adrenaline rush thatcomes with the business end of amajor, he couldn’t imagine dealingwith all the pressure that goes withbeing a top level athlete, anymore.“I miss the moment,” he said. “I missthe last weekend of a major. I miss theexcitement. I don't miss the stress. Idon't miss the pressure, theexpectations I put on myself. I missthe game, but I don't miss the stress ofit. It's a tough sport. I feel like Iwalked away at the right time.”Sampras’ old rival Pat Rafter made asurprise comeback of sorts at January’sAustralian Open, teaming up withLleyton Hewitt in the men’s doubles.

Sampras gave a wry smile as he quicklydispelled any hopes that he mightfollow suit at Flushing Meadows,preferring to compete solely in the hitand giggle environment of theexhibition circuit these days.He pops up every so often at themajors these days as a VIP or analystbut with two young children, he's keento avoid anything which requiresregular touring commitments, which iswhy we won’t be seeing him join thegrowing number of A-list coaches onthe circuit right now. “It’s not for me,” he said. “I've beenasked by a couple guys. But the travel,to go on the road, do all that they'redoing is not something that I'minterested in.”Sampras remains an intriguedspectator of the game and he wasdelighted to see Stanislas Wawrinkapick up his first major at this year’sAustralian Open, predicting that theSwiss is even capable of going on towin a couple more.

by David Cox

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The single-handed backhand is makinga bit of a resurgence these days withWawrinka, Roger Federer, RichardGasquet and Grigor Dimitrov amongthose flying the flag at the highestlevel.

Sampras believes that his own gamecould still have made an impact in thecurrent era, believing that 21st centuryracket technology would actually haveaided serve-volley.

“Yeah, why wouldn't I serve-volleyagainst these guys?” he smiled. “Serve and volley on both serves.That's the only way I know how toplay. People say it's harder to do it,the technology. But I think technologywould have helped me out. If I usedthese racquets that Rafa is using, it'seasier to serve, easier to volley. I couldserve harder, longer. It would havebeen easier. So it all evens out."

“But I think serve‑and‑volley tennis, itwould have been just fine today. I justthink you need to know how to do it.You have to start about 13 years old.You can't start at 18 or 19. I started at13. That's when I changed to theone‑handed backhand. It takes a feel.It just takes a certain intuition outthere that you have to figure out. Itdoesn't happen overnight.”

Sampras was at his pomp during theera of big servers with the relentlessbullets from the likes ofGoran Ivanisevic, Greg Rusedski,Rafter and Richard Krajicek leadingsome to complain that the sport wasbecoming a little tedious and one-dimensional.

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However Sampras feels that thingshave gone a little too much the otherway over the past decade, witheverything ending up as one bigslugfest. “The serve‑and‑volley tennis is a lostart,” he said. “No one is really doing it.Everyone is staying back and hittingthe crap out of the ball, which is fun towatch. You look at Wimbledon thesedays. It is one‑dimensional. It's just the nature of technology,maybe the nature of how everyone isgrowing up with technology. They're used to not having to volley,serve and volley. It takes time. It doesn't happen overnight.”“Seeing Stefan, he was a great serveand volleyer. Boris, Goran Ivanisevic. Now everyone plays the same way,there's just four or five guys that are alot better than the rest. Roger has a little more variety, tocome in, you know, slice it,chip‑and‑charge occasionally, show alittle bit of that. For the most part it's just everyonestaying back and throwing rocks.”

_______________

Sampras debuted on the professionaltour in 1988 and played his last top-level tournament in 2002, when hewon the US Open, defeating rivalAndre Agassi in the final. He was the year-end world no. 1 for sixconsecutive years (1993–1998), arecord for the Open Era. His seven Wimbledon singleschampionships is an Open Era recordshared with Roger Federer, whileSampras' five US Open singles titles isan Open Era record shared with bothFederer and Jimmy Connors.

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South AfricaThe World

in a Country

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Just 5 minutes drive from thepicturesque town centre (or 20minutes by walk)

* ITALIAN WARM & FRIENDLYWELCOME IN STELLENBOSCH *

A warm and friendly Italian welcomeawaits you in the quite exclusiveresidential area of Mostertsdrift, just 5minutes drive from the picturesquetown centre.'The Stables Lodge' Guest Houseoffers panoramic views overlooking themountains.Accommodation in 4 comfortablerooms with en suite bathrooms, allequipped with air-conditioning-heating, coffee and tea facilities,hairdryer, radio cd players, free Wi-Fiand a safety-deposit box. One self-catering unit is also available. Enjoy a leisurely breakfast and relax ina cosy common area.

Secure parking, 'honesty bar' with cooldrinks and snacks available.

The Guest House is ideally located toexplore the famous wine lands and alot of other excursions and day trips!

A beautiful atmosphere is createdusing a fusion of Italian & Africanstyles make this affordable stay one tobe remembered and repeated!

Italian and English spoken..German inprogress!

Accommodation in 4comfortable rooms with ensuite bathrooms, allequipped with air-conditioning-heating,coffee and tea facilities,hairdryer, radio cd players,free Wi-Fi and a safety-deposit box.

One self-catering unit isalso available.

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Our adventure started and wehope that can be part you too!We are waiting to welcome youand to try to get you what wehave lived us during our stay inSouth Africa!

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Pete SamprasThe lord of the grass courts

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n the breakthrough period of 90’s and far then American tennishas its boom time because of great tennis players like PeteSampras - the mastering champion of Wimbledon, Andre Agassi –with his one of the best return in the history, Jim Courier –

He started swinging racquet at the age of 3 and…achieved the 14-time Grand Slam championship.

great clay court player, Michael Chang – the youngest Grand Slam championand Todd Martin – the one of the tallest competitior on the court and bigserver. All of this players lifted the level of the game for spectacular.The first one born in Washington and growing up in California startedswinging racquet at the age of 3 and… achieved the 14-time Grand Slamchampionship. One of the best of Wimbledon and US Open player ever. His worst tournamentof majors was French Open but the lack of winnings in this case was fulfilledby Courier, Chang and Agassi.Sampras with his Greek roots made with one year older Agassi one of the mostfascinating rivalries in the history of tennis in general – having overall 34 ofclashes, 20 wins for Sampras and 14 for Agassi.Started professional career in 1988 when he was sixteen! The first matchversus Agassi in 1989 he lost earning only three games but in his firstimportant US Open and last performance in New York he beaten in finals theman from Las Vegas. In 1993 became the ranking leader for the first time. Onthe #1 spot he remained for 286 weeks and it was the record till Federer (302weeks).“Pistol Pete” for many considering as the one of the greatest in the history forothers as one of the most boring players. Why? The American alwayswanted to prove his value on the court and then off-court he used to be calmperson with no eccentric and extravagant actions or behaviors.

by Jan Stanski

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In the comparison to Agassi which wasone of the most “colourful” player everthat could be understandable for thatreason. And maybe that contrast was moreattractive for the sponsors andmarketing issues and the whole rivalryof both ‘Nike’ sportsmen which madelots of commercials in that matter. With his extraordinary talent Peterewrote history books by holding the#1 ranking for six consecutive years.The worst season was year 2001 withno Grand Slam titles.Engaged and married in year 2000with actress Bridgette Wilson.“Marrying Bridgette was the best thingthat ever happened to me. Now I havegood balance and stability in my life” –was saying Sampras back in the days.

In the year 2007 name of PeteSampras was written on the list ofInternational Tennis Hall of Fame.Coached in professional tennisadventure by Tim Gullikson and PaulAnnacone. Having very various style of game with“serve and volley” plus extremelydangerous forehand from the baselinewhich was effective on fast surfaces. For many tennis fans and experts hismatches against Agassi, Courier, BorisBecker, Goran Ivanisevic or Pat Rafterwere the most exiciting in the history.We can only regret that Pete wasplaying earlier at the time withoutFederer (they played only once), Nadalor Djokovic. He dominated the game athis peak.

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In his book “Champion’s Mind” hesays: "But if you want to be the best atsomething, then something needs tobecome a sense of your life. You cannot have everything. It is impossible tolead a rich social life, reconcilescientific ambitions with sport andstill focus on all of them. To becomegood at tennis, you need a lot of timeand work, and the most important arethe youngest years".

_________

Sampras was born in Potomac,Maryland, the third child of Sammyand Georgia Sampras. His motheremigrated from Sparta, Greece, and hisfather was born in the United States toa Greek father and a Jewishmother.[2][3] He attended regularservices of the Greek Orthodox Churchon Sundays

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Lukasz Kubot

The last of the Mohicans

Began playing at agenine...Father, Janusz,

is a soccer coach;mother, Dorota...

Has a younger sister,Paulina, who is

studyingphysiotherapy...

Strengths of game areserve, return and

forehand and favouritesurfaces are clay and

slow hard courts...His best junior GrandSlam result was QF atWimbledon in singles

and doubles in 2000...Players he admired

growing up wereYevgeny Kafelnikov,

Stefan Edberg andJonas Bjorkman...

In July 2013, he wasawarded the GoldCross of Merit byPolish President

BronislawKomorowski...

Fitness trainer is IvanMachytka.

T

ill the great performance of JerzyJanowicz in Paris Bercy Lukasz Kubotwas the long time polish number onetennis player in the world. He is well known for his afterall dance

called "cancan" or serve&volley strategy. Thats why heis the one and only because his game even not soeffective is very liked by older fans of tennis especiallyWimbledon fans - the ones remembering StefanEdberg or Patrick Rafter "trips" to the net. Beautifulstyle. Good old game. But not always effective asattractive.The man from Boleslawiec (Lukas was born there)although he was growing up in Lubin is veryappreciated doubles player. He was the one to get textmessage from experienced Swede - Robert Lindstedt toplay together in this year’s Aussie Open at MelbournePark. The debut of never playing before polish-swedish duowas tremendous. They won six matches and triumphedin Grand Slam for the first time in careers of bothplayers. Even Lindstedt had before three finals the fortunecomes to him with Lukas Kubot. "Luki" - because itsLukas nickname - admitted that he prolonged his timeon the court after unexpected quarterfinal atWimbledon last year when he lost in polish matchagainst Jerzy Janowicz. The dream came true for him that day even he lost. Hewas dreaming to join to the elite club of quarterfinalistin All England Club in London and he did it. After the tournament both Poles in July 2013 wereawarded the Gold Cross of Merit by Polish PresidentBronislaw Komorowski..Because father of Lukas was working as football coachover the years the Pole had like few of tennisplayers great dilemma what sport to choose for better.

by Jan Stanski

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The polish former number one is coaching by Czech team- Jan Stoces and Ivan Machitka (fitness).

“When I was 16-17 years old I had todecide what I want to do with my life.I chose tennis and as you can see andit was a good choice. But to this day, Istill like to kick the ball”The polish former number one iscoaching by Czech team - Jan Stocesand Ivan Machitka (fitness). Thementioned earlier exceptional dance"cancan" is an effect of the bet with oneof them to prove by Lukas that he isable to do it after great performance onthe court. “Where did you get this wayof showing joy?” – asked journalist. “From the beginning of my careerI had much of importance to put onmy physical preparation. I am a tallplayer, so I have to stretch a bit morethan the average player.

Swinging of legs was one of theexercises that my coach IvanMachitka advised to me”- Lukasreplied. “Today it is like my card”. “The first cancan was in 2011, just inAustralia. I had beaten the eighteenthranked tennis player Sam Querreythen. It was fiveset thriller, so Iexpressed a tremendous joy that day”– he added.His adventure with tennis was not aswell as the way of professional shouldbe so he needed to start practicingabroad for having chance to boomhis career - in Austria and then inPrague where he met his coaches andstarted rebuild his idea about tennis.

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“I dream of tennis academy whereyoung people could combine sportwith the school. Even if the kidswouldn’t achieve success in sport, it isa great capital. Pulling them from theproblems of drugs, alcohol. TheCzechs, who have several timessmaller country, laugh at us, that wehave no real infrastructure for tennis.There are living about 10 millionpeople, and regularly have theirtennis players best ranked and best inthe world. And it highly."On the press conferences and duringinterviews is very nice person alwaystrying to answer well for the questions.A few know that as a young kid Lukashad to get up early in the morning towait for the bus which took him to thetennis courts. It was not easy the circumstancesbecause in the area where Lukaswere practicing was not the goodtennis center to improve his skills.After many years later the situationhas changed.

Nowadays Kubot is original player. Ashe admitted he can play in doublescouple of years more and he does notresign from singles in spite of muchworse results. Taking into consideration the careersof fantastic players like Roger Federeror Rafael Nadal Kubot's way could beestimated as grotesque but especiallyfor the compatriot observers - whichappreciete hard work, the passion forthe game and his style - Lukas gainedalso the historic thing - not only theGrand Slam title in doubles andquarterfinal of Wimbledon but - he isthe first polish player to win the title inAustralia since Wojciech Fibak did it in1978 with Australian Kim Warwick.“For such moments I live and trainhard” – admitted KubotThe 31-year old right-handed “PolishBull” said that his favourite surface isclay or slow hard court although seemsthat good results he had also on thegrass courts (his best junior GrandSlam result was QF at Wimbledon insingles and doubles in 2000)Growing up Lukas admired such greatcompetitors like Yevgeny Kafelnikov,Stefan Edberg and Jonas Bjorkman.Apart title in Melbourne Park he woneight titles in doubles competition andachieved seven finals. Also two finalsin singles. The Pole during the off–season time iscompeting in Czech and Germantennis league. He plays for TK Nerideand Rot-Weiss Erfurt.

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Bogomolov Jr.A Rollercoaster Career

I

t is not easy to summarize the career of Alex Bogomolov Jr. TheRussian is immensely talented, and has enjoyed significant successin his time, but he still struggles to produce the kind of consistencythat would keep him in the Top 50.

At 30 years of age, Alex Bogomolov Jr. is definitely a veteran of the ATP Tour.But his career has hardly been a simple one, as he has experienced periods ofextreme ups and devastating downs. However, with so many older players stillposting good results, he is hoping that the final stretch will be his best one.

Each and every match is almost a microcosm of his time as a professionaltennis player: a good amount of risk, with moments of magic contrasted byperiods of sheer lunacy.Bogomolov was born in Moscow in 1983, and his career began as early as1999, when he played in his first Futures tournaments. His first Grand Slam appearance came at the US Open in 2001, where he lostto David Nalbandian. He officially turned pro in 2001, and won threetournaments on the Challenger and Futures circuits. However, the biggestresult of his young career came at the ATP event in Los Angeles, when he beatthen world number 3 Tommy Haas in straight sets. Though he lost in the nextround to Nicolas Kiefer, the experience gave him a great deal of confidence. Italso showed that he could beat the best players in the world, but usually notwith much consistency. In 2003, Bogomolov stagnated a bit, winning only three Challengers in Leon,Forest Hills and Tiburon. In Bangkok, he managed to snatch a set off worldnumber one Juan Carlos Ferrero in the second round, but ultimately lost inthree. From 2004 to 2010, Bogomolov failed to make any major strides withhis game. Though he still regularly won at Challenger level, that success rarelytranslated onto the main Tour. He only won his first Grand Slam match in2006, when he beat Fernando Gonzalez in five sets.2011 was the best in Bogomolov’s career so far. After failing to qualify for theAustralian Open, he had some success on the Challenger circuitbefore reaching the quarter finals in the ATP 250 event in Zagreb. The monthof March was the best one Bogomolov ever had.

by Marco Di Nardo

38

Knowing his past, it would not surprise us ifhe had his best year in 2014, but it mightalso just be his worst.

He won a Challenger in Dallas, thenqualified for the main draw of the ATP1000 tournament in Indian WellsMasters, before performing the samefeat in Miami. He beat world number 5Andy Murray in the main draw beforeeventually falling to John Isner. On clay, he reached two Challengerfinals in Sarasota and Prague, losing toBlake and Rosol respectively.Bogomolov also played well on grass,reaching the quarter-finals of the ATP250 tournaments in 's-Hertogenboschand Newport, as well as thethird round at Wimbledon, his bestcareer result in a Grand Slam. In thesummer swing in the US, he reachedhis first ATP 250 semi-final in

Los Angeles, then the second round atthe Masters 1000 events in Montrealand Cincinnati.He beat word number 10 Jo-WilfriedTsonga in the latter tournament. At theUS Open, he reached the third round,after which he made it to the quarter-finals of the ATP 250 event in Moscowand the semi-final in St. Petersburg. Atthat point, he reached a career-highranking of 33 in the world.In 2012, as might be expected,Bogomolov could not be reproduce themagic of the previous year. After reaching the second round at theAustralian Open, he suffered a series ofdefeats that saw him drop out of theTop 100 by year-end.

The USTA is trying torecoup the money it spenton Alex Bogmolov, whorecently switched to playunder the Russian flag.

"The American side did infact issue us with aninvoice for $75,000,"Alexei Selivanenko, vicepresident of the RussianTennis Federation, said. "This is the amount thatwas spent by theirfederations on Bogomolovall these years."

39

In 2013, he had to start almost fromscratch, but returned to the Top 100thanks to good results on theChallenger circuit. His besttournament was the Masters 1000 inMontreal, where he qualified for themain draw after coming throughqualifiers. He went on to beat MichaelLlodra and David Ferrer before losingto Davydenko. He also reached thesecond round of the US Open.So far, Bogomolov Jr. has gotten off toa slow start in 2014. He failed toqualify in both Doha and Sydney, anddidn’t win a match at the AustralianOpen. However, at the ATP 250in Memphis, he showed some fight,defeating Sam Querrey and RyanHarrison to make it to the quarter-finals. He lost to defending championthere, but did manage to take a set.

Bogomolov Jr. is currently ranked 88in the world, and continues toalternate between positive andnegative results. His aim is to return to the Top 50 thisyear with some good results on theAmerican hard courts, where heusually plays his best tennis. Knowing his past, it would not surpriseus if he had his best year in 2014, but itmight also just be his worst. You can never tell with Alex.

40

New Season, New Champions

T

he beginning of the new tennis season has alreadycrowned some unlikely new champions, with StanThe Man and Fabio Fognini leading the pack.

Fabio Fognini had high hopes as a junior, often

playing on par with future superstars like Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.But at the age when most players make their biggest strides, at around 18-20,Fognini stagnated. After years of crazy on-court outbursts, no doubtmanifestations of his frustration, the Italian had earned a reputation as anunderachieving drama queen.Yet recently, he seems to have calmed down a bit, and his results haveimproved as a direct result. He now often exhibits the calmness of a confidentveteran, much of which can be ascribed to his coach, Jose Perlas. Perlas hadanother hothead, Nicolas Almagro, as a previous student, and seems to haveapplied the lessons he learned there on Fognini.As well as mental strides, Fognini has made some technical ones as well. Hissecond serve has much more bite to it, and he has become more patient inconstructing points. Of course, Fognini has had memorable moments in hiscareer before, such as reaching the quarter-finals at Roland Garros, and hisincredible win over Monfils there in near-complete darkness.But now he achieves such moments of magic with much greater consistency.One need only re-watch his second round match against Sam Querrey at theAustralian Open this year as proof of the changes he has undergone. His titlewin in Vina del Mar was also mighty impressive, along with his solid DavisCup performances. It seems that, for the first time in his career, Fognini mightlive up to the Top 10 potential he once showed as a youngster.

Swiss sensationAnother late bloomer also grabbed headlines early in the season. For the firsttime in its history, Switzerland has two players in the Top 10, andsurprisingly, Roger Federer is not the higher ranked of the two. Instead,Stanislas Wawrinka, who for years labored in the long shadow of his friendand compatriot, is the best tennis player in Switzerland. It didn’t come easily, however. In order to achieve this milestone he had towin the Australian Open and make the highest ranking jump of any player inthe Top 10 in more than a decade (the last player to climb more than 5positions in the Top Ten was Agassi in 2002).

by Adriano S

41

It was nothing personal, of course.Roger cheered happily, enjoying thedefeats of Nadal and Djokovic. He also decided to join Stan in theDavis Cup this year, hinting that hewould make his first ever seriousattempt to capture the cup.Were the frustrations of a life spent inthe background behind this lateblooming of Stan The Man? Perhaps. But then again, he has always flirtedwith being a top tier player. A few years ago he reached the final inRome and broke into the Top 10. Helost his way for a while after that, butin 2013 reached his first Grand Slamsemi-final. Of course, his efforts culminated in hislifting the trophy in Melbourne,becoming the fifth oldest man to winhis first Slam.

The fact that he did so by defeatingDjokovic and Nadal back-to-backmakes it even more extraordinary.That’s an achievement that even hisgreat friend can be envious of. His new coach, Magnus Norman, wholed Robin Soderling on a similarjourney from promising-but-flawedplayer to genuine superstar, also gothis first Grand Slam. He has had muchto do with Stan’s improvement. The Swiss champion’s serve is strongerand his groundstrokes are harder, butmost of all he is mentally tougher thanhe’s ever been.The Swiss champion’s serve is strongerand his groundstrokes are harder, butmost of all he is mentally tougher thanhe’s ever been.We hope he can sustain this run for therest of the year. After all, the more themerrier.

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Wawrinka stopped attending regularschooling at age 15 to focus full-timeon tennis. However, he continued hisschooling by distance education withthe French organization CNED, whichoffered him greater flexibilityWawrinka considers clay his bestsurface and his serve and volley hisbest shot. He won a gold medal forSwitzerland in the men's doubles eventat the 2008 Summer Olympics inBeijing, partnering Roger Federer, bybeating Swedish team Simon Aspelinand Thomas Johansson in the final.They were also honoured with the2008 Swiss Team of the Year Award. John McEnroe believes that Wawrinkahas one of the most powerfulbackhands he has ever seen anddescribes him as having "the best one-handed backhand in the game today"

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The Bosnian Breaker

«In Sarajevo there is only one hard court, and so far I havebeen training on surfaces

that do not exist on the ATP Tour.»

Born in Sarajevo in 1992, during thewar, Damir Dzumhur lives in Rome. Atthe age of 21 he has a number of firstsunder his belt already, such as beingthe first Bosnian to both make it to themain draw of a Grand Slam and win amatch. And given his recent successes,he seems destined to become the firstBosnian man to reach the Top 100.Today he trains in Rome because "inSarajevo there is only one hard court,and so far I have been training onsurfaces that do not exist on the ATPTour." In Rome, he trains with his father,Nerfid, and Alberto Castellani, aformer coach of Marc Rosset and IvoKarlovic. Castellani has been of hugehelp to him, especially in terms ofimproving his mental game. "Now I'm at a level where I cannotstay in Bosnia, and Italy is a logicalchoice," he said recently.His first contact with tennis cameearly, thanks to a stroke of good luck.

“I was lucky because my father is acoach and worked at a club,” herecalls. “I started with him, going tothe courts since I was three years old.I love this sport and I play with all myheart. At first my parents helped mefinancially, but over the past twoyears I have found a couple ofsponsors. There is not much moneybut enough to cover some expenses.But I do not think about the money. Ijust try to play better. Now with thethird round in a Grand Slam, I canpay for the rest of the season."Damir is very honest and open ininterviews, and the passion he has fortennis shines through both on and offthe court. It is, perhaps, because it hastaken him so long to get here. After a decent junior career (he wasranked as high as number three), heonly recently started performing well at a professional level. Last year, hereached his first Challenger finals, inPoznan and Kosice. At the end of 2013in Bratislava, he also beat his firstupper tier opponent in Jiri Vesely.

by Daniele Malafarina

44

In Melbourne, he startedfrom qualifiers, where he beat DustinBrown (the top seed) in the first round."I had good preparation. They told methat I had nothing to lose, he hadplayed the quarter-finals in Doha, butsomehow I thought I could play well."

His Australian dream was finallystopped by Berdych. It was his firstmatch against a Top Ten player on amajor stage. After the match, Djokovicalso stopped to congratulate him: "Hetold me that I will have success in thefuture. Novak is one of the best everand the fact that he said that is veryimportant to me. I had already methim when I was 16, but I do notremember him. He also told me that ifI continue to play at this level, even inthe Challengers, I will soon be inmajor tournaments. I came home witha memory that I will always carryinside. Bosnia did not sleep for awhole night. Everyone watched thematch against Berdych."As a child he loved Pat Rafter, for hisplay and his elegance. In recent years,however, Federer has become his hero."I do not think there is anyone whodoes not like how he plays. But the Top10 are all exceptional players and greatpeople. They greet me. I am 180 andthey stop to say hello."

As a child he loved Pat Rafter, for his play and his elegance. In recent years, however, Federer has become his hero.

After beating Ivo Karlovic in the firstround, he got a free pass into the thirdround when Ivan Dodig retired fromtheir match due to cramping. "It takes a little luck," he said happilyafterwards. Then, speaking of the largeBosnian community in Melbourne, hesaid: "They were like another playernext to me and helped me a lot. ButIvan is a friend, a fighter and hashelped me in the past. "

When he started the season, he did notknow where to play. Being 188 in theworld is not enough to get into mostChallengers, but he did not want toplay Futures events. "I chose two minor Challengers, butdidn’t go. So I did not know what todo. Now everything is different. Now Ihave to choose carefully because Ihave a chance to get into the Top 100."

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His goal for the season, which was toreach the Top 150, has already beenreached. After his trip to Australia, hewas 144 in the world.Damir is very proud of his passportand to represent Bosnia. His result inAustralia is comparable to thequalification of the Bosniannational team for the soccer WorldCup in Brazil. "Bosnia is a smallcountry, but it deserves to be known,and I hope that my example mayencourage more children to watch orplay tennis." Damir is also part of Bosnia’s DavisCup team. "Last year against Moldovain Mostar I played three matches intwo days, for twelve hours straight.They took me to the hospital at theend, and we lost, but it does notmatter.

Now I hope that my needed resultsbring some people to see the nextround. Tennis is not very popular inBosnia, but I love the Davis Cup." ____________

As a kid Džumhur was practicingskiing and football to addition totennis. He admired Patrick Rafter andRoger Federer the most, and also he isa keen football fan and he supportsBosnian team FK Željezničar. In hischildhood he acted in two movies –Grbavica (2006), as background actorand Mörderischer Frieden (2007),where he played major role as Durcan.He speaks Bosnian and English andstudies political science at the Facultyof Political Science in Sarajevo, at theUniversity of Sarajevo

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Never Say Never

by Fulvio Consoli

47

Connor Stroud’s incredible journey tobecoming a tennis player and aninspiration.

Conner Stroud is a 12 year-old boy whoplays tennis. The one thing that setshim apart from all the other boys hisage playing the sport is that he has nolegs. He realized a long-standing dream atthe US Open recently, when he got tomeet Rafael Nadal, who was impressedby his example and strength of will."It means a lot to me to play," Connersaid at the time, "because I realize thatmany people see me and are inspiredby me. Everyone who has seen myvideos say that they are happy to seeme play. I just try to enjoy myself asmuch as possible."

"The story of Conner touches all of us,and everyone he meets," his motheradded. "The disability has made himmore determined. Other children letthemselves break down, instead he isthe opposite. His extraordinarypersonality helps him and I thinkthat's what inspires people."The young American was born with aserious genetic defect. Conner hasalmost no legs, and the upper part ofhis body is basically attached directlyto his feet. Despite this severe disability, theyoungster has succeeded in developinga technique that allowed him to playtennis, one of his great passions.

Helped by his father, whowanted to give his son asnormal of a life as possible,Conner learned to hit witha western grip, which hasproven to be very effective,despite the fact that he hasto hit the ball so low.

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Thanks to his talent and a lot oftraining, he has become quite theplayer, and has even participated insome junior events. He recently got hisfirst win in a doubles match.Conner’s determination shows thatwith passion and a positive attitude,anything is possible. Nadal certainlydid not hide his admiration for theyoung man. "Conner proves that you can be happyno matter what, even if MotherNature has not given you everything.He is a great example for me, and Iam sure for many other people."Meanwhile, Conner has receivedcountless messages of congratulationsand admiration on Twitter.Conner will soon play in his firstwheelchair tournament.

“I love tennis because it is a sport thatputs you alone against youropponent,” he said of his passion forthe game. “You need to get the best outof yourself in every situation if youwant to win the match.” Nadal concurred with his sentiment.“It's amazing the way it manages tocope with life and combat problems,”the world number one said. “Heenjoys, plays tennis and is part of thesports world.”Conner has even beaten some able-bodied children. “I wouldn’t besurprised if one day he plays in the USOpen wheelchair event,” his proudmother concluded.

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Goran Ivanisevic

The Dream That Wouldn’t Die

He turned professionalin 1988 and later that

year, with RudigerHaas, won his first

career doubles title inFrankfurt, but he

focused more on hissingles career,

yet had some successin doubles, winning

nine titles andreaching a career high

ranking of 20.

He is the only personto win the men's

singles title atWimbledon as a

wildcard. He achievedthis in 2001, having

previously beenrunner-up at the

championships in1992, 1994 and 1998.

His career-high singlesranking was WorldNo. 2 (behind PeteSampras) in 1994.

T

ennis will remember him for manythings. His 1477 aces in 1996, forexample, and his 22 tournaments wins.And let’s not forget about thatincredible Grand Slam victory.

But above all, tennis remembers Goran Ivanisevic asone of the most extraordinary characters the sport hasever seen.His exuberant personality was something to behold. Ina press conference, no one could beat him, and I willnever forget his reaction after triumphing onWimbledon’s Center Court in 2001. When GoranIvanisevic retired from tennis, the sport did not justlose a great player, it lost a fascinating actor.But that Wimbledon…it defined his career. It was theultimate fairytale story. He was the warrior prince who,tired of relying only on memories, decided to startliving in the present. The journey had started nineyears earlier, when he first lost to Andre Agassi in theWimbledon final, and it ended with him lifting thetrophy to the sky, and saying to himself, “This is foryou, Drazen.”Drazen Petrovic was a basketball player who died in1993 in an automobile accident. Goran was a like a boyagain. “I do not want someone to come to wake me upto tell me, ‘hey, you've lost again,’” he said tearfullyafterwards. Patrick Rafter smiled, happy with hisstatus as runner up at that particular moment.Tears had accompanied the entire match, with evenCroatian fans crying in the stands. It was played on aMonday because of persistent rain over the weekend.The stadium was completely covered with flags, mostlyAustralian, but quite a few Croatian ones as well.Sdrjan Ivanisevic, his father, had made the trip.

by Dario Torromeo

50

Goran was crying as he served for thematch. The last game was a thriller fullof surprises. At 15-30, the Croatianserved two aces and earned aChampionship point. Then, he double faulted. Anothermatch point, another double fault.Twice he had been one point fromvictory and had failed.Dad lowered his head. He feared a similar conclusion to thatof the other three finals (all lost) inwhich he had also come close, butultimately failed. Ivanisevic kissed the ball and spoke toit – begged it – to let him win just thisone point. There was an intense silence. Thecrowd held its collective breath, assome Australians quietly waved theirflags.

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The Croats prayed, and dad Sdrijanlowered his eyebrows, clutching hisnose. He seemed to want to disappear,as if a single sigh could ruin the spell.Finally, the serve came, and Raftermade an error. Game over.Goran Ivanisevic should not even havebeen in the tournament. His ranking,at 125, was not high enough toguarantee a spot. So, the All EnglandClub, out of a sense of nostalgia,granted him a wild card. He rewardedtheir confidence by becoming thelowest ranked winner in the event’shistory. He had not even been playing wellcoming into the tournament. He leftshould had been giving him lots oftrouble, and he was struggling to postgood results. At the time, it seemed as if he wouldhave to start playing qualifiers orChallengers to get his ranking back up.Then came Wimbledon, and after 213aces, and victories over the likes ofJonsson and Moya, he made history.

He also had to deal with Andy Roddickin the third round, who was a up-and-coming star. It was a tough match, andIvanisevic was struggling to close itout. He eventually had two matchpoints, but double faulted on the firstone, and made an error on the second.What was he thinking at thatmoment? “God, give me another chance,” helaughs.

The three Gorans"I felt myself I wondering, ‘what am Ieven doing here?’ I wanted to movebut could not. The two Gorans in mestarted to fight one another. Theywere both nervous. I said, ‘guys, calmdown.’ But they do not listen to me. Ifelt that I would not come out alivefrom that situation."And then what?“Well, then the third Goran tookcharge. He arrives when there areemergencies, the one with the brain,and said: ‘guys we are in a goodposition. Relax.’ I hit in three aces in arow. It began a new stage of my life.”After winning the match, Ivanisevictook off his shirt and threw it into thecrowd. On his right shoulder, a tattooof a rose was visible. He had done it inLos Angeles, but when the tattoo artistasked if he wanted it to be colored in,the Croat jumped up. "No, friend.Thanks, but that's enough."Seventy minutes of pain was all hecould stand. In the fourth round, hefaced Rusedski. It was one of his morestraightforward matches. "It was nice to see: 15-0, 30-0, 40-0,game. Then the other guy serves, 15-0,30-0, 40-0, game. Tie-break.Finished. I hoped he was morenervous than me. I had become thequiet type. I did not protest calls somuch.

52

Even on doubtful points, I was calm.To tell you the truth, one of the twoGorans wanted to go to the refereescreaming his case. Fortunately, the other would staycalm." Safin was up next. “In my life, I have always played forsomeone,” he recalls. “When I startedmy career, Srjdana, my sister, wasvery sick. She had cancer and I wasplaying for her because she did nothave the money to treat it. Now,thankfully, she is fine. Then the warcame, and I had to play for mycountry, for my people. Before cominghere, I said to myself after 12 yearsaround the world, now is the time toplay for yourself. Maybe I could playfor my father. He was there, with hisheart condition, even

though the doctors had forbidden himto come. I think in the last ten years Igave him a lot of trouble" Goran mighthave been calm, but Safin was not. The Russian could not control histemper, or the match, and Henmanawaited in the semi-finals. "They said that I had not made themost of my talent. But I am mostproud of being number 2 in the worldbehind Sampras. My problem is thatin every game I have five opponents:the referee, the crowd, the ball boys,the court and myself. It is no wonder ifsometimes my mind wanders." “It's great to touch the trophy,” hesmiles. “Whatever I do in my life,wherever I go, I will always be aWimbledon champion. I want to liveevery moment and to remembereverything."

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“Whatever I do in my life, wherever I go, I willalways be a Wimbledon champion. I want tolive every moment and to remembereverything."

The bookmakers had given Goran a66/1 chance of winning Wimbledon,and boy did they regret those odds atthe end of the fortnight. The final was a match full of anxietyand excitement. Each shot could havebeen the decisive one. Twice Rafter was two points from thematch, but this time it was Goran’smatch. In December 2001, heannounced that he would reflect for sixmonths, and then retired. Today, Goran has a family. In 2009, he married Tatjana Dragovic,with whom he has two children,Amber and Mary. He keeps busy with many things.

** Ivanišević played football for theCroatian team Hajduk Split in 2001.Goran supports English team WestBromwich Albion. He became a fanafter the Midland club's escape fromPremiership relegation in 2005. He wore an Albion shirt whilstwarming up prior to the 2006BlackRock Masters final and finallywatched his first match in December2011, as West Bromwich Albion playedQueens Park Rangers at Loftus Road.Ivanišević also participated in anexhibition match of the Croatiannational team of 1998 versus theInternational football stars on 7October 2002 in Zagreb. It was the lastcareer match of Croatian midfielderand team captain Zvonimir Boban.

Every now and again hethinks back to thatwonderful day, when heshocked the world andhimself by finally winningWimbledon.

We are still waiting for asimilar moment, but it wasso special that it mightnever come again

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55

John Newcombe was the last of the GreatAustralians who dominated tennis for two

decades in the 50s and 60s. He won Wimbledon three times (beating even

the great Rod Laver) and was also world numberone. Today, at almost 70 years of age, he is still

filled with passion for tennis. He recently made headlines for suggesting that a

fifth Grand Slam be created in China.

56

An interview withJohn Newcombe

He made headlines for suggesting that a fifthGrand Slam be created in China

John Newcombe was the last of theGreat Australians who dominatedtennis for two decades in the 50s and60s. He won Wimbledon three times(beating even the great Rod Laver) andwas also world number one. Today, atalmost 70 years of age, he is still filledwith passion for tennis.

He recently made headlines forsuggesting that a fifth Grand Slam becreated in China.

“It depends on the other Slams, butwhy not?” he explained over the phonein an interview. "It would open thedoors to the sport in China, a hugecountry. If China was willing to pay abillion dollars to the current fourSlams, it would be a deal foreveryone."

But the Grand Slams are a matterof tradition, not money... "It's true. But if it started tomorrow, in50 years the Chinese would havetradition for their Slam. Moreover,

Li Na has already won two Grand Slamtitles, and won at the Australian Openthis year. I think in the future we willalso have a Chinese male winner of aGrand Slam."

What other changes would youlike to see in tennis? "I wish that the Davis Cup wouldbecome a two-week long competitionfor the Top 8 nations. It should then beplayed every two or four years on thecontinent. For example, the quarter-finals in Rome, Paris, London andHamburg, then the semis in Paris andWimbledon, and the final atWimbledon. All the TV coverage wouldbe huge."

You were also an avid doublesplayer. Do you agree with JohnMcEnroe that the disciplineshould be abolished? "I think John has spoken more withhis heart than his head. You cannotabolish the doubles, because it is abreeding ground for tennis players.

by Stefano Semeraro

57

Radaek Stepanek is a good example:He was born as doubles player andtwice earned the money needed tobecome a good singles player. Morepeople in the world play doubles thansingles. When Federer played doublesin Brisbane, there was not a singleempty seat...

But the problem is that the bignames do not play… "An idea would be to have the singlesplayers at the Masters team up againstthe qualified doubles teams."

Who do you think is better,Federer or your great friend RodLaver? "Impossible to say: who can know howLaver would have played with the newrackets? They were the best in theirtime, and that's that."

What do you think of the newcoaching trends? Becker andEdberg with Djokovic andFederer…and also Lendl andMurray. Is it just a fad? "It depends on Djokovic and Federer.Murray needed someone like Lendl,who showed him the path to thesummit. Small details, but important,and Andy was willing to listen to theadvice of Ivan. Now when Murrayplays he no longer looks to the standstoo often, and doesn’t complain asmuch. As for Becker, I do not see whathe could do more than sit in Djokovic’sbox."

And Federer? "If he wants to come back to beatDjokovic and Nadal, he must go to thenet more often. Groundstrokes do notdo it anymore. When he won his first Wimbledon heplayed serve and volley on every point.

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After that, it was enough to win fromthe baseline, and he lost the habit ofgoing to the net. But he has lost the artof the volley and is not consistentenough. If he does serve and volley, hedoes not do so with conviction. Inoticed this in Brisbane. Edberg canhelp with this, but we need to see ifFederer is ready to listen."

"I think so. In recent weeks he hastrained a lot, and the back problemsthat have plagued seem to be gone.The body and head are ready, I do notknow if the court is. In Sydney I sawtoo many forehand mistakes. His bestchance is at Wimbledon."

It is true that to prepare to beatConnors you ran five miles uphilleach day and drank beer? "The‘Connors Hills’ are still there. The beerstory seems to appeal a lot toreporters."

Today, tennis is lackingpersonality like his, don’t youthink? "No, Nadal has many fans, Djokovicbrought a new breath, even Ferrer isfascinating for his mettle as a fighter.The game yes, it has become boring. A match like Ferrer - Berdych is notfun. But I like to see someone likeMurray: behind every shot there is athought, not merely a big shot."

It is true that to prepare to beat Connors you ran five milesuphill each day and drank beer? "The ‘Connors Hills’ are still

there. The beer story seems to appeal a lot to reporters."

The court today does not seemsuitable to serve and volley… "I never said he has to play that wayevery point. In Sydney Stakhovskyconfused everyone with his speed andhis volleys, alternating between thebaseline and net. It puts pressure onthe opponent."

In 1975, at age 31, you beat the 22year-old Connors in the final ofthe Australian Open. Can the 32year-old Federer still win aGrand Slam?

There aren’t as many topAustralians as there used to be…"We have some interesting youngsters,especially Kyrgios Kokkinakis..."

But the thread of tradition isbroken, what happened? "It happened in 1968, with the arrivalof professionalism. We then hadmaybe 6 of the Top 20 in the world.The federation, however, decided thatthe "pros" could no longer play theDavis Cup, and all of us could not playit for five years.

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"It depends on Djokovic and Federer. Murrayneeded someone like Lendl, who showedhim the path to the summit"

it for five years. We stopped travelingwith the young people of that time -Alexander, Dent, Case, Masters. Wewere unable to transmit the cultureand the secret of our play. When atradition is broken, it is difficult torebuild it. We started to do it, myselfand Roche, in 1980, and the resultshave been seen with Rafter, Hewitt andPhilippoussis. Then after another 10years, everything has been lost. NowPat Rafter has resumed the process bybecoming Davis Cup captain. It is workthat is beginning to pay dividends, andthat maybe in two years Hewitt willundertake to carry on. It is areconstruction that within five or sixyears will bring Australia into the Top10 again."

How would you play againstNadal? "Against Nadal you must serve & volleyon at least half of the points, and makethe points really short. When Federercan play short points against him, hecan make Nadal play a game he doesn’twant to, and often wins a set 6-2, or 6-3. But if he is bogged down in rallies,Nadal takes over.”

Would you consider coaching?"No, look: I am married for 46 years, Ihave six grandchildren and a businessin Texas with my tennis ranch. Andmost of all I have to improve my golf."

If you were forced tochoose a student forcoaching? "Any young Australian, likeKokkinakis."

Not Bernard Tomic?"Bernie has a coach: hisfather. He has talent, I likehim, but must learn to usehis power, especially on theforehand and thebackhand."

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Nicolae Mishu

I

n tennis, those champions that have been able to hit the big time,leaving a well-marked sign in history, are many. This month, I willtell you about a not very much known personality, who howeverproved his worth during his years.

Bill Tilden said about him “The tennisperformed by Mishu was out of this world”

Born in Wien in 1893, but Rumanian by adoption, Nicolae Mishu, was a tennisplayer during the 20ies of the last Century and also an appreciated diplomaticin much of the world. Bill Tilden said about him “The tennis performed byMishu was out of this world”.Formerly, Ian Tiriac and Ilie Nastase, were certainly the two most knownnames, like now Cirstea and Halep in women’s tennis, but only few know thatduring the Twenties, Rumenia found in Nicolae Mishu an idol to adulate. Iftoday he is not even remembered by Wikipedia it’s because during his periodin Rumania tennis wasn’t relevant, compared to the political problem of thecountry. The government kept changing: twelve changes from 1918 until 1928.However, his professionalism was appreciated from both political tendencies,liberal and conservative. His peers considered him “the most expert andcapable diplomatic man of Rumania”. And in those years Mishu the champion had the biggest rewards, both politicaland in sport, among which a crushing victory in Monte Carlo, 6-2 6-0, in 1919,against world’s champion Max Decugis. In the same year the victories went on in Mentone (also in 1920) and inCannes, once again against the French Decugis. In Great Britain he won in Hurlingham and in Hendon. 1919 was, for Nicolae, a very productive year, with more finals played indifferent international tournaments. In his record of achievements there is also a defeat in 1926 in a final matchagainst the Italian Placido Gaslini in Cernobbio.

by Salvatore Sodano

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Going over some newspapers of thoseyears, it seems like the first realRumanian histrionic player wasMishu.He served with slice or with power, heused to hit topspin forehands and hesank his opponents with lethalbackhands, but also with serve andvolleys, smashes and half-volleysunder the net. He delighted the public withspectacular shots and he was neverdescribed as an unfair player, on thecontrary, the organizers esteemed himalso because of this characteristic. His opponents liked him mainlybecause of his congeniality andelegance, both on the court andoutside. In other words, he was theFederer of the 20ies, and it was a realpleasure to play against Nick.

In 1921 he defeated André Gobert inSt. Cloud, once again a French worldchampion. This result had aremarkable journalistic resonance,insomuch that, in 1922, the news abouthis presence among the public duringthe Davis Cup final in Forest Hill madea sensation. Praised by the newly born Daily Newsand by the New York Times, theRumanian star, as the sport journalistsused to call him, had become the mostcherished personality of tennis, theopponent that all champions wishedfor in a “Final Challenge”. In his record of victories also a title asWorld’s Vice Champion on clay in adouble match with Marcel Dupont anddefeated by the usual couple, Cochet-Borotrà.

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In 1925 he went to the Roland Garrosin Paris as number 7 seed, defeated inthe last sixteen by the champion HanryCochet; in 1927 he was number 9 seedbut he retired in the last sixteenagainst Totò Brugnon after losing thefirst set. Obviously, if he never met theseFrench champions that blocked hispath, today his name would bein history among the tennis’champions or at least in theInternational Tennis Hall of Fame’slist of famous players, in Newport. Mishu was also the last famousRumanian player before, thirty longyears later, the name of Ion Tiriaccame to the fore.

***Mişhu completed a law degree inGermany and political science studiesin Paris. He was the first envoy of theRomanian monarch in Bulgaria. He also served as the EnvoyExtraordinary and Plenipotentiary toVienna, Constantinople and London.While in London, he lobbied forprotection of interests of Aromaniansin Pind Mountains. He was also involved in discussions onrights of Jewish minority of Dobrujawhen it was split between Romaniaand BulgariaFrom October 15 until November 30,1919 Mişu was Minister of ForeignAffairs of Romania within the ArturVăitoianu cabinet during whichRomania became a signatory to theTreaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye.

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The best gift of my life

Djokovic-Nadal Australian Open 2012

di Brent Kruger

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Novak Djokovicsuccessfully defendedhis title after hedefeated Rafael Nadalin the longest final inhistory. The 2012 final passedthe 2008 Wimbledonfinal for the record,finishing after 5 hoursand 53 minutes ofplay.

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t that moment, at that precisemoment, I was not yet so surethat what Uncle Vladi hadgiven me was

best gift of my life. Of course, mycertainty had been growing for quite awhile, but I wasn’t quite ready to admit ityet.However, after 313 minutes of agladiatorial challenge that hadtransformed Rod Laver Arena into the

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Djokovic had an opportunity to become the first mansince Rod Laver in 1969 to hold all four Grand Slams atthe same time, after winning the previous two in 2011.Nadal went on to become the first player to lose threeGrand Slam finals in a row in the Open Era.

Colosseum, I knew that Uncle Vladi’sgift would never be topped. The nail inthe coffin of my doubt was one singleshot, which I knew I would rememberfor my whole life. First, though, I have to tell you why Iwas there.My name Slavko Dragojevic and I wasborn in Smeredevo, a city of seventythousand poor inhabitants. It was thecapital of Serbia in 1430, and remainedso for nine years, until the Ottomansconquered it after a long siege. I livewith my parents and sister in anapartment building near the station, ashort walk from the fortress where theJezava dives into the Danube.

I started school in 2001, a week beforeSeptember 11. I was 7 years old, then,and the primary school cycle lastednine years. Eventually, in 2010, I lefthigh school and left for Belgrade, eventhough my father wanted be to stayand become an agronomist. I started playing tennis in 2008, yearzero for us Serbian lovers of the racket.In January, Djokovic won theAustralian Open, and in June, Ivanovicwon Roland Garros. I'm not good, but Ihave a great passion for the sport, andthat's what counts. At least that’s whatmy mother says. And it is this passionthat has brought me here.

It was the longest match inthe history of theAustralian Open, and infact, the longest eversingles final in the OpenEra in Grand Slam history;clocked at 5 hours and 53minutes and ending aftermidnight with Nadalmemorable saying after thematch "good morning."

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Many have an uncle in America, but Ihave an uncle in Australia: Vladi, myfather’s brother, who moved theremany years ago. He is a bigwig over there now, andworks for one of the companies thatsponsor the Australian Open. He lives here in Melbourne, where hestarted a family, and when he heardthat I am crazy for tennis andDjokovic, he organized the trip.“You only turn 18 once, and I want it tobe really special,” he told me over thephone, after announcing the trip. Itook an Etihad flight from Belgrade toMelbourne via Abu Dhabi, whereeverything is upside down. Even thestars in the sky are different! "If you want you can go to see thetournament," my uncle had also saidon the call.

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"At my company, they reserve a certainnumber of free tickets. They are goodones as well."I would have swum across the ocean toget there.In order to not miss too many days ofschool, I arrived the second Sunday,when the tournament was already infull swing. After I recovered from thejet lag, I was there on the Mondaynight for the evening session. I sawMaria Sharapova play Lisicki, thenNole against the darling of Australian,Lleyton Hewitt. There was not anempty seat in the stadium. Just likenow.

because Nadal had played his semi-final on the Thursday.But Nole was not as angry as I was atthis injustice. "This is just anothermatch, and the past does not count,"he simply said at his press conference.He was, of course, also speaking of hishistory against Nadal, especially theprevious year, when he had beaten theSpaniard several times. Today, while Iwas walking through the stands afterwatching the final of the mixeddoubles, I thought to myself that thepast does matter. For me, but not justfor me, the six losses last year seemedto have left a mark on Nadal.

"I would have swum across the ocean to get there."

Of course, Uncle Vladi could not haveknown that the final would be betweenNole and Rafa. The draw had hinted at such anoutcome, since they were the top twoseeds, but there were two other seriouscontenders for the title: Federer andMurray. But the Swiss, as usual, ran afoul ofNadal, while the Scot lost to Nole in anepic semi-final. It was a close-run thing, but afternearly five hours of play, Nole knelt onthe court in victory. My idol (my mom does not like mecalling Djokovic that: "Your father,who for thirty years has woken upevery single day at four in the morningto go to work, yes, he is an idol") hadone day less to recover than Nadal,

After failing several times over theyears to close out matches againstNadal, Djokovic started beating him atevery turn. It all began in Indian Wellsin 2011. After that, he went on to beathis rival on the clay in Madrid andRome, not to mention Wimbledon andNew York. He seemed to have theSpaniard’s number. But in their personal history, intwenty-nine previous installments ofthis series, they had never gone to fivesets, and as we all know, Nadal is theking of the fifth set.We come then, finally, to the precisemoment when the fairy tale could haveturned into tragedy, when the princesscould have kissed the prince andturned him into a frog.

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It was fifty-five minutes after midnighton January 30, in what was already thelongest final in the history of theAustralian Open. Nadal, who had allthe momentum on his side, wasserving at 4-2 in the fifth set, and at30-15. Nole’s body language did notbode well. In the preceding five hours,he had earned many chances, but hisrival had, one way or another, foundhis way back into the match. Not evena fantastic cross-court return couldstop Nadal on the previous point, as heeasily put it away for a winner. Nole’s legs were tired, and I wantedsomething to happen…anything, aslong as the torture ended. A suddenstorm, a meteorite in the middle of thecourt, a cramp in the left hand of theSpaniard. Anything.

Instead, Rafa served out wide, and hisbackhand was hit back towards Nole’sbackhand, hoping to wrong-foot him.The shot went deep, close to thebaseline, and Nole could only tap itback into play. The rally continuedfrom behind the baseline, but it wasnot long before Nadal hit a weakbackhand that landed short. Nole,almost unwillingly took the ball earlyand approached the net.Unfortunately, his approach was notvery good, with little power and toomuch spin, it went straight towardsNadal’s forehand.Without overdoing it, Nadal hit asurgical passing shot down the line.Although I hated it, I had to sportinglyadmire the Spaniard’s power andaccuracy.

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My hero could do nothing but stick outhis racket and hope for the best. As itturned out, his hopes were notrealized, and his volley limply floatedstraight towards Rafa near the serviceline. Nadal quickly pounced on it for aroutine backhand winner…or at leastthat was the plan.In hindsight, I can now say, that thiswas the decisive moment. I had seenNadal play at least a hundred timesand a shot like that he had nevermissed. He was positioned perfectly,and had a ton of space to hit into. Itwas a can’t-miss proposition. But hemissed.

That the momentum had switchedfrom one player to another, one lasttime.Suddenly, it seemed that everythingthat had happened before, the first setwon by the Spaniard, 7-5, the twocentral sets dominated by Djokovic, 6-4, 6-2, and the fourth where he hadthree break points to go up 5-3, it hadall built up to this. Every long rally,every change in momentum and twistof fate, it all seemed somehowmeaningless. This was the definingmoment.Only the present remained. And thefuture.

The two giant big screens revealed whateveryone knew already – Nadal had missed

Nole was simply a spectator, as thepassing shot flew by him and out. The linesperson’s call was clear foreveryone to hear, and Nadal’sexpression turned from delight tohorror, as he realized what he haddone. He pointed to Pascal Maria, thechair umpire, to request the infamous"hawk eye." But the grimace on his lipsbetrayed the awareness of anopportunity lost. The two giant bigscreens revealed what everyone knewalready – Nadal had missed. At that moment, at that very moment,as I watched Djokovic ambulate like azombie to the baseline and Nadal walkbriskly to his end of the court, Ithought that the match had changedcourse.

Two heavy cross-court forehands fromNole forced Nadal into an unlikelyrecovery mode, and the Serb suddenlyhad a break point. A strong return thatNadal could not handle saw the breakback. 4-3 Nadal, who now shook hishead. He thought he had finallyexorcised the Djokovic demons, butnow they were back to haunt him. After the change of ends, Djokovicmotioned for a ball boy to bring him atowel, and for a fleeting moment Ithought our eye met. "I'm at school with your brotherDjordje," I wanted to shout at him, butinstead I was reasonably limited towatching him stretch his back. Now wewere entering the home stretch.

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The pain and torment was almost over,but not quite. After making an error on the nextpoint, Nole hung his head sadly. Eventhe recovery of the break and the restbetween the change of ends was notenough to inject new blood into hissystem. Then there was anotherexchange, with superhuman Nadalrelentlessly beating on Nole’sbackhand. But the Serb somehowmanaged to stay strong.Nole did not hit any first serves, butNadal could not capitalize, and was notaggressive enough. Anotheropportunity missed. So we arrived at4-4, and Djokovic kissed the crucifixaround his neck.

The ninth game opened with thirty-two strokes of pure suffering, the lastof which was an off-balance backhandthat Nole missed. He slumped to theground, destroyed. It was no longer agame of tennis, it was a test of survival.Djokovic did his best to shorten ralliesas much as possible. A bunt that diedon the tape, a backhand winner, agreat return and finally some mistakesfrom Nadal, and suddenly Nole hadsome break points. But the Spaniard’stenacity quickly cancelled it, and at thechange of sides the Spaniard wasahead 5-4. I had a bad feeling, but the short breakseemed to revitalize Nole,

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and only one double fault preventedhim from closing the tenth game tolove. With a grunt, Nadal hit aforehand winner in the next game. Itseemed impossible, after nearly sixhours, but his technique remainedunchanged. He continued on with hispre-point rituals: a couple of bouncesof the ball, arranging his shorts,brushing his hair back, then touchinghis nose and adjusting the hair on theother side. All of this before serving. On the second point, Nadal again triedto hit a big forehand, but slipped andlost the point. The next exchange,following a second serve, was

Nadal relied on a banana, Nole on fruitjuice, for energy. The first two pointswent to Djokovic, without too muchtrouble, but then Nole hit a forehandlong – 30-15. The next point, a smash,also went to Nadal, and it was 30-30.Some incredible defense from Nadaland an incredible passing shot, and itwas 30-40. Break point. A nightmare.Nole displayed some incrediblecourage on the next point, hitting acrazy cross-court backhand that wastoo much for Rafa. It was deuce, andmy hand went to my heart as I lookedup. Nole did the same.

It does not get any better than that. Thanks Uncle Vladi,for the most beautiful birthday gift of my life.

dominated by Djokovic. Now it was 15-30. The Serb tried a lob, but Nadal wasquick enough to cut it off. It seemedimpossible, but even after all this time,Nadal was still everywhere on thecourt, tenacious and fierce.Another exchange and another hardforehand saw Djokovic pushed back,but on the next point he created yetanother opportunity, when thefatigued Spaniard couldn’t quite reachon a defensive backhand. I was at thevery edge of my green seat. I wasfascinated by the look on Nole’s face,which was screwed up inconcentration, completely focused onputting an end to this duel. He got thebreak, and was now within reach of thegoal. Just one more game, but how farthat game seemed!

Another crosscourt backhand and Nolewas within a point of triumph. Heraised his finger to the sky.A point. One point. A first serve lands,and the return is in the middle of thecourt. Djokovic hits a forehand, and itis over.Nole fell to the ground, and thenhugged his rival. After that, he toreapart his Sergio Tacchini shirt to showoff the body that had brought him thisfar. It was the seventh labor ofHercules, the hardest one. It was thefirst time Djokovic had beaten Nadal ina fifth set. It does not get any better than that. Thanks Uncle Vladi, for the mostbeautiful birthday gift of my life.

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ArabesqueTennis is Dance

by Andrea Guarracino

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In tennis, the most graceful and plasticmovement is certainly the position ofthe arabesque that tennis playersperform at the end of the servemovement, where, after having lookedfor the maximum height in themoment of contact with the high-forward ball, they fall inside the courtwith the front foot, obviously only afterthe contact with the ball,counterbalancing the movement insidethe court and the overturn of theshoulders’ level with the back leg,imitating the marvelous arabesqueposition that is performed byballerinas in classic dance. Here we see the most admirableperformer of this marvelous tennismovement, the strong and beautifulRussian tennis player MariaSharapova.

Do you perform the arabesque at theend of your serve movement?

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"Looking Ahead"An interview with Chris Kermode

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en’s tennis in 2014 is a billion dollar industry so youcould forgive the new chief executive of the ATP forfeeling a little nervous as he began his post at thehelm of what he calls ‘the greatest sport on the planet’at the start of this year.

However while this may be a considerably daunting challenge for ChrisKermode, the popular 49 year old Brit could hardly be more equipped for hisnew role having already enjoyed successful stints as tournament director fortwo hugely successful tournaments in Queen’s and the ATP World Tour Finals.His work on both events earned him the respect of Roger Federer and AndyMurray both of whom voiced their approval at his appointment.However while this may be a considerably daunting challenge for ChrisKermode, the popular 49 year old Brit could hardly be more equipped for hisnew role having already enjoyed successful stints as tournament director fortwo hugely successful tournaments in Queen’s and the ATP World Tour Finals.His work on both events earned him the respect of Roger Federer and AndyMurray both of whom voiced their approval at his appointment.“To go into the job with this much support has been fantastic,” Kermode said.“It’s been quite overwhelming actually, with players sending great messagesoff support when the news came through.”One of the many challenges Kermode faces is trying to satisfy everyone’sconcerns, with the elite wanting various tweaks to the calendar while thetour’s journeymen are largely concerned with making the sport financiallyviable for more players.Kermode himself knows all too well how difficult life can be as a lower rankedplayer, having once competed on the futures tour (the third tier of men’stennis) back in the ‘80s, never making it inside the world’s top 700."For me, it’s about listening to everybody - everybody needs to have theirvoice heard, so it’s about being as engaging and as approachable as possible,and then building any decisions through consensus,” he said.“I think my past experience as a player is hugely important. I got a taste ofhacking around as a very average player, but I understand what players gothrough. I clearly don’t have the experience of a Top 10 player because I wasnever a Top 10 player, but I have an understanding of where the players arecoming from, and the struggle and the difficulties playing the qualifyingrounds of tournaments.”

by David Cox

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Despite the huge revenue streams thatmen’s tennis generates these days, oneof the problems so far has been the factthat the cash doesn’t filter down tosupport the game at the lower levelsand Kermode is planning to tackle thisby increasing the prize money atchallenger tournaments. “This year,we’re increasing our minimum prizemoney levels on the Challenger Tourto $40,000 and we hope to eventuallyincrease that to $50,000. Ensuringgrowth across the Challenger Tour isincredibly important so that will be akey focus for the organization movingforward.

If you look back through the past fewdecades, men’s professional tennis hashad a habit of generating some of themost recognisable athletes andcaptivating rivalries in sport – fromthe likes of Borg, McEnroe, Becker,Sampras, Agassi, Federer, Nadal andDjokovic.” “People talk about the changing of theguard, and it’s going to be veryexciting to see who emerges in the nextfew years. Just as recently as this year’sAustralian Open, we’ve seen how wellthe likes of Grigor Dimitrov, KeiNishikori and Milos Raonicperformed.

“We’re one of the few truly global sports, with 61tournaments across 30 countries throughout the year,featuring many of the most iconic athletes in all sport”

One of my main responsibilities inleading this organisation is to ensurethat we see growth across all levels ofthe sport, and that we make the sportmore appealing and financially viableto younger players who are startingout in their careers.”Kermode says that one of theimportant parts of his job is buildingfor the future and right now he’slooking to ensure that the gameremains successful even after the endof the hugely popularFederer/Nadal/Djokovic/Murray era.“We’re one of the few truly globalsports, with 61 tournaments across 30countries throughout the year,featuring many of the most iconicathletes in all sport,” he said. “Manypeople have asked me what we’regoing to do after this goldengeneration of players retires.

And we’ve seen the emergence of twoyoung Australians in Nick Krygiosand Thanasi Kokkinakis – two veryexciting prospects.”“As an organisation, we have to beready from a promotional andmarketing perspective to build on thenext generation of stars, and thestrength of our global platform oftournaments on the Tour willcertainly help us to do that.”Kermode will also be adding a littlemore variety to the tour, both in termsof court speed and geographicallocation with the addition of a numberof new events in China. “There’s been tremendous growth inthe game in China in the past 10-15years,” he said.

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“There’s been tremendous growth in the gamein China in the past 10-15 years"

“This year, China will become the firsttournament outside the UnitedStates to host ATP events across allthree tournament categories, with anew ATP World Tour 250 event inShenzhen joining the Tour, alongsideour ATP World Tour 500 event inBeijing and our ATP World TourMasters 1000 event in Shanghai.There’s a huge amount of appetite forgrowth in the region, and we need tolook at ways of facilitating andencouraging that growth in order tocreate the biggest and strongest eventspossible. That can only be good for thegame overall, but whether that meansreaching Grand Slam status is adifferent matter.”

But when it comes to court speed, he’squick to remind us that essentially wealways want what we can’t have.“When you look back, court speed issomething that has continuouslyevolved – I remember in the 1990swhen everyone was talking about howfast the courts were - too much bigserving and not enough rallies,” hepoints out. “It’s true that there’s been atendency to slow down the courts. Butin terms of on court spectacle, I thinkwe can all agree that we’ve seen someof the most incredibly titanic battlesover the past 10 years or so. The guysare moving quicker and hitting theball harder than ever before, and thebattles they’ve had have trulytranscended the sport.”

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by Stefania Grosheva

The Serbian tennis player is known for hisvery peculiar humor. His increasingimpersonations of his circuit’s colleagueson YouTube are just an example of hispersonality. Another feature of his character that maybeyou didn’t know is his strongsentimentalism. He defines himself as anauthentic romantic and he tells us he isdeeply in love with his partner Jelena Ristic

Male tennis Curiosities

NOVAK DJOKOVIC

Pete Sampras’ successor was born inBinninge (Switzerland) on August 8th 1981,in Basle’s canton, from a South Africanmother and a Swiss father. Since he was achild, he stood out for his character andwhen he was 16 he decided to quit schooland exclusively devote to tennis. This didn’tprevent him from perfectly learning 3languages: English, French and German.“Big Roger” is smart both inside andoutside the tennis court.

ROGER FEDERER

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If there is an adjective that can define Rafaoutside the tennis court, that is, without adoubt, homely. In fact, he likes to spendtime with his family, in his home town,Manacor. He also likes fishing and enjoying his city.On the top of being a Real Madrid fan, hecan spend hours playing futsal, bothoutdoor and on the Play Station with hisfriends, among which Juan Monaco andDavid Ferrer.

RAFAEL NADAL

Only few know that the guy from Javea hasa deep passion for literature. In particular,he says he is fond of Arturo Perez-Reverte,even if he doesn’t want to pick just onefavorite book by this author. Besides, whenhe first entered the professional circuit, itwasn’t easy for him: in fact, he quit tennisfor some time because of some negativeresults and he started doing odd jobs tosurvive.

Do you know what this Scottish guy alwaysbrings along in his endless journeys? His iPod. He is very fond of music and hisbest technological friend contains a hugeamount of songs among which there areBlack Eyed Peas, Eminem and 50 Cent.

DAVID FERRER

ANDY MURRAY

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Something very different from making ballsbounce on the tennis court. He tells us helikes to make his friends dance when heperforms his second passion: the deejay. He assures that this hobby might continueafter he quits tennis. Can you imagine a DJ Janko with hissunglasses in one of the most famousprivée?

JANKO TIPSAREVIC

Do you know this tennis player’s habits?Now we’ll reveal you one. He doesn’t shave his beard, together withhis team, when he loses a match. Will we see Berdych with a RobinsonCrusoe’s beard one day?

Did you know that “Delpo” dreamed ofbecoming a soccer player when he was achild? He started playing soccer when he wasvery young and only when he turned 12 hedecided to grab a tennis racquet. Currently,soccer keeps being one of his bigpassions. Can you imagine “Delpo” as a soccerplayer?

TOMAS BERDYCH

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO

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by Stefania Grosheva

The current queen of the female tenniscircuit says that some of her passionsare fashion and shopping with her sisteror with her girlfriends. Last year shestarted working as a fashion designer. Infact, Serena attended various FashionDesign courses and later she alsolaunched her own clothing line with thename “Aneres”, her name spelledbackwards.

Female TennisCuriosities

SERENA WILLIAMS

Even professional tennis players haveidols, if these are also world’s “numberone”. For Victoria Azarenka, since she was achild, Steffi Graf was one of them. In addition, outside the tennis court, sheis still a fan of Madonna, JustinTimberlake, disco music and Russianmusic. Could you imagine?

VICTORIA AZARENKA

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We don’t know if it is true, but it seemsthat Sara Errani has origins fromAlicante, or at least a bound with thatland. Why? She speaks Spanish and her coach isPablo Lozano from Calpe, a small townhalf an hour from Alicante. But he’s notthe only one from Alicante that sheadmires, among others there’s alsoDavid Ferrer.

SARA ERRANI

The gorgeous Russian tennis playertravels all over the world during hertennis tours, but do you know herfavorite city? New York. Maria reveals us that she lovesspending as much time as possible inthe “Big Apple” enjoying fashion,shopping, jazz, the company of a goodbook like Sherlock Holmes or HarryPotter or watching a good film.

Who said that professionalsportswomen and sportsmen havenever studied in their life? Among the many hard steps of her life,this top player loves studyinglanguages. Do you know which ones she canperfectly speak? Polish, English andGerman.

MARIA SHARAPOVA

AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA

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Where to take this tennis player thattravelled the whole planet? On a marvelous beach. She adores the sea and her dreamvacation is on a small yacht with herclosest friends.

SAMANTHA STOSUR

Who said that girls don’t like soccer?Caroline loves playing soccer,swimming and playing golf. She is avery active girl, who apart frompracticing sport, she likes to watch it.One of the sports she adores watchingon TV the most is boxing, whichdeserves to be watched by a very toughgirl, isn’t it?

One of the things the player fromBremen loves is sleeping a lot and sheadmits it. She says that when shesleeps more, also her efficiency on thecourt improves. Also, during her freetime she loves hanging out with hergirlfriends and the next day recoveringwith a long sleep.

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI

ANGELIQUE KERBER

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Winners from Valencia

by Stefania Grosheva

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The Valencia’s Community region, asconfirmed by its traditions, is offering to thetennis review more and more excellentquality players.

The Valencia’s Community region, asconfirmed by its traditions, is offeringto the tennis review more and moreexcellent quality players. Juan CarlosFerrer or Marat Safin are some of thenames that grew and made this landfamous. Currently Ferrer, who recently won inBuenos Aires against Fognini, madestable among the world’s best players;Tita Torrò Flor, a young promisingplayer from Alicante, is the thirdSpanish in WTA’s ranking, Silvia SolerEspinosa, who has been part of theIberian national team since last year,offers a highly competitive tennis thatis intended to improve. Now let’sanalyze this area’s best players and thenew promising ones that will have toreplace the old players.

DAVID FERRER New Year, New LifeDavid Ferrer was born in Javea, asmall town near Alicante, on April 2nd1982. Named “Ferru” by his fans, he reachedhis career’s maturity around his 30’s.He won his first Master 1000 title inParis, a tournament that had neverbeen won by a Spanish player before.He ended 2012 as the ranking’s playerwith more victories and he is thecurrent number 4 in the ATP’sranking. The year 2012 was his year: the playerfrom Javea gathered 7 titles, becomingfor three times the champion of the“Abierto Mexicano de Tennis”.

Once, as a teenager, whenFerrer did not practicehard enough, his coach,Javier Piles, locked him ina completely dark 2m x 2mball closet for severalhours, giving him only apiece of bread and a bit ofwater. After this incident he wasfed up with tennis andwent to work at aconstruction site, but aftera week he returned to Pilesto play tennis

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In fact, Ferrer revealed us in differentoccasions that that was a unique year.In 2013 he won in Buenos Aires and inAuckland, getting to the final in Miamiagainst Andy Murray after a 3 setendurance race. Right now, David, who has recentlychanged his memorable coach, JavierPiles instead of José Altur, is back tothe 4th position in the world’s ranking,looking for a further growth in hiscareer.

MARIA TERESA TORRO FLORWaiting for her consecration Maria Teresa Torro Flor was born inVillena, on May 2nd 1992. Tita was built in Juan Carlos Ferrero’sacademy and now she’s the 21-year-oldmain hope for the Spanish femaletennis. Currently, she keeps the recordof wins in the history of Spanishfemale tennis on clay, amounting to a

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total of 36, surpassing ConchitaMartinez who got to 26 wins. Theyoung player from Alicante won 11 ITFtournaments and in 2012 she won forthe first time the AbsoluteChampionship of Spain. This victory arrives after winning 6consecutive championships in whichshe showed her top level. Her career isbased not only on individualcompetition, but also on the double. In fact, she plays with GarbineMuguruza and in 2013 they triumphedin Australia at “Moorilla HobartInternational” beating Timea Babosand Mandy Minella in the final. To thisday she is number 63 in the WTA’sranking, an excellent position,considering that she started in 2012being number 459 and with a seriousinjury that stopped her for 6 months

(a tendonitis in her left knee).According to her statements to ourmagazine, she feels very proud ofhaving been called to play for thenational team in Alicante, her home,and being a national team’s strongpoint, despite the recent defeat againstthe Czech Republic.

SILVIA SOLER ESPINOSA"Outsider" in singles, aguarantee in doubles Silvia Soler Espinosa was born onNovember 19th 1987 in Elche. She won 4 titles in the ITF circuit inthe individual category, but we can’tforget her path in doubles where she iscurrently number 44. The seasons before 2012, when sheentered the first 100 positions, helpedher in becoming stable in the ranking.

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Also, after a serious injury, she tookpart to the Olympic Gamesrepresenting the Spanish femaletennis, even if with little luck, since shelost in the first round. However, as she assures, it was themost important experience at thatpoint in her life. Currently she has lost some positionsin the single ranking, going to number77, whereas in doubles her level staysstable keeping number 42 as her bestposition. Besides, together with hercountrywoman Tita Torro, she wascalled last year by the national teamfor the match against Ukraine inAlicante.

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Learning To LoveLefties

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hen he first started winning on the ATP Tour, manyreporters compared Rafa Nadal to another clay courtmonster, Thomas Muster. Nadal, with the half-smilethat accompanies all his press conferences, insistedthat the similarities ended with the fact that

they were both left-handed. At the end of 2013 season, when Nadal again closed out the season as worldnumber one, it was as clear as ever that his left-handedness had a massiveimpact on his career. Of course, Rafa uses his left hand when he plays tennis, and he also kicks withhis left foot. But he does everything else with his right hand, such as eating,writing and playing golf.

The envy of McEnroe But on the court, his left hand does the talking. His forehand is his mostdevastating shot, and he can generate inhuman amounts of top spin with it."Well, that's a shot that I would have liked," John McEnroe has said ofNadal’s forehand. Of course, McEnroe also plays left-handed. Yet perhaps Nadal’s biggest weapon on the court is his toughness. He iscapable of carrying on when most of his peers would have already thrown inthe towel. A prime example of this is the final in Rome in 2005, when the Spaniardplayed against Guillermo Coria. Nadal had a series of blisters on his hand thatwere tormenting him, but instead of letting it get him down, he foughtthrough the pain in an epic five hour marathon. He won in a fifth set tie-break. Some time later, when I was interviewing him, I asked him a question. "Rafa,which of all your titles in Rome were the most special?" He did not hesitate. “Those of 2005 and 2006,” he replied. “Winning twobattles after more than five hours, the matches that you feel are out of handbut then you are able to win in the end. These are the matches that give youjoy. The danger averted, the recovery and victory. Who could ask for more ina match of tennis?" Nadal is not a masochist, he is just a fighter. Perhaps it is also because of these kinds of stories that lefties are seen aswhimsical warriors.

by Dario Torromeo

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It was called "the hand of the devil" in manyparts of the world, and parents often tiedtheir children’s left hands behind their back,forcing them to use the right one.

Parents against it It was not too long ago that being left-handed carried with it massive stigma.It was called "the hand of the devil" inmany parts of the world, and parentsoften tied their children’s left handsbehind their back, forcing them to usethe right one. Even today, many references to left-handers are negative. For example, in Italy if someone is adelinquent, you say that they "lookleft," and if you are in a bad moodduring the day, you say that you "gotout of bed on your left foot." In French, they say "qu'il east gauche,"which means "he is awkward." In Spanish, "no ser zurdo" means "tobe not left-handed," but also "to besmart."

In Greek, they call left-handers"skaios," which has an ominousundertone to it. In German, the two terms that indicatelefties are "links" and "linkisch," whichare also used to describe someone whois clumsy. In Islamic culture, left-handedness isnot seen positively, as activities such aseating or brushing are alwaysperformed with the right hand. The left is given to the cleaning of theprivate parts. Distinguished scientists in the pastclaimed that left-handedness was ahereditary condition (as if it were adisease), while others claimed that itwas a symptom of a mother that gavebirth at too advanced an age.

Another interesting note relatesto Grand Slam wins. Of the 183Slams played in the Open Era,left-handers have won 42 times(22.9%), although 29 of thosevictories came from just threemen (Nadal, Connors andMcEnroe). All lefties have a commondifficulty when it comes toplaying against other lefties.The only exception is RafaNadal, who has a winningpercentage of 82.9% againstright-handers (590 W/122 L),while against lefties he has won90.5% of his matches (67 W / 7L) .

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But there is also the other side of themoon. The positive side. Many thinkthat left-handers are more creative,with greater imagination.

Talented leftiesThe sports world has never had ashortage of left-handed players. DiegoMaradona, Bobby Charlton, Gigi Riva,Mariolino Course, John McEnroe,Jimmy Connors, Rod Laver, AyrtonSenna and Valentino Rossi are just asmall sample of famous sports peoplewho were lefties.Jimi Hendrix was also left-handed, buthad no trouble playing with his righthand when the mood took him.

But that doesn’t mean they aren’tfierce: Marvin Hagler, MannyPacquiao and Bruno Arcari were alllefties. In boxing, being a left-hander meansthat someone is a “southpaw.”It is also sometimes called the “falseguard,” since some people believedleft-handed boxers could not properlyprotect their vulnerable body parts,like the heart, mouth, stomach andliver, in their guard stance.

Addressing a lefty Facing a lefty in sport is often difficult,because it is upsets the usual dynamicsof combat.

The right hemisphere of the brain (which controls the left hand)is the one that is traditionally associated with creativity andartistry.

And then there is Bob Dylan and PaulMcCartney, the Heads of State BillClinton, Fidel Castro, Ronald Reagan,George H.W. Bush, Harry Truman andBarack Obama. The actors CharlieChaplin and Robert De Niro. Theartists Leonardo da Vinci,Michelangelo, Picasso and Raphael.Leaders such as Julius Caesar,Napoleon Bonaparte and Alexanderthe Great.

The creative hemisphere The right hemisphere of the brain(which controls the left hand) is theone that is traditionally associated withcreativity and artistry. It has among itsfunctions the perception of three-dimensionality, creativity andimagination. Lefties are the noble wingof mankind.

This is especially true in individualsports like boxing and tennis. The left-hander, of course, has noproblems. He is accustomed to dealing with right-handers, because they represent such alarge part of society. But centuries of superstition is finallyfalling away, and left-handers are nolonger seen as strange or bad. A study done in the early years of thetwentieth century reported that only3% of the world was left-handed.Today, that percentage has nearlyquadrupled to around 11%. So people are no longer forcing theirchildren to be right-handed when theyare actually born as lefties.

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The (un)natural forehandNadal used to play right-handed. Butone day he decided to try as a lefty.Soon he found that his forehandbecame incredibly explosive whenplayed from the left. The Spaniard iscapable of generating as much as 4900RPM on his forehand, whereas mostplayers are lucky to generate half thaton a normal shot.The legend is that his uncle Toniforced him to make the change to alefty. This is not true. Toni still likes to joke that “Rafa wouldbe better as a right-hander.”Use of "the devil's hand" wasconsidered almost a sin until recently.In the 1920s it was associated withdementia and in the 1940s withdyslexia. Only since the 1970s has thisview truly ceased.

STATSWe analyzed the data of the 150players in the Open Era that have hadthe best winning percentage. Thisranking is led by Rafa Nadal with 659victories, 129 losses and a winpercentage of 83.6%. There are 17 left-handers in the list,which equates to about 11% (the same% of left-handers in the world). Ofthese, 10 are in the Top 50, and 5 inthe Top 11. Among these 17 players, 14 were in theTop 5 at some point in their career, 10were in the Top 2 and 6 were #1 (or24% of the total). Here's the list: Top tier: Laver, Connors, McEnroe,Muster, Rios, Nadal. Second tier: Orantes, Vilas, Korda,Ivanisevic. Third tier: Tanner, Gomez, Rusedski.Fourth tier: Leconte.

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360 BallA new racquet sport

by Stefania Grosheva

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360ball, as the nameof the game alludes to,

is a racquet and ballgame played in a

circular court and wasdeveloped in the

Garden Route, inSouth Africa.

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ennis lovers, we are lucky:360 ball is coming. This newsport, created in South Africa,consists of a blend

between tennis and paddle. You play inside a sort of round cage withone disc in the center of the field. It’s a racquet sport played single ordouble and the goal is to hit the person sothat the ball bounces in the center.Currently, this sport is played in SouthAfrica, Spain, France and Germany.

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“Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, sidici consectetuer adipisci elitmpendere integre.”

360 ball exists in different versions:pro-court, mobile (portable court), andpractice (pitch version). Pro-court: this is the professionalversion. Mobile: it refers to a court that you cancarry to the beach, to the field,wherever you want! With a total setup time under 25minutes this will bring the sport to thepeople. The new Mobile Court willallow players to experience 360ball ona fun and social level, and at the sametime act as a stepping stone to the Pro-Court version. Practice: it was conceived to train andyou can do it everywhere and withoutwalls.

RULES

- Each player will be free to movearound the central disc. - Every team must hit the ball twice. - If it’s a double match, each playermust hit the ball once before it’s theopponent’s turn. - The double hit is mandatory beforeyou throw the ball against the centraldisc.

Although the game in acircle has its origins as aback yard contest betweenbrothers Mark and JohnCollins who used to bouncea ball of a circular woodendisc, it is today hardlyrecognizable from itsoriginal format.

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Gosh, I so feel it today !

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t’s 12.30 p.m. and my mother calls me for lunch. At 4 p.m. there’smy tournament’s match. As usual my meal consists of 100 grams pasta with tomato sauceand 100 grams raw ham without bread.

This is life, we learn and we grow up through sensations, that is to saythe changes of our neurological system caused by the externalenvironment that comes into contact with us through our senses.

The smell of tomatoes gets into my room, I come to the kitchen and theintense and salty taste of ham reminds me, as always, of the upcoming match. It’s 3.30 when I get to the club for my match. I run slowly for 10 minutes around the court to warm up. I feel my heart beating hard because of tension. I concentrate on breathing in order to relax. It’s 4 p.m. and I’m on the court to warm up. I intensely look at the ball to getinto the match, I inhale and exhale in rhythm with the shot. I concentrate onfeeling my footholds on the ground and keeping my center of gravity undercontrol. I have a strange feeling of a slight pain in my elbow, remains of the previousmatch, but I try not to lend weight to it. I listen to the sound of the ball on myopponent’s strings, on my court and on my strings, to improve my timing. I tryto feel the grip of every shot and relax it between each shot in order not totense up. The match begins, I still feel a bit nervous during the first games. I think positive, when I feel like this I am full of energy and after a fewminutes I will relax and I will play very well. My prediction comes true and I clearly win in two sets, playing my best tennis.This is life, we learn and we grow up through sensations, that is to say thechanges of our neurological system caused by the external environment thatcomes into contact with us through our senses. Each one of us elaborates this information in different ways.

by Andrea Guarracino

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Sport champions are able to analyzewithin few seconds an incredibleamount of information coming bothfrom the outside and from their ownbody. The canals through which we receivethis information are: visual, auditory,tactile, olfactory, gustatory, thekinesthetic and balance canal and thecanal of well-being or pain sensations.It is very important to know that eachindividual has its own preferentialhierarchy when using these canals. Bigpainters, for instance, use the visualcanal first, great musicians use theauditory one. Great athletes are almost allkinesthetic, so they mainly learnthrough the sensations that themovements make them feel in theirbodies while they perform the athleticaction.

A great tennis player is able toperfectly feel the perfect stance, thegrip, the unit turn, the shoulders’incline angle, the strings’ patternincline and I could go on and on. A great cyclist can perfectly feel andhandle the heartbeat and breathingand so he can improve the neuro-muscular effort. It is important to know that we are allborn with a particular preference forthe kinesthetic canal, compared to theauditory and visual one, and thatduring the course of life this preferenceis reversed. For instance, currently in Europe 55%of people are preferably visual, 20%auditory and 25% kinesthetic. For ustennis teachers it’s important to knowwhich is our junior players’ preferredchannel through which they elaborate

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information (in this regard I invite allof you to read Umberto Longoni’s book“Questione di testa”) and if you are indoubt you better use all three of them,explaining your junior players whatthey have to do, showing them thecorrect technical action, but above alltrying in all ways to make them feel themost efficient biomechanical action intheir bodies, because, as I’ve alreadysaid, it is through this channel that intennis you will get the most importantinformation. If we will be good teachers one dayalso our junior players, while winninga match playing perfectly, they willexult by saying: “gosh, I so feel the balltoday”.

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Hit a Forehand Winner Like Roger FedererWatching the best in the world is like

watching poetry in motion. They have become maestros at performing plays to perfection.

The Slice backhand set up for the inside in or inside outforehand winner is one of Federer's favorite plays.

If you learn to put it together, you will develop a weapon everyone will fear.

Watch the video

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Preparing for the match

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hat is required in order for a player to bephysically, mentally and tactically ‘ready’ forthe match?

What little tricks can help us achieve top match performance?Here's how a tennis player should get organised. From stretching exercises tofood advice. From facilitating concentration to care of the equipment.Everything a tennis player needs to be perfect right from the first ‘fifteen’.’Preparing for the match’ refers to a series of measures which allow the playerto give his best because he is physically, mentally and tactically ‘ready’ to facethe match. If it is true that matches are won on the court, it is equally true thatthe better the approach to the match, the easier it is for the tennis player’scompetitive performance to be positively affected. 1. Physical preparation. Warming up, stretching. 2. Mental preparation. Relaxation, visualisation, establishing rituals designedto promote concentration. 3. Tactical preparation. Establishing goals, establishing a match strategy, howto leverage the pre-match rally. 4. What to eat. Following clear rules for food and beverage intake. 5. Equipment. Packing of the bag; checking and maintenance of equipment.

Physical preparation. Let’s learn to warm up. On many occasions I have seen players (especiallyamong the very young) starting off a match and losing the first game becausethey are insufficiently ‘warm’ to give their 100% right from the first point.It is absolutely wrong to play down the importance of the first game thinkingthat "the match has only just begun" and considering it almost an extension ofthe warm-up or even a time to calibrate one’s shots.A game given away at the beginning of a match may not seem too important,but it might cost the loss of a set.In some situations (e.g. a match played on a fast surface, mental fragility ofthe opponent) a break in the opening game may prove decisive for the finaloutcome of the match as it may positively or negatively shift its psychologicaland tactical equilibrium.If the organisation of the tournament allows it, the ideal would be to warm upon the court prior to the start of the match.

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Professionals rally before entering thecourt; they play a few points andbasically revisit the game tacticsduring a period that can vary betweena minimum of 30 minutes and amaximum of one hour. Consideringthat the organisation of smallertournaments can hardly afford toreserve a court for training (especiallywhile the first rounds are beingdisputed), it is appropriate to explorealternative warm-up methods. Even 10minutes of jogging are enough.Weather permitting and if the clubwhere the tournament is played has agreen area - or in the absence of spacesavailable, even on the tennis

damaging the sensitivity of the arm-racquet system and the generalmuscular fluidity, fundamentalprerogatives to best expressing one’spotential.Stretching is synonymous withrelaxation, therefore it isrecommended to perform the exercisesin a quiet place, in the club gym oreven better in the shade of a tree. The time of stretching is closelyconnected to the mental preparationfor the match. While stretching, a player mustincrease his concentration and focushis attention on the tactical pace of thematch, revisiting his intentions

Stretching is synonymous with relaxation, therefore it isrecommended to perform the exercises in a quiet place, in the clubgym or even better in the shade of a tree.

courts - 5-10 minutes of joggingfollowed by footwork drills aresufficient to set the body in motion.The more common types of drills are:heel kicks, sidestep slides alternativelyfacing the centre and the outside of thecourt and skipping.If the warp-up is done around theperimeter of the tennis court, afterseveral minutes of continuous jogging,one can alternate a slow run along theshort sides of the court with the abovementioned drills on the two long sides.Don't forget the stretching. Doing some muscle stretchingexercises shortly before the match isvery important. Before an important match, nervoustension is often so high that it istransmitted to our muscles, thuslimiting the ability of movement and

and the goals he aims to achieveduring the match.Stretching exercises must affect all themore important muscular groups usedby the tennis player: muscles of thearms (biceps and triceps muscles), thedeltoid and the articulation of theshoulder, pectoral muscles, muscles ofthe upper and lower back, the glutei,ischiocrural muscles (rear of the leg)the femoral quadriceps (front of theleg) and twin muscles (calves). Everymuscle group must be stimulatedgradually (progressively increasingmuscle elongation until optimumtension is achieved), starting from theupper limbs and ending with the loweror vice versa.

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Many professional players say that 20/30minutes of relaxation before starting the pre-match warm-up are of great benefit for apositive approach to the match.

Mental preparation.How to achieve good relaxation? Manyprofessional players say that 20/30minutes of relaxation before startingthe pre-match warm-up are of greatbenefit for a positive approach to thematch.At this time, self-analysis observationsand self-criticism are best received ifone is physically and mentally calm.This condition can be facilitated bystaying in a secluded place with fewdistracting elements (e.g.: gym, clubgardens, etc.), or in the absence of aquiet corner, one can isolate oneselffrom the outside world by listening toone’s favourite music on an iPod.Professional men and women playersprefer to await the match in a

dedicated space reserved to themnamed "players lounge".This room is particularly valuable inmajor tournaments such as the GrandSlam where all players, be they famousor not, are literally assaulted by fans,enthusiasts and autograph hunters ifthey go outside the reserved areas.Match visualisation. "I would startthinking about an important match thenight before. I would imagine thepoints that I would play the followingday". As we can gather from thesewords of Serena Williams,visualisation is one of the mostimportant aspects of mentalpreparation for the match. Visualisingis useful for building self confidence,focussing one’s attention to the

Tutti sappiamo che il tennis èqualcosa di più che semplicesuperstizione, ma secondome non si dovrebbesottovalutare l’importanza diquesti piccoli rituali che icampioni hanno in comunecon i giocatori delladomenica. Questi comportamentiall’apparenza inutili hanno lacapacità di far sentire bene ilgiocatore aumentandoinconsciamente la sicurezzanei suoi mezzi.

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match, bringing the right level ofnervous excitement, revisiting matchstrategies.Visualisation helps with: 1) Reinforcing match strategy 2) Gaining confidence and sensitivityin one’s shots 3) Focussing on the matchPre-match visualisation is a goodopportunity to revisit the match plan,to strengthen the execution oftechnical moves, select the shots thatone wants to use. For example, if youwant to attack the opponent on thebackhand, imagine yourself hittingfrom the baseline whilst waiting for theright opportunity to attack and close atthe net with a winning volley.The second purpose is to "feel" one’sshots. The tennis player must seehimself hitting the ball fluidly and

effectively, attacking the opponent,executing a serve at the right pace,anticipating the return, etc.The third aim of pre-matchvisualisation is to focus one’s attentionuniquely on the match. When theplayer imagines himself on the tenniscourt while playing the match, he isautomatically focussed on what heneeds to do during the match in orderto win, and in doing so he removesthoughts of other nature.

Rituals that encourageconcentration.A player’s pre-match routine has atleast two purposes: 1) Organising most effectively the timepreceding the beginning of the matchin order to promote concentration.

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2) Removing doubts anduncertainties. A routine approach to the match canbe crucial in ensuring that a player isbest prepared. When a professionalplayer is due to play in a tournamentmatch, his entire day becomes centredon the match as a point of reference. layer and coach together establishtimes for wake-up call, breakfast, finaltraining (with related bookings oftransport from the hotel to the club),lunch, and so on until the player entersthe court. In other words, every singletime of the day is scheduled in such away that the player may arrive at thematch in the most rational and bestpossible frame of mind.A second pattern of behaviour iscertainly less ‘scientific’ but it may beequally important. A tennis athlete is likely to createhabits, patterns of behaviour, repeatactions that have in the past beenassociated with winning performances.We all know that tennis is somethingmore than simple

superstition, but in my opinion oneshould not underestimate theimportance of these small rituals thatchampions have in common withSunday players. These seeminglyuseless behaviours have the ability tomake the player feel well byunconsciously increasing hisconfidence in his resources.

Bjorn BorgBjorn Borg’s superstitions is related toone specific tournament, Wimbledon,the one he won five times in a rowbetween 1976 through 1980. Borgwould always grow a beard for thetournament and wear the same Filashirt.Serena WilliamsWhile Serena is generally aggressiveon court and has one of the mosteffective power games on the women’scircuit, you would think that would beenough for her but it isn’t. Serena’ssuperstitions include bringing hershower sandals to the court, tying hershoelaces a specific way and bouncingthe ball five times before her first serveand twice before her second. The threetime Wimbledon champ will even wearthe same pair of socks during atournament run. She is also believed touse the same shower during a winningstreak.Rafael NadalRafael Nadal borders on obsessivecompulsive behaviour, I’m not evensure this qualifies as a superstition.Rafa is fixated with arranging thewater bottles with the labels facing thesame direction, meticulously arrangedon the floor in front of himMarat SafinRussia’s Marat Safin is said to alwaystravel with an ‘evil eye’ to ward off evilspirits and bad karma. I hope no oneever gets to see his “evil eye” whateverit is.

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The rationale for MentalTraining

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hat it is, what are the components involved,why it is essential to an athlete’sperformance. Above all, it is a key factor for astep improvement in quality.

Not many may have heard about Mental Training.Let us begin by clarifying what are the psychological dimensions involved,which have in common the fact that they are cross-cutting (later on we willlook at what exactly this means): anxiety, aggression, concentration, level ofactivation, and many others, but these are the most commonly recognizable.

Cross-cutting elementsFirst let us have a look at why we have defined them cross-cutting: we couldimagine any situation in our daily life; for convenience, let us assume we are inour car on our way to work.Depending on several factors, we have a certain level of activation while wedrive (we are sleepy or alert, or nervous, etc). Similarly, we can be more or lessconcentrated and traffic conditions can make us more or less anxious or moreor less aggressive towards other drivers.There it is, the same type of reasoning can be applied to any other type ofsituations: which explains why the psychological dimensions involved arecalled cross-cutting: they cut across all situations and all aspects of our lives.This is also the reason why we instinctively think that it is not worth trainingthese psychological dimensions, and automatically assume the belief thatthere is nothing to do because it is a given.

What are we made of?People usually behave more or less the same way, and not much is achieved byurging them to behave differently from the way they are.This is a good point from which we can start describing Mental Training:Sports Psychology (and Psychology in general) assumes that there aredifferent ways to ‘be’ and feel with oneself: few determining factors aregenetically defined; the rest can be changed.

But ‘what’ exactly are we?Many would try to answer by describing either what they believe is theircharacter or their personality: which is correct from a certain point of view.

by Federico Coppini

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But what is character, orpersonality?In order to keep the explanation reallyvery simple, we can reduce the conceptthis: us, all of us are mostly a collectionof patterns.In line with the first example, ifsomeone tries to overtake us from thewrong side, we generally have a certainway to respond; if we are in a hurry, webehave in a given way; if we are goingshopping, in another, and so on. And -someone will identify with this - thereare those who are always driving in ahurry because they are always late, andthose who cannot press on theaccelerator even if their wife is about togive birth.

PatternsMany, small or large patterns help us

face reality and reduce the complexityof the world around us. And each hastheir own: some people handle acertain situation with some patterns,others will use different ones, and onceagain we can return to the carsituation.And why so many different patterns asopposed to a ‘right’ one for everysituation? Because obviously each of usdevelops different patterns for thesame situations: in other words we alldevelop different associations to thevarious situations in our lives.We cannot understand exactly how orwhy. However, we do know withcertainty that some people associatecertain emotions and certainbehaviours with a particular situation,and then repeat them continuouslyeach time that situation occurs until

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It is not by chance that we talk about mental training andnot psychological interventions, so as not to give theillusion (equally widespread as other false belief) that onecan change things as if by taking a medicine it goes awaycompletely. We need to commit, on the court as in thegym.

they convince themselves that this ishow it is done.

Associations, repetition andhabits. Got the trick?Ever since small children, we spendour entire life associating emotionsand behaviours to situations, and wedo not know why, nor does it matter.Most probably, the first time we makean association, this makes sense, but atother times maybe it doesn’t. That iswhy some of our present behavioursmay not be appropriate for what weare doing.Let me be clear: if the first time that Ifeel frustrated I react with anger andthis improves my situation, I willrepeat this next time and maybe thiswill work for some time.

Then perhaps I grow up, and reactingto frustration with anger stops beinguseful, but in the meantime I havedeveloped a habit of reacting this way,and I can’t do otherwise.If I am a tennis player, it could be thatI am unable to manage my matches,always reacting with anger tofrustrations, but what can I do about itif I am convinced that ‘this is the way Iam’.And instead it is just habits: patternsthat are repeated time and time again,patterns that are formed throughassociations.

Association of behaviour +situation = pattern

Repeated situation +repeated patters = habit

Collection of habits = ingrained beliefs.

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We can be different too; but weneed training. We have seen that not everything isgenetically predetermined. Withoutclaiming to be able to change people,or people’s personality, we canreasonably consider changing a fewhabits. Not all, only those that ‘don'twork’ in the competition and do nothelp us feel good nor win. In order to do this, we must firstunderstand what the habits are andreally want to change them, becausethat can be painful, and in most casesit is. A habit takes years to become deeprooted: changing it should notnecessarily take too much time, but itcertainly takes perseverance andcommitment. It is not by chance that we talk aboutmental training and not psychologicalinterventions.

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The state of flow

and the self – overcoming

During the flow, thematch becomes achallenging goal

that rallies all theresources and thetechnical, mental,

muscular andemotional

competenceacquired during

training anddetermines thefocusing of all

energies onoptimizing the

sport performance.

W

hen a tennis player is well trained andthe mental strength is at an optimallevel, there won’t be emotional ormental issues during the match and thechallenge also represents a chance ofself – overcoming.

In fact, during the match, players reach the so calledstate of flow. In general, this is characterized by a close combinationof goals and competences. Such combination determines the best concentrationand focusing possible, without distractions orinterruptions that could disturb the performanceoriented to the desired goal. During the flow, the match becomes a challenging goalthat rallies all the resources and the technical, mental,muscular and emotional competence acquired duringtraining and determines the focusing of all energies onoptimizing the sport performance. As Weineck says: “For top players, the stress of thechallenge and the state of flow caused by it, let theplayer use the body and mind’s hidden stocks,allowing the reaching or the passing of individualperformance limits.”So the flow is a state of absolute concentration on thetask that takes athletes to the self – overcoming. It’sthe magic moment, when the athlete’s global capacitiesexactly correspond to the task’s difficulty and theathlete tends to develop higher abilities depleting allinterior potentialities and energies.During the flow athletes get to outdo themselves. It’s inthat sort of trance that they score passing shots thatthey have never tried before, flying volleys, impossiblesalvages.Very important aspect: during the flow, the activityitself is satisfying and fulfilling.The flow is tightly connected to the enjoyment, to thepleasure of doing what you are doing, so that itsdiscoverer, Csikcszentmihalyi, initially defined it as an

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It’s because they know that, whatever is the final result, so bothif they win or lose, they will leave the court as better players

than before

autotelic experience, which meanssomething that you do just for the sakeof it. In this sense the flow seemsstrongly connected to the intrinsicmotivation.One of the flow’s fundamentalcharacteristics is the total attention tothe task and not to one’s self. In otherwords, you are totally absorbed by thegame and you don’t look at yourselffrom the outside.It’s a state of hyper-concentration, inwhich athletes do what they have todo. Csikcszentmihalyi distinguishesbetween micro flow and macro flow.he micro flow is connected to the dailyexperiences, to the everyday life, thelittle challenges that we face maybeagainst time or against a rival at work

or also while cooking a dish that weparticularly like to cook, whereas themacro flow shows up in morecomplicated situations.Speaking of which, VincenzoSantopadre’s opinion, former DavisCup and now supervisor at theAniene’s Rowing Club, is interesting.“When you are in the flow” saysVincenzo “you’re so concentrated thatyou don’t even realize you’re there,just because you don’t see yourselffrom the outside. On the contrary, yourealize very well when you’re not inthe flow, because everything startsbothering you: the smell of aspectator’s cigar, the laugh ofsomeone walking 100 feet away fromyour court, the chatter of the people

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on the bleachers, the noise of gravelunder a child’s feet while runningaway.” So the flow is hyper-concentration, butalso hyper-awareness and hyper-participation on the court. If you try to ask a top level tennisplayer what happened on 3-3-, 15-0 ina match played one day earlier, theywill perfectly remember everything,because the flow means full immersionin the match. Just because of itsnature, because it’s connected to thechallenge and to the total engagementin it, it’s hard to measure the flow. Tomake up for it, I notice that it creates acertain, positive dependency in someyoung tennis players. What do I mean? I mean that whenathletes try the flow during a match,they can’t wait to be in that samesituation again, so they are dying toplay another match.

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The Wonders OfKinesiology

K

inesiology is a discipline that is of great therapeuticeffectiveness. Since its introduction by Dr. George J.Goodheart over 50 years ago, it has been used in awide variety of disciplines and for variousapplications.

It stands today as one of the most effective ways to improve and preserve thewell-being of each person and athlete. Kinesiology is based on the use of testswhich allows therapists to evaluate the response of the nervous system againstdifferent factors, such as structural, biochemical, emotional and energeticelements. It highlights the existence and possible therapeutic use of specificneurological connections, which are maintained by individual muscles in thebody. Any action or change to these can have effects on the entire body.Kinesiology is therefore a holistic approach to health and well-being, the aimof which is to stimulate the body's natural ability to regenerate. Duringcoaching and training sessions, or during therapy in general, the use ofKinesiology as a tool is very useful. Using kinesiology for muscle testing is amanual procedure which is based on feedback gain. It allows you to check anathlete’s reactions to a range of factors. This test measures the ability of theathlete to control his muscle response.The proper use of tests allows therapists access to aspects of the athlete thatthe athlete himself might not be aware of, but which are negatively affectinghis performance. Each of the tests are described below, and can be used toimprove both the physical and mental wellbeing of the athlete.

1. Water balance This test will determine whether the bioavailability of water in the athlete isadequate. The human body is composed of about two-thirds water, and thebrain of about 90%. Water plays an essential role in many bodily processes,including the elimination of toxins and harmful substances. It is essential inmaintaining the electrical polarity in the membrane of cells throughout thebody. The body needs hydration, and must never be allowed to need for water.

2. Re-balancing for the plight of switching Stress can be amplified if we are not hydrated, and in this case the test andrebalancing described above is essential. In Kinesiology, the term "switching"

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is used to indicate a state ofneurological confusion in which weencounter if we are stressed, such asduring a match or tournament. Thiscondition can be tested and rebalancedto get an immediate resolution.Rub vigorously for about 30 secondsthe two points of Acupuncture Rene 27(below the clavicle and sternum side)and at the same time maintain yourfree hand in contact with the navel.This treatment is also useful as self-management, and will resolve anyconfusion or stress.

3. Re-balancing the flow ofenergy in the MeridianConception Vessel and GovernorVessel The Conception Vessel and Governor

Vessel are associated respectively withthe Brain and Spinal Cord, whichtogether constitute the fundamentalcomponents of the nervous system.The test is intended to verify theabsence of stress while promoting theflow of energy to the brain.

4. Manual stimulation of theenergy flow in the system of theTwelve Meridians This technique is an "energy shower" forthe system that stimulates the flow ofthe meridians, giving energythroughout the body.

5. Muscle rebalancing throughstimulation of the periosteum Theperiosteum is the membrane ofconnective tissue that surrounds thebone.

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Kinesiology is applied in areas of health and fitnessfor all levels of athletes, but more often found withtraining of elite athletes. All too often biomechanicalanalysis focuses on the kinetic energy or theworking numbers in execution of technique.

The technique is based on the shortand vigorous stimulation of the borderarea between tendon and bone. Such a"shock" will make the muscle moretoned and ready for exercise. The areasto be stimulated from time to time willdepend on the muscle in question.

6. Rebalancing spinal massageSheldon C. Deal and John F. Thie, twokinesiologists from the US, developeda technique in the late 1970s thatstimulates the spinal region, which isparticularly beneficial for athletes.

7. Testing and rebalancing of the14 major muscles This test provides the athlete with a

way to rebalance his muscles, whichwill make him feel much moreenergetic. The test is performed on thefollowing muscles: Supraspinatus,Large Round, Pectoralis clavicular,Spine, Subscapularis, Quadricepsfemoris, Tibialis Anterior, Psoas,Gluteus Medius, Small Round, FrontDeltoid, Pectoralis chest pad, MiddleDeltoid and hamstrings. These 14muscles were chosen because they areassociated with the main meridians oftraditional Chinese medicine, as wellas the fact that they are strategic to thebody’s well-being.

8. Improve emotional stress,tissue and posture The RSE in the athlete facilitates the

Test to verify foodreaction This test is usedto determine the specificreaction of an athlete to atype of food. This will fallinto the followingcategories: - Biogenic → when takenmuscles are exhausted - Biocidic → when takenmuscles experience morestress - Biostatic → when taken itdoes not change the resultof the test

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reorganization of bodily resources in acreative manner with respect to astressor (emotional) or to an area ofthe body that is uncomfortable(tissue). Another application of thetechnique is in the presence of posturalstress, or bodily memories maintainedin reference to a traumatic event. The traumatic memory is stimulated ata subconscious level every time theposture is implemented, ensuring thatthe person compensates defensively.

9. Re-balancing mechanism forneurological gait The rebalancing of gait allows you toprevent excessive fatigue during allactivities involving ambulation(walking, running, jumping, etc). It also supports the athlete in case ofcoordination problems.

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Tennis Elbow

It is especially common in people who perform actions wherethere is repetitive twisting of the forearm and/or extension of the elbow and wrist.

Tennis Elbow (Lateral Epicondylitis) isan overuse injury that was originallyobserved in tennis players, but is verycommon in all sports, occupations andhobbies. It is especially common in people whoperform actions where there isrepetitive twisting of the forearmand/or extension of the elbow andwrist. While casual tennis players oftenexperience Tennis Elbow,professionals are more susceptible toGolfer’s Elbow (Medial Epicondylitis).

Why does Tennis Elbow develop?Tennis elbow is a repetitive straininjury of the big extensor muscle groupin the forearm. Tennis Elbow affectsthe long extensor muscles of the wristand fingers at the part of the musclewhich originates in the humerus. Withoveruse, tiny micro-tears develop inthe tendon part of the muscle. Whenthe micro-tears heal, scarring occursthat leads to decreased blood flow andstiffer tissue. This diseased tissue cansometimes give way, rupture, or evensoften.

It can also lead to cystic degeneration.A tighter tendon around the elbow isalso one of the common after-effects.Any activity which requires theparticular muscle to contract or stretchwill result in a very painful elbow.

What causes Tennis Elbow?Overuse usually means doing toomuch, too early, too soon. But in thiscase it can also mean bad techniqueand equipment. The days of slicebackhands, heavy wooden racquets(with grip sizes up to 5 ½) and veryfast all-weather tennis courts are gone.These days, overtraining and the use ofstiffer frames are the major causes oftennis elbow.

What are the symptoms of TennisElbow? Tennis elbow manifests itself throughintense pain in the upper part of theforearm during physical activity suchas tennis. Maximum tenderness isusually experienced on the outsideprominence (lateral epicondyle) of theelbow.

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The pain is aggravated when the wristis extended or turned upwards(supination) against resistance.

Prevention is better than cureKeep the arm flexible: Older playersespecially need to stretch and tonetheir upper arm and forearm musclesregularly. Right technique and training: It isessential that the right basic shottechniques are learned from an earlyage. Changes in intensity of training andnumber of matches played should bemade gradually. In younger players,where growth plates are still open,special care must be taken with regardto their training schedule. Right equipment: More flexible andforgiving racquets with shockabsorbers are essential. Grip size, aforgiving frame and relatively loosestrings are also important. Be wary ofstiff, light frames.

Cure 1) Rest and reduce activity until painsubsides (3-4 weeks). 2) Correct biomechanics: Stretchingand strengthening exercises. 3) Correct racquet, grip, strings andtechnique are all essential. 4) Counterforce braces can be used todissipate force away from the affectedtendon. 5) Local cortisone injections canfacilitate revascularization of thediseased tendon. 6) Platelet enriched plasma injectionsare available in South Africa and thelatest studies show better results thancortisone infiltration.

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