So much for all the strategy. PETE SAMPRAS went down on the clay in Rome yesterday. He was sent packing, eliminated from the first round of the Italian Open by FELIX MANTILLA 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-3. It was an inauspicious result for PETE’S new coach JOSE HIGUERAS who was supposed to pump up PETE’S game on the slower clay surface. SAMPRAS has won each of the grand slam tournaments, except for the upcoming French Open.

PETE SAMPRAS has taken his tennis career farther than even he could have imagined. He has amassed more than $42 million in winnings alone, nearly double the next best winners, BORIS BECKER and ANDRE AGASSI both around $25 million. He’s got 63 titles under his belt, 13 of them grand slams, a record. He sat atop the game as number 1 for 286 weeks, more than anyone else in history did. In 1997 he was voted the best player in the last 25 years by an elite group of ex-players and coaches to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the ATP. He was awarded ATP player of the year from 1993-1998. He has been dominant at Wimbleton, winning in 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000. There is only one glaring absence in his illustrious career, and that is a French Open title, the one grand slam played on the slower, clay courts.

So it is interesting that PETE hired JOSE HIGUERAS as his coach this season. HIGUERAS reached the semifinals at Roland Garros, (the stadium in Paris where the French Open is played), in 1982 and 1983. The Spanish have a particular affinity for the clay courts, as most of them cut their teeth on this surface in their home country. HIGUERAS also coached JIM COURIER to consecutive French Open championships in 1991 and 1992.

PETE downplayed the move to the new coach, recently at the Pacific Life Open in Palm Springs. "Working with JOSE was not just a decision for the clay. He has a lot of experience on it, and he has coached a lot of players that have done well." But PETE would have us believe that he hired HIGUERAS because he lives close to SAMPRAS’ residence in Los Angeles. HIGUERAS resides in Palm Springs.

SAMPRAS is aware that he hasn’t won a major in some time. His last great triumph was at Wimbleton in 2000. He was runner up to LLEYTON HEWITT at last year’s U.S Open. He’s also quite aware that at the age of 31 he has to raise the level of his game to compete with the younger and ever stronger players rising on the tour. And while he didn’t divulge the strategy, he did confirm that JOSE HIGUERAS would accompany him to Rome, where this week the Italian Open is being played on clay, and then on to Hamburg before the French Open begins on May 27th. "We’re going to spend some time on the clay, give it a good push. It’s interesting to hear his (HIGUERAS’) philosophy on how I should play on the clay."

PETE said it was time he had a coach who wasn’t his friend. "I needed to feel a little more uncomfortable out there." He is confident as well as settled, "there’s no doubt in my mind, I’ve never been insecure about my tennis. I’ve got the game." Yet it seems clear he would love to add the French to his list of accomplishments. As PETE says, "we’ll see what happens with that."

Yes we will, and isn’t it just the best to see an athlete who has done so much, with still so far to go? Bring it on!

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WOMEN’S FED CUP DISASTER
4.29.02

Billie Jean King

The American Women had won 17 Fed Cup titles, and with a team consisting of JENNIFER64 CAPRIATI, MONICA SELES, and doubles players LISA RAYMOND and MONICA SELES, it looked like another good year for the U.S. women. But captain BILLIE JEAN KING threw a wrench into the plan, as she dumped JENNIFER CAPRIATI from the team Friday, just before play was to begin. It seems KING had a rule about no private practice sessions, which CAPRIATI intended to violate last week before the start of the weekend’s matches. For this, CAPRIATI was relieved of her duties on the team, and replaced by MEGAN SHAUGHNESSY.

KING was quoted as saying: "The Fed Cup competition is comprised of team play, and our team’s rules to all players to insure a team concept." CAPRIATI was understandably upset, "On my own time, following this(Friday’s) morning practice session, I decided that I wanted additional practice in advance of tomorrow’s match. Looking beyond this weekend’s Fed Cup matches, I am also preparing for some very important tournaments, including the defense of my title at the French Open." KING and CAPRIATI apparently couldn’t come together to find a solution less harsh than eliminating the star player from the competition. CAPRIATI refused to speak with KING after the dismissal, and KING said she couldn’t envision JENNIFER playing on the team again, as long as she was captain. CAPRIATI led the US team to victory 2 years ago (they withdrew last year in the finals at Madrid after the events of September 11th), and has been an enthusiastic participant in the event, playing on 4 Fed Cup teams.

The funny thing is that CAPRIATI never actually had the extra practice session. She was let go for arguing the rule, before she had even violated it. The intent of the rule was really to bar JENNIFEER’S father, and coach, STEPHANO, from attending practice sessions and having an influence, at least during this brief week of Fed Cup play. But the effect amounted to a weeklong running feud between KING and the CAPRIATI entourage, which blew up Friday, prior to the scheduled extra practice session.

As a result, the U.S. had to sacrifice the Saturday singles match scheduled between CAPRIATI and Austrian EVELYN FAUTH, no doubt a sure win for the United States, as CAPRIATI is the #2 player in the world, and FAUTH is ranked somewhere around 150. That left the team with an difficult handicap in the best of 5 series, and when MONICA SELES was upset Saturday by the #75 player in the world, BARBARA SCHWARTZ, their fate was sealed. SCHARTZ went on to defeat CAPRIATI’S replacement MEGAN SHAUGHNESSY giving Austria the unexpected win over the United States, and leaving the USA out of the competition in the first round, for only the second time in their history.

The Fed Cup has been played since 1963, and the World Group consists of 16 nations, with the four quarterfinal matches to be played on 20-21 July, and the semifinals and final to be held in November. Belgium, Slovakia, Croatia, Italy, Germany, France and Spain advanced with Austria to the quarterfinals.

We’ll see if the extra practice (which we hope JENNIFER gets) will benefit CAPRIATI at the French Open, set to begin on May 27th.

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VENUS WILLIAMS ON A ROLL
4.15.02

JUSTIN HENIN couldn’t close out the match, no doubt because of fatigue from having played 3 matches within 24 hours. She got to the finals by outlasting a depleted JELENA DOKIC in the semi-finals who retired, down in the second set. HENIN, played VENUS WILLIAMS in the final and VENUS didn’t have the scheduling problems HENIN suffered under, since her quarter-final match was completed before the rains came. And so WILLIAMS had energy reserves to spare, as she came back from 6-2, 5-4 deficit to win in a third set tiebreaker 2-6, 7-5, 7-6(5). HENIN was even up 5-3 in the third set but couldn’t finish WILLIAMS off. The players are jockeying for rankings and momentum in preparation for the next Grand Slam event, THE FRENCH OPEN at the end of May.

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THE TENNIS CIRCUIT
4.12.02

JELENA DOKIC continues her strong showing on the circuit, beating MARY PIERCE to get into the quarterfinals of the Bausch & Lomb Championships in Amelia Island, Florida, 6-2, 6-0. DOKIC is coming off a sweep of the singles and doubles last week in Sarasota, where PIERCE began her comeback attempt. The runner-up last week in Sarasota, ANASTASIA MYSKINA gave an impressive performance only to lose to favorite VENUS WILLIAMS 6-4, 7-6(5). WILLIAMS meets PALOA SUAREZ while DOKIC next plays EMMANUEL GAGLIARDI. Other remaining players of note in the tournament are AMELIE MAURESMO, JUSTIN HENIN and ELENA DIMENTIEVA.

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NEWS FROM THE TENNIS CIRCUIT
4.8.02

JELENA DOKIC, the top seed at the Sarasota Open completed a great week where she came through to win both the singles and the doubles events. DOKIC beat TATYANA PANOVA 6-2, 6-2 to win the singles, and joined with ELENA LIKHOVTSEVA inn beating CONCHITA MARTINEZ and ELS CALLENS 6-7, 6-3, 6-3 to win the doubles. The tournament marked the return of MARY PIERCE, playing before her hometown fans for the first time in her career.

PIERCE, who is a 2-time grand slam champion, having won the 1995 Australian Open and the 2000 French Open, has spent the last couple of years hampered by tendinitis and inflammation in her back. She got to the second round of this tournament, only to be defeated by 20-year old Russian ANASTACIA MYSKINA, 6-4, 3-6. MYSKINA was coached as a girl by MARAT SAFIN’S mother, and improved her world ranking to 33 with the victory, despite losing to MEGAN SHAUGHNESSY in the 3rd round.

On the men’s side, PETE SAMPRAS lost his grass court match to ALEX CORRETJA, but the men went on to defeat Spain on the strength of ANDY RODDICK’S singles play and the doubles win by TODD MARTIN and JAMES BLAKE. Spain was without the services of CARLOS MOYA and JUAN CARLOS FERRERO, who captain PATRICK McENROE thought might have played had the match been in Spain.

The US will play France, who defeated the Czech Republic in one semi-final to be played in September in France. The other semis include Argentina and Russia.

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HANTUCHOVA and HEWITT DO IT IN THE DESERT
3.17.02

The women’s tennis circuit has a new name to watch, and it is DANIELA HANTUCHOVA, a nearly 6 foot 18-year old Russian who easily dispatched MARTINA HINGIS in the final of the PRO LIFE OPEN in Indian Wells on Saturday night. The win moved her up to a number 17 WTA ranking, and oddly enough, despite losing, MARTINA HINGIS also bettered her ranking to number 3.
On the men’s side, number 1 LLEYTON HEWITT won in an even easier match against Brit TIM HENMAN.

TENNIS, EVERYONE?
3.12.02

The stars of the men’s and women’s tennis circuit
are on display for two weeks in the PACIFIC LIFE OPEN in Indian Wells. The woman’s bracket started on March 6 and the men’s bracket got underway on March 11, with the finals of both taking place this weekend. If you’ve never been to a tennis tournament, you really are missing out on a sports and celebrity spectacular!



Unlike the major sporting events, like basketball, baseball or football, a fan at a tennis event is not anchored to a seat far from the action. You can roam a large grounds where tennis action is taking place on at least 5 courts, some of which offer a real up close and personal view of the world’s best tennis players. Many of the pros take part in autograph sessions or other demonstrations at the carnival-like booths set up by sponsors and others on the fringe of the courts.

Anna Smashnova and Elena Dimentieva

There is no shortage of OVAS remaining in the field. At press time for this story ANNA SMASHNOVA (Is that the definitive tennis name or what?) TATIANA PANOVA, DAJA BEDANOVA, IRODA TULYAGANOVA, and a breakthrough player DANIELA HANTUCHOVA all remained in play. HANTUCHOVA, a player MONICA SELES predicts will win a grand slam someday soon, eliminated the number 3 seed JUSTIN HENIN, who went to the finals of WIMBLETON last season, only to lose to VENUS WILLIAMS, HENIN was one of 2 Belgian players, along with friend KIM CLIJSTERS to come into this tournament in the top 10. CLIJSTERS, suffering from an arm injury, came in as the number 1 seed. She had a bye in the first round, and lost her first match to NATHALIE DECHY, a powerful young French woman who has had success in this tournament.

Kim Clijsters	Nathalie Dechy

The real beauty of a tennis tournament is the access a fan has to the stars. Not only do you get to view the matches, many of which occur on courts without 7500 seats surrounding the action. But there is also the practice time, which each player takes advantage of, in full and close-up view of the fans. It really is a tennis circus, with many more than 3 rings. Perhaps the most fun is buying an oversized PENN tennis ball and run around the grounds filling it up with autographs. The players are more than willing to "give back" to the fans, which is certainly refreshing. The first thing MONICA SELES does after winning a match is to get her Sharpie out of her bag in preparation for the screaming hordes of kids waiting at the tunnel. It’s celebrity at its best, indeed.

On the men’s side, the fans have a real treat. Both ANDRE AGASSI and PETE SAMPRAS are playing. While they are not the top ranked players on the tour, they are the big tennis story, with both men rewriting tennis history in their elder years( They are all of 31 years old!). AGASSI, with 7 grand slam titles, didn’t play in the AUSTRAILIAN OPEN this year because of a wrist injury, but he is quickly getting back into playing shape, winning his 50th career tournament Sunday in Scottsdale, placing him 7th on the list of most prolific winning men’s players. SAMPRAS, with 13 grand slam titles, is 4th on that list with 63 career tournament wins. (JIMMY CONNORS tops that list with 109 wins, IVAN LENDL is second with 94 and JOHN McENROE is third with 77.) Both players are trying to fend off father time and players like MARAT SAFIN and LLEYTON HEWITT. The men’s bracket has an impressive roster of players including GORAN IVANISEVIC, MARCELO RIOS, TODD MARTIN, GREG RUSDESKI, ANDRE MEDVEDEV, JUAN CARLOS FERRERO, JAN MICHAEL GAMBIL and YEVGENY KAFELINIKOV among others.

Men's number 1 player Lleyton Hewitt.

A relaxed Pete Sampras and Marat Safin speak with the press before the start of men's action

The tournament is being televised by ESPN and runs through Sunday. Don’t miss it!

Amanda Coetzer on the practice court.	Hingis under the watchful eye of coach and mother Melanie Molitor.	Dechy, after her upset of Clijsters.
Henin talks to the press.	The pairings.	Kim Clijsters after her defeat .
Martina Navratilova and Natasha Zvereva were outsted in 1st round.	Pete warms up while fans watch intently.	Seles chats with former NYC mayor David Dinkins.
Anna Smashnova , with the jagged cliffs of La Quinta in the backround.	14 year-old Maria Sharapova, the next Kournakova?	Hingis stiking a winner, as viewed from the upper deck.

bill@manmademultimedia.com

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