Tennis and All That

I want to dedicate this post to the fantastic Czech Fed Cup team who are the champions by beating USA in the finals 3-0 in Prague. I’m so proud of your achievement and your amazing Fed Cup record of six titles in eight years! Brilliant team work! I’m still smiling about it. What a lovely way to end the year! It’s also a great year to win it as we are celebrating 100 years of independence from Austro-Hungarian oppression and, co-incidentally, today also marks 100 years to the day when TG Masaryk became the first president of independent Czechoslovakia.

The US Open Women’s Final cast an uncomfortable shadow across not only the last Grand Slam of the year but also the rest of the year. It was great that Serena Williams received Comeback Player of the Year Award which she richly deserved for her incredible rise up the rankings and on reaching the finals in two Grand Slams back to back. This still does not compensate for the dreadful treatment she received at the hands of Ramos who was not the only out of control umpire during the US Open. Umpires are there to ensure that the match goes smoothly for the players and that all their needs are met. It’s their responsibility to make sure the players know what’s going on and what the score is. The spectators also expect to be told the score and if anything out of the ordinary is happening eg a trainer is being called on court and for whom. A match is stressful for the players so the umpire should create a pleasant environment for both players and spectators. They are not some authoritarian fi...

Yesterday, the ITF’s facebook page announced their support 1 for the umpire, Carlos Ramos and the decisions he took during the Women’s Final to give Serena Williams code violations. My comment today on their post was: “No, his decisions were not in accordance with the wording or definitions of the Grand Slam Rulebook 2018, see page 44 under 'Coaches and Coaching'. Serena did not "receive" the coaching nor was there "communications...between" her and her coach. Both Serena (during and post match) and her coach (interview with Pam Shriver) have made that clear, she didn't see him do it. It also says this "may be construed as coaching" - crucial word being may not must! Nowhere does it say you penalise a player for their coach's gesturing etc during a match. Coaching during warm-up or match is not listed as 1 of the 5 things a player is responsible for their coach doing. So it is wrong to penalise Serena for something she did not do or...

Just as I thought that controversies were over at the US Open and we can focus on the game we have the greatest controversy of all. The women’s final was not just controversial it was unfair. Inbuilt into the philosophy of sport is fairness.  For video clips and a timeline of the controversial events during the women’s final, see:   https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tennis/2018/09/08/serena-williams-vs-naomi-osaka-us-open-2018-final-live-score/ First code violation – warning for coaching: Serena is 1-0 up in the second set against Osaka when she is given a coaching violation by the umpire, Carlos Ramos. Serena defends herself, which she has every right to do since she is a sportswoman with integrity. Her reputation is now being called into question by giving her this warning through no fault of her own. Should Ramos have given Serena a warning for coaching? The warning is based on Mouratoglou’s hand signals while sitting in the stands. The rules are vague but do state...

No Grand Slam would be one without some controversy. We’ve scarcely started the US Open and already a player has received a code violation. We were all shocked to see a…….sports bra! Not a lingerie bra but a black, non-see-through full sports bra. Alize Cornet, simply slipped off her top to turn it the right way round but the male umpire jumped on her and gave her a code violation. What did you want her to do? She’s a top athlete she doesn’t want photos beamed around the world with her top on the wrong way round. Journalists would have a field day! If she demurely leaves the court like a heroine in a Jane Austen novel she receives a time violation. Alize can’t win. Besides, one of the big topics often commented on is the bathroom breaks. Apparently, these are unnecessary and merely strategic rather than because the players are looking after their health by doing the right thing and drinking to stay hydrated otherwise they can become seriously ill. This is especially true when there a...

I was shocked and outraged to read today 1 that the powers that be at the French Open (Roland Garros) wish to impose a dress code. Why? Simply because, it would seem, that Serena’s catsuit, which was a compression outfit known to be effective against blood clots, was going too far. That sounds as if Serena was deliberately being difficult, rebellious, and somehow lacking respect for her sport rather like a teenager flouting school rules. Dress code? Schools have dress codes. Tennis players are adult, elite athletes who often wear their sponsors' latest fashion designs. Some, including Serena and Venus, are fashion designers in their own right so certainly know how to dress well and for the occasion. Many players combine running a business alongside their tennis careers. For instance, Sharapova encourages and mentors women into business and being entrepreneurs. These players are often multi-millionaires with a great deal of power who can do much to improve the lives of women. In ...

Halep won Montreal, Rogers Cup so congratulations to her. She has certainly settled into the coveted number 1 spot with a strong lead over the number 2 player, Wozniacki.   Both players have won a Grand Slam but what of those who haven’t? All tennis players want to be number 1 in the world which is why it surprises me that they don’t enjoy the same privileges as those who win Grand Slams. Maybe one day this will change because it is a fantastic achievement and should be celebrated accordingly! Last week presented us with an agonizing example of how easily players can become injured and how this impacts on their ranking/career. Buzarnescu, after many years of struggling with injuries, finally made it to a well-deserved number 20 in the world. She was on the up. The week before she won her first title! All that changed last week during her match with Svitolina. Running impressively for a backhand, her ankle went and she was left screaming in agony. Not something spectators wish ...

Montreal, Roger’s Cup is in full swing and it started me thinking. Just as mothers should be able to return to their world ranking pre-pregnancy, should it not also be the case that those returning from injury or illness be given the same courtesy? This week sees both Azarenka (95) and Kuznetsova (87) return to the top 100 and Safarova up one place (58). Serena was unable to play in Montreal due to issues related to giving birth last September. This is understandable. I think Serena has had a great come-back. Most players would be delighted with reaching the 4 th round at Roland Garros and being a finalist at Wimbledon! Kvitova certainly would! She is frustrated that Grand Slams are not going well for her. Maybe I shouldn’t bother playing them, she mused in a post-match interview. Hopefully, she will continue to play them and win but it shows how tough they can be for a player. This is despite Kvitova having had an excellent winning season. Again, as a result of sustaining seriou...

To my mind, the conditions favoured Kerber by playing into her strengths and she exploited them which is part of the game of tennis. I think Kerber’s tactics were quite similar to her tactics against Osaka and Ostapenko, with a few alterations. So I think it somewhat helped her that she had played players in previous rounds who have a similar game to Serena. Whereas Serena hadn’t played a player sufficiently similar to Kerber so needed to adjust more to her style than Kerber did to hers. So how did Kerber beat Serena in the final? -           One common tactic players use generally, but especially with Ostapenko and Serena, is getting them on the run. They feel it’s vitally important against them because they hit the ball particularly hard and have a weightier shot that is more strenuous to return. By getting them on the run, they hope to take the sting out of their shots to make it easier to stay in the rally and find an opening to hit ...

Serena has played amazingly well to reach the second week in both Grand Slams (Roland Garros and The Championships). This is despite having continuing health issues which make wearing compression clothing necessary. She is an inspiration. I’m not sure I’d be that brave. I’d be moping around and feeling sorry for myself! Serena, however, takes it in her stride and stays positive.   Nevertheless, conditions made it hard for Serena to have a fair chance at winning Wimbledon. Despite lovely weather, centre court was covered all day until the close of the men’s semi-final. Given there was only around 20 minutes between that match and the women’s final, there was not enough time for the courts to dry out. The grass was clearly damp enough to be slippery in places throughout the men’s semi-final on Saturday because Nadal skidded and almost fell a couple of points before he lost the match. Even the butterflies were enjoying the damp grass during his match! Apparently there are no set ...

This year, the women’s final was hit by scheduling chaos. Unlike in previous years, it was not due to the weather but instead the men’s semi-finals over-running. The previous day, Anderson eventually beat Isner 26-24 in the 5 th set after 6hrs 36mins. The final set took nearly 3hrs to complete. I agree with Anderson that a 5 th set tie-break should be introduced at Wimbledon. He mentioned that playing a match for that long means you don’t feel very well as a result. I think it cannot be healthy to play a match for that long or longer. Tennis is one of the most demanding sports because, unlike most other sports, it requires both aerobic and anaerobic exercise, bursts of strength as well as stamina. Generally, men are more suited to quicker bursts of strength than endurance and stamina so I don’t see the scientific sense in making them play for so long, potentially risking their long-term health. The glorification of the 5 set format for men is too often seen as a macho badge of hono...