Davenport gets award from March of Dimes

Lindsay Davenport received the 2007 Sportswoman of the Year award from the March of Dimes last week, in recognition of her many accomplishments and her philanthropic activities.

It always disappoints me when someone like Davenport, who professes to be an animal lover and who has adopted several dogs, accepts money and awards from major animal abusers. First she did the milk ad; the milk industry is not only responsible for abusing millions of animals--it also supplies heavy doses of toxins to the humans who drink its product.

Now it is the March of Dimes, known by many of us as the March of Crimes, so extensive is the organization's abuse of animals, including dogs.

Davenport has yet to issue a word of protest against China's mass dog (including pet dog) slaughter as a way of "preparing" for the Olympics. In all fairness, no other athlete has protested, either (to my knowledge, and to my great disappointment), and the mainstream media has gone out of its way to hide the slaughter from the public.

Fans admire Lindsay Davenport for having both high principles and a spine. I wish she would take a closer look at where her money and awards are coming from.

China adds cat slaughter to its Olympics "preparation"

Not content just to kill stray dogs and to slaughter pet dogs in front of their families, or to siphon water from poor farmers, the Chinese government has now added cat slaughter to its list of Olympic "preparation" activities. Using 12th Century logic, China has frightened its citizens into sending their "diseased" cats to their deaths.

And still, not one country, not one athlete, has made a decision to boycott the event.

Some final thoughts on Charleston

2022 champion Belinda Bencic (photo by Daniel Ward)

The 2022 Credit One Charleston Open was special for several reasons: It was the first time since 2019 that fans (and media) were permitted to attend, it was the first year of Credit One's sponsorship, it was the tournament's delayed 50th anniversary celebration, and it was the unveiling of the new Credit One Stadium. 

The new stadium has so many enhanced features--additional seating, more bathrooms, better lighting, a new shade canopy, a new players' lounge, and a new media center. The already-lovely landscaping around the stadium has also been enhanced.

2022 champions Andreja Klepac & Magda Linette (photo by Daniel Ward)

Several past champions--including Charleston's first champion, Rosie Casala--were on hand to help celebrate, and the beautiful Althea Gibson Club Court was re-dedicated to the memory of Althea Gibson.

past champions Rosie Casals, Tracy Austin, Arantxa Sanchez (photo by Daniel Ward)

There's nothing quite like the Charleston Open. The palm trees, water views and irises....the beautiful club court....the good-humored, tennis-savvy crowd....the unpredictable weather--it's an event unlike any other.

photo by Diane Elayne Dees

Last year, I covered the tournament virtually, and that, too, was a laid-back, pleasant experience. This year, I experienced the new media center, which was comfortable and well-furnished, with plenty of space for interviews and press conferences. I have to confess, though, that I miss the old "media tent," the temporary building which used to shake during thunderstorms, and from which we were once evacuated (while wearing garbage bags) during a hail storm. I will always miss it; I can't help it. For years, we sat in there, hearing the sometimes-violent weather, and waiting for the players to arrive in golf carts for their press conferences and interviews.

I also really miss the coffee bar, where I used to pick up various hot drinks--what happened to it? Of course, for many years, I've missed the veggie hot dogs that used to be sold in the stadium. 

Magda Linette (photo by Daniel Ward)

There was a lot going on this past week, so the exploits of one particular player may have been lost in the flood of news stories and interviews that were made public. That player was Magda Linette, who probably had the most unusual--and stressful--experience of anyone in the field--and she walked away with a trophy.

On Tuesday, Linette defeated Katie Volynets in a three-set match in the first round. She then played her second round match against Leylah Fernandez, but it began to rain, so that match resumed on Thursday. It, too, went to three sets and ended in a tiebreak, which lasted 17 minutes. During that time, Fernandez saved six match points before Linette won on her seventh match point.

Later that day, Linette defeated Kaia Kanepi in another three-set match. On Thursday, Ekaterina Alexandrova defeated her 6-0, 6-2 in the quarterfinals. After the match, Alexandrova said: "...I also knew that she played yesterday like two three-set matches, and I think she finished like super late, and for her it would be extremely tough to play today. I knew that, but still, I was trying to play every single point, because I know, like you don't know when, but she can start to play like just amazingly and it will be super tough."

But that's not all! The same day that Linette played both Fernandez and Kanepi, she and her partner, Andreja Klepac also played their first round doubles match, defeating Alicija Rosolska and Erin Routliffe (and yes, there was a super tiebreak). 

If there were a trophy awarded for stamina and resiliance, Magda Linette would be holding it. Instead, she's holding the doubles championship trophy, and that feels like a happy ending.

It was great to attend the Credit One Charleston Open in person again, to see all of lovely enhancements and additions, and to enjoy the presence of a number of past champions. I learned a lot about the creation of Alize Cornet's book, and about Jelena Jankovic's new life as a mom. The players, as always, were open, insightful, and often very funny. For them, the Charleston tournament is a place where they can relax a bit and get the kind of personal attention that keeps them coming back.

all photos by Diane Elayne Dees

"Yes, we have no bananas!"--Jankovic joins in chorus with Sharapova

I believe, at the end of the day, personally, my life is not about a banana.

So said Maria Sharapova, after she won the 2006 U.S. Open and had to contend with questions from the sports media about whether she had received illegal coaching from her father/coach, Yuri Sharapov, who signaled her to eat a banana during her final match against Justine Henin.

"I'm sitting here as a U.S. Open champion, and the last thing I think people need to worry about is a banana," Sharapova responded to reporters.

We may have thought we had heard the last about illegal bananas, but now it is Jelena Jankovic with a banana problem. Like she needed another problem. When Jankovic emerged from her flight to Melbourne and police dogs took a sniff of her bags, the police immediately zeroed in on her racquet bag, which, they said, seemed to contain an illegal edible. Jankovic denied the presence of food in the bag, but a search resulted in the discovery of a very old, black, rotten banana. Jankovic was issued a warning and went on her way.

What next? Kuznetsova caught with a banana nut muffin? Chakvetadze censored for consuming a banana Moon Pie?

Note to Bethanie Mattek: Skip the Carmen Miranda outfit...

Family Circle Cup, day 4--in and around the grounds

We do a bit of marketing of our own

The Pet Helpers Thursday dog

Sabine Lisicki watches Elena Vesnina from the players' lounge

There was a lot going on at the Cup today. Dominka Cibulkova's postponed autograph session was held, and there was also an autograph session with Sabine Lisicki. A group of Special Olympics kids provided an exhibition, and--as always--Pet Helpers had a very cute canine available for adoption.

There have been a few new musical selections added to the stadium playlist this year. One of them is "Before He Cheats," but no one thought to play it for Mashona Washington.

I'm not that pleased with the food. Two years ago, the falafel disappeared. Last year, the veggie gyros disappeared, though you can still get one if you're willing to pay for the meat you didn't buy. And worst of all--this year, the vegetarian hot dogs disappeared.

Chauvinism is alive and well. Because I was cheering for Marion Bartoli in her match against Melanie Oudin, the people behind me in the stands wanted to know which Bartoli family member I was.

I got to watch part of the Petrova-Czink match from the media table. Apparently, the media didn't care enough about Nadia and Melinda to show up, so I spent some time with one of the tournament nurses in one of the best seats in the house. We were both cheering for Nadia, however, so the outcome of the match took some of the fun out of the experience.

Tennis outfit of the day: Venus Williams' hot pink, blue and aqua ELEVEN dress.

Seles to play in Family Circle Cup exhibition

Monica Seles will join Anna Kournikova, Jim Courier and John McEnroe in an exhibition match to be held Saturday, April 17 at the Family Circle Cup. Saturday's event, Game, Set, Rock! Tennis. Amplified., will feature the exhibition, plus a performance by the Blue Dogs, a Charleston band. The special event celebrates the tournament's tenth year in Charleston.

Move over, Nicole Kidman

Moment of victory for @BNPParibasOpen champ @Simona_Halep! http://t.co/1mtURDgk88 #WTA #tennis pic.twitter.com/zxsGkfDKng
— WTA (@WTA) March 22, 2015

Simona Halep is the new Queen of the Desert. Her coronation, however, was a shaky, exhausting affair. Halep won the 2015 BNP Paribas Open title by defeating Jelena Jankovic 2-6, 7-5, 6-4. It's the 3rd seed's biggest title ever, but she won it by playing some of her most uninspiring tennis. Her victory, however, puts her in the number 1 spot on the Road To Singapore.

Halep looked sluggish and flummoxed by Jankovic in the first set, when the 18th seed was forcing her to go for shots that resulted in repeated errors. Jankovic took that set with ease, all the time hitting a barrage of beautiful overheads that gained her point after point. In the second set, Jankovic was up a break on three different occasions, and served for the match at 5-4.

But Halep wouldn't let go, and won the set 7-5. By this time, Jankovic had resorted to the version of herself that mutters and complains and nitpicks at whatever is handy. The final set began with steady play from both opponents, but then turned into a series of service breaks. Halep finally held for 5-3, but was broken--not at all surprisingly--when she served for the match. But she broke back for the victory when Jankovic collapsed, double-faulting on match point.

It was a final and JJ was in it, so of course, there was so much more going on. Chip Brooks was the Serb's coach for the match, and their conversations were something to cringe over. Halep had to take a medical timeout because of a problem with her foot. The chair umpire got mixed up and called a double fault after a first serve. Halep's coach refused to go through with his interview with Pam Shriver when he discovered that--oh my goodness!--there was a microphone involved.

Not many things went right, as Jankovician chaos reigned over the proceedings. However, I should also point out that Jankovician cheer reigned over the trophy ceremony, as JJ explained that she and Simona were "running like dogs," and that she was grateful to the physios for doing her hair.

Of course, the twists and turns started before the match even began, with world number 1 Serena Williams having to withdraw from her semifinal against Halep. Williams, who had not played in Indian Wells in 14 years, was forced to withdraw because of a right knee injury. The top seed herself made the announcement to the crowd at the conclusion of the Jankovic-Lisicki semifinal.

Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza, playing together for the first time, won the doubles title. Hingis and the Forehand of Fire upset 2nd seeds Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina 6-3, 6-4. The champions didn't drop a set throughout their stay in Indian Wells. The pairing of Hingis and Mirza had the look of success before they even took to the court, and with a start like this, one can only imagine what's next for them.

The news about Serena dominated, but there was other big news: Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci announced that they have split. We should probably never be shocked by the dissolution of any doubles team, but it was hard not to be stunned by this announcement. Errani and Vinci comprise the number 1 doubles team in the world, and they've ended the past three years with that ranking. In their official statement, the Italians--who are also best friends--had this to say: 

"We invested lots of energy, both mental and physical, to achieve our goals, which we are very proud of, therefore we now feel the need to rest and catch our breath.

"It's our common purpose to start new individual career paths and set brand new goals to try to reach, also for you to enjoy and take pride in."

French Open--what they said

Now when I play someone that hits a lot of slices or a lot of high balls, it doesn't really bother me. You know, it doesn't affect me as it did, you know, many years ago, because, you know, I knew physically I couldn't be out on the court, you know, I couldn't last quite that long as I feel that I can now. So just try to go for a little bit more than I should have. You know, I've learned and I've worked on that, and I certainly feel like I'm, you know, more patient out there when I face those opponents on clay.

Maria Sharapova

And your thinking on Fed Cup? Is that a matter of scheduling? Do you feel that you have any responsibility to the country in terms of getting into the championships? What are your thoughts on that?
Well, my only responsibility is my two dogs. So I have to make sure they're okay and that I can afford to take care of them. That's the only real responsibility I have.

Serena Williams

Dirty clothes. How much laundry do you generate and do you submit?
That's a crazy question. I don't know how much, but a lot. Every day. Every day.
We're talking several shirts. You guys are changing shirts with practice and that sort of thing?
Three or four shirts a day. Well, you know everything about my life, actually. That was quite personal.

Justine Henin

I think there are different ways of showing your will to fight. I mean, there's you know, I've played some opponents where they've said, "Come on!" after every single point they've won and pump their fist. Deep down inside I know they're not really great fighters, and I know that mentally I'm much stronger than them.

Maria Sharapova

Obviously you must be very disappointed. How does it feel to lose your title here?
I have it from last year. I mean, it was very hard, anyway, to defend with tennis I have been playing this season.

Svetlana Kuznetsova

I have absolutely no animosity whatsoever against Aravane, and I'm delighted she won Madrid. The further she goes, the happier I am.

Marion Bartoli

Justine said that the match you played in Australia seems very distant to her, very far away. Obviously she retired and came back since then. A lot has happened to you, as well. You've had some involuntary time off. Does it also seem distant to you, that whole Australian Open run?
Actually feels like we never left, or it was just yesterday.

Maria Sharapova

So it's gonna be back to reality?
I may be wearing all the same boring underclothes as the other people.

Venus Williams

Henin's point of view is not mine, either

After Atalanta has a good post on Justine Henin's recent statement that "Politics and sport must remain separate." Henin's take on the upcoming Olympics is that the athletes are there to do their jobs, not to engage in activism or debate.

I understand her point of view, but given that China is cracking down on dissidents, siphoning water away from poor districts and slaughtering both stray and pet dogs (in front of their people) to "prepare" for the Olympics, I'm with After Atalanta: Sport--like anything else--can never be separated from politics, and certainly should not be separated from issues of morality.

Family Circle Cup--what's happening around the grounds

Murphy Jensen interviewed Liezel Huber on the lawn stage this evening. Huber talked about how one match can turn a player's career and give that player the confidence of knowing that she belongs at the top. Earlier in the week, Jensen and Huber were guests at a luncheon for doubles enthusiasts.

For the last couple of days, there have been flying exhibitions over Daniel Island.

Chip Brooks and Snezana Jankovic found a quiet spot outside to have a chat after Jelena Jankovic was upset by Daniela Hantuchova.

The food court vendors at the tournament are using biodegradable utensils and plates made of recycled materials. That's the good news. However, with the 2008 disappearance of the falofel stand, and the 2009 disappearance of veggie dogs in the hot dog selection, there is very little left for vegetarian and/or vegan diners.
 
Patty Schnyder and Shelby Rogers won the exhibition match that was held in the stadium tonight. They defeated Ekaterina Makarova and Marie-Eve Pelletier. While I was watching the match, I realized that this could well be the last time I ever see Patty play, other than--perhaps--on television. This was a sad thought; I have been a big fan for many years.

Steve Murray gets it right in Tennis Week

At least this part:

Is it possible that everyone is a little uncomfortable with admitting to the idea of tennis as showbusiness and the way that glamour is being used to sell the sport? Did it just make more sense to accept Gimelstob’s hasty apology and let sleeping dogs lie than to draw more attention to what is going on.

From his article, "Sexist Secret?"

"It was not a secret"--top players meet the media in Cincinnati

Defending champion Kiki Bertens (photo by Daniel Ward)

The top seeds at the Western & Southern Open met with the tennis media today to talk about their prospects in Cincinnati, their health, their mental strategies, their training, their time off--and Bianca Andreescu.

Simona Halep started the proceedings, not surprisingly, by answering questions about her Wimbledon victory. In discussing what led to her triumph, she said: "I think the relaxation after winning the French Open" was a factor in her feeling less pressure, and "I felt the grass, and I never did before." Halep said that it wasn't really any one ingredient that took her to the Wimbledon title, but rather, it was a process: "It was not a secret."

Halep was the runner-up last year; she lost to Kiki Bertens in the final. In 2017, she lost in the final to Garbine Muguruza, and in 2015, she lost to Serena Williams in the final.

Sloane Stephens talked a bit about her "bumpy" season, and told us that "Being in North America is easier than being in Europe and struggling." She also discussed how she has learned to block out (and in some cases, literally block) a lot of negative social media material.

Next was world number 1 Naomi Osaka, who talked about the fact that she has never done well in Cincinnati. When asked why, she deadpanned: "The draw." She added, however, that she didn't really understand why she hasn't done well because "the conditions are perfect for me." And then she also added: "I'm just here for a good time."

Osaka talked quite a bit about her tendency to overthink just about everything on the tennis court, and how that overthinking prevents her from playing instinctively. The world number 1 is working on this issue, she says, by going out of her way to develop interests outside of tennis. "I want to broaden my mind."

Ash Barty (former world number 1) said that she took a couple of weeks off after winning the French Open ("which no one expected") and just hung out with her family and her dogs.

She also talked about her doubles partnership with Vika Azarenka. Last year, they practiced together, and at that time, Azarenka told her that if she ever needed a doubles partner, to let her know. At the time, Barty was playing with Coco Vandeweghe, and intended to keep doing so, but when Vandeweghe sustained a serious injury, Barty contacted Azarenka, who was free.

Asked about how she developed her extraordinarily good attitude about tennis (and everything else), Barty said that she felt fortunate, in that everyone in her family modeled positive attitude for her, and that she has always been surrounded by people with good attitudes.

Elina Svitolina addressed questions about her active social media life, and said that she genuinely enjoys interacting with fans, especially since most of them cannot attend tournaments. Like Stephens, she has learned to block and ignore negative social media content.

Svitolina also talked about how she has had to change her training regimen in order to allow more time for recovery, especially for her knee and her back. If one of them goes out, it's likely like that the other will give her trouble, also.

Petra Kvitova is still dealing with her injury. Her left forearm continues to swell at times, and she isn't sure why, though one of the current theories is that scar tissue is causing the inflammation. But, she acknowledged, the swelling could also be related in some way to her hand, which has never completely healed. "I'm fine," she noted. "Nothing can be as bad as my hand injury. I'm okay; it will heal."

Defending champion Kiki Bertens, who played the season's longest match (3 hours and 28 minutes) in Toronto against eventual champion Bianca Andreescu, was philosophical about that match, saying that she had played well, and praising Andreescu's game.

There was a discussion of Bertens' adaptation to having become an elite player, and not just a clay specialist. "I think I'm handling it different," she said, "but I can still handle it better. She said it was still a bit difficult to visit The Netherlands because now, she's famous, but it helps that her countrywomen and -men are "kind of quiet," and they allow her to just live her life when she's home.

The dry wit of Karolina Pliskova never disappoints. When the 2016 champion was asked how she felt about being in Cincinnati, she said she felt good, and, "Of course, there's no Andreescu in the first round."

Pliskova said that she felt confident; after all, this is her favorite part of the tennis season. When asked about her ability to always remain calm on the court, she said that remaining calm was part of her personality, that she likes to enjoy what she does, and "I just do my job--game, set, match, do the Cabbage Patch!"

Henin unsure about Olympics...if only others were

Justine Henin, who has chronic respiratory problems, is giving some thought as to whether her lungs can handle the air pollution in Beijing. Organizers say the pollution problem will be under control by the time the Olympics begin.

Now, will some tennis players (and other athletes) please give some thought as to whether their sense of decency and morals can tolerate the thousands of dogs slaughtered in order to "clear the streets" and "present a good image" for the Olympics? Many, in fact, were pets (not that there is an excuse for any of the slaughter), and were bludgeoned in front of their families. Not one nation has formally protested, nor--to my knowledge--has one athlete said a word. Coca-Cola, the IOC, the nations involved, and the athletes involved (including the "pet lovers") are totally silent.