Passing shots

A man in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida has been arrested for stalking Serena Williams.

Sandra Harwitt writes about the notable career of Esther Vergeer.

The WTA website is featuring an interview with Kristina Barrois, who joined the tour when she was 25 years old.

Eurosport's "Tramlines" column informs us that "nobody is really watching" women's tennis, so combined events are good for the WTA.

Steffi Graf will participate in the Chris Evert/Raymond James Pro Celebrity Tennis Class, which will be played November 11-13. This will be Graf's first appearance at the event, which is a fund-raiser for at-risk families in Florida.

Passing shots

Dinara Safina is ill, and had to withdraw from the semifinals in Fes. Alberta Brianti received a walkover, and will play last year's runner-up, Simona Halep, in the final. Safina had not reached a semifinal since August of 2009.

Irina Falconi has won the USTA French Open wild card playoffs. Falconi defeated Julia Boserup 4-6, 7-6, 6-3 in the final, which was held in Boca Raton, Florida. The other competing players were Beatrice Capra, Lauren Davis, Madison Keys, and Grace Min.

Vikings player Bryant McKinnie, who is trying to drop 20 pounds before returning to the football field, has opted to take tennis lessons from Venus Williams. "She tires you out," the offensive tackle said of his teacher.

Chris Evert expects Caroline Woznaicki to win the 2011 French Open.

Kim Clijsters has been named one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People for 2011. Time's staff apparently discovered that Clijsters had a baby and returned to work. She "juggles" a  career and a family. (Roger Federer is not known to "juggle" his career and family, which makes him, I suppose, a not very extraordinary woman.)

Steve Tignor has begun a series on books about tennis.

Passing shots

Doug Robson interviewed Serena Williams for USA Today. The former world number 1 has had a really difficult time lately, and talks quite openly about it.

Ana Ivanovic has parted ways with trainer Marja Lojanica. 

Shelby Rogers, last year's SMASH Junior Cup winner, has received a wild card into the main draw of the Family Circle Cup.

Guess who's playing mixed doubles in the U.S. open qualifying sectionals?! This broadcast is a bit long, but definitely worth listening to.

“It's never easy to play, I think, your countryman or countrygirl." That quote, unfortunately, comes from Novak Djokovic (from whom I expect more than, say, Brett Haber or Lindsay Davenport).

Steve Flink reviews Allen Fox's new Book, Tennis: Winning the Mental Match.

Chris Oddo interviews Bud Collins about the WTA.

Bethanie Mattek-Sands (who recently hit her first winning tweener) will make her debut as a BBC commentator during Wimbledon this summer.

Evert and Navratilova to play in Charleston exhibition

Rivals and long-time close friends Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert will participate with John McEnroe and Todd Martin in the Family Circle Cup's Game, Set, Rock! exhibition on Saturday, April 9, at 7:30 p.m. Both singles and mixed doubles will be played. Tickets for the event--which also includes live music--will be available as a stand-alone session, are available through Ticketmaster and will also be sold (after the public sale) at the Family Circle Tennis Center ticket office.

Last year's Game, Set, Rock! featured Monica Seles and Anna Kournikova.

Evert and Navratilova appeared together in Charleston in 2008 for the Family Circle Cup's 35th anniversary celebration, during which they gave a lengthy and amusing joint interview to the sports press. Evert won the Family Circle Cup eight times, and Navratilova won it four time.

Miscellany

Rafael Nadal is coached by his Uncle Toni, to whom he is reported to be quite close. Novak Djokovic's father attends a great number of his son's tournaments, and has behaved in such a way that Djokovic has had to clean up after him. But it was Andy Murray, whose mother (a coach and a significant figure in British tennis) attends his matches, who was criticized today by Boris Becker. Becker accused Murray of being too close to his mother. He also criticized Murray for being with "pretty much the same girlfriend for the last three or four years" (Murray's girlfriend broke up with him, he was with another woman for a time, and then he got back together with his original girlfriend), which Becker considers "immature" for a 23-year-old. Recently (and I was waiting for it), John McEnroe made fun of Denis Istomin, who is coached by his mother. McEnroe made a "joke" about the relationship, but it wasn't funny--and he would never have made it if Istomin were coached by his father. Sexism affects more than just the WTA.

Aaress Lawless, who has published On the Baseline for five years, has sold the site to Justin Pohn. On the Baseline is a mainstay of women's tennis news and features. Women Who Serve wishes Aaress the very best in her future endeavors, and also--welcome Justin!

Heather Watson won the $50k ITF tournament in Toronto last week.

Here's a doubles team I can get really get behind: Martina Navratilova and Elisabeth Shue played together on Sunday in the Chris Evert Pro-Celebrity Tournament in Delray Beach, Florida. Anna Kournikova was there, too.

Rebecca Marino is close to earning direct entry into the Australian Open main draw. (Thanks to On the Baseline for this news.)

Miscellany

A reminder to U.S. viewers: Unmatched, a documentary about the rivalry between Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, will have its premier showing tomorrow night, September 14, at 8 p.m. EST on ESPN. It will also be shown at 11 p.m. on the 14th on ESPN2. Viewers can also watch at 8 p.m., Thursday, September 16 on ESPN Classic, and Saturday, September 18 at 1 a.m on ESPN 2.

Navratilova was given the Eugene L. Scott Award on Friday at the Legends Ball in New York.

USTA spokesman Chris Widmaier says that putting a roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium would mean there would be no money available to fund grassroots tennis in the U.S.

Vania King says that she began playing doubles with Yaroslava Shvedova because Anna-Lena Groenefeld, with whom she had been playing, sustained a stress fracture in her foot. She expected Groenefeld to return for the clay season, but that didn't happen. King and Shvedova formed a team during the grass season and decided--for obvious reasons--to stay together.

This is the second year in a row that Esther Vergeer has won the U.S. Open women's wheelchair singles final with a score of 6-0, 6-0. 

The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour "Looking Back at a Legend" series continues with a look back at Tracy Austin.

Wild card Rebecca Marino has advanced to the second round of the Bell Challenge in Quebec. She defeated countrywoman and wild card Heidi El Tabakh 7-6, 7-6.

Miscellany

To enjoy the U.S. Open even more, you can enter the Match of the Day contest Tennis Now is sponsoring. Predict the score of the featured U.S. Open match, and compete to win a $50 gift card from Tennis Express. And while you're at Tennis Now, you can also enter to win three nights and two days in Miami while you attend the Sony Ericsson Open in March.

There is so much wrong with the ideas promoted in this article in the New York Times, I don't know where to begin. Fortunately, I don't have to, because After Atalanta has said just about everything I want to say. I'm pleased that Gigi Fernandez has children, but the oppressive tone of her comments (passively promoted by the writer) is worrisome. She also seems to have been "shocked" by discovering fairly standard biological realities, and her cautionary message is far more judgmental and needlessly guilt-oriented than it is helpful. (Update: Fernandez has responded to the After Atlalanta post, further explaining some of the difficulties involved in her goal to have children. I respect what she went through, but the tone of the article is nevertheless one that reflects the usual "warnings" our culture gives to female athletes who dare to compete at a top level for more than a few years.)

Just another reminder that Unmatched will premiere on ESPN's "30 for 30" on Tuesday, September 14 at 8 p.m. EST. The documentary covers the rivalry between Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, which is the greatest sports rivalry of all time. (Make sure you read The Rivals, too.)

I'm liking Sam Stosur's front-pleat purple Lacoste dress with the white trim. I also like the Addidas dress that Daniela Hantuchova and Ana Ivanovic are wearing.

I can handle only a small portion of Andrea Petkovic's frenzied, and sometimes tangential, prose. But if you enjoy it, you should know that she's blogging for ESPN.

Lindsay Davenport says that the courts are too fast and the wind too strong for top seed Caroline Wozniacki to win the U.S. Open this year.

Now is a good time to get to know Mandy Minella.

Quotes of the day

"I challenge that theory."

 Chris Evert, commenting on John McEnroe's remarks about the tour

"I just think it's rubbish."

Billie Jean King

Evert aside, Billie Jean's "Homecoming" is a good one

"I came in on the cusp of this women's liberation thing. All I saw on TV were angry women burning their bras."

Speaking via video on ESPN's "Homecoming" show, which honored Billie Jean King today, the best Evert could come up with was a dismissive "women's liberation thing" and the repetition of one of the biggest cultural myths ever: There was no bra-burning during the Second Wave; the news media invented the phenomenon, and people who couldn't be bothered to know what was really happening (we still have hundreds of thousands of those)--people like Evert--are still spreading the false word (not, by the way, that there's anything wrong with burning bras).

Evert is probably my favorite player of all time, but every year, it becomes harder for me to separate my admiration for her as a player from my disappointment in her as a publisher and spokeswoman.

The rest of the show was pretty enjoyable. Maria Sharapova, Zina Garrison and Tracy Austin were in the audience, and during a segment on wooden racquets, King demonstrated what she thought Sharapova would look and sound like if she had to hit with one. She revealed that Muhammad Ali used to whisper in her ear "Billie Jean, you're the queen!" And when she did the "lightning round" of questions with host Rick Reilly, and was asked  "What would you most like to steal from Maria Sharapova?" she immediately answered "Money."

Wimbledon miscellany

Semifinalists Vera Zvonareva and Tsvetana Pironkova have met only once, in Moscow last year in the round of 16. Pironkova won the match 6-0, 6-2. Serena Williams and Petra Kvitova have also met only once--at this year's Australian Open, where Williams defeated Kvitova 6-2, 6-1.

Here is a brief history of surprise semifinalists at Wimbledon.

Retiring women's master of ceremonies Jane Poynder says that Maria Sharapova is always ready ahead of time and "wonderfully prepared," that Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters are "very organized," but that her blood pressure can "rise very slightly" when it's time for the Spanish players to head for the courts.

Doubles semifinalist Yaroslava Shvedova's business affairs are managed by doubles player and friend Ipek Senoglu.

Today, in Wimbledon Village, a 15-minute preview of Unmatched was shown, with Martina Navratilova in the audience. The film, a documentary about the friendship/rivalry of Navratilova and Chris Evert, premieres September 15 on ESPN.

Miscellany

Longines Future Tennis Aces Tournament, which featured 16 12-and-under players, was held at Roland Garros during the French Open. The winner of the girls' competition was Aleksandra Pospelova of Russia. The USA's Lauren Fishbein made it to the semifinals (and is shown in the photo with her tennnis idol, Serena Williams). Pospelova also played in a mixed doubles match with partner Gustavo Kuerten. Longines is the official timekeeper of the French Open.

Amelie Mauresmo has been added to Michael Llodra's team as an advisor during the grass court season.

Chris Evert will be inducted into the Rogers Cup Hall of Fame on August 16.

Anastasia Rodionova recently did a fashion shoot for Muze. (And I don't usually pass on this type of information, but it's being talked about, and--considering the players--I thought it was too funny not to mention that Rodionova and Aravane Rezai, who played each other in Birmingham, may be the first pair of players on the tour to get into it with each other--and with the umpire--during the warmup.)

Sania Mirza says she never said she would retire in two years. She says her remarks were misinterpreted by the press. Imagine that.

Miscellaneous

Chelsey Gullickson, sister of Carly, has won the 2010 NCAA women's singles championship. Gullickson, a sophomore at the University of Georgia, is the third woman from her school to win the title.

Martina Navratilova, with partner Jana Novotna, is into the second round of the French Open's Women's Legends doubles competition. Navratilova and Novotna defeated Mary Joe Fernandez and Conchita Martinez. Navratilova is also working as a commentator for Tennis Channel, and--in her spare time--receiving breast cancer radiation treatment in Paris. Also winning their first round were Iva Majoli and and Nathalie Tauziet, who defeated Gigi Fernandez and Natasha Zvereva.

Anna-Lena Groenefeld says that her goal is to be able to play at Wimbledon.

Saying that women who manage homes and take care of children "don't work" is a common insult made to thousands of women; it's a shame that it's repeated by Chris Evert in the June issue of Tennis. Evert is at least "fair" in her put-downs, though. In the same article in which she says that a lot of women in the 70s "didn't work," she goes on to take a sideways swipe at women who do work outside the home and utilize the tennis club as "something to occupy a child's time." Fathers, of course, get a pass. I have complained in the past about this magazine's ongoing (sometimes really nasty) sexist content, as well as content that has been both homophobic and ageist (the latter in an issue "dedicated" to older people). Publisher Evert needs to do some clean-up, starting with herself, and outgoing editor-in-chief James Martin also bears some of the responsibility. (For those who may be wondering: The magazine arrives in our mailbox because of a USTA membership; I would not otherwise spend my money on it.)

When the new rankings come out, Serena and Venus Williams will be ranked number 1 in doubles.

Top junior girls seed Monica Puig is out of the French Open in the quarterfinals. Puig was defeated 6-0, 3-6, 6-3 by Silvia Njiric.

French Open miscellany

Simon Reed thinks Dinara Safina should consider taking a break from tennis.

Three French Open outfits I especially like are worn by Jelena Jankovic, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova.

It's appropriate, during the French Open, to look back at legend Chris Evert.

Victoria Azarenka was fined for not attending her press conference after her first round loss.

Here is a deconstruction of the 2010 French Open poster.

Lucie Hradecka lost her first round match to Alexandra Dulgheru, but it should be noted that she hit 18 aces.

Miscellany

Christina McHale has withdrawn from French Open junior competition, but may play in the U.S. Open junior tournament. McHale, who has a wild card into the main draw at Roland Garros, has not yet given up her amateur status.

You can see and hear the Women's Tennis Blog interview with Chris Evert here.

The Queen (not Evert--the other queen) will attend Wimbledon on June 23, for the first time in 33 years.

The last time an unseeded woman won the French Open was 1933.

Heather Watson turned 18 yesterday.

Here is Anne Keothavong's new Wilson Apparel photo.

Quote of the day

"I think it was really an adjustment period for her after the U.S. Open; probably a bit of a shock. I almost felt bad that she got so much publicity. Yes, it was a great story, but as a tennis pro watching her matches, I thought, Don’t give her too much press, because it’s going be hard to live up to that, and it was."

Chris Evert, on the subject of Melanie Oudin

Miscellany

Yanina Wickmayer's father says that if she isn't scheduled to play singles, Wickmayer won't be at Belgium's Fed Cup match against Estonia. Wickmayer, it should be noted, says it doesn't matter to her--that she plans to be there to support her team, no matter what.

Anna Kournikova talks with Peter Bodo about her life.

Sam Stosur is cross-dominant, and eats with her left hand.

Melanie Oudin is the first U.S. woman to commit to playing on the USA Fed Cup squad next month in the semifinal against Russia.

ESPN is making a documentary on the Evert-Navratilova rivalry.

Looking Back at a Legend

The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour official website is presenting a series of profiles of the women who made the tour what it is today. First in the series is a profile of the great Chris Evert. Evert's stats are very impressive, but when looking at them, one should realize that during the period in which she played, it was not unusual to skip a major. She and several other players did not play much in Melbourne because the Australian Open was held during the Christmas holidays. Also, when she was at her clay court peak, Evert skipped three French Opens in order to play World Team Tennis.

Evert remarked not long ago, in fact, that players were not really tallying their major wins then the way players do now. Serious fans and experts do agree, however, that had the scheduling been different when she played, Evert would certainly have won even more than her astonishing collection of 18 majors.

Miscellany

Dinara Safina's defeat in Beijing by Zhang Shuai marks the first time a world number 1 player has been defeated by someone ranked lower than 200; Zhang is ranked number 226.

The Australian Open is increasing its prize money next year by 4.1 percent, to $21.4 million.

Evonne Goolagong Cawley was recently honored by the people of the place she considers her hometown--Barellan--via the unveiling of a giant replica of her Dunlop racquet.

Heather Watson will play Melanie South in the first round of a 50k tournament in Surrey this week.

Russia has won the 2009 Junior Fed Cup title.

Enough. I realize that U.S. commentators couldn't care less about how to pronounce the names of non-American (which would be almost all of them) players, but could Kevin Frazier please stop saying Chris "Everett"? And why on Earth doesn't someone at Tennis Channel edit those segments before airing them?

20 years ago this week, Chris Evert said goodbye

This quarterfinal week marks the 20th anniversary of the final U.S. Open match of the great Chris Evert. She was defeated 7-6, 6-1 in the 1989 quarterfinals by Zina Garrison. Evert defeated Monica Seles 6-0, 6-2 in the round of 16.

Evert reached her first U.S. Open semifinal at age 16. She went on to win the event six times, and retired with a 101-12 record at the tournament. Seventeen of nineteen times, she reached the semifinals.

How things have changed

Those who saw the 1976 World Invitational Tennis Classic match between Chris Evert and Evonne Goolagong on Tennis Channel last night got more than tennis. Billie Jean King (in a Pam Shriver afro) was one of the commentators, and the interview and analysis style was dramatically different from what we hear today. It was, in fact, a breath of fresh air.

After Goolagong threw away the first set, King sat down with her on her bench and said--in so many words--"you really made a mess of that one." She had. Halfway through the set, it occurred to Goolagong that she was using her husband's racquet, an absent-minded act that only added to her reputation as being someone who wasn't focused enough on what she was doing.

For her part, Evert put on a tennis clinic. Before Navratilova came into her own, it was Goolagong's volleying that drove Evert mad, and the two were rivals. But at the Sea Pines Resort in Hilton Head that day, it was all about Evert.

The interviews after the match were especially revealing. King reminded Goolagong that her critics say she does not care enough, and that she wouldn't worry adequately about the 6-1, 6-1 score of the match she just played. "I wish I could worry more," said Goolagong.

When King asked for Evert and father Jimmy Evert to come over for an interview, she didn't say word one to the winner, but spoke instead to her father. Jimmy Evert insisted he didn't try to tell Chris what to do, that they just had "casual conversations." Chris Evert was standing between them, and the look on her face was priceless; she stopped just short of rolling her eyes for the camera.

The Sea Pines Resort, by the way, is where the Family Circle Cup used to be held.