Passing shots

Andrea Petkovic has hired Heinz Gunhardt on a part-time basis. Petar Popovic will continue to be her regular coach.

According to Matt Cronin, Caroline Wozniacki plans to hire Martina Navratilova as a consultant.

Hannah Wilks writes about Heather Watson.

Marion Bartoli has accepted a wild card into the Barcelona tournament, and is the top seed.

Victoria Azarenka, who has been dealing with a shoulder injury since before Fed Cup, reports that she hopes to be back on the court in Madrid.

Quote of the day

"...you should dance, but when you do, dance carefully."

Martina Navratilova, referring to Kim Clijsters

Observations about the Australian Open

Martina Navratilova is a great commentator. Her ability to see detail and the big picture at the same time is  impressive.

Note to Chris McKendry: There were lots of countrywomen in the stands, too. What century are you living in? (Also, as much as I like him as a commentator, why is it so hard for Darren Cahill to say the "w" word?)

Francesca Schiavone is a tennis god.

Fireworks, cannons and buzzing planes are distractions, not entertainment.

The chair umpires appear to be taking a closer look at coaching from the stands.

Australian fans really know how to do it with the costumes, makeup and body painting!

Can we please keep the "all Chinese men are short and all Chinese people are quiet" interviewer out of press conferences?

The performances of both Maria Sharapova and Caroline Wozniacki do not bode well. Time will tell.

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

Valerie Tetreault has retired. Tetreault, who became a professional tennis player only four years ago, said, in her announcement: "I still have the same passion for my sport I have always had, but I am ready to take on new challenges, all while maintaining a more stable lifestyle." Tetreault, who lives in Canada, will seek a career in communications, and plans to remain involved in tennis.

Martina Navratilova, who had to come down off of Mount Kilimanjaro because of pulmonary edema, was discharged from the hospital on Sunday. 18 of the 27 Laureus fundraisers reached the top of the mountain. Navratilova reports that she is feeling much better.

Agnes Szavay, who sustained a left thigh strain in September, will not be playing in any of the 2011 Australian tournaments, including the Australian Open. Szavay has not yet begun training for the season. She plans to play for the Hungarian Fed Cup team in February.

On Friday, December 10, Martina Hingis married Frenchman Thibault Hutlin in Paris. Hutlin is a showjumper; he and Hingis met earlier this year at a jumping event in St. Tropez. The former tour star, who won five majors, is an experienced competitive equestrian.

Steve Flink's choice for WTA Match of the Year is the Brisbane final between Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin.

Clijsters and Henin, by the way, say that they may form a doubles team for the 2012 Olympic Games.

Altitude forces Navratilova down from Kilimanjaro

Martina Navratilova's dream of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro has been halted by her worst fear about the adventure--the effect of altitude on her body. Trekking through heavy snows and mist, and unable to perform some of the needed acclimatization exercises, Navratilova developed pulmonary edema, and had to be taken off the mountain on the fifth day of the six-day trip. She is currently resting in a hospital in Nairobi, where she was treated with diuretics. She is expected to have a full recovery.

Navratilova, a former WTA Tour great, and one of the world's leading sportswomen, made the Kilimanjaro trip to raise money for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. Before the climb, she said that she knew she was fit enough to complete the trek, but that she didn't know how she would respond to the altitude; Kilimanjaro is over 19,000 feet high.

On the fourth day of the trip, Navratilova wrote: "The weather is a little better, but the going is getting tougher and tougher. It seems to be constantly steep and as we started to approach the highest point yet, 4,500 metres above sea level, sheer exhaustion sets in for much of the group, and with heavy legs and chests pounding due to a lack of oxygen, every step becomes an effort."

Navratilova did not write another blog entry after the fourth day, and interviews were canceled. However, she did make a statement from her hospital bed: "It was something that I have wanted to do for so long, but it was not to be," she said, and added that she was looking forward to hearing about the successful end of the climb.

Miscellany

World number 1 Caroline Wozniacki is rumored to be making a racquet change in 2011. Her contract with Babolat expires at the end of this month, and there is speculation that she will switch to Yonex next year. Wozniacki played a recent exhibition match with a Yonex racquet whose brand name was blacked out.

Flavia Pennetta, who plays with a Wilson Blade racquet, will be using the new Wilson Blade 98 Pink BLX, which is described by Wilson as "aggressive yet feminine." Thank goodness.

Yaroslava Shvedova has a new website.

More than half of Martina Navratilova's fundraising goal for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation has been reached. Navratilova plans to raise $134,000 for the foundation as she climbs Mount Kilimanjaro. Kilimanjaro is over 19,000 feet high, and Navratilova has never climbed higher than 12,000 feet; she said she is not concerned about fitness, but about the lack of air at that height. Should she reach the top as planned, she will be hitting tennis balls. "With the air being that thin, they should go a long way."

Jelena Dokic has received a wild card into the main draw of the Brisbane International.

Quote of the week

"It's a question of control. It's the little muscles that take over when you're nervous. When you're confident, the big muscle groups dominate."

Martina Navratilova

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.

1985 U.S. Open final--one of the best ever

We all know what players do to prepare. What I do is to watch at least one great U.S. Open final from years ago, and today, I watched one of my all-time favorite finals of any tournament--the 1985 U.S. Open final, featuring Hana Mandlikova and Martina Navratilova. Navratilova was the defending champion, and the final was twisty and thrilling and unforgettable.

When Navratiolva and Mandlikova faced one another, it must have been like looking in a mirror, so similar were their games. They were not only the best volleyers of their generation, but two of the best volleyers in the history of women's tennis. They could also serve well and construct points well. Mandlikova was the artist of her generation, in that she played with the type of grace that comes along only now and then (Bueno, Goolagong, Sabatini, Mauresmo).

It was blazing hot that day, 25 years ago; the on-court temperature reached 100 degrees. Neither player wore a hat or a headband. Mandlikova blazed into the first set with such breathtaking, attacking accuracy, there was nothing the defending champion could do. It was only when she served at 5-0 that Mandlikova experienced the force that was Navratilova. The defending champion broke her, held, broke her again, and eventually brought the set to a tiebreak.

The Mandlikova of only a few years before would have been done in by her failure to close the set at 5-0. But this was the calmer, more mature Mandlikova, who--despite frustration--fought her way through the tiebreak to take the first set. It must have taken something out of her, though, because her often-formidable serve collapsed in the next set, which Navratilova won 6-1.

Mandlikova broke early in the third set, but Navratilova would have none of it. The pair continued their volley-to-volley pattern, displaying hands so fast, spectators were in an almost constant state of excitement. Both players hit winning passing shots, and some stunning baseline returns came off of Mandlikova's racquet. But to the end, much of the match was about the volleys, with each woman sometimes just shaking her head over what her opponent had just accomplished at the net. Mandlikova lost some aggression in the last set, but managed to compete her way to a 5-3 lead. She had match points, too, but Navratilova saved them, which led to a second tiebreak.

And just as she did in the first five games, Mandlikova used her considerable aggression to quickly go up 6-0. Navratilova saved a couple of championship points, but the tiebreak was all about Mandlikova, and she soon won her only U.S. Open title. The graceful Czech fell supine onto the hot court, having just become one of the few women to win major titles on all three surfaces.

During the match, one of the commentators mentioned that Mandlikova was often considered the most gifted player of her generation. She had it all--the serve, the volley, the tactics, incredible shot-making, and superb athleticism. It was her impatience with herself that got in her way, and her mental game caused her to be inconsistent. She won four majors, but that always feels like such a small number in proportion to her unforgettable talent.

It was great seeing this match again. Unfortunately, I cannot imagine any 2010 final that can deliver the artistry that pervaded the 1985 championship match.

Miscellany

Ana Ivanovic, who won the Rogers Cup in 2006, will have to qualify to get into the main draw this year.

Former world number 10 Nicole Vaidisova has married ATP star Radek Stepanek. Vaidisova retired from professional tennis earlier this year.

Serena Williams' agent describes her client as "a fast healer," and says that Williams is hoping to play in the U.S. Open.

Martina Navratilova will receive the Eugene L. Scott Award during the 2010 U.S. Open. The award, sponsored by the International Tennis Hall of Fame, "honors an individual who consistently embodies Gene’s commitment to communicating honestly and critically about the game, and who has had a significant impact on the world of tennis." Scott was the founder and publisher of Tennis Week.

Steve Flink did an interview with Nancy Richey that is well worth reading.

Navratilova & Novotna win Wimbledon Ladies Invitation doubles competition

For the first time, there was a Ladies Invitation Doubles tournament at Wimbledon this year. And the premiere winners of the event are Martina Navratilova and Jana Novotna, who, today, defeated Tracy Austin and Kathy Rinaldi-Stunkel 7-5, 6-0.

During their careers, Navratilova won the Wimbledon doubles championship seven times, and Novotna won it four times. Combining doubles, singles and mixed doubles, this makes a total of six Wimbledon trophies for Novotna, and twenty for Navratilova.

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.

Wimbledon miscellany

Here is a fine piece from the New York Times on Martina Navratilova.

And here is more on the 9-time Wimbledon champion.

After Wimbledon, 2004 champion Maria Sharapova is going to Belarus to visit an area affected by the Chernobyl nuclear incident. Sharapova, a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme--through her foundation--supports a number of Chernobyl-affected areas in Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine.

I've already mentioned how much I like Jelena Jankovic's Wimbledon dress; my other favorite is Serena Williams' "strawberries and cream" creation.

1969 Wimbledon champion Ann Jones showed up in high heels for the on-court event with the Queen Elizabeth II, resulting in some spiked turf.

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.

Navratilova to play senior doubles at French Open

Martina Navratilova will team with Jana Novotna at the French Open, where the two will play in senior doubles competition. Navratilova, who will work as a French Open commentator for Tennis Channel, will also continue to receive radiation treatments while she is in Paris. In March, the former tour star underwent a lumpectomy for noninvasive breast cancer.

Navratilova is in Paris now, practicing with Novotna.

Miscellany

Can the Williams sisters deliver their top performances when they are playing on red clay?

Here is another piece on Andrea Petkovic, who won both of her Fed Cup rubbers this weekend.

And here is an especially lively interview with Martina Navratilova, who talks about cancer, advocacy, sexism, and homophobia in sports.

Caroline Wozniacki's name still appears on the draw in Stuttgart.

Neha Uberoi is off the tour and back in school. Uberoi left Princeton to play professional  tennis, and has now returned to Princeton to get her degree.

Navratilova diagnosed with non-invasive breast cancer

There are a lot of things women can do to minimize their vulnerability to breast cancer, but there is no certain prevention. If ever there were an instance to prove that, it is the recent breast cancer diagnosis given to Martina Navratilova. Surely no woman has taken better care of herself than Navratilova, but many factors come into play in the development of all cancers, not just breast cancer.

The good news is that Navratilova has been told that her prognosis is excellent. The type of cancer she has is DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ), which is non-invasive. The breast lump was found in a routine mammogram, and a lumpectomy was performed in January. Navratilova will undergo six weeks of radiation therapy, beginning next month.

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.