Passing shots

Dinara Safina appears to have withdrawn from the French Open.

Li Na recently told an interviewer, in response to a question about her fame, that if she were a man, she would be the most famous athlete in China. She added that women will never achieve that type of equality, not just in China, but throughout the world. You said it, Big Sister.

Li, by the way, has changed coaches. Her husband, Jiang Shan will stop coaching her. Instead, Li has hired Michael Mortensen, who is captain of the Danish Fed Cup team. 

Timea Bacsinszky recently had surgery on her left foot, so she'll be out for a while.

Tom Perrotta thanks Tennis Channel for its "relentless coverage" of the clay court season. That would be "relentless coverage of the ATP clay court season."

Speaking of coverage...Tennis TV has dropped its separate WTA/ATP packages, and customers will now have to buy a package that includes both tours. This means customers will pay almost twice as much to get matches they perhaps do not want to watch. (I always bought just the WTA package, but that was only because I didn't want to tempt myself with the combined package.) The good part is that Tennis TV offers excellent customer service and way better commentary than anything we see on television in the USA.

Miscellany

Laura Robson, who has been training at the Mouratoglou Academy for a year, has hired Patrick Mouratoglou to be her coach for the 2011 season.

Serena Williams and her crystal-encrusted rehab boot are now being spotted on tennis courts.

Tennis Channel is now airing its Hot Shots of 2010. Look for the feature to be shown several times.

Hopman Cup competition begins on January 1.

Justine Henin reports that it may take months for her elbow to be fully healed.

Olivia Rogowska has been given a wild card into the main draw of the Hobart Inernational tournament. She recently won the Australian Open wild card playoffs in Australia.

Miscellany

Former tour player Leila Meshki is the director of the Baku Cup tournament.

Alina Jidkova, as expected, has retired from professional tennis. When she played (and lost in the final) of the U.S. Open qualifying playoffs, she said it was her last opportunity to play in the U.S. Open. Jidkova, who defeated Serena Williams in 2004 in Linz, attained her highest ranking in 2005, when she was ranked number 51 in the world. Her career-high doubles ranking was number 50. The Russian veteran is getting married next month. She and her fiance sell fine pearl jewelry.

"I'm not even 20 and there's someone who's 40 who could kick my butt," Rebecca Marino says of you-know-who.

Tennis Channel's latest "Tennisography" feature is about Vera Zvonareva. Using Leo Tolstoy's work as a backdrop, the story of Zvonareva's tennis life--her performance and her feelings--is told by her mother, her coach, and by Zvonareva herself. It sounds a bit cheesy, but it comes off well. What doesn't come off well is Tennis Channel's decision to use white subtitles on a lot of light background--a persistent problem on U.S. television.

And in tribute to Vera, here's the great Joan Armatrading:

Note to Tennis Channel

If I were doing a feature on Zheng Jie, perhaps I'd find a voice-over person who doesn't pronounce her name "Zen-Gay." It's bad enough that Kevin Frasier calls Chris Evert "Chris Everett," and that no one at Tennis Channel has edited the feature in which he does it. And now that the Celebrity Tennis feature is running, we have to hear Christie Brinkley tell us, over and over, how she really admires "Chris Everett." Right.

Fed Cup miscellany

Jelena Jankovic's journey to Belgrade during the volcanic ash episode was enough to wear out anyone. She took a flight from Tampa to Atlanta, waited seven hours, then got a flight to Tel Aviv. She then flew to Cypress, and finally, she flew to Belgrade. The worst part is that, because of her wrist injury, she isn't even certain that she'll play. The Serbian Fed Cup team is waiting for the doctors to examine Jankovic and make a report.

Alona Bondarenko's dog, Emily, attended the draw ceremony for Ukraine and Australia.

Clive White points out that the rain in Rome gives Italy even more of an advantage over the Czech Republic.

Tennis Channel will show the USA vs. Russia semifinal live both days.

Justine Henin broke her left little finger in training on Wednesday. She is now scheduled to play with partner Kirsten Flipkens in Belgium's Fed Cup doubles match against Estonia. Kim Clijsters and Yanina Wickmayer will play singles.

Miscellany

Dinara Safina has withdrawn from the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami because of continuing problems with her back.

Daniela Hantuchova injured her back in Indian Wells and is on her way to see a doctor for additional treatment. The injury does not appear to be serious, and she hopes to be fine for Miami.

Steve Tignor's March 15 column is all about Yanina Wickmayer.

Tennis Channel has done some new Bag Checks. The Bag Check segment is an entertaining diversion. Look for new ones featuring Sabine Lisicki, Alona Bondarenko and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

I like Carla Suarez Navarro's old-school tennis outfit.

Ashley Harkleroad will play in Miami next week. She has a protected ranking of number 70 in the world. Harkleroad left the tour in October of 2008 to have a baby.

Which reminds me: Kim Clijsters had a baby and returned to the tour. (In case you hadn't heard....)

Good news for viewers in the U.S.

The BNP Paribas Open will be broadcast on Tennis Channel this year, rather than being not broadcast on the Fox Sports Network. For the past couple of years, many local FSN affiliates (including my own) opted to show very little of the tournament, and what they did show tended to be taped.

Of course, if you have Tennis TV, you can watch the tournament on your computer, and get better commentators.

Raymond & Stubbs, together again

No one said the "l" word, or even the "g" word, but tonight's lengthy and very entertaining Tennis Channel feature on Lisa Raymond and Rennae Stubbs was as much about their former romantic relationship as it was about their history of playing doubles together. With the world of women's pro tennis constantly straining itself to broadcast "No lesbians here!" in a variety of ways, it was a surprise to see Raymond and Stubbs chatting about their relationship, their breakup, and their enduring love for one another. Even more surprising was that the story was done by a media organization that has made no effort to curb its sexism.

Note to Tennis Channel

I know you don't care how you pronounce the names of players who are not from the U.S., but I'm still suprised that no one has edited Kevin Frasier's "Chris Everett" out of one of your shows. As of today, I'm even more surprised that no one has edited Justin Gimelstob (who shouldn't even be on your staff)'s "Chris Everett" out of one of the new shows.

Thanks, though, for including the French Open Virginie Razzano-Tathiana Garbin match among the top 10 best shots of 2009. It was one of my favorite matches of the year, and those who didn't see it missed a great show.

Tennis Channel reaches new depths of sexism

Tennis Channel has a series called "Best of Five." This series includes the five biggest upsets, five worst calls, five best one-slam wonders, etc. This morning, for the first (and only) time, I saw "Five Best Breakups." Rated at number 3 was "black widow" Martina Hingis, whose ATP romantic partners' careers tended to dive after they became involved with her. Of course, with the exception of Radek Stepanek, she was not involved with players who had especially high rankings, anyway.

I don't have any problem with the whole "black widow" thing. It's mildly amusing (though I can think of tennis breakups more deserving of being in the top five--the other breakups all involved parnters, coaches, etc.). But Tennis Channel, just like Tennis magazine, made the segment all about how Hingis "went through men" on the tour. Not only did she "go through" a "lot" of men--she was a "good date" because she "took care" of them.

In short, the segment is a disgusting piece of sexism. So Hingis dated men on the tour. So she had sex with them--oh, no!--that makes her a slut, doesn't it? Because that's close to what Tennis Channel (and Tennis) said. But she gets a bit of a pass because she "took care" of them.

Sexism aside for a moment, it's only logical that tennis players are likely to date one another; it's not like they have time to hang out in their hometowns and meet romantic partners socially. There are several men on the ATP Tour who date women on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, and there are a few who dated several WTA players, but the sports media does not crudely imply that they are trashy and indecent, or announce that they "go through a lot of women."

The fact that--with regard to the sexual double standard (and all gender double standards)--nothing has changed since the 1950s is maddening. Tennis Channel should be ashamed, but hey--we're talking about the organization that kept Justin Gimelstob on its payroll.

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?

"Look at the little rascal hustle!"

Some time during the third set, that's what commentator Tony Trabert shouted when Tracy Austin scrambled around the court picking up ball after ball in the 1981 U.S. Open final. Tennis Channel showed the match last night as part of its "Classic Matches" series.

I enjoy watching that match because it took so many twists and turns: Martina Navratilova cleaned up in the first set, but then she started throwing forehand volleys into the net, and she couldn't stop double-faulting. With the wind constantly blowing, Austin did anything she could think of to keep Navratilova on the baseline, including hitting a good many lobs over her head.

There were some great rallies, and on three occasions, Navratilova made over-the-shoulder shots with her back to the net. Two of them were good, and one of them was a stunning winner.

Navratilova had just become a U.S. citizen in the late summer of 1981, and she had never won in New York, so her desire to win was huge. She would have to wait, though: Austin defeated her, 1-6, 7-6, 7-6. When the match was finally over, Navratilova sat down and cried.

Sadder, though, was Austin's fate. She was out for a few months with a back injury before the 1981 Open. When she won the title, she must have thought that the worst was over, but it wasn't. Austin's back problem became so bad that it took her out of serious competition and forced her to retire at a very early age. Hers is, in fact, one of the really sad sports stories because her potential was so great. She won the U.S. Open twice, and we can only guess how many more big titles she would have claimed had she remained healthy.

New ways to watch the U.S. Open

If you live in the U.S. and are fortunate enough to have Direct TV or ESPN 360, you have a lot of choices for watching the U.S. Open. Direct TV will show six matches at a time. If you do not have either of those venues, you still have plenty of choices, though, thanks to the USTA's new live streaming project.

The U.S. Open website will stream up to five matches at a time in high definition throughout the tournament. Also, Tennis Channel will stream some matches throughout the tournament, also.

In addition--though ESPN2 will provide most of the weekday coverage of the tournament--Tennis Channel will provide live broadcasting of some matches on outer courts!

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.

Evert and Goolagong on Tennis Channel

For U.S. readers who have Tennis Channel, there is a treat for you tonight at 9:30 EST. Three-time Wimbledon champion Chris Evert and two-time Wimbledon champion Evonne Goolagong (they were rival before Martina came along) are on display in the 1976 World Invitational Tennis Classic.

French Open miscellany

Caroline Wozniacki's injury is apparently rather serious--two displaced discs. I'll post more information as I get it.

Most people were comfortably predicting a fifth straight French Open championship for Raphael Nadal, but Elena Dementieva got it right.

Doesn't Tennis Channel know that people want to see archived matches after they've seen live matches? When the live streams are done, the archived match function is disabled, also.

Then there's the matter of NBC, which had the rights to several big matches, and which denied U.S. tennis fans from seeing them live. That means that we were not able to see Maria Sharapova's match, nor could we see one of the biggest upsets in recent French Open history (pardon the foray into ATP tennis, but this is big) until after the fact. Of course, where I live, we couldn't have seen them anyway; the French Open was precluded by the Children's Miracle Network telethon.

As sad and frustrating as it was to see Jelena Dokic retire in her French Open match against Elena Dementieva, there is some good news: Doctors say there is no long-term damage--she just needs to heal.

French Open miscellany

Yesterday, the Tennis Channel online live streaming went out. Today, it went out again, then the entire site went down. The result was that I could not watch the Williams-Martinez Sanchez match. I was able to find a live stream of the Federer match, and occasionally, Williams-Martinez Sanchez highlights were shown. As we move into the second week, I certainly hope that the Tennis Channel website gets it act together.

I was informed by an eyewitness that when the Sharapova-Petrova match began, a spectator was asked to leave the stadium, and that during Sharapova's press conference, her manager showed photos of the spectator to security personnel. The word is that the man was banned from Roland Garros but found his way in, and that Sharapova's manager has requested additional bodyguards for her.

Li Na is the first Chinese player to reach the round of 16 at the French Open.

Referee Stefan Fransson says that there will be an official chat with Michelle Larcher de Brito prior to Wimbledon about her shouting on the court. Aravane Rezai complained to the both the umpire and Fransson about Larcher de Brito, who responded by noting that Rezai didn't complain until Larcher de Brito started winning games.

French Open--notes on first day commentary

I watched quite a bit of the French Open on Tennis Channel's website today. The commentary was done by several different people, all of whom did a fine job of calling the matches, but none of whom knew anything at all about the players or the tour. The service is a very good one, but it would be nice if the commentators were familiar with the players' careers.

On television, Tennis Channel is promoting its "French Open Tonight" feature by promising to introduce its new commentary team member, Tatiana Golovin. The promotional photo of Golovin looks more like a marketing ploy for Playboy than for tennis media. I'm nor surprised, though; after all, this is the company that failed to fire Justin Gimelstob, or to even issue an apology in a way that didn't require a pickax and a miner's lamp to find it.

Note to all commentators: Stop referring to screaming as grunting. Get a dictionary.

1986 French Open final

The 1986 French Open final between Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova will be shown tomorrow (Tuesday) night at 8 p.m., and again at 11 p.m. EST on Tennis Channel. Both the 1985 and 1986 finals are classics worth seeing again and again.

Miscellany

This morning, Tennis Channel showed the 1996 Fed Cup final between Spain and the U.S., contested by Conchita Martinez and Monica Seles. I didn't get to see all of it, but what I saw was dazzling. I'm sure Tennis Channel will show it again, probably several times, and it is well worth a look. I hope I get to see all of it because there was some great shot-making going on.

Speaking of Tennis Channel, Steve Flink says that Kim Clijsters' return to the tour is a very good thing, and that she will move upward quickly. He also says that she was never a "dynamic competitor," so I guess I saw things he didn't see. Another person who says Clijsters can rise quickly is former rival Justine Henin.

And speaking of Clijsters--those in charge of the tournament in Sydney are campaigning to get Aussie Kim as a 2010 entrant.

Steve Tignor compliments Alexa Glatch on her lovely shot-making. "Glatch's game is more than just utilitarian; it has personality, and it was a breath of fresh air to watch."

There was a really nice 25k tournament less than half an hour from my house this past week, and I missed it. I always manage to miss it; this year, I wasn't even aware it was taking place. Anyway, Kristie Ahn, whom I enjoyed watching at the 2008 U.S. Open, received a wild card into the tournament and won it. The tournament had a good field, including Kimiko Date-Krumm, who lost in the quarterfinals to Lindsay Lee-Waters.