U.S. Open--what they said

The two great marquee stars tonight on Arthur Ashe Stadium, yourself and Rafa, both have had issues with knees. What do you think that says?
"That we had issues with knees."

Venus Williams

"If I hadn't been playing doubles, it might have been an even tougher match than it was."

Serena Williams, on competing against Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez

"A match takes long. It takes long before it's won or lost. You just have to keep fighting."

Kim Clijsters

"I'm still concentrating on my footwork too much instead of playing my game...."

Vera Zvonareva, talking about her lingering ankle problem

"Can't spell dynasty without nasty!"

on Serena Williams' Nike T-shirt

"This is the Nike 'Delicious' campaign that I'm a part of...'cause I'm delicious."

Serena Williams, referring to that shirt

"I tried to move her around, stay aggressive all the time. You know, not to go for crazy shots, which I'm very proud of."

Daniela Hantuchova

"Tennis, it's very strange sport, because for one point everything can change. You have to be very mentally very focused in all the moments."

Flavia Pennetta

"They're not intimidated by a lot of the top players anymore. I think that's a big thing"

Kim Clijsters, referring some of the younger players on the tour

"I heard a guy in the crowd yell 'Don't hit any more lobs!' so I didn't hit any more lobs after that."

Serena Williams

"My tactic was to push and to push her far away, because when she put the foot inside, is not easy to play against."

Francesca Schiavone

Can you imagine what the little girl Venus just starting out would think of Venus Williams today?
"That girl would think, 'Oh, yeah, I can beat her.'"

Venus Williams

A less intense day at the U.S. Open

Things calmed down a bit today at the U.S. Open, as only one seeded player, Victoria Azarenka, was upset. Flavia Pennetta continued her steamrolling ways with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Aleksandra Wozniak, and Vera Zvonareva show how good her defensive play is in a win over countrywoman Elena Vesnina.

The match I wish had gone on and on was the one between Serena Williams and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez. Players like Martinez Sanchez, who serve and volley, really bring out the fight in Williams. The contrasting styles of the two players created a very entertaining match, which I enjoyed.

Magdalena Rybarikova had a very good second set against Venus Williams, but could not take the 3rd seed to a third set. She played quite well until the moment of truth arrived, and then she was easily broken.

3 teams upset in U.S. Open doubles play

There was big second round doubles action today in Flushing Meadows. The American team of Carly Gullickson and Alexa Glatch upset 7th seeds Hsieh Su-Wei and Peng Shuai, 7-5, 6-3, and 14th seeds Sania Mirza and Francesca Schiavone were broken 6-2, 1-6, 7-5--after saving four match points--by Gisela Dulko and Shahar Peer.

Also upset were 16th seeds Victoria Azarenka and Vera Zvonareva. They were defeated 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 by Sorana Cirstea and Caroline Wozniacki.

Ipek Senoglu and Yaroslava Shvedova took at set off of 5th seeds Daniela Hantuchova and Ai Sugiyama, but the seeded team won, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2. It should be noted that Shvedova, who is still alive in the singles draw, had to call for a trainer for what appeared to be a thigh strain.

"The honeymoon will end soon"

Only it didn't.

That's because Italians know how to make the honeymoon last.

The "honeymoon will end" comment was made by a commentator who justifiably thought that 26th seed Francesca Schiavone, clearly in pain from a thigh injury, would have a letdown after she won the second set against 8th seed Victoria Azarenka and went up a break in the third. As a matter of fact, the Italian veteran did have a letdown. After missing a chance to break Azarenka and go up 5-1, she netted a put-away smash and almost lost her serve.

Only she didn't. Azarenka found it easier to break her racquet than to break Schiavone. Anyone who has ever watched Schiavone play in Fed Cup knows that she will fight to the bitter end, and today was no exception. She lobbed, she served and volleyed, and she hit the ball with her signature heavy topspin, confounding the number 8 seed. Azarenka, to her credit, hit some beautiful shots, but her backhand went wild over and over, and the errors piled up.

After she won, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, Schiavone looked into the camera and yelled "Good match!"

Miscellany

Ana Ivanovic is taking a short break from tennis, and will return to the tour to play at the end of the month.

Melanie Oudin and Sam Querrey helped open the New York Stock Exchange yesterday.

Flavia Pennetta has dropped only six games on her way to the U.S. Open round of 16.

The San Diego tournament will return in 2010, but there will be no more Los Angeles tournament.

Not only did Jelena Jankovic have to play the day after her grandmother died, but Sloane Stephens, who lost in U.S. Open doubles yesterday, received the bad news that her father had died in a one-vehicle accident. Stephens died yesterday in north Louisiana.

Thanks to After Atalanta or finding this piece on the Williams sisters and how they are described by various members of the sports media. After you read the story in The Atlantic, be sure you read the After Atalanta post, too.

Sony Ericsson WTA Tour continues its Charleston degradation campaign

The Family Circle Cup is one of only two clay court tournaments in the United States. Its first champion, Rosie Casals, won more prize money than had ever been awarded to a female player. The tournament was also the first women's tournament, amid loud protest, to ever be shown on television. The Family Circle Cup is also the longest-running women's tennis event to be sponsored by the same company throughout, and Meredith was the first company to sponsor a women's tennis tournament.

In short, there is no other tournament that can boast of such historic advocacy for women's tennis. It is also known as a "launching pad" for great champions. Women who have won in Charleston have gone on to do even greater things in the sport.

Last year, I was angry and disappointed to learn that $300,000 and some ranking points had been taken away from the tournament, reducing the purse to $1,000,000. On top of that, a hugely promoted smaller tournament in Barcelona was placed right before Charleston on the calendar, and many Charleston regulars went to Spain instead. To make matters even worse, Robin Reynolds--the Family Circle Cup's splendid director--was missing. No one could (or would) tell me why she left her position. There are many possible reasons, and one is that she didn't like being slapped in the face by the tour.

The slapping continues. The tour has just released the 2010 calendar, which informs us that another $300,000 in prize money has been removed from the Charleston purse, and $480,000 has been added to the Barcelona prize money.

I think we all get it: The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour is doing everything possible to de-value a tournament whose history alone makes it one of the most important events in women's tennis. It is also one of the best-run (though more so when Reynolds was in charge) and most fan-friendly sports events around. The grounds are beautiful, the stadium and club courts are very nice, and there is generous player access.

To chip away at the Family Circle Cup is to chip away at tradition, women's advocacy, exciting American tennis, and good sense. It is an insult I take seriously as a fan, and it is an outrage.

Melanie Oudin, just another "unarmed" winner

Melanie Oudin has no weapons. That's what Jelena Jankovic said when Oudin removed her from the third round of Wimbledon, and that is even what some tennis writers said yesterday when Oudin tossed Elena Dementieva out of the second round of the U.S. Open.

This preoccupation with "weapons" says more about tennis fans and sports writers than it does about the players. And while it is very handy to have a Graf-like forehand or a Davenport-like serve, those attributes are only parts of what tennis talent is about. This obsession with "weapons" is a reflection of the current power trend in tennis, but it does not reflect the spirit of tennis, and it is also somewhat arbitrary in definition.

Many things matter in tennis--serve, volley, groundstrokes, forehand, backhand, footwork, touch, speed, strategy, mental strength. In her time, Chris Evert was thought to hit the ball very hard, but it was her mentality and the accuracy of her strokes that her opponents most feared. Martina Navratilova was physically stronger than her opponents, and that helped her a lot, but it is her volleying for which she will be most remembered.

Certainly, pro players should work to hit the ball as hard as they can (but not all the time!) and to serve as well as they can, but even serving well does not necessarly mean serving with great speed. And shot variety--though it is not considered a "weapon"--is actually one of the biggest so-called weapons of all. Players like Amelie Mauresmo, who can put a lot of topspin on the ball, can throw opponents off in a big way. Mauresmo's deadly slice took her to a Wimbledon championship. Martina Hingis's uncanny anticipation frustrated many a great player. Jelena Jankovic's ability to quickly change both the direction of the ball and the momentum of the point has won her several titles. And then there is the legacy of Justine Henin, which speaks for itself.

But in the current tennis lexicon, a great slice, heavy topspin, superb footwork, and clever strategy are not "weapons." Only those actions related to hard hitting and ball speed are weapons. My take on this arbitrary distinction is that too many tennis fans and members of the tennis media are desperate to prove that tennis is a "real" (meaning, testosterone-loaded) sport. Readers of this blog know how irritated I get when commentators use other sports as metaphors for tennis because such language diminishes tennis (and it is also extremely poor use of metaphor). Baseball isn't comparing itself with tennis, and football writers aren't yelling "Wow--he really hit that one over the net!" Tennis needs to be content with being itself, and that self--though definitely athletic--is also graceful and cerebral.

As for Melanie Oudin, she possesses what may actually be Serena Williams' greatest "weapon": She believes she can win. Without that, all other strengths and skills are meaningless.