Reached the finals of all 4 majors during open era – WTA.

• Margaret Court.
• Billie Jean King.
• Evonne Goolangong.
• Chris Evert.
• Martina Navratilova.
• Hana Mandlikova.
• Steffi Graf.
• Monica Seles.
• Arantxa Sanchez Vicario.
• Martina Hinges.
• Serena Williams.
• Venus Williams.
• Justine Henin.

Reached the finals of all 4 majors during open era – ATP.

• Rod Laver.
• Ivan Lendl.
• Stephan Edberg.
• Jim Courier.
• Andre Agassi.
• Roger Federer.

Federer’s done it 3 times in a calendar year and Laver’s done it twice.

Only male player (with 6 or more majors), who lost more Grand Slam singles finals than he won.

 

-Ivan Lendl who lost 11 and won 8.

Should Sampras attempt a comeback?

This is what John McEnroe said recently, about Pete Sampras returning to the regular ATP tour.

“I know that he can beat most of these guys still – certainly at Wimbledon – so there’s a temptation for him to want to do that,” McEnroe said. “I know he’s right. He can handle these guys but that’s his call.”

I think it would be great for tennis. Following are some arguments in favor of a comeback:

• There is nothing to lose for Sampras. Even if he performs way below expectations, nobody can take away, what he has accomplished. In short, there is no pressure. He can play, just for the love of the game.
• He was always worried about Agassi gaining an upperhand. During the last year of his stay, it was evident that Agassi had found a second wind, and was playing with inspiration. Noticing some lack of motivation, and consequent poor play on his part, Sampras decided to retire after mulling it over, for about a year, because he didn’t want to be humiliated by Agassi, his arch rival.
• Now that Agassi is gone for good, and he is in reasonably good health, it is a good time for him to jump in, test the waters and have fun.
• Recently Sampras talked about Nadal, and how he stays at the baseline, at Wimbledon. Sampras added, that he sometimes ‘licks his chops’ at what he could have done, coming to the net against him.
• There is practically no one with a serve and volley game on the tour, and his addition would create a huge buzz and possibly some good results.
• Michael Jordan came back at 40 years, and although he did not excel at the level, as everyone expected, he had fun with much lesser degree of pressure. More importantly, that performance did not tarnish his image or accomplishments, as the best basketball player ever.
• His potential match with Federer will probably be the most-watched event in the tennis world.
• Agassi was amongst the top 5 in the world until recently. So certainly, Sampras can make a run for it, gaining confidence from predictions from former legends like John McEnroe, of his ability to hold his own.
• He could play for a year and quit, but it will be a good yardstick, of where his serve and volley expertise would stand, against the new technology and more athletic players. 

Federer vs. Sampras.

Sampras mentioned that the level and depth of competition, he had to deal with, was much more talented and fierce, than faced by Federer. The fact has been repeated and agreed to, by most experts and commentators. Here is an analysis. What do you think?

These are the players, Sampras and Federer had to overcome, in the final rounds, to win each of the Grand Slam:

Year	Name	Opponents faced to win Slam	AU	FR	WB	US	Total
1990	Pete Sampras	Lendl, McEnroe and Agassi	-	-	-	One	ONE
1993		Agassi, Becker and Courier	-	-	One	-	TWO
1993		Michael Chang and A. Volvo	-	-	-	One	THREE
1994		Lendl, Courier and Martin	One	-	-	-	FOUR
1994		Chang, Martin & Ivanisevic	-	-	One	-	FIVE
1995		Ivanisevic and Becker	-	-	One	-	SIX
1995		Courier and Agassi	-	-	-	One	SEVEN
1996		Ivanisevic and Chang	-	-	-	One	EIGHT
1997		Muster and C. Moya	One	-	-	-	NINE
1997		B. Becker & Pioline	-	-	One	-	TEN
1998		Henman & Ivanisevic	-	-	One	-	ELEVEN
1999		Henman & Agassi	-	-	One	-	TWELVE
2000		Patrick Rafter	-	-	One	-	THIRTEEN
2002		Haas, Roddick & Agassi	-	-	-	One	FOURTEEN
====	=====	=====	-	-	-	-	-
2003	Roger Federer	Philliposis & Roddick				One	ONE
2004		Ferrero & Safin	One	-	-	-	TWO
2004		Grosjean & Roddick	-	-	One	-	THREE
2004		Ferrerro & Safin	-	-	-	One	FOUR
2005		Hewitt & Roddick	-	-	One	-	FIVE
2005		Hewitt & Agassi	-	-	-	One	SIX
2006		Kiefer & Baghdatis	One	-	-	-	SEVEN
2006		Bjorkman & Nadal	-	-	One	-	EIGHT
2006		Davydenko & Roddick	-	-	-	One	NINE
2007		Roddick & Gonzalez	One	-	-	-	TEN

When we analyse the above data, here are some of the conclusions:

-Hall of Famers during Sampras reign:

• I. Lendl.
• J. McEnroe.
• A. Agassi.
• B. Becker.
• J. Courier.
• P. Rafter.

-Possible the only Hall of Famer against Federer:

• R. Nadal – with a winning record against Federer.

In Federer’s defense, you cannot ignore this: It could be, that Federer’s talent is so much superior, that players who could have been Hall of Famers during Sampras’s reign, are relegated to mediocre status. His breaking of Connors’s streak of no. 1 ranking, could be proof enough, that for the past three years, no one has been able, to even come close. You cannot do that, for that long a period, without dazzling talent. He has lost just 5 matches, in each of the last three years. How unbelievable is that?!!!

Most bagels or 6-0 sets.

-According to the match scores listed on the ATP website, Borg bageled his opponents (sets won 6-0) 116 times from 1973 through 1981, compared to Roger Federer’s 52 bagels from 1999 through the 2007 Australian Open.

-Want more bagel stats? Click here.

Reached all major finals – Open Era.

• Rod Laver.
• Ivan Lendl.
• Stephan Edberg.
• Jim Courier.
• Andre Agassi.
• Roger Federer.

Countries with most Davis Cup Wins (2 or more).

Rank	Country	Total
1	United States	32
2	Australia (played under “Australasia” until 1913)	28
3	France	9
=	Great Britain (played under “British Isles” until 1913)	9
5	Sweden	7
6	Germany	3
7	Spain	4

Youngest Winners of a Title – WTA

-Tracy Austin, 14 years, 28 days (1977 Portland).

-Andrea Jaeger, 14 years, 7 mos, 14 days (1980 Las Vegas).

-Kathy Rinaldi, 14 years, 6 mos, 24 days (1981 Kyoto).

Oldest Winners of a Title – WTA

-Billie Jean King, 39 years, 7 months, 23 days (1983 Birmingham).

-Martina Navratilova, 37 years, 4 months, 2 days (1994 Paris Indoors).

-Margaret Court, 34 years, 4 months, 26 days (1976 Melbourne).

Most titles won in season – WTA

1	Court	21	1970
2	Court	18	’69,’73
3	King	17	1971
4	Evert	16	’74,’75
4	Navratilova	16	1983
6	Goolagong	15	1970
6	Navratilova	15	1982

Most weeks ranked at no. 1 – WTA

1	Graff	377
2	Navratilova	331
3	Evert	262
4	Hingis	209
5	Seles	178
6	Davenport	98
7	S. Williams	100
8	Henin	117
9	Mauresmo	39
10	Austin	22

Most matches won in open era – WTA.

1	Navratilova	1442
2	Evert	1304
3	Graf	900
4	Wade	839
5	Sanchez-Vicario	759
6	C. Martinez	739
7	Davenport	753
8	Goolagong	704
9	King	695
10	Sabatini	632

Most Career Titles In Open Era – WTA.

OPEN ERA WTA TITLE LEADERS
1	Navratilova	167
2	Evert	154
3	Graf	107
4	Court	92
5	Cawley	68
6	King	67
7	Wade	55
8	Seles	53
9	Davenport	51
10	Hingis	42
11	Clijsters	37
11	J. Henin	41
11	V. Williams	43
13	S. Williams	36

Total Grand Slam Leaders.

	Aus. Open	Roland Garros	Wimby	U.S.Open	Overall	Total
1.M. Smith Court	11-8-2	5-4-4	3-2-5	5-5-8	24-19-19	62
2.Martina Navratilova	3-8-1	2-7-2	9-7-4	4-9-2	18-31-9	58
3.Billie Jean King	1-0-1	1-1-2	6-10-4	4-5-4	12-16-11	39
4.M. Osbourne Dupont	DNP	2-3-0	1-5-1	3-13-9	6-21-10	37
5.Doris Hart	1-1-2	2-5-3	1-4-5	2-4-5	6-14-15	35

Most Major Singles Titles (6 or more) – WTA.

		Aus. Open W-L	Roland Garros W-L	Wimby W-L	U.S. Open W-L	Overall W-L
1	Margaret Smith Court	11-1	5-1	3-2	5-1	24-5
2	Steffi Graf	4-1	6-3	7-2	5-3	22-9
3	Helen Wills Moody	0-0	4-0	8-1	7-2	19-3
4	Martina Navratilova	3-3	2-4	9-3	4-4	18-14
	Chris Evert	2-4	7-2	3-7	6-3	18-16
6	Suzanne Lenglen	0-0	6-0	6-0	0-0	12-0
	Billie Jean King	1-1	1-0	6-3	4-2	12-6
8	Maureen Connolly Brinker	1-0	2-0	3-0	3-0	9-0
	Monica Seles	4-0	3-1	0-1	2-2	9-4
10	Molla Bjurstedt Mallory	0-0	0-1	0-1	8-2	8-4
	Serena Williams	5-0	1-0	3-2	3-1	12-3
11	Dorothea Douglass	0-0	0-0	7-4	0-0	7-4
	Maria Bueno	0-1	0-1	3-2	4-1	7-5
	Evonne Goolagong Cawley	4-3	1-1	2-3	0-4	7-11
15	Nancye Wynne Bolton	6-2	0-0	0-0	0-1	6-3
	Margaret Osborne duPont	0-0	2-0	1-2	3-2	6-4
	Blanche Bingley Hillyard	0-0	0-0	6-7	0-0	6-7
	Louise Brough Clapp	1-0	0-0	4-3	1-5	6-8
	Doris Hart	1-1	2-3	1-3	2-5	6-12

Gainers and Losers – 2007 season.

GAINERS:

Roger Federer (SUI): He will finally achieve, what everyone believes only he can, among the current crop: Win the calendar Grand Slam.

Andy Murray (GBR): Will enter the sacred top five in the world. His showing at the majors will reach the semi-final stratosphere. End the year with 5 titles. Current ATP ranking: 13.

Novak Djokovic (SRB): Break the top 10 barrier, and will qualify for the year-end championship at Shanghai. Quarter final or better at the majors. Current ATP ranking: 14.

Richard Gasquet (FRA): Will reach the top 10 in the world, with an impressive quarter-final showing at the majors. Winner of at least 3 titles and contender for top 8 for Shanghai. Current ATP ranking: 16.

Gael Monfils (FRA): Reach the top 20 in the world. Possibly couple of semi-final appearances at ATP Master series. Current ATP ranking: 51.

Sam Querrey (USA): The future of US tennis will break the top 25 mark with stellar performances on faster surfaces. Only 19 years old, at 6’6″, he has immense growth potential. Current ATP ranking: 92.

LOSERS:

Ivan Ljubicic (CRO): Now at 28 years, he will see his ATP ranking slip past the top 10 for good. With a late surge in his career that led him to the no. 3 ranking in the world, he will find it rough, going up against the younger, fresher legs consistently. Current ATP ranking: 8.

James Blake (USA): At 27 now, he had a break-out season last year, reaching the top 4 in the world. Relying heavily on his power game and perfect timing, may not come as easily as in past years. Wear and tear will manifest itself, in gradual slippage of the ranking, particularly as the year ends. May stay within the top ten but Shanghai is out. Current ATP ranking: 6.

Tommy Haas (GER): He is a lighter version of Blake, having gone through many heart-breaking obstacles and nagging injuries. He reached the no. 2 ranking in the world in 2002, but with age against him at 29, it will not be easy to sustain his top performance for the whole year. Current ATP ranking: 9.

Nikolay Davydenko (RUS): He has the most mileage on his wheels. No one on the tour comes even close. He played in 31 tournaments compared to 18 for Federer and 19 for Nadal, from last January to-date. Add to it, that he is almost 28 years old. Getting married recently may be a sign of things to come or not to come. Current ATP ranking: 3.

Fernando Gonzalez (CHI): Had an unbelievable season last year, particularly the second half, reaching the Australian Open final this year. It would be difficult to maintain that physical nature of his game, over a 12 month period, with age catching up to him at 27 years. Current ranking: 5.

David Nalbandian (ARG): Having reached the no. 3 ranking in the world in March, last year, his performance has tapered off. Not having one go-to shot in his arsenal, he relies more on his deft placement and angles, a combination not a perfect recipe for success in the current power game. May possibly retire after the season. Current ATP ranking: 10.

Projected top 10 for December, 2007.

1. R. Federer.
2. R. Nadal.
3. A. Murray.
4. N. Djokovic.
5. M. Baghdatis.
6. N. Davydenko.
7. T. Robredo.
8. T. Berdych.
9. R. Gasquet.
10. A. Roddick.

 

The ‘REAL’ Tennis Hall Of Fame. Agree?

 

Hall of Fame has been reduced to a pedestrian group of players. The inductees to this elite group should be just that: ‘ONLY THE ELITE’.

Recently, Patrick Rafter and Gabriela Sabitini were inducted. Rafter won two Grand Slam titles in his career - two!!! and Sabitini has one – ONE!!! What rationale or parameters justified that!!!

Here is the list of the ‘REAL’ Hall OF Fame Players:

• Rod Laver.
• Pete Sampras.
• Roy Emerson.
• Bjorn Borg.

• Margaret S. Court.
• Steffi Graf.
• Helen Moody.
• Martina Navratilova.
• Chris Evert.

Agree?

Most challenging goal for Roger Federer.

You are thinking - the 14 Grand Slams, right? Or was it winning the four Grand Slams in a year? No, those are goals well within his reach, and every pundit agrees, it is just a matter of time before those records are taken down.

The only goal that can pose a real challenge to Roger, is surpassing Jimmy Connors’s record of 109 career titles. He has 47 titles right now. To break this record, he needs to win at least 10 or more titles every year till he is 32 years of age.

Looking into the crystal ball, the only hurdles on the horizon may be the following:

• Andy Murray.
• Novak Djokovic
• Richard Gasquet.
• Injuries.

Here is the breakdown of the titles won so far:

1998-none.

1999-none.

2000-none.

2001-one.

2002-three.

2003-seven.

2004-eleven.

2005-eleven.

2006-twelve.

2007-two and counting.

Predictions for 2007 season.

Roger Federer: This is the year, Federer needs to bag the Grand Slam. The only hurdle for the last two years, Nadal, is faltering and is plagued by nagging injuries. Add to it, the fact that Federer has won the last two encounters, although one was an exhibition. There is nothing standing in the way now.

If he blows this opportunity, it might take him out, mentally, from the Grand Slam pursuit. Completing it, though, will give him added confidence he needs, to beat back the young gunners banging on the door including Murray, Djokovic and Gasquet. His dominating showing at the Australian Open, without dropping a set, gives him a huge psychological advantage over anyone having any ideas of overthrowing the King.

This year’s Grand Slam, in short, is Roger’s to lose.

Andy Roddick: He seems to have solved the ‘early round exit syndrome’ that plagued him, all of last season. But true to his record so far, he is still faltering miserably against the top ten players. Add to the mix, the new generation almost breaking the door down, and it all does’nt bode well for Roddick.

This is the season where Roddick’s rankings are going to nose dive for good. He was able to get back in the top five after dropping from the top ten last season. But that was partly due to inspired play, but mainly because of a friendly draw.

Andy Murray: He is a great candidate to be the valedictorian of the new class of throne usurpers. With impressive outing at the Australian Open, having almost beaten Nadal, and then claiming the San Jose title for the second consecutive year, after knocking out Roddick in the semis, he seems ready for prime time.

With Brad’s expertise in his corner, Murray is flourishinig and must be very proud of his decision to hire the acclaimed coach. If he keeps up his current form, he could be one of the main contenders to dethrone Federer for the Wimbledon title.

James Blake: You have to give it to James for having come so far in the rankings, despite the enormous struggles and obstacles. But this season will see the end of the amazing run. With age against him and the vastly and quickly improving younger and talented field, he will see his ranking drop past the top 15 very soon.

But he should have no regrets. He achieved a lot and should be very proud.

Novak Djokovic:There is little doubt about the talent here. He is just oozing with it. With one title already in his bag this year, he has a great start on his classmates. It will be a hotly contested rivalry, between him and Murray this season, for the season’s top ranking, among the newcomers.

Without question, he would be in the top ten by season’s end and vying for the spot at Shanghai, China. He needs to make this as his break-out year, on which to build his potentially remarkable career. Being selective on his comments about other players wouldn’t hurt.

Australian Open Notes – 2007.

Roger Federer: He seems to come out with some extra fire against opponents he either does not like or feels a potential threat from in the future. Clear examples are Djokovic and Roddick at this AO. Comment made by Djokovic earlier irked Federer and he did not make an extra effort to hide it. Similarly, Roddick’s constant harping that the gap is closing between him and Roger and the Kooyong win just before the AO, not to mention the match point he had at Shanghai—all created an intense storm within Federer that found its vent at AO resulting in complete demolition and embarrassment of Roddick.

Leyton Hewitt was also on the short end of Federer’s ire at the 2005 US Open, where he was annhilated 6-0, 7-6, 6-0 in the finals. Leyton’s disrespect of his opponents on the court was what irritated Federer.

Surpassing 14 Grand Slams are just a matter of time, but I think the real goal that Federer should consider is the 109 titles held by Connors. If he can beat this one, during the process, he will essentially eclipse every record there is. That translates winning at least 10 titles every year till he is 32.