THE tennisreporters.net NEWSLETTER: SUNDAY, JULY 27, NO. 39

Courier: Federer the heir apparent to Pete
Hewitt may not have enough firepower; should stop fighting ATP
Bryans have right to play Davis Cup doubles

By Ron Cioffi
tennisreporters.net

Analyst, senior player and four-time Grand Slam champion Jim Courier has surveyed the current crop of talent and sees Wimbledon champ Roger Federer as the diamond in a large chest of jewels. "What a perfect time for him to find his game," Courier told tennisreporters.net. "He's the heir apparent to Sampras. Nice personality. Charming. His game is terrific on all surfaces. He could win a whole handful of Slams."

The intense redhead has gone back to basics and upped his workout schedule in preparation for the Atlanta Tennis Classics Aug. 2-3 in Norcross, Ga. Former No. 1 players Mats Wilander and Thomas Muster will join two-time NCAA Singles Champion Mikael Pernfors as Courier's competition.

Hewitt may not have enough firepower; should stop fighting ATP
Courier sees many reasons as to why he is compared to Australian star Lleyton Hewitt: reliance on groundstrokes, quickness, determination. While Hewitt gets criticized for his bulldog stance, Courier sees a different side.

"Hewitt's relationship with Kim [Clijsters] is a real stabilizing influence. It was to his credit as a human being to stay at Wimbledon and watch [after he lost in the first round to Ivo Karlovic]," Courier said. "How many would have done that?"

But Hewitt's tennis prowess doesn't impress Courier too much. "In the last three years the other players have under achieved. Hewitt stepped into a vacuum and excelled. I don't know if he has the firepower to compete. If [Federer, Marat Safin, Andy Roddick] play their best, they will dominate."

About Hewitt's ongoing scuffles with the ATP, Courier said, "It's a battle he doesn't need to fight and he hurting himself."

Bryans have right to play Davis Cup doubles
Courier has something to say about American men's tennis in his post as Davis Cup coach or second-in-command to captain Patrick McEnroe. "The Bryans, by winning a Slam [Roland Garros], solidifies their right to play doubles. "But the doubles team has to guarantee a point."

The US will take on Slovak Republic in Bratislava in September on red clay. The winner gets to get back into World Group and can play for the '04 Davis Cup.

"Roddick is going to be our No. 1 player with James Blake, Robby Ginepri and Marty Fish. None of them had any success on the clay this year. It's an opportunity for them to learn how to win on clay," he explained.

Courier shed some light on the status of his longtime rival, Pete Sampras. "Pete is, for all intents and purposes, retired. He won't be playing this year. But, maybe, he'll take one more run at Wimbledon. He wants to avoid the boxer syndrome" of competing when the only possible outcome is a loss.

Courier burned out too early and admitted he over-trained during his 13-year career. "I didn't listen enough to my body. I just hit tennis balls. There is no doubt that you can't train full out. You've got to give yourself a chance to breathe. … I certainly wouldn't have achieved what I did if I hadn't worked out, but later I should have relaxed a bit."

The American racked up two Roland Garros titles and two Australian trophies among his 23 tour wins. He hit No. 1 in February 1992. During those years in the early 1990s, Courier's patented inside-out forehand, tenacity, speed and errorless tennis made him a beloved warrior. He delivered a blue-collar game that was far from stylized. Still, he charmed crowds around the world, especially in Paris when he gave his acceptance speech for a French Open win in the country's native tongue.

The New York City resident has a new playing partner living close by: John McEnroe. "I play Johnny Mac a lot. I play pros traveling through the area four or five days a week. Now, I'm preparing a little bit more than I normally would."

The Atlanta tournament will be played on a hard court, even though these four have had more success on clay. Beside Courier, Wilander and Muster won Roland Garros and Pernfors reached the final there in '86.

Courier keeps a high profile these days as a television commentator. He'll be behind the mic for USA at the RCA Championships and the US Open. He brings a more analytical approach to his on-air work than most tennis talking heads. He probably picked up this approach watching one of his favorite sports – baseball – on the tube.

He wishes he could inject more shot-by-shot analysis. "In tennis you have a 25-shot rally; you can only talk about some things that happened." He said fans don't like talking during points. "I give the fans what they want."

Does he see any conflict between his role as a commentator and a player? "It doesn't affect me in the booth at all. I follow the action and speak the truth. Sometimes you have to rub the players the wrong way. I will criticize a player. I was criticized. I know John [McEnroe] will piss people off and players will confront him in the locker room. I'm not on air enough to get that."

Courier said one of the most exciting experiments in TV tennis coverage came during a US Open telecast when commentators from various courts were all on open mics.

"When you get to the finals or night sessions, you can focus on [one particular] match. During the day and the early days, it should feel like a golf tournament … bounce back here, bounce over there. You want to have the feel like it’s a big event."