THE SCOOP: THURSDAY, JUNE 19

A cool million: USTA prize money & the ATP
NBC's Wimbly telecasts; Slumping Dokic replaces Gunthart; Lindsay's foot getting worse; Team fantasy; Family Circle brings in new director

By Matthew Cronin and Ron Cioffi
tennisreporters.net

The USTA announced that '03 US Open prize money will exceed $17 million, the largest purse of any annual event in sports. For the first time in Grand Slam history, both the men's and women's singles champions will receive a record $1,000,000. The USTA has also increased prize money for doubles, with the champions each receiving a record $400,000.

The purse includes over $10 million in main draw singles prize money, an 8 percent increase over last year. Total prize money is up $1 million, a 6.2 percent increase. The total purse of $17,074,000 remains the highest of any tennis event, and $3 million more than the closest non-tennis event.
The USTA's decision pleased embattled ATP CEO Mark Miles, who has been crossing swords with the Grand Slams over prize money.

"The USTA's increase is nearly twice the amount of the Open's average increases over the past few years," Miles said. "Many players view this as a constructive preliminary step and it confirms the importance of our ongoing dialogue with the USTA regarding financial issues and other initiatives to grow the game."

Should the USTA's decision to up the prize money a significant amount be considered a victory for Miles? Not really, but it's not a defeat either. Everyone knew the USTA wanted to be the first Slam to offer $1 million to the winners, whether it happened this year or next. Plus, once the WTA raised the prize money for its singles winner at the season-ending Home Depot Championships to $1 million, folks at the USTA stood up and noticed.

What does the USTA get out of working with the ATP? Probably a promise from Miles to work diligently to help the USTA secure TV rights to some of the summer hardcourt tournaments in 2004, where it can promote them as a "US Open Series."

The USTA's decision certainly won't hurt Miles and the ATP in their attempt to put out the raging fires set by the International Men's Tennis Assn., which claims some 65 members. In an e-mail obtained by The Los Angeles Times' Lisa Dillman, IMTA President Wayne Ferreira said, "The ATP is practically in a panic and will do whatever it can to intimidate us into quitting. They say we are jeopardizing their chances of getting money from the GSC or getting new sponsors. I say Miles has had 10 years to do all of it and instead [has] overseen the continuous decline of tennis."

Ferreira and the IMTA is sitting on the sidelines during the ATP's negotiations with the Slams. "It's a dicey situation," he told Dillman. "If the ATP doesn't get the money, we don't want to be blamed for it."

In other USTA news, the organization will be funding a $50 million bond issue to further increase player and fan amenities at the Open. Plans include a renovated grandstand court, upgraded player fitness and training facilities and enhancements to the upper level of Arthur Ashe Stadium. … The USTA announced that Bobby Bernstein has been named administrator, coaching education and Scott Riewald, administrator, sport science for the USA Tennis High Performance Coaching Education staff in Key Biscayne, Fla. Noel Gressner will become the program's strength and conditioning specialist.

NBC's Wimbly telecasts
NBC will present 37.5 hours of coverage of Wimbledon. Coverage begins on Saturday, June 28, continues through the week and culminates with exclusive live "Breakfast at Wimbledon" coverage of the women's final on Saturday, July 5 (9 a.m. - 2 p.m. EST) and the men's final on Sunday, July 6 (9 a.m. - 3 p.m.). Ted Robinson anchors NBC's coverage, accompanied by analysts John McEnroe, Mary Carillo, Bud Collins and Jimmy Roberts. Collins will also be writing for MSNBC, as will the site's newest addition, Tracy Austin.

For those of you who live in and around NYC and aren't headed to Wimbledon, Tennis Magazine, British Airways and Rolex will present a "Wimbledon Experience" at Grand Central Terminal, July 1-3.

The "Experience" will feature a re-creation of the side court experience at Wimbledon complete with artificial grass courts, player seats, display towers, court walls, bench logos and even official Wimbledon merchandise available for purchase. Matches from Wimbledon will be broadcast live , with footage of classic Wimbledon matches courtesy of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. The venue will also feature interactive areas where consumers can test the speed of their serve for a small donation to charity. New York's own version of strawberries and cream, strawberries and New York cream-cheesecake, will also be served.

Slumping Dokic replaces Gunthart
In the midst of the worst slump of her career, Jelena Dokic parted ways with Steffi Graf's former coach, Heinz Gunthardt, after only five months. When they first started working together, Dokic said that it was fine that Gunhardt would only travel with her part-time, but after Roland Garros, said that she needed a full-time coach again. In recent months. Dokic said she was committed to working with Gunhardt in the long term in order to give the changes he was instituting in her game time to flourish. She didn't and now she's essentially back to square one. Dokic is now working with Croatia's Barna Bilik.

Lindsay's foot getting worse
Lindsay Davenport's left foot continues to trouble her and she appears headed to surgery in the near future. She has a nerve in between the third and fourth toes in this foot is a nerve that can become inflamed, like it did when she had to retire against Conchita Martinez in Paris.

After she was upset in Eastbourne 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (3) by Italy's Silvia Farina Elia, Davenport said that it's tough to get fired up when your body is breaking down constantly. Last year, she was out for six months with a knee injury.

"It's been a struggle to get motivated," she said. "It's the Grand Slams that excite me, hopefully that will inspire me at Wimbledon. … It seems my body breaks down more often than it used to."

Davenport told the San Diego Union Tribune's Jerry Magee that there's no telling when the pain is going to shot through her foot and added that she is going to try to wait until after the U.S Open before she has surgery. She's having cortisone injections and has had her left shoe fitted with orthotics.

Team fantasy
Looks like the ATP finally has a challenger in the fantasy league arena. World Team Tennis is debuting its new league at www.WTT.com. So go pick and trade the likes of Andre Agassi, Anna Kournikova, Lindsay Davenport, Andy Roddick, John McEnroe, Martina Navratilova, James Blake and Maria Sharapova. tr.net's hot tip: Don't discount the smaller-name men who play doubles and mixed – like Mark Knowles and Brian Macphie.

Family Circle brings in new director
The Family Circle Center, home of the WTA stop in Charleston, S.C., has named former coach Jim Dempsey as director of tennis.

During the 1990s Dempsey coached some of the top-ranked players in the game including Pam Shriver, Lori McNeil and Lisa Raymond. He also assisted in developing the WTA tour's coaches registration program.

Frankie Whelan, executive director of the Family Circle Tennis Center, said, "It was imperative for us to find an individual who fits with our mission on growing the sport of tennis and this facility, someone who has outstanding teaching, coaching and training skills. Jim is the perfect choice for us and for the city of Charleston." The center is owned by the city.