Archives for 2018

ATP Finals: Zverev wins biggest title, stunning Djokovic

Here’s a wrap-up of the 2018 season for the eight ATP Finals singles players.

Alexander Zverev
From August all the way through November, Zverev played well at times, but mostly mediocre. But last week in London, Zverev stood up tall, stunning Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-3 to win the title. 

He was so locked in, so good, smashing his serves, his forehand and backhand and also being patient. The 21-year-old won Munich, the ATP 1000 Madrid, Washington and now, London. “I’m unbelievably happy, obviously it’s the biggest title that I’ve ever won,” said Zverev. And how. 

This year, he beat eight Top 10ers. On Saturday and Sunday, he overcame Roger Federer and Djokovic. That is almost impossible to do. The No. 4 Zverev has yet to go very deep in the Slams, but in 2019, he will be very confident and stoical.

Novak Djokovic
The 14-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic has had a terrific second half of the year, winning Wimbledon, Cincy, the US Open, and Shanghai. On Sunday, he had only lost twice since June, to Stefanos Tsitsipas in Toronto, and Karen Khachanovin in Paris. It looked like he was almost invincible. 
But in the final, he played OK, didn’t serve well during the second set, and he didn’t return with his usual tour-topping skill. However, you cannot win every week; it is going to happen, once in a while. Djokovic will stay as the No. 1 at the start of 2019, but the most important thing for him is to keep on churning.

Roger Federer
The 37-year-old Federer had two good wins against Dominic Thiem and Kevin Anderson, and two losses against Nishikori and then in the semis to Zverev. Not good enough for him? Probably not, because he wants to win at the most important events, and the No. 3 really, really wanted to grab it in the ATP Finals. He would have had 100 titles, in front of everyone, and he would have been so darn happy. But, he did not and for the next two months or so, he will be stuck at 99 wins. He must be think: “Ugh.”    

Kevin Anderson 
The South African/American looked terrific, winning two matches against  Nishikori and Thiem to start, but then the tide turned, and he lost easily to Federer and Djokovic. Yes, he had a fine year, winning two small events and he reached the final at Wimbledon. Can Anderson win a major in 2019? Hard to say. He has improved his backhand and speed, but the tall man is still a little bit slow. However, if he can return better, then maybe he can raise the Slam trophy in 2019. Maybe.

Marin Cilic 
There are days when you think that he is playing so clean, so smart, and so intense. But there are also days when inside his head, that he gets frustrated and then he gets mentally down. Yes, he had a very decent year, but for Cilic, unless he gets to No. 1, he is very disappointed. He has won one major title, the 2014 US Open, and he has also reached the final at 2017 Wimbledon, and this year,  at the Australian Open. There is no doubt that he will be a force again in 2019. But, to get his second Slam, he has to be steadier and focused at the net.

Kei Nishikori
After the Japanese stunned Federer, it looked like he was ready to take down all of them. But he did not, and he flipped out, losing so easily against Anderson and Thiem. Later, he said he had no idea why. That is so true. However, he did play pretty well most of the season, and he wasn’t that hurt at all, which is very good, considering that he had been injured for so many years. 
Nishikori is very fast, he leaps up into the sky a lot, and he puts the ball away.  
Can he actually win a Grand Slam someday? That is questionable because in the second week, he eventually gets tired and then starts coughing up the unforced errors. Hopefully, in 2019, he will continue to be healthy. If he does, Nishikori will go deep at some big events.
   
Dominic Thiem 
The Austrian has been creative this year. He mixes it up, he will spin it, chop it, and flatten it out. On clay, he was way up there, reaching the final at Roland Garros. But, on the hard courts, while he has improved during 2018, it has taken the 25-year-old a pretty long time to be a force. He is trying, though, he is stuck on the baseline. Maybe, he can push himself forward. He played a few good matches last week. He wasn’t able to reach the semis, but maybe next year in London at the O2, he can grab and actually win it.
  
John Isner 
The American was pretty thrilled that he made it into the ATP Finals, slipping in when Rafael Nadal and Juan Martin del Potro had to withdraw because of another late-year injury. He was excited and he was hopeful. He tried but lost all three of his matches. As he said before it started, there are some amazing players here. So, Isner had a small chance. Unfortunately, he couldn’t raise his game. Without a doubt, he did improve his backhand, and at net game, bending low. Maybe in 2019, Isner can crack the top 5. That would be even more special. 

ATP Finals: Anderson wins, Federer loses to Nishikori

Kevin Anderson has had such a solid year. The 33-year-old veteran has improved his backhand,  his speed, and net play. Go back five years and he was struggling mentally, but now, he is pretty calm and directed.

On Sunday in the ATP Finals in London, Anderson overcame the Austrian Dominic Thiem 6-3, 7-6(10), attacking the net regularly.

Thiem has also improved this year. He was always very good on clay, but he had to understand what he needs to do on hardcourts, which are much faster. However, both of them still have return substantially better, just like Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer do. And today, Nishikori also did it, especially serving.

Champions like Djokovic and Federer return well all the time, and that is why they have thousands of  break points. Indoors, in London, it is warm and there is no wind, so Anderson  can swing out — when he wants to. Maybe the South African can reach the semis, but he has a long way to go. He was nervous, but today, he settled in.

“I definitely felt a little bit nervous. But very quickly and find a really good rhythm, taking care of my service games nicely [and I] created quite a few opportunities on his serve,” said Anderson. “He wasn’t serving at a very high first-serve percentage. I felt I was getting into quite a few points. The second set could have been anybody’s set. When it’s 12/10 in the tiebreak, it really could have gone either way.”

At night, Kei Nishikori stunned the 20-time Grand Slam winner Federer 7-6 (4), 6-3. Now that was surprising, not because the Japanese has had a very decent year, but because the Swiss has played in London extremely well over the years, on grass and indoors on hard courts. But in his first match, he was frustrated.  

“I hope I don’t go on vacation with three losses. Let’s put it that way,” Federer said. And how.

So Federer lost, but it is a round-robin, so he can reach the semis, but he has to re-compose. He committed 34 unforced errors, and that is a lot. He does not do it often, but he received a code violation for banging a ball into the crowds. Ouch. Federer won the Australian Open, skipped Roland Garros, and then he was ousted at Wimbledon and the US Open. Recently, he won Basel again, but the 37-year-old might be aging a little more. That is inevitable.

“My season [in 2018] was never going to be exactly like last year,” Federer said. “I knew that going into the season. If you thought I was going to have, I think you are dreaming. I’m happy how I played this season. I didn’t feel like playing less was a problem.”

He did add that Nishikori had a very good year. At the end of 2017, he was hurt and he couldn’t play. He came back in February and it took him awhile to be comfortable. He is now.

“I’m really happy for [Kei] that he qualified for this event – not taking me out today – but I’m happy for him because he started playing challengers this season,” Federer said. “That was a bold decision early on and deserves credit and respect. I think we all have that for Kei because he’s a great fighter.”

Federer will plays Thiem on Tuesday, while Anderson will face Nishikori.

NOTES
The United States lost 3-0 against the Czech Republic in the Fed Cup finals. That is the sixth time in eight years that the Czechs have won it. They are so good. Katerina Siniakova  saved two match points and won it 7-5, 5-7, 7-5 over Sofia Kenin. Close but no cigar for the Americans. …

Stefanos Tsitsipas won the Next Gen ATP Finals title in Milan over Alex de Minaur. The Greek will crack into the top 10 pretty soon. He is very tall and he just crushed the ball off of both wings.
 
The coach and broadcaster Darren Cahill has stopped coaching Simona Halep. “I’ve decided to take a 12-month break from coaching to be home more for support as our children enter important stages of their lives with the final year of high school, sports and college preparations all becoming more time consuming,” Cahill wrote.

Czech Lucie Safarova, who peaked by reaching the 2015 Roland Garros final, will retire at the Australian Open in January. Her body is declining. “I had a great career, but my health doesn’t allow me to continue,” Safarova said. That is too bad, she always hustles and she always smiles, too.

Svitolina wins the WTA Finals, beats Stephens

Elina Svitolina was not playing fantastic during the last few months. But when she arrived in Singapore, she decided that she would swing out. And she has always run super fast, and extremely strong.  
 
Svitolina knocked down Petra Kvitova, Karolina Pliskova, Caroline Wozniacki, Kiki Bertens, and in the final, she played terrific in the last two sets, jumping on Sloane Stephens 3-6, 6-2, 6-2,

She has never played great at the Slams, but outside of that, she can be very cool and calm.

“It’s definitely a good statement for myself and good boost of – I can’t say confidence, because I try to always have confidence in myself, to have it is my personality,” Svitolina. “I think for me it’s just that the third set really showed that I was mentally tough. That’s what made the difference…When I qualified for this tournament, definitely decided that I’m going to just go for it and I’m good enough. I’m going to trust my game, going to trust myself.”
 
She is going to have to do it once again at the 2019 Australian Open, in three months. Then, the No. 4 can lock in, breath, and think of things that I am darn good — and not pretending that I am going to lose.

She didn’t in Singapore last week, and just Wozniacki, who it took her 10 years to finally win a major. Svitolina can do it, too.

“I was staying very positive, and I think that’s what made the difference in this week. I was able to play well and to compete.”

WTA Finals: Svitolina revives, upends Pliskova

Elina Svitolina
Back in the spring, Elina Svitolina was ready to pounce. She hadn’t won a Grand Slam, but in the big tournaments, she was very strong, fast and powerful.

From January through May, she won Brisbane, Dubai and Rome against very good players. She upset the No. 1 Simona Halep in the final in Italy — on clay. She was legitimately one of the favorites going in Roland Garros. But she lost in the third round. She wept and she was very upset.

The same thing happened during the summer. She lost in the first round at Wimbledon, but back in the hard courts, she began to feel a little bit better, and she reached the semis at Montreal and the quarters in Cincinnati. Not great, great, but decent. 

But after she walked into the US Open, in the first week, she looked pretty good. But, then in the third set against Anastasija Sevastova, she totally disappeared, and she went down 6-0 in the third. Wow. Credit to Sevastova, but Svitolina  totally crashed out. It is all about the Slams, and she has yet to go super deep in the majors.

But not now. In the past four days, she is into it again, beating Karolina Pliskova 6-3, 2-6, 6-3. In the third set, she looked healthy and concentrated. Two days ago,  she smoked Petra Kvitova, serving and running substantially faster. 

“I think my serve was not great today at all, but it’s also, on the other hand, she’s returning pretty well, so she’s putting a lot of balls back,” Pliskova said. “So, there is the pressure that you always have to play the ball after the serve. … Obviously, the third set I didn’t hold much my serve, which is always frustrating, but she’s a good player, too, so I was not there alone.”

And now, in Singapore, Svitolina had a decent chance to win it all. She is pretty honest. Here is what she said after the match about the Czech:  “It worked really good, because I think Karolina was up and down and struggling sometimes.”

Yes, she did, and now, on Thursday, Pliskova has to down Caro Wozniacki to make the semis. Right now, both of them are feeling good. There will be some long rallies, and Svitolina has to be patient. The same goes with Wozniacki, who has to be step in, rather than going way back on the court.

“[Against Wozniacki] it’s another tough battle. She’s a fighter and so am I,” Svitolina said. “It’s gonna be a tough match.”

WTA Finals Race: Wozniacki, Stephens, Kvitova



It is in the middle October, and next week the top 8 players are at the WTA Finals in Singapore. On Wednesday, Elina Svitolina and Karolina Pliskova qualified, joining Simona Halep, Caro Wozniacki, Angelique Kerber, Naomi Osaka, Petra Kvitova and Sloane Stephens.

Halep’s back issues flared up enough for her to withdraw. Holland’s Kiki Bertens will take her spot.

Will they go out there and really battle? Mostly, but over the years in Singapore, a few people couldn’t run fast, or they were so exhausted. Right now, we don’t know until they get on the court, but day after day — they have to play three matches, wins or lose —so we will discover who really wants it.

There were some incredible matches last year. Kvitova, who reached the final and had a solid chance, but she lost 6–2, 4–6, 6–3 to Aga Radwanska, when the Pole was healthy and she out-thought everyone. Aga has been hurt over the past year so she isn’t in Singapore, but Kvitova is right there. The Czech has had a some terrific wins this season, but in the fall, she has been so-so at best. Will she rise? Perhaps, as Kvitova won the WTA Final in 2011, knocking out Vika Azarenka in three fun sets.

Kerber, too, is playing once again, but she hasn’t won the event. In 2016, she was on top of it, but she lost toDomi Cibulkova, who was on fire towards the end of the season. Cibulkova isn’t in this draw, having plummeted to No. 27.

Last year in October, Wozniacki won the event, for the first time, and she has qualified so many times. Back in Doha, she reached the final in 2010 against Kim Clijsters, who is now retired, and the Belgian overcame Wozniacki 6–3, 5–7, 6–3, which was pretty close. In 2017, in the final in Singapore, Wozniacki settled down and cracked her wonderful backhand. She was thrilled, which is why a few more months later, she won the 2018 Australian Open, the first time she had won a Grand Slam. Obviously, she was thrilled, but the most important thing is that not only was she confident, but she has improved her forehand and her returns. Maybe she can win it again next week? She is right there.

Who is playing the best in the event?

Kerber just split with the coach, Wim Fissette, andhad a pretty decent year. But, since she won Wimbledon, she has slipped. Winning Singapore would be almost shocking. 

The young Osaka certainly has a chance to win it. Kvitova has been struggling during the fall, and the same goes with American Stephens, is not playing well at all now. Pliskova looked awful in Moscow, while Svitolina has been very shaky.

Who will win it?

My vote for the top three in Singapore: Wozniacki, Osaka and Kvitova.

Roger Federer returns against Medvedev


The famous Roger Federer is back, playing in Shanghai, but in early September at the US Open, he was stunned by Aussie John Millman in four sets. That was a true shocker. It was in the fourth round, at night,  but it was still very  humid and thick. It was still so pretty hot. His body felt sick, and it was.  

The Swiss made so many errors that maybe he should have quit. But he continued to play, and he wasn’t running fast enough and he couldn’t really move.

Whatever the case, he lost,  but let’s not forget that Millman played incredibly well. He was smart and efficient. That was the best match he’s ever played.

Almost all players like Federer, and they want to play him.They appreciate his strokes. More importantly they want to play Federer because all the fans will come out and watch him. He is the most popular person in the world.  They know that all the fans will come out, wherever Federer is playing, because in the next few years, the 37-year-old will retire. And then they won’t be able to watch him anymore.    

So the young players want to make sure that when they walk on court, it will here the fans screaming in joy.

Coming up, in Asia, Federer will face Daniil Medvedev, the Russian, who just won Tokyo, beating Kei Nishikori in the final. The  6-foot-6 big swinger is only 22-year-old, which means that he is rising, put quietly. Win or lose, at least he will attack him.

Update: Federer worked hard to defeat Medvevev 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.

Medvedev told the ATP: “ATP 500 is definitely a different thing, beating indoor [great players] like Milos [Raonic], Denis Shapovalov and Kei in his hometown is something amazing. … You never win easy but doing this with easy scores, with amazing level of my game, I’m just really happy about myself and I hope to continue improving in this way.” 

The Russian added: “[Roger] was just destroying me [practicing],” but it’s going be good … because I know that straightaway from the first one I will need to try to put pressure on him also, because that’s what he does. If I stay passive, if I’m just going to try to put the ball in the court, that’s not going to work out. It was my dream probably to play him once, because we all know that his career will not last forever.”

Other Notes

Among the Americans: Sam Querrey will face the San Diego’s Taylor Fritz. Querrey played great last year, but now he is fading fast. He was No. 11 at the end of 2017, but now, he is ranked No. 57. Brutal.  

This week in Shanghai there is a few interesting young competitors, such as Aussie Alex de Minaur, South Korean Hyeon Chung, Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas and  another American Mackenzie McDonald. Who will still be playing in the weekend? A toss up…

And let’s not forget that Alexander Zverev is there, ranked No. 5, and during the first half of this year, he played spectacular well — outside of the the Grand Slams — but he hasn’t put together any tournaments since July. Time to step up again …
 
Three notable players who just lost and are struggling: Stan Wawrinka, Nick Kyrgios and Jack Sock.

Game changer: Davis Cup reforms could produce big shake-up


While the Davis Cup semifinals were underway last week, a bigger contest for control of the sport’s team events was unfolding behind the scenes. The ITF’s recent vote to transform the competition into a one-week, 18-nation event in a single location, coupled with the ATP’s decision to re-start its own, similar World Team Cup, has opened up a battleground that could have far-reaching repercussions across the tour.

Having two national team competitions — and having them just six weeks apart — seems “insane,” as even ATP CEO Chris Kermode put it, and it is puzzling that things even got to this point in the first place. But when soccer player Gerard Pique made his initial approach to the ITF about a World Cup-style tennis competition, its change-adverse leader at the time, Francesco Ricci Bitti, would not hear of such radical reform. Rebuffed, Pique went to the ATP and found it receptive at first, rummaging up its shelved Dusseldorf-based event as a potential vehicle. Then that also broke down, prompting Pique to return to the ITF, which was now led by the change-oriented David Haggerty and eager to bring him on.

The ATP, though, still pursued its idea, finding a Chinese investment group and getting the backing of Tennis Australia, which saw the World Team Cup as an appealing lead-up to the Australian Open. The ITF announced an agreement to reform the Davis Cup with Pique’s investment group, Kosmos, worth around $125 million annually.

Talks were attempted by the ITF and ATP to avoid an obvious clash, but did not go anywhere. That became apparent when the ATP declared plans for its World Team Cup just before Wimbledon, followed by the ITF approving its reforms in a highly contentious vote at the organization’s Annual General Meeting.

Now the potential for conflict seems far higher than the potential for co-operation, and is also drawing in the game’s other major constituencies. Here’s a look at the lines of contention.

ITF vs. ATP
Finding ground for the two sides to work together is difficult. A combined ITF and ATP team competition is geographically unlikely. Tennis Australia’s involvement means the World Team Cup is committed to being in Australia, while the ITF has pledged its first two finals to Europe, likely Madrid or Lille.

There could be some movement on the dates, but juggling the packed tennis schedule is far from simple. There are currently four Davis Cup weeks in the season, so on the surface it seems like the new competition would lighten the load. But perhaps not.

While new Davis Cup has been slotted into the final week in November, the timing is not very palatable to the players, who do not want it to interrupt their off-season break. That might be why Pique told Le Figaro he wants to organize with the ATP to move the competition to September.

There is already a Davis Cup round in September, but not in a good spot — it is played the week following the US Open. But if it were moved to the following week, as the ITF likely wants, it would conflict not just with ATP events but also with the Roger Federer-created Laver Cup, which technically an exhibition, but an event with deep pockets attracting most top ten players.

“We have our dates. We’re not moving,” Federer’s agent, Tony Godsick, told as an aside at the US Open.

On top of that, there’s talk of a ten-day Davis Cup, which would require two weeks in the schedule. The ITF could give the ATP one of its other three weeks in return for a two-week spot, but it has allocated a week to a compromise round of home-and-away ties, and Haggerty has told The New York Times that the ITF has plans for two new events in its other weeks. That could lead to ITF events taking up four or five weeks during the regular season, to which the ATP would object loudly.

If the two sides cannot reach an agreement, the tour could start scheduling ATP events at the same time as Davis Cup and the other planned ITF events. And it might not stop there — if the ATP gives more favorable scheduling and ATP points to the World Team Cup while refusing to do the same for Davis Cup, the ITF could file an antitrust lawsuit, throwing the game into protracted conflict. Conversely, the ATP could also accuse the ITF of imposing its own requirements on players. If either side goes to the courts, it is likely to be hugely expensive and damaging for both organizations.

Even if that does not happen, it seems obvious that just having two national-team events side-by-side will produce confusion and impede each other. The Davis Cup has more history, while the World Team Cup is more convenient, but it is yet to be seen which will be more successful in winning players and popularity in these new forms.

Both plan to offer around $20 million in player prize money, but the ITF’s agreement with Pique and his group is by far the more lucrative — so lucrative, there are questions about whether the group can break even and whether it will keep ploughing in funds if it does not.

Haggerty, speaking in an interview at the US Open, explained the ITF had done a “due diligence” process with a top accounting firm, in addition to assigning four board members to look at the offer and provide an assessment to the federations.

”It’s essentially a licensing agreement where we work together on the operations of the Davis Cup finals. So they have broadcast and sponsorship rights, they give us guarantees, but again, it’s a collaborative effort,” he said.

Haggerty also said funding has been provided along with bank guarantees, but a letter from Tennis Europe before the vote suggested that some federations were told the total amount of the guarantees was around $82 million.

Several of the large tennis nations were split on the reforms, both internally and externally. While top player participation has declined, the Davis Cup still has a tight hold in large corners of the sport. Among those in favor of reform was the United States, along with the French Tennis Federation (FFT) president — despite opposition from French players. Tennis Australia, which has an interest in the World Team Cup, was against it, as was Germany. The UK’s LTA also announced that it would be voting no, against the expressed preference of Wimbledon, but there are still some questions about whether it actually did as said.

Still, Haggerty is insistent the federations “are aligning together” following the vote, with nations like Germany, Serbia and Poland pledging to now back the reforms. But there are lingering concerns about improprieties around the securing of votes — there are allegations or admissions of various offers around more than 43 votes — sufficient to swing the balance required — and it is rumoured some nations have even spoken of an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

ATP vs. ATP
This is not just about the ITF and the ATP — there are also issues within the ATP itself. Billionaire Larry Ellison, who owns Indian Wells, recently became an investor in Kosmos, which came with a commitment to eventually hold a Davis Cup finals at Indian Wells.

The tournament had apparently been interested in holding the World Team Cup before the ATP went with Tennis Australia.

The ATP in turn has contacted Indian Wells, informing them that holding the Davis Cup finals could be a violation of its contract with the ATP. But, considering Ellison’s involvement in tying up the America’s Cup yachting competition in such disputes, that might not be a good move.

The ATP has been getting more involved in running events, and now has the NextGen Finals and the World Team Cup along with the season-capping ATP Tour Finals. That could increase tension with other tournaments in its role of running the men’s tour.

As it is, ATP players and tournaments are at odds about prize money increases, especially at the Masters level.

The player representatives on the ATP board, notably Justin Gimbelstob, are demanding a 19 percent annual increase for the Masters 1000s, according to L’Equipe, having already received double digit increases in recent years. While some events, like Indian Wells, want to provide even more, most are digging in their heels. The ATP board, which consists of three tournament and three player representatives along with the CEO, is almost at a standstill on this issue.

It appears Novak Djokovic is leading the charge for more pay from the Player Council, like by publicly calling for the ATP Tour Finals to look at moving to other locations. There are cities, especially in Asia, willing to offer extravagant sums to hold events — something the WTA Tour has taken advantage of, while the ATP has held back from going largely with the highest bidder.

While competing at the Dubai tournament in 2015, Djokovic peculiarly suggested the tournament should become a Masters event, even though the event itself does not want to do so and the tour has no plans to increase the amount of Masters events.

A few weeks ago, he said that he would like the Grand Slams to be the best of three sets rather than five, and argued that the sport needs more innovation. This contradicts the sport’s experience that the old-fashioned events have been the most successful.

“But comparing to other sports in this modern times, tennis, I think, hasn’t fulfilled its potential,” said Djokovic at Cincinnati. “Tradition and history and integrity of the sport is something that is very important, but that has held us back.”

ATP vs. WTA
Rank-and-file agitation has had other effects. The ATP board recently refused Gstaad’s request to become a combined event, and previously looked at splitting Washington, D.C. Further back, the combined event at New Haven has had the ATP tournament go to Winston-Salem, though it is not known whether any preference was expressed by the ATP.

Some — though not all — male players, stung by criticism for their questioning of equal prize money and tired of scrutiny around court assignments and scheduling given to male and female players, have become increasingly opposed to having dual gender events.

But, combined events have generally been the most successful in tennis, with tournaments held together getting more spectators than men’s or women’s events on their own. Indeed, two ATP events — Atlanta and Newport, whose facilities would not allow the adding of a WTA event — have begun holding a women’s exhibition during the tournament and brought in big crowds.

“I don’t know if it’s the next best thing, but it’s the next best thing we could think of, is to have an exhibition and give the fans some diversity of experience while they’re with us,” said Todd Martin, tournament director of Newport, in an interview during the US Open. “I think our sport has demonstrated it’s greatest when it’s aligned. Tournament vs. tournament, or gender vs. gender, or tour vs. tour, or entity vs. entity, is counterproductive to the betterment of our sport.”

Nevertheless, it isn’t going away. The largest sticking point is equal prize money at the bigger combined events. There has been frustration among some ATP players that their prize money rise has been limited by having to share half of any increase with the women — particularly, they argue, since they collectively earn more for the tournaments and because WTA players have not joined them in the calls for more prize money.

The ATP looked a couple of years ago at establishing a special Masters category with higher prize money for some events like Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid and Shanghai — these are also, apart from Dubai, the equal prize money events — but nothing has come of it yet. In the meantime, Beijing is looking to convert its ATP 500 event to a Masters, to run alongside its WTA Premier event.

The WTA — now with its big TV contract, a lucrative new location for the WTA Finals, and potentially also a new title sponsor, according to Sports Business Journal — should now be more capable of holding its position on equal pay for the top combined events. But these contrasting sentiments are having effects on the scheduling and organization of tournaments.

ATP vs. Grand Slams
The Grand Slams are unlikely to consider moving away from equal prize money, and do not seem to be inclined to offer more big prize money increases either. The Australian Open might be more amenable than the others, but their general stance is that they have done plenty, as prize money at the Slams has doubled in recent years, reaching $53 million at the US Open.

Yet, Grand Slams have also seen their earnings rise sharply, and players want another round of increases, complaining that they still get too small a portion. They have also pointed to problems with communication, saying they were not properly consulted about the introduction of the shot clock.

Although members of the ATP board, player council and representatives have been organizing the conversation with the Slams, the Slams have become increasingly reluctant to have the ATP involved. That could produce more talk of a player union, which Djokovic brought up at the player meeting at the Australian Open. But whether the players can even agree among themselves on any form of collective action is another issue altogether.

The Slams, on the other hand, appear willing to assert themselves if there is any confrontation.

The changes to the team events add another layer of friction. The chairman of the All England Club, Philip Brook, backed the Davis Cup reforms simply as a counter to the ATP’s — and Tennis Australia’s — plans, according to The Telegraph.

Grand Slams vs. each other
It is also a reflection of the fissures between the Slams themselves. Under Craig Tiley’s leadership, Tennis Australia has become involved in both the World Team Cup and Laver Cup, along with being a voting member of the ITF and vocal opponent of the Davis Cup changes. The other Slams are wary of its ambitions, and of it potentially breaking ranks on prize money.

Tennis Australia, on the other hand, has seemed unwary of the conflicts that it has got into, and could find itself in some awkward positions as its partners tussle with each other.

The USTA is also a partner of Laver Cup and a proponent of the Davis Cup reforms; it could be similarly conflicted in any scheduling argument between the competitions. That is on top of USTA Chief Executive, Professional Tennis Stacey Allaster’s questionable campaign for rule changes like on-court coaching and the shot clock, some of which have exasperated the others.

The Davis Cup reforms have exacerbated the crisis at the FFT, where unpopular president Bernard Giudicelli voted for the changes despite strident opposition from French players and those involved in the game. Giudicelli also benefited from an ITF rule adjustment that allowed him to stay on the board despite what in France is considered a criminal conviction, a move which has also been highly questioned. The federation’s influence and effectiveness will be hampered while all this persists.

As far as the game’s team competitions are concerned, the intrigue is as high off the court as on it.

The top 5: the cool Naomi Osaka beats Serena

naomi osaka
Naomi Osaka, the Japanese who lives in Florida, won the US Open, and  arrived as one of the best players this year. Yes, the 20-year-old wasn’t perfect, but slowly, she got better and better though the fortnight. At the US Open, she fought. Her big serve was unbelievably good, her forehand was powerful, and her backhand was vicious. She returned pretty well, too, and she hustled.

Even in the last game, when it was 5-4, and Osaka had to serve it out, she wasn’t very nervous and took her time. She won match point with a hard serve into the corner. Yes, she cried, because there were a lot of people who were booing, but at the end, she smiled, a few times.  The now No. 7 could win a number of majors over the next 15 years. Osaka is that good.     

The Others

Serena Williams
At the US Open, Serena played six matches, and she looked darn good, knocking off a bunch of strong players. But in the final, against Osaka, she was mediocre, half and half. She served OK, but it’s not like she needed to bring in her massive first serves, and her second serve was up and down. She rarely came into the net, which she should have. When she belted her backhand and forehand, they would fly out, and there were a number of errors.

Obviously, Serena was very angry during the match. She was very, very ticked off. She yelled, she screamed, she busted her racket, she was very frustrated. She argued with the chair umpire, asking for an apology, time and time again. The fans were surprised by the code violation. They didn’t really know why. But many people love her, so they booed with the the umpire.

Serena lost it, on court and off court, she argued some, and she defended herself. OK, yes, it’s all about tennis, and she really wanted to win. But, if she stopped yelling, after a few minutes, and played, it could have had a different outcome. She had to be super calm, but she couldn’t, and perhaps she would have overcome Osaka.

As Serena said, Osaka played great and she deserved it. Good for Serena for saying that. But she has to be honest, and should have said, “Sorry, I messed it up, apologies.” She hasn’t done that yet. We will see whether she dowa it during the fall— if she is going to play for the rest of the year. Everything is questionable now. Ugh.   

Anastasija Sevastova
The 29-year-old Sevastova showed off her incredible variety, upending Elena Svitolina and Sloane Stephens before going down versus Serena pretty quickly. But, her amazing drop shots, her very quick feet and variety were in full display. Yes, she needs to improve her serves, and her returns, but she will remain dangerous.  

Madison Keys
For the most part, Keys played well, even better, because from January through most of August, she was so-so. But at the USO, she was aggressive, more accurate and she focused, a lot. However, Osaka served huge, and Keys couldn’t break her. She has to find some consistency. Hopefully, during the fall, she will be healthy and move up the ladder.

Carla Suárez Navarro
The veteran Spaniard beat Caroline Garcia 5-7 6-4 7-6(4), then she beat Maria Sharapova in straight sets. She did lose against Keys in the quarters, but still, the-30 year-old decided to hit her shots hard and deep, spin it, slice it, and smack the ball when she had an opportunity. She has been around for a long time, and she has yet to win a major, and maybe she won’t. But, given that she has been better this year, the No. 22 has a long shot at a Slam.

Spectacular Novak Djokovic wins the US title

novak djokovicFROM THE US OPEN – Before Djokovic walked on the court, he knew that if he played well, he would win the title again. He is better than Juan Martin del Potro, he knew that coming in, but he realized that the Argentine was rising, very gradually. If he was very consistent and powerful, he would win.

 And he did, 6-3 7-6 (4) 6-3. In the second set, DelPo had a few chances, to grab it, but Djokovic stayed in there, out-hitting with his backhand, moving so well, returning a lot, which he had to, because DelPo was crushing his first serves.

The Serbian stayed strong, he didn’t play great with his serves, but his backhand beat the Argentine down, especially crosscourt. Plus, his forehand was hard. He wouldn’t allow DelPo to come into the net hardly at all, unless he decided to bend him down, pull him over, and pass him. DelPo crushed his huge forehand a lot, and in the second set, there were times when it appeared that he was getting better and better. Had he won the second set, then who knows? But in the breaker, Djokovic focused, and he locked in, and when he won the second set, it was essentially over.

While the No. 3 DelPo has had a terrific year, still, if he wants to win a major again — and to stay healthy — he must continue to work his backhand and his return. Other than that, he is a darn good player. Djokovic is a fantastic player, because he is now won 14 Grand Slams, tied with American Pete Sampras. Surely, next year, the No. 2 Djokovic can win another title, possibly at the 2019 Australian Open. That would be something else.   


The others


Rafael Nadal

The No. 1 played three marathons, before the semis started against DelPo. After the first set, he became injured, and after he lost 7-6, he told the umpire that he was going to retire soon. In the second set, he pulled out. He was sad,  and a little upset, but the No. 1 Nadal knew that you cannot win all the time.

He will always remember in the quarters against Dominic Thiem, winning it 7-6(5) in the fifth, which ended in four hours and 49 minutes. It was spectacular. But after that, his body and his leg  was exhausted so there was no way he could continue. He did win Roland Garros, plus four more ATP Masters 1000, so in the fall, assuming he is feeling better, he will continue to push, and try to win it again. The last time he and Djokovic played against each other, he lost 10-8 in the fifth at Wimbledon. That was super close. Maybe they will clash at the ATP Final in London, or early. We all hope so. 

Kei Nishikori

The Japanese looked great heading into the semis, beating Marin Cilic in five, running fast, leaping in the sky, and punishing with his forehand. He returned pretty well, too. But, once again, Djokovic is better than he is. His first and his second serve, and he can grind him down, also with his phenomenal backhand. I am not sure that Nishikori can upend Djokovic ever again, maybe once, or twice. In a five-setter at a Grand Slam, he can’t take a quick win. In the two out of three sets, sure he can lock in and upset Djokovic, but he couldn’t do anything on Friday, losing 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. That was a good US Open for Kei, but not good enough to win the title.     


Dominic Thiem

The Belgian played well as he could, especially on the hard courts,  because he has won a number of titles on clay, but the 25-year-old wasn’t ready for long, hard-court contests. At the US Open, he knew he had be very aggressive, with his huge first serves, and his heavy spin, with his forehand and his backhand. He did, and he battled, and he fought, and he pumped his fist, but he couldn’t make it.
After he lost, the No. 8 Thiem said that he will always remember this defeat. But, perhaps in the fall, he can shake it off, and during the fall, he will add more variety. I would think that we will reach the ATP Finals in England. But that is a toss-up. It’s all in his head now.

US Open picks: day 14: Novak Djokovic vs. Juan Martin del Potro

Novak Djokovic, by Mal Taam
FROM THE US OPEN – Without a doubt, Juan Martin del Potro has played as well as he can over the past 13 days. His serve in gigantic, his forehand is extremely fast, his backhand is getting better every day, and he is pretty clean at the net.

So how is he going to upend Novak Djokovic, who he has lost to 14 times, and he has won only four contests? I am not sure how he is going to unearth him.

Djokovic is on top of the ball, very cool, and very efficient. His backhand is the best ever, his forehand in pretty deep and solid, he can return from way back in the court, and he is so fast. That is why he has won 13 Grand Slams and counting.

He is healthy again, and two months ago, at Wimbledon, Djokovic finally felt that he can go for the lines, and he can be patient until he sees an opportunity. Then he strikes, time and time again.

In 2017, they played three times, at Acapulco, Indian Wells and Rome (on clay). Djokovic won all of them. Two years ago, the Argentine won it at the Rio Olympics 7-6, 7-6. Delpo was thrilled with the victory on hard courts. So, maybe on Sunday, he can really focus and break him.

I doubt that, because Djokovic generally knows where he has to move, or stay in the middle, and return deep and compact. But on occasion, because DelPo can hit his serve around 130 mph, a blaster, and crush his forehand at 100 mph.

In 2009, at the US Open, DelPo won it all, knocking out Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer. That was really important. But in 2012, when DelPo hurt his arm, he lost in straight sets against Djokovic in the quarters. 

Yes, Novak wasvbetter than the Argentine, and remains so. However, two days ago, DelPo looked much better against Rafa Nadal, running fine and smashing his forehand. He won’t go backwards.
There should be some wonderful rallies. DelPo will not be nervous, but Djokovic will serve hard and guess correctly on his returns and dominate backhand versus backhand. It’sd all about angles and depth, and Novak will push him back.

Djokovic will win it in four sets, the third time at the USO. He is one of the best players ever.