Future Tennis Stars

Alright, better late than never right? Unfortunately due to my server problems, I’ve had no time to write the final installment in my hypothetical view on how Serbia’s top stars will fare in the upcoming tennis season.  Onward…

2007 In Review
Novak got a ton of press and rightfully so for moving from 16th in the rankings at the start of the year to no. 3 by July 9th where he would finish, behind Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. He reached the finals in Indian Wells and won Miami. Novak reached the semis at the French Open and Wimbledon where he lost both times to Rafael Nadal. He really caught everyone’s attention in Toronto where he beat Andy Roddick, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer to take the title. After losing to Federer in the finals at the US Open, he had a so-so finish to the year. He won a small event in Vienna and reached the semifinals in Madrid but crashed out of Paris and went 0-3 at the Masters Cup.

What to Expect in 2008
Your guess is as good as mine. Novak made a ton of progress in ‘07 but his lackluster finish at the Masters Cup made some fearful that he could be on the verge of a sophomore slump. There have been many players (Baghdatis and others) who come on hot one year and fade away the next. Novak reached the semis or better in three Slams in 2007 so we know he can play on all surfaces but the mental aspect is questionable.

Let’s see how he will fare in the Slams

Australian Open
Novak will have to come out like gangbusters in the first Slam of the year. He wants to pass Nadal and be the challenger to Federer and Nadal isn’t at his best in Melbourne so this would be his first real chance to take on Roger. Though, I doubt it’s going to happen. He suffered a mentally crushing defeat at the US Open and I think that would bother anyone. It may have been months ago but Novak is a bit of a head case so we will have to see how he performs with all the expectations on him. My guess is with other players like Baghdatis, Gasquet and Monfils who are desperate to make a name for themselves, Djokovic could be upset as early as the quarterfinals.

French Open
Were you surprised that Novak made the semifinals in Paris?Me too. Nothing gave anyone the impression that he would do so well. He did win Estoril but that’s not exactly a barometer for success at the French. Either he works his butt off on clay this year or he will go down early and I am guessing it will be the latter. Look for a third or fourth round “upset”.

Wimbledon
If Novak goes out early in Paris, it would affect his ranking and his seeding for Wimbledon. Either that will be very good or very, very bad. He could run into the likes of Roddick, Gasquet, Nadal or even Federer earlier than he would want to. Still, his game is well suited for the grass and he could end up breaking R-Fed’s streak. If he is placed on the opposite side of the draw as Federer, he could go as far as the finals. However, it’s hard to imagine that Federer if he’s on top of his game, would lose to anyone here. Depending on how Nadal does, I would say Novak reaches the semifinals or better.

US Open
This is Novak’s event to win or lose. He’s great on hard courts and with Nadal on his post-Wimbledon slide, Novak’s chances to take the title will grow all summer long. He has beaten Roger on hard courts before so he could very well do it again. He will be waiting all year for the chance to do it and I bet he does. Look for Djokovic to give Serbia two US Open championships in 2008.

Rankings
Unless Novak tears up the clay court season or Nadal takes a total nosedive, look for Novak to start, and finish, the year ranked third.

Hurdles
For any player, it’s injuries and while Novak has been pretty good so far, we will have to see if anything creeps up on him in 2008. Other than that, it’s mostly mental. His breakdown at the US Open was painful to watch and probably a thousand times worse for him. How he deals with that and how he improves his focus will be the telling factors in how he fares next year.

In Summary
Australian Open - Quarterfinals
French Open - Fourth Round
Wimbledon - Semifinals
US Open - Champion

Thanks for reading everyone!

This just pisses me off. I’m sorry but it does. If there is one player who deserves a decent break, it’s Mark Philippoussis.

Mark will miss the Australian Open he had hoped to enter via a wildcard playoff due to yet another knee surgery. Of course this raises the retirement questions again. Philippoussis has already had three knee surgeries, the last in January which knocked him out of the entire 2007 season.

“I am bitterly disappointed because I really wanted to play in Australia this summer,” Philippoussis said. “They tell me it can be fixed. My initial reaction is I want to get the surgery done and then work on getting back on the court as soon as I can.”

Philippoussis I think represents a larger problem when it comes to the media. So many reporters talk about how Mark never made it to the top, that his career was a disappointment but never mention his multiple knee surgeries or injuries (same goes for Kournikova). We all remember that horrific fall at Wimbledon against Sampras that started this whole mess. If that never happened, who knows? Mark could have owned Wimbledon but it never happened.

Roger Federer and Justine Henin were named the ITF Champions for 2007. Seriously, they put out a press release for that? I guess they had to but it’s not like anyone was within spitting distance of them.

“Every year brings new challenges, and I am proud that I have been able to raise the level of my game when needed,” said Federer, who won three Grand Slam titles this year and reached the final at the French Open.

“This has definitely been the best season of my career,” said Henin, who was 63-4 with 10 titles in 2007 after skipping the Australian Open for personal reasons related to splitting up with her husband. “It has been a very challenging year overall, but I have stayed positive and proved that nothing is impossible if you work hard.”

Read the entire article at ESPN.com

Anna Chakvetdze was tied up and robbed at her home outside of Moscow. The thieves broke in just before dawn on Tuesday and stole about $106,000 in money and $200,000 in jewelery and other items. The report says that Chakvetadze was tied up for around 30 minutes. The attackers gained access by attacking a maid in another building who handed over the remote to the garage through which they got into Anna’s house.

Read the article on ESPN’s website.

Ana Ivanovic

2007 Year In Review
Ana started the year ranked 14th but won three titles, reached the French Open finals and Wimbledon semifinals, she finished the year ranked 4th. Her titles included Berlin (clay), Los Angeles (hard) and Luxembourg (indoors). She also reached the finals in Tokyo.

What To Expect In 2008
Ana needs to break through in order to challenge the top three: Henin, Kuznetsova and Jankovic. Ivanovic is strong on all surfaces but has to play more consistent in the Slams and Tier I events.

Let’s see how Ana would fare at the Grand Slams:

Australian Open
Ana had a horrible stay in Melbourne in 2007, losing to Vera Zvonareva in a romp. This will be the first test to see just how much Ana improved in 2007 and what she worked on in the off season and what she will have to still work on. She really dropped off at the end of the year and anything more than a quarterfinal showing would be a bonus.

French Open
Like her countrywoman Jelena Jankovic, Ana has a strong chance to take the French and has proved in 2007 that she can play with the best on clay. Her powerful strokes can be neutralized on the slow clay and the ball would sit up for a player like Henin or Jankovic who can control the point better. Also, Ivanovic won’t be surprising anyone this year, the top players along with fast rising players like Tatiana Golovin will know how to play her more effectively. Look for a semifinal showing at best.

Wimbledon
This is where Ana will shine. Anything less than holding the trophy at the end of two weeks would be disappointing. Her power game should get her the title. By the start of Wimbledon, Ana should have a few titles under her belt and will be riding a lot of confidence. A win here will be the start of a very strong summer for Serbia.

US Open
Ana had a bad summer heading into the Open last year. Even though she did win the title in Los Angeles, she bombed out in the second round in Toronto before losing in the fourth round in New York. It should be different in ‘08. If Ana gets a good draw, she should at least live up to her seeding and make the semifinals. After that, it depends on who she plays. Jankovic has proven to be tough at the US Open and should be the biggest challenge to Ana.

Rankings
It’s doubtful that Ana could crack the top two if Justine or Jelena play as well as they should. With the amount of points Justine has, it doubtful we would see a new number 1 in 2008 unless she has a serious injury or falls off completely.

Hurdles
Ana needs to work on her mental game specifically staying focused and changing tactics when her A game isn’t working. Her powerful strokes won’t be enough to get her to the top, she will have to work on her volley and her footwork. These aren’t major problems, but would obviously compliment her power game to help her finish off points quickly and not get drawn into long rallies with other power players like the Williams’. As I said before, she won’t be surprising anyone this year so developing into a complete player is an absolute must to stay in the top 5.

In Summary
Australian Open - Quarterfinals
French Open - Semifinals
Wimbledon - Champion
US Open - Semifinals

Tomorrow: Novak Djokovic

A few years ago, Russia dominated the tennis headlines but quickly faded as Maria Sharapova and Svetlana Kuznetsova went winless for a couple of years and Anastasia Myskina and Elena Dementieva dropped out of the headlines.

2007 saw the rise of Serbia with Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic getting the bulk of the press on the women’s side and Novak Djokovic quickly moving up the rankings on the ATP Tour.

At FutureTennisStars.com we’re going to be looking at those three players in greater detail and see what we can expect from them in 2008 starting with Jelena Jankovic.

Jelena Jankovic

2007 in Review
Jelena started the year ranked 12th and finished 3rd. Her biggest titles came in Charleston and Rome, both Tier I events. Her best Slam performance came at the French where she reached the semifinals. She won a total of 4 events.

What to expect in 2008
Jelena played, and won, an insane amount of tennis in 2007 so she will have a lot of points to defend. However, at the Slams and a the Tier I events, she has room to get more in 2008. She will be playing a toned down schedule so she will have more time to focus on her biggest goal, not winning a Slam, but beating Justine Henin. Jankovic was not able to beat the top ranked Henin in 7 tries in 2007. In Doha, Warsaw and Berlin, the matches went three sets and only two matches, Paris and Madrid, weren’t close with both being 6-2, 6-2 losses for Jankovic.

Jankovic can beat anyone else on tour so if Jankovic can beat Henin in a Slam, Jelena will most likely win the title. Let’s have a look at how Jankovic may fare at the Slams.

Australian Open
Jankovic started 2007 with a win in Auckland and the finals in Sydney so she can quickly adjust to the time and weather, the two big things that can affect the top players if they don’t prepare for Melbourne right. Jankovic just happened to run into a hot Serena Williams last year but this year could be different. Jelena will be determined to set the tone for 2008 and a strong showing is what she will get in Melbourne. I doubt she will overcome Henin at the Australian but a semifinal finish is what we should see.

French Open
Her best chance will come at the French where her clay game can neutralize the power of the other players and give her the opportunity to use her ball control to keep her opponents off guard. Even though Henin is extremely tough on clay, definitely the best on tour, Jelena should still pull an upset in Paris. Her strong showing in Charleston, Rome and reached the semis in Berlin. No woman has won 4 straight French titles in the Open Era and I don’t think Henin will do it in 2008. Jankovic wins the French Open and should be ranked No. 2 after the win as she is less than 300 points behind Kuznetsova.

Wimbledon
Jelena won in Birmingham and reached the finals in the Netherlands before Wimbledon last year so she can handle the transition from clay to grass better than most. An unthinkable loss to Bartoli last year (but hey, no one saw Bartoli coming) stopped her from challenging for the title. I don’t think that will happen again and Jankovic should have a clear path to the semis at least. There, she should face Ivanovic, Sharapova perhaps even Golovin. The player that should give her the most trouble here is Ivanovic and I don’t see Jankovic winning against her countrywoman on grass. A semifinal appearance at least should be her result here, but most likely not the title.

US Open
The US Open is a symbolic place for Jankovic. She completed her turnaround in 2006 in New York and she played a great match against Williams in the quarters last year. Even though Jankovic can play on the hard courts, she will face a lot more contenders in New York than probably at any other Slam. Henin, Sharapova, the Williams’, Ivanovic and others could challenge Jankovic. Still at the end of a long year, in the heat and on hardcourts, anything can happen. Henin isn’t as dominant in New York, Sharapova is prone to mental lapses, the Williams’ may not be ready depending on how much they do or do not play. Injuries play a large factor in New York so if Jelena can stay healthy, she will be one of the two or three big favourites. It’s hard to predict a win without seeing a draw, but I would say a title isn’t out of the question depending on her health.

Rankings
Jankovic can make up some ground on Kuznetsova in the rankings not only at the Slams but also at the Tier I events. In Tokyo, San Diego, Indian Wells and Miami, Jankovic lost early. Unless Henin really falls apart and Jelena tears up the schedule, it’s doubtful that Jankovic could overtake Henin in the rankings.

Hurdles
Jankovic’s biggest hurdle will be the mental aspect. For someone who almost never gets hurt, she is prone to mental letdowns if she is up in the third set. Her serve is the weakest part of her game, something she knows and has committed to working on.

In Summary
Australian Open - Semifinals
French Open - Champion
Wimbledon - Semifinals
US Open - Champion

Tomorrow: Ana Ivanovic

Tennis.com has a nice little write up about Anna-Lena Groenefeld’s attempt at a comeback. Looking at Groenefeld now, it’s hard to believe she was ranked as high as 14, touted highly with a powerful serve, and reached the quarterfinals at the French Open in 2006.

Her fall hasn’t received the attention that say, Patty Schnyder’s did back in 1999 but it is just as interesting. In September 2006, Groenefeld fired her coach of four years, Font de Mora. de Mora sued Groenefeld for breach of contract (allegedly a contract had been renewed for three years). After the split, Groenefeld has claimed that de Mora has been telling other players how to beat Groenefeld which has taken an emotional toll on her. She gained weight and dropped in the rankings down to no. 204.

Font de Mora comes out as a loser in this. Does he not realize that coaches can and are dumped almost at will in any sport, particularly tennis? de Mora took Groenefeld as far as he could and he was dropped. Take this hit man and suck it up. de Mora denied that he was coaching her opponents but he was seen at all her matches at this year’s French Open. Is this not just a tad on the creepy side?

“If people come to me, I’ll tell them how to play her,” he said. “But I’m not going after players to tell them how to play her. Besides, she’s so fat it’s not difficult to beat her.“

On Groenefeld dumping him: “they tried to break a contract that had just been renewed for three more years. So, I’m taking her to court because one cannot send one’s work to the garbage like she and her people have done.” Send one’s work to the garbage? What is he, an artist? God, what a dick.

I really hope Groenefeld, who is now working with Dirk Dier who I think she should drop and try to pick up Brad Gilbert (who would scare the crap out of de Mora), comes back and cracks the top 10. Playing mind games, borderline stalking and crapping all over someone is not the way to build a name for yourself as a coach and anyone would be out of their mind to hire him.