ATP Backspin Grass Court Awards

With the Newport Hall of Fame tournament over, it's finally time for a little grass court housekeeping. Of course, what grass is doing in the house is another thing. (Yes, I'm aware of how bad that was.)



*TOP GRASSCOURT PLAYERS*
1. Roger Federer
...in 2008, King Rog will get the chance to go for the REAL record-tying SIXTH straight Wimbledon title.
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2. Rafael Nadal
...Rafa could author a book entitled, "How to Go From a Surprise Wimbledon Finalist to a Future Champion in 12 Short Months."
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3. Novak Djokovic
...pity Mr. Fantastic to be around in the era when Roger and Rafa rule the courts, sort of like everyone had to feel for the female players not named Navratilova or Evert during the 1970's and 80's. (Gee, didn't I write that after the clay season, too?) Still, a little less rain and backlog of matches and it very well might have been the Serb in the SW19 final.
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4. Richard Gasquet
...the Frenchman came back from two sets down to beat Andy Roddick at Wimbledon, and then take the American's place in the SF as Federer's rented mule.
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5. Tomas Berdych
...still "on the verge," but a little closer. Maybe?
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**RISERS**
1. Novak Djokovic
2. Richard Gasquet
3. Tomas Berdych
4. Marcos Baghdatis
5. Robin Soderling
6. Paul-Henri Mathieu
7. Janko Tipsarevic
8. Ivo Karlovic
9. Dmitry Tursunov
10. Eric Butorac/Jamie Murray
HM- Jarkko Nieminen

**FRESH FACES**
1. Nicolas Mahut
2. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
3. Philip Kohlschreiber
4. Peter Wessels
5. Chris Guccione
HM- Donald Young

**SURPRISES**
1. Marcelo Melo/Andre Sa
2. Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi
3. Eric Butorac/Jamie Murray
HM- Edouard Roger-Vasellin

**VETERANS**
1. Arnaud Clement/Michael Llodra
2. Fabrice Santoro
3. Jonas Bjorkman
4. Wayne Arthurs
5. Mark Knowles/Daniel Nestor
HM- Juan Carlos Ferrero

**COMEBACK**
1. Nicolas Kiefer
2. Tim Henman (Wimbledon 1st Rd.)
3. Hall of Famer Pete Sampras (WTT)
HM- Dmitry Tursunov (after slow '07 start)

**DOWN**
1. Andy Roddick (at Wimbledon)
2. Jonas Bjorkman/Max Mirnyi
3. Fernando Gonzalez
4. Mardy Fish
5. Ivo Karlovic (at Wimbledon)
HM- Ivan Ljubicic (at Wimbledon)

TOP PERFORMANCE: Come on, is there any reason to even ask? HE has 54 consecutive grass court wins, 34 of them at Wimbledon while winning five straight titles. Bjorn Borg did the latter, but the overall grass streak is thirteen matches longer than the Swede's second longest all-time streak.

**TOP MATCH**
Wimbledon Final - Federer def. Nadal
...7-6/4-6/7-6/2-6/6-2. Again, in a battle for their own little page in the history book at the All-England Club, Federer outpaced Nadal for his eleventh career slam title (just three behind Sampras' record), though this was the first time he's had to play five sets at Wimbledon since he defeated Sampras in the Round of 16 there in 2001. Oh, by the way, this makes it TEN straight slams won by either Roger or Rafa... and 12-of-13.

**TOP MATCH (without Federer or Nadal)**
Wimbledon 1st Rd. - Henman def. Moya
...6-3/1-6/5-7/6-2/13-11. He might not be a true threat to win the title anymore, but Tim Henman still has a knack for drama. After blowing four match points in the 5th set on a Monday, he returned on Tuesday to survive and put the Spanish vet away on his seventh MP... and did it on Tony Blair's last day in office, to boot. Not to be one to break a longstanding pattern, though, Henman came back from two sets to none down in the 2nd Round against Feliciano Lopez, only to lose 6-1 in the 5th.

WHERE FORMER GRAND SLAM FINALISTS GO TO... WELL, WHO KNOWS WHAT HE'S DOING: Mark Philippoussis, out of action with an injury, has been filling his time playing the "bachelor" in the American TV reality dating show "Age of Love," in which women in their 20's (the "kittens") compete with women in their 40's (the "cougars") for the affection of the 30-year old, two-time grand slam singles RU.

THE MORE THINGS CHANGE, THE MORE THEY STAY THE SAME: Ivo Karlovic and his monster serve finally won a grass court title in Nottingham, but he still ended up losing in the 1st Round at Wimbledon.

THE MORE THINGS CHANGE, THE MORE THEY STAY THE SAME, PART 2: Ivan Ljubicic was HIS first grass court title in the Netherlands, then lost in the 3rd Round at Wimbledon (hey, it's a slam -- what did you expect?).

THE MORE THINGS STAY THE SAME, THE MORE THEY CHANGE: Andy Roddick won his fourth title at Queens Club, and seemed headed for another SF destruction at the hands of Roger Federer at the All-England Club. But then he blew a two-set lead against Richard Gasquet, and HE got the butt-kicking instead. Damn Frenchie, spoiling all Roger's fun.

THE MARATHON MAN: Novak Djokovic played back-to-back matches of 4:12 and 4:59 against Lleyton Hewitt and Marcos Baghdatis in the Round of 16 and QF, respectively. Then, the very next day, he had to face Rafael Nadal. AND HE STILL WON THE FIRST SET AGAINST THE SPANIARD! Then, of course, his injuries caught up to him and he retired in the 3rd set.

*MOST ENTERTAINING MATCH*
...the Rafael Nadal/Robin Soderling 3rd Round match at Wimbledon had it all: brilliant shotmaking, cold stares, saved match points... and mocking wedgie pulls and dead-fish-and-look-away handshakes at the net. For the record, Rafa finally won on his sixth match point.

**IF DJOKOVIC HAD BEEN PLAYING, HIS BALL BOUNCES WOULD HAVE MADE IT AN ALL-TIMER**
Wimbledon Doubles 2nd Rd. - Melo/Sa def. Hanley/Ullyett
...5-7/7-6/4-6/7-6/28-26. The 102 games were the most ever in a Wimbledon Men's Doubles match, and the 54 games in the 5th set were the most for a Men's Doubles match there, as well (two less than in a Mixed Doubles match in 1985). But the 5:58 running time was only the SECOND longest... it came up eleven minutes short of a match in 2006.

NOW THE TOUGH PART BEGINS: Donald Young ended his junior career with a Wimbledon Boys title.

DON'T FEEL BAD, IVAN... WELL, NOW THAT I THINK ABOUT IT... UMMM, JUST ACT AS IF IT NEVER HAPPENED: Earlier this year, a one-hour hit with Ivan Ljubicic was auctioned off in Monte Carlo for $20,000 for charity. Not bad... until a one-hour hit with Roger Federer sold for $600,000 during Wimbledon.

**HAVE A DRINK, PETE**

...newly-inducted Hall of Fame Pete Sampras has been playing some World Team Tennis lately. You know, he's looking in much better shape and form than a year ago. Just watering the "curious" seed that's already been planted.


All for now.

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Sweat and Tears

For one of the few times, if not the first, Roger Federer was made to actually sweat a little in order to truly earn his tears after winning yet another Wimbledon title.



In their second consecutive meeting in the All-England Club's Gentlemen's final, Rafael Nadal battled Federer like no one has on King Roger's most favored ground since he assumed the mantle as the best player in the world. The Spaniard's grass court learning curve has shortened quite a bit since his surprise run to the 2006 final, so much so that his 2007 exploits feel like the early stages of an inevitable march toward him becoming the first Spanish man since Manuel Santana (1966) to win the Wimbledon title.

Until that day, though, this is still Federer's title to win or lose, and in a case of a hoped-for classic slam final actually becoming reality on the sport's most fabled stage, the two best tennis players in the world split the first two sets. But even as he threatened to physically overshadow Federer, maybe Nadal's most important moment in the match may have been one point that he DIDN'T win in the 3rd set.

At 6-5, up 30-15 on Federer's serve, Nadal had a bevy of advantageous options on a mid-court ball that could have given him set points for a two sets to one edge, but an attempt at a crosscourt forehand crashed into the net. Federer held serve to force a tie-break, which he won to maintain an edge at a point in the match when Nadal might have been able to assert his will on the four-time defending champion by forcing him to play from behind for the first time in his Wimbledon championship career.

Nadal rebounded in the 4th set, pressuring Federer with two early breaks. For a few moments, the world #1 even looked rattled, so much so that he began to edgily try to convince the chair umpire to turn off the Hawk-Eye replay system after he disagreed with a call it had reversed in Nadal's favor. Of course, Federer has pull... but not THAT much pull. Nadal pushed the match to five sets, making it the first time Federer had gone the distance at Wimbledon since he defeated Pete Sampras in the Round of 16 in 2001 (furthermore, it was just the fourth five-set men's final at SW19 in the last sixteen years, and the first in the span that didn't include Goran Ivanisevic).

In the championship set, following four sets in which Nadal had converted 4-of-7 break points to Federer being successful on just 1-of-4, the moments of truth would rightly arrive for both men. And, as had been the case with Nadal in Paris, Federer's champion's mettle emerged.

In the Roland Garros final last month, Federer had early opportunities to grab control of the match, but he was shutout by Nadal on ten break point chances in the opening set. Eventually, Nadal's physical play wore down Federer and ended his quest for the RogerSlam. After Sunday, Nadal will be thinking about his own what-could-have-beens until next year.

Twice Nadal was up 40-15 on Federer's serve in the final set, at 1-1 and 2-2. In both games, Federer pulled out big serves and stepped up his aggressive tactics in order to survive. With his opponent having gone 0-for-4 in break chances, Federer quickly seized upon his as he smelled another title. After having narrowly avoided being broken himself, Federer broke Nadal's serve on his second BP for a 4-2 lead. He won twelve of thirteen points in the middle of the set then, when Nadal looked about to hold serve to force Federer to serve out the match, the world #1 turned around the game and made such an action unnecessary.

With his 7-6/4-6/7-6/2-6/6-2 victory, Federer proved once again why he's held in such awe by so many of the all-time greats of the sport. Of course, Nadal is pretty awe-inspiring in his own right, and his play during this fortnight makes one wonder if it's only a matter of time before he finally manages to trip up his rival on this very court. But Nadal couldn't manage it in 2007, leading to Federer's 34th straight SW19 victory, and 54th consecutive grass court win. He's the first player since Bjorn Borg in 1980, and only the second in the past 100 years, to win a 5th Wimbledon title in a row.

Thus, sport's most dependable rivalry carries on (the pair have combined to win the last ten slam singles titles), and just keeps getting better. Where it goes next, nobody knows... but we sure can hope. NYC, anyone? As Nadal said after his incredible two-week performance had come up one set short... "Well, anyway."

That's Rafa-ese for "to be continued until 2008."



In stark contrast to being seen with noticeable sweat and stress on his brow during the final, Federer was back to being his normal crisp self during the post match ceremony. Blazer and slacks? Check. Humble sincerity, with a dash of grandeur? Check. In other words, he looked for all the world like the living all-time legend that he is.

But, off to the side, Nadal was watching with his trademark intense stare. Biding his time. Waiting for his moment to arrive on Centre Court Wimbledon.

On July 8, it was a case of "long live the King." But for how much longer?


Love-Love... The stage has been set, now let's see what happens. It's difficult not to have a sense of deja vu about this year's men's final... there's a definite Borg vs. McEnroe '80 undercurrent to everything. Not only were both of the Wimbledon finalists from 27 years ago at Centre Court for Federer vs. Nadal (Borg in the Royal Box, Mac in the TV booth), but the sense of a player nipping at the heels of a five-time defending champion was evident, as well.

In 1980, McEnroe pushed Borg to the limit in the match that included the historic 18-16 tie-break. The Swede won his fifth straight SW19 title, but he could feel the hot breath of the future American champion breathing down his neck. In 1981, the two met again in the final. Borg didn't get his sixth Wimbledon title.

Could Nadal '08 be the new version of McEnroe '81? Of course, there's little chance that Federer would choose to never play at the All-England Club again after he'd finally been caught from behind, as was the case with Borg, who retired at the end of the season at age 25.
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15-Love... A record by any other name. Next year, Roger Federer will be attempting to tie the TRUE Wimbledon mark of six straight titles. Hmmm, I wonder if the networks covering the action will even mention it, considering they deemed Federer's tying of Borg's five-straight mark a "record," even though two other players won five and six straight titles in the early decades of the tournament? After ESPN2 began the fortnight by qualifying the "record" as being contained to the last 100 years, by the end of the tournament it was a "record" without question or explanation.

*CONSECUTIVE WIMBLEDON TITLES*
6...William Renshaw, 1881-86
5...Roger Federer, 2003-07
5...Bjorn Borg, 1976-80
5...Laurence Doherty, 1902-06

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30-Love... Nadal might be hot on Federer's heels, but Federer is looking over Pete Sampras' shoulder, as well. As it stands, Federer's 11th slam title leaves him just three behind Sampras' all-time record of 14. He'll be the favorite at both the upcoming U.S. Open and Australian Open, so next spring and summer could be the time of "true" records being broken.

*ALL-TIME MEN'S SLAM TITLES*
14...Pete Sampras
12...Roy Emerson
11...Roger Federer
11...Bjorn Borg
11...Rod Laver

Federer could very well go to Paris with the chance to match Sampras' mark and then break it at Wimbledon, or tie it at Wimbledon and break it in New York, with Sampras himself likely sitting in the Borg seat, watching from afar... unless, of course, Sampras' WTT participation and talk of a "curiosity" about Wimbledon are hints that he might desire to show up at the All-England Club as more than a spectator should Federer arrive in England with his record in his sights. Not likely... but a highly interesting thought to consider.
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40-Love...

**ROGER vs. RAFA**
2004 Miami 3rd - Nadal (2 sets to 0)
2005 Miami Final - Federer (3-2)
2005 Roland Garros SF - Nadal (3-1)
2006 Dubai Final - Nadal (2-1)
2006 Monte Carlo Final - Nadal (3-1)
2006 Rome Final - Nadal (3-2)
2006 Roland Garros Final - Nadal (3-1)
2006 Wimbledon Final - Federer (3-1)
2006 Masters Cup SF - Federer (2-0)
2007 Monte Carlo Final - Nadal (2-0)
2007 Hamburg Final - Federer (2-1)
2007 Roland Garros Final - Nadal (3-1)
2007 Wimbledon Final - Federer (3-2)

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MATCH, "Someone put this man back on TV"... if you blinked, you probably missed Bud Collins' inexcusable-but-hardly-unexpected don't-let-the-door-hit-you-on-the-way-out sendoff by NBC on Sunday. After time killer extraordinaire Jimmy Roberts spent two minutes talking about all the great things that Collins brought to tennis fans across the USA over the decades, the man himself got to speak about three sentences before he was given a pat on the back and plane ticket home.

Even on his final day with the network, the indignities continued. His post-match interviews of Federer & Nadal, which in the pre-Sue Barker on-court interview days, were the FIRST given by the finalists after they left the court, weren't shown by NBC until two hours after the match had been completed. Of course, Collins, being the tennis historian that he is, finally brought up the fact to Federer that someone other than he and/or Borg had actually won SIX Wimbledon titles in a row way back when. Way to go, Bud.

Even when some railed against Collins' match commentary for being shrill and loud, I know I always loved it. I grew up on the sport with it, and the penchant for Backspin nicknames was probably germinated in those years by Collins' flair for a unique moniker, from "Fraulein Forehand" for Steffi Graf and "Boom Boom" for Boris Becker. NBC's coverage has never been the same since his voice was marginalized. Now, with his ties to NBC mercifully severed by the network's choice, one hopes that from the myriad American outfits that provide grand slam coverage -- ESPN2, CBS, The Tennis Channel, and even NBC-owned USA -- at least one will see fit to give Collins the stage he still deserves, for however long he wishes to appear on it. His wit, wisdom and odd nuggets of history have been missed on American television, and even a small dose of them would be appreciated.

Funny, if NBC really thinks that Collins is the most important tennis journalist/personality in American media history, as Roberts said, then why has the network hidden him like a crazy aunt in the attic for the past few years? And even worse, doing so while at the same time hoisting Roberts' "grand wisdom" on viewers seemingly because Bob Costas -- the only player on the network's roster who might be able to pull off the self-important, resident sage role, which fits Roberts like a man's suit on a 10-year old, without failing miserably -- is too busy to spend two weeks in London during baseball season.

One can only wonder. Collins deserved better.




All for now.

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