TennisOne Lessons

The Year That Was — The Best Of Vintage 2007

Paul Fein

Best Player (Men) — For the fourth year in a row, the incomparable Roger Federer dominated men’s tennis, although Rafael Nadal remained the king of clay by winning his third consecutive French and Italian Opens. Federer captured his fifth straight Wimbledon by staving off repeat finalist Nadal in a fiercely contested five-set final. He also won his fourth straight U.S. Open over emerging star Novak Djokovic and his third Australian Open without dropping a set and outplaying surprise finalist Fernando Gonzalez. Nadal again foiled Federer’s bid for a Grand Slam by beating him in a four-set final at Roland Garros.

Justine Henin and Roger Federer left very little doubt as to who were the best players in 2007

Best Player (Women) — After winning her fourth French Open on her favorite surface without surrendering a set, Justine Henin was even more dominant at the U.S. Open, again not losing a set. In her last four matches at Flushing Meadows, the 25-year-old Belgian whipped 15th-seeded Dinara Safina 6-0, 6-2, Serena Williams 7-6, 6-1, Venus Williams 7-6, 6-4, and fourth-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-1, 6-3 to capture her seventh Grand Slam crown. Henin, who skipped the Australian Open following her divorce, also won tournaments at Dubai, Doha, Warsaw, Eastbourne, Toronto, Stuttgart, Zurich and Madrid (the Sony Ericsson Championships) to easily earn her third No. 1 season-ending ranking.

Best Career Breakthrough — Fernando Gonzalez, a 26-year-old tour veteran who had never advanced past a Grand Slam quarterfinal, harnessed his powerful game with savvy shot selection to reach the Australian Open final. Coached by highly regarded Larry Stefanki, a leaner, faster Gonzalez knocked off Lleyton Hewitt 6-2, 6-2, 5-7, 6-4, fifth-seeded James Blake 7-5, 6-4, 7-6, second-seeded Rafael Nadal 6-2, 6-4, 6-3, and Tommy Haas 6-1 6-3 6-1 before losing to Roger Federer in a 7-6, 6-4, 6-4 final.

Best Women’s Upsets — After losing the first set in 22 minutes, 22-year-old Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli came back to shock Justine Henin 1-6, 7-5, 6-1 in the Wimbledon semifinals. “If you think about beating the No. 1 in the world on Center Court, then [to get] in the final of a Grand Slam, especially Wimbledon, if you tell me that before, I couldn’t believe you,” confided Bartoli, who had upset No. 3 Jelena Jankovic in the fourth round and ousted Dutch teenager Michaella Krajicek in the quarterfinals. In another big upset, Agnieszka Radwanska, a fearless 18-year-old from Poland seeded 30th, ambushed defending champion Maria Sharapova 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 in the U.S. Open third round.

Best Men’s Upset — Filippo Volandri, an Italian ranked No. 53, scored a stunning 6-2, 6-4 upset over No. 1 Roger Federer in the third round of the Rome Masters. Volandri signaled his excellent form by earlier knocking out 13th-seeded Richard Gasquet, while the loss extended Federer’s title drought to four straight tournaments. Federer hit only two forehand winners and committed 44 unforced errors.

Best Rising Stars To Watch In 2008 — 1. Victoria Azarenka, an 18-year-old from Belarus who lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, beat Maria Sharapova, Nadia Petrova, Martina Hingis and Marion Bartoli and finished 2007 ranked No. 29. 2. Andy Murray, a highly talented 6’3” Scot, battled injuries throughout 2007 but still notched wins over top 10 foes Andy Roddick (twice), Nicolay Davydenko (twice), and Tommy Haas and ended the year at No. 11.

Best Fond Farewell I — On May 6, former world No. 1 Kim Clijsters, the popular and pretty Belgian, announced her retirement on her Web site. She cited “the constant injuries and continual rehabilitation” that led to fatigue, a lack of motivation and a decline in play as “time for a new life, time for marriage” as the reasons. “It has been more than fun, but the rackets are being hung up. To retire before the age of 24, it is very young − but it was so beautiful…. Money is important, but not the most important thing in my life. Health and private happiness are so much more important.” The 2005 U.S. Open champion, Clijsters won 34 singles and nine doubles titles. On July 14, Bastille Day in France, she married American basketball player Brian Lynch.

Kim Clijsters, one of the best liked and most talented women on the tour packs it in at only 24. Tim Henman never delivered the prize his country so desperately wanted but he did have a fine career.

Best Fond Farewell II — “I’ve had a fantastic career. Playing in front of crowds like this make it so special to the players and that’s something I’ll miss,” said Englishman Tim Henman, a four-time Wimbledon semifinalist, after losing 7-6 2-6 7-5 6-4 to Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at the U.S. Open in his final tournament match. Henman, who ranked a career-high No. 4 in 2002, won 11 singles and four doubles titles, reached the French and U.S. Open semifinals in 2004, and finished five years with top 10 rankings. Ever-patriotic Henman also amassed an impressive 40-14 won-loss record in Davis Cup over 13 years.

Best Winning Streak — Rafael Nadal extended his winning streak on clay to 76 matches and broke John McEnroe’s record for most victories on one surface when he beat Nikolay Davydenko 7-6, 6-7, 6-4 in the Rome Masters semis. McEnroe’s 75-match winning streak on indoor carpet came between September 1983 and April 1985. Nadal’s streak finally ended at 81 matches when Roger Federer upended him 2-6, 6-2, 6-0 in the Hamburg Masters final.

Best Seles News — Monica Seles, now 34, hasn’t competed on the pro tour since losing in the 2003 French Open first round, but she never officially retired. The effervescent, nine-time Grand Slam champion, who has suffered from back and foot problems, took part in the first Bank of the West Pro-Celebrity Tennis Classic, a charity exhibition, on December 8. Inspired by the comebacks of Lindsay Davenport and swimmer Dara Torres, who came back at age 40, Seles told the Los Angeles Times: “I certainly would not ever be able to do a full schedule again, because of the foot, but I’m thinking about the Slams and about some of the better tournaments that lead into them.”

Back in the homeland some people are more concerned with her style of her clothing than the quality of her game.

Best Serena Confidential — “On and off the court, I’m extremely emotional. I’m crying in the movies, you know, just [with] sympathy. So it’s no surprise that on the court I do tend to wear my emotions on my sleeve. It can work against you and it can work for you, and that’s one thing I’ve always admired about Venus. You can never tell she’s down or she’s up. She’s just going steady. She’s kind of just monotone sometimes,” says Serena Williams, on how she differs from her older sister, Venus.

Best Hingis Confidential — “I’m so over athletes! Bring on the good guys and entertainers! One of the problems with being on the tour is you keep running into someone that you obviously know so well. But you have to be strong and move on,” Martina Hingis, who broke up with fiancé and top 50 player Radek Stepanek, told Tennis Week in November.

Best Mirza Statement — “As long as I’m winning, people shouldn’t care whether my skirt is six inches or six feet long. How I dress is a very personal thing, so give me a break. I’m just trying to have some fun. If I have something to say I can speak, can’t I? I don’t have to speak through what I wear,” argues Sania Mirza, a 20-year-old Indian heroine, whose modern attire and bold statements have drawn the ire of devout Muslims, in The Telegraph (UK).

Best Media Critique — “The press have a lot of power over the way you are perceived. It is difficult to shake off a negative image. Even the pictures they would pick when I was in my playing days. I mean, I am quite photogenic, but they picked the worst shot on the cover of Sports Illustrated. There is Chris [Evert] smiling as she walks up the court, and there is me yelling because there is one bad call, but that is the picture they show. They wanted Chris to be the all-American girl next door, and they wanted me to be the muscular lesbian. And you have no control over that.” —Martina Navratilova, recalling how she was caricatured harshly during her 1980s prime as a tennis superstar, in The Times (UK).

“I strongly believe that in 20 years’ time, people will struggle to remember that I used to play tennis." Andre Agassi

Best Points About Gambling Probe — “I think any Joe Shmoe can go out to the practice courts and see if somebody’s a little bit lame or not, or whether their mental edge is sharp, or they’re fatigued. It’s not hard to pick up on − and those sorts of things are basically impossible to police and monitor. I think [this is] actually being a little bit too sensitive to it all.” —Former doubles superstar Todd Woodbridge, telling The Age (Australia) that increased security measures that may extend to restricting locker-room access would do little to thwart potential match-fixers or deter “insider” gambling at the Australian Open.

Best Agassi Confidential — “I understand myself a little better every day. While you’re playing tennis, it’s easy only to see yourself in this light. But now I have the chance to undertake a lot of new things, starting with my family, but also with the foundation for underprivileged children and my business activities,” Andre Agassi told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. “I strongly believe that in 20 years’ time, people will struggle to remember that I used to play tennis. I am hoping to have a positive influence on humanity in different ways in the future.”

Best Exhibition Series — Before the three November “Clash of the Times” exhibitions that current legend Roger Federer, 26, and former legend Pete Sampras, 36, played in Asia, Sampras modestly said, “I don’t think I am going to win any of these matches, but if I can push him to a few tiebreakers, I would feel ecstatic.” As it turned out, Federer took the opener in Seoul, 6-4, 6-3, and the second match 7-6, 7-6 in Kuala Lumpur. But steadily improving Sampras, displaying an awesome serve, sharp volleying, and smart strategy, prevailed 7-6, 6-4 in Macau. Federer and Sampras enjoyed their three exciting exhibitions so much that they plan to play another exo in New York’s Madison Square Garden on March 10, 2008.

Serena Williams, "I’m bootylicious.”

Best Denunciation Of Player Challenges — Award-winning TV analyst Mary Carillo, rightly denouncing Player Challenges that result in frequent line call errors, said: “I agree with Roger [Federer]. The players don’t want to look stupid. So they don’t want to challenge as many line calls as they should, even though the technology is there. The chair umpire doesn’t want to look stupid and overrule as much as he or she should. If Hawk-Eye were used properly, every call could be correct, and no one looks stupid. You can’t blame a linesperson for missing a call on a shot that goes out by a couple of centimeters.”

Best Serena Quote — Always-outspoken Serena Williams, sensitive about comments about her ample body, countered: “Just because I have large bosoms, and I have a big ass [laughter]. I swear, my waist is 30 inches − 29 to 30 inches, it’s really small! I have the smallest waist, but just because I have those two assets, it looks like I’m not fit…. I don’t care if I didn’t eat for two years, I still wouldn’t be a size two. No matter how slim I am, I always have this and that. I’m just that way. I’m bootylicious.”

Best Dream Come True — “We’ve been dreaming about this moment for our whole lives,” exulted ecstatic Bob Bryan, talking to the Portland, Oregon crowd, after clinching the Davis Cup final victory over Russia − the U.S.’s first Cup title since 1995 − with his brother Mike. “We’ve been working since we were two years old, playing the game for this one moment here. No words can explain how we feel right now. All I can say is [a loud], WOW!”

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Award-winning tennis writer Paul Fein's book, Tennis Confidential: Today's Greatest Players, Matches, and Controversies, published by Brassey's, Inc., was listed No. 1 among tennis books by Amazon.com and BN.com. Information about the book and how to order it can be found at: www.tennisconfidential.com. His second book, You Can Quote Me on That: Greatest Tennis Quips, Insights, and Zingers, was published by Potomac Books, Inc. (formerly Brassey's, Inc.) in February 2005. For more information, visit www.tennisquotes.com.

Fein's third book, Tennis Confidential II: More of Today's Greatest Players, Matches, and Controversies, will be published by Potomac Books, Inc. in March 2008.