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'Players are People' 'Behind-the-scenes' Beijing A tournament and travel report from the China Open 2004 
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'The Way I See It' International Christian Tennis Association: An update..? more Andre Agassi: whose memories are more important... more Truth in Tennis - Marcia Frost or the USTA Junior Comp committee: Who is lying..? more Truth in Tennis - the media: Did it really happen that way? Can we believe what we read..? more International Christian Tennis Association: Fact or fiction..? more Puerta drug case decision: The ITF tribunal finds him not to be at fault after testing positive at the French Open - so bans him for 8 years... more Roger Federer uses Luxilon strings! Interesting - but not something to make a Federal case about? It is if you are Roger Federer's lawyer. more Agassi - clueless and classless. Agassi was presented with a very expensive Raymond Weil watch after winning the Mercedes Benz Cup in Los Angeles. His reaction? "Another E-Bay item". Raymond Weil - who pump millions of dollars into tennis - will, no doubt, be persuaded to continue their generosity as a result of such disrespect. Other sponsors - without which you would not see a single major event - will also realize how little their contributions are valued and appreciated. Agassi may not care - having earned more than enough to last him the rest of his life - but his actions do nothing to promote the game or the interests of young players looking to make a career from professional tennis. Racqueteering. Racquet logos indicate what racquet and strings professional players use - right? Wrong... more Genetics or economics??? I noticed a very strange phenomenon at Roland Garros - the more expensive the seats, the more likely it was that older men would bring their daughters to watch the tennis matches... Media hype. Tennis, like most sports, is not just about skill and athleticism. it is also about heroes and idols. But when media spin replaces reality, the game - and sometimes the players - suffer. more Ballkid abuse (part 1). Do we need a new offence in the Code of Conduct? How difficult would it be to provide on-court towel rails? more Ballkid abuse (part 2) At a much lower level that part 1, ballkid embarrassment is often a feature of Andre Agassi's matches. An arena full of spectators and millions on TV have to wait while a ballkid is ordered to return to his designated position. more Rankings - for sale (part 1). Question. What do you do when you lack the experience or the talent to gain entry to professional tournaments? Answer. Ask your Dad to buy you a ticket..! more Rankings - for sale (part 2) OK. I've read part 1 and see how a promoter gets to give a favored player a wild card. But at least you can't actually go out and buy one, right? Wrong...! more Rankings - for sale (part 3) The Times of London and the BBC have now both written articles on this topic and have identified British players who have apparently 'used' the wildcard system to advance in the rankings at the expense of more worthy players more Time out. Moving to the USA from Europe, I was amazed at how long the final few minutes of a game could last - and how often the whole game came to a sudden stop while participants took a rest on the sidelines. I was introduced to that bastion of American sports - the 'time out'. more Who is the winner? The object of the game of tennis is to win points against your opponent. The player who does it best and most often is the winner, right? Wrong..! more
Do you think that the sport of tennis is fair? Commentators can really outspeak you. I am used to simply ignoring some of the nonsense spouted by commentators - it has to be tough to maintain non-stop noise (it would be easier on at least some of us if they learned from European commentators - notably the incomparable John Barratt and Jason Goodall - and kept quiet during the playing of the point....) But this gem from the Tennis Channel duo of Leif Shiras and Geoff Grant took commentator-speak to a whole new level: "He's so fast - he really outquicks you..." Official Favoritism? Has anyone else noticed in recent televised tournaments how some chair umpires sometimes go much further than the polite shake of the player's hand after a match? more |
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