A Tribute to a Living Legend E.Victor Seixas, Jr. along with Tennis Heroes and Heroines at San Francisco's Golden Gate Park

 

Here's a tribute to the remarkable E. Victor Seixas, Jr.  US Tennis Stalwart --the oldest living grand slam player now 100 hundred years old-- who I had the pleasure of watching beat Rex Hartwig in the US Open final of 1954 at the West Side Tennis club at Forest Hills, NY 

E. Victor Seixas, Jr.

What follows is a snapshot and tribute to one of the many significant timelines of my evolving peripatetic life- moving from the midwest (where I taught English at Wisconsin State Univ.) to San Francisco and settling in the Haight Ashbury neighborhood - (42 Baker Street)  just a 10- minute walk to a Tennis mecca, Golden Gate Park (GGP). It was a Camelot Life for me for many reasons. But here is just a freeze frame of that special time. 

   GGP is where I hung out when I wasn't studying the Law. Here is where I fast made friends and enriched my academic life with lasting social relationships. Here is where I was in the process of getting in great shape-- 'working my way up' the tennis ladder.' Here is where I achieved a major personal victory. 

  Here are just a few of the friends and tennis greats I include in my anthology and panoply of memorable icons. 

 Dan Lucey: master instructor and strategist who taught me the art of focused tennis. He was ranked number three in the 45's in California. 

Dan Lucey master player 

Henry Pon was one of the most steady players I have ever had the privilege of playing against. Short, thin and soft spoken and a master of defensive retrieval, he would never miss a shot. He played a backcourt game and thrived there in the process of beating most players.     

Howard Lee, how can I ever forget the strategy that you taught me? You are and were a master strategist and you plied me with many printed articles you had written on the fundamentals of the game forehand, backhand, serve, etc. Essential in your tips was mastering wrist control. Memorable are the times we would meet at the neighborhood courts near Chinatown and practice technique. What is awesome was your passion for the sport and your eagerness to share without expecting financial remuneration. You will always be a friend. 

Bill Small: was a solid B player at GGP and thanks to the great preparation from Dan Lucey, a ranked California Netman, I played a nearly flawless match in the No. California Open Tournament winning in two sets. I had an early taste of the mindfulness--the focus and near total  concentration  necessary for playing within the zone ('zone tennis') to play at the top of one's game.  This mindfulness followed me back to the East Coast where I enjoyed doubles play in Connecticut's hard courts in Scalzi Park in Stamford and on the Har-Tru clay courts at Oak Hills Tennis club  courts in Norwalk. 

Lowell Barnhart, your were a solid B player. You often played with the Louie sisters and we played many matches together. You always had a smile and a great attitude winning or losing.

Among,  the many notable tennis regulars included Tom Brown (lost  to Jack Kamer in the 1947 Wimbledon final) Whitney Reed, 1951 Wimbledon champ Art "Tappy" Larsen,  Greg Shepard, Rosey Casals, Arlene Cohen, Dan Lucey, Marcie Louie  and Peanut Louie Harper. 

What an inspiration....reliving the art and grace of tennis.....

Part II: Advice from Dan Lucey: Tennis is a People Sport

Meet Mr. Cool Man Tennis: Dan Lucey is second from the left. He is flanked on his right by John Holden on his left by Bill Hepner and Alex Swetka (early.1960's)

In Part I, I introduced my life changing relationship with Dan which began in San Francisco over 50 years ago at the Golden Gate Tennis Courts.(To read Part I, click here.) 

In this essay, I want to highlight some advice that Dan related to me over and over again.

      

First, he inspired me to be physically fit: eat healthy foods, get lots of sleep and work out daily. I applied his advice then and even up until now, so that recently my primary care Physician put me in awe when she disclosed that biologically I am 30 years younger than my chronological age.

  Secondly, Dan emphasized total focus on the fundamentals of the game: serve, groundstrokes, net work, serve and volley, then lobs. 

 Thirdly, he  pointed out to me that through my passion with tennis, I would be meeting interesting and fascinating and-- even sometimes well- known people wherever I play. 

How true have been your words Dan. 

With Dan beside me, we watched and analyzed the winning techniques of some of the best Golden Gate players-- such nationally ranked players as Tom Brown who with his precise ground strokes bested Greg Shephard (about 20 years younger) who boasted a smooth serve and volley game. We also watched other great players as Rosey Casals, Whitney Reed (see Part I) and "Peanut" Louie Harper. 

  

 I have lived in over 40 different residences across the United States, enjoyed playing tennis in eight different states (eleven--11-- different residences in both Northern and Southern California alone) and have made many many friends on the tennis court, joined clubs and tennis ladders.  To list all the fine people I have met would be too time and space consuming .So, here are just a few of the interesting folks I have met along the way.

Some tennis greats I have run into along the "way" include  Lew Hoad at a Senior men's tournament  in Sacramento; playing tennis with U.S. Open champ Art  "Tappy" Larson, playing next to Dr. Reginald Weir (a black tennis legend prior to Arthur Ashe) and Dick Savitt, U.S. Open champ (whom I met at the Columbia University Tennis Center on Coogan's Bluff, NYC) 

And finally a chance encounter with Senator Ted Kennedy at a tennis facility in Maine. (recounted in this memorial to my dad's passion for sports.) 

And the beat goes on...

(Now, I have developed another passion: mountain climbing a few of the 48 mountains above 4,000 feet in the White Mountains of New Hampshire (with a guide, of course!).  

Down Memory Lane with the A. B. Davis Tennis Squad 1958

 

Reintroducing the A.B.Davis Tennis Team, Class of 1958. Pictured left to right are Harvey Sande, Les Moglen, Bob (Eder) Adrian, Norm Dayron and Dick Schwartz. We were a feisty, fearless  team led by our coach civics teacher Mr. Elwell. 

   Here are some memories. Though short, Harvey Sande was a steady 'dynamite' player at most times unbeatable. He reminded me of the outstanding Aussie tennis great Ken Rosewall.  He often picked me up in his vintage Volkswagen bug with stick shift and canvas top sunroof. He introduced me to the New Rochelle Tennis Club where I played the summer of 1963. I enjoyed watching Harvey beat some of the top club players by out rallying then on the  immaculately groomed red clay.  I hooked up with Harvey in California where he practiced Law in Berkely. Sadly he ran into his own legal problems. I called him  from Connecticut and Harvey told me in slow speech he was disabled unable to get around and basically homebound. Shortly thereafter, I learned he passed away. Harvey was soft spoken and showed grace under pressure when outplaying players stronger than him. Harvey, you will be missed. 

   Les Moglen was the star of our team: tall, strong and solidly built. The Moglen family, including older brother  Lloyd, Les, younger brother Leland and sister Mary Lou were all inspired to excel in tennis by their dad Maxwell  The family lived down the Esplanade, close to the Columbus Ave. New Haven Railroad stop. Their home was below a steep rise and they had engineered the construction of swimming into the rise. Maxwell would often drive his boys up the hill in his Chevy Impala convertible to practice   tennis at the clay court behind the home built by real estate magnate Joe Durst. He would always bring a tennis ball launcher machine and living across the street,  I would watch him train each of his four kids 

   Les played number one for us and was unbeatable. Both he and Lloyd were ranked New York State Players and Lloyd even made it to the qualifiers at Forest Hills. Les became a plastic surgeon in the Bay Area and sadly passed away in 2014. 

 Watch out tennis world: Norm Dayron could be unbeatable on the courts: he had a booming serve and when on, he could serve many a love game. I invited him to join me at the Durst 

Clay court and we often enjoyed pushing each other around. Off the courts Norm often invited me over to his home where we shared our passion for jazz and he particularly liked Shelly Manne. He married schoolmate Betty Zukernnick and I often wonder what happened to him.

Bob (Eder) Adrian was a fearsome player; he mastered the art of court strategy that made him a cagey player both in singles and doubles. He was close behind Les Moglen in court

dominance.

Dick Schwartz spent his High School years in the home built by the grandfather of classmate Richie Feist, Leo Feist, music publisher. He grew up in the Bronx two blocks from Crotona Park which today sports a beautiful tennis facility that hosts the annual Bronx open. He has written many articles showing his passion for tennis. 

 

Kudos to Frontier Communications of Stamford: Exemplifying the Art of Giving Great service

Welcome Frontier Communications: At Last a  breath of fresh air and great service in the Cable Industry!  

Yes, we have the bundle and are very satisfied with outstanding service we are receiving and most affordable pricing

Movies galore, I  have my tennis channel at request and C-Span 24/7.

 And they have agreed to extend my existing contract for another 3 years--with NO PRICE INCREASE.

Wow that's  knock the socks off your customer service 

No more hassle,  no more arguing over pricing with disgruntled phone reps from Cablevision for over an hour!

And their phone reps are a pleasure to deal with. They told me they sense the upbeat mood, the sea change, in their company.

Thanks for the hand off ATT U-Verse.

GO FOR IT FRONTIER and KEEP HITTING THE BALL OUT OF THE BALLPARK. 

March 11, 1948: Dr. Reginald Weir of New York City becomes the first black tennis player to compete in a US Lawn Tennis Association tournament

Serena (on left) and Venus Williams Grand Slam Champs

in Ladies Doubles at Wimbledon, Sumner of 2012

photo from pryncepality.com

The tennis world takes it for granted that for the past decade women's tennis has been dominated by the Williams sisters.

Between the two of them they have  24 Grand Slam singles titles (Serena has 17  and Venus 7) and an amazing 54 total GS titles including women's doubles and mixed doubles.

66 years ago, the Williams sisters would have been excluded from achieving such formidable success because of the color of their skin.

Dr. Reginald Weir serving on the wood slatted courts at the

Seventh Regiment Armory in Manhattan's Harlem, March, 1948

Images by Ralph Morse of Life Magazine

On March 11, 1948, all that changed!

 One man opened the door to the successes of Althea Gibson,  Arthur Ashe, Sloane Stephens and, of course, the Williams sisters.

That man was Dr. Reginald Weir who I had the privilege of witnessing and watching  play--  in his prime-- on these very courts.

To learn more about this black tennis legend, a man of sterling character,  click here

The 2014 Australian Open Final was a match for the ages as Wawrinka upset a stunned Nadal

Stanislaus Wawrinka winner of the Australian Open 

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Everybody thought that Rafa Nadal, ranked number one in the tennis world, would be an easy winner against Stan Wawrinka, ranked number eight, in the final. 

What an amazing and attention riveting final it turned out to be. 

Rafa cramped up in the second set and his game faltered as he weakened.

He ran with his trainer into the tunnel presumably for pain killers as Stan complained vehemently to the chair umpire that he wanted to know what rule allowed him to just run off the court without tournament referee approval. Stan insisted on speaking with the latter to no avail. 

Clearly, Nadal was not going to walk off the court and simply default as that would be too humiliating. 

Meanwhile 8 minutes had passed with Stan continuing his futile protest and finally  Nadal emerged.......

AS THE CROWD BOOED. 

An AMAZING  DRAMA was unfolding at about 4:15 AM and I felt rescued from the humdrum power-unleashed, predictable five-set  five hour final-like semi-finals featuring  Djokovic and Nadal that seemed to have been standard fare of the finals menu, oh oh , so often.

It was clear to me from the start of the match that Stan had raised his level above that of Nadal. 

I had the impression that he was hitting the ball ON THE RISE indicating that at age 28, never having made it to a Grand Slam final or had ever taken a single set from Nadal, he had elevated his game to near perfection. His cross court backhands found incredible angles and his down- the- line shots were deep, crisp, powerful and precise.

Mercury/Hermes, the messenger of the gods

Here was a Mercury rising.  (Click here for my blog on  Dr. Reginald Weir, a nearly forgotten black tennis star, another Winged Mercury- a man way ahead of his time)

Nadal was off balance most of the first set.  

Leading 5-3 and on serve in the first set, Stan fell behind 0-40 and he appeared to be faltering. 

To my absolute amazement, Stan rallied back to rattle Rafa by taking the next 5 points with the latter unable
to return a serve successfully on the court!!!! (suddenly...the tail was wagging the dog).

To start the second set, with Rafa serving, Stan continued his unbelievable forward momentum by breaking a near exasperated Rafa at love--extending his consecutive point streak to nine. (it finally ended at 12!)

Awesome is the only word to describe what I was witnessing...

There was no doubt in my mind that Stan was poised to win this match for the ages.

 Rafa never really recovered from his injury and though he temporarily  rattled his opponent to win the third set, Stan held firm to take the fourth set, the match and his march into glory.

Congratulations to Stan Wawrinka who is now number 3 in the WTA rankings behind Djokovic at number 2 and Nadal, who maintains the number one position.

Li Na advances to number 3 in WTA rankings after winning the Australian Open

Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Kudos also to thirty-one year old  Li Na who after making it to the Australian finals for the third time since 2011, finally clinched the title by beating the less experienced  Dominika Cibulkova easily in two sets, 7-6 (3), 6-0.

She now rises to number 3 in WTA rankings passing Sharapova and landing just behind Azarenka. Serena Williams still retains her number one position though she exited in the fourth round.

Congratulations Li Na.

Finally, many thanks to ESPN for their excellent early morning live coverage, to IBM for their superb techno-graphics for analysis and to ausopen.com, the official website for the open,  for their  free live coverage of both singles and doubles matches.

 It was a pleasure to watch live streaming the mixed doubles team of American Scott Lipsky and  Chinese Zheng Jie advance to the semi-finals, by upsetting  Groenfeld /Peya, the number one seeded team, 2-6, 7-6 (5) {10-5}

Eugenie Bouchard at the US Open 2013

Courtesy of Wikipedia

Last but not least,  it was a delightful surprise to behold a future female top star in the making, the Canadian teenager Eugenie Bouchard. This talented lady beat the 2008 French Open winner Ana Ivanovic in the quarters only to be bested by a much more experienced Li Na in the the semis.

She plays with all the poise and maturity of an accomplished player and has an Open Future on her horizon.

Next, onward and upward to the  French Open and then, of course Wimbledon and then finally  the US Open.

Hey tennis fans, can the amazing Stan Wawrinka defend  his new found status?

A US Open first: Tennis fans in Armstrong root for underdog Montfils--still Isner rises to the occasion

(Photo courtesy of Wikipedia)

John Isner  hitting a forehand at the 

2009 US Open 

In what must be described as a US Open first, hundreds of tennis fans erupted and rose in their seats  shouting out "Let's go Mon-fils, Let's go MonFils"  in an effort to ignite his game.

And for a while Montfils, down two sets (7-5, 6-2) and even at 4 all in the third rose to the occasion.

His game revved up and he took the third set 6-4.

The momentum continued into the fourth set and he appeared to be getting the upper hand.

Isner was beginning to show some pain in his groin area and undoubtedly was baffled by the 'partisan crowd' (for his opponent).

However, the six foot ten inch tennis marvel (ranked 17th in the world), bore down on his serve, hitting consistent aces timed at over 135 MPH--often coming to net and finishing the point with brilliantly hit volleys that eluded the lanky, quick moving six-four French wonder.

Indeed, Montfils is a fabulous retriever and a pleasure to behold, fleet as a jaguar in motion.

Yet, John hung tight and bested the Frenchman in a fourth set tie breaker at 7-6 (4).

In a post match interview, Monfils commented that following the French Open where he gets strong fan support:  "Here [the US Open], it's the most after Paris. I always say here is my second home."

The match ended just short of 12 AM and was exciting to watch.

Good luck John-- who next plays the 22nd ranked Phillip Kohlschreiber in the third round.

Two years without the Tennis Channel: the dispute between Cablevision and the TC: the deeper issues.

Three years ago, I unequivocally lauded the Tennis Channel in a post aptly titled "The Tennis Channel: The Coming of Age for an elitist sport."

 In September of 2010 when I posted the blog, there was a cozy relationship between the TC and Cablevision (CV).

 For a $4.95 fee, I was able to enjoy 24/7 access to dozens of non-major tournaments as well as the Grand Slams.

 All that changed on fourth of  September 2011-- during the US Open. 

CV and Vios pulled TC from its lineup during the US Open and I could no longer access Channel 399 when I most enjoyed its coverage!

What's at issue here?

It's simply, greed, greed and more greed--involving both companies.

The TC wanted to move its Channel from CV's 'premium' sports tier to basic cable.

TC wanted basic because its content would be available to a much much larger audience than the more limited sports tier.

 Thus it could charge more for its advertising for indeed viewers of tennis are a prime market  for Rolex watches, Mercedes and Lexuses autos,etc.

At the same time, TC was negotiating higher fees from the CV for a vastly increased audience.

This proposal did not sit well with CV because it would lose the lucrative sports package fees it was used to reaping which presumably would far outweigh the increased fees payable to the TC.

Fast forward to February 2013.

Just after negotiating lower monthly cable fees from Cablevision after they raised my 'triple play' coverage nearly 50%,  CV sent me a bill with a brand new sports surcharge--without any announcement-- of  $2.98 per month.

CV says they must collect these additional dollars because the sports channels are asking more for content.

While it offers ESPN and ESPN 2, CV does not offer ESPN 3 which provides additional tennis coverage during the US Open.

Nor does it offer the TC as part of the surcharge.

And what I've read from recent blogs, many sports fans do not want many of these sports 'packages' such as MSG, SNY, Yes, etc.  --AND YET WE ARE FORCED TO PAY EXTRA FOR UNWANTED basic cable sports programming.

Shame on both sides for shafting the consumer in their pursuit of the dollar.

Enter the unspoken hero usopen .org website which in an effort to spread the excitement of watching top tennis offers live streaming coverage of up to six matches with minimal advertising along with PIP, match chat and match stats.

Hail to the US Open organization.

Some highlights from the first three days of the US Open.

USA TODAY Sports, Susan Mullane

Zheng Jie of China in her match against 

Venus Williams

The Open begins Monday us with a shock for late arriving tennis fans.

There's a two hour wait to get in to the facility: the holdup is unheralded and due to enhanced security checks at the gates!

James Blake announces his retirement at the end of the tourney. He has entered 13 US Opens and was on tour for 14 years.

Farewell to James of Fairfield, CT and Harvard stock: he exited in the first round in a thrilling five setter against Ivo Karlovic of Croatia going the distance valiantly. The match ended in a tiebreaker--3 in all. Final score: 6-7, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6, 7-6

Serena Williams is the favorite on the women's draw. Can Victoria Azarenka or Li Na beat her?

American women advance into the second round: Sloan Stephens, Venus and Serena Williams, Jamie Hampton and Christine Mchale are all into the second round.

Stephens advanced to the third round in a match that finished up at about 1AM Thursday morning;  she plays fellow American Jamie Hampton. Wow- should be some match.

The Chinese ladies are a pleasure to behold especially Li Na, Zheng Jie and Shuai Peng.  Zheng took out Venus Williams in an epic second round 3 set match that started around 1 P.M. and finally ended at 8P.M. due to rain delays (6-3, 2-6, 7-6).

This Sino-Surge is nothing less than amazing considering that 10 years ago tennis was virtually unknown in the country and interest has SURGED there since Lin Na won the French Open in 2011 against Francesa Schiavone becoming the first Chinese player ever to win a major.   (For her character and daily physical fitness regimen See the New York Times article on Li Na, China's Tennis Rebel.)

Rain delay Wednesday PM is putting the damper on everybody.

John Mcenroe HEARKEN:   your vehement protests and wishes are coming true: The USTA has just  announced plans to build a retractable roof at Arthur Ashe stadium.

Andy Murray comes of age and Britain has its first Wimbledon men's title in 77 years

Andy Murray with the 2013 Wimbledon Men's Trophy

(courtesy of Andy Murray's website)

The score is 5-4 in favor of Murray and he is serving. He is leading Djokivic  winning the first two sets 6-4, 7-5.

He is trying to close out the set for the match to become the first British champ at the big W. in 77 years.

Murray quickly takes a 40-0 lead and then blows the next three points.

The exchanges are long, the players working each point to to the max

 The crowd is erupting in cheers of victory at each point even when Murray goes long and Djovkovic hits the corners.

On the third championship point, ESPN's John Mcenroe comments "I held my breath as long as I could." Brother Patrick comments, "you and the rest of Great Britain."

Djovkovic is giving it his best and even has three break points,  but Murray fights off each one to come back to finally close out the match.

Kudos to Murray who, after finally winning his first major at the 2012 US Open, has been able to build the mental stamina to mature into a potential number one player in the world.  

And, of course, kudos to Ivan Lendl, Andy's coach,  who has developed his pupil's nerves of steel.

The tennis world is crowning a new king....

Strawberries and Cream from Wimbledon: With so many top seeds eliminated in early rounds, what next?

The first week of Wimbledon 2013 has seen so many top seeds eliminated.

Defending champion Roger Federer was eliminated in the second round by 116th ranked Sergiy  Stakhovsky; Federer had not lost this early since Wimbledon 2002.

Rafael Nadal was soundly discharged in the first round by 135th ranked Steve Darcis in three sets.

On Wednesday of the first week other seeds who lost included Jo-Wilfrid Tsonga, Maria Sharapova,  Jelena Jankovic, Victoria Azarenka, Ana Ivanovic and Caroline Wozniacki.

What does their departure signify for the future of tennis?

A USA Today article asks what we learned in week 1 of Wimbledon? And then lists 10 new names you might not know.

One of these "unknown players" is Britisher Laura Robson aged 19. She has won her first three matches and plays 46th ranked Kaia Kanepi tomorrow

In the 2010, I saw 16 year- old Laura play in the US Open Junior tournament and was very impressed with her southpaw game as she bested her opponent.

Last year I blogged a farewell salute to Kim Clijsters as she exited her playing career at the US Open. She was beaten by Laura Robson in the second round.

 So the tennis world was shaken up by the exits of so many tennis stars
so that the tennis world could make room for the new generation of up and coming players.

Good luck, Laura, and all the rest of the unknowns in the round of 32 which begins tomorrow.

At the Australian Open: Azarenka takes out Stephens in semi finals under a cloud of controversy

Sloan Stephens (courtesy of Wikipedia)

A comment on the Australian Open website section reads:

"Azarenka didn't play in the spirit of the game-she faked injury to break Stephens momentum as she knew she was on the ropes and hung on to snatch the match."

There is a lot of truth to this statement.

The semifinal match between the number one seeded Azarenka (BLR)--on her way to defend her 2012 title- and the number 29 seeded Sloane Stephens (USA) began seemingly as an easy rollover for the Russian as she easily won the the first set 6-1.

Stephens missed so many opportunities to break her opponent in the first set.

Each time, Sloane was ahead of her opponent, she would commit an unforced error. Obviously, her play was a sign of nerves (and shock) as she had unexpectedly upset her tennis idol Serena Williams the day before.

As the match progressed in the second set, Stephens started to loosen up mentally and her game toughened as the teenager realized and played as if she had nothing to lose.

 Azarenka was ahead 5-3 serving  and was on the verge of imploding.

Time and time again Azarenka was was at match point. You could see and feel her frustration as she was seemingly going through a breakdown.

Stephens bravely had fought off 5 match points and eventually took the set.

At this point Azarenka called for a 10 minute medical time out supposedly for knee and chest injuries.

When she returned, she broke Stephens' serve to close out the match.

When interviewed just after the match, Azarenka commented that "I couldn't breathe. I had chest pains --it was like I was having a heart attack."

Was this a case of poor sportsmanship on her part?

You be the judge!

Serena Williams reigns as the Queen of World Tennis

Serena Williams  holds four US Open women's titles and 15 Grand Slam  majors as well.

Serena Williams at the 2012 US Open

(courtesy of wikipedia) 

Last night Serena Williams showed why she has been so dominant on the court.

Just as her opponent, Victoria Azarenka, ranked number one in the world, was on the cusp of victory, leading 5-3 in the third set, Williams turned up the pressure taking the next four games and the match at 6-2, 2-6, 7-5.

Serena has the most powerful serve in women's tennis which was evident in the first set which seemed to set the stage for an easy two set victory.

But such was not the case. Azarenka got much stronger in the second set which started with Serena losing her serve on a double fault  Serena's momentum faded as Azarenka's game picked up a notch and she cruised to take the second set.

In a post game interview, Serena said she was resigned to giving the runner up speech as her opponent dominated most of the third set. But Serena dug in and won crucial points and games to post her second Grand Slam of the year.

Congratulations to Serena , now number 4 in the world and to Victoria, winner of the 2012 Australian grand slam title, ranked number one.

However, we all know that  Serena is the best woman tennis player in the world.

Good luck to both players who are both the tops.

Hats off to the USTA's online coverage of the US Open

Unable to attend the US Open in person?

Hold your breath, because there is now a remedy for your situation.

The best alternative to attending the US Open is accessing up to six simultaneous live matches on the
 Us Open website.

Simply click on watch live, then click on the courts icon on the upper left and begin enjoying tennis on your computer screen.

Other icons link to Keys to the Match, Match Chat, Match Stats and Picture within Picture. 

And with your TV screen set to CBS or ESPN you have a seventh channel.

Thank you USTA!

Farewell to Tennis great Kim Clijsters as she exits from the US Open

Kim Clijsters at the 2011 Open GDF Suez

(courtesy of wikipedia)

She has won three US Open titles.

She has has 41 career titles.

Tonight,  Kim Clijsters played her last singles match tonight as she bowed out in the second round losing to 18 year old Laura Robson of Great Britain 7-6, 7-6.

Laura, a southpaw with strong ground strokes has come a long way in the two years since I saw her compete in the junior tournament at the US Open.

Indeed, Kim has enjoyed a fantastic career as she graced and dominated ladies tennis for the better part of this past decade.  She was the role model for so many younger tennis players such as Laura.

Thank you, Kim and we know you will be a standard bearer of the game for years to come.

Federer Performs Magic and Takes his Seventh Wimbledon Title

Roger Federer at the 2009
Wimbledon Championships

It was hailed as the 'dream final.'

First, Murray was the first English player to reach the final since 1938--that's 74 years ago--when Bunny Austin lost to Don Budge in three sets. The score was 6-0, 6-1, 6-3.

The last Britisher to land the coveted trophy was Fred Perry who in 1936 beat Gottfried von Cramm 6-0, 6-0, 6-1.

Federer had not won a Grand Slam since the 2010 Australian Open when he defeated Andy Murray in three sets.

But the Grand Slam victory eluded Murray for the 4th time in his career.

Murray opened the match taking the first set 6-4, but then proceeded to lose the next three sets at 7-5, 6-3, 6-4.

Federer played superb tennis. His serve was crisp and sharp and his ground strokes were formidable.

The momentum shifted in Federer's favor right after a sudden rain shower when the score was 1-1 in the third set with Federer up 40 love.

The roof was closed making this the first final played in the enclosed center court facility.

When play resumed Federer raised his game to a much higher level; he is undoubtedly one of the best indoor players as he has no distractions from the sun, wind or clouds.

The turning point was reached at 2-3 with Murray serving in the third set. The sixth game went to 10 deuces and six break points when Federer finally prevailed. Murray, who started off with a 40 love lead, fell on the grass three times.

Congratulations Roger on your 17th Grand Slam victory and regaining the number one world ranking.

Andy Murray, a quarter finalist at 

the 2009 French Championships

And even more important was the formidable courage, guts and fortitude displayed by Andy Murray.

It must be remembered that Andy's coach Ivan Lendel suffered four Grand Slam finals losses before winning his first Grand Slam.

Hang in there, Andy.
Image source (1) 
Image source (2)

Updates from the French Tennis Open: Serena Williams Bows Out in First Round

Serena Williams at the 2011 AEGON International

Courtesy of Wikipedia

This match produced a shocker!

 Serena, usually at the top of her game at the start of a major, lost in her debut match to Virginie Razzano 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3.

Razzano was ranked number 111 in the world.

Serena simply could not get her aggressive game under control with so, so many unforced errors.

Here are some amazing stats:The final game lasted 23 minutes; Serena saved 7 match points; 12 deuce points were played; Serena, two points away from winning the match blew a 5-1 lead in the second set tie breaker.

I watched a replay of the last game and I can attest that it was a see-saw with Serena and her opponent at times showing brilliance and Razzano even cramping up. (If only Serena could have slowed down her game!)

PART ONE: Remembering Dan Lucey, A Highly Ranked Spunky San Francisco Tennis Player: My Coach and LIFE MENTOR:

Dan Lucey at a Tournament in 

Stockton, California (Thank You  Rena Lucey

for the photo--she is a  friend for over 50 years) 

It was in the mid 1970's that I came under the wing of Dan Lucey at San Francisco's Golden Gate Park tennis facility.

Tall, thin and lanky, Dan had the most fluid strokes of anyone I met. He was a pleasure to behold as he gracefully moved around the court with short, movements always returning to a central position awaiting the next shot.

His strokes were always clean precise and consistent.

He knew how to coach the fundamentals of the game: the serve, ground strokes and volleying.

He was also a  master of strategy.

He would hop on my court (as I was practicing with a partner) take my position and quickly modeled the fundamental strokes and strategies of the game. Then I would take over and Dan would continue to coach me.

He was ranked in the top ten statewide in the 45's; tournament play had evidently honed his competitiveness and spunk.

 In 1974, he was ranked number 2 in the Men's 55 Singles in the Northern California Tennis Association's tentative rankings just behind John Morrison of Sacramento at number one, with Norm Brooks of San Francisco following Dan at number 3. 

Dan worked for The Water Department and while doing fieldwork often visited the tennis courts during his lunch hour.

He knew every tennis player at the facility-- their strengths and weaknesses.

Tom Brown

on the cover of his Tennis Memoir book

As Tom Goes By

He often commented about Tom Brown's aggressive ground stroke game  as we watched him beat local ranked  players 25 years younger  (Tom lost to Jack Kramer in the US Open finals in 1946 and the Wimbledon finals in 1948) ; He also commented  about Rosie Casals' feisty style as we watched her matches at the Park. 

Whitney Reed 

from www.whitneyreedtennis.com

He directed my attention to the unflappable Whitney Reed, the top seeded player at the annual San Francisco Open tournament. Whit, as he was called, hailed from Alameda across the Bay.

At one point in the early 1960's, Whit displaced Chuck Mckinley to be the number one ranked men's singles player in the US. In his career, he had wins over Rod Laver, Roy Emerson, Neale Fraser, Frank Sedgman, Gardner  Mulloy and Manuel Santana to name a few. All the latter have been enshrined in the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Dan always would observe my game and worked often with me (and others)-- ALL GRATIS!

Of course, I admired his patience as he devoted time to coaching his boys, Glen and Marco. 

 
He matched me against other players on my level and encouraged me to play some Bay Area satellite tournaments.

This was how I improved my game--thanks to Dan.

We miss you Dan.

I thank Rena Lucey  Dan's loyal and dedicated wife (and my friend for over 50 years ) for sending me photos of one of my life's hero so I can complete this  posting originally  published on May 13, 2012-over 10 years ago.

It is wonderful to to connect--recently- with Rena  (remembering her visit to NYC in the 90's)  so I could complete Part I of my saga and move on to Part II.

Dan inspired me with what he repeated to me over and over again. So do go on to Part II. 

Serena is fined $2,000. What is the Price of Repeated Bad Court-side Behavior?

Gone are the days when the bad boy of 1980's tennis John Mcenroe could verbally harass court umpires with his tirade and avalanche of harsh words--and not be fined and punished.

Times have changed because the rules have changed. Rules have changed because the fans expect the etiquette of traditional tennis to be honored.

Each Grand Slam tournament sets its own standards and rules. White is still the required court wear at Wimbledon while the USTA allows multicolored tennis garb.

But would the All England Tennis Club allow such verbal abuse to be answered with a slap on Serena's wrist? (She earned $1.4 Million and was fined just $2,000)

My guess is probably not! She might even be banned from future Wimbledon competition.

Evidently, the USTA committee did not feel that Serena's conduct was serious--"did not rise to the level of a major offense under the Grand Slam Code of Conduct."

What do you think?

US Tennis Open 2011: Can Tennis Players be Too Nice?

The US Open Tennis Championship 

Flushing Meadows, New York 

Chris Ellsberry, a writer for The Stamford Advocate inspired my last tennis blog about #1 female tennis player Caroline Wozniacki being a class act off the court as well as on the court at the New Haven Tennis Open.

Next comes along Tom Perrotta a writer for the Wall Street Journal who asks: Is Women's Tennis Too Nice? 

He cites many excellent examples  of friendship between rivals, both on the women's and men's circuits. (For this reason, I urge you to read the entire article.)

Wozniacki visited Serena Williams at home when she suffered a pulmonary embolism and also invited her foe Victoria Azarenka (now ranked number 3 by the WTA) to her Monaco home where they dined and then visited the aquarium and beach together.

"She (Wozniacki) talks to everybody, she's very fun all the time," said Gisela Dulko, the veteran pro from Argentina. "She's always smiling."

How times have changed says Lisa Raymond who turned pro in 1993 and with Liezel Huber won the 2011 ladies doubles tournament beating defending champs King and Schvedova  4-6, 7-6, 7-6 .

Lisa is quoted as saying, "If anyone even mentioned Monica Seles or Steffi Graf, it was like, 'Ahhhhhhhhh!' You would never talk to Steffi Graf in the locker room, and I like Steffi. There was just this aura."

Tom rightly poses the key question: will this trend toward friendship and doing small deeds of kindness displayed by arch rival tennis giants inhibit their toughness and competitiveness and thus bring down the level/quality of playing? (He also queries why there are fewer tennis prodigies reaching their peak in their teens. Recall Graf , Seles, Capriati and Martina Hingis of the 1980's and 1990's--but this is getting off subject.)

The answer to the above key question is a definitive NO! Hey, it was just a short while ago that we witnessed the Williams sisters slugging it out to the finish in 8 different Grand Slam Finals matches . Admittedly, they got along very well off the courts--and we have witnessed the more argumentative Serena muscle her way past her sister in six of their eight meetings.

Thank you Tom Perrotta for an excellent article with lots of quotes.

Perhaps the most memorable one was from Samantha Stosur, the first Australian lady to win  the US Open since Margaret Court Smith in 1973-- with a stunning upset of the favorite Serena Williams in  straight sets 6-2, 6-3:  "If Federer and Nadal can seemingly get along so well, then why can't everyone else? They've got one of the greatest rivalries in sports."

Thank you Woz, Azarenka, Nadal and Federer to name a few of the current players for being outstanding role models, displaying modesty, humility and humanity by performing small acts of kindness!

Image source (1)