Coming from a sydney-sider!!! pfffftJeffles wrote:the Bleak City.
Australia?s summer of tennis
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cam
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Egan
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Just check the Hopman Cup page to the places around the world it was broadcast into. South East Asia, Belgium, United States, England and various other nations, then think has any other australian tournament other then the Australian Open got this much attention world wide?
I remember reading that the profile of this event overseas is amazing, with the players going up to the director, and australians and saying "You dont know how much this means to be playing here for my country"
Jeffles, Depth!!!
Last year Hewitt wasnt there, the field was fairly average actually, yet the Hopman Cup has a prestigious field year after Year. I mean Hewitt won the competition and he wasnt even in the field last year now what does that say for depth?
this year the players at Hopman Cup where
Russia
U.S Open winner Marat Safin
No 1 Russian women and ranked 7th in the world Anastasia Myskina
Belgium
Xavier Mallise
Kim Clijster
Australia
Alicia Molik ( amazing player)
Lleyton Hewitt
Slovak republic
Karol Kucera
Daniela Hantuchova
Chezh Republic
Jiri Novak
U.S.A
James Blake
Lindsay Davenport
I remember when Hewitt and Molik where playing, Pratt was absolutely disgusted of not being picked for the Hopman Cup. I mean how many other tournaments in the world would a player feel this way.
Jeffles no matter what you think, a mixed teams event was revolutionary for its time and is incredibly well attended. Even though an event is not on Commercial TV, it does not mean that its not an event of momentous standards. ABC commentators dare I say it are more tennis educated, no adverts, and very enthusiatic
Finally one last comment "You can see how much they want this tournament" Was the analysis of the final when Kucera upest Blake in the singles.
Anyway like theguy stated Melbourne has the best tournament and hopefully an australian man and woman finally wins the home championship I wouldnt be suprised if Molik lifts the title, the way shes been playing lately.
I remember reading that the profile of this event overseas is amazing, with the players going up to the director, and australians and saying "You dont know how much this means to be playing here for my country"
Jeffles, Depth!!!
Last year Hewitt wasnt there, the field was fairly average actually, yet the Hopman Cup has a prestigious field year after Year. I mean Hewitt won the competition and he wasnt even in the field last year now what does that say for depth?
this year the players at Hopman Cup where
Russia
U.S Open winner Marat Safin
No 1 Russian women and ranked 7th in the world Anastasia Myskina
Belgium
Xavier Mallise
Kim Clijster
Australia
Alicia Molik ( amazing player)
Lleyton Hewitt
Slovak republic
Karol Kucera
Daniela Hantuchova
Chezh Republic
Jiri Novak
U.S.A
James Blake
Lindsay Davenport
I remember when Hewitt and Molik where playing, Pratt was absolutely disgusted of not being picked for the Hopman Cup. I mean how many other tournaments in the world would a player feel this way.
Jeffles no matter what you think, a mixed teams event was revolutionary for its time and is incredibly well attended. Even though an event is not on Commercial TV, it does not mean that its not an event of momentous standards. ABC commentators dare I say it are more tennis educated, no adverts, and very enthusiatic
Finally one last comment "You can see how much they want this tournament" Was the analysis of the final when Kucera upest Blake in the singles.
Anyway like theguy stated Melbourne has the best tournament and hopefully an australian man and woman finally wins the home championship I wouldnt be suprised if Molik lifts the title, the way shes been playing lately.
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james_
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Egan, I'm not convinced.
I was going to type a reply countering your arguments but there's no point; you've clearly got your head in the sand on this one!
Don't listen to the guy's childish comments; he's just trying to bait us (again). Of course Melbourne Park is the best venue for the Open, it has the best facilities and the biggest market.
Surely the acid test is this... Ask the professional tennis player, "if you could only compete in one tournament leading up to the Open, which one would you compete in?"
I can't imagine the answer would be "the Hopman Cup".
Regarding the possibility of staging the Hopman Cup in different cities every year - never say never! Remember that the Australian F1 Grand Prix was once part of Adelaide's "heritage". Everything has its price.
I was going to type a reply countering your arguments but there's no point; you've clearly got your head in the sand on this one!
Don't listen to the guy's childish comments; he's just trying to bait us (again). Of course Melbourne Park is the best venue for the Open, it has the best facilities and the biggest market.
Surely the acid test is this... Ask the professional tennis player, "if you could only compete in one tournament leading up to the Open, which one would you compete in?"
I can't imagine the answer would be "the Hopman Cup".
Regarding the possibility of staging the Hopman Cup in different cities every year - never say never! Remember that the Australian F1 Grand Prix was once part of Adelaide's "heritage". Everything has its price.
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Egan
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Lleyton Hewitt chose last year to forgo other tournaments to play here. It was his only lead up tournament , saying it "gave me the best preparation for the Australian Open"
But to steal one of your comments Jeffles "we agree to disagree"
Hopefully Molik absolutley thrashed Hantuchova tonight, Molik gave a walloping of Hantuchova at the Hopman Cup and has a 3-0 record over Hantuchova in the head to head meetings.
But to steal one of your comments Jeffles "we agree to disagree"
Hopefully Molik absolutley thrashed Hantuchova tonight, Molik gave a walloping of Hantuchova at the Hopman Cup and has a 3-0 record over Hantuchova in the head to head meetings.
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argee
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Meanwhile, Channel 7 is by no means excellent at picking quality sports broadcasters for its tennis coverage. Thank God Garry Wilkinson is no longer annoying the hell out of us, now Seven needs to drop Sandy Roberts also. For all the years Garry Wilkinson must have done the summer of tennis he was still crap. Sandy says the most stupid comments and tries to come across as funny when he's not. And don't even get me started with Johanna Griggs. She must have a mouth that is crowded with her tongue and her teeth because the number of times she trips over even simple words and names is astounding. She pronounces Agassi in more ways than can be described. However, kudos to Channel 7 for the inclusion of Martina Hingis and their retention of the always good Kerryn Pratt, although I can't for the life of me understand why they limit her to the women's matches only when she would just as easily commentate men's matches too. And they have gradually faded Pam Shriver's role out to nothing, a real shame because she knows her stuff, but unfortrunately for Seven, ESPN were offering too much money for her services. And then there's Bruce. Bruce will always be good if overemotional at times. Bruce is timeless.
P.S. Watch out for constant praise heaped on John McEnroe by all of the male commentators when he starts commentating next week.
P.S. Watch out for constant praise heaped on John McEnroe by all of the male commentators when he starts commentating next week.
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james_
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court surfaces
Interesting article about tennis injuries appeared in The Weekend Australian on Saturday. Its written by JA, so it's quite inciteful.
After the successful use of grass in the Davis Cup, I wouldn't mind seeing a return to grass for the Open. It would be a huge financial undertaking (the lead-up tournaments would probably have to change as well), but I think the incentive is there.
Just scratching the surface with a worrying injury toll
John Alexander
24 January 2004
The Australian
ALL the talk this summer has been the issue of drugs in tennis. If we are that concerned about players' health and well-being then we need to change the surface used for the Australian Open and US Open -- the two Grand Slams that traditionally have the most injuries.
If kidney damage or other side-effects of drug taking are the things we're worried about, then why aren't we just as worried about skeletal damage from court surfaces?
Cigarette companies have faced lawsuits after they denied their products caused health problems, and I fear the powers that be in tennis could face similar legal action over the damage hard court surfaces do to a player's body, career and quality of life after their professional playing days finish.
Statistics about injuries are not available publicly. But the evidence is there as both governing bodies, the WTA and the ATP, keep records of injuries.
A request for statistics showing which surfaces caused the most injuries by The Australian 10 days ago was rebuffed on the grounds of privacy issues.
It has been estimated that up to 80 per cent of male players 26 and over have had knee surgery. I suspect that figure would not be too far off the mark. I feel strongly that it is the most serious issue in tennis and there needs to be some open and honest discussion about injuries and how to move forward.
Changing the surface of the two slams in Melbourne and New York would also mean the lead-up tournaments would have to change, so I realise the task is not easy. It does not mean every tournament has to be grass or clay.
Since the US Open went to hard court in 1978 and the Australian Open in 1988 there has been a growing list of injuries to feet, ankles, knees, hips and lower backs.
Tennis Australia, to its credit when choosing a surface for Melbourne Park, went to great lengths to find a "soft" hard-court in Rebound Ace to address the problem that arises from playing five sets on a hard court.
But virtually not a match has gone by this summer without an injury time-out related to the surface. And then there have been the high-profile retirements from events: Kim Clijsters, Alicia Molik and Carlos Moya, for example. Martina Hingis was forced out of the game at 22 with injuries in part due due to playing and practising on hard courts. Davis Cup coach Wally Masur, at 40 years of age, is suffering with the early signs of arthritis in his knees.
Careers don't just get damaged from playing on these courts, more significantly the quality of life after the career is greatly affected. So if you retire before you turn 30, you could be looking at a lot of years of pain.
A shorter season is not the issue. A six-week break for both the men's and women's tours at the end of each year was instituted not only to allow the players to rest but to give sufficient time for minor arthroscopic surgeries and recovery. The tours used to run 52 weeks.
But it has now become even more necessary to fix up niggling injuries caused by the predominance of hard-court play.
Clay and grass are more gentle on the body because you slide and this reduces the impact of landing.
On a hard surface, where the foot locks, the impact goes right up through your shoes, feet, ankle, shin, knee and hip.
The problem could be solved by shoe technology. Some experienced players bring older, more worn out shoes to Australia that don't grip as much on the Rebound Ace surface.
It is a fine line between being able to slide and having the necessary grip to be able to change direction. But I don't think in this day and age it is impossible to develop such a shoe.
Before moving to Flushing Meadow, the last three US Opens played at Forest Hills were played on an American clay called "Har-tru" -- a crushed basalt surface.
This type of surface may be more suited to Australian conditions than the European clay, which was used successfully in the first round of last year's Davis Cup against Britain in Sydney.
After the successful use of grass in the Davis Cup, I wouldn't mind seeing a return to grass for the Open. It would be a huge financial undertaking (the lead-up tournaments would probably have to change as well), but I think the incentive is there.
Just scratching the surface with a worrying injury toll
John Alexander
24 January 2004
The Australian
ALL the talk this summer has been the issue of drugs in tennis. If we are that concerned about players' health and well-being then we need to change the surface used for the Australian Open and US Open -- the two Grand Slams that traditionally have the most injuries.
If kidney damage or other side-effects of drug taking are the things we're worried about, then why aren't we just as worried about skeletal damage from court surfaces?
Cigarette companies have faced lawsuits after they denied their products caused health problems, and I fear the powers that be in tennis could face similar legal action over the damage hard court surfaces do to a player's body, career and quality of life after their professional playing days finish.
Statistics about injuries are not available publicly. But the evidence is there as both governing bodies, the WTA and the ATP, keep records of injuries.
A request for statistics showing which surfaces caused the most injuries by The Australian 10 days ago was rebuffed on the grounds of privacy issues.
It has been estimated that up to 80 per cent of male players 26 and over have had knee surgery. I suspect that figure would not be too far off the mark. I feel strongly that it is the most serious issue in tennis and there needs to be some open and honest discussion about injuries and how to move forward.
Changing the surface of the two slams in Melbourne and New York would also mean the lead-up tournaments would have to change, so I realise the task is not easy. It does not mean every tournament has to be grass or clay.
Since the US Open went to hard court in 1978 and the Australian Open in 1988 there has been a growing list of injuries to feet, ankles, knees, hips and lower backs.
Tennis Australia, to its credit when choosing a surface for Melbourne Park, went to great lengths to find a "soft" hard-court in Rebound Ace to address the problem that arises from playing five sets on a hard court.
But virtually not a match has gone by this summer without an injury time-out related to the surface. And then there have been the high-profile retirements from events: Kim Clijsters, Alicia Molik and Carlos Moya, for example. Martina Hingis was forced out of the game at 22 with injuries in part due due to playing and practising on hard courts. Davis Cup coach Wally Masur, at 40 years of age, is suffering with the early signs of arthritis in his knees.
Careers don't just get damaged from playing on these courts, more significantly the quality of life after the career is greatly affected. So if you retire before you turn 30, you could be looking at a lot of years of pain.
A shorter season is not the issue. A six-week break for both the men's and women's tours at the end of each year was instituted not only to allow the players to rest but to give sufficient time for minor arthroscopic surgeries and recovery. The tours used to run 52 weeks.
But it has now become even more necessary to fix up niggling injuries caused by the predominance of hard-court play.
Clay and grass are more gentle on the body because you slide and this reduces the impact of landing.
On a hard surface, where the foot locks, the impact goes right up through your shoes, feet, ankle, shin, knee and hip.
The problem could be solved by shoe technology. Some experienced players bring older, more worn out shoes to Australia that don't grip as much on the Rebound Ace surface.
It is a fine line between being able to slide and having the necessary grip to be able to change direction. But I don't think in this day and age it is impossible to develop such a shoe.
Before moving to Flushing Meadow, the last three US Opens played at Forest Hills were played on an American clay called "Har-tru" -- a crushed basalt surface.
This type of surface may be more suited to Australian conditions than the European clay, which was used successfully in the first round of last year's Davis Cup against Britain in Sydney.
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james_
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Perhaps, I should have posted my last reply in the topic, "Australian open 2010 on grass...." (viewtopic.php?t=166)
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swede
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I would certainly think that the surfaces of the Aus.and US open have to go. Its seems to be injury upon injury and apparently even those that arent injured have pretty messed up feet. I only wonder, why the players havent protested, or have they?
I have never understood why these surfaces have become popular, as they are quite simply not comfortable to play on.
All slams should be on grass or clay. There could still be the equivalent of 4 different surfaces by using different kind of balls, and anyway grass courts can be very different
I still think the aus open will eventually return to grass and it doesnt need to be expensive.
I have never understood why these surfaces have become popular, as they are quite simply not comfortable to play on.
All slams should be on grass or clay. There could still be the equivalent of 4 different surfaces by using different kind of balls, and anyway grass courts can be very different
I still think the aus open will eventually return to grass and it doesnt need to be expensive.
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the guy
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a few reasons why neither the Aus nor US open should change surface.
1. temporary grass courts may be able to handle a davis cup tie, but to host a grand slam they would be completely brown and nothing but dirt by the begining of the second week.
2. if the move to clay then we would have multiple grand slams of the most painfully boring variety, the french open is only for those players that cant win a tournament on real mans surface. CLAY SUCKS, the french open is the worst. (why do you think gustavo kuerton never played wimbledon)
3. both the Aus and the US opens are at the beggining and end of the season repectively, so its not surprising that niggling injuries occur after a long schedule and before they get back into full time playing. (they could cut baack on the amount of meaningless tournaments they play).
4. injuries have never been such a problem as they are this year, i think its just a coinsidence that we are seeing so many injuries this year. perhaps the shoe companies need to pay real workers to manufactur their shoes, not porr 5 year old filipino kids working for 10 cents a day. or just desgn better shoes.
1. temporary grass courts may be able to handle a davis cup tie, but to host a grand slam they would be completely brown and nothing but dirt by the begining of the second week.
2. if the move to clay then we would have multiple grand slams of the most painfully boring variety, the french open is only for those players that cant win a tournament on real mans surface. CLAY SUCKS, the french open is the worst. (why do you think gustavo kuerton never played wimbledon)
3. both the Aus and the US opens are at the beggining and end of the season repectively, so its not surprising that niggling injuries occur after a long schedule and before they get back into full time playing. (they could cut baack on the amount of meaningless tournaments they play).
4. injuries have never been such a problem as they are this year, i think its just a coinsidence that we are seeing so many injuries this year. perhaps the shoe companies need to pay real workers to manufactur their shoes, not porr 5 year old filipino kids working for 10 cents a day. or just desgn better shoes.
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Jeffles
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