Getting Down With WTT

So, world, level with me. What's the deal with World Team Tennis?

In a schedule that's already packed, I'm not quite sure why people would play World Team Tennis - though I suppose it comes with a big pay day - but I certainly think it is a lot of fun! And it's a viable alternative to the seniors tour that gives people who have retired the opportunity to keep playing professional tennis in a way that is fun and exciting.

And would anyone deny that the Venus Williams/Martina Hingis match up is the most keenly anticipated match of the week - including everything that's going down in Davis Cup?

I'm not exactly sure what the rules are - I have a notion that there is no ad scoring - and there is a crazy coloured court. It seems to be restricted pretty much to the US, but I remember a WTT exo that went on on Margaret Court Arena during the Australian Open this year which was big fun. I'd love to see it played more - maybe not so much with the current big time players, though if they want to play it, more power to them - but with some of the old stars. Hingis, Kournikova, Davenport... they all play WTT and it seems like a perfect fit. I want to see Marat Safin play it. I think it'd be rad.

In short, from what I know of WTT, I think it's awesome. It doesn't dovetail especially well with the actual tour, but it is good fun and allows tennis to be a team sport. I think it's especially good for some ex-pros... and I hope to see more of it. Unless it has some major failing of which I am not aware. But I don't think it does. So yay WTT! Let us see more!

Clijsters in the Crowd

It's day #2 of not much tennis to talk about, so we're going to talk about something that's been in the news but I've thus far neglected to mention (I think) - the potential comeback of Kim Clijsters.

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The reason I haven't talked about it at all thus far is because, personally, I thought it was rubbish. Ha! thought I. She's only training for the Wimbledon exhibition with Henman and Agassi and Graf. But now it's becoming more and more likely that I'm wrong. I hear rumours of a press conference today. So... maybe Kim is coming back.

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Whether or not she is, let's assume for a moment that she is coming back. What effect would that have on the WTA? Would there be any effect?

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I think what I fear is that Clijsters will come back and shoot straight in the top #5 in a matter of months. Not that there would be anything wrong with that from a Clijsters perspective, but it would really put the nail in the coffin as far as the current WTA high rollers are concerned. I don't think Serena would be too worried - I don't know if Serena gets too worried about anyone - but if Clijsters came back and immediately started picking off your Safinas and Dementievas and even your out of form Jankovics and Ivanovics... then there's really trouble.

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This could work a couple of ways. It could depress everyone or it could encourage them to play better. I really hope it's the later. Clijsters would be a really interesting element in a currently lacklustre WTA. Hingis and Davenport both tried the comeback, with limited success. What can Kim do?

Up The Duff

Well, well, well. This is an unexpected turn of events in the Lindsay Davenport story. First there's all the talk about retirement, then the baby, then the comeback, then the talk about retirement, then the 'oh no! Australian Open all the way!' ...then there's the pulling out of the Australian Open because, guess what? Lindsay Davenport is, once more, up the duff. Little Jagger's going to have a playmate in the not-too-distant future.

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This is just kind of bizarre - not bad or anything, because, I mean, come on, congratulations are obviously in order! - but it's just not something you ever consider happening, a top female athlete accidentally getting pregnant. In her statement, she said this:

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"Of course this unexpected but exciting surprise now means I will be putting tennis on hold for the foreseeable future."

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Guess it proves that accidents happen to everyone, even elite athletes. Congratulations, Lindsay - but you've got to think that this is the end of her tennis career now? Coming back after one baby was awesome - after two? That would just be something else. Not that she's incapable of it, but... it's horrible to say it, at her age? She's a great age to be a mum - but perhaps for a pro tennis player she's a bit past it.

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Not that she should regret it or anything. The end was obviously already coming for Lindsay. But I guess it just ends the whole career comeback thing pretty abruptly...

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But nevertheless - congratulations, Lindsay!

Not Quite Tursunov

It was a bit disappointing for Serbia, in the end. I really wanted to see them win it, but with Jankovic injured and Djokovic a tired space case, I guess it just wasn't going to happen. I only caught the first set of the mixed doubles - I fell asleep to tell the truth - and it just made me long for the Hopman Cup final of last year. Russia vs. Spain. Nadia Petrova beat Anabel Medina Garrigues and then Dmitry Tursunov beat Tommy Robredo in a great match, and then the mixed doubles was the most hysterical tennis match I've ever seen. None of that this year, as it was one rubber all... the Hopman Cup had some great players this year, but I think it was lacking a bit of personality. There was no one like Tursunov, certainly.

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But then, I have a very soft spot for Tursunov. (Who wouldn't?)

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I was cheering for Joe Sirianni in his match today against Llodra in Adelaide. He didn't win, but for a 32 year old journeyman with only one prior ATP level victory to his name, I think he acquitted himself swimmingly. He's certainly much more likeable than Princess Lleyton - who lost (embarrassingly) in the quarters to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga... speaking of Tsonga, he was meek as a pussycat in his match against Jarkko Nieminen today. I thought that one could have been a thriller, especially considering the awesome match with Spadea last night. But Nieminen spanked him. I mean, I know it's about ninety million degrees in Adelaide, but Nieminen is Finnish! Tsonga is French! Why should Tsonga fall over just because of some heat when Nieminen did really well?

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So the Adelaide final will be Nieminen vs. Llodra, and I think it's safe to say Nieminen is a big favourite. I've never really seen Llodra play, so I can't make an educated assessment, but the fact is that he's unseeded, with Nieminen seeded 3. So I'm going with Jarkko on this one. (I've always thought Nieminen looks a bit like a carrot. He's got a really triangular face, and all this spiky hair... probably more obvious in his ATP picture than anywhere else!)

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I didn't get to watch it, but the Li/Azarenka final at the Gold Coast looked like a tight one as well. Excellent comeback for Li - who has, if memory serves, been out six months with injury - and a good match for Azarenka as well, even though she lost. Perhaps Belarusian tennis can have a bit of a revival in Azarenka, after the pitiful year Max Mirnyi had last year! And speaking of comebacks, what a performance from Lindsay Davenport in Auckland! To be fair, her opponent wasn't someone I'd actually heard of (the seeds fell early in Auckland), but to come back, being over 30 (she is over 30, yeah?) after having a baby and to win her first tournament back... wow! Also a great win for Stan Wawrinka in Doha over defending champ Ljubicic.

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And in other news, I am going to both the Medibank International and the Australian Open. I've never seen tennis at Melbourne Park before, so I'm HUGELY excited! And I'll try not to get as sunburned in Sydney this year as I did last year...

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Today's Results

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Hopman Cup (Perth)

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Final - USA def. Serbia 2-1

Novak Djokovic def. Mardy Fish, 6-2 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-4)

Williams/Fish def. Jankovic/Djokovic, 7-6 (7-5) 6-2

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Mondial Australian Women's Hardcourts

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Li Na def. Victoria Azarenka, 4-6 6-3 6-4

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ASB Classic (Auckland)

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Lindsay Davenport def. Aravane Rezai, 6-2 6-2

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Next Generation Adelaide International (Adelaide)

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Michael Llodra def. Joseph Sirianni, 6-3 7-6 (10-8)

Jarkko Nieminen def. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 6-2 6-4

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Qatar Exxonmobil Open (Doha)

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Andy Murray def. Nikolay Davydenko, 6-4 6-3

Stanislas Wawrinka def. Ivan Ljubicic, 7-6 (7-1) 6-4

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Chennai Open (Chennai)

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Carlos Moya def. Florent Serra, 6-3 6-4

Mikhail Youzhny def. Xavier Malisse, 6-4 6-4

Marin Cilic def. Robin Haase, 4-6 6-2 6-3

Rafael Nadal def. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, 6-3 6-2