Quantcast
nodot nodot
Pro Tennis Showcase
January 17, 2011

Subscribe to Match Reports

Pro Tennis Showcase Archive

Player Profile Index (Men)
Player Profile Index (Women)

Contact Tennis Server

Tennis Server
HOME PAGE

Do You Want To Be A Better Tennis Player?

Then Sign Up For A Free Subscription to the Tennis Server INTERACTIVE
E-mail Newsletter!

Tom Veneziano You will join 13,000 other subscribers in receiving news of updates to the Tennis Server along with monthly tennis tips from tennis pro Tom Veneziano.
 
Best of all, it is free!

Tennis Features Icon TENNIS FEATURES:

TENNIS ANYONE? - USPTA Pro John Mills' quick player tip.
 
TENNIS WARRIOR - Tom Veneziano's Tennis Warrior archive.
 
TURBO TENNIS - Ron Waite turbocharges your tennis game with tennis tips, strategic considerations, training and practice regimens, and mental mindsets and exercises.
 
WILD CARDS - Each month a guest column by a new writer.
 
BETWEEN THE LINES - Ray Bowers takes an analytical and sometimes controversial look at the ATP/WTA professional tour.
 
PRO TENNIS SHOWCASE - Tennis match reports and photography from around the world.
 
TENNIS SET - Jani Macari Pallis, Ph.D. looks at tennis science, engineering and technology.
 
MORTAL TENNIS - Greg Moran's tennis archive on how regular humans can play better tennis.
 
HARDSCRABBLE SCRAMBLE - USPTA pro Mike Whittington's player tip archive.
 
TENNIS EQUIPMENT TIPS.

Tennis Community Icon TENNIS COMMUNITY:


Tennis Book, DVD, and Video Index
 
Tennis Server Match Reports
 
Editor's Letter
 
Become a Tennis Server Sponsor

Explore The Tennis Net Icon EXPLORE THE TENNIS NET:

Tennis News and Live Tennis Scores
 
Tennis Links on the Web
 
nodot
Pro Tennis Showcase Banner
 
Green Dot
 
Tennis Warehouse Logo
 
Green Dot

 
nodot
Australian Open 2011, Melbourne, Australia
January 17, 2011
Editorial by Jane Voigt.


 

Jane Voigt Photo
Jane Voigt

Spanning The Globe
 
January 17, 2011 -- Tennis is an international sport. Just run your eyes down the country names listed next to the players. Even the most intelligent tennis fan might have to tap Google Maps to locate some of these far-away places.
 
We wonder how players from countries such as Uzbekistan or Kazakhstan have planted their feet firmly in tennis soil. Europe... yes. South America... yes. But the countries in North Asia and those north of Iran can seem curious only because many of us are only familiar with them superficially. But, things have and must continue to change. And so much the better for tennis.
 
Most fans dutifully follow their national tennis heroes before they decide to line up behind others. Just as Americans watch and hope American players will fair well at the U. S. Open, so do Australians dote on their own here in Melbourne.
 
For example, the Australian press went wild with news about Jelena Dokic this morning and her first-round "belting of Zuzana Ondraskova," as reported online in The Daily Telegraph. Her victory on Rod Laver Arena helped justify "Tennis Australia's decision to award her a wildcard."
 
Dokic, a naturalized citizen originally from Yugoslavia, last thrilled home fans in 2009 when she battled her way to the quarterfinals, after a long break from the sport.
 
But it was in 1999 that Dokic first woke the tennis world to her tennis talents. She shocked Martina Hingis by resoundingly defeating the then #1 seed and player in the first round at Wimbledon. Dokic entered qualifications ranked 129. By beating Hingis, Dokic scored the Open Era's biggest upset as the lowest-ranked player ever to beat a number one seed at a major.
 
By 2002, the heavy-hitting baseliner had cracked the top ten, reaching #4 in the summer. During this period Jelena's father, Damir, coached her. Soon word spread of his abusive nature and fluctuating moods. In 2004 Dokic finished outside the top 100, withdrew from tournaments to rest and recover from an elbow injury, then lost the last nine matches of the year. She didn't start a comeback in earnest until 2008.
 
Ten years beyond her brilliant beginning on the pristine lawns of Wimbledon, 2009, Damir was arrested in Serbia. He had threatened the Australian ambassador in Belgrade, where he lived. He was angry over an article published in Australia's Sport & Style section of The Age. In it Jelena spoke freely about her volatile upbringing.
 
"'If I was ever a little bit more aggressive towards Jelena, it was for her sake,'" Dokic told a Serbian newspaper.
 
The Serbian police reportedly found bombs and cache of guns, as they searched his premises.
 
Dokic's determined presence on day one of this year's Australian Open ignited the partisan crowd. Their hopes and sympathies for the woman who continues to struggle for an identity on and off court were palpable. Every Australian fan burst with good will and raucous cheers, as they watched Dokic do what she does best: play outstanding tennis.
 
Slice, The Australian Open's e-newsletter, was all bravado with news of Tuesday's lineup. Golden girl and Aussie star Samantha Stosur, seeded #5, would kick off her campaign to win her first major. Another wildcard, Alicia Molik, a formidable countrywoman of both Stosur and Dokic, will play for the first time Tuesday as well.
 
But journalists that composed this electronic blast went all out as they wrote about Lleyton Hewitt's match against Argentine David Nalbandian. "'Then we have the event we've all been waiting for. These two haven't been best of friends since Hewitt put up a "Don't cry for me Argentina" poster outside his hotel room in a juvenile prank when he was 14.'"
 
The state of Victoria has a large Argentine population, the scoop portended, so be prepared to hear both sides from these fractious patriots.
 
Lleyton Hewitt has never won his country's slam but came close in 2005, losing to Marat Safin in the final. This is Hewitt's 14th entry. The crowds will assuredly be on his side. But don't expect Nalbandian to succumb to the "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie... Oay, Oay, Oay" noise pouring from a capacity crowd inside Rod Laver Arena.
 
Both are Davis Cup heroes and fierce enemies. And nothing brings a player's pride to the surface more than international competition.
 
In total forty-three Australians are entered in the year's first slam.
 
The Australian Open is also known as the Asia Pacific Slam. The number of entries from countries such as Korea, Japan, and China, has jumped over the last several years. There are more Greek citizens living in Australia than in any other country outside of Greece itself. If Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus can conquer the first week of play, he may fill the stadiums with some of the friendliest and fanatic fans anyone has ever seen and heard.
 
One of the few players who can cut across all nationalities is Roger Federer. He is universally loved. Sit in any major tennis arena around the world, with the exception of Spain where Rafael Nadal is king, and Federer garners the predominance of attention.
 
Sunday, during the Rally for Relief fundraiser, four top women and men were introduced after the revolving rotations of two teams captained by Pat Rafter, Australia's current Davis Cup captain and two-time U. S. Open champion and Lleyton Hewitt, took their bows and ducked into the locker rooms for well-deserved massages and relaxation.
 
Samantha Stosur and Kim Clijsters were announced first, followed by Nadal and finally Federer. The Swiss maestro is ranked #2 to Nadal's #1, but the emcee and crowd showed their favoritism for Federer. He got the standing ovation. He was the one they wanted to see, no matter which country you called home.
 
Whether American, Spanish, Scottish, Swede, or Uzbekistani, the tennis courts at Melbourne Park will act as equalizers. Players will speak with their contingencies in native languages and eat foods they need to maintain health. Watch for enclaves of fans. These might just be family and friends that have traveled the farthest to see their countrymen compete on one of the biggest stages in tennis.
 

Earlier Columns from this Event:
 
January 16, 2011 Australian Open: Off To The Races
 

Green DotGreen DotGreen Dot

Player Profile Index (Men) | Pro Tennis Showcase Archive | Player Profile Index (Women)

SUBSCRIBE TO THE TENNIS SERVER PHOTO FEED

join our mailing list
* indicates required

All Tennis Server photography is copyrighted by the photographer and/or the Tennis Server, and all rights are reserved. You may not copy these images without permission. While you are welcome to create hyperlinks to Tennis Server web pages, you may not embed these images into other web pages or blogs without permission. To request permission, please use this contact form. Please be sure to clearly indicate exactly which photograph(s) you are requesting permission to use, as terms and conditions will vary depending on the photographer and the photograph.


 

nodot
nodot
Google
Web tennisserver.com
nodot nodot
The Tennis Server
Ticket Exchange

Your Source for tickets to professional tennis & golf events.
 
SAI Team Tennis Tournament Tickets
 
Dallas Open Tickets
 
Delray Beach Open Tickets
 
ATX Open Tickets
 
BNP Paribas Open Tickets
 
Miami Open Tickets
 
Credit One Charleston Open Tickets
 
US Men's Clay Court Championships Tickets
 
Wimbledon Tickets
 
Infosys Hall of Fame Open Tickets
 
Atlanta Open Tickets
 
Mubadala Citi Open Tennis Tournament Tickets
 
National Bank Open Women's Tennis Canada Tickets
 
National Bank Open Men's Tennis Canada Tickets
 
Western & Southern Open Tickets
 
Winston-Salem Open Tickets
 
US Open Tennis Championship Tickets
 

 

Popular Tennis books:
 
Winning Ugly: Mental Warfare in Tennis-Lessons from a Master by Brad Gilbert, Steve Jamison
 
The Best Tennis of Your Life: 50 Mental Strategies for Fearless Performance by Jeff Greenwald
 
The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey
 
Most Recent Articles:
 
October 2022 Tennis Anyone: Patterns in Doubles by John Mills.
 
September 2022 Tennis Anyone: Short Court by John Mills.
 

 

 

 

"Tennis Server" is a registered trademark and "Tennis Server INTERACTIVE" is a trademark of Tennis Server. All original material and graphics on the Tennis Server are copyrighted 1994 - by Tennis Server and its sponsors and contributors. Please do not reproduce without permission.

The Tennis Server receives a commission on all items sold through links to Amazon.com.

 

Tennis Server
Cliff Kurtzman
Editor-in-chief
791 Price Street #144
Pismo Beach, CA 93449
Phone: (281) 480-6300
Online Contact Form
How to support Tennis Server as a Sponsor/Advertiser
Tennis Server Privacy Policy