Here, without further ado, is the third and final installment from our Sartorially Resplendent Sydney Correspondent. This time he (or she) reports from media hour at the Medibank.
2008 preview on the way from me soon, I promise.
Steve,
On Sunday in Sydney, No. 1 Justine Henin, No. 2 Svetlana Kuznetsova and No. 3 Jelena Jankovic all showed for the all-access time allotted to the Medibank International media. On Monday, it the last of the top four, Ana Ivanovic, who had flown in after playing the exhibition in Hong Kong.
Maybe 'all-access' wasn't the best description for it, as Ivanovic gave a presser attended by all of four reporters. The Serb arrived Down Under on December 13, before travelling to Hong Kong and back. Asked if the reason was to prepare for Melbourne Park, Ivanovic, looking fit, said, "Yeah, that was definitely one of the reasons, but the other one is just I love Australia. My fitness coach is from Sydney and I have family in Melbourne, so every year I look forward to coming here.
"I wanted just to come earlier and enjoy nice weather and, you know, just be here and also seeing my relatives. They came along to Sydney for a week, so that was also very nice."
Ivanovic stayed in Manly, which is a little oceanside suburb right on the Pacific, about a 30-minute ferry ride across Sydney harbour from the main Circular Key docks. She enjoyed it so much that she claims she'll do the same thing next year.
Before coming to Australia, Ivanovic had spent some time at the new Roehampton tennis centre in London run by the Lawn Tennis Association. Given the weather in England, wasn't that a crazy thing to do? Ivanovic replied, "Yeah, comparing to Australia the weather is definitely not nice, but they have great facilities there. For tennis and preparation I think it's very good. And now in the new center they have six indoor courts and they are actually heating them, so it was quite warm there.
"I think that's the closest you can get to Australia, in that time of the year in Europe, so I found it very interesting and very nice and I enjoyed my time there."
In a very successful year that included breaking into the top four, her poor effort in the French Open final against Henin stands out as a major disappointment.
"That definitely didn't give a good result," she said about the Roland Garros final. "But, you know, I just think that's necessary experience, and next time I'm in that situation I will know what to expect, also."
Asked if she was angry at herself after the final, she said, "Of course, and also disappointed. Soon as I went off the court and spoke with my coach I wanted to go back on and play once more. But they didn't let me, so I have to wait for next opportunity."
On Sunday, Ivanovic's compatriot Jankovic made it sound doubtful that she'll play the Sydney event because of the injury that prevented her from playing singles in Hopman Cup. She's undergoing treatment but is troubled by a gluteus maximus problem, which at times spreads into her hamstring and lower back.
"I know I'm a pain in the butt," a jovial Jankovic said, "but now I have a pain in the butt."
She's undergoing serious therapy and will have to decide no later than Tuesday (the women's final is on Friday night, 16 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time in the US).
Henin outdrew Jankovic at the tables sent out for the all-access session by about 12-2.
She was well worth listening to, talking freely on a wide variety of subjects. Henin said she thoroughly enjoyed her trip with her best friends and their 6-year-old son to South Africa after she won the Tour Championships in Madrid in November.
After that, she said that she done her off-season training in her tax-haven home in Monte Carlo, and said she was able to play outside.
"When I'm in Monaco, I miss my family, my friends," Henin said about being torn between her residences. "In Belgium it's a crazy life, there's too much attention on me. I like it when people I love come to Monaco. That's the best for me. Life in Monaco is good because it's only tennis and taking care of myself, which I don't do in Belgium because my life is pretty crazy there. I have a lot of things to do for press, sponsors and fans. In Monaco it's a pretty quiet life.
Describing being Justine in Belgium, Henin continued, "In Belgium it's crazy, which I understand. People come up to me and call me 'Ju-Ju,' because everyone calls me 'Ju-Ju' even if I hate that. That was good when I was a little girl. I'm 25, I think it's time to move forward. And they say, we all have the impression we know you. It's like I'm a full member of every family in Belgium, which is great. I'm really proud of it. But sometimes I just say, 'give me a break.' I'm doing better with that. I'm more open. I understand the situation and it's amazing, in sport, we're lucky because we give a lot of emotions to people. People are together behind an athlete. I'm lucky to do that because it gives a lot of smiles and a lot of love and that gives a sense to what I do."
It's remarkable how well she now expresses herself in English. Henin was asked when she began to feel really comfortable in the language of Shakespeare and Tim Henman. "It's been for a while," she said. "But last year I had to express myself a lot more in English and now I really feel at ease. I'm not sure when everything clicked but now it comes more naturally, more easily. I never studied English. It just came from the tour and travelling.
"It's not easy for people ... to talk about their career and their life in a language that isn't their mother tongue. But I've never been afraid to do it and I'm getting better and better."
Reflecting on the fact that she missed Australia (due to her marriage break-up) last year, Henin said, "I wasn't here last year for all the reasons we know. Two years ago, I left Melbourne (after retiring against Amelie Mauresmo in the Aussie Open final) and I was pretty sad. I wasn't healthy then. My stomach was hurting me a lot. It's quite emotional to be back in Australia. I missed the tournament last year but I was focused on something much more important. It's great to be back but I forgot how long the trip was and how bad the jetlag is."
Giving her two cents worth on the change in court surface from Rebound Ace to Plexicushion, Henin said, "I don't really understand why they changed the courts. I did like the Rebound Ace but I don't have the feeling there's a big, big difference.
When local boy Lleyton Hewitt was asked he thought the hullabaloo about the courts would blow over once they are played in and it gets toward the end of the Australian Open. "Obviously any kind of change or new thing and all you guys are going write about it, aren't you?" he said. "Yeah, I don't think it's a big deal for the players. We play on hard courts three-quarters of the year. I wouldn't say it's that much different than Indian Wells and Miami. I don't think it's going to be a big deal. I think it's pretty equal for all players."
There was a slight delay before the women's all-access interviews and Jankovic and Henin had to stand around outside talking to WTA Tour personnel while they waited for the room to be free. Then up some stairs and around a bend came Jamie Murray, seemingly on his way to the player's lounge. He noticed his Wimbledon mixed-doubles winning partner Jankovic. As everyone knows, there were rumours, even hopes among the Brits, that there might be a romance between the two, who made a very attractive couple at the Wimbledon champions dinner.
Murray walked past and touched Jankovic on the upper arm and she turned and smiled at him. But there was nothing effusive to suggest they are an item—unless that was just a ruse.
—Your Sartorially Resplendent Sydney Correspondent, signing off