As the men make their last October visit to Madrid and the women tune up for their season-ending tournament with a swing through Zurich, here’s what’s right—and wrong—in the world of tennis.
Up: Jelena Jankovic
I’ve called Jankovic an undeserving No. 1, simply because she hasn’t won a major title. Well, her charms are wearing me down. Since playing like a champ in a spirited U.S. Open final, the 23-year-old Serb has won three tournaments and 13 of 14 matches, clinching the top ranking for the rest of the year. Injuries and apathy have hurt the women’s game in recent years, but Jankovic plugs away no matter the circumstances (she has played 78 matches so far this season). If she stays healthy, I like her chances of adding a major to her resume in early 2009.
Down: David Nalbandian
Fall is the least important quarter of the tennis season—a perfect time for David Nalbandian, one of the most disappointing players in the game, to dominate. Nalbandian won in Stockholm last weekend and wants more in Madrid this week, where he beat Tomas Berdych in the second round (he’s also the defending champion). Why then, you ask, do I give him a “thumbs down”? Because he won’t stop whining about the Davis Cup final, which will be played in Mar del Plata rather than Cordoba, Nalbandian’s home city and the preferred venue of his fellow players and coach Alberto Mancini. Nalbandian has railed against the Argentine tennis federation and the ITF, suggesting that backroom dealings figured into the choice. He’s also said he might not play the final against Spain.
It’s attitudes like this, of course, that have prevented the wildly talented Argentines from winning the Davis Cup. Spain may have Nadal, but Argentina has better fast court players (Nalbandian and Del Potro) and an imposing record at home (they haven’t lost in Argentina in 10 years, a 13-match streak). Maybe Mar del Plata was the wrong choice. But so what? It’s still in Argentina, on the surface of the team’s choice, in front of home fans excited about a chance to make history. If that’s not enough to make Nalbandian forgo the badmouthing and play hard for his country, then he doesn’t deserve to play.
Up: Marin Cilic
Juan Martin Del Potro has had a more impressive year than Cilic, but which of these 20-year-olds has a brighter future? Cilic, who plays Andy Murray in Madrid tomorrow, could easily move inside the Top 10 next year.
Down: Dinara Safina
Safina has played exceptionally well this year, but I couldn’t understand her recent rant against the WTA’s new calendar. Safina complained that the new calendar would bar top players from too many small events—like the tournament in Moscow. Huh? I thought the gripe for most women on the tour was that they were asked to play too often, that they were too injured to compete at their best. Now Safina and a few of her compatriots say that the new schedule—which offers big increases in prize money—would prevent them from playing enough? I’ve heard some legitimate concerns about the Roadmap, as the WTA calls it, but this isn’t one. If Safina wants to complain about more money for less effort—not a bad deal in a down economy—it just proves she’s related to Marat.
Up: Robby Ginepri
The American beat Nikolay Davydenko today and will face Frenchman Gilles Simon in the third round of the Madrid Masters.
Down: Simone Bolelli
The Italian, who was suspended by his federation for refusing to play Davis Cup, embarrassed himself again this week when he retired against Andy Murray with a sore shoulder but took the court a short time later to play doubles (he and his partner, Andreas Seppi, lost). A spokesman for the ATP told me that the tournament doctor cleared Bolelli to play and asked if he intended to compete hard. I believe Bolelli was healthy enough—in fact, I doubt he was injured at all, just embarrassed by the thrashing Murray was giving him (Murray led 6-0, 2-1 when Bolelli retired). Bolelli, by the way, got into the draw as a lucky loser (and this is the thanks he gives). A new ATP rule is in order: If you retire from a match because of an injury, no doubles allowed on the same day. Your tournament is over.
Up: Rafael Nadal
The world No. 1 has played more tennis to this point than he has in any previous year on the tour, but he still has the energy to support his home country’s event by playing singles and doubles. Nadal has played 87 singles matches and 16 doubles matches so far this year. He still has Paris, the Masters Cup, and the Davis Cup final to go. Let’s just hope he scales back his schedule next year—we’d all like him to stay healthy.
Down: Future stars
Whither Agnes Szavay and Anna Chakvetadze? Last year, these two were destined for stardom. But Szavay, who hasn’t won consecutive matches since July, has lost three straight and watched her ranking fall to 27 since April, when she reached a career high of 13. Chakvetadze hasn’t played well since a robbery at her home last year, during which masked attackers tied her up and stole hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and jewelry. The 21-year-old was ranked No. 5 last year; she’s at No. 12 now and falling, having lost six of her last seven matches.
Tom Perrotta is a senior editor for TENNIS Magazine.