SEPTEMBER 2007 |
1 GLOBALIZATION:
Guess what, the world is flat. Gone are the days when Detroit dominated the U.S. car market. Now if you want your credit card approved you ring up a gentleman in Bengalore. Your TV is not made in America and if there’s a modest windstorm on the Arabian peninsula, we feel it here at the tank. Globalization has raised the entire international ocean and so too it impacts tennis. Never mind longstanding traditions or loyal fan bases, nouveau riche/deep-pocket cities use tennis as a way to gain big biz cred. The men’s tennis championship is in Shanghai, the women’s will soon camp in sandy Dubai. Beijing bought the San Diego tournament sanction and without a flinch, the head of the WTA informed the press that he just got a phone call from his big cell phone sponsor who reminded him that there are 400 million cell phones in China. Translation: Want to see fab tennis — don’t let your passport expire.
2 BBC 1:
The stodgy ol’ international network known for its in-depth gardening shows and cutting edge documentaries on foul-weather gardening, for years has broadcast endearing images of Wimbledon across the globe, so hermits in Bali or Siberian lasses learned of strawberries ‘n cream and dreamed of playing amidst all that splendor on the grass.
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3 CZECH MATES:
Martina Navratilova showed the way to tennis’ promised land by bravely fleeing Soviet-gray Czechoslovakia, so as to indulge the wonders of Big Macs, free speech and hefty prize money. Then-good-but-glum — Ivan Lendl proved that Martina’s migration was no fluke.
4 GORBY, RONNIE, ANNA AND THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION:
Just after the politicians dismantled the Soviet Union, a kid raised in a Moscow basement apartment headed off to Florida to upgrade her already considerable groundies and to cash in on what soon become her more than considerable good looks. Tan and curvy with a pony tail to die for, Anna Kournikova quickly became the poster child of a “Go West, Young Wannabes”. While she never would claim a singles trophy, her commercial bonanza created a Horatio Alger model many an impoverished gal was eager to emulate.
5 IN THE ‘NICK’ OF TIME:
Yes, Nick Bollettieri drew many a stellar American — Agassi, Courier, etc. But more than anything his Florida Academy became a magnificent Mecca for near penniless, wide-eyed prospects and their often imposing parents: think Seles, Kournikova, Sharapova et al.
6 BBC 2:
That would be Borg, Becker and Chatrier. Translation: Bjorn Borg with his six French titles and five straight Wimbys, not only became the first European tennis player to become a crossover star in America, he inspired a smorgasbord of young Swedes and put big time tennis on the European map. Boris Becker took over where Borg left off, creating, with Steffi Graf, a mercurial German tennis boom. Phillipe Chatrier — a French publisher turned tennis politician — almost single-handedly upgraded the sleepy French Open so it became hallowed grounds for dirtballers from Barcelona and Belgium to Buenos Aires and Belarus convinced the Olympic’s bosses that tennis and their event were a Gold Medal match.
7 THE OLYMPICS:
When tennis became an Olympic sport some dismissed the move as just another example of overkill. Others just ignored a seemingly inconsequential development. But guess what, by becoming a part of the much-celebrated five-ring circus, tennis in distant climes took on a new luster. It’s no accident that Russian tennis soon began to boom or that China is now trying big time to break through. More importantly, since becoming an Olympic sport, the ITF has used the hefty funds from the Olympics, the Grand Slams and the Tennis Masters cup for its development fund, which since ‘86 has poured $574 million in developing activities in 150 countries. In’05, they distributed [count ‘em] 18,617 racquets and 184,442 balls to over 100 national associations.
8 BOUND FOR BARCELONA:
The fall of the Franco’s authoritarian regime, together with the coming of the Barcelona Olympics in ‘92 was enough to launch the topspin-happy Spanish Armada of Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, Conchita Martinez, Sergi Bruguera, Alex Corretja and Carlos Moya who combined to win dozen of titles. More recently, Albert Costa, J.C. Ferrero, Tommy Robredo, Fernando Verdasco and some fellow names Rafa are carrying Spain’s torch. All the while, youngsters such as Marat Safin, Andy Murray and Svetlana Kuznetsova have flocked there to train at the most successful academies west of Flordia.
9 MILOSLAV, CLINTON & A LITTLE RADIATION:
After making a run to the fourth round at Wimbledon, Janko Tipsarevic explained the great success of “Serbian and Croatian” tennis. “It must be the radiation,” he joked. Whatever the reason Serbs and Croats have fashioned incredible success in the post-Ivanisevic era (think Novak Djokovic, Ivan Ljubicic, Mario Ancic, Ana Ivanovic, Jelena Jankovic, etc.).
10 NIXON, CHANG AND THE CHINA SYNDROME:
If Hollywood got it right, the Last Emporer of China was playing mixed doubles when he was overthrown and deposed. But not to worry, Richard Nixon emerged (with a little help from table tennis) to end China’s isolation. Micheal Chang helped popularize the game. Big money has built lavish tennis palaces and attracted top-flight tournaments and tennis may well shine in the ‘08 Beijing Olympics. Chinese players excelled at the Athens Olympics. But when will they break through on a Grand Slam stage?
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