She Sliced and Diced and Mentally Overpowered A Champion

Novak and Roger may play tonight, but the real story at this year's US Open is Roberta Vinci and her defeat of Serena Williams. Williams lost in the semi-final to Vinci, known more as an Italian doubles player, and fell short of a calendar grand slam.


Roberta Vinci. Unseeded. Ranked outside the top 40 in the world. Vinci may have lost in the final, but she showed how you beat a champion and a bully. She held her hand up and asked the champion to wait. She turned her back to the vocal shouting. She didn't break down when Serena yelled across the net. The Italian doubles specialist was first to her chair on the changeovers covering her head with her towel. And she hits a slice, one-handed backhand with very little pace and proved that slicing and dicing takes no prisoners.

Rarely in her career have we seen Serena hit a slice backhand, or a forehand for that matter, but this world number one doubles player from Italy forced one of the greatest players of all time to change her game. There wasn't much pace coming from Vinci's side of the court. Brad Gilbert calls her "DaVinci" and she lived up to that name as she sliced, diced, angled and artistically stroked her way to a victory ending a Grand Slam run - a feat only completed by three women previously and just one in the Open Era.

But Vinci changed the mental game as well for the first time ever on this American champion. She won over the New York crowd. Vinci stayed the course. As the match hit two hours, Serena tired but grew vocally louder. Every winner with punctuated with a screaming exclamation point. Vinci took no notice. She's 32 years old - no intimidation here. She's seen it all before. Vinci tossed and served and didn't take note of Serena showing her Nike's dress back straps as she tried to hold up Vinci's march to dominance. Vinci held her hand up when the Champion was ready to serve saying: "Just wait a moment - you make me wait on my serve? I'm gonna make you wait on yours." This Italian was not going to cower. She owned the court. She owned the crowd. And, she won.

The tennis was not stellar. Vinci took Williams out of her comfort zone, with drop shots, sliced backhands and approach shots, volleys and dozens upon dozens of lobs. Serena rarely sees a one-handed backhand - there are only 2 one-handed backhands in the top 100 women in the world. But what we forget is that a one-handed backhand hits the ball much earlier than a two-handed backhand. Serena wasn't prepared for the earlier contact of the ball - the Champion was on her back foot continually even on her masterful forehand. Serena hasn't seen slice like this in years. And she hasn't seen an opponent mentally as strong as Vinci was on this day since Sam Stosur defeated her on the same court in 2011.

Roberta Vinci may have ended a Grand Slam run, but she probably brought tennis back to a reality with a win reminiscent of a McEnroe, Edberg or even a Nastase. Let's see if Roger moves up to the service line on Novak's serve and plays more like a doubles player, reminiscent  of a Bob Lutz or a Stan Smith... or even an Italian doubles player named Roberta Vinci.

A Changing of the Guard at the US Open

Mark it down in your history calendar in our wonderful sport of tennis. Saturday, September 6th, 2014. The day the reign of the Big 4 ended.

The Big 4 alludes to men's tennis and to Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, and lastly, Roger Federer with his 17 Grand Slam single titles. These four players have won 36 of the 38 most recent Grand Slam titles. On Monday, that stat will be 36 of the last 39. None of the above is in the US Open final.

And yesterday, two of the Big 4 were just plain beaten. Djokovic was simply outplayed on a day where he may have not been at his best wilting in the heat of 90 degrees plus on Arthur Ashe stadium court. Kei Nishikori, the first Japanese player to ever reach a Grand Slam final, with an added day of rest wore Djokovic down over four sets.

Federer couldn't deal with Marin Cilic's serve. In fact, the last game provided the epitaph to the grave: Three aces and a backhand winner down the line. Done.We are left wondering how long Roger will stave off the desire to retire.

So we are left with a final in which CBS Sports loses its coverage of the US Open after 40 plus years and in which, I am sure, ratings will falter without one of the Big 4 playing. But, this is the Open Era, and anything can happen. ESPN takes over coverage of both Wimbledon and the US Open in a tumultuous time in Men's Tennis in which are there are no clear rivalries to market to the public or elder statesmen to revere. It could hinder the growth and popularity of the sport.

That being said, it will be great to see new faces in the final and to see how Nishikori deals with Marin Cilic's serve will be interesting. Nishikori has won his last three matches against top 6 rated players in the world. He is the real deal. Coached by one of the greatest returners of all time, Michael Chang, Nishikori will undoubtedly find a way through the Cilic serve.

Cilic, at 25, is coached by the big server Goran Ivanisevic, himself a Wimbledon champion who also won on a Monday in front of a raucous crowd against a confident Patrick Rafter in the final. Cilic, suspended from the tour last year for a positive test to a banned substance, has returned mentally stronger and playing some of his best tennis.

Back to regularly scheduled programming with Serena Williams today in the women's final. And, Monday night should be a wonderful match between two upstarts who have been waiting a few years on the bench.

The Greatest Player Of All Time... In My Book

So, over the past three months since I put this question out there, I have had people stop me, Facebook me, and write to me with their nominations. I list a few below and the validity of these nominations are truly excellent.

Jimmy's matches were always something special!

Jimmy Connors - Did you see the ESPN movie about the 1991 US Open in which Connors at the age of 39 defied the experts and beat Aaron Krickstein in probably the best remembered match ever in US Open history? Someone asked me this just recently. It changed Krickstein's career forever and was perhaps the greatest match of all time. I was outside the stadium in Flushing Meadows and hearing the electricity in the crowd was unreal. But one match and a comeback at 39 does not make Jimmy the greatest player of all time.

Martina Navratilova some of you have said. She's right there. What a player - going for broke and changing the way women played our lovely game by approaching and coming to net. One of the matches I remember most as a young player was the US Open final in which Martina lost - to Hana Mandlikova. Probably the greatest women's match ever played. But Martina's story behind her tennis is simply amazing. Leaving her communist heritage, moving to the States, breaking the homosexuality border in our sport. We have her to thank for a lot in our sport and in our world. Her persona is one of the biggest in sport. All this while winning 59 Grand Slam titles. Are you kidding me? Oh yes, and 18 singles grand slam titles - that's one more than Big Rog folks.

Oh but wait, Chris Evert has 18 Grand Slam titles as well. Can we include her in the conversation. You sure can. But, for me, she's not the greatest to ever pick up a racquet. She was a grinder from the baseline who outlasted opponents rather than beat them. But, she was a fierce competitor and a truly great champion.

Pistol Pete Sampras - Perhaps the most efficient player ever to play tennis and having just been surpassed by Roger Federer regarding Grand Slam singles titles ever, he is up there in my book too. His rivalry with Andre Agassi was one of the greatest in the history of all of sport. I can remember watching Pete win Wimbledon during my college years and just amazed at how he changed his entire game to win that coveted title.

This is a never-ending debate and I have thought long and hard about it as naming the greatest person to ever hit a ball in your sport is actually quite terrifying in a way!

So who's left?

You've probably guessed it. Serena Williams.

Best Player Ever...In My Book.

Serena has, like Martina before her, simply changed the game of women's tennis. Singlehandedly. We had all heard back in 1996 and 1997 that the younger Williams sister was going to be the better player but, rightfully, many questioned her stamina and desire to win at that young age. Would she live up to the hype and the reputation she was assuming? A big assumption.

She did and she continues to do so. Ok, so she's only 7th on the all-time Grand Slam honor roll with 32 titles to her credit. She's tied with "Fed" at 17 singles titles. I do think she has a few more singles wins in her. But, in this era of open tennis with massive qualifying events, the growth of the WTA over the past 20 years, and tennis rising once again to be one of the most popular sports in the USA and the world, Serena has been at the top of her profession since she turned professional at 14. And honestly, I don't see her grip of the "racket" sliding much. In fact, 2013 was probably her best year ever.

But in reality, her grip should be sliding. Let's put it this way. She won her first professional title in 1998, five years before Roger won his first. She's 32, same as Roger. He's spent more time at the number one spot, true. So has Steffi, Martina Navratilova, Evert, and Martina Hingis. But none of them took years off to fight injury or depression after the murder of a sister. In fact, after her break from tennis and restarting in 2011 after a pulmonary scare, she is 158 wins with 11 losses.

But Serena, and partly her sister Venus, have changed the face of tennis. One-third of all new junior players are either African-American or Hispanic. Television ratings for Serena are some of the highest ratings any sport has ever seen, including American football.

Serena, like Navratilova, had her own demons to overcome. Fighting racial hatred among the predominantly white juniors on the USTA junior tour while living in California and Florida, Serena also fought with her emotions. Personally, I am not a big fan of her personality, but how can you deny she's one of the fiercest competitors to ever take the stage on a stadium court - male or female.

But the main reason for Serena being the best that ever played? Well it's just that. When she is at the top of her game, she simply is untouchable and unbeatable. No one comes close. There is no one who can even come close. Her serve is up there with most male players at 125 miles per hour. Sharapova, Clisters, Henin, Capariati - all of her rivals pale in comparison. Sharapova, for all the love we have of her and how we think she is great, has just won one set since 2008 against Serena. Since 2004 Sharapova has this hallowed record against Serena. 1 win, 14 losses. Hello?

For Serena to be this dominant in a sport (even with her loss yesterday at The French Open) and with all that she has gone through... to accomplish her goals and be the highest paid sports woman in history... in all of sport...it just makes her the greatest all round player of all time.

This week in Paris will be interesting in that if both Venus and Serena win another round, they will have to play each other on the red clay of Roland Garros. Well, my pick will be Serena. But, Venus might have something to say. She has the best record against Serena although it's not a winning record. But I think little sis is just too good.

Hewitt and Longevity and What Could Have Been...

As Lleyton Hewitt wore down Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro who finally double faulted the match away in a fifth set, I heard a statistic that made me think. The statistic was that it was 12 years ago that Hewitt won the US Open! 12 years ago. For 12 years, Hewitt has been running around, grinding, hitting and playing at the top level. And, he did it again last night.

He moved Del Potro from side to side. He took advantage of his speed and showed Del Potro low ball after low ball for which the tall Argentine had to bend and bend again. Once Del Potro's legs got tired, he started bending from the waist in the fifth set and that was that. 

We forget the longevity of this Australian. 12 years ago. Nadal was 15. Federer hadn't even won his first Grand Slam, and following the horrible events of 9/11, President Bush created the Office of Homeland Security.

Part of this is that Hewitt holds the distinction of being the youngest Grand Slam Champion of all time in the Open era as well as being the youngest player to ever be ranked No. 1 in the world. Few players can last 12 years in a sport which perhaps has the longest professional season and grueling schedule. Hats off to this Australian who has maintained, through injuries, a game that is one of the best in an era.

What is scary to think is how many titles Hewitt would have won over this long career had a certain Roger Federer not showed up and won Wimbledon in 2003. Maybe as many as someone who has been around even longer and has more singles, doubles and mixed titles since her 1999 win at US Open 14 years ago: Serena Williams.

C'est Si Bon - The French Open in Springtime

Les Courts Rouge. La Rive Gauche. Porte d'Auteuil. Roland Garros. C'est Paris en les printemps.

I have been to the French Open on two occasions. One was way back in my post student years when I was working with the ATP Tour. The more recent opportunity to visit was a few years ago. One of my best friends, who is French, was having a tough time and his father, who had never called me and doesn't speak any English, called me to see if I could go and visit and spend some time with him - we met in Paris and hung out and the French Open seemed like a great day out. It was. C'est si bon...

Yves Montand - C'est Si Bon

Paris in the Spring, as Cole Porter wrote, is truly special. There are other cities I guess that have some great qualities in the Spring - Washington DC's cherry blossoms are amazing - but Paris has that "je ne sais quoi" and The French Open at Roland Garros is a part of the Spring Saison. In 1865, Jules Jaluzot founded the famous department store Printemps - which surely meant that Springtime in Paris is surely special.

Have you noticed that the French really love wearing ties and scarves? The crowds at Roland Garros, named after the aviator above who was the first man to fly across the Mediterranean, are by far the best dressed in the sporting world.

Named after one of the aviators at an exclusive Parisian Club, Roland Garros is perhaps the most intimate of all the tennis majors. The show courts are comfortable, unlike Wimbledon. They are cozy, unlike the US Open and Australia. The site was given to the French Tennis Federation back in 1928 by Stade Francais to host the 4 Musketeers who had just beaten the Americans on US soil in 1928

Jacques "Toto" Brugnon, Jean Borotra, Henri Cochet and René Lacoste in fact took French tennis global, winning five Davis Cups and winning the long awaited rematch at the new French tennis home in 1928 at Roland Garros. These Frenchmen went on to win an unprecedented five Davis Cups in a row.

The Four Musketeers who won The Davis Cup in 1928 at the new Roland Garros. Rene Lacoste already has the alligator. All they're missing are the ties!

The surface has never changed, and the maxim that the red clay is a leveler is surely appropriate. What's most interesting in looking at the list of Champions and even runner-ups is who is not there. Pete Sampras never won here, which in my book denies him from being the best player ever. The fact that Roger Federer has won this Championship only once speaks volumes. One of the best finesse players ever to take the court, Roger finally won here in 2009. Guess who only won once as well? Rod Laver who many say is the greatest player of all time won it just once - the year he won all the majors fortunately for him. And Ilie Nastase, who arguably was the greatest finesse player, won it just once.

On the women's side, people rarely note that among all her majors, Martina Navratilova just won it twice whereas the clay favored diminutive Justine Henin who took home the trophy on four separate occasions.

The list of Champions is surely a quirky statistic that we can reflect on every year as the red clay in Paris covers socks, ankles, racquets and balls. But there is an art to tennis when the tour makes its ultimate annual stop in what was once fields just to the South of the beautiful Bois du Boulogne. Even the cameramen for France 2 find artistic angles and views which I believe bring the viewer in closer to the action and help the television viewing world to feel just that little bit Francais.

Thus far this year's French Internationale, as it was called when they opened the tournament to non French Club players back in the early 20th Century, has not waivered too much away from the seeds. Upsets are coming I am sure and the quirky list that mark the Championship's winners I am sure will have another surprise in store for us this year.

Inauguration Day and an Inaugural Run At The Australian Open

New Year's Eve may come and go, but I always get a bounce in my step in mid-January every four years when the USA shows that we can do pomp and circumstance pretty well. We may not have a King or Queen, but we do lay out the red carpet for our president every January 20th.

This inauguration was no different and I watched intently as Barack Obama and the politicos in our nation's capital put on a show. I have to say, Beyonce Knowles has a set of pipes and the arrangement of our anthem, The Star Spangled Banner, was one of the best I have ever heard. If you haven't heard or seen it, here is the performance. Beyonce Knowles National Anthem

That aside, we Americans have some business "down under" in Australia, another "colony" which in fact still has The Queen as Head of State. In a very interesting match, the up and coming American Sloane Stephens, will take on Serena Williams on Wednesday in what might prove to be a match for the memories. The time is coming when Sloane will take over the American baton in this sport's relay and it might be at this tournament that she appears in the theatrical spotlight in this inaugural run in the first major of the year.

Sloane has the power and athleticism to compete with Serena who has been playing some of the best tennis of her career over the past two years. They both have power games and big serves. Stephens at the age of 19 is in her first major quarter final and in the biggest match of her career as of yet against her country woman. Serena and Sloane are friends and practiced together frequently while playing the Federation Cup.

Whereas Serena is playing through her matches quite easily, Sloane had some tough struggles to get to this point in the tournament and this may in fact serve her well as she has been tried and tested in the Melbourne stadium. Serena has not been and nerves will play a role here for sure.

She may not win her first quarter final tomorrow, and in fact Vegas has Serena as a heavy favorite, but I think Sloane's time is here and she will take that baton from Serena soon enough and it may be as early as 2013. I'll be tuning in late night.