LONDON -- It might not be Roger and Rafa, but Roger Federer's rivalry with Andy Murray is pretty darn good. There are the great matches, the contrast in styles and, uniquely, the lack of love lost. Federer and Rafael Nadal get along just fine, while the Swiss superstar and Novak Djokovic, for instance, share similar, though not identical, games.
Perhaps "begrudging respect" is the best way to sum up Federer's feelings toward Murray, one of the few guys to routinely trouble him on court. Given their past, Federer's brilliance and Murray's continued improvement, it's bubbling up nicely for Tuesday's round-robin tilt in Group A. Deprived in July thanks to Andy Roddick's Wimbledon heroics, the British public gets a chance to witness Murray versus Federer on U.K. soil for the first time.
Both looked ragged in wins Sunday at the cavernous O2 Arena, situated in southeast London, more than a stone's throw from the rarified Wimbledon air. Murray recovered to down drifting U.S. Open champ Juan Martin del Potro, and Federer took advantage of Fernando Verdasco's predictable lapse to advance in three sets. The winner is almost assured a spot in the semis.
The fun began at the Cincinnati Masters three years ago when a young, less mature Murray took advantage of a tired Federer to collect the first of six head-to-head victories. Scouring Federer's postmatch transcript, he wasn't too bothered about Murray back then.
"Youngsters play good on the day," he said. "If they play good for the entire week, that's the other question."
He took much more notice as Murray made it two straight in Dubai, Federer's second home, two years later. By this time, Murray was really on the up, nearing the top 10 and going deep at events. Federer raised the stakes. Call it psychological warfare.
Now, Federer doesn't go out of his way to criticize opponents, but he took a hefty swipe at Murray's style. Murray possesses great hands, is commendably versatile and has worked on his decision-making (no more incessant drop shots), although he's essentially a lightning-quick counterpuncher.
"He tends to wait a lot for the mistake of the opponent," Federer said. "He stands way far behind the court, and that means you've got to do a lot of running. I think overall, over a 15-year career, you want to look to win a point more than for an opponent to miss."
Why no venom in the direction of Nadal, who began as a counterpunching clay-courter? Maybe it had something to do with Nadal's penchant for regularly praising Federer and the Spaniard's lack of brashness when he was on the rise, dissimilar to Murray and Djokovic.
In any case, Federer backed up his words (as much as a double-digit Grand Slam champion needs to) in last year's U.S. Open final, crushing Murray in straight sets in their lone matchup in a major. Mind you, he was given a helping hand by organizers.
Murray regained the momentum by winning four straight, all in three sets. He blew the opening set in three of the four, so he's not one to panic. Going backhand-to-backhand benefits the Scot, and he offers up those clever passing shots, eschewing flat-out power for precision, dropping the ball at the net-rusher's feet.
The verbal volleying persisted as Federer cruised past Murray in straight sets in Cincinnati three months ago.
"I was always looking to make the plays, and I think in the end I deserved to win just because I wasn't scared to go after my shots," he said.
Let's point out that Federer is far from the only one who suggests Murray needs to step up the attack. Former U.S. Open finalist Greg Rusedski and doubles standout Peter Fleming, London-based commentators, have said as much. Take a look at Murray's aggressive conquerors in recent majors: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at the 2008 Australian Open, Verdasco in Melbourne this year, Fernando Gonzalez at the French Open, Roddick in southwest London, and Marin Cilic in New York.
Murray, unstuffy and refreshingly rough around the edges, refuses to budge. In an interview with the Mail on Sunday, he professed to know more about tennis than Rusedski or Fleming. He also took a pop at Federer in an interview with Scotland on Sunday.
"Every time I've played against him, each of us has done something different, and this year I've got the better of most of the matches we've played," Murray said. "Maybe I'll do something different that he doesn't expect."
Neither spent too much time discussing the other following their victories Sunday. Murray didn't know whom he was meeting Tuesday when his afternoon match with del Potro wrapped up, and Federer's late-night finish meant only a few questions in his postmatch news conference. Last year's rendezvous at the Masters Cup in Shanghai turned out to be one of the best three-set matches of 2008.
Murray eliminated Federer, suffering from a bad back and slightly ill, in three sets and three hours. Murray didn't need to go all out, because he'd already qualified for the last four. Pooped, he fell to Russian Nikolay Davydenko the following day.
"I hope we can live up to the expectations and play another good one," Federer said.
And if Murray wins, he and his fans won't care how he does it.
Here's the supremely talented Marat Safin calling it quits in Paris at 29, the same age the supremely talented Andre Agassi began his renaissance by overcoming a two-set deficit in the 1999 French Open final. Indeed, Agassi claimed five of his eight majors from 29 onward.
Agassi, as is made crystal (oops) clear in his controversial, and riveting, autobiography, hated tennis, thrust upon him by his bullying dad. However, near the watershed age of 30, he realized tennis was his job, the only thing he knew how to do, and intended on maximizing what he had left.
If Safin never hated tennis, you get the feeling he didn't like it that much.
Nah, racking up Grand Slam crowns a la Pete and Roger was never his thing. Partying, stacking blondes in his box and eschewing the practice required to dominate the sport was more like it, much to the chagrin of his past coaches.
There was no turning point.
Who knows what might have happened if thinker Darren Cahill guided Safin, as was the plan, instead of Agassi, early this decade. Would Cahill have changed Safin, beefed up his weakness, the forehand? Look at the Federer backhand. Once a chink in the armour, it's now one of the best around. He put in the time. To his credit, Safin boosted his net play over the years and turned into a good volleyer, knowing when to come in.
Safin's still-shaky forehand was on display Wednesday against Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro, another big guy who emulated the Russian by winning the U.S. Open as a 20-year-old and knocking off a tennis legend in the finale.
Even though Safin dipped alarmingly in recent seasons, fittingly del Potro ended up as his last foe.
Safin did save one match point with an off-forehand, although it wasn't cleanly struck. Later, he willed a forehand down the line to stay in, and when it did, he raised his arms in celebration. He hoped the ball would land in, rather than believing it.
Safin smashed hundreds of rackets, jawed at chair umpires and many a fan loved witnessing his frustration boil over. Yet had Safin reined in his temper, like Federer, he probably wins more than two majors, despite the other flaws.
More disappointing than the haul of majors, perhaps, is that Safin reached only six Grand Slam semifinals post the 2000 U.S. Open. A wrist injury in 2003 accounted for a small part of the drought, but come on, six? At the French Open, the one he really wanted, it happened once.
Safin, up front as ever, admitted to playing out 2009 for the cash. Thus, it's little surprise a 19-22 record and four exits prior to the fourth round in the majors resulted. Seeing the finish line, he picked it up in the last month, improving his ranking to 65th. No wonder he won the Paris Masters three times -- the year comes to an end, and he figures, "Let's put in a little extra and finish up strong."
His best times were too few. The time he dismantled Pete Sampras in a lightning quick 1 hour, 38 minutes at Flushing Meadows, prompting the vanquished, who'd won eight matches in Grand Slam finals, to say at the time: "He serves harder than I did at 19. He's going to win many majors."
Fast forward five years -- quite the gap -- and Safin dethrones Federer at the Australian Open in one of the best encounters of the decade, fending off a match point by charging forward like a bull before sending a lob inside the baseline.
His one-liners and charisma are almost unmatched in the tennis world, so he'll be missed -- big time. As an eclectic cast, including Novak Djokovic, Portuguese journeyman Frederico Gil, and the retired duo of Marc Rosset and Younes El Aynaoui gathered round Safin for a postmatch farewell Wednesday, I fretted his impending absence.
REGGIO CALABRIA, Italy -- The Cinderella story of the 2009 U.S. Fed Cup team has come to a disappointing end. The dark cloud cover on Sunday matched the mood of the Americans, rather than the jubilation of the victorious Italians, who won the Fed Cup for only the second time in history.
Flavia Penetta, Italy's leadoff player in the finale being held at Reggio Calabria, lifted her team to an insurmountable 3-0 lead when she hit a final backhand passing shot to take out Melanie Oudin 7-5, 6-2. The fourth singles match scheduled between Francesca Schiavone and Alexa Glatch was immediately scrapped in favor of closing the proceedings with the doubles. The Italians swept the weekend 4-0 when Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci defeated Liezel Huber and Vania King, 4-6, 6-3 (11-9) in a decisive-match tiebreaker.
Now it's time for reflection on a few topics that emerge from this Fed Cup weekend.
Hail Italia
The Italian signoras owned the weekend and they own the Fed Cup. This is not a fluke; this is just desserts (maybe, a little Italian gelato) for a worthy team. The Italians have proven themselves to be a Fed Cup force by reaching the final three of the past four years and winning twice. The victors are now the No. 1-ranked team in Fed Cup competition. On Saturday, Francesca Schiavone called Italian Fed Cup "Il Capitano" Corrado Barazzutti "a God."
It's a hard point to argue, considering the former top-10 player is the best captain in Italy's Fed Cup history. Pennetta could hardly contain her excitement in victory: "For me it's very important to be like a champion in the world. To represent your country, it's something very different." Pennetta and Roberta Vinci qualified to play in Bali this week -- the second tier year-end event on the WTA Tour.
They sent their regrets and put country before self, something U.S. Fed Cup captain Mary Joe Fernandez highlighted later in the day: "They play every time. It means that much to them. I think Flavia and one of the other ones qualified for Bali. [It was an] opportunity for her [Pennetta] to end the year in the top 10, and she chose to be here. That shows you how much pride and how much it means to them. So I love that, because that's what you want to see in the players."
Don't get down on Melanie Oudin
Melanie Oudin has been scrutinized for not building on her surprise U.S. Open quarterfinal showing, when she took the tennis world by storm. She was unable to qualify at her next two tour stops. Please, a little consideration. Oudin just turned 18, she's inexperienced and had never before been so successful. It had to be a downer to go from U.S. Open star back to qualifying events simply because her ranking had yet to catch up with the results. If you're going to berate Dinara Safina, an experienced player, and someone with No. 1 distinction, for failing to even look presentable in a Grand Slam final, it's a deserving criticism. But to pick on a newcomer, it's shameful.
Obviously, the jury is still out on Oudin. She might be a bit vertically challenged, but that didn't harm Justine Henin. Oudin possesses the right qualities to be a successful player: She wants it so much that her desire is racing ahead of her experience. Oudin insisted on shouldering all the blame for the American loss this weekend as the lead player of the team, a role she was forced into when Serena Williams couldn't find the time in her busy schedule to show up for her country.
"The final is a big deal, and we all worked really hard to get here," Oudin said. "It's definitely disappointing, and I feel like I let my team down and the whole U.S., too. I feel like I was put in the position -- like playing No. 1 for the U.S. I feel like I could have done better."
Looking for blame, look at Serena
If you are going to withdraw from a Fed Cup final at the last minute, at least have the grace to go home, stay out of the limelight and not rub it into your country's face.
This past week, while a young and enthusiastic American squad was playing its heart out, Serena Williams was in London signing copies of her autobiography at Harrods and was a guest Friday night on the "Jonathan Ross Show," the British equivalent of Leno and Letterman.
Wow, it's tough to be exhausted, isn't it? Sure, there are no guarantees that the U.S. would've won with Williams on hand. But if Williams kept her end of the bargain to lead the team, Oudin might not have felt as much pressure and would've been in better position to pull off at least one point.
When asked if she could understand someone skipping out on the honor of representing the U.S., Oudin said: "I wanted to come here. I wanted to play for my country. Other people, you know, choose different things. Some people, I guess, didn't want to play as badly as I did."
REGGIO CALABRIA, Italy -- If there's a cloud hanging over the Fed Cup final this week in Reggio Calabria, Italy, it probably centers around whether U.S. Fed Cup captain Mary Joe Fernandez should forget about trying to entice Serena and Venus Williams to the competition in the future.
Fernandez insists it wouldn't be prudent to permanently jettison the sisters from consideration. Nevertheless, even while she's taking the high road publicly, it's easy to sense Fernandez understands her pleas to play will likely go unanswered by the Williamses.
American Fed Cup promise for the future lies in the development of a primarily young team: Melanie Oudin, Alexa Glatch and Vania King fit the profile, while naturalized American Leizel Huber, 33, is the voice of experience on the current squad.
"The goal is to develop a new generation," Fernandez said. "You look at the history of the William sisters and they haven't played that much Fed Cup. However, you're ultimate goal is to win. Hopefully, they'll show up one day. You want them to have the same amount of [national] pride everyone else has, but you can't force that on anyone."
The U.S. is hoping for a third consecutive surprise upset of a more established team this year, which would result in an 18th Fed Cup title -- but the first victory since 2000. The Italians, who boast a more established squad of Flavia Pennetta, Francesca Schiavone, Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci, have been in three of the past four finals and are looking for Fed Cup crown No. 2.
Under the circumstances -- no sister stars in sight -- recent U.S. Open quarterfinalist Oudin is the player who will receive the most scrutiny on the fledgling American team. The vivacious Oudin, who turned 18 since her U.S. Open success story, is undeniably America's most promising female player in a very long time.
"I think it's a little bit about me, now that the William sisters aren't playing," Oudin told ESPN after winning the inaugural Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Heart Award. "I like having pressure put on me. I've had pressure before and it's good to deal with it and figure out how to learn to handle it. So, if I play the No. 1 spot and everyone is looking at me to do well, then I'm going to try and fulfill what I want to do."
This is Oudin's debut season playing Fed Cup -- she played the quarterfinal home tie against Argentina, but was benched in favor of Glatch in the away semifinal against the Czech Republic.
The Italian crowds will be boisterous and passionate, especially for Pennetta -- a native of Southern Italy, the region where the final is being contested. Oudin has experience dealing with fervent crowds, but that was in New York in front of her hometown fans.
"I'm just going to take everything as it comes and am just worrying about my game and getting better, and I'm still learning," Oudin said. "This is a learning year for me. There were so many new experiences for me and I think next year will be the same."
Oudin's feet still seem firmly planted on the ground, and her post-U.S. Open outings were humbling at best. She attempted to qualify for two Asian events and failed to make the cut -- she lost in the second round at Tokyo and the first round at Beijing.
"The U.S. Open was huge for me, it just proved to me I belong," Oudin said. "But it was mentally and physically exhausting, so going to Asia may not have been the best idea. I wasn't at my best and I was tired."
The No. 47-ranked Oudin, who will go off against Schiavone in the second match Saturday, is hoping to make this last stop of the season a winner. Although she isn't predicting a surprise ending, she did act as though she possessed a secret weapon: "I love playing on red clay," she said. "I know Americans usually don't like it, but I'm very excited about it."
Her first trip to Italy already holds a special memory: The Heart Award enabled her to select any recipient of her choice to receive a $5,000 donation.
"The Heart Award is for the player who best represents their country, fought and used the most heart at other Fed Cup ties and the whole year," Oudin said. "I got to donate to the charity of my choice and I chose Egleston Hospital because my little sister [Christina] actually had open-heart surgery in that hospital about seven years ago [when she was 4]. They did an amazing job taking care of her, and she's 100 percent now, just like any normal little kid."
Mary Joe Fernandez needs an infusion of power about now, the kind Hideki Matsui inflicted on the Phillies. Without either Serena Williams, who is gleefully making the rounds in London promoting her book (no mention of crystal meth, by the way), or her calmer sister Venus, Fernandez's spirited, yet inexperienced U.S. bunch goes in as the underdog against close knit Italy this weekend in the Fed Cup finale.
Guess Serena's book hasn't been translated into Italian just yet. Williams could have popped in to pretty Reggio Calabria in southern Italy for a two-day cameo, then headed up north to Rome and Milan extolling "On the line," mingling with gelato and limoncello in hand in the process.
Where's the foresight?
As it is, Fernandez is largely counting on Melanie Oudin and Alexa Glatch, ranked 132nd, in singles. Oudin inspired as a 17-year-old at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. However, months later as an 18-year-old, she's flopped. The tenacious baseliner failed to qualify for tournaments at Tokyo and Beijing -- losing to U.S. veteran Jill Craybas and Glatch, respectively -- and bailed from Luxembourg with gastrointestinal illness.
Glatch, who turned 20 in September, is 2-8 at the top level since an outstanding performance in the semifinals, on the road, against the Czech Republic. One of those wins, a 6-1, 6-1 drubbing, came against none other than Italian No. 1 Flavia Pennetta at the French Open. Before you get too excited, let's point out that Pennetta played on a bum left thigh.
Italy might not possess the wow factor of Russia's team or the glitz of Serbia's, but in the 1-2 punch of Pennetta and Francesca Schiavone, the Italians own a hard-working duo that makes opponents hustle for every point.
Pennetta used to be known as a player capable of winning only lesser events (no offense to Sopot, Bogota, Acapulco, etc.). That changed this summer.
The 27-year-old reeled off 15 successive victories, triumphing in Los Angeles and knocking off the likes of Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova, Vera Zvonareva and Nadia Petrova to become the first Italian to crack the top 10. While Oudin made plenty of headlines reaching the U.S. Open quarters, Pennetta snuck into the last eight.
Her coach, Gabriel Urpi, credited the turnaround to Pennetta's wiser on-court decisions and lack of panic. By all accounts, a real sweetheart off court (the Italian media love her), Pennetta gets riled up in Fed Cup. Appearing to flash the middle finger to the chair umpire, as she did against France in the quarterfinals, suggests as much.
Schiavone is riding a five-match winning streak in the Fed Cup and ended the WTA season on a real high, claiming a second career title and dropping only one of her past 10 encounters. How relieved she must have been to capture the Kremlin Cup after falling to 1-10 in her previous 11 finals. (Francesca, meet Svetlana.)
Ranked 50th as recently as the grass-court campaign, paying for a dismal first half, the 29-year-old roadrunner now clocks in at No. 16. Schiavone, who hits with ample spin on the forehand, finishes in the top 30 for a seventh straight year. Highly impressive, given the finite lifespan of a tennis pro.
Expect Oudin to lift her game, but it won't be enough. Italy should grab a second title, 4-1, winning all four singles tilts.
For those still interested in who would finish the year as women's No. 1, well, you got your answer earlier than expected in Doha.
Yes, Serena Williams, she of the two majors in 2009, edged Dinara Safina, she of the doughnut in Slams -- but a winner in Rome and Madrid. (Insert Williams' stand-up job following the Wimbledon final here.) Sure Williams wanted the top ranking -- she'd rather be No. 1 than No. 2, after all -- but landing the big ones is what really matters. The top spot has been in flux since the departure of Justine Henin, so Williams reclaiming the year-end No. 1 isn't comparable to, let's say, Roger regaining his crown from Rafa, fending off the viable threat of Andy Murray in the process.
Safina is spared the suffering of having to answer countless questions about finishing No. 1 despite her drought at majors, similar to Jelena Jankovic last year.
The longer the tennis authorities deliberate about any further punishment Williams should receive in the wake of her U.S. Open tirade, the better her chances of no extra sanctions. Writing a letter to the poor lineswoman didn't hurt.
Thus, she'll probably show up at the Australian Open in January and battle Kim Clijsters, Henin and Maria Sharapova for the title.
Where does Safina go from here? Ironically, the Russian has a greater chance of skipping Melbourne than Serena, thanks to a back injury she claims sprung up after Wimbledon and ultimately forced her out of the year-end championships.
Safina's year, though, started to go downhill at the French Open. She got a huge break by meeting the mentally suspect Svetlana Kuznetsova in the final. By this time, Safina's worried looks to her coach, Zeljko Krajan, were in full flow.
Now, the ailing back certainly explains Safina's serving woes during the U.S. Open. Yet a few weeks earlier, she failed to put away Jankovic in the Cincinnati finale, even though the Serb battled for three hours the previous day. We all know what happened in New York -- it was painful to watch -- and with the back feeling a tad better in Tokyo and Beijing, the agony continued against a pair of unheralded foes. Not including Wednesday's retirement versus Jankovic, Safina went a sober 3-5 (winning in straight sets once) to close out 2009 -- a sad end to what should be regarded as, but won't be, a positive year.
If Safina is 70 or 80 percent -- she can't play for six weeks -- skipping Melbourne isn't a bad idea. There's no point competing and exiting the first week. Safina can give the back injury a little more weight, helping to, rightly or wrongly, explain away her display from the summer onwards.
We're guessing most fans want the 23-year-old to bounce back. She's funny, witty, honest and less trigger-happy in verbal responses than big brother Marat. (He makes for great one-liners, mind you.)
What we don't want is another Elena Dementieva, who promised much in 2004 but hasn't cut it at Slams since.
• Anyone notice how peeved Venus Williams appeared in her loss to little sis Wednesday? Venus rarely shows frustration, but with Serena serving at 4-3, 0-15 in the third set, Venus seemed to slap her racket upon missing a forehand return wide. At 30-15, after a backhand return miss, she took it out on her racket again. Later, there was an exasperated look to the sky.
Not like her.
A reminder that Venus is nearing 30 and hasn't won a non-grass major since 2001.
• The women's tour went for the cash, rather than atmosphere, when giving the year-end championships to Doha, and the result has been less than full crowds so far. Here's how Serena put it after topping pal Kuznetsova in Tuesday's sparsely attended late match:
"You can tell how much we care about our sport and how passionate we are," she said. "We didn't care who was there, whether it was one person or two."
• A few years ago, coaching icon Nick Bollettieri spoke of the need for Nicole Vaidisova (then a big-time prospect) to curb her temper. Wonder what Bollettieri makes of the fiery Victoria Azarenka?
Azarenka lost her cool against Caroline Wozniacki on Wednesday, earning a warning for smacking a ball into the crowd, then a point penalty for smashing her racket. Wozniacki prevailed.
Azarenka won't end up like Vaidisova, by the way.
• Azarenka and Wozniacki went to 14 deuces in the fifth game of the second set Wednesday. Elena Dementieva delivered 15 double faults against Venus Williams on Wednesday. Commendably, she only hit two in the third set after uncorking 10 in the second.
• Quote of the week: She has that bad back, but Dinara Safina isn't blaming the calendar. "I wouldn't complain about the schedule, because if I would lose everywhere in the first round, I wouldn't have this problem," she quipped.
If Kim Clijsters played tennis on the men's tour, she'd be guaranteed a spot in the season-ending championships as the reigning U.S. Open champion.
On the ATP Tour, up to two players who win a Grand Slam tournament, but aren't among the top eight in the points race during that year, will be given automatic admittance to the season-ender.
But the WTA Tour has different rules. The women don't have this Grand Slam champions special-exception clause, but wisdom suggests they should.
If a Grand Slam champion rule existed for the WTA Tour year-end event, Jankovic, who first earned her year-end championships berth last week, would've been the sacrificial lamb to make room for Clijsters. It's questionable whether Jankovic's hard work in 2009 compares in value to Clijsters' sensational return to the tour.
After a little more than a two-year absence from tennis to get married and give birth to daughter Jada, Clijsters was eager to rekindle her career. Remarkably, in only her third tournament back, Clijsters became the first wild-card recipient, not to mention first mother since Evonne Goolagong in 1980, to win a Grand Slam title. Clijsters beat Venus and Serena Williams en route to winning the U.S. Open title, her second career Grand Slam trophy (the 2005 U.S. Open was her first).
As usual, Jankovic played one of the more arduous schedules of the season, and if merit was judged by quantity, she'd be atop the charts. She won the Cincinnati and Marbella titles and also reached the final in Tokyo, the semifinal at the Paris Indoors and five other quarterfinals. A U.S. Open finalist in 2008, Jankovic has struggled in the high-octane pressure of Grand Slams. In 2009, Jankovic presented poorly at the majors (second round at the U.S. Open, third round at Wimbledon and fourth round at the Australian and French opens).
Not surprisingly, the always impeccably polite and copacetic Clijsters took the high road when asked about whether she deserved to be in Doha.
"It's an interesting idea having all the Slam winners at the Championships, but in this case, that would mean denying the eighth player, who played all year, her place," said Clijsters, who e-mailed her thoughts to ESPN.com.
"Before I won New York I had asked for a wild card to play Bali [Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions], but after my surprise win there, I re-evaluated my schedule with my team. We decided the best preparation for Australia was seven weeks of intensive training after Luxembourg as I can still improve physically. So that meant turning down the wild card in Bali, and out of respect for them, I wouldn't have played in Doha, either. Hopefully if I play well in 2010, I'll rightfully earn my place along with the other girls."
That might be the way Clijsters sees it. But an outsider can certainly carve out a sound argument for the inclusion of Clijsters in this week's Sony Ericsson Championships.
A warm late-summer day in New York and the players are heated, but not as a result of the weather. They're unhappy with how the men's pro tennis council is running the yearlong tour. Banded together, top players and lesser players, they want change. They back their leader, Hamilton Jordan, the former chief of staff to President Carter, in his vision for the ATP (Association of Tennis Players, then just the player's union) to take over the organization of the tour in 1990. Denied access to the U.S. Open press room, Jordan and the players take their protest outside to what will forever be known as the U.S. Open parking-lot press conference.
The media covering the parking-lot protest wonder aloud about the illogicality of the players controlling the tour. Yes, more than a few chuckled at the notion of the inmates running the asylum. But, in actuality, the prevailing opinion was that the players were being naive to believe they would have control if they took over the tour.
Andy Roddick arrives to do a pre-tournament press conference -- and given the opening, the always-outspoken American takes his case to the media. Many of the players are unhappy. The yearly calendar that runs from early January to the Davis Cup final the first week of December is too long. It is not designed to adequately provide players with the necessary rest, recuperation and rejuvenation for the coming year. Roddick cites convincing evidence: Roger Federer (fatigue) and Andy Murray (wrist injury) didn't show in Shanghai. He talks about the months Rafael Nadal missed this year tending to knee tendinitis and a stomach muscle pull. Little did Roddick know that only days later he would become one of nine players to retire injured from a match in Shanghai -- he bowed out in the first set of his opening match to Stanislas Wawrinka with knee pain.
"I just hope that the shortsightedness doesn't affect the length of careers," said Roddick, who applauds the innovative WTA Tour Road Map instituted this year that was designed to give the women a longer offseason. "I think in tennis you definitely want your stars around as long as possible. We've been talking about this forever and now we get slapped with mandatory tournaments."
Although Roddick admits that new ATP CEO Adam Helfant appears more willing to hear players' complaints than his predecessor, Etienne de Villiers, the U.S. star is concerned whether anything will be done to fix the calendar problem.
Roddick is searching for a little "common sense" to be applied, and within that goal, he acknowledges that the concept of the players union running the tour is fraught with conflict of interest. Whether it's a good thing or a bad thing is up to interpretation, but it turns out the players never really gained control. Their adversary: Many serving on the ATP board are directly linked to tournaments with their own self-serving agendas.
"Well, I think so," said Roddick, when asked if players lose out by not having more traditional union representation. "I certainly don't see any other sporting leagues or federations following our lead as far as not being individually represented."
Many players, including former No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt, back Roddick's contention that the calendar is too demanding, especially for the top guns who qualify for the eight-man year-end tournament, and those participating in the Davis Cup final.
"I've always thought the season is extremely long," Hewitt said. "I've always argued that and I never really got anywhere. I think something's got to be done at some stage, because you want to have the best guys playing in a lot of the big tournaments."
Juan Martin del Potro, the 2009 U.S. Open champion, believes there are plans to alleviate the situation, saying, "Of course, we have a hard calendar. It's difficult to play 11 months, high level, but we know they are working on that, so we hope that could change for the future. But we know it's difficult to change soon."
And not everyone has joined the bandwagon for a shorter, more streamlined ATP Tour calendar.
"I have a different point of view of most of the players," said Tommy Robredo, a former top-five ranked player. "I think if we will have tournaments every week, it will be perfect. Because then anyone has the chance to play the weeks he wants. The problem now is that we have the obligation to play certain tournaments and then we have to play the Masters 1000, the Grand Slams, and that's an obligation. "
SHANGHAI -- Let's face it, Nikolay Davydenko is rarely on anyone's radar screen.
That should be surprising since, except for a three-month period this year (April 27-July 27), Davydenko's been a top-10 performing player since May 2005.
Nevertheless, the only time in his career that the 28-year-old Russian made headlines was a few years back when there was an investigation into whether he was complicit in online match betting. The investigation came up empty of evidence and Davydenko quickly retreated to his role as a shadow in the top 10.
But his results truly tend to speak a different story.
On Sunday in Shanghai, Davydenko outshined Rafael Nadal to win the inaugural Shanghai Masters 1000 title 7-6 (3) 6-3. It was a perfect match for the selling of quality men's tennis. Even Nadal, a six-time Grand Slam champion who knows a good match when he plays one, deemed it high quality.
Davydenko tends to get dismissed when it comes to his game, but that shouldn't be the case. A lanky guy, he packs quite a brawny punch, takes control of matches by playing well inside the court and hits angle shots that seem to defy logical trajectory that leave opponents drooling with envy.
He claims he doesn't mind not being an object of affection and attention. But he really does deserve more consideration. Hey, he beat Novak Djokovic and Nadal in back-to-back matches in Shanghai.
"I don't want to have more fans," Davydenko said after winning his 18th career title. "More money, that's always good.
"But some think to be famous, really, I'm not that person who likes to be like this. I'm always nobody expected to win tournament, you know. If I win, it's good. If I lose, also it's OK."
Nadal thinks Davydenko's talents shouldn't be disregarded.
"Probably, he's a calm guy," Nadal said. "Doesn't show no emotions sometimes. People don't probably talk a lot about him, but the players, we know how good is Nikolay. And when he's playing his best level, he's very difficult to play against him."
Davydenko receives an extra nod or two during the week for showing grace during a terribly awkward moment.
The Chinese media tend to be extremely direct -- there are no questions that are out of bounds, not even those that might be considered rude or would hurt someone's feelings.
"Because you're not so good looking [away] from the court, [does that] make you put more focus on your tennis? And given the chance, would you like to be more good looking or keep your life going like this?" a reporter asked him.
Many in the room cringed.
But Davydenko chuckled, then answered: "Um, you know, if I don't have a wife, maybe I can say, 'Yeah, I disappointed I'm not, maybe, good looking.' But really, I have many girls [that like me] in Russia. I don't know about China, but in Russia, I still look good."
That old Nadal magic
Rafael Nadal shouldn't be too worried about defeat. He's moving well, feeling healthy and looking close to winning form.
Whether he'll be in tip-top shape for the remaining few weeks of this year is hard to predict, but it's not out of the question. And all signs point to him being in Grand Slam-winning shape by the time he arrives in Australia to defend his crown.
After the match was over, Nadal seemed pleased with the improvement in his game: "I am especially happy with one thing. It's the first match after my injury comeback against one top player. I was competing 100 percent of my condition. I really felt I had chances to win.
"So that's the first time, and that's the most positive thing for me, and I fight all the time with positive attitude, no physical problems. So that's very good news for me."
That's the suggestion tennis tycoon Andre Agassi put forth this week.
Now, I'm the first to admit that Agassi is a formidable student of the game, not to mention a legend in his own time. But if my name were John McEnroe, I'd be saying to Agassi, "You cannot be serious!"
But none of those guys, at least for now, has proved to have the staying power to win Grand Slams consistently. By contrast, Federer and Nadal have won 19 of the past 22 Grand Slam tournaments.
"I think it's a little premature," said Mark Woodforde, the former player doing TV commentary at the Shanghai Masters. "The dominance of those two, there's going to always be that rivalry, but the group at the top has enlarged, and that's a healthy outcome. Those two, however, are at a stage where they recognize that the Slams are where they can remain dominant."
Is Nadal's domination done?
That's an interesting question, and who better to supply an answer but the person in question?
"Remember, I'm only 23 years old," Nadal said, flashing his trademark impish grin.
Point to Rafa.
Nadal is the first to admit he has had a physically and mentally challenging year. But his not-so-good performances aren't too shabby -- five titles, including a first Australian Open title.
Nadal's issues: tendinitis in both knees; a pulled stomach muscle; the upheaval from his parents' separation.
"Is pretty good year for me, no?" Nadal said. "But you sometimes have your head in other problems and other things."
How long can Nadal's knees hold out?
ESPN.com checked in with Dr. Lewis G. Maharam, an orthopedist who specializes in running and is the chairman of the board of governors for the International Marathon Medical Directors Association.
Although Maharam doesn't know Nadal's case personally, he addressed the seriousness of knee tendinitis: "With lots of conditioning and cross-training, he should be able to sustain his level for years to come. Tendinitis and knee issues are definitely reversible with proper rehab and preventive work."
Nadal is a competitor at heart, and if he has to crawl, he won't go away quietly.
Is Federer's domination done?
Let's be honest, many discounted the power of Federer early this year, an assessment primed by his emotional breakdown after losing the Australian Open final to Nadal, not to mention his frustration and smashed-to-smithereens racket in Miami.
Turns out his struggles to regain form were just blips on the Federer map. He righted the ship to win his first French Open title before recapturing ownership of Wimbledon, a record 15th Slam title.
Sure, he has had a big shake-up on the home front. He married longtime girlfriend Mirka Vavrinec, and the couple welcomed twin daughters during the summer. But although life will be different, tennis remains a major priority.
As for the Roger's-getting-old notion, he's only 28. There's plenty of life left in his legs and racket swings in his arm.
Not convinced? Let's use Agassi himself as an example.
The former great won his last Grand Slam title, the 2003 Australian Open, at age 32. He reached his last major final at the 2005 U.S. Open. And he didn't retire until he was 36.
Federer plays by his own rules, which means he doesn't always comply with tour mandates. The Masters 1000 tournaments are mandatory for the top players, but Federer determined he was too tired to play in Shanghai and stayed home.
What's the bottom line?
Until there's historical evidence that proves otherwise, it's hard to be swayed that the days of wine and roses for Federer and Nadal are drawing to a close.
SHANGHAI -- How about the evolution of Novak Djokovic: court jester, petulant child, cerebral and political maestro.
And to think, the Serbian is only 22 years old.
Djokovic initially captivated the world of tennis with his breath-of-fresh-air demeanor and hysterical impressions of fellow players. Although not every player delighted in being mimicked, the prevailing opinion was that Djokovic was funny.
His nickname, "Djoker," is pure serendipity.
Nevertheless, a more serious Djokovic emerged following his 2008 Australian Open victory, and that seriousness turned to frequent churlishness, a result of self-induced pressure for greater success that became an albatross around his neck.
Now, there's a new version of Djokovic.
The Serbian's most recent, not to mention far more palatable incarnation, is as a thinking man's player, a transformation that coincides with his emergence as a tournament owner.
It's the Djokovic extended family's new business: ownership and organization of the Serbian Open, which successfully brought a professional tennis event to the country for the first time in May.
Djokovic did not disappoint the 100,000 fans who flocked to the Belgrade-based event by winning the inaugural edition. But he couldn't help becoming somewhat involved in the operational side, which has helped him develop a new appreciation for the all-inclusive nature of the tennis business.
"The main goal and priority is that every single person who came as a guest at our tournament feels good," said Djokovic, who also serves the tour in a political capacity as a member of the Player Council. "That's what we tried to do, starting from [the] restaurant and the courts, the hotel, transportation. I asked the players; every player who I spoke to was happy."
Djokovic understands that growing a tournament is not easy, especially when it was necessary to build the infrastructure from scratch, which takes time, money and dedication.
But he has big dreams for the future of the Serbian Open, even if the event is not of the caliber of the nine premiere ATP Master 1000 events.
"This is a hard part of the tournament, not having a lot of opportunities to invite the big stars," Djokovic said. "Obviously we're going to need a higher category of tournament, eventually, to attract the bigger players, and of course a bigger budget. I'm trying, with my own friendship with all these guys and trying to influence them a little bit, but their decision is their decision."
Djokovic knows a quality event when he sees one, and the Shanghai Masters 1000 couldn't rate higher in his estimation. In fact, he told new ATP president Adam Helfant, who briefly stopped by the event, to bottle Shanghai as the recipe for the perfect tournament.
Of course, it doesn't hurt that Shanghai has deep pockets, which many tournaments do not have.
The top eight seeds and top two doubles teams have their own private living rooms, bathrooms and locker rooms. And the player dining room features a one-star Michelin chef brought in from Italy.
"All the small details that the players care about: locker room, showers or balls, or space, playing room, quality of the food, everything is a very high level," Djokovic said, referencing Shanghai. "This is something that is important, and this tournament should be an example to all of the other tournaments. I am not saying that the other tournaments are bad -- there are many good tournaments, but this is the way it should look."
Djokovic serves on the Player Council with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, which happened when the threesome was dissatisfied with former ATP leader Etienne de Villiers, who left at the end of last season.
Now, they're working to rebuild a solid relationship with the new leader, and Djokovic believes Helfant is taking their concerns on board.
"It's a process," Djokovic said. "I think that there was not enough communication between the players and the tournaments and in one way, it's the players' fault. [They] talk about it between each other and in the locker room, [that] things that can be improved and then when the time comes to talk about it and really do something about it, they stop. So this is very important that we get united and everybody tries to do something."
Despite the outside interests, Djokovic's main dedication is to his tennis, and he arrived in Shanghai coming off a victory at the Beijing tournament last week. In an effort to improve, he's employed former two-time Grand Slam finalist Todd Martin as a tag-team coach to his longtime coaching relationship with Marian Vajda.
Martin has improved Djokovic's volleys, slices and shotmaking. And Martin offers a positive energy and calming effect Djokovic believes will counter his emotionally charged persona.
"I just want to continue playing tournament after tournament and building up a good shape, good form, and right now I'm in a good way," Djokovic said. "Physically I'm feeling very fit, and mentally I'm motivated to achieve good results."
Ravi Ubha is a London-based journalist. He holds a business degree from McGill University and a journalism diploma from Concordia University, both in Montreal, where he formerly covered baseball and hockey. Ubha is a tennis and soccer contributor to ESPN.com, also featuring in other publications, and does play-by-play in tennis.
Kamakshi Tandon is a freelance writer and tennis junkie who contributes regularly to ESPN. She has also written for Tennis magazine, Reuters and Dow Jones Newswires. Tandon is based in Toronto.
Sandra Harwitt, a graduate of New York University's School of Journalism, covers tennis for various media outlets. Harwitt has been accepted to pursue a part-time master of science in strategic communications at Columbia University. She is based in South Florida and New York.
Matt Wilansky is the tennis editor for ESPN.com. He joined ESPN in 1998 after graduating with a B.A. in communication from the University of Hartford.
