So not much has transpired in the tennis world over the past 10 days, although there is quite a bit of excitement building over the First Round Davis Cup Tie between the United States and Switzerland.  The USTA definitely took a chance when selecting Birmingham instead of seemingly safer choices like San Antonio, but given the buzz, the risk seems to be paying off so far.  Here are some links to hold you over until tennis starts up in less than a week!

2009 ATP Calendar & WTA Calendar.

Sharapova pulls out of Hong Kong, but they might have quite a name to fill in.

Richard Evans sees some changes in store for 2009.

Andy Murray looking for an even more successful 2009 campaign.

How long do you think Rafa will remain #1?

I had no idea Mary Pierce hadn’t officially retired yet…turns out she might come back!

Moment of the 2008 Tennis year – Jon Wertheim provides it here, although my guess is you already know it.  And courtesy of YouTube…here are some highlights from that moment.

Just a quick hello to let everyone know that the USTA did not follow my advice (nor should they, really) in their selection of the site for the first round Davis Cup tie between the USA and Switzerland this coming March.  In fact, they went in a totally different direction from the rumors I last heard.  As of late last week, it seemed the front runners were Las Vegas, San Antonio and Greenville (SC).  However, this morning it was announced that Birmingham, Alabama will be the host city, and will be played at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex Arena is where the actual event will be. 

In my mind, this is definitely a bit of a curious decision, given the current economic times.  My suspicion is that the USTA, like anyone holding some kind of event right now, is nervous about being able to sell tickets.  And while I know tennis is popular in the south, it would seem to me that holding the event in a bigger city (like San Antonio) that has the ability to draw from major cities (like Dallas and Houston) would make it easier to sell tickets.  That being said, someone(s) who knows a lot more about event production makes this decision, so take my opinion for what it is.  Keep in mind to keep checking our Davis Cup page for Package Details, which will be available soon!

Since my planned topic for today was discussion of the announced venue for the first round Davis Cup Tie between USA and Switzerland this up has been delayed (due, mainly, to the fact that the USTA is delaying their announcement of said venue), I’m left racking my brain for important tennis topics that have not been covered ad nauseum (top 10 lists, 2008 year in reviews, will Roger Federer bounce back, etc etc).  And quite frankly, my brain is empty.  So instead I’ll leave you with some links. 

Actually, some links and one thought regarding the Davis Cup site.  Supposedly, the following three cities all have a shot – San Antonio, TX; Las Vegas, NV and Greenville, SC.  I do realize Greenville and Vegas have certain levels of appeal, however in this specific situation I guess I don’t see how San Antonio can not be picked.  First off, there are two major cities within easy driving distance (Dallas at 4 hours and Houston at 3), both of which have major tennis niches.  Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, Andy Roddick’s hometown of Austin is an hour away!  If you don’t think home court advantage matters in Davis Cup, well you’ve probably never been to a Davis Cup Tie.  Team USA fans are usually very into backing their players, but in this case our favorites Roddick and Blake will be playing against stiffer than usual competition, Roger Federer (not to mention Stanislas Wawrinka).  They might need to dig down a bit deeper than normal to advance past the first round, and the crowd might need to be a bit more boisterous, and I think those two things would most likely be found deep in the heart of Texas.

Tom Perrotta uses the Buy/Sell technique to give a quick preview of 2009.

Speaking of Top 10 Lists, Peter Bodo delivers a classic here.  Also delivers some thoughts on the next ATP CEO.

Kamakashi Tandon sums up the retirees of 2008.

Looks like those Davenport retirement thoughts were a bit premature.

I really have no idea what Jon Wertheim means by “Baggie Awards,” but here they are, nonetheless.

Stay classy, Perry Rogers.

The case that just won’t go away.

Some interesting back and forth debate concerning cheering at tennis matches, courtsey of Tennis Week.

Fundraising effort from James Blake is discussed here.

And finally, in homage to one of the classiest players of all time retiring, check out some old school imitations from Jonas Bjorkman.

Originally, I intended to use this time and space to discuss the economic downfall and its effect on tennis, then I realized all the snow on Mount Mansfield melted away with the rain, and I’m depressed enough already.  Is it an important topic? Yes, of course it is.  Tournaments will struggle to get as much sponsorship money, and in an effort to turn profits might even raise tickets more than usual.  Is it going to be harder for a family day trip to the US Open next summer? Most likely.  See, I’ve only written two sentences about it and am frowning.  So, instead I’ll give out some awards recapping the 2008, far too long, tennis season.  Oh wait, one piece of good news – while many families might not have as much money as they did 6 months ago, money that they do have goes alot farther in places like Paris and London given how much the Euro and Pound have fallen (for those that don’t know, they do play tennis outside the United States).

On to the awards…

Most Improved Male – Juan Martin del Potro has to take this award.  At first I was thinking of giving it to Gilles Simon, until I did some research and saw he finished in the top 30 last year.  The latest Argentinean sensation moved from just inside the top 50 to the top 10, including a four tournament winning streak in the middle of the summer, his first quarterfinal Grand Slam appearance at the US Open, and a spot at the year end Masters Championships in Shanghai.

Most Improved Female – This is pretty much a no-brainer, for me at least, Dinara Safina is without a doubt the most improved on the WTA circuit.  She will only move up 12 total ranking spots from last year (15 up to 3), but by reaching the finals of Roland Garros, and the Semi’s of the US Open, she has firmly entrenched herself at the top of the Women’s game.

Least Improved Male and Female (AKA – Most disappointing) – Marcos Baghdhatis (dropped from 16  to 98!) and Justine Henin (#1 to OUT OF TENNIS).

Rookie of the Year – Male – Kei Nikishori.  This kid from Japan is a machine.  I went from non-believer to believer when I watched him beat up on Sam Querrey and James Blake to capture his first career title in Delray early this year (as a wildcard, no less).  And he steadily improved as the season went on…situating himself in the top 75 after starting the year around 300.

Rookie of the Year – Female – Sorana Cirstea of Romania (I promise, this award has nothing to do with her looks).  She was just another pretty face on the WTA Tour, playing very few top level events (and no Grand Slams) in 2007, before bursting on the scene in 2008.  She made it to the second round of 3 of the 4 Grand Slams, and finished the year ranked 36th.

Player of the Year – Male – Rog…Whoops, I was just very used to typing that.  Turns out it’s actually Rafael Nadal.  He won two Grand Slams (Roland Garros and Wimbledon), Gold Medal at the Olympics, and three Masters Series Titles.  Oh, and lest we forget, took hold of the number one ranking that had belonged to Federer for 4.5 years.

Player of the Year – Female – I have to default to Jelena Jankovic here.  There was no standout, and the Grand Slam Winners were all somewhat inconsistent (Sharapova, Ivanovic, Williams & Williams).  Jankovic made the Semi’s at the Australian and Roland Garros, Round of 16 at Wimbledon, and the Finals of the US Open.  On top of that, she won two Tier 1 (equivalant to Masters for ATP) events in 2008.

Remember your Senior Yearbook page, where you wrote down a bunch of shout outs and inside jokes? Of course you do.  Well I was very good at mine, so now I’m just going to write a bunch of random names and events that were important (to me, at least) in 2008, as my fulltime job doesn’t allow proper time to give everything its due diligence.

By the way – these are in no particular order, just the one in my head…

Men’s Wimbledon Final, Williams vs. Williams Wimbledon AND US Open, Gilles Simon?, Sam Querrey giving Nadal a run for his money at the US Open and Davis Cup, Celitcs NBA Champions (whoops), the Big 3 becoming the Big 4 thanks to the maturation of Andy Murray, Muhammed Ali (AKA Jo Wilfried Tsonga), Djokovic whining, Olympic tennis that no one really cared about, watching Youzhny smack himself with his racket in Miami in person and my first thought being “he’s cut! The Russians cut, and its a bad cut!”, seeing Guga’s final match at Roland Garros, Dementieva not double faulting her way out of every big match, and finally – Ashley Harkleroad.

I wish I had something interesting to write in this space, but we are in the midst of the offseason.  It is kind of ironic…I complain all year about the tennis calendar being far too long, yet here I am disappointed that there is no tennis action to follow (no, Sampras beating McEnroe at Royal Albert Hall in London does not count).  Since tennis in an individual sport, there is literally next to nothing to follow during the offseason.  In other sports, there is free agency, trades, drafts, etc…in tennis there are only mundane announcements, such as Roger Federer’s schedule for 2009 or updates on the ATP CEO.  While those things might be important to an absolute die hard fan, it’s not nearly as interesting as finding out who is going to vastly overpay for the services of Derek Lowe (please, Theo, if you are reading – don’t sign him)! (more…)