Thursday, December 21, 2006
Fifth Annual Tennis Christmas Wish List
Well, it's that time of year again — time for my annual Tennis Christmas Wish List. Saint Nick was pretty good to me last year, and most of my wish list materialized. Hopefully, he'll be just as generous this year:
10. An injury-free year for Kim Clijsters, Justine Henin-Hardenne, Mary Pierce, Serena Williams, and Venus Williams and an overall injury-free year for all the women on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. I know I'm not the only one asking for this, especially after a 2006 season that was riddled with tournament pullouts by the game's top players. I'll ask Santa for a special favor to let the rule changes instituted by the WTA Tour work as planned.
9. A chance to play Speedminton® with U.S. Open champion Maria Sharapova. Speedminton® is a great game that combines tennis, squash, racquetball, and badminton and it is a great alternative when you want to keep your tennis skills sharp when you are not near a court. Maria endorses Speedminton® and I hear she might just be the best player on the planet.
8. A men's star to rise from the U.S. James Blake had an incredible year in 2006, culminating in his appearance in the ATP Masters Cup final before he was embarrassed by the reigning men's champ, Roger Federer. Somewhere out there there has to be an American who can compete one-on-one with Roger. Santa, please give all of us here in the states a player to wave our flag behind.
7. A major tournament win for Jelena Jankovic. Jelena had a great run at the U.S. Open and nearly made the final. She is fun, personable, and one heck of a tennis player. She showed that she can compete on the world's biggest stage. Here's to hoping the man in the red suit brings her something more in 2007.
6. More tennis on "regular" TV. There was a ton of tennis coverage on the boob tube in 2006, but most of it was on higher cable channels or on the Tennis Channel. The U.S. Open series tournaments over the summer were barely on television, and in poor time slots most of the time. Tennis needs to get more regular exposure. Santa, can you bring more tournaments to Channel 2, 4, and 7?
5. Equal prize money at Wimbledon for the women. I have long been a huge supporter of the women's tour, and the parity at the top of the WTA Tour at this time guarantees a great tournament at just about every stop. England and the All England Lawn Tennis Club love tradition. Maybe it's time for them to start a new one. Father Christmas, please stop by the AELTC and spread your magic, please!
4. A first place award from the US Tennis Writer's Association for Marcia Frost. Marcia is the hardest working tennis writer, bar none, and incredibly talented. Not only is she the queen of college tennis, but she is also the inspiration (and perspiration) behind CollegeandJuniorTennis.com and CollegeTennisConnect.com. Her writing appears in USTA magazine, Tennis Life, and Racquet Sports Industry, to name a few. This year, I'm hoping the jolly little Saint Nick will give Marcia another trip to Miami, and this time with the blue ribbon.
3. An interview with Maria Kirilenko, Ana Ivanovic, and Marta Domachowska. These are the three rising stars of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour and this year they will hopefully grant me an interview for some great columns. Maybe there will be a note under my tree from them along with an invitation to tag along with them at Wimbledon or the U.S. Open.
2. A banner year for The Andre Agassi Foundation. Andre's playing days may be over, but his contributions to the youth and the sport will continue through his foundation and charter school. Tennis needs ambassadors like Andre, and hopefully this holiday season will find his foundation able to do even greater work in the community then in all the years previous.
1. Finally, pearls for my sweet friend Jenn P. from BeMyPearl.com. Not only are the pearls the best quality around, but they are designed by WTA workhorse Alina Jidkova. Alina and her partner, Sascha Ghods, launched BeMyPearl.com this fall with a spectacular showing at the ATP/WTA Glam Slam 2006, and the buzz keeps growing. I'm not at liberty to reveal all the stars who have already purchased sets from Alina, but WTA stars Elena Dementieva and Nadia Petrova have, and rumor has it some men's tour players have for their girlfriends, as well. Alina is at home recovering from a recent injury, and although we won't get to see her on the court for a little while, we can still experience the same work ethic and talent through her pearl creations.
From me and the whole gang here at Sports Central, happy holidays!