Tennis Chatter

Hello. My name is Steven and I am the new editor of Tennis Chatter for 451Press. I thought I would write a little post introducing myself and what I do.

Away from Tennis, currently I am CEO of a new Media Group (Insomnia) that owns music studios and will be launching our first online service in the coming months, RouteNote. I also write my own weblog at Crenk, which showcases my online and offline life.

Now Tennis. I have been playing tennis since I was 12. I am from Australia where sport is a very influential part of our society and tennis was my passion for so many years. When I was 16 i was amongst the top players in my state in Australia and played the Australia junior circuit which included the Australian Open Juniors. When I was 18 i made the decision to stay in Australia and complete a uni degree instead of moving to the USA to play college tennis. Once completed I moved to France to play European club tennis, when i played over there for several years. I am very good friends with some of Australia’s best tennis players and know several people within Tennis Australia personally. Now I am 24 and have stopped playing tennis professionally and have settled into a role in the business world.

Im here to write about my thoughts on tennis and the players that are at the top of the game and hopefully show you all an insight into the world of professional tennis that you might have not heard or experienced. I hope you like my new weblog, Tennis Chatter.

Pete Sampras is to be inducted into the tennis hall of fame tomorrow. Sampras is largely considered to be one of the greatest tennis players ever (definitely top two or three), holding the record for the most grand slam titles at 14. His only shortcoming was his inability to win the French Open. He won seven Wimbledons, five US Opens, and two Australian Opens. In addition he led the US to a Davis Cup title in 1995, with wins over Chesnokov and Kafelnikov. What makes those Davis Cup wins even greater, were that they were on clay (the Russians designed the courts to not suit Sampras’s game).

Sampras’s greatness is enlarged by the competition he had. He played at a time when tennis was extremely deep and he still had amazing results. He played against Andre Agassi, John McEnroe (near the end of McEnroe’s career), Jim Courier, Boris Becker, Goran Ivanišević, Patrick Rafter, Michael Chang, Carlos Moya (in his prime), Ivan Lendl, Stefan Edberg, and Gustavo Kuerten.

Sampras is considered to possibly have had the best serve ever. He combined raw power (130+ MPH) with amazing accuracy. In addition he was able to hit different spins from the same motion. Finally he had a great ability to hit aces with his second serve on big points. Sampras also was one of the last true serve and volley players. He wasn’t as natural at the net as some (Patrick Rafter), but his net play was deadly thanks to his serve. If he didn’t ace his oppenent, the return was usually weak enough to put away. Sampras also had a fantastic forehand.

Sampras was a cool headed, quiet competitor in the game of tennis. He respected the sport and its fans and never had on court outbursts (McEnroe) or off court controversies (young Agassi). Some believe this made him uninteresting. This may be true, but its hard to find a problem with his respect for the game. He stepped up in big matches, and had a way of playing best-when it matter the most. He was 14-4 in grand slam finals.

Here are some of Sampras’s greatest moments on court:

Sampras defeating McEnroe as a 19 year old in the semifinal of the US Open:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Trademark Sampras “slam” dunk overhead

Great point against Agassi in the 1995 US Open

Highlights from a match against Rafter where Sampras played outstanding

With Wimbledon over, professional tennis falls into a little bit of a lull until the US Open series. If you’re looking for an interesting tennis experience this summer, then I’d like to suggest World Team Tennis. World Team Tennis provides a unique and fun filled atmosphere for the entire family. The matches are generally short (but not too short) and provide the spectators the opportunity to see singles, doubles, and mixed doubles all in the same evening. The players are traditionally players who are on the edge of breaking into the pro tour, (or middle aged players past their prime). In addition, many pros or retired pros guest play in these exhibition style matches. Some of the players playing this year are Anna Kournikova, Venus and Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Bob and Mike Bryan, Pete Sampras, and John McEnroe. There are teams located in Boston; Kansas City; Springfield, MO; Washington DC; Newport Beach,;St. Louis; Philadelphia; Mamaroneck, NY; Schenectady, NY; Houston; and Wilmington, DE.

To see a complete list of players competing (and sechedules) go to : http://ww3.wtt.com/

and click on Pro League and then Schedule and Results.