Thursday, November 13, 2008
BUSINESS NEWS
Editor's Note: We have begun our Monday, Thursday publication schedule for November and December. This week and next, we will be publishing some Special Tour Championships Editions that will cover the players and events surrounding the Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha and the ATP Masters Cup in Shanghai. Our Classifieds and College News will continue to stay on the Monday Thursday schedule.
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WTA Taking Action on Non-Medical Medical Time Outs
Mindful that strategic medical time outs are being used as tools to stall proceedings and promote additional on court recovery time, the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour is contemplating a radical new 'user pays' system for 2009.
The intention is to cap the number of occasions players are permitted to call a trainer on court for an extended consultation and issue bills for any excess. "It's just about helping players understand it's 'the show'," said Peter Johnston, the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour's senior vice-president of operations. "It all gets into that basket of how we present a tighter, crisper, sharper product."
However the proposed penalties are unlikely to inflict excessive pain for some of the multi-millionaires who repeatedly resort to on-court treatment. The proposed fees range from $US100 at Tier 4 events to $500 at the WTA Tour's new big four: Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid and Beijing
In addition the four Grand Slam events, administered by the International Tennis Federation, would be exempt from the cap, expected to be set at six or seven for the year.
Johnson said the charges were designed to minimize the number of unwarranted time-outs, with the revenue to be reinvested in its sports science services.
"We understand that medical time-outs can be legitimate but we want to make sure that players are conscious of how many they're using up throughout the year, so we're looking to find a system of capping them during the season," said the former Australian Open deputy tournament director.
"It would trigger what we'd call a service fee. It's a sports science and health issue, so it's almost like a pay-per-view. You can keep using them, but you pay for them, and the amount would depend on the level of the event. It's not about us revenue-raising, it's more just a mindset — like, 'Hey, checkpoint, you've triggered this. Are they all legitimate?' It discourages the practice of, 'I'm feeling a bit weary, I might take a medical time-out'."
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Israeli Obziler Getting Active in Real Politics
Politics is all about ups and downs and such has been the case for Israeli tennis player turned politician Tzipi Obziler in the last few weeks.
Just a few weeks ago in Shrewsbury, England 35 year-old Obziler suffered the ignominy of losing to an opponent 21 years her junior – the much heralded British 14 year-old and Wimbledon junior champion Laura Robson.
But Obziler clearly had other things on her mind. A committed member of the Green Givatayim party, she decided to stand as a candidate in the local elections that took place earlier this week. And she was duly elected to the Givatayim municipal council after her party won two mandates.
One of women's tennis unquestioned veterans - she made her competitive debut on the satellite circuit nearly 20 years ago – 176th ranked Obziler insists she is not contemplating retirement although her position may force her to cut back on a playing schedule that this year alone has seen her contest 25 events including all four Grand Slams and the Olympic Games as well as representing Israel in Fed Cup.
Obziler was not the only sportsperson to figure in the Israeli elections. Arkadi Gaydamak, who owns British Premier League soccer club Portsmouth, failed in his attempt to be elected Mayor of Jerusalem. However Judoka Yoel Rozvozov, a European Championship medalist at judo, was elected to the Netanya city council.
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Obama Presidency Could Mean a Boost for Tennis
By Liza Horan
There's a lot of politics inside tennis. And, there's a lot of tennis inside politics.
Shelley Capito of West Virginia, Thad Cochran of Mississippi, Norm Dicks of Washington, Bob Goodlatte of Virginia, and Charles Rangel of New York are just some of the people sitting in Congress who have put their signatures on legislation in the sport's interests.
The tennis lobby is led by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA.com), whose members include Nike, Wilson, Prince and the Tennis Industry Association. Whether it's trade tariffs, consumer safety guidelines, physical education in schools or public parks funding, the SGMA is tracking issues and building support year-round inside the beltway. Past wins include securing $75 million for PEP, which provides the only federal funding for physical education in schools.
Since the SGMA has to work with both sides of the aisle and whichever party gets the top spot, there was no endorsement of either Barack Obama or John McCain.
So, will tennis fare better or worse under an Obama administration that the current one?
"It's just really too early to tell," says SGMA chief Tom Cove, who will be joined by industry leaders and pro athletes on March 4 for a full day of lobbying called "National Health-through-Fitness Day." "With every new administration we come in with high hopes because we're talking about some of the key issues of the day. We're pretty confident we're working on things that are important to the country."
Two hot topics on Obama's agenda--healthcare and education--are directly connected to tennis. Simply put, he advocates Americans taking personal responsibility for their health through an active lifestyle. Prevention is a key component and figures directly in access to exercise through schools and public facilities.
"The healthcare issues are huge and getting bigger. That's a darn good thing for us," says Cove. "It's a much more welcoming environment than it was 10 years ago."
With existing efforts--like Cardio Tennis for fun fitness, QuickStart Tennis for kids, and the USTA's Aces for Kids, which provides tennis grants to communities that often have high rates of obesity--already in place, tennis has much to offer.
"These are very attractive to policy-makers," says Cove, adding that while the health benefits of tennis seem obvious and the Cleveland Clinic has done great work to showcase tennis as heart healthy, the industry needs to be proactive. "The biggest question we face is being able to prove tennis can help people's health. We need to get the data in front of them."
The USPTA (USPTA.org) is very active on this angle with its "Tennis for the Health of It" campaign.
So, if physical activity as a means of disease prevention and, ultimately, lowered healthcare costs, is promoted by the new administration in 2009, tennis is in a great position to grow.
The other two hot topics concerning tennis businesses over the next four years are trade and taxes. Specifically, quotas on apparel imports from China and import duties are top-line issues for manufacturers.
"We face some of the highest tariffs," Nike's Brad Figel said last week during an SGMA conference call to discuss Obama's potential impact on the sporting goods industry. "Trade is very contentious and divisive. There is a lack of momentum (to move on issues) because the lack of consensus is going to carry over into the next session (of Congress)." Figel said the SGMA will have to "play offense and defense" on these matters.
"We're going to push hard to reduce tariffs on racquets," Cove says. Lower import duties can mean bigger margins and lower prices for consumers.
Tennis is full of small businesses and the impact of tax reform and other legislation is tough to predict. Obama's proposed increase in personal income tax for the $250,000+ set has been rumored to be adjusted down to $125,000--making many small business owners nervous. But Cove is skeptical: "The political ramifications of doing that would be enormous. It would be a death knell for the Obama administration."
While the effect on tennis of policies under the Obama administration is undecided, Cove is sure about one thing: The rapidly changing economic situation is going to determine much of what's to come, and that would apply to whichever party won the election.
There is good news, though: Consumers said they'd be more hopeful and be more willing to spend during the holiday season if Obama won the election.
In a survey by the International Council of Shopping Centers and Goldman Sachs, eight percent of consumers said they are likely to increase holiday spending if Obama won the election, compared to five percent if McCain won. And 34 percent of likely voters said their confidence in the economy would increase with a victory by Obama, compared to 28 percent with a McCain win, based on a study by Big Research.
If consumers' behavior follows their opinions, retailers will be in a little better position under Obama than under McCain.
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Bollettieri Celebrates 30 Years as Academy Operator
By Charles Bricker
The setting couldn't have been classier Saturday night -- the grand ballroom at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in upscale Sarasota, Fl., and the speakers did a fine job of not only roasting Nick Bollettieri, but also properly celebrating his 30 years of teaching tennis.
Well known basketball analyst Dick Vitale, one of the keynote speakers at the 30th anniversary celebration of Nick Bollettieri's 30 years in coaching, got off the best line of the evening at a Saturday night banquet at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Sarasota, Fl.
"When I arrived here Nick asked me, 'Dick, do you believe in the Constitution of the United States?' I said of course I do. Then he asked me, 'Dick, do you believe in free speech?' And I said absolutely. And then Nick told me, 'That's good, Dick, because you're going to give a free speech tonight. You're not going to be paid.' "
The only thing missing was more of the big names that have matriculated from the Bollettieri Academy in nearby Bradenton, Fl.
Andre Agassi was home in Las Vegas, but sent a four-minute videotape, praising Bollettieri for not only coaching him in tennis but in life as well.
Jim Courier wasn't there because he was with his Outback Tour senior series in Arizona. Jelena Jankovic was at the WTA Championships in Doha and Maria Sharapova was in Arizona, continuing therapy on her injured shoulder so that she might be able to play as early as January.
But Monica Seles, one of several former Bollettieri students who rose to No. 1 in the rankings, was there and so was David Wheaton, who was part of that great collection of juniors Bollettieri had in the 1980s, which included Agassi, Courier and Martin Blackman, who also attended.
So was former top 10 Brian Gottfried, who was Bollettieri's first student at the Bradenton academy.
Mary Pierce was in attendance. No more target dates for a comeback, says Pierce, the two-time major winner who hasn't played a match in just over two years.
"This time I'm just going to wait until my knee is recovered," said Pierce, who turns 34 years old on Jan. 15. She's had a long period of recovery from knee surgery and, though she insists she is working toward a return to competitive tennis, there are those who believe her career is over.
As for Bollettieri, it was one of his rare public appearances in a suit and tie, and no sunglasses. He was in a reflective mood as he talked about his 30 years -- how he moved from a smaller camp on Longboat Key, the wealthy island community between Sarasota and Bradenton, and built his academy from scratch, using what he has often referred to as "tough love" to instill discipline into his students.
"When I think of Nick I think of his passion for the game," said Agassi. "He has a true commitment to every person he took under his wing. I just want to thank you, Nick. You've taught me things on and off the court that continue to serve me every day."
But Bollettieri didn't escape a barb from Agassi, who pointed out that "Nick is so committed to marriage he's tried it eight times, twice to the same woman." Bollettieri roared.
Courier also sent a videotape, recounting not only how Bollettieri pushed him to his limits, but how the security guards at the academy got a little too aggressive when Courier played his drums too loudly in his dorm room.
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Etcheberry’s Advice to Injured Players—Back Off
By Charles Bricker
One day after Andy Roddick became the second injury pullout from the prestigious ATP Masters Cup, trainer-to-the-stars Pat Etcheberry had this valuable piece of advice to players in general:
If you’re injured, back off.
There’s no evidence that Roddick’s twisted ankle is related to too much play. In fact, Roddick’s 67 matches are his fewest since his first full year on tour in 2001, though he’s had multiple injuries this year and still crammed 67 matches into his schedule.
Meanwhile, there seems little doubt that Rafael Nadal, the No. 1 player and the other absentee from this Masters Cup, is a victim of over-playing. The tendonitis in his knee is serious enough to keep him out of not only the Cup, but the Davis Cup final next week vs. Argentina.
Nadal has played 93 singles matches this year and he doesn’t play many short points. There has been a strong feeling for some time that he was flirting with serious injury problems because of how hard he drives himself. Instead of resting a week after winning the French Open, for example, he went immediately to London to play Queens in preparation for Wimbledon.
And then there is No. 2 Roger Federer, who is playing this week, and is now 1-1 in his group after defeating Roddick’s fill-in, Radek Stepanek, but who may not be fully recovered from a bad back.
He, too, may have over-played this year, says Etcheberry. “What he had early in the season (a reported virus) probably has affected him all season and maybe he should have taken more time off. But I think he felt he had to keep up with Nadal.”
That need to “keep up” is a well known reason for continuing injuries among lower-ranked players. “They want to play every week possible,” said Etcheberry. “I hear them tell me, ‘I need to improve my ranking.’ I tell them to step back, train, rehab.
“There are certain times of the year when you have to be able to put the racket away, but it’s very difficult with the men because the season is so long (10½ months).”
The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour has shortened its season with the final tournament (Quebec) beginning the week of Oct. 26 in 2009, an event in which few top 20 players compete. The last tournament on the men’s tour next year is the Paris Masters Series the week of Nov. 9.
Moreover, the ATP Finals (Barclay’s World Tour finals) aren’t until the week of Nov. 22. When that’s over, the top men players – the drawing cards of the ATP – will have less than four weeks off before the start of the 2010 season.
Is it really surprising this year’s Masters Cup, and perhaps succeeding ATP finals, has been damaged by the loss of top players because of injury?
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Top Four Women to Appear in New York’s Madison Square Garden
Impresario Jerry Solomon is bringing back a tennis blockbuster to New York’s Madison Square Garden on March 2, 2009 when he has arranged for Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic, Serena Williams and Venus Williams to play a night of competitive tennis.
Billed as Tennis Night in America, the four will play for the Billie Jean King Cup. After two one-set semifinal matches the winners will play a best of three-set final.
J. Wayne Richmond is Event Director of the BNP Paribas Showdown.
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Navratilova to Participate in Reality TV Jungle Series
Martina Navratilova, 52 years old and most famously described by Billie Jean King as 'the greatest singles, doubles and mixed doubles player who's ever lived' is about to take on a startling new challenge. She is one of ten contestants heading for the most dense and most remote Australian jungle to take part in the prime-time top-ranked British reality television show 'I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here!'
Navratilova, who currently lives near Sarasota, Florida and finally retired from competitive tennis just two years ago after winning the US Open mixed doubles titles just a few weeks short of her 50th birthday, will join a former Metropolitan Police commander, a Startrek actor, an outspoken talk show host, a topless model and the girl friend of an England football international in the jungle.
The contestants live in jungle conditions near Murwillumbah, New South Wales with few creature comforts. Critics have called the show trashy TV, consisting of has-been or never-were celebrities trying to revive their careers. They earn luxuries such as food by completing Bushtucker Trials which often involve excruciating ordeals such as putting their head in a tank full of maggots, locusts or spiders and sleeping in rat infested camps.
Normally a string of B list contestants agree to appear on the show in a bid to jump-charge their flagging earning power and recent contestants include Jimmy Osmond, David Gest (the ex-husband of Liza Minnelli), model Janice Dickinson and ex Sex Pistol John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten).
The celebrities themselves are also paid a fee (reported to be £25,000 for UK competitors) to compensate them for possible loss of earnings while they are in the jungle. However Martina would not appear to need the money after amassing a career prize fund in excess of $21 million.
Transmissions begin Sunday and more than 50% of the total British viewing public is expected to tune in.
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Mission Hills Country Club to Honor Mark Woodforde
Mission Hills Country Club, Rancho Mirage, California, will pay tribute to tennis legend Mark Woodforde on Friday, November 14, 2008, during the dedication of three grass tennis courts for Davis Cup ties. The dedication is being held as part of Mission Hills Country Club’s “Welcome Back” weekend of events.
An Opening Party Dinner for approximately 300 Members and Guests will be held at 7:30 p.m. to honor Mark Woodforde and welcome Mission Hills Members back for the season. At this Dinner, Mission Hills’ Tennis Staff and several Tennis Legends will speak and reflect on Mark Woodforde’s career and a plaque will be presented to Woodforde.
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USTA’s Harmon Not Sure Exactly Why He Was Fired
By Charles Bricker
Rodney Harmon still doesn’t understand exactly why he was fired a month ago as USTA director of coaching, but he says he’s not going to spend a lot of time reliving the trauma.
"They just told me, ‘You’ve done a great job and had a great year, but we’re going in a different direction.’ I feel I did the best job I could. So, if that’s what you want to do, I’ve had 20 good years at the USTA and it’s been a great experience," Harmon said.
He was replaced by Jose Higueras, who built a track record of coaching success with several top players, including, most recently, Roger Federer.
Harmon’s termination was part of a shakedown of personnel by Patrick McEnroe, who earlier this year was named general manager of Elite Player Development, the latest name conjured up by the USTA in its continuing redesign of junior development.
Jay Berger was named director of men’s tennis and Ola Malmqvist director of women’s.
Harmon was named director of men’s tennis for the USTA’s professional development program in 1992, the only black man in the hierarchy of an organization that has undergone constant change.
"I’ve had a couple of offers, both in and outside of tennis," Harmon said. He said two players, whom he declined to identify but who are top-50, have asked him to be their traveling coach.
But, he added, "I could see myself doing some travel, but not extensive. My twin daughters are four years old. I don’t want to be gone 30 weeks a year. Fifteen weeks would be about right."
Nick Bollettieri said he’s "had conversations" with Harmon about bringing him to his well known academy in Bradenton, Fl., and Harmon confirmed there’s possible future employment there.
"I’ve known Nick since I was a kid. I came through that academy," said Harmon. "I’m trying to take my time. I went to Australia, the French Open, Beijing and the U.S. Open this year. It’s been a long year.
Though it wasn’t in his portfolio, Harmon spent some time working with the USTA’s multi-cultural programs and he said he’s gotten phone calls from people involved in that aspect of the USTA who were "kind of outraged, kind of upset" by his firing.
Harmon, 47, was a top college player and, during a short professional career, reached the quarterfinals of the 1982 U.S. Open and reached a career best No. 56 in the rankings in 1983.
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Stepanek Had Difficulty Getting His Gear into Shanghai
Substitute Radek Stepanek has fallen victim to Chinese customs authorities this week after a shipment of rackets held in quarantine forced him to play a Masters Cup match using borrowed gear.
Even a pair of contact lenses have yet to make it through, with the Czech who lost a Red group match to Roger Federer forced to go shopping for a spare pair in Shanghai.
Stepanek also lost to Federer wearing socks borrowed from Andy Murray and using the rackets of Novak Djokovic.
He got the call to court after Andy Roddick pulled out after rolling an ankle. "I came here straight from Thailand where I was on my vacation," said Stepanek. "I didn't take any tennis stuff on my vacation, they sent it to me from home."
But Stepanek said that even with all the inconvenience, he was happy to have been summoned to China along with the second alternate, Nicolas Kiefer.
"For me it was always a dream to play in the Masters Cup because you're in the Elite 8 best players in the world. This tournament is just special in all ways, starting with the way they are treating us here," he said, well-aware to the base-rate $50,000 fee he will earn, with another $25,000 to come after he plays his second and final match on Friday.
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It is All in Federer’s Hands Now
Roger Federer's fate at the Masters Cup is exactly where the Swiss likes it - in his own hands - as he plays for a weekend place in the season-wrap-up event against Andy Murray.
The re-run of the US Open final - won by Federer - and the Madrid semis - won by the Scot - will determine if Federer joins Murray in qualifying into the final four in Shanghai.
"It's a tough situation," admitted Federer of the round-robin format. "Usually, there's all to play for in any match during the year. All of a sudden you come to the Masters Cup play and one's sometimes through and the other guy's not.
"Sometimes both are through or both are out. It does change your approach a little bit. But over all the years I've taken part in Masters Cups, I've seen the best of efforts all the way through. I think that's what counts."
Federer said he expects the grudge battle to be "full-on."
"There's a lot of prestige to play for. I don't think Andy wants to go into the semifinals with a loss, you know, and that's why it's going to be a good matchup for me."
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We Hear—
--that Tom Gorman will be named Director of Tennis at the La Quinta Resort in La Quinta, California.
--that Andres Pedroso has been hired by the USTA to be a coach at the USTA Florida Training Facility.
--that Paradorn Srichaphan will return to tennis when Thailand hosts Australia in a Davis Cup zonal tie in March.
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THIS WEEK
MEN
Tour Championships in Shanghai
WOMEN
Nothing
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NEXT WEEK
MEN
Davis Cup Finals Mar del Plata
WOMEN
Nothing
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Bob Larson’s Stock Report
Wednesday’s Stock Prices
Stock
Last
Change
Adidas
15.45
-.55
Amer Sports
4.05
0.00
Head
2.10
0.00
K-Swiss
11.52
-.57
Nike
44.37
-1.30
Bob Larson Tennis Stock Index $77.49
* The index is based on the total value of one share of each stock we report daily.
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Results
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