Chakvetadze Claims Cincy Crown Monday, July 23, 2007
MidwestTennis.net |
07/23/2007 | |||
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Chakvetadze Claims Cincy CrownJust like she had been doing all week, Anna Chakvetadze came through when it really mattered, shrugging off somewhat messy quarterfinal and semifinal victories and summoning her best in the final of the Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open, stopping the run of Akiko Morigami in the final, 61 63. Despite being a heavy favorite on paper coming into the event, the No.1-seeded Chakvetadze overcame some slow starts in her first two rounds then got pushed to three sets by both of her next two opponents, No.6 seed Elena Vesnina and No.3 seed Sania Mirza. But she managed to get through those and looked sharp from all angles against No.7 seed Morigami, claiming the first set in just 26 minutes and overcoming an early 2-0 hole to win the second set. "I didn't expect it to be so easy; I think she was tired, because she had a tough match yesterday," Chakvetadze said. "I was trying to play every point very concentrated, because the last few days have been really up and down. If it had been like that today it would be really tough because she doesn't make easy mistakes and runs very fast. My game plan was to move her, make her run and be more aggressive." "I was really disappointed in how I played today; I wasn't executing my shots and didn't what I wanted to do out there," Morigami said. "I feel like I missed so many balls. Even though I was up 2-0 in the second set that was just because she made a few errors. I tried to find my game at that point but it never happened." Chakvetadze was 4-0 in finals coming into Cincinnati, and with this win improves to 5-0. She won her first two career titles at Guangzhou and Moscow last year and has already won three this year, at Hobart, 's-Hertogenbosch and now here. "When I came here I started hearing about being 4-0 in finals and that's just great," said Chakvetadze. "Today I think I played better than I did yesterday because it was a final. I always try to improve my game for a final because it's just a more important match." There was also another perfect record on the line going into Sunday's match, but it wasn't something in Chakvetadze's favor. Morigami had won all three of their previous meetings, including on summer hardcourts at San Diego in 2005. "Those three matches both of us played pretty well," Morigami said, "but Anna's definitely a different player than a few years ago. The difficult thing about playing her is that she changes the direction every other ball, so I had to run side to side all the time. I tried to mix things up, but really just couldn't do it today." But Morigami's run to the final was a popular one with the Cincinnati crowds who witnessed her saving match point in her first match against Camille Pin before making it all the way to the final, upsetting No.2 seed and former champion Patty Schnyder along the way. It was her third career final, having been a runner-up here to Schnyder in 2005 and capturing the clay court title in Prague in May. "It has definitely been a good week for me although I was disappointed to have played like this in the finals," the Japanese continued. "Beating Patty gives me a lot of confidence though. Anna was just too good. I give her a lot of credit." Having won five Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles titles and secured her place in the Top 10 already, Chakvetadze's goals are being reset higher and higher. "My goal is to get better and win a Grand Slam; every player wants to win one, and I'm one of them," the 20-year-old Muscovite said. "A lot of things have to come together for me to win one though. You need a good draw and should be healthy and in good shape. I've made it to the quarterfinals twice already so I think I can do it. That's my goal now." While Chakvetadze and Morigami stole the show in Cincinnati by reaching the final, another player gained a whole new set of fans as she made a surprising run to the semis. Qualifier Akgul Amanmuradova, whose serve alone made her one of the most dangerous players out there this past week, made it all the way to the semifinals before bowing out to Morigami in three entertaining sets. The doubles went to No.1 seeds Bethanie Mattek and Sania Mirza, who beat Alina Jidkova and Tatiana Poutchek, 76(4) 75. The teams stayed close throughout the match, except for a small 3-1 second set lead for Jidkova and Poutchek that evaporated almost as quickly as it materialized. In the end, Mattek won her second Tour doubles title, and Mirza won her fifth (and second of the year). "We are a really good mixture," Mattek said. "We're both solid on the baseline and Sania has a good forehand, so it opens up the court. Same with our serves." "We played better matches this week, but we're still happy to win," Mirza said. "I have to get along with somebody off the court to play with them; Bethanie and I are a good team." |
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posted by Brandon Schenz @ 2:26 PM,
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Tennis - A New Way for Businesses to Promote Brands Wednesday, July 11, 2007
posted by Brandon Schenz @ 12:00 PM,
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Rehabilitation Mistakes Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Tennis players don't like to miss time because of injuries. As a group, they are as serious about their rehabilitation as they are about training and competing. Nevertheless, they occasionally make mistakes that delay the recovery process even further.
We asked a group of experts at Athletes' Performance in Phoenix and at Children's Hospital in Boston to share their thoughts on mistakes they have observed and how to correct those errors. They have treated, trained, and worked with professional and recreational athletes, men and women, young athletes and older adults. Here is a summary of their comments.
Quality of Rehab Exercises
"One mistake is poor quality or attention to detail during corrective exercises. Going through the motions to finish three sets of 10 will do you no good. Remember: quality before quantity." - Sue Falsone, MS, PT, ATC, CSCS, Athletes' Performance
"Unsupervised rehabilitation or self-prescribed therapy from someone other than a properly trained sports medicine specialist, certified athletic trainer, licensed physical therapist, or exercise physiologist." - Brian FitzGerald, BSN, ATC, LAT, Children's Hospital, Boston
"Staying within the athlete's own ability. When athletes get advice from friends and fellow athletes, it is often from the other person's experience and not applicable to the person who has been injured. Each athlete is an individual and needs specific rehabilitation protocols." - Kathleen Richards, PT, Children's Hospital, Boston
Not Doing Things You Are Able to Do
"Often people rehab an injured shoulder, but ignore their cardio work, lower body, and trunk. Work on the things you can do within the limitations of your injury. All body parts work together. Continuing to train with certain restrictions will help you avoid increases in body fat and loss of lean mass during rehab." - Sue Falsone
"Not staying aerobically fit with cross training." - Pierre d'Hemecourt, MD, Children's Hospital, Boston
"Not addressing the entire kinetic chain." - Dr. d'Hemecourt
"Not following rehabilitation protocols, skipping therapy treatment, or not doing any therapy at all could lead to injury or re-injury." - Brian FitzGerald
Too Much, Too Soon
"Avoid accelerating your rehab program to a level that could prolong rehabilitation time as well as lead to further injury or re-injury." - Brian FitzGerald
Stretching
"Overstretching a strained or pulled muscle." - Jessica Flynn, MD, Children's Hospital, Boston
"Athletes stretch a strain in the acute stage, thinking tightness and pain is a signal to stretch more than do reps to heal it." - Carl Gustafson, PT, ATC, Children's Hospital, Boston
"Overstretching muscles is common problem. Athletes should be taught never stretch to pain. If it is painful, back off. Stretch to comfort, not to pain." - Brian FitzGerald
Ignoring Nutrition
"For some athletes, all rules of nutrition go out the window. They sit around in splints, are bored, and they eat. Healing takes place at the cellular level. If you don't provide your body with optimal nutrition as it tries to heal itself, recovery will be more difficult and take longer. Provide an optimal environmental for healing — inside and out." - Sue Falsone
Failing to Follow Up
"Following the initial rehab program, some athletes fail to continue a maintenance program, which leads to recurrence, especially with issues like flexibility." - Ellen Geminiani, MD, Children's Hospital, Boston
Returning to Action
"Athletes have not only an on and off switch, but a volume switch. Once injured, athletes need to return to their activities in increments, not all at once." - Carl Gustafson
"Some athletes ignore warning signs, especially if they have a hard time distinguishing between therapeutic pain and dangerous pain. They are often not given enough instruction or guidelines to follow when returning to sport. Frequency, duration, and intensity should be discussed." - Kathleen Richards
"If the athlete is at all apprehensive about returning to training or competition, he or she may hold back or become tentative. This can lead to injury." - Kathleen Richards
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posted by Brandon Schenz @ 9:01 AM,
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Federer Beats Nadal Monday, July 09, 2007
posted by Brandon Schenz @ 3:54 PM,
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Wilson K Factor from MidwestTennis.net Sunday, July 08, 2007
MidwestTennis.net |
07/08/2007 | ||||||
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[K]ontrol is Key Focus of New [K]Factor Racket LineCombining the next generation in nanotechnology along with three unique frame engineering innovations, [K]Factor delivers the ultimate level of [K]ontrol for all types of players. World #1 Roger Federer, who played an integral role in the development and design of the new [K] Six.One racket, addressed the audience from Dubai. In response to what [K]Factor does for his game, Federer states, "The [K] Six.One gives me incredible feel. With [K]Factor, Wilson has taken racket technology to a whole new level and I love what it does for the control of my game." Federer switched over to the [K] Six.One at the Australian Open, where he swept the Men's Championship without dropping a single set. |
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posted by Brandon Schenz @ 12:12 AM,
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The Final Word: Making Calls Monday, July 02, 2007
Have you ever had a dispute with a fellow player over a call on the court that you couldn’t settle? Or have you ever wondered why a certain ruling was made during a match you were watching? Maybe you’re just curious about how some scenarios, from the common to the ridiculous, are resolved.
The USTA constantly receives these types of questions from players and fans, so we figured it’s about time we provided a forum in which queries about rules can be answered. Thus, we present to you The Final Word.
In doubles, if a receiver receives from the wrong side, what is the rule when continuing play?
In most cases in tennis, errors are corrected immediately. It is more complicated for errors in tiebreaks, and you can read the entire rule (Rule 27.Correcting Errors) in the Rules of Tennis.
Receiving is different. If the error is discovered during that game, the receiving order remains as altered until the conclusion of that game. The partners then resume the regular order of receiving in their next receiving game. Remember, all previous points stand when this occurs, and partners may alter receiving order at the start of every set. (That would include a match tiebreak played in lieu of a final set.)
At what moment is the ball first actually "in play"? Is it the moment at which the server strikes the ball, or is it the moment at which the serve lands inside the service box? In a doubles match, if the ball is "in play" at the instant at which the server strikes the ball, then in the rare occurrence when an errant first serve hits the server's partner without first bouncing, then shouldn't the serving team lose the point, rather than only be charged with a fault? After all, if a serve hits the receiver's partner without first bouncing, the receiving team loses that point.
In this case for the point to be "in play," the ball must cross the net and have an opportunity to land in the service box.
When a first serve hits the server’s partner, it is a fault, not loss of point. The ball never crossed the net. It would be like serving the ball into the net.
If a ball crosses the net properly (no service let) and the ball then hits the receiver or the receiver’s partner before the ball lands, it is a loss of point to the receiving team. The ball on the serve crossed the net, and the receiving team did not allow the opportunity for the ball to land in the service box.
If on a let serve the ball touches a player on the receiving team before it lands on the court, it is a let, and the server repeats that serve.
I had submitted this inquiry some time ago to the USTA and received a terse answer. I have a copy of the "2004 Official Rules of Tennis." Unless something has changed in more recent editions, my point applies.
I call your attention to Rule 9. Choice of Ends & Service. I contend that 9.c. is ambiguous and subject to a couple of interpretations. It is a matter of semantics.
The point is that 9.c. can mean one of the following:
For years, players have read too much into this rule and have come up with some interesting interpretations.
The rule (Rules of Tennis: Rule 9) is that if a player(s) wins the coin toss (racquet spin), that player(s) may:
- Choose to serve or receive in the first game of the match, in which case the opponent(s) shall choose the end of the court for the first game of the match.
- Choose end of the court, in which case the opponent(s) choose to serve or receive first.
- To REQUIRE the opponent(s) to make one of the above two choices; that is to either serve or receive first OR to choose the end of the court to begin the match. The player(s) who won the toss initially and required that their opponent(s) choose one of the two above choices, now choose either end of the court OR to serve or receive, depending upon the opponent’s choice.
Two cases regarding self-officiated match code interpretation:
- The point stands as played with the ball from the adjacent court.
- If the server began his/her service motion and play is suddenly stopped due to outside hindrance, the server gets a first serve. If the server was not in the second-service motion and there is not a long delay between the first and second serve, then the server only gets the second serve.
What is the ruling when a ball falls out of the opponent's pocket and is a distraction?
You need to look at two scenarios - one without on-court officials and one with on-court officials.
If there are NO officials on court: If a ball falls from the pocket of a player or falls from the hand of the player during a point, that player cannot call the let since he/she created the hindrance. It is up to the opponent to call the hindrance and play a let. This call must be made immediately and not after the point has been played out.
If this happens continually, you should ask the player to take better care with the second ball.
If there are officials on court: The umpire will call a let immediately if the point is still in progress and warn the player that the next time it happens, it will be deemed a deliberate hindrance (even if unintentional) and loss of point.
I am coaching high school tennis, and we are to use USTA rules. My question is that someone from a team we played was standing with one foot in the service box and then moving as the ball was being served. Could we call a hindrance?
The receiver's partner may stand anywhere, even in the service box. Once the receiver's partner takes a position, he/she should remain there until the ball is struck. If the receiver's partner suddenly and abruptly moves away before the ball is struck by the server, then it could be deemed that the only reason they initially took such a position was to hinder the server, and that is not allowed.
Note: The receiver may change positions to receive serve at any time prior to the serve and may even stand in the service box. Waving the racquet, making noises or stomping the feet is not permitted by any player.
posted by Brandon Schenz @ 1:20 PM,
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