Rachel Nichols Washington Post Sports Reporter Wednesday, July 02, 2003; 11:00 a.m. ET
Will it be another Williams' sister showdown in the Wimbledon final? Is it time for Andre Agassi to hang up the tennis racket? What has happened to the U.S. men's tennis stars? Post sports reporter Rachel Nichols was online live from England to discuss Wimbledon and professional tennis in general. The transcript follows. Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
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Rachel Nichols: Hi everyone! Greetings from Wimbledon, where the sun has (finally) come back out, and Tim Henman is on court, playing Sebastien Grosjean in the quarters. Over on Court 1 at the moment, Alexander Popp is beating Mark Philippoussis in the battle of the big men. Philippoussis is 6-foot-4. Popp is 6-7.
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Arlington, Va.: I remember 10-15 years ago the women decided to play their Italian Open the week following the men, arguing that the lack of attention to their play was caused by favoritism showed to men by tournmanent officials in terms of better courts and times. If memory services, when they made this switch about 27 people came to see them all week. Okay, maybe a few more. But the fact remains that the strategy backfired. Don't you see the same thing occurring in the event of an ATP strike, i.e., there's a risk no one will notice.
Rachel Nichols: First, I seriously doubt there will be any kind of strike, boycott or whatever you want to call it. The ATP doesn't have the full support of the players, and even if it did, as you point out, the public doesn't care enough for such a move to be worthwhile.
Tennis always goes in cycles -- there are good years and bad years for both tours. But this is not a year when the men want to be pushing it, if you ask me. Ratings are extremely low, fewer and fewer people are picking up the game and many Americans, at least, aren't familiar with the sport's top men. Since much of the TV money comes from the States, this is important.
In the end, I think the Grand Slams will probably give the ATP some scraps (the U.S. Open has already increased prize money this year by quite a bit) but won't capitulate in any major way, and the players will keep playing. And keep getting their suntans.
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Washington, D.C.: First, I really enjoy your writing. Question: It seems that the level of the game for the top women has been improving steadily for the last 15 years or so. (As has them men's, but not nearly as dramatically.) However, the women's game still lacks the depth we see on the men's side -- many more early round blow-outs. Do you see that changing?
Rachel Nichols: First, thanks! And as for your question, very astute... I think the women's game has improved dramatically -- last year's final between the Williams sisters here was really striking in that sense. But the women's tour is also as deep as a puddle, as you note. Neither Williams had dropped a set before yesterday; neither had Capriati, Davenport or Clijsters. Considering Davenport came into this tournament with a pretty serious injury, that tells you a lot.
I think it will change, although slowly. And be sure to enjoy the stage we're at now -- while the current arrangement doesn't produce great first-week matches, the second week is usually fantastic, compared to the men, who knock each other around so much in the first round that we get David Nalbandian in the finals.
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Alexandria, Va.:
Rachel,
When will Greg Rusedski learn that his tirades and pompous attitude only hurt him on the court? His meltdown against Roddick is only the most recent instance of this.
Rachel Nichols: Not sure if being pompous affects your forehand, but throwing tirades certainly does.
Some players are helped by their tempers. John McEnroe wasn't really playing well until he had a line judge to abuse. But most players get too worked up by getting angry, and the other day, Rusedski completely fell apart.
Rusedski is the kind of player who has the talent to win a major tournament but needs absolutely everything to fall right in all seven matches for that to happen. He needs a good draw, good weather, some good luck -- all things he can't control. You'd think, then, he'd keep closer watch on the things he can control, like getting all worked up over what should have been a pretty meaningless point.
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Somewhere, USA: Wimbleton? How can England be concerned about Wimbleton when Beckman has become a Spaniard? England is in national mourning.
Rachel Nichols: You wouldn't believe the Beckham attention over here. They have full-page spreads on him in all the papers. He is the lead story on most of the talk shows, and they showed his physical with Real Madrid yesterday on television. I won't even get into what's in the tabloids today.
The English may be in mourning, but they certainly aren't sitting quietly by while Spain steals their player.
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Arlington, Va.: I enjoyed your article on the lack of interest in the U.S. in the men's game. Do you think this is because we currently don't have any stars of our own who are competing well? If that is true, what does that say about us and our "love" of tennis vs. our "love" of competition?
washingtonpost.com: The Leading Men Exit the Stage (Post, June 30)
Rachel Nichols: I think it partly is a star thing...Roddick is doing well but hasn't won a major yet, and while he is a pretty engaging personality, he's actually toned down some of the on-court antics that made him very popular when he first broke through. I think the attitude change has been good for his game (as our friend from Alexandria just pointed out, getting into snits on the court isn't so good for the tennis), but may not make for great television. Also, he's only one guy -- which doesn't create the kind of spark of opposing personalities such as Pete/Andre or Venus/Serena.
The other issue is that tennis as a game does not capture the American interest at the moment. As even Roddick has said, he didn't tell a ton of people in high school he was a big-time junior tennis player, noting "It was much cooler to play basketball or football." Now, Roddick is every teenage girl's favorite, but American men's tennis will continue to have problems in the future if the country's most athletic boys take up other sports instead.
On the flip side, the Williamses have made tennis a cool sport for girls, and certainly one of the most lucrative. So I think we'll continue to see a strong American presence in women's tennis in the future -- at least until the Russian girls take over!
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Maryland: Do you think Lindsey Davenport is really going to retire after this season? How much of that decision do you think will be due to her foot injury and how much do you think is because she just may feel ready to go? Thanks.
Rachel Nichols: I don't think Lindsay knows yet, but yesterday she sure sounded like she was on her way out. She has to have the foot surgery no matter what at the end of the year. She has a pinched nerve that makes it uncomfortable to even walk when she's not on cortisone.
But does she want to go through all the rehab that she'd need to get back to the elite level? She just went through a major rehab on her knee, so the process doesn't sound appealing. More importantly, what is she rehabbing for? Lindsay is a lot more competitive than people give her credit for. She's used to being in the top two or three of the Tour, being in real contention for Slams. I think if she believes she can't realistically do that anymore, she's going to decide all the extra rehab isn't worthwhile.
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Rachel Nichols: Update: Tiger Tim, as they call him over here, just leveled his quarterfinal by winning the second set. It's 1-all at the moment, and the Centre Court folks are beside themselves. Can't say it's going as well for Philippoussis, although he's up a break in the third set, so perhaps he will give Mr. Popp a run.
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Alexandria, Va.:
Rachel,
I've always enjoyed your writing on tennis. Are you a tennis player yourself? If so, how often do you get to play and what USTA level are you?
Rachel Nichols: You are very kind. I do play some tennis, but not particularly regularly, mostly because I do not want to wound any birds that happen to be passing by.
I really grew to love the game growing up because my brother was (and still is) and excellent tennis player. But personally, I never seem able to make the racket do exactly what I want. I suppose if the USTA has an official level called "frightful," I'm somewhere around there.
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Washington, D.C.: Who has surprised you this year?
Rachel Nichols: In a good way: Andre Agassi. I can't say I thought he was going to spend so much time at No. 1. It really is staggering considering no one his age has ever done it before. He's just been so consistent, and winning the Aust. Open this year kept his roll going.
In a not-so-good way: Kim Clijsters. I tagged her to win a major before Henin-Hardenne, and she's certainly had more opportunities. Yet each time she's gotten close, she's completely buckled, and no one seems to have a real handle on why. She's got more physical tools than her boyfriend, Lleyton Hewitt, but she could use a little of his fighter mentality, apparently.
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Alexandria, Va.: Have the British tabs started their annual "Tim The Great" heds, or are they "many times bitten, finally getting shy?"
Rachel Nichols: Let's just say that this morning The Sun is running a full-page "Tiger Tim" poster, which is a photo of Henman with big fangs superimposed on his teeth.
There was also the suggestion elsewhere in the paper that the photo is an improvement on Henman's regular dental structure.
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Gettysburg, Pa.: Why is it that the ladies play singles and doubles, but the "big name" men play only singles? Have the well-known women just recently begun playing doubles, too, or is it just that the men have stopped?
Rachel Nichols: Match length has a lot to do with it. Since women play just best-of-three, they aren't out on court as long as the men, who feel they don't want to pile doubles on top of five-hour singles matches. Women also make less money than men, particularly at the non-Slam tournaments, so playing doubles is a good way to pick up some extra cash. (This is obviously more of an issue for the Lisa Raymonds of the world than the Serena Williamses.)
Still, playing doubles can be a drain, especially at a place like Wimbledon, where players already spend so much time waiting around for the rain. As injuries become more of an issue as well, I think you'll see fewer top women playing doubles in the future.
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Somewhere, USA: How upset will the Europeans be if the Williams' are both in the final?
Rachel Nichols: I don't think you'll see as strong a negative reaction as you did in France -- they will be very polite here. But Americans are not the most popular people around Europe these days, so I think there's a slight sense that fans here want to get at least one of the Belgians in the final.
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Oxford, England: It's TORY TIM! not Tiger Tim, that's just from the headlines... not a real nickname.
Rachel Nichols: You say Tory, I say Tiger. You say potato, Dan Quayle says potatoe...
To each his own, I guess.
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Arlington, Va.: Do players get along off-court? I get the "vibe" that the players -- especially the women -- aren't terribly "chummy" off the court and that there is little comaraderie. What's your take?
Rachel Nichols: I think now more than ever, female tennis players are competitors first, chums second. Friendships sometimes develop between players of different levels (Lisa Raymond and Lindsay Davenport are close friends, for example, because they're rarely in competition with each other.) But for the most part, the women are now like the men -- polite to each other, sometimes even friendly, but rarely friends. Which is fine. I doubt Jason Kidd and Tim Duncan exchange Christmas cards. At least not yet.
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Washington, D.C.: I love your tennis writing, too. Keep up the good work. Two questions for you:
Justine Henin-Hardenne has always been my favorite player, so I'm thrilled by her recent success. Looks like her physical training has given her a lot of confidence. Do you think she can make it all the way at Wimbledon the way she did at the French Open?
What's the real gossip at Wimbledon this year? Anything aside from Hantuchova's alarming weight loss?
Rachel Nichols: The gossip mostly centers around the ATP-Grand Slams issue, which unfortunately doesn't make for very juicy chatter.
As for Justine, I think her physical training has helped her enormously. She's much smaller than most of the other women in the top 5 or even top 10, so packing on so much muscle has helped, and her endurance is also excellent.
I'm not sure she's one of those players who can regularly dictate Slam finals -- when she plays someone like Serena or even Capriati, a lot depends on how Serena or Jennifer is playing that day. But Justine's done a great job of being consistent enough that she can really take advantage of opportunities, and often that's just as important an element of winning a Slam.
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Rachel Nichols: Okay, we're almost out of time, so I'll knock a few out on a speed round.
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Washington, D.C.:
Rachel: I've heard from friends who have attended tennis tournaments and saw Andy Roddick in person that he is a total -- well to keep it clean, let's say "jerk." (1) Is that his reputation?, and (2) is it accurate? Thanks.
Rachel Nichols: 1) nope
2) not in my experience. he signs a lot of autographs and generally waves/talks to fans.
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Reston, Va.: Rachel, did Pete Sampras opt out of Wimbledon this year, or did he get bounced early? Is he officially retired?
Rachel Nichols: Didn't come.
Not officially retired -- but pretty close.
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DuBois, Pa.: Is Pete Sampras truly missed at the tournament this year? Do you feel the outcome would be different if he were involved?
Rachel Nichols: Not sure a lot of people are missing him. Andre Agassi said he wasn't -- I think these guys get so focused on themselves during tournaments, they don't think about who isn't here.
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The Williams Family: At this point, is Oracene Price more of a drag on her daughters' careers or a help? Her comments to the press always seem cringeworthy and the daughters often seem to be defending mom.
Rachel Nichols: This is obviously an opinion thing, but I think Oracene is a real steadying influence on Venus and Serena. She speaks her mind, but not in a way that undercuts her daughters.
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Washington, D.C.: At what point are the women going to be playing 5-set matches in the grand slams like the men? It seems like given the high quality of the later matches in the women's draw (after the blowouts of the early rounds you mentioned earlier) that it would be a popular move. I agree that the women should be paid equally with the men, but doesn't it make some sense that they have to win the same number of sets, say, from the quarters on? Wouldn't TV viewers love seeing more of the great matches that took place yesterday?
Rachel Nichols: 1) Not going to happen.
2) I think viewers would love it. But the players wouldn't go for it, and in a way it makes the game different enough from the men's to make things interesting.
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Rachel Nichols: Unfortunately, I've got to bolt...Hope you all enjoy the rest of Wimbledon and thanks very much for reading!
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