Kimiko Date-Krumm has divorced her husband of sixteen years the race car driver Michael Krumm. 46-year-old Date is currently rehabbing from two knee surgeries and hopes to compete in professional tennis again in 2017.
23-year old Michelle Larcher De Brito has lost first round in three straight events and her ranking has dropped to 231. 25-year old Jarmere Jenkins won two Australian Futures in October but just lost first round in Traralgon Challenger (to Austrian Gavin Van Peperzeel), his ranking is back up to 417.
Look like 35-year-old Victor Hanescu has finally hung it up. The Romanian lost to Radek Stepanek at Indian Wells qualifying in three sets. Hanescu then got wildcards into doubles into Geneva and Bucharest but lost first round. He also lost first round in two Futures doubles matches. His last match was in May at a Romania Futures.
37-year old Patty Schnyder continues to move up the rankings – the Swiss lefty is ranked 306 and but lost first round last week in a $50k ITF in France to Zanevska 6-3 in the third.
Marion Bartoli is currently preparing to run the New York City Marathon.
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« Previous 1 2Scoop Malinowski · November 6, 2016 at 9:41 pm
I like these ideas Andrew and creative ideas like this would work – Before US Open they did that hit on the court on the NYC street -they also did that in Delray Beach with John McEnroe a few years ago – Players do a lot of PR stuff and appearances during events now but public park court or local club appearances would be interesting for sure –
jg · November 7, 2016 at 9:45 am
Opelka will be a very dangerous player as long as he can stay healthy, I saw his match yesterday and it seemed as though he was serving faster than Isner, although not as much spin–but a real live arm. He’s a tough out now, give him 1 or 2 years and watch out. His ground strokes are well ahead of the other big guys.
Scoop Malinowski · November 7, 2016 at 10:22 am
jg: Isner was top ten but I see Opelka as clearly better with a better serve and better movement and return strikes – Op can really unleash winners better than Isner – and OP is not even close to being at his best yet – persisting foot and other injury problems are a concern though –
catherine bell · November 7, 2016 at 10:58 am
I noticed Simona H rates herself 7/8 out of 10 for 2016. I’d rate her 5/6. She’s living in a dream.
But few people, including tennis players, see themselves as others do 🙂
Scoop Malinowski · November 7, 2016 at 11:04 am
7/8 as relating to her tennis season? Or her physical attraction quality?
catherine bell · November 7, 2016 at 12:39 pm
Oh dear Andrew – isn’t that a bit sexist ? 🙂
Of course Simona was referring to her tennis season which I don’t honestly think deserves her own rating – failed in the big events, had some awful losses, ducked Rio etc.
She says GSs are her main focus now which indeed they should be – so we’ll see.
I wonder how other top players would rate themselves and if we’d all agree ?
Hartt · November 7, 2016 at 1:27 pm
It would be interesting to see how top players rated themselves and what we thought.
I would give Halep a 6-7 because she did finish at No. 4 even if she was disappointing in some tourneys.
Hartt · November 7, 2016 at 1:38 pm
Isner was Top 10 for just a short time if I remember correctly. He was No. 9 for 1 week in April 2014 and No. 10 for a few weeks around then. But that was 4 years ago, so disappointing record for John.
I don’t know enough about Opelka to compare them but it sounds like you think he has the potential to be a much better player than John. I did watch some highlights of a Challenger Opelka played, guess I will try to find some more videos.
catherine bell · November 7, 2016 at 1:41 pm
Hartt –
I would actually with you – 6/7is about right. Maybe I thought that Simona’s own rating indicates a little bit of wishful thinking on her part so I downgraded her !
I’m glad she wants to concentrate on GSs – at this stage it’s appropriate.
No OCC !!!! 🙂
catherine bell · November 7, 2016 at 1:47 pm
Scoop –
Apologies to Andrew ! 🙂
It was your sexist comment I took exception to.
In any case tennis isn’t a beauty contest and there’s nothing wrong with Simona’s appearance that I can see.
Would you like your masculine attractiveness (or lack of it) discussed and assessed online ? 🙂
Hartt · November 7, 2016 at 3:16 pm
Catherine, totally agree – Simona stop with the OCC!
I hate it for all players. If it is supposed to be entertaining for fans I never see it anyway because the TV channel almost always goes to commercial then. But I think one tennis skill is figuring out things on the court. Yes, for those who want OCC, I know most sports do have coaching during matches/games. But the tradition in tennis is different and I think it is a good tradition.
Scoop Malinowski · November 7, 2016 at 6:40 pm
Catherine: I thought it was unusual to judge her own season by a # rating so I presumed it was the Bo Derek ranking system of physical appearance 🙂 So blame the director of “10” who I think was Blake Edwards –
Scoop Malinowski · November 7, 2016 at 6:44 pm
Catherine: All publicity is good publicity especially for a person who just published a new book (Facing mcEnroe) 🙂 So they can say anything they want about my appearance 🙂
Andrew Miller · November 7, 2016 at 10:22 pm
SHalep may get her shot, to some extent excellent players need to suspend reality, else how could Federer keep his level up. Same for any of them. Privately they know something is up. Publicly got to put on a tough persona.
Yeah a lot of ballkids get a front row seat to greatness and some of them get so inspired just like the swimmer who was a fan of Michael Phelps then beats him at the Olympics. So if the players do a few exhibitions at public high school courts etc, would go a long way.
catherine bell · November 8, 2016 at 4:03 am
Hartt – don’t think sports in UK, football or cricket, have any kind of OCC – I was imagining a situation in cricket where the batsman out in the middle asks for coaching and all the other players stand around while someone trots out and tells him what to do when bowler flings the ball 90mph at his head 🙂
And every time a player asks for OCC that reinforces the need for it.
Andrew – you’re absolutely right about suspending reality – I hadn’t thought enough about it. In ordinary life of course we do it and often couldn’t function otherwise.
In sports I suppose it can become counterproductive when someone needs to recognise that the door has closed. Interesting to see how Federer (and Nadal) cope.
catherine bell · November 8, 2016 at 4:14 am
Scoop-
I think Simona was answering a question (maybe in Rumania) about how she rated her season. She’s probably never heard of ’10’.
Don’t know if other players have ever been asked the same but would be interesting if they have just to note discrepancies in perception.
catherine bell · November 8, 2016 at 10:28 am
Oh and to continue my moaning about OCC this leads to more moaning about the WTA who introduced this feature for women only (naturally)as one of that organisation’s instances of meddling in the fundamentals of the game.
As I see it players’ organisations should look after the needs of the membership, get sponsors and arrange tournaments, prizemoney etc.
They do not exist to change the rules or introduce unneeded and TV driven bits of rubbish like OCC which is, as Hartt says, not part of the tradition of tennis.
There used to be a clause in the Rules of Tennis which stated ‘play shall be continuous…’ -in practice that went out of the window years ago but I wonder if it is still in the rule book. : )