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Dec/15

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Djokovic Not Serena Is the True Sportsperson of the Year

49 Comments · Posted by Scoop Malinowski in Bios

12274735_10206471104709659_623131059779813326_nSports Illustrated may have got it politically correct but wrong – Novak Djokovic is the Sportsperson of the Year – he won 30 more matches – six more titles (11-5) – won three majors this year and finaled in the fourth (Serena semifinaled in her fourth) – also Djokovic set a record by making fifteen straight finals – Serena Williams is a good honorable mention candidate however Novak Djokovic achieved more than her this year and thus he is the Tennis Prose Sportsperson of the Year —

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49 comments

  • catherine bell · December 15, 2015 at 4:20 am

    Does this award matter that much outside the US ? But yes – I’d agree Djokovic has the superior record.

    All the best to Serena but I’d take issue with the clearly photoshopped cover pic.

    Some conflicting messages there.

  • Dan Markowitz · December 15, 2015 at 6:46 am

    What’s very interesting, and I know Serena is 34 while Novak is only 28, is: how many slams each player will win this year. It’s conceivable that Serena gets shut out of slams in ’16 while Djoko has a decent chance of winning all four if he can steer clear of Wawa at the French.

  • Harold · December 15, 2015 at 8:01 am

    If her legs truely looked liked the pic in SI, she wiuld have 35 slams.

    What did they do to her Bubblebutt?

  • Scoop Malinowski · December 15, 2015 at 8:13 am

    Good point Catherine – why not just put Serena in her natural appearance – not this impossible fake fantasy image –

  • Scoop Malinowski · December 15, 2015 at 8:17 am

    You have to wonder how motivated Serena will be next year – her drive and desire to be the best will have to subside just a fraction at some point you would think – Kurumi Nara beat her in IPTL though she probably played it at half intensity if that – Serena’s 2016 is going to be very interesting to follow – just can’t see how she keeps up her intensity and emotional adrenaline at her superhuman extraordinary levels –

  • catherine bell · December 15, 2015 at 8:19 am

    Dan – yes, I can foresee SW struggling a bit more this year – partly because some of her rivals have worked out how to beat her and are likely to apply this knowledge better than they have done in the past. In which case we’d look at the US Open as the turning point. However……

  • Scoop Malinowski · December 15, 2015 at 9:29 am

    But Serena is the most intimidating player in WTA history and she can still use that to her advantage in 2016 – I would say intimidation is her best weapon at this point and most players can’t or don’t know how to deal with it – Vinci and Bencic showed you have to stand up to her and actually show Serena that you’re intensity and desire are greater than her’s —

  • Andrew Miller · December 15, 2015 at 12:39 pm

    Serena’s rivals? Who are they at the business end of a tournament?

    I can only think of one player on the rise that can beat her. Muguruza. That’s it. Maybe Azarenka if she’s truly back in whoop-em form (“Super Vika”). Perhaps Halep now that she has one of the world’s best coaches.

    Muguruza
    Halep
    Azarenka

    I think Halep loves Henin. Just Halep isn’t as strong as Henin was – Henin put on clinics during her matches when she was on a roll.

  • Scoop Malinowski · December 15, 2015 at 1:17 pm

    Sloane can do it too – Vinci can do it again – Bencic also – Kvitova – maybe even Bouchard – or Serena will hit that point where she loses that fraction of reflexes and speed and movement then her world will cave in and it will be open season on Serena – But the success of Venus this year suggests younger and better Serena has several more years left to annihilate – and maybe win her elusive GS —

  • Andrew Miller · December 15, 2015 at 2:14 pm

    WTA tour wins I want to see:

    1. “Serena Williams wins most slams in history.” Serena now has 21 slams – Steffi Graf has 22 and Margaret Court won 24 slams. Serena is three away from tying court, and four slams from getting the record. Four more? Yes, they’d have to be in the next few years. But no one’s better than Serena on grass, and few are better on hard courts – and only when they are playing out of their mind.

    Can she keep the others away from a trophy? I think the obvious answer is yes. Serena’s like Federer if Nadal and Djokovic and Murray never hit the scene. No one’s knocking at the door, trying on the crown or anything like that.

    2. Safarova wins a slam. She’s made a semifinal and a final in the last two years

    3. Inspired by Pennetta, Vinci and Errani, Giorgi raises the ambition level and starts meeting it. For now I’ll set it at a slam semifinal. She’s done pretty badly at the slams, getting only one round of 16 a few years back.

  • Andrew Miller · December 15, 2015 at 2:17 pm

    As for Genie – I think I’ve moved into the “not a Bouchard fan”. I thought she showed guts a year ago, but her sophomore campaign was awful.

    She’s still a young player who’s mentally tough for the most part. But her on court strategy has taking a hit, and hitting the ball so short has come back to bite her. Unless she’s taken care of the depth issue, I don’t see Bouchard doing much this year. Other players are just better.

  • Scoop Malinowski · December 15, 2015 at 10:26 pm

    Andrew – I forgot about Lucie – she is definitely in the mix and can do it – she’s been close and in the shadows – she can pull a Pennetta- Bouchard just had a rough year – I say she will redeem herself next year – she had trouble dealing with being such a popular famous big star this year – now she has that experience under her belt – it will make her stronger and smarter – Giorgi is also waiting in the wings – if she can perfect her serve and make it more reliable — then they all better watch out for Giorgi — I fixed my serve into a good weapon this year – maybe I can help her at times very shaky serve –

  • Andrew Miller · December 16, 2015 at 10:59 am

    Scoop – I like Safarova a lot, I like her game. She’s gained the champion mindset, we’ll see if she gets better at it.

    On Bouchard, I think we’re back in the Ryan Harrison game. Is the issue her game and its technical issues, including her strategy, or is it her mindset? Got to admit, it’s looking like both.

    Players started “figuring Bouchard out” after she made the Wimbledon final. They’d seen her game enough and how Kvitova exposed the Bouchard game and they did the same. They realized they could run Bouchard around, they could hit with depth and frustrate her, and they could take advantage of the feast of short balls that Bouchard kept hitting.

    Basically: she brought an effective junior game to the WTA tour and for a time it worked. Now is the hard part: getting better at the game.

    Then you have all the rest of the stuff. Basically she became an “it” girl in tennis and got distracted from the prize.

    I think she’s in the long slog of getting better and I don’t think we’ll see any breakthrough for a while.

  • Andrew Miller · December 16, 2015 at 12:53 pm

    I like Giorgi’s “smash the ball” game. It’s really a huge gap though – in the words of other commenters, Giorgi has to become more boring to breakthrough.

    Giorgi would have to be more boring, Kyrgios would also. They’d have to hit the five cent shot instead of the million dollar shot.

  • catherine bell · December 16, 2015 at 1:32 pm

    The passing years- as relevant to Serena- I recall BJK towards the end of her own career noting that it’s the concentration, the ability to relentlessly focus, which goes first, not so much the sheer physical aspect.

    That may well be a potential weakness that the more astute women players will be aware of as we move into 2016.

  • Dan Markowitz · December 16, 2015 at 2:33 pm

    Georgi boring? Georgi changing her game? Not a chance. I sat a few seats down from her father in the Grandstands as Georgi got tuned by Lisicki and her father couldn’t even watch. Georgi was double-faulting and she just can’t hit a regular ball. She’s like Dustin Brown in this way, but worse or better, depends how you look at it. She could never ever win or semi at a slam. She’s talented enough, but if she had more Wozniaki in her she’d at least have a chance.

    But she’s fun to watch and I’d say the prettiest woman on tour.

  • Dan Markowitz · December 16, 2015 at 2:35 pm

    I don’t think I’ll root for Bouchard anymore. She revealed herself to be a prima donna and just a little too into the almighty buck.

  • Moskova Moskova · December 16, 2015 at 6:03 pm

    All hail the mighty buck !!!! Lol

  • Scoop Malinowski · December 16, 2015 at 7:19 pm

    Safarova is big time – remember she had the match point(s) on Li Na the year Na won the Aussie Open – that means Safarova – if she converts the mp could have went on to win that Aussie Open – she is right there to seize a major – though she’s in the shadows as most people don’t realize she is that good – Bouchard was annihilating – she didn’t get the ranking by fluke or luck – she earned it – she plays like Li Na – baseline bashing bullyette style – the fame and fortune and glamour factor put a big fat x on her back – all the other girls love to take down the glamour girl – this precipitated her fall from grace along with the pressure and expectations for her to win more more more – don’t worry though – she will be back – I guarantee you that –

  • Scoop Malinowski · December 16, 2015 at 7:21 pm

    Giorgi must get her serve to be more consistent – if she does she could destroy anyone –

  • Dan Markowitz · December 16, 2015 at 9:25 pm

    No way, Scoop. Please, she misfires so often off the ground, and even if she gets her serve down–her father would turn his head in that Lisicki match when she served a second serve knowing a lot of times it’d be a double fault. Giorgi has peaked. I think she’s on the downslide.

  • Andrew Miller · December 16, 2015 at 10:37 pm

    Tragic if Giorgi has peaked. Would be like Baghdatis without the latter’s results. I think Giorgi is too promising not to have another shot at going deep. Don’t know if she has the discipline of the other Italians – all of them play with more craft than the shoot em up Giorgi style. Pennetta had a lot of combos, Errani is a clever player, etc. Giorgis shtick is she hits the stuffing put of the ball and when on a roll she plays like she’s in the zone.

    But it is a little like Blake, and it isn’t a bad comparison. Giorgis errors are headscratchers, she loses matches she can win. And at number thirty five or so, which is awesome, she hasn’t quite made her mark and she isn’t consistent.

    If Giorgi played not only like Agassi at moments but for the duration of matches she would be competing for slams. Again it is a huge if .

    But she has Pennetas example and Vinci, others aren’t quite Italys future in tennis. Giorgi is. The Italian women have carved out a nice niche with slams in NYC and Paris. Maybe Giorgi can win a doubles slam and get that winning feeling down.

  • Andrew Miller · December 16, 2015 at 10:43 pm

    Li Na was awesome! I don’t think Bouchard belongs in the same sentence. Bouchard is nowhere near as good as Li Na. She was gutsy and she reminded me of Seles with her tenacity. But Li Na and Seles were superior technically. I think Kvitova really exposed the Bouchard game.

    If Genie gets better, hits a deeper ball and a harder serve, ok, now we are talking. I think she played great. Past tense. If she regains precision and becomes a better player , fine: She may slam and win a few. But as is, no way.

  • Moskova Moskova · December 16, 2015 at 10:44 pm

    Giorgi and errani are more Jewish than italian…who was the last Jewish GS champ on the women’s side ?….of course – we had pistol Pete on the men’s side lol

  • Dan markowitz · December 17, 2015 at 6:41 am

    I’ve never heard Errani was Jewish. I can’t think of one good Jewish woman player except for Renee Richards.

  • catherine bell · December 17, 2015 at 7:33 am

    Dan – going back a long way – Julie Heldman, Gladys’ daughter, was a reasonable player in the early seventies. Very perceptive commentator on the game as well.

  • catherine bell · December 17, 2015 at 7:35 am

    Julie H obviously Jewish as well –

  • Scoop Malinowski · December 17, 2015 at 7:39 am

    Giorgi is a potential goldmine – Andrei Kozlov is her part time coach (when dad can’t be there) and he told me both patrick mcenroe and cahill both wanted to coach her – that tells you that Giorgi is unlocked potential waiting to be blossomed –

  • Scoop Malinowski · December 17, 2015 at 7:40 am

    Andrew – where was Li Na when she was Bouchard’s age? Li Na was nowhere then – way behind where Bouchard is now – Li Na was LATE bloomer – Plenty of time for Bouchard to develop –

  • Scoop Malinowski · December 17, 2015 at 7:44 am

    Suspect on the Giorgi is Jewish call – she seemed to come out with that after the media firestorm that her father was cheating coaches and investors out of $ – there have been other examples where famous people pretend to be Jewish –

  • Harold · December 17, 2015 at 8:47 am

    Refuse to think of Giorgi as Jewish until she settles her money issues. Enough of stereotyping without having to defend some prima donna tennis player running out on loans.
    Can remember Errani crossing herself on court, so her mom might be Jewish, but like Pistol Pete, no semblance of Judiasm in their lives. Sampras said he never stepped into a Synagogue in his life.

    As far as Tennis, dream world TP, off the American Challenger Tour to dissect the Woman’s game.
    Safarova will never wim a Slam, had a crappy second half, after her one time French run. Maybe Berdy tying the knot, sent her into a slump.
    Bouchard is too small to win slams, think she lost weight and muscle trying to look glam, and lost her way. Hingis had way more talent, and couldnt make it through 2 week Majors, before some big babe sent her packing.
    Giorgi is a journeywoman, be lucky to have the career of another Andrew fave, Hantuchova

  • Andrew Miller · December 17, 2015 at 9:08 am

    Funny, Harold. When Penneta is winning a slam I don’t think its so off the mark to think Safarova may also.

  • Harold · December 17, 2015 at 9:22 am

    Good luck to Safarova running into someone like Vinci, coming off the biggest win in her long career, in a Slam Final.

    The road to winning a Womens Major if your name isnt S. Williams.. Pray someone knocks out Williams in the semi’s. Biggest win of their life. 24 hours of media for your opponent. Walks on the court drained, realizes, she is just happy to be in a Final. Thats how the Pennetta’s win their one time only Majors

  • Scoop Malinowski · December 17, 2015 at 9:30 am

    That is what happens when the underdog player upsets the big dog player – they have to do ten times more media after the win and it’s exhausting and it takes them out of their normal comfort zone and routines – I remember Gilles muller telling me that about the night he beat Roddick at US Open – it was part of his Facing Federer memories – he said it was like a taste of what Federer has to deal with every tournament – the media attention and demands on Federer are incomparable – it’s a wonder he keeps handling all the media obligations with such class and patience –

  • Andrew Miller · December 17, 2015 at 10:36 am

    Fair point, Harold. Only that is does happen. Penneta’s win is similar to Johannson’s 2002 Australian slam win. Sure – it’s a one-time-only, improbable event. But it happens. Beyond Serena Williams it’s usually open season in the WTA and unless Muguruza develops a killer instinct like Kvitova at Wimbledon, a player like Safarova can sneak in and maybe she another slam final.

    If you make the final, you have a shot of winning.

    I don’t think it’s so outlandish – this is a lot safer bet than some other predictions I’ve posted. I’d put the odds around 50% of Safarova getting another slam semifinal.

    As for Giorgi, right now it looks like it isn’t happening. A slam semifinal seems like a dream – not a possibility. But I think she is a streaky player who can go on a roll. She could light up a draw, roll the die and see some big results. Probably a better result right now would be to nab a title that TP uses as the barometer for success, a Masters level tournament. If she starts doing well there, then I don’t think it’s so far out of reach to make a slam semifinal.

    If Robby Ginepri can make a slam semifinal, anyone can.

  • Scoop Malinowski · December 17, 2015 at 11:02 am

    Just a few years ago it looked like Federer was finished – anyTHING can happen – even F Lo and Gulbis could catch a magic carpet ride and —

  • Moskova Moskova · December 17, 2015 at 1:44 pm

    Flo will win wimby next year….not LOL

  • Scoop Malinowski · December 17, 2015 at 1:47 pm

    FLOL has exactly as much chance as Pennetta did this year – actually more as his ranking is higher than Pennettas was when she won the Open – 🙂

  • Andrew Miller · December 17, 2015 at 2:08 pm

    Flopez will have a tough time nabbing a slam as a very low seed. It’s not impossible, but the odds aren’t favorable.

  • Scoop Malinowski · December 17, 2015 at 2:18 pm

    A lot of people have defied great odds before – ya gotta believe – like Flavia Pennetta –

  • Moskova Moskova · December 17, 2015 at 2:33 pm

    flo’s gotta play outta his mind and get lucky with draws, etc….always helps if / when a dark-horse knocks out djoko or rafa early..

    FED was lucky to win RG.

  • Scoop Malinowski · December 17, 2015 at 7:04 pm

    mm: Fed was not lucky to win the FO but perhaps he was a bit fortunate that Rafa got upset by Soderling – no way Fed wins that final if it was against Rafa –

  • Dan Markowitz · December 18, 2015 at 5:36 am

    Fun to see Fed playing doubles yesterday with Cilic v Murray and Melo. Makes you realize how much better the singles players are than doubles. My son took a lesson with Dany Piludu, a 25 year old Italian guy, who played the Aussie Open juniors in 2008 and got to practice with Nadal, said it was unbelievable.

    Then he played one year playing a few Futures in Italy before realizing he didn’t like pro tennis and came to US to play and win NCAA Div II doubles and finalist in singles. He said college tennis was a joke, that he hadn’t played real tennis in 6 years. He said the Italian national training center is in Pisa and they train 6 hours per day, 4 fitness and 2 on the court.

    Pro tennis is a sick and grueling sport. He’s launching balls at my 9-year-old and telling him to just hit the ball with his arm and wrist, that Callum is stepping around too much with his back foot on the forehand and putting too much effort into the ball. He said you have to be able to hit 25 balls back and forth, deep, heavy spin, to win points in top-level tennis. That’s the Italian way anyway.

    I’ve never seen a pro–maybe he was trying to impress me–not let a kid win a single point in practice games. This guy was just hitting out and totally demoralized poor Cal. But I dug it. It was kind of like, I’m not really a teaching pro, I’m just out here for a workout and dang if I’m going to let a 9 year old whippersnapper win a point he doesn’t earn.

  • Scoop Malinowski · December 18, 2015 at 8:24 am

    Fed was fun to watch in IPTL but he lost the doubles and then the singles to murray – he said after he’s 0-6 now in IPTL which is a circus atmosphere and Kyrgios showed earlier this year Fed does not like playing in circus atmospheres at all (remember Fed said during that loss to Kyrgios “all we need is a clown for this circus”) – Kyrgios seemed to intentionally add to the circus atmosphere last night to bother Fed and to help his good buddy murray –

  • Dan Markowitz · December 18, 2015 at 8:37 am

    Didn’t see entire matches so didn’t know he lost, but Fed adds a huge credibility to the IPTL in a way I think even Djoko and Nadal don’t match. Did you see his outfit? Cool light blue shirt with these tan Nikes, it was almost like seeing Clyde come out for the first time in his Puma Clydes. I mean, I don’t love Fed, but the man has style, and at least when I see him out there, I say, “Geez, this IPTL thing is big!” Plus, I noticed the place in Dubai was packed when before there were like 100 people in the stands.

  • Scoop Malinowski · December 18, 2015 at 9:30 am

    Fed wanted to win both matches but Cilic choked in the dubs up 30-0 on serve and the other team called the time out and he froze they lost like six straight points – Fed wanted the singles but murray was unbelievably good – hit a crazy bh pass on the run – Fed does not play well in circus atmosphere with players on the benches cheering and chest bumping between points – or calling time outs in the middle of a game – Fed was a good sport about it though – I’m sure he will pay back murray the next time they play in a real match ) One thing I noticed though is that the players really love playing the iptl – they enjoy the company of their teams and the team spirit – the Paes team even tweeted a team selfie and labeled it “family” – the players love it and you know what? I like this iptl better than some of the regular tour events – you see the players having fun and enjoying it so much – I hope iptl succeeds – incredible that murray is playing despite his long season – proves that the players love iptl – no way would murray be playing now if it was a regular ATP tour even –

  • Bryan · December 26, 2015 at 6:24 pm

    Agree with Scoop. Djokovic clearly had the better season with a stronger overall record and slightly more dominant at majors. Only reason Serena seemed to have a bigger year is she didn’t lose until the 4th major.

    Oddly the media never portrays that Novak has no competition like they do Serena, when facts suggest he dominated the men’s game more in 2015 than Serena did the women’s game.

  • Bryan · December 26, 2015 at 6:29 pm

    “No way, Scoop. Please, she misfires so often off the ground, and even if she gets her serve down–her father would turn his head in that Lisicki match when she served a second serve knowing a lot of times it’d be a double fault.”

    Agree with Dan. Giorgi is too erratic to win consistently. I’m a fan of her’s for her aggression though. My girls Svitolina or Bencic are looking good. I expect them both to have a big year. Bencic already parked Serena in Montreal.

  • Scoop Malinowski · December 27, 2015 at 7:35 am

    Bryan: Svitolina caught my eye at US open qualies a few years ago vs Larcher De Brito she was down to LB like 06 15 and she came all the way back and won the match – LB was crying all over the court in such anguish and devastation – she just could not stop the Svitolina onslaught – this girl is a major fighter and super mentally tough and will be in the big time matches soon and she will be taking down big time players – Svitolina is going to be a champion – watch out for her in 2016 –

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