I decided to change my tournament schedule this year from playing 45s to Opens – not enough players were signing up for the 45s plus I wanted to face different competition from the same old faces – The Open division is a much deeper talent pool, with far more players (and events) including several players with ATP points and former pro players like Marcus Fugate and Levar Harper Griffith – Fortunately I didn’t have to get humbled by those two titans, but in six tournaments I did encounter several former and current college players – It’s been a fun ride, with my trusty old Volkl Tour 9, I won four opens and finaled in the other two – for a total of six tournaments my overall record is a not too shabby 10-2 – The new rankings just came out and I’m at #5 – Since the first tournament, which I previously wrote about the guy from Long Island who broke a string in the second game and didn’t have a back-up racquet after taking three trains and a bike ride from the train station – it’s been a pretty much drama-less season – the only gamesmanship I had to deal with was with a former college player who mocked me for not playing with a ball in my pocket in a very tight second set, noting that only girls play like that — Well that lit my fire and I took care of business in straight sets – the high point of the year had to be my last tournament in Bridgewater NJ, beating a former college player 60 60 in the final – I did not hit one bad or off ball the whole match – there were two low points – having to default the final of Basking Ridge after winning two very tough matches, a three hour marathon the day before against an ex college player and current teaching pro, and then a grinding semifinal on Sunday morning – my legs just didn’t have the bounce and hop to deal with a young lion teenager who hit the ball hard and steady – I tried to see if he was error prone and at 1-3 down in the first I decided I didn’t have enough in the tank – even if I did, I’m still not sure if I could have beaten this kid, he was good – the other low point was losing to my bogeyman, this guy from Staten Island who has beaten me fourteen times in a row – I won my first set off him in the state 45 finals on red clay last year and was up 64 30 but still lost – this year we played the Mahwah final in September and he killed me again 62 60 but I had chances in almost every game – eight deuces in the first game – I lost – coming back twice from 0-40 down only to lose both games – I just could not win games despite converting on three serve and volleys and making some great running shots, I also was tight and hit some uncharacteristic bad shots — the guy is obviously in my head – and he’s a great player currently ranked ahead of me in the top five — But that’s tennis, you have to accept the bad matches with the good ones – no player, not even Roger Federer is immune to playing a bad match — I’ve got one more tournament for the year – this weekend at Sutton East in New York City on East 60th street, red clay, my first Open clay court event all year (all of my six tournaments have been on hard court) and it has a pretty big draw of sixteen players, so I will need to win four matches as the #4 seed – Training with very good players all summer – like former Rutgers grinder Harry Cicma (he played two ATP doubles events as a wildcard into New Haven and San Jose), two high school girls I coach, and various other hitting partners from the Bergen Tennis league – one difference in training this year has been skipping scrub doubles, only play singles, mini tennis, or hit one versus two — I feel doubles with scrubs gets frustrating and breaks my rhythm and timing — it’s more valuable to maximize every moment on the court, baseline games, mini tennis, or rallying in singles is far more confidence building and rewarding than doubles, which I played too much of the last three years –
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Scoop Malinowski · October 15, 2015 at 11:39 pm
Here is the latest USTA Eastern Open rankings if you want proof 🙂 https://tennislink.usta.com/Tournaments/Rankings/RankingHome.aspx?RankingPlayerName=mark%20malinowski&Type=Ranking&Year=&f=1#&&s=4%5cPage_RankingList%5cListID_1571220%5cPlayerID_gqwT8DCUf8sxvBE%2fGzK6EA%3d%3d%5cYear_%5cType_viewranklist
Dan Markowitz · October 16, 2015 at 8:43 am
That’s really impressive Scoop. When most players are breaking down and playing only on soft courts, you’re playing better and seem to prefer the hard stuff. How many tourneys have Fugate and Griffith played respectively?
Ashoke GANGULI · October 16, 2015 at 9:07 am
Hello Scoop,
I knew that you would do terrific in the Opens.Next time you will win over Sadik.You look so fit in the picture.You should play the Opens in Bradenton this winter.Glad you are not playing scrubs any more.Be well
Andrew Miller · October 16, 2015 at 1:55 pm
Playing up is the best way. No matter what age. If twelve play 14s. If 45s play open.
Nadal crushed Wawrinks in just over 60 minutes, 65 min. Take out Nadal famous delay tactics and it was probably a 49 minute match. Murray blew out Berdych. Always shake my head with Berdych.
As for Fritz, not a beaut of a game. Does have a little of the Sampras high elbow. Probably been spoiled by the big four whose games at all pretty tidy and polished. Of all the players I like the way Kozlov plays smart ball with good technique. Shows again that the ball doesn’t care how nice your game is!
Scoop Malinowski · October 16, 2015 at 3:20 pm
Thanks Dan, like all surfaces but play 95% on hard — Fugate played three money tournaments, won two, LHG played one money tourney — several players have atp points but they play only a couple or one usta open money tourney, the final ranking is based on your best results in six tournaments – I’m lucky every tournament I played I made the finals — so points earned at every tourney –
Scoop Malinowski · October 16, 2015 at 3:22 pm
I need to hire you as coach Ashoke 🙂 this guy is tough to beat, he’s got at least two decades of tournament experience over me on top of being a great player —
Dan Markowitz · October 16, 2015 at 3:27 pm
As much as we talk about breaking up the Big 4, there they are. Yes, Fed took an early tumble, but the layoff certainly effected him. So Tsonga is the lucky recipient this week. Berdy has like a 10 per cent chance of ever winning a slam. Interestingly, the player besides Wawa, Cilic and Jo Willy now most capable it seems of breaking up the Big 4 is Kevin Anderson.
I haven’t seen Kozlov in any of these recent 4 Challengers in the states, but it seems like he’s dropped to the bottom of the JD, Tiafoe, Fritz, Paul and Mac Mac sweepstakes.
Scoop Malinowski · October 16, 2015 at 3:27 pm
True Andrew, I see several over 45 guys, even over 55 or 60, play tough tennis – the younger player mistakenly judges them to be a patsy and totally underestimates what’s coming — one guy I know was over 50 and he said he beat the Duke number one player at an open, the same player who had a win over Andy Roddick, the Duke guy lost the first set to this older crafty guy and quit the match with a supposed injury, this older guy is very tough and you look at him and expect it to be easy, next thing you know you’re down two breaks and saying to yourself WTF — Our friend Ashoke is also a very crafty player, we hit in Siesta Key and I had to work my tail off – if I had made the mistake of judging him a patsy he would have yo-yo’ed me — there are so many deceptively tough players of any age —
Scoop Malinowski · October 16, 2015 at 8:28 pm
Kevin Anderson is becoming a force, we saw how he severely threatened Djokovic at Wimbledon, how he beat Murray, watch out for the supremely fit, agile, explosive big man from Delray Beach — Kozlov went to Europe and made it to SF of a Futures on red clay two weeks ago, lost in three sets – been inactive since — his dad told me several weeks ago he was going to play events across the pond and not the American Chally circuit –
Andrew Miller · October 16, 2015 at 8:47 pm
Fritz has no bh. The smyczek win makes sense because Smee has a tough time with power players.
Scoop Malinowski · October 17, 2015 at 8:59 am
His backhand was good enough to make FO jr final and win US Open jr boys, and it’s holding up pretty well in these recent ATP Challengers – also, wasn’t Fritz ranked the ITF number one junior?
Andrew Miller · October 17, 2015 at 10:50 am
Have you seen it? It is similar to Sock. His movement to that side is weak and he has a lot of trouble there.
Klahn won a ton of challengers without a decent “rally” backhand. Making French Jr semis without a bh is not an indicator of a good bh.
As far as I can tell he has a huge serve and fh. Must be a very competitive player also. But there is not much going on on the bh quadrant.
I’m not saying this to knock him down a peg. Just that when you look at every player eventually you see areas of their game that you say that’s not going to hold up when they need it. Some things players have no control, like Kudla and height, he is going to have to grind out a lot of matches.
We’ve done this for Harrison, Klahn, every player. Fritz is the latest. Donaldson has an excellent backhand. That player who made the Granby quarters from Montreal, he has a beautiful game, like Dimitrov. Fritz happens to have a bad bh for now.
For whatever reason in the u.s , unless for some reason you have a good bh, the powers that be raise a lot of players with weak bhs.
Scoop Malinowski · October 17, 2015 at 12:11 pm
Yes I saw Fritz play at US Open, losing his first round match rather decisively, it’s an average BH — every junior player heading into the pros has aspects of his game that are question marks, that Fritz has a aspect of his game that needs to be bolstered is no great fault — I still remember the critics yapping about Edberg’s forehand, Rusedski’s backhand, Haas’s volleys, Fish’s forehand, etc — one thing is for sure – Fritz, despite a perceived weaker BH, has become the leader of the pack of American teens —
Andrew Miller · October 17, 2015 at 1:39 pm
For the most part I am impressed with a lot of the bhs of the emerging u.s. Players but not Fritz.
It is interesting that the u s. Next next Gen is winning challengers. They are impatient to break the top 100.
Scoop Malinowski · October 17, 2015 at 11:56 pm
Besides Australia, I believe USA has the best crop of young pros breaking into the ATP, I could easily see a USA Australia tennis domination in five years —
Scoop Malinowski · October 18, 2015 at 9:45 am
Had another very good win last night at Sutton East red clay USTA mens open, defeated a Chilean teaching pro who plays Futures 63 60, was down 0-2 and l5-40 on my serve and somehow escaped that – by mixing it up, mixing up the speeds spins and depths, he started to make errors – I realized the harder I hit the better he was, he could crack winners off my balls, then when I mixed it up it took him out of his rhthym, especially deep moonballs were effective — if I had played stubbornly and kept trying to out hit him I would have surely lost decisively – but mixing it up saved this match – very interesting tournament, lots of very good players, and a cool location, right under the 59th Street Bridge connecting manhattan to long island city, I really like this facility — Sutton East – which is converted to a bubble and red clay courts in Sept but is just a vacant asphalt lot in the summer –
Scoop Malinowski · October 18, 2015 at 7:36 pm
Taylor Fritz and his vulnerable backhand won a second straight ATP Challenger today, this time beating two time Nadal conquerer Dustin Brown — Taylor Fritz has emerged as the leader of the pack of the young American brigade –
jg · October 18, 2015 at 8:56 pm
Backhand looks pretty solid to me, Brown was playing to the backhand to no avail.
Bryan · October 18, 2015 at 10:44 pm
Glad to hear you’re playing well and got up to #5 Scoop. Well done.
BTW Fritz vs Browne in Fairfield challenger. Is that Fairfield, California? If so that’s not far away. I’d have driven over had I known earlier.
Scoop Malinowski · October 19, 2015 at 9:14 am
Thank you Bryan – Yes Fairfield CA – think it’s the first year of the event being there – where is it Bryan? I had never heard of Fairfield CA before though we have a Fairfield NJ nearby –
Scoop Malinowski · October 19, 2015 at 9:18 am
maybe Andrew saw a short duration when Fritz bh went off and he lost confidence in it – Darian King told me he played Stefan Kozlov four times this year and said his bh is his best shot but sometimes it goes off and he slices it – remember these are teenagers playing their first ATP level matches, things will go off and will go astray – looks like Fritz has regained his backhand these last two weeks and he’s in the draw again for Vegas — Kozlov just finaled in a Belarus Futures – ranking has dropped to 500s from 300s after losing points at Nor Cal challenger where he finaled last year —
Andrew Miller · October 19, 2015 at 12:40 pm
Djokovic – another week, another title. Murray is now #2 in the rankings?
I’m pretty amazed Fritz, Tiafoe, Donaldson (this year) and Kozlov (last year) have made challenger later rounds as teenagers. They are beating good players and I like that they are impatient for winning. Their performance right now is pretty much vindicating Pat McEnroe.
If they keep this up I’ll have to say: Pat McEnroe was right when he said that generation next would make an impact on U.S. tennis’ fortunes. Personally I like backing Steve Johnson, DY, current players, but all of them – probably even Isner – will have some pressure from the new crew.
Was watching Fritz’ backhand in the videos from this year’s Indian Wells. His bh footwork and production, takeback – almost all of it looked troubled. If he’s fixed it more power to him.
Scoop Malinowski · October 19, 2015 at 1:36 pm
I don’t understand the criticism I hear on Patrick mcEnroe — some comments from fans and even respected media people just baffles me – this guy has had an incredible career in tennis – can you imagine the pressure Pmac had to endure as the younger brother of Johnny mac? He was not only a target but also extremely scrutinized yet he overcame that unique pressure and had a solid career at Stanford and a very good pro career – doubles major title and I believe SF or QF at Aussie Open in singles, some big wins and some classic matches we still remember to this day — then he won Davis Cup as a captain – wrote a book with Peter Bodo which I found to be a great book and fun read – and he’s been one of the best ESPN commentators for almost two decades now — as head of the USTA player development, yes there were some lean years (just like US Spain Russia Germany etc all have had lean years) but now there is plenty of hope and all these young ATP american teens came up under USTA in one way or another — full credit and respect to P McEnroe –
Harold · October 19, 2015 at 4:34 pm
He picked Fish over you lnow who for DC. Some people never forget. Ha ha
Scoop Malinowski · October 19, 2015 at 7:00 pm
Harold, Spadea was hitting better in practice that week than Fish in Davis Cup but he was unproven in a big pressure match and pmac opted for Fish – Spadea was a question mark to make his DC debut in such a tough assignment as playing Spain in Spain — It’s silly how people can hold that decision against Pmac – totally understandable call – also Vince was sort of an outcast loner with the team, Fish was part of the nucleus —
Moskova Moskova · October 20, 2015 at 11:06 am
spadea is an odd ball to say the least but nonetheless…..spadea aint afridaya…capice !!
Scoop Malinowski · October 20, 2015 at 1:00 pm
mm, you can say anyone who devotes their life to hitting a yellow ball is an odd ball, no? 🙂
Moskova Moskova · October 20, 2015 at 4:11 pm
true scoop…..i saw him rap on national tv and chris fowler gave him the funniest WTF look then said “okay !??” (then went to commercial)….he was rapping some lines and that rhymed with “malivai yo” or something……funny ! 🙂
btw, there are more whackos in tennis than any other sport…..why is that do you think ?…..because it’s an individual sport ? egos are bigger ? higher brain aptitude to play tennis ?
Dan Markowitz · October 22, 2015 at 7:45 am
You could say that since tennis is an individual sport players don’t become socialized into being part of a team so their personalities stand out more. But who’s a character of the current crop of American players? They’re pretty miquetoast. I could make the argument that basketball players are much characters than tennis players who tend not stand out because their sport is much baseline bashing it doesn’t foster creativity.
Moskova Moskova · October 22, 2015 at 10:41 am
havent watched basketball in awhile but rodman and barkley were characters……of course jordan the fed of basketball (or shall we say fed, the jordan of tennis ??) was subtly cocky as hell..
i thought iverson’s rapping alter-ego “JEWELS” was funny
Bryan · October 26, 2015 at 4:22 pm
“Yes Fairfield CA – think it’s the first year of the event being there – where is it Bryan? I had never heard of Fairfield CA before.”
Pardon the delayed response Scoop, I was on vacation. Fairfield is between Sacramento and San Francisco, about 40 miles east of SF. I’d heard of Fitz at the US Open and am intrigued. Would’ve been great seeing him and Brown go at it.