What a tournament, or should I say, what a statement for Rafael Nadal with his Masters Series-Monte Carlo victory.  Nadal ousted his arch rival, Roger Federer, 7-5, 7-5 for his 10th career Masters Series title, making him 4th on the all-time list, behind Andre Agassi (17), Federer (14) and Pete Sampras (11).  Nadal battled from a 0-4 deficit in the second set, en route to his 7th victory over Fed in 8 meetings on clay.  The bottom line is that Rafa is the "King of Clay"... 'enough' said. Nadal will play in Barcelona next week, where he also will chase a fourth consecutive title.  Here's what the players had to say after the match:

Call it deja vu, but it's starting to feel a lot like last year's clay court season, when Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer stormed through the competition and met in the finals at Roland Garros.  Federer took down Novak for a spot in the Monte-Carlo finals, and Rafa ousted Davydenko.  It's the second straight week that Roger has beaten a top 5 rival due to his opponent retiring during the match (Nikolay last week in the Estoril Finals, and today Novak).  Federer is “pulling all the stops” to grind through these red clay matches, and his strategies are working, courtesy of new coach Jose Higueras.  On the other hand, Nadal is playing his best tennis of the year and seems to be getting better by the day on clay; can't wait for the finals.

RESULTS

Singles - Semifinals

[1] R Federer (SUI) d [3] N Djokovic (SRB) 63 32 Retired (illness)

[2] R Nadal (ESP) d [4] N Davydenko (RUS) 63 62

Doubles - Semifinals

[4] M Bhupathi (IND) / M Knowles (BAH) d J Coetzee (RSA) / W Moodie (RSA) 60 75

R Nadal (ESP) / T Robredo (ESP) d [8] J Bjorkman (SWE) / K Ullyett (ZIM) 57 76(6) 10-7

ORDER OF PLAY - SUNDAY, APRIL 27, 2008

COURT CENTRAL start 3:00 pm
[1] R Federer (SUI) vs [2] R Nadal (ESP)

[4] M Bhupathi (IND) / M Knowles (BAH) vs R Nadal (ESP) / T Robredo (ESP)

It’s just the second time in history that the top four seeds will all compete in the semifinals of a Masters Series event – the last time was at Cincinnati in 1999 (Sampras, Agassi, Kafelnikov and Rafter).  A very gutsy win for Roger Federer, as he surpassed David Nalbandian 6-2 in the third set for a spot in the “final four.”  Fed’s clay court winning streak is now at 8 matches, and it’s unbelievable to see him battling through these 3 setters.  This seems to be the first time in nearly half a decade that Roger has shown such guts by winning consecutive matches despite not playing his best tennis.  Here’s Roger’s response after the battle:

"I rather would have won in two sets, then maybe it would have been the best match of the season.
It was a good match. I was happy with my performance.

"It's always nice playing against [Nalbandian]. And when you beat him, you always know you're playing well because he's not just going to hand it over to you."

NOVAK ROLLS

 America’s bright hope, Sam, Querrey, was no match for world #3 Novak Djokovic, dropping a 4 & 0 loss to the Serbian.  Sam would’ve had a chance on a fast hard court or on grass, but no way can his big serve and laser groundies penetrate through Novak on the red clay.  Rafael Nadal scored an impressive victory over fellow Spaniard, David Ferrer.

With all the hype surrounding the top tier events, it's easy to lose site of the extremely competitive Challenger tournaments taking place right now.  You have to be a knowledgeable tennis fan to comprehend just how tough the ATP tour is, in the sense that there are lower level Challenger and Futures tournaments going on right now, with players who could potentially go deep in Grand Slam draws.  The rule of thumb is that Challengers in America are the most competitive, or around the North American continent.  This week's Bermuda draw is extremely tough, a number of ATP tournament winners are in the field, proving just how competitive the list is (the highlighted names stood out the most, considering this is supposedly a "AAA minor league" event):

(1)Dudi Sela (ISR) d. Jan Vacek (CZE) 6-3 6-3
Kei Nishikori (JPN) d. Marcos Daniel (BRA) 2-6 6-4 6-1
Nicolas Massu (CHI) d. Daniel Kollerer (AUT) 1-6 6-3 6-4
(8)Ernests Gulbis (LAT) d. (WC)Alex Bogomolov (USA) 6-1 6-0
(4)Donald Young (USA) d. (WC)Greg Jones (AUS) 6-2 6-4
Pablo Cuevas (URU) d. Robby Ginepri (USA) 6-2 6-2
Wayne Odesnik (USA) d. (q)Noam Okun (ISR) 6-2 7-6(4)
(6)Peter Luczak (AUS) d. (WC)Peter Polansky (CAN) 6-3 2-6 6-3
(7)Marcel Granollers (ESP) d. Diego Hartfield (ARG) 6-3 6-2
Harel Levy (ISR) d. Mariano Puerta (ARG) 6-2 6-3
(q)Franco Skugor (CRO) d. (q)Scott Lipsky (USA) 6-3 6-2
Viktor Troicki (SRB) d. (3)Sergio Roitman (ARG) 3-6 6-2 6-2
(5)John Isner (USA) d. Paul Capdeville (CHI) 6-2 6-7(3) 6-4
Vince Spadea (USA) d. Andreas Haider-Maurer (AUT) 7-6(4) 6-1
(q)Nikita Kryvonos (USA) d. (LL)David Martin (USA) 7-6(8) 7-5   [Martin replaces Gaston Gaudio]
Carlos Berlocq (ARG) d. (2)Oscar Hernandez (ESP) 2-6 7-6(3) 3-0 ret.

Another action packed day at Masters Series Monte-Carlo.  World No. 1, Roger Federer continues to grind through 3 set battles early in this clay court season, as he surpasses Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo, in a third set breaker for a spot in the third round.  The Question is: Will Roger be able to outlast these guys in best of 5 set format at Roland Garros?  Regardless, it's a good win for Fed; I saw Ruben drop a tough four-setter to Canas last year at the U.S. Open, he has a solid baseline game, with an extremely solid two handed backhand.  After that match against Guillermo, it seemed like Ruben was destined for a top 25 ranking ... bottom line, Federer scored a solid victory.

Marat Safin's woes continue as he was easily ousted by Ferrer, no big surprise there; while No. 2 seed, Rafael Nadal picked up the most impressive routing of the day with an 0 & 3 whooping over Mario Ancic.  Mario favors faster courts, but that's a big confidence boost for "Camp Nadal," as they prepare to defend their French Open crown(s) in the near future.  Oh, and Nicolas Almagro won another clay court match, what else is new? 

World Team Tennis is one of the best ways to enjoy a couple of matches and get a close look at the legends and young stars of the game.  It seems that there's an interesting movement going on in The City of Brotherly Love, as their WTT Freedom's franchise will now be competing in a primetime venue at the King of Prussia Mall.  This reminds me of the University of Pennsylvania's tennis stadium which is located right in the middle of their urban campus.  I recall playing an NCAA match there once; after running for a ball, I had to leap over the bleachers, and literally bumped into a hot dog stand on the side of the street; needless to say it's a great atmosphere for tennis and it's location is a catalyst for fan support.  Watching Venus Williams and John McEnroe in this new WTT Philly Stadium should be exciting:

Philadelphia's Tennis Franchise to Build Court at KOP Mall

This summer, you’ll be able to do more than just shop at the King of Prussia Mall, you’ll be able to watch professional tennis in the mall’s parking lot.

The third largest mall in the country will become the home court for the Freedoms -- Philadelphia’s franchise in the World Team Tennis league. In mid-June, the team will begin erecting a 2,500-seat stadium in the parking lot near Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s.

The team has played at Cabrini College for the last seven years. Marketing manager Rory Paolantonio says this allows them to show off their product:

“Cabrini was beautiful, it’s a beautiful campus but it’s tucked in the woods. You can’t really see it from the road so you can’t get much more visibility than 202 right by the King of Prussia Mall where thousands of people go every day.”

Seven matches will be played there during July featuring top names like Venus Williams, Bob and Mike Bryan, and John McEnroe.

courtesy: kyw1060.com

Congratulations to Serena Williams for capturing her third straight WTA Tour title on Sunday with a 6-4 3-6 6-3 victory over Vera Zvonareva at the Family Circle Cup in Charleston.  What a great effort for the American star; she showed extreme heart to defend her Miami title, and now this proves that she can thrive on a slower clay court surface.

James Blake was less fortunate, as he was upset in the finals of Houston's US Clay Court Championship.  Spaniard Marcel Granollers, the No. 7 seed, clinched his first career ATP title as he defeated top seeded Blake 6-4, 1-6, 7-5.  It's Marcel's first ever match/win against a top 10 ranked player; what a way to win in his 8th career tournament, and first direct entry into an ATP draw.  Rumor is that Marcel celebrated by jumping in a pool with all of his tennis attire still on.  Here's what the men had to say after the match:

Granollers: “When I made 3-2, I come back very, very good, with more power. At 5-4 with my serve [it] was difficult game because I missed easy volley, but I come back good and finally I can win the match.”

Blake: “I started playing well (in the second set). It seemed like it was tougher and tougher to put balls away after that. I stopped really moving forward as much. I felt like I was trying to hit winners at the baseline instead of setting up the points and getting forward and ending them at the net. It’s tough to do against a guy who plays such good defense and moves the balls as he does. It would’ve made it tougher and tougher for me to execute what I was trying to do.” 

“It’s really tough. Right now I’m very upset about it. Very disappointed. But hopefully in a day or two I’ll think about the fact that at least I made the finals of my first clay court tournament and had chances to win it, really know I can succeed hopefully on European clay. Hopefully I’ll look at it as a good week. I’ve been much better about that in my later years on tour, and not beat myself up for too long. I’ll beat myself up right now until I get on the plane. Then hopefully Houston will be behind me, this tournament will be behind me and I’ll think about it being a positive experience.”

“I’m really happy for him. It’s now the second time this year that I’ve made the younger player’s day. It’s tough being on the receiving end of it. I know how that feels when I was young and I got to beat Agassi and win my first title against Srichaphan. It’s an exciting feeling, really it is. It definitely feels like the sky is the limit at that point, and I’m sure he’s feeling that excited right now, and I’m happy for him, but obviously I would like to thwart that and continued my successful play. He played well, fought hard, competed very well all week, and seemed to do it with good sportsmanship.”

It took nearly 3 1/2 months, but the world #1 Roger Federer finally has a 2008 title under his beat; after capturing the Estoril Open clay event.  Roger ousted the second seed Nikolay Davydenko, 7-6, 1-2.  Davydenko was forced to retire due to a muscle strain in his left leg.  Roger can breath a major sigh of relief has he now has career ATP tourney win #54.  There's more to come on this result, in the next few days here on Tennis Talk; here's what the players had to say after the match:

Federer: “It feels great to win a title again and the circumstances were unfortunate. It would have been nice for Nikolay to finish. I think it’s the first time in my life that someone has retired against me – in 70-80 finals. It was cool in the cold conditions, but it is a great start to the clay-court season to win a title.

“It’s a good week for me to start off with. I think [Higueras] is happy for me, he didn’t confuse me and we’ll be off together to Monaco for hopefully a good week there.

“Nikolay felt something at the end of the first set, I saw Nikolay holding his leg before the changeover. I congratulated on a great run in Miami, Davis Cup and it is unfortunate to celebrate a win in this way. I’m still very proud to have won this tournament.”

Davydenko: “When I ran to the left, I felt pain. I felt the muscles in my left leg stretch at the end of the first set. I went to speak to the ATP physio at the end of the tie-break and received a quick massage, but I quickly knew I could not continue. I’m playing on Wednesday in Monaco, and I’ve been told by the physio that he expects me to be okay by then.”

Speaking of fashion in tennis.  Serbian star Ana Ivanovic will now have her own postage stamp; which exhibits her tennis and modeling careers.  If you're an Ivanovic fan, just hope that she can somehow maintain her tennis focus, and stay hungry on the court, as Sharapova has been able to do, despite her modeling/public endeavors.  Ana's web site is reporting:

Ana is currently being featured on a Serbian stamp. It is a limited edition issue, specially created for the upcoming 2008 Olympic Games.

“It’s an incredible honour,” said Ana. “It's surreal. This isn't something I ever imagined would happen to me, especially when I am so young. But it's a great feeling."

The stamps, which are worth 40 dinars (approximately $0.78) and can be used like any other postage stamp, were issued on Friday 4 April. 30,000 have been produced.

The stamp is 35 x 31.90 millimetres in size and is sold with an optional envelope that also features Ana’s image.

courtesy:  anaivanovic.com

Last week you may remember here on Tennis Talk, I gave a shout out to Spain’s Nicolas Almagro, stating that he is the player to watch this season on clay.  Needless to say he’s plowing down the competition and rolling through the Valencia draw – just upset #2 seed Juan Monaco today for spot in the semi-finals.  I’ll say it again, this guy can PLAY on the dirt! 

Almagro’s clay court run reminds me of Argentina’s Guillermo Coria’s in 2004.  Coria was nearly unbeatable on clay, ultimately losing to Gaston Gaudio in a heart breaking French Open final, in which he held two match points, but fell 0-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 8-6.  During that event, Coria was rolling through names such as Tim Henman and Carlos Moya….well step aside, because Almagro is staging a similar scenario in 2008.  Of course there have been other dominant clay court players, such as Thomas Muster and Rafael Nadal, but the comparison to Coria comes due to the fact that they both came out of nowhere, and weren’t household names, even on the tennis tour. 

Nicolas proved that he’s for real this season when he ended David Nalbandian’s 10 match winning streak en route to the 2008 Acapulco clay court title.  Almagro has the best clay court record on the ATP Tour right now, and once again, watch out for the Spaniard to be a major dark horse at Roland Garros; he’s already in good position to defend his Valencia crown.

It’s the best time of year again in the world of college tennis.  The NCAA tournament is right around the corner, and all eyes are on the festive conference tournaments taking place.  To this day, some of the best memories of my life are those that I had competing for Rutgers University in the Big East Championship at the University of Miami’s Neil Schiff Tennis Complex. 

With no further adieu, here are a few notable men’s tennis teams and conferences to look for during the NCAA madness. 

The dark horse conference has to be the Big 10.  It is conference stacked with depth and talent, and that should pay off for its teams in the NCAA Big Dance.  A Big 10 team with a winning record during regular season conference play is deserving of an at-large bid.  That puts programs such as Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois and Penn State into the draw.  Speaking of the OSU Buckeyes, they are clearly the best of the bunch.  Steven Moneke has complied an impressive 26-6 singles record, ultimately leading his team to an undefeated regular season conference record.  The only set back for OSU came back in February when they fell prey to top-ranked Virginia.  The Cavaliers may have won that dual 4-1, but expect to see the Buckeyes hungry for revenge at the Big Dance, and ready to return the favor to UVA.  The true conference sleeper has to be Penn State.  The Nittany Lions won their last 4 conference dual matches, only dropping one point (in their 6-1 victory over #74 Purdue).  Watch for the Big 10 to be battle tested, and extremely prepared for the NCAA tournament.

No surprise here, but the same can be said for the lethal PAC-10 Conference.  UCLA and USC represented the Los Angeles area in style, owning the top two spots in the regular season conference rankings; and those are two programs are heading for the NCAA Final Four if the draw permits.  Elsewhere, Stanford is playing inspired tennis.  The Cardinal dropped a heart-breaking 4-3 loss to Arizona State earlier in their season, but they have since picked up the pace with victories over Arizona, Washington and Oregon.  Call me old-fashioned, but Stanford is still the crown jewel of college tennis.  With veteran players like Matt Bruch and Blake Muller in the line-up, Coach John Whitlinger will have his team ready to go deep in the NCAA team competition. 

How about the all mighty SEC, ACC and Big 12 conferences? Of course they will be well represented with a slew of national title contenders.  Out of the SEC, you have the big guns: Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee, all in the top 10, and all with a legitimate shot at making the elite eight or final four.  Of the three, you have to consider UGA the strongest contender.  In the Big 12, there are Texas, Texas Tech and Baylor hanging tough; I would consider them to be dark horses in the up coming national draw, especially the BU Bears.  They had a “suspect” conference regular season, but that can happen to any program in the Big 12.  With the senior leadership of Lars Poershke, the Bears will be in the hunt come tourney time.

As for the ACC, it speaks for itself.  UVA is the team to beat this season with a perfect record.  As I always like to say, “anything can happen in NCAA sports,” and the Cavaliers are anything but immune to a potential upset.  Just look at their record: they squeaked out 4-3 victories over UCLA, Kentucky and Illinois, and as I mentioned the OSU Buckeyes are hunting for revenge.  The potential Cinderella stories out of the ACC come in the form of Florida State and North Carolina.  On paper, they don’t have much of a chance against the top three teams (UVA, OSU, UGA), but the Noles and Tar Heels have survived a number of tough regular season conference dual matches, which could spark some momentum for a run deep into the NCAA Big Dance.

Another conference to keep an eye on is of course the Ivy League.  As of now, it appears that Brown, Harvard, UPenn and Princeton will be in a tightly contested race for the conference crown.  The Ivies don't play a conference tournament; usually the team that wins the regular season is competing at a top 25 national level.

And finally, would it be a “Cicma College Commentary” without a plug for the Big East?  Long-time South Florida Coach Don Barr said recently: “All the Big East teams are getting stronger and stronger,” and he couldn’t have said it better.  Don probably won’t remember this, but he coached me many years ago while training at Ed Krass’ college tennis camp in Tampa, and it’s good to see Don still hanging tough with the USF Bulls.  The bottom line is that Notre Dame, Louisville and USF are top 20 caliber teams that can do some serious damage come NCAA tourney time.  It’s also exciting to see that the conference expanded its tournament field to all 9 teams!  In a time when budget cuts/Athletics Directors are unfairly wiping out college tennis teams for no reason, I tip my hat to the Big East Conference for letting more athletes compete!  Speaking of which, good luck to the University of Rhode Island men's tennis team which is scheduled to be eliminated at the end of this season.  A program that needs less than $50,000 to run, it’s unfortunate to see.

FINAL THOUGHT 

In essence, there are a number of extremely talented programs ready to vie for a national NCAA team title.  The top conferences that can produce a champion are the SEC, BIG 10, ACC, BIG 12 and PAC 10.  But hey, “its college tennis and anything can happen!”

James Blake passed a major test in his opening round at the US Clay Court Championships in Houston.  The top seeded American was able to outlast Japanese star, Kei Nishikori, 6-4, 6-4 - earning revenge for his loss at Delray Beach 2 months ago.  You may remember Nishikori shocking the tennis world when he stormed through the qualifying rounds and upset James for his first career title (Delray); for James to return the favor on clay is impressive:

"It definitely feels good any time you can avenge a loss,'' Blake said. "He's an excellent player, and 18 years old, he's got a huge learning curve and will continue to get better.''

A tournament victory for James in Houston would make a major statement on tour, proving that the American can finally be placed on the "favorites list" at the 2008 French Open.  Many "J-Block fans" are wondering when James will finally break through and have a magical run, en route to his first Grand Slam title.  Realistically, his game is suited to win 'down under' at the Australian Open, on the fast grass courts of Wimbledon, or in his home town, on the quick hard courts at Flushing Meadows....however a French Open title seems a bit far-fetched. 

Blake's serve is big enough to win on any surface, his forehand is equally as dangerous, but the major weakness for James on clay is his one-handed backhand.  He has a very hard time producing topspin off that stroke in order to generate an effective ball on clay.  Furthermore, his slice often lacks the "action/spin" needed to really wreak havoc at Roland Garros.  Of course it's a world class backhand, which is why he is one of the best players on tour, however, when comparing his topspin to Rafael Nadal, there is a clear cut difference/drop off.  With that being said, a win this week in Houston will establish that James can in fact win on the “slow stuff” (green clay), and potentially give American tennis fans something to cheer about in a few weeks when the French Open rolls around.

Serena is still rolling; the 5th seed scored an impressive victory over Gisela Dulko, in what appeared to be a very tough second round match-up.  Russia's Anna Chakvetdaze continues her roller coaster season in 2008, the young Russian exits Charleston early at the hands of Sorana Cirstea.  Dinara Safina and Agnes Szavay held their 5th seed in the opening round of doubles, with a nail biting victory over the American wildcard tandem of Glatch/Lepchenko.  Here's the complete tournament rundown:

Results - Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Singles - Second Round
Sorana Cirstea (ROU) d. (3) Anna Chakvetadze (RUS) 62 16 62
(5) Serena Williams (USA) d. Gisela Dulko (ARG) 63 64
(6) Marion Bartoli (FRA) d. Casey Dellacqua (AUS) 75 46 61
(8) Dinara Safina (RUS) d. Lourdes Domínguez Lino (ESP) 61 64
(10) Agnes Szavay (HUN) d. Ai Sugiyama (JPN) 75 36 64

Singles - First Round
(13) Victoria Azarenka (BLR) d. (Q) Chanelle Scheepers (RSA) 61 60
Tatiana Perebiynis (UKR) d. (14) Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP) 46 60 75
Anastasia Rodionova (RUS) d. (15) Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) 64 10 ret. (low back injury)
Alizé Cornet (FRA) d. (16) Michaella Krajicek (NED) 63 36 64
Olga Govortsova (BLR) d. Elena Vesnina (RUS) 63 62
Aravane Rezai (FRA) d. Milagros Sequera (VEN) 64 46 75
Jill Craybas (USA) d. (Q) Varvara Lepchenko (USA) 62 62
Edina Gallovits (ROU) d. Meghann Shaughnessy (USA) 63 30 ret. (left knee injury)
Virginia Ruano Pascual (ESP) d. Olga Puchkova (RUS) 46 75 60
(WC) Bethanie Mattek (USA) d. Yuan Meng (CHN) 63 46 62

Doubles - First Round
(5) Safina/Szavay (RUS/HUN) d. (WC) Glatch/Lepchenko (USA/USA) 61 36 103 (Match TB)
(7) Medina Garrigues/Ruano Pascual (ESP/ESP) d. A.Radwanska/Zahlavova Strycova (POL/CZE) 57 76(8) 107 (Match TB)
King/Sun (USA/CHN) d. Haynes/Sequera (USA/VEN) 64 63

So Andy Roddick only has one Grand Slam title to his name.....so he’s never going to surpass Pete Sampras’ all time record of 14 major titles, but the fact remains; A-Rod is an American sports hero.  Andy’s recent Davis Cup clinching victory over Paul-Henri Mathieu shows just how much heart the 25 year-old has, and how much passion he has for the game.  Here are prime examples of why Roddick is paving the way towards a heroic American sports resume:

• A true patriot: Andy is 10-0 life time in clinching Davis Cup match situations; showing that he can play under pressure and rise to the occasion when his country calls.
• He has a 29-9 career Davis Cup record, trailing only John McEnroe (41) and Andre Agassi (30).  It’s inevitable that A-Rod will match Andre, and could very well leap over Johnny Mac’s record, needless to say that is an impressive list of legends
• Shows class in the eye of criticism:  We all remember the “What happened to Andy’s Mojo” days at the 2005 US Open.  That was the low point of Andy’s career, as the commercial played throughout the tournament, while he watched on the sidelines after an embarrassing first round loss.  Many people considered Roddick's career to be "finished” at that point, but Andy faced the ridicule with class, and continues to rise to the occasion and hang in the top 5. 
• An over-achiever:  If you speak with Andy, or read any interview that he’s done, he will mention how grateful he is to be ranked in the top 5, and that fact that he would’ve been pleased with a consistent top 100 ATP career.  A-Rod's game skyrocked "overnight" in the USTA juniors.  I remember my tennis friends (who were ranked in the top 50 nationally) used to call me after a junior tournament saying “I lost to Roddick in 3 sets” or “I beat Roddick for a pretty solid win.”  These players ended up having solid NCAA college careers; while Andy, literally went on to win a US Open less than 24 months later.  We still talk about it to this day, how he was able to make such leaps in his game; going from losing to USTA juniors, to beating top pros “overnight."
• Love for the:  The main reason that Roddick will have great longevity on tour and continued success is because he genuinely loves the sport of tennis, as if he were a fan on the sidelines.  While most pro players chose not to watch tennis during their time away from the game, Roddick can often be seen, during his days off, watching a match or cheering on his friends on tour. 
• Not scared to make bold moves: A-Rod is engaged to be married, (what more can you say).
• He “is” American Men’s Tennis:  Along with James Blake, A-Rod has carried the torch for American tennis for half a decade, and has kept U.S. fans interested.  When I was working in TV out in Iowa, it wasn’t a huge tennis community; the Hawkeyes and Corn Huskers ruled the football scene.  Regardless, Andy’s picture continued to pop up on the local news, and on billboards, because of his tie to Omaha and loyalty to Nebraska sports; just one example of how popular he is around American sports. 

FINAL THOUGHT

Andy has faced a lot of negative press since winning his first and only grand slam trophy 5 years ago, but he has maintained his confidence, and will continue to let his racquet do the talking for years to come.

So Roger Federer is now working with the legendary coach, Jose Higueras....this is a major sign that the world #1 is "feeling the heat" as the summer grand slams approach.  Fed hasn’t won a tournament this season, and as dropped a number of heart breaking matches in an uncharacteristic fashion; most notably his straight set defeat at the hands of 98^th ranked Mardy Fish in Indian Wells.

It’s understandable for Roger to bring on a coach, as respected as Higueras; but let’s not forget; throughout the first few years of Roger’s career, he played without a coach and without an agent; he's a player that can produce grand slam titles without a coach, so why the need now? 

If nothing else, Roger's decision to sign Jose is a clue that his over his mono, and he truly feels the need for some veteran guidance.  On the bright side, this is exactly what Federer needs right now: someone in his corner, who can analyze the Djokovics, Nadals, Roddicks, and Murray’s during a tournament, and give Roger an “extra set of eyes.”  It’s clear that players are now better prepared for what Fed brings to the table, they’ve studied their “game tape.”....so it's time for Higueras to add a newer element to Roger’s game (mental and physical), which will freshen up his results.  Higueras did wonders for Jim Courier, and can do the same for Fed.

FINAL THOUGHT

Roger has subconsciously pushed the "2008 panic botton" by signing a new coach, but the good news for him is that is will most likely pay off this summer.

Every year during this time, when I prepare the nightly TV sportscasts, I ponder how to fit all the sports news of the day into the 3 minutes given to us by the news producers.  We have the Red Sox, Yankees, Celtics, Bruins, the PGA Masters, the NFL draft and the list goes on; needless to say, the Davis Cup results don't make the show, and very rarely do tennis fans bother complaining.  As a tennis player and fan, sometimes it's sad to see this.  So now the 2008 Davis Cup has arrived, and unfortunately it’s not making major headlines in the world of sports- however, this is a problem that can be fixed. 

The major issues facing the Davis Cup are that it happens sporadically throughout each year, and there is too much time separating each tie/match; ultimately dulling the build up to the finals.  It’s one of the most prestigious events in tennis, and country bragging rights are on the line, yet tennis fans aren’t marking their calendars for the Davis Cup as they would for Wimbledon or the US Open.  Here’s what we can do to give the Davis Cup some hype throughout the world of sports:

1)      Schedule the tournament to take place every other year, not every year.  This would not only build anticipation, but will also give the players some extra breathing room during the “off-year,” considering the ATP schedule is jam packed as it is, with virtually no off-season (Soccer's World Cup is every four years, and ultimately one of the most successful sports events).

2)       Make it a two week bracketed tournament, from beginning to end, similar to a grand slam event.  This will give countries a better chance to field their best team, and will show which country truly has “the best” program.  As of now, countries have to "pull teeth" to try to field players every few months, ultimately setting forth mixed teams.  A two week event will prevent any scheduling confusion, and less conflicts….two weeks and the whole Davis Cup is complete; then wait 24 months for the next one.  This will also give the media more bang for their buck while covering the tournament; two exciting weeks of Davis Cup coverage, opposed to matches spread throughout the season. 

3)       Give ranking points to players based on their wins in the Davis Cup, and add some prize money.  It’s not that the players need any more inspiration to represent their countries, but it wouldn’t hurt to give a few extra incentives.

Andy Roddick has already withdrawn from the 2008 Summer Olympics in order to focus on the US Open, yet he's among the most patriotic Davis Cup players, just one example of how special this event is to the players.  It's unfortunate to not see the Davis Cup getting the publicity it deserves throughout the world of sports.

Here's an inside scoop on the Davis Cup Trophy, won't want to miss it:

When Lindsay Davenport announced her comeback to the WTA Tour, it didn't seem feasible that she would be able to hang with the rising crop of young talent in women's tennis.  There were too many names, such as Henin, Williams, Sharapova, Jankovic and Ivanovic standing in her way....but the American legend is proving this thought to be bogus.

Yesterday Davenport continued her quest for a 4th Amelia Island trophy with an impressive 6-2, 6-3 routing over Vania King.  Furthermore, who can forget the whooping she put on Ivanovic last week in Miami?  It was uncanny to see the 31-year-old dominate the hottest young player in women's tennis, at the 5th grand slam; it seemed like we were going back in time, watching the Davenport of old.  To be honest, it's among one of the biggest surprises of the season, or better yet, the biggest statements of the season.

Lindsay is an inspiration to all veterans playing pro tennis, as she is playing such quality ball despite nagging back injuries, and despite taking care of her 9-month old son.  After yesterday's match the star studded mom gave some motherly words of wisdom:

"My son's been sick now for like four days,'' Davenport said. "So he's been having a tough time. When you get less sleep, you kind of get more homesick. I just keep telling him, `A couple more days, a couple more weeks.'''

It's great to see Lindsay hanging in, and very promising for the game of tennis!

Here's a recent interview with Tom Gullikson ; the former Davis Cup Captain and Olympic Coach of Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi.  It was nice catching up on the current state of the game, also recapping Andy Roddick's two titles in 2008, the subject of Roger Federer and a few American women; enjoy hearing what the legendary coach has to say.

It's that time of year for the long epic battles, the baseline grinds, the dirty socks, loud grunts and memorable matches...the clay court season has arrived!

Adding to the excitement is the fact that Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer both haven't won titles thus far in 2008.  It's the first time in 11 years that the top two players enter the European clay-court season without winning a title, after three months of play.

Expect to see Rafa break this drought, as he has played inspired hard court tennis and is still "The King of Clay."  Federer will be more hard pressed to produce his first 2008 trophy during the "dirt season".  Granted, Roger is an exceptional clay court player, proven by his run to the French Open finals last year, however, the competition has never been tougher on his least favorite surface.  Roger doesn't enjoy playing guys such as Nalbandian, Fabrice Santoro and other grinders who move him side to side, forcing him to generate his own power off the ground.  Furthermore, there are other potentially dangerous names in Roger's way, such as Nicolas Almagro, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic, to name a few. 

"Fed" will most likely see his results improve as the clay season progresses, as he has a lot to prove.  Critics are questioning his heart, dedication, his reign and ability to dominate the tour as he once did; all things that will stir a fire in the World #1's heart and serve as a catalyst for more focused play.

It's interesting to see Rafa and Fed without titles thus far, but the clay schedule will most likely help change that losing trend

The clay court season is quickly approaching, and there has been little talk about one Spanish player who is making a major splash in 2008...Nicolas Almagro.  At #23 in the world, the 22-year-old boasts the best clay court record on the ATP tour with 14 wins and one loss; he also dominated the Latin American circuit in style, with tournament victories in Costa do Sauipe and Acapulco.  While in Acapulco, the Spaniard proved that he can shine on the grand stage, by upsetting David Nalbandian, ending the Argentine's 10 match winning streak.

He is also improving by the day: In 2007 Almagro earned his best season by winning a career-high 34 matches and finishing in Top 30 for first time.  Nicolas earned partial Spanish bragging rights, by beating fellow countryman, Carlos Moya, for the Brazilian title in February.  Almagro is often over shadowed by names such as Robredo, Ferrero, Ferrer and Nadal, but that won't be the case as the season continues.

He plays with fire, battles with class, and is sneaking up on all top players on the men's tour....the red clay grinds are coming up, and Almagro will continue to make is presence felt in 2008.

The Spanish baseline battler, Felix Mantilla has finally stepped down from the ATP Tour.  The former top 10 player had a memorable run on the circuit, and most importantly showed guts, faith and determination by recently winning a bout with skin cancer.  Mantilla earned a 313-218 ATP match record and 10 clay titles...here's what Felix had to say about stepping down:

 "It was more psychological. I was afraid to be playing. I didn't like it. Maybe it's the reaction that happens when you have the shock, the doctor tells you that you can die and you say, 'Wait, I am going to try to enjoy my life like I want.' In that moment, tennis was not the first priority."

Tip your hat to Mantilla on a strong hard fought ATP career.

So with the Sony Ericsson complete, the newest ATP rankings are out for the week.  Nikolay Davydenko is a strong #4 after his first title of the season, and Nadal is just 670 points behind Roger Federer for the top spot in the world.  Interesting movement, last year's Key Biscayne Finalist, Guillermo Canas is just barely in the top 25, as he couldn't repeat the same performance in 2008. 

Jo Wilfried Tsonga is at #13, he is dangerous, some people are comparing his game to Marat Safin, due to his size and monstrous two fisted backhand; watch out for the young Frenchman throughout the remainder of the season.  No big moves for Andy Roddick despite the huge victory over "Fed" in Miami. Tomas Berdych is inside at #9, but has a long way to go before being considered a top 5 caliber player, his biggest weakness is lack of heart and desire on the court; remember last year when Tomas pulled out of the US Open due to "feeling tired"? 

Expect to see Tomas exiting early at Roland Garros in 2008.  How about Andy Murray dropping 9 spots to #22?!  I wouldn't want to be the top seed who has to face him early in a tournament.