To HoF, or Not to HoF #2
The roster of history's tennis Hall of Famers is long. But shouldn't it be even longer?
Rather than review all the photos of a recently-crowned new Indian Wells champ (surely previewing her being crowned a first-time slam champ at some point over the next year, right?), or recap what would have been the early rounds of play in Miami, Backspin continues to update the "Hall of Fame worthy" lists of players both past and present whose careers and contributions are great enough to garner consideration -- and possible debate -- when it comes to inclusion in the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island.
In Part 2, I'll highlight those retired and active contenders who would *seem* to be in good standing because of what they've accomplished so far, or *could* dole out vs. their opponents between the lines in the very near future. Unlike *most* of last week's lists, the pro and con arguments for many of these individuals are likely even more balanced, with some seemingly forever trapped in the tennis purgatory between immortality and a career that will probably be gradually forgotten over the course of time, with the occasional appearance of the names of some now well-known individuals on numerous old title lists eventually becoming the only hopeful future moment when the "discovery" of their past exploits might spark the inquisitive nature of an unnamed soul perusing the annals of past champions.
So, in some ways, I guess this effort now transforms into something of a time machine trip to the instance of a... ummm, *future* time machine trip initiated by another Backspinner-like record book scavenger?
Does that make sense? Well, at any rate, I promise *this* post's discussion will be devoid of any scapegoating, excuse-making, gloating, harebrained ideas or threats to sacrifice innocent lives in order for personal gain. We get enough of *that* the rest of the week.
ORANGE - retired 5-10 years (eligible for HOF)
RED - retired less than 5 years (not yet eligible in '20)
BLUE - more than 10 years past retirement
PURPLE - group entry/special class
Samantha Stosur - with so many memories of Stosur centering around things she *hasn't* done, it's easy to forget that she's in a select group. Since she had so much doubles success before hitting her stride as a late-blooming singles player, the Aussie is one of just four women in her generation who have won slam titles in singles, doubles and mixed. The others are named Williams, Williams and Hingis. Even as a two-time slam runner-up, and a champion at the U.S. Open in 2011 (def. Serena to become the first Aussie slam champ since '80, as well as the first player other than V.Williams and Sharapova to defeat Williams in the first 25 major finals of her career), Stosur's HoF case is made on her versatility. She's added 26 doubles titles (w/ 3 slams, her most recent at the '19 AO with Zhang Shuai, and 2 WTAF) to her nine in singles, reaching doubles #1 to her singles #4, and picked up three mixed slams, as well. Early in her pre-singles focus career, she was a *dominant* big match doubles star, going 22-4 in WD finals from 2004-07, and 9-0 in Premier Mandatory/P5's from 2005-07. Stosur may need another "signature" moment to assure her Newport spot. She was maybe a win away from such a thing in the 2019 Fed Cup Final's deciding doubles match (she and Ash Barty lost to Garcia/Mladenovic), but maybe it could *still* be achieved via a Career Doubles Slam. The Aussie only needs Wimbledon (3 RU).
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Diede de Groot - with a social media handle of "Diede the Great," de Groot was mentored by Esther Vergeer and always seemed set to follow in her countrywoman's footsteps. So far, she's lived up to the hype. De Groot reached the #1 WC ranking in March '18, and a season later she became the first player in the sport's history to have won all eight slam s/d titles (the Wimbledon singles didn't start until '16, well after Vergeer's retirement) and at the close of the event was the reigning champion in every discipline (only Vergeer, with seven events, had accomplished the feat before her). Only a three-set final loss at Wimbledon, where she'd won the title in 2017-18, prevented de Groot from a sweeping all slam competition that season (she won a Doubles Slam with Aniek Van Koot, who defeated her in the SW19 final). She reached and won five of the six s/d finals at the Wheelchair Masters events from 2017-19, as well, sweeping the crowns in '17 and '19.
In all, de Groot has reached the finals of 21 of the 24 slam competitions in which she's played (10/12 singles, 11/12 doubles) and, while she currently denies the realistic nature of the quest (and opened '20 by shockingly being upset in her first AO match), she very well could surpass a few of her mentor's "unreachable" career title marks. Her fifteen slam titles in the final three years of the 2010's equaled that of Vergeer in the decade's first three years, right down to the 7s/8d split.
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Ekaterina Makarova (retired 2020)/Elena Vesnina - Is *almost* enough? Masters of the big events, the Russians claimed three different slams and only needed (prior to Makarova's '20 retirement, following Vesnina's two-year absence while becoming a mother) a title at the Australian Open to become the first women's duo to win all four majors, the WTAF and Olympic Gold as a pair. They spent five weeks as co-#1's in mid-2018, but never played a match as the top-ranked players in the world. While it would take a unretirement from Makarova for the duo to get their final piece to the puzzle (they reached two AO finals, including in their final slam together in '18), Vesnina might still return to complete *her* set with another partner. As a bonus, both won a MX slam crown and had singles success. Vesnina reached the Wimbledon semis (2016) and won Indian Wells (ranking as high as #13), while Makarova reached two major semis ('14 US/'15 AO), won seven Premier Mandatory/P5 titles and topped out at #8 in the world.
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Jiske Griffioen - an accomplished wheelchair player who competed -- and won -- in both the Vergeer and current de Groot/Kamiji eras, the Dutch woman fell just one major title short (U.S. singles) of becoming the first WC player to win all eight slam titles (countrywoman de Groot did it in '19). Still, she won four slam singles (was the first Wimbledon WC singles champ in '16 -- but, of course, won zero singles majors during Vergeer's era) and fourteen doubles crowns (six *with* Vergeer), two Masters titles (+7 WD, five w/ Vergeer) and swept the Paralympic Golds in 2016. Griffioen retired in 2017, no longer having the "fire" to compete, but returned to the WC circuit in 2019.
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Yui Kamiji - while Kamiji's time on the wheelchair tour has overlapped the careers of fellow #1-ranked Dutch players Jiske Griffioen and Diede de Groot, she's managed to grab seven singles slams between 2014-20, as well as having one Masters win. Her even *more* impressive numbers have come in doubles, where she's combined with various partners (10 times w/ Jordanne Whiley) to win 15 majors (and two Doubles Masters crowns). Her 22 total slam wins stand behind only Vergeer in the history of the sport, and since the end of Vergeer's career, Kamiji's 15 slam singles finals lead the tour. She hasn't had huge Paralympic success thus far, winning only Bronze in '16 (and w/o a high-level Japanese doubles partner to allow her to compete vs. the multiple Dutch duos). Though she's never reached the Wimbledon singles final in four tries, Kamiji remains a SW19 title short of joining de Groot as the only WC player to claim all eight slam titles in a career.
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Garbine Muguruza - it *shouldn't* be a question, should it? Not with TWO slams, a #1 ranking, AND a rare ability to take down Williams sisters in majors. But the Venezuelan-born Spaniard doesn't really complete too many missions anywhere OTHER than at the slams. Two of her seven career titles (and one-third of her 12 finals) have come in slams... and she's beaten both Serena and Venus to win them. But, still, to "Mugu" carries a negative connotation, due to multiple years of sometimes barely-there performances. Two years ago, Garbi really needed to "clutter" up her career resume a bit more to avoid being the "biggest-winning underachiever" in history. Her only two titles since 2017 came in International events in Monterrey. But her early '20 stretch, during which she reached career slam final #4 in Melbourne, was a good start to her coaching partnership with new Hall of Famer Conchita Martinez. Even if she never returns to her one-time glory, Muguruza's numbers will *probably* grant her a pass into Newport at some point, but it's what she does next that will determine whether it'll only come after maybe the longest wait *ever* for a multi-slam winning former #1.
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Rennae Stubbs (retired 2011) - I moved Stubbs down significantly since the last list, as a few singles players (Halep,Kerber) have surpassed her candidacy or solidified (Wozniacki,Kvitova) their own. Still relevant and present as a commentator (and sometimes-coach), the Aussie was a doubles #1 (but only for three weeks, the fewest ever), won 60 titles, including four slams (3 w/ Raymond, 1 w/ Black) and two mixed majors. Already retired nearly a decade, Stubbs' wait has already gotten a bit long... and it will probably last a good deal longer. But the numbers *are* there, as long as she doesn't get lost in the wake of the recent/current generation of singles players (or groundbreaking, mostly-doubles icons like Mirza) who'll start to flood into the Newport facility a few years from now. If she does, she may find herself on the outside looking in while a few others with comparatively "lesser" accomplishments possibly walk on through the doors.
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Ana Ivanovic (retired 2016) and Jelena Jankovic (????, but hasn't played since 2017) - personally, AnaIvo never felt like a Hall of Famer to me, even with a #1 ranking and slam win. Others would say the same for her singles slam-less countrywoman Jankovic. If Ivanovic gets in anytime soon, it'll likely be a case of popularity winning out over sensibility; but if JJ does it would be a time to rejoice, for the oddball and glorious will have quite apparently inherited the earth. Still, the #1/slam winner combination for AnaIvo, though Jankovic arguably had the better *overall* career, is a hard and rare combination to overlook forever.
Ivanovic reached more slam finals (3) and won Roland Garros in '08 (def. JJ in the semis), but Jankovic's numbers are better in virtually every other category. JJ reached just one slam final, but posted six SF+ results at majors to Ivanovic's five (it took Ana seven years to reach such a stage again after her win in Paris). They both took Serbia to the '12 Fed Cup final, and their tour singles titles were equal, though Ivanovic's win percentage (15-8 vs. 15-21) was far better, but Jankovic won more high Premier crowns (6 to 3, with Ivanovic winning none after taking RG), had slightly more Top 10 wins (50 to 48), was #1 for more weeks (18 vs. 12), had five Top 10 seasons (four in a row from 2007-10) to three (with a five-year drought between them), and maybe most damningly, completed a season-ending #1 campaign in the very year AnaIvo (who never did it) reached #1 and won her lone major. Jankovic also added a slam MX title (Wimbledon '07), and two WD wins on tour, vs. none for Ivanovic. And, let's be honest, the absence of the unique Jankovic from the tour in recent seasons has been felt quite a bit more than that of Ivanovic, who simply slipped away without anyone *really* recognizing she was gone.
Nonetheless, you get the feeling that Ivanovic has the better odds to reach Newport. One wonders, if *she* gets in, does that mean that JJ will follow?
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Aniek Van Koot - the first player to (briefly) ascend to the top of the wheelchair tennis pyramid after Esther Vergeer's retirement following the 2012 Paralympics, Van Koot rose to #1 and won two singles majors in 2013. She's since spent the rest of her time succeeding in the long shadows of a series of other dominant (eventual) singles #1 players, from Yui Kamiji to Jiske Griffioen to Diede de Groot. Van Koot won her first three doubles slams before Vergeer's exit, and she had a hand in denying her countrywoman completing an undefeated slam career. While Van Koot's first win ('10 AO) came without Vergeer in the draw, her second and third came while being on the court during two of Vergeer's three career slam defeats -- all in doubles. In 2010, Van Koot & Daniela Di Toro defeated Vergeer & Sharon Walraven in the Roland Garros final, and in '12 she teamed with Griffioen to hand Vergeer (w/ Marjolein Buis) a defeat in her final major in the semis of Wimbledon.
Starting in 2013, Van Koot added twelve more doubles slams, including two completed Grand Slams in '13 (w/ Griffioen) and '19 (w/ de Groot), won three of her four career Masters Doubles crowns in '15/'18-19, and Paralympic doubles Gold (w/ Griffioen) in '16. She won back-to-back Paralympic singles Silvers in '12 and '16, losing in finals to Vergeer and Griffioen. In 2019, Van Koot had "her moment" as she upset de Groot in the Wimbledon final, denying her countrywoman and doubles partner what would have been the sport's first clean season sweep of all eight slam titles (and s/d Masters, as the pair went on to win that, too). The six-year gap between Van Koot's second and third slam singles wins is the longest in the WC tennis history. Her eighteen career slams rank third all-time behind Vergeer and Kamiji.
Van Koot is still only 29, with perhaps quite a few more years to add to her totals, though one suspects that since she's always existed somewhat in the shadows of others -- not to mention the, quite honestly, especially unfair four-year waiting period between classes in which WC athletes are eligible, considering they, too, are *every-year* competitors -- Van Koot's wait will likely be numbered not in years, but decades.
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Dinara Safina (retired 2014) - the second Russian (after Sharapova) to reach WTA #1, Safina may go down as one of the few top-ranked singles stars not inducted in Newport. Half of the only sister/brother (Marat, a Hall of Famer in 2016) duo to both reach singles #1, Dinara won twelve singles titles, Olympic Silver (in the '08 Russian medal sweep), one slam WD ('07 US), five high Premier events, and reached three slam finals and had a hand (w/ Elena Dementieva) in the deciding doubles win that claimed the Fed Cup Final title in '05 vs. France. She's an interesting case, but she's known more for her cover-your-eyes performances in those finals (she won sixteen games -- combined), and likely always will be. Perhaps a successful career as a coach will give her candidacy a long-range boost.
Wendy Turnbull (retired 1989) - one of the more forgotten players of her era, the Aussie played into the late 1980's, though most of her biggest results came a decade earlier. A stalwart during Australia's still relevant Fed Cup years in the late 1970s/early 1980s, Turnbull is the nation's all-time leader in total wins, doubles wins and ties played in the competition (she played in five finals, including four straight, all losses by the Aussies to either the U.S. or the Czechs). On tour, Turnbull ranked as high as #3 in singles and #5 in doubles, reaching three slam singles finals and winning four slam doubles crowns, coming just an AO title short (she reached two finals) of a Career Doubles Slam, and claiming an Olympic Bronze. She picked up ten singles titles and nearly 500 match wins, along with 55 in doubles (w/ 650+ wins), as well as five MX slams (her only miss was, again, her home slam), puts her slightly below (save for any FC titles) the likes of the recently-enshrined, singles slam-less Helena Sukova. The Czech won ten singles and 69 doubles titles, including 9 WD/5 MX slams, reached four slam singles finals, won two Olympic Silvers, and was a part of four Fed Cup championship squads. Sukova, often underappreciated during the Navratilova/Evert+young Graf era, played her last match nine years *after* Turnbull, though, and *still* took twenty years to get in. The Aussie passed that number nearly a decade ago, and the recent elimination of the Master Player category (retired 20+ years), and the new ineligibility of such players for the remaining Player category, could mean that Turnbull is forever shutout of the Hall, save for the creation of something akin to a "Seniors Committee" for overlooked non-enshrined players from eras past, something which doesn't seem to have been included in the reworking of the voting process a couple of years ago..
Elena Dementieva (retired 2010) - the Russian retired as the mostly-agreed-upon "best player without a slam title." Nearly a decade after her retirement, she may still hold the "honor." Bedeviled by service problems most of her career, Dementieva persevered (and improved) while her groundstrokes were enough to get to her into a a pair of slam finals (both in 2004, where she lost to countrywomen Anastasia Myskina and Svetlana Kuznetsova). She won Olympic Silver in '00, then eight years later came back and won Gold, leading a Hordette sweep of the medal stand, before stunning the tour with her sudden retirement announcement at the year-end championships two years later. In all, Dementieva won 16 singles titles (+6 WD), reached #3 (WS) and #5 (WD), advanced to the SF-or-better at nine majors (including five of her final 9 from 2008-10), and was 22-5 in Fed Cup singles (claiming all three points in the 2005 final vs. FRA, defeating Hall of Fames Mary Pierce and Amelie Mauresmo, then teaming with Dinara Safina in the deciding doubles).
When she retired at age 29, it seemed the Russian was foregoing the chance to add the slam icing to her career cake, even if she *did* say she felt winning Gold for her country was worth *more* than a major title. Still, the absence of a slam seemed to forever leave her just short of tennis immortality (or, you know, an induction-worthy career). Has anything changed since her exit? Well, not really. If Caroline Wozniacki *hadn't* finally won a major, yet still maybe got inducted anyway, it may have altered the course of Dementieva's candidacy. But since the Dane took the AO in 2018, the Russian still stands alone (though the likes of a player such as the slam-less, former #1 and multi-FC champ Karolina Pliskova is currently playing in the same proverbial "is-she-or-isn't-she?" sandbox).
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Virginia Ruzici (retired 1987) - already past the 20-year eligibility rule (which apparently now renders any overlooked tennis gems as unworthy in the eyes of the Hall, though players from the 1930's and 1940's -- Margaret "Peggy" Scriven and Yvon Petra -- was just inducted in 2016), Ruzici's fate may be sealed. But it's worth noting that she's much more than just "Simona Halep's business manager." For forty years, until Halep's win in 2018, she was the only Romanian woman to ever win a slam singles crown. In 1978, Ruzici won both the Roland Garros singles and doubles titles, *and* reached the MX final. She returned to the final in Paris two years later. A winner of 12 singles titles in her career, as well as 16 in doubles, she was also a RG semifinalist in '76. In the QF of the 1980 Wimbledon, Ruzici's opponent Evonne Goolagong injured her ankle and collapsed on the court, leading her husband to rush to the court to help, thereby defaulting the Aussie. Showing rare sportswomanship, Ruzici overruled the decision and agreed to continue the match, which she lost 7-5/6-3 as Goolagong went on to win the title two matches later. Additionally, it's been reported that none other than Richard Williams, upon seeing Ruzici win a title in Salt Lake City in 1980, was inspired to teach his daughters the sport of tennis. You may have heard of them.
Francesca Schiavone (retired 2018) - while fellow Italian Quartet members Errani/Vinci (Career Doubles Slam) and Flavia Pennetta (U.S. Open title, *and* many big-time doubles crowns) have legit cases for finding their ways into Newport, what of Schiavone, the *first* woman from the nation to win a slam singles crown? Her 2010 run at Roland Garros was both exhilarating and groundbreaking, and the grit and guile Schiavone showed en route defined her entire career. But she only won seven other singles titles (coming up a match short of defending her win in the '11 final Paris), and her doubles success (Top 10, 7 titles and one slam final) is largely seen as secondary. Though she was a member of three Fed Cup champions (Schiavone is Italy's leader in wins in the competition), is (to date) the last woman with a one-handed backhand to win a major, triumphed in the longest women's slam match ever (4:44 vs. Kuznetsova, in a 16-14 3rd set in the '11 AO), and came up just one appearance short (w/ 61) of matching Ai Sugiyama's WTA record for most consecutive majors played, that 2010 run in Paris is, ironically, such an overwhelming memory that it may serve as the huge tree that obscures the forest of her career when it comes to the Hall of Fame. She's expressed the desire to also *coach* a player to a major title (hmmm, or maybe to multiple FC championships as Team Italia's future captain?) and, like many others, such additional time in the sport's public eye *may* ultimately prove beneficial in the eyes of Newport.
Lucie Safarova (retired 2019) - Safarova always tends to come along as an "addition," or "co-winner," when it comes to sussing out how to view her career. A member of five Czech Fed Cup championship teams, she usually played a supporting role to the likes of Petra Kvitova and/or Karolina Pliskova (though she *did* take a lead role in the '12 final). She won Olympic Bronze in doubles with Barbora Strycova in '16 (def. Williams/Williams in the 1st Rd.). Of note, at the point in her career at which Safarova *might* have truly shined as an individual -- when she reached the Wimbledon SF and RG final within a year's time in 2014-15, and rose to #5 -- she was hospitalized with a bacterial infection during the 2015/16 offseason, and then had additional bouts with viral illness the rest of her career that may or may not have been linked to her original condition. While her post-illness singles feats neither equaled nor surpassed what she did earlier (she won only one more title, for just seven overall), Safarova *did* find great success in doubles, reaching #1 and winning five slams with Bethanie Mattek-Sands. They won three straight in 2016-17, but then BMS' knee injury at Wimbledon (during a singles match) ultimately prevented them from completing the Career Doubles Slam that may have proven to be Safarova's career calling card. Safarova retired in 2019 and has become a mother. At 33, though, *maybe* there's still a chance for a brief comeback and another chance to finish what she/they started.
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Of the group -- Billie Jean King, Rosie Casals, Nancy Richey, Judy Dalton, Kerry Melville Reid, Julie Heldman, Peaches Bartkowicz, Kristy Pigeon and Valerie Ziegenfuss -- only King and Richey are enshrined in Newport for their career accomplishments. Why aren't they ALL? For years (decades, really), it's been long past high time that the GROUP of women were listed as members of the Hall of Fame. Finally, in 2020, a change in the definition of the "Contributor" category was made that may finally make it a reality. The Hall's announcement read:
"Starting with the Class of 2021, the eligibility criteria for the Contributor Category has been amended to be defined as “a true pioneer, visionary leader, or individual / group who has made a transcendent impact on the sport.” Previously, the eligibility criteria only allowed for individuals to be considered for induction. The amended criteria now provides for eligibility for groups of individuals who acted together to make tennis history to be considered."
Seems tailor-made to allow the Original 9 to finally get the belated Newport honor that has so far eluded them, doesn't it? Of course, it'd been *nice* if the change had been made in order for the group to have been announced as members of the Class of 2020, on the cusp of the 30th anniversary of their history-changing act. Or, you know, maybe the 20th... or the 25th.
Why the Hall saw fit in 2018 to limit the years in which both the Contributor and Wheelchair categories are considered -- every four years for both, with each category alternating every two years -- is another issue altogether, but the *good* news is that the Contributor category comes up again in 2021. If the Original 9 don't get the call, maybe they should just scrap the entire process.
Here are the yearly eligible categories since the 2018 change:
Class of 2019: Player Category and Wheelchair Tennis Category
Class of 2020: Player Category
Class of 2021: Player Category and Contributor Category
Class of 2022: Player Category
Class of 2023: Player Category and Wheelchair Tennis Category
Class of 2024: Player Category
Class of 2025: Player Category and Contributor Category
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The Italian Fed Cup Team ("The Italian Quartet") - while Errani/Vinci have great merit as a doubles duo entrant, as does Flavia Pennetta's undervalued versatile list of career accomplishments, those three along with Francesca Schiavone formed the heart and soul of one of the most close-knit, ongoing and successful Fed Cup squads ever.
The quartet of Italians redefined women's tennis in their nation. Not only did the foursome win three Fed Cup titles (2009-10, '13) as a solid, consistent team, but they've all reached similar heights on the WTA tour. Pennetta and Schiavone both won slam titles, while Schiavone, Errani (2) and Vinci all reached additional slam finals. Errani/Vinci won a Career Doubles Slam, while Pennetta added a WD major. To think that a single generation would produce such a group in a nation without much past success to speak of in women's tennis, maybe even more so than the Henin/Clijsters boomlet in Belgium, is surely one of the more unexpected happenings in recent tennis memory. As far as their mark on Italy's FC history goes, Schiavone leads in total and singles wins, Vinci tops the list for doubles victories, and she and Errani have the most for Team Italia as a duo. Vinci played more ties than any other Italian in the event's history, while Pennetta was the go-to clutch performer, securing the singles clincher in both the 2009 and '10 finals.
All won't likely make it to the Hall on their own, but as a group they're a force to be reckoned with for all times. And, really, they're sort of inseparable, right? You can't really talk about one without mentioning the other three. One day, they should storm into Newport, four astride, arm-in-arm-in-arm-in-arm, and claim the town as their own.
While the change in the Contributor category seems to fit the Original 9 quite well, considering this group's historical link to tennis in their home nation, it very well could apply to The Quartet just as nicely.
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Mary Carillo - probably the preeminent television journalist/commentator largely -- but hardly exclusively, as she's branched out to other sports and topics -- associated with tennis, Carillo has worked for a slew of outlets, from NBC and HBO, to CBS, USA, PBS, ESPN, Turner Sports and Tennis Channel. Since a brief pro playing career (ended by a knee injury) during which she reached the Top 35 and won the '77 Roland Garros MX title with childhood friend John MacEnroe, Carillo has gone on to become an award winning member of the media, with her often humorous and pointed commentary consistently providing what is usually a port in a chaotic storm of sometimes-disappointing TV coverage (esp. in the U.S.) for the sport. Credited with coining the term "Big Babe Tennis," Carillo won awards for Best Commentator by Tennis Magazine and World Tennis, as well as Broadcaster of the Year by the WTA tour. She's been honored by the Sports Emmys and the Peabody Awards, and was given the Dick Schaap Award for Outstanding Journalism (the first female winner), the Philippe Chatrier Award for her contribution to tennis, and the Thurston Award for her sportscasting career.
*"OFF-SCHEDULE" SLAMS*
=AO=
1919 Australasian Championships
...due to World War I, tournament was not held until January 1920 ("1920" event was held two months later)
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1971 Australian Open
...tournament was originally scheduled to be played in Melbourne but was moved to Sydney due to $125K sponsorship deal with Dunlop. The tournament date was moved from regular January slot to March to accommodate scheduling requirements.
=RG=
1946-47...the first two years after WW II the event was held in July, starting a week and a half *after* Wimbledon
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2020...rescheduled for September due to coronavirus pandemic
=WI=
2020...status to be determined due to coronavirus pandemic
=US=
1938 U.S. National Championships
...scheduled for Sept. 9-17, the final week of the event was extended to Sept. 24 due to 1938 New England hurricane
The Tokyo Olympics, including the Olympic tennis event, have been postponed until 2021 ---> https://t.co/wBmH2xCtOH pic.twitter.com/Nsc52Ielwv
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Cartoon pic.twitter.com/CjHJxSzDXn
— Bill Bramhall (@BillBramhall) March 25, 2020
Have a good day! ??????#hometeam @adidas @adidastennis pic.twitter.com/RfW1S9E228
— Karolina Muchova (@karomuchova7) March 24, 2020
.@JohannaKonta's 3D cake version of her dog Bono is a must-see. #BakeOff | #StandUpToCancer | @BritishBakeOffhttps://t.co/gtNSMC9DIe
— TENNIS (@Tennis) March 25, 2020
Bake Point! @JohannaKonta has served up a four-legged ace for her showstopper! #GBBO pic.twitter.com/fCMGVsw9tV
— British Bake Off (@BritishBakeOff) March 24, 2020
Champs-Elysées / Concorde#ConfinementJour6 #COVID?19 #SenateDemocrats #StayAtHome #QuarantineAndChill pic.twitter.com/qhxNV5dQTi
— Rob Szczerba (@RJSzczerba) March 23, 2020
incredible -- the @nytimes sent photographers to capture some of the world's most iconic, and usually-bustling, plazas to show how they look today:https://t.co/HijZ20Y17W pic.twitter.com/fs2L2GeIbJ
— j.d. durkin (@jiveDurkey) March 23, 2020
Another sign life feels almost normal in Beijing: This is the first rush-hour traffic jam I’ve seen since the country started shutting down two months ago. pic.twitter.com/jvoWZPIbmU
— Stu Woo (@stuwoo) March 23, 2020
Yesterday vacuumed and today dusting my trophies, so who wants a tour? @ChrissieEvert @Martina Let’s see your trophies? pic.twitter.com/jhGlSEMwRE
— Pam Shriver (@PHShriver) March 24, 2020
Don’t tell the coaches ?? pic.twitter.com/gzgz3m1cm1
— Kristie Ahn (@kristieahn) March 20, 2020
This is the corona content you’ve been looking for.
— Kristie Ahn (@kristieahn) March 21, 2020
Based on a true story: pic.twitter.com/Qh5Wt8S5rL
The start of something special. ?#OnThisDay in 1973, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova played their first match in one of the greatest rivalries in all of sports.
— USTA (@usta) March 22, 2020
Read more ? https://t.co/bj3zQS1GiP pic.twitter.com/PNXjGnWXnH
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— Misaki Doi ???? (@MisakiDoiTennis) March 23, 2020
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"Unfortunately, due to recurring injuries, my body is not allowing me to play competitive tennis any longer."@ankatati has announced her retirement from professional tennis --> https://t.co/D2QHZ2H1Xb pic.twitter.com/Qn5dDgpSB5
— WTA (@WTA) March 26, 2020
It’s their birthday, so how about we play a party game? ??
— Outside the Ball (@outside_theball) March 21, 2020
Get to know @WTA stars @KaPliskova & @KrisPliskova with “Which Sister” pic.twitter.com/vL30GcXm6E
Wait for it... ?? pic.twitter.com/E2qTx889iL
— Heather Watson (@HeatherWatson92) March 22, 2020
What were you up to at age 18?
— Tennis Hall of Fame (@TennisHalloFame) March 25, 2020
At that age, Maureen Connolly was pretty busy: face on a racquet, playing in poodle attire and becoming the first female to win a calendar-year Grand Slam.
The Hall of Famer won 3-straight U.S. Nationals titles before age 19. #WomensHistoryMonth pic.twitter.com/Wv5jKLAFa8
Words of wisdom!! Enjoy!! ?? pic.twitter.com/lJQgJzyhLl
— Rennae Stubbs (@rennaestubbs) March 21, 2020
good tweet, i tell you hwhat
— wideofthepost (@wideofthepost) March 20, 2020
“What day is it again?” Me every day. https://t.co/X9ZLd2NLxd
— Sloane Stephens (@SloaneStephens) March 22, 2020
Thanks everybody for their entries and nominations.....but there’s one clear winner of the internet today.....round of applause please people...#WINternet pic.twitter.com/ToNA7bitpQ
— David Wiseman (@wiseshow) March 24, 2020
You can’t teach what the light blue marble has.... https://t.co/lddhEgCEoi
— F.P. Santangelo (@FightinHydrant) March 22, 2020
The #ClapForCarers heard out across London 👏👏👏👏#clapforNHS #clapforourcarers pic.twitter.com/5beBOP9h9k
— Natasha Clark (@NatashaC) March 26, 2020
posted by Todd.Spiker @ 12:27 AM
8 Comments:
As you know, I have long supported the idea of inducting the Italian Fed Cup team. I feel just as strongly about the Original 9 (they should have been inducted long, long ago). Ans I also vote yes for Mary Carillo.
And I’ve probably said this before, but I think the new public voting aspect is horrible.
No quibbles with the discussion, and I agree that neither Jankovic or Ivanovic will get in. Don't think either will lose sleep over it.
OT- Even though he played for that other team, you probably saw the clip of Drew Pearson not getting in to his HOF.
Surprised that you don't have Ahn's workout clip with the oil on the floor.
Jessica Pegula can probably afford not to play. Parents Terry and Kim(NFL Bills and NHL Sabres owners) donated 1 mil to Western New York charities.
Diane probably wants me to say that Drew and Brittany Brees donated 5 mil to the state of Louisiana.
There are people willing to do good!
Stat of the Week- 8- Number of slams won by Molla Bjurstedt.
COVID-19 has forced me to dig deep. And where last week was a look at the most successful player during WW2, this week it is WW1.
Even for an old time player, Bjurstedt has one of the strangest career arcs in history. She played one slam at 25, then all of the rest after she turned 30. She never played Australia, which isn't a shock once you realize that her first slam appearance was 13 years before that tournament existed. Heck, she only played Roland Garros once, and did so when she was 44.
When WW1 started, the US Championships were the only game in town. Bjurstedt, then representing Norway, won all 4 wartime titles. Then after marrying, and adding the last name Mallory, won another 4 in 1920, 21, 22, and 26, the last at age 42 no less, while representing the US.
This meant that she was the first woman to enter the Hall of Fame representing another country. The best thing is she was alive for it.
That wasn't a given, as the first class was not inducted until 1955. No women made it the first year, but May Sutton Bundy was first in 1956, followed by Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman and Mary K. Browne in 1957.
Then 74 year old Mallory got the call in 1958. She passed away in 1959.
Quiz Time!
The US Open will be changing their court to a similar surface as Miami. Which player has won both Miami and the US Open in the same year the most?
A.Stefanie Graf
B.Kim Clijsters
C.Chris Evert
D.Serena Williams
Interlude- Just a clip of a potential future athlete.
https://twitter.com/vinnygrasso2/status/1240753449739997195
Answer!
There are 6 players that have done this feat. 3 of them only did it once, and they were Seles-91, Hingis-97, and V.Williams-01.
(B)Clijsters is wrong, as she only did it twice, both in 2005 and 2010.
It is not (A)Graf. Close, as everybody would guess 1988, then also did it in 1995 and 1996.
Because of circumstances, it is not (C)Evert. A 5 time Miami finalist, she only won once. Not only that, the tournament did not start until 1985, and she won her 6 US Opens ending in 1982.
In a somewhat similar vein, Martina wasn't a choice as she won the US Open 4 out of 5 years, but the one year she won Miami, she lost in the final.
That means (D)Williams. Tied at 6 US Open titles, trailing Mallory's 8, Serena did it 4 times. Of course Serena slam 2002, but also 08, 13, and 14.
For those who want the 4 major sports, they are all free.
NFL-Until May 31 USA, July 31 International.
NBA-Until April 22.
NHL-Until April 30.
MLB-Indefinite.
I'm glad that Drew Brees donated all that money, especially since--in the past--he loudly whined when he wasn't getting his gazillion dollar requests in a "timely" fashion (https://poetrybreakfast.com/?s=dees+wearing+thin).
I am not a fan. Brees could have done so much to stop NFL and Superbowl misogyny, and he did nothing. Most of all, though, he did a nationwide tour with a woman whose only goal was to take away our civil liberties. Not a fan.
D-
Thing is, I think the public voting thing is largely a "show." I mean, other than being a popularity contest, of course. Depending on their placement in the vote, the final nominees are only given a slight bump to their regular voters' ballot tally. This year, Ivanisevic got a 3% addition, Martinez 2% and Bjorkman (who didn't make it) 1%. An inductee needs to garner 75% of the vote to get in. I couldn't find the % of the vote they got on the final ballot, but I *think* I saw a few months ago that they would have cleared with threshold even without the fan vote. One year, though, I guess that 3% *could* make a difference for someone (hmm, maybe someone like AnaIvo?).
That's why I think the change in the Contributor rules are so big (and likely purposeful), because based on the rules as they formerly were the Original 9 *couldn't* be inducted since a Contributor, by rule, could only be an individual. Stupid... so while the change was waaaay late, I guess it's better than never.
C-
Yeah, the Pro Football Hall of Fame really did that group of players a disservice by handling it the way they did. Pearson was part of the "extra" 100-Year class (in addition to the regular group that are supposed to be inducted this summer) that is scheduled to be inducted in September, and they did it really differently than usual. A *much* larger class, voted on by different people, announced differently with much a "showtime-like" fanfare, often on live TV with the inductee being surprised with the news (Cowher, J.Johnson). Much of that announced nominee group were borderline candidates, and this special voting might have been their last best chance to get in, which then made it sort of like leading Pearson out onto a public ledge and then just abandoning him there when he didn't make it. It made it extra embarrassing, and made his career seem "less" than it was. He had reason to be angry, I think.
I *guess* he's a Hall of Famer (I think he's the only member of the All-1970's Team not inducted in Canton), but he's not on the level of so many of his teammates from the era (Staubach, Dorsett, R.White, etc.).
Ha. I probably left that one of Ahn's out -- though it was maybe the first one I saw -- because I saw some similar non-tennis ones elsewhere with people doing the "home workout." ;)
Bjurstedt Mallory *is* a really fascinating figure. I found out a lot about her when I did the Lenglen "And Finally..." series a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, since I lost so many of the photo links from that I don't even want to go back and find the post in which she was included. Too aggravating. :/
Maybe that girl will be the "new Sofia Kenin" -- with a video/picture of her young self for every occasion -- in fifteen years! :)
Quiz: I was sort of tempted to say Clijsters, but I figured it was probably Serena.
D-
I *knew* there was something you'd mentioned with Brees before. ;)
C-
Brees, by the way, was NOT included on the NFL's Top 100 list with the rest of the "ten greatest QBs" (Baugh, Brady, Elway, Favre, Graham, P.Manning, Marino, Montana, Staubach, Unitas), even with his bloated (and helped by all the rule changes) stats. I chuckled when that happened, I must admit.
All right, I *did* find the link to the Lenglen compilation: here
At least all the text is fine. A search for "Mallory" will highlight her sections: :)
Interesting. The fact that it's obviously more for "show" makes it even lamer.
Thanks for the link, nice and comprehensive on Lenglen and her counterparts.
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