At a bare minimum, when you've represented Robert Kennedy, Arthur Ashe, Michael Jordan, and Jimmy Connors, among others, you ought to have some good stories. And Donald Dell doesn't disappointment. A well-known figure in the tennis world for being the sport's first agent, helping to found the ATP Tour and serving as a U.S. Davis Cup captain, Dell, 71, mixes practical advice and war stories in his new book, Never Make the First Offer.
MELBOURNE, Australia -- I snuck out to the indoor practice facility at Melbourne Park Tuesday during a break in my commentating responsibilities for the Tennis Channel when, of all people, Roger Federer was finishing up on my court. Typically, the greatest player of all-time was using his off-day to hit tennis balls.
Open the Mailbag boasting about how clean tennis is, and look at what you get: "As the NBA grapples with a betting scandal, tennis must now confront a potential gambling scam of its own. Officials on Friday were investigating suspicious betting patterns on a match involving top-seeded Nikolay Davydenko of Russia, who retired with an injury against a low-ranked opponent at an ATP tournament in Poland." -- Jim Bartle, Huaraz, Peru
Halfway through the French Open, the hosts are hard to come by, as are the Americans. But a certain Spaniard and Swiss Mister are still on course to meet in the final. And we get our Henin-Serena match, plus a resurgent Sharapova and a Serb in insurgence. All in all, a fine first week. Herewith, our midterm grades.
PARIS -- "Rain, rain, go away," has been the mantra around the grounds at Roland Garros the past few days, and nobody has been more frustrated than the players. A rain delay during the early stages of a Grand Slam is the equivalent of sitting in a dentist's chair for an extensive root canal.
You want your constant foil to Roger Federer? I think Guillermo Canas is making a strong statement. This guy has helped make tennis more exciting for me. Give this guy his props! -- Chris Rodgers, Omaha, Neb.
I just looked at the draw sheet for last week's Tennis Channel Open: first a qualifying bracket, then a "main draw elimination" bracket (e.g., more qualifying), followed by a round-robin competition and then finally the "finals round." Is it just me or is this complete madness?
Along with postal service, driving traffic, and jumbo shrimp, we add tennis offseason to the list of our favorite oxymorons. So, here it is the first week of January -- barely six weeks after the Masters Cup final -- and tennis is back in the agate type. Herewith, a quiz of divinations for the new season. And if you miss a few, no worries. It's round robin, so you can re-enter the draw!
At a bare minimum, when you've represented Robert Kennedy, Arthur Ashe, Michael Jordan, and Jimmy Connors, among others, you ought to have some good stories. And Donald Dell doesn't disappointment. A well-known figure in the tennis world for being the sport's first agent, helping to found the ATP Tour and serving as a U.S. Davis Cup captain, Dell, 71, mixes practical advice and war stories in his new book, Never Make the First Offer.
MELBOURNE, Australia -- I snuck out to the indoor practice facility at Melbourne Park Tuesday during a break in my commentating responsibilities for the Tennis Channel when, of all people, Roger Federer was finishing up on my court. Typically, the greatest player of all-time was using his off-day to hit tennis balls.
Open the Mailbag boasting about how clean tennis is, and look at what you get: "As the NBA grapples with a betting scandal, tennis must now confront a potential gambling scam of its own. Officials on Friday were investigating suspicious betting patterns on a match involving top-seeded Nikolay Davydenko of Russia, who retired with an injury against a low-ranked opponent at an ATP tournament in Poland." -- Jim Bartle, Huaraz, Peru
Halfway through the French Open, the hosts are hard to come by, as are the Americans. But a certain Spaniard and Swiss Mister are still on course to meet in the final. And we get our Henin-Serena match, plus a resurgent Sharapova and a Serb in insurgence. All in all, a fine first week. Herewith, our midterm grades.
PARIS -- "Rain, rain, go away," has been the mantra around the grounds at Roland Garros the past few days, and nobody has been more frustrated than the players. A rain delay during the early stages of a Grand Slam is the equivalent of sitting in a dentist's chair for an extensive root canal.
You want your constant foil to Roger Federer? I think Guillermo Canas is making a strong statement. This guy has helped make tennis more exciting for me. Give this guy his props! -- Chris Rodgers, Omaha, Neb.
I just looked at the draw sheet for last week's Tennis Channel Open: first a qualifying bracket, then a "main draw elimination" bracket (e.g., more qualifying), followed by a round-robin competition and then finally the "finals round." Is it just me or is this complete madness?
Along with postal service, driving traffic, and jumbo shrimp, we add tennis offseason to the list of our favorite oxymorons. So, here it is the first week of January -- barely six weeks after the Masters Cup final -- and tennis is back in the agate type. Herewith, a quiz of divinations for the new season. And if you miss a few, no worries. It's round robin, so you can re-enter the draw!
Lleyton Hewitt reached the quarterfinals of a tournament for the third time this year by defeating Jan Hernych 6-3 6-3 in the Tennis Channel Open in Las Vegas.
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