Thursday, May 29, 2014

Think U.S. Men's Tennis Is in a Slump? Look at Post-WWII France

With every major tennis tournament come the lamentations over the sorry state of American men’s tennis.

 
With the French Open getting underway this week, right on cue came the all but inevitable “pre-mortem” inquest into the lowly rankings of the American men: No American has won a Grand Slam event singles title since Andy Roddick in 2003 at the U.S. Open, and with no American men ranked in the ATP’s top 10 (Switzerland and Spain each have two) and only one—John Isner, ranked number 11—in the top 60, Christopher Clarey’s status report in The New York Times was appropriately headlined "Once a Force in Tennis, Now Enduring a Grand Slam Drought.”

 
It made for especially dispiriting reading on the 25th anniversary of Michael Chang's upset French Open victory in 1989, one of the true highlights of the American experience on the red clay courts of the Stade Roland Garros. And the reasons given for the American fall from the top ranks of men’s tennis suggest that a quick recovery is not likely. (Serena Williams aside, the picture is not much brighter for American women—and Williams herself lost her second-round match this week.)
 
As Clarey wrote, coaches and former players, including Jim Courier, winner of the French Open in 1991 and 1992, “see a lack of world-class work ethic and toughness in too many of the young Americans. … ‘There are plenty of talented players who are not getting the most out of their talent,’ Courier said.” Jose Higueras, a Spanish player who won 16 tour titles and reached two French Open semi-finals, and who now is involved in player development work for the United States Tennis Association, has expressed similar sentiments:. “We are lacking competitiveness in our players,” he said. “They’ve got good backhands and forehands and serves, but they lack an understanding of how the game needs to be played. We have good coaches, but the culture of our players needs to improve.” 

read more: http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/05/think-us-mens-tennis-is-in-a-slump-look-at-post-wwii-france/371753/

Friday, May 23, 2014

Sweet 16: It's time for tennis Grand Slams to ditch the 32-seed draw


In 2001, the four tennis Grand Slams doubled the number of seeds at their respective tournaments, from 16 to 32. Whereas the old system could have pitted the No. 1 player in the world against No. 17 in a first-round match, the new way ensured that none of the top-32 players in the draw would meet before the third round.

The balanced draw, which theoretically leads to better matches in the later rounds, has worked out fine. It’s neither been a boon nor a disaster. Whether it’s better for the sport, however, is open for debate.

When the French Open draw was unveiled Friday, the lack of compelling first- and second-round matches was immediately apparent. Diehard tennis fans may enjoy Richard Gasquet vs. Bernard Tomic or Ana Ivanovic vs. Caroline Garcia, but there’s no matchups to capture the interest of the casual fan. The only way the non-tennis world will hear about the opening days at Roland Garros will be due to a massive upset or Venus Williams wearing another revealing dress. By protecting the later rounds, tennis has made the opening rounds irrelevant.

How much are the early rounds really protected? Were top players losing so much that they needed more breathing room in the first two rounds?

Not at all. Even before the seeding change, the best in the world rarely exited Grand Slams early. It’s not as if there were giant killers lurking in the lower reaches of the top 20 and biding their time for the perfect first-round upset.

 

Thursday, May 22, 2014

David Beckham team to reveal soccer stadium design for Miami boat slip site

One of David Beckham's chief investors and their representatives plan to make public Thursday preliminary designs of what a Major League Soccer stadium would look like if it were built on what is now a downtown Miami deep-water boat slip.
Billionaire Marcelo Claure and Beckham's real-estate adviser are expected to present the images at a noon news conference at the InterContinental Hotel on Biscayne Boulevard, down the street from the proposed stadium site.
The release of the drawings is intended to give the public an idea of how the structure could look if the water basin nestled between Museum Park and AmericanAirlines Arena were filled.

Already, proponents have circulated their own amateur designs of a possible stadium to drum up support. More troubling for Beckham's group, opponents have done the same thing, to show a stadium they consider out of place.
No one expects the drawings to resemble the relatively detailed renderings that Miami Beckham United had put together for the first stadium site the group eyed at PortMiami. Those designs, by renowned Miami firm Arquitectonica, and other analysis of the port location cost about $2 million, Beckham representatives have said.

read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/05/22/4131088/david-beckham-team-to-reveal-soccer.html

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Consulting Firms Kalypso, Integware Merge


 BEACHWOOD, Ohio — Continuing its growth as the firm approaches its tenth anniversary, Kalypso announced today that it has merged with Integware, a consulting firm with expertise in product lifecycle management (PLM).

Kalypso delivers a comprehensive set of services that enable innovation, including objective PLM technology strategy and implementation services. With the addition of Integware, the combined firm can provide clients with a broader set of capabilities to drive real business results from PLM.

“Kalypso and its seasoned leadership team have done a fantastic job building a solid and successful operation that provides superior innovation services to the market,” said Chris Kay, CEO of Integware and new partner at Kalypso. “I’m confident that by merging the two firms we can deliver a more comprehensive solution to our clients.”

Integware, known for its PLM expertise particularly in the life sciences industry, has served a global customer base with strategy, consulting, deployment, support and training services. In addition to life sciences, the merger expands the firms’ presence in the aerospace and defense, automotive, and energy industries. Together, the two firms have extensive knowledge of, and implementation experience with, all of the leading PLM and product innovation software providers, including Oracle, PTC, Dassault Systèmes, Siemens, Autodesk and Aras.

“We are thrilled to have the Integware team join the Kalypso family. With this combination, we believe that we are the only firm in the market with legitimate technical depth on every major PLM platform,” said Bill Poston, managing partner of Kalypso. “We want to be the world’s most respected provider of objective PLM technology advisory and implementation services. Integware takes us a big step closer to realizing that vision.”

read more: http://www.heraldonline.com/2014/05/21/5984909/consulting-firms-kalypso-integware.html?sp=/100/773/385/

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

This One Thing Can Make or Break Your Consulting Business

In Start Your Own Consulting Business, the staff at Entrepreneur Press and writer Eileen Figure Sandlin explain how you can start a profitable consulting business, no matter whether your consulting business will focus on HR placement, computer troubleshooting, or anything else you can dream up. In this edited excerpt, the authors offer tips on providing customer service that will help you land new business again and again.

To succeed as a consultant, you must do everything you can to set yourself apart from the competition. You want to give your clients a reason to say, "I'm really glad I chose this consultant." One way to ensure this is to provide the best customer service on the planet.

One great way to do this is by communicating with your client often about whether his or her expectations are being met and if the project is progressing as desired. "At the end of the first month of a project, I always ask my clients whether they think value is being achieved," says California trainer and coach Susan Bock, who is a past president of the Association of Professional Consultants. "I'll give them a full refund and won't proceed any further if I determine it's not possible to deal with their unrealized expectations."

Fred Elbel, a web design and computer consultant in Lakewood, Colorado, takes a different approach to customer service: He actually gives information away free as a way to make a favorable impression. "I give a lot of free advice to customers--in fact, sometimes too much," he admits. "It could be information like how to back up a computer system. But what happens is that clients remember how I helped them, and they'll call me when they don't have the time or skill to tackle other problems."

read more http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/233305

Monday, May 19, 2014

Manchester United's Ryan Giggs confirms retirement from playing ranks

Ryan Giggs has confirmed his retirement from the playing ranks on the day he was named as new Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal's assistant.

Giggs penned an open letter to United fans explaining his pride at being able to extend his relationship with the club in the coaching ranks after a glittering playing career.

The Wales winger retires after 963 appearances for the club, and more than 1,000 overall when you include his 64 international caps, and he celebrated winning 34 trophies in a golden age at Old Trafford.

read more: http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11667/9317728/manchester-uniteds-ryan-giggs-confirms-retirement-from-playing-ranks


Saturday, May 17, 2014

Nadal Battles Past Murray In Rome Reunion


Andy Murray served up a bagel set the last time he faced Rafael Nadal, three years ago in the Tokyo final.

On Friday, Murray picked up where he left off when the pair renewed their rivalry in the quarter-finals of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, but was unable to hold off the seven-time Rome champion in the end. The World No. 1 battled back to win 1-6, 6-3, 7-5, setting a semi-final meeting with 12th seed Grigor Dimitrov.

The seventh-seeded Murray, who had taken just one set off of Nadal in their previous four clay-court meetings, raced out to a 5-0 lead as he converted his two break point chances and saved the three faced. Murray served out the first set after 38 minutes, after Nadal held to avoid his first bagel set since playing Roger Federer at the 2011 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

Nadal saved a break point to open the second set, and finally converted on his fifth opportunity against Murray to take a 2-0 lead - the only break of the 52-minute set. Nadal won 100 per cent of his second serve points and all 12 of his points at the net.  

After exchanging breaks to start the third set, Murray broke to go up 4-2 after Nadal had fought back to deuce from triple break point down. The Mallorcan immediately recovered his serve and claimed the decisive break to love, 6-5. He pulled ahead 14-5 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series.

Nadal had reached the quarter-finals with two battling victories. He prevailed against Gilles Simon in three hours and 19 minutes - the longest best-of-three-set match this season - and came from a set and a break down to defeat Mikhail Youzhny.

This is the first time since 2005 Rome that Nadal has won three straight decisive-set matches on clay in the same tournament. 

The Spaniard had rebounded from quarter-final exits in Monte-Carlo and Barcelona to win the Mutua Madrid Open title, needing to rally from down against Kei Nishikori in the final.

"He finished the match incredibly well," said Murray. "The last three games he was physically a little bit stronger than me at the end. Apart from that it was a good match."

source: http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2014/05/20/Rome-Friday-Nadal-Murray.aspx



Thursday, May 15, 2014

Milos Raonic advances to Italian Open quarter-finals



Un uomo deve essere tanto grande da capire quanto è piccolo
Canada's Milos Raonic defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6 (5), 6-4 on Thursday to reach the Italian Open quarter-finals.

Raonic, the No. 8 seed from Thornhill, Ont., won five of the last six points in the first-set tiebreaker. He picked up a break in the second set en route to his first career victory over the 11th-seeded Frenchman.

Tsonga outlasted Raonic in a marathon match at the London Olympics in 2012 and beat him again last year at Indian Wells.

Raonic hit seven aces and saved five break point chances on the red clay courts at the Foro Italico. He'll make his fourth Masters 1000 Series quarter-final appearance of the season Friday against Jeremy Chardy of France.

Chardy, who upset Roger Federer of Switzerland in the second round, advanced with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Croatia's Ivan Dodig. Raonic has yet to reach a semifinal this year.

Also Thursday, the seemingly ageless Tommy Haas upset third-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka 5-7, 6-2, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals. The oldest player in the draw at 36, Haas used his expertise and heavy topspin to give Wawrinka trouble.

Haas hadn't beaten a top-10 player since taking out then No. 1 Novak Djokovic in Miami more than a year ago.

"These things don't happen too often anymore so I still take them and I'm really proud of them," the German said.

Wawrinka cited a back injury that occurred in colder conditions during his opening win over Spanish qualifier Pere Riba.

"I couldn't move too well," he said. "It's really nothing serious. It's just painful and I need some rest — maybe a few days."

In the women's tournament, 11th-seeded Ana Ivanovic took out two-time Rome champion Maria Sharapova 6-1, 6-4.

Second-seeded Li Na defeated Australian veteran Sam Stosur 6-3, 6-1 and will next meet 10th-seeded Sara Errani of Italy, who kept the crowd content by beating Czech qualifier Petra Cetkovska 6-4, 7-6 (3).

And third-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska eliminated Francesca Schiavone 6-4, 6-1.

The 15th-seeded Haas broke Wawrinka to take a 5-3 lead in the third set with a series of deep spinning shots which eventually prompted Wawrinka to miss a forehand.

Haas then served it out with an ace down the middle on his first match point.

Haas committed just 17 unforced errors to Wawrinka's 40.

Wawrinka has had a solid year by winning the Australian Open and the Monte Carlo Masters but he also had an early exit in last week's Madrid Open — leaving his form in question as he enters Roland Garros in 10 days.

Haas was a Rome finalist in 2002, losing the title match to Andre Agassi.

"He's a really good player," Wawrinka said. "He has a good serve, he can come to the net and he has touch. We all know how he (plays). He's been there for a while."

 

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

USTA to build new home for American tennis


The United States Tennis Association is pinning a big chunk of its future on central Florida.

On Wednesday, the non-profit governing body announced a project estimated at nearly $60 miillion in Orlando billed as the new home for American tennis for its 750,000 members. Officials gave an updated estimate of the cost at a news conference.

The 63-acre, 100-plus-court development in the Lake Nona area will house and consolidate the USTA's Community Tennis and Player Development divisions, which are primarily based in New York but also have locations in other parts of the country.

WIN: Djokovic returns from injury with win in Rome

The aim is to establish an A-to-Z pathway for growing the sport from the youngest players to established pros.

"It will have an impact on tennis on every level from recreation up to the professional ranks," USTA board chairman and President Dave Haggerty said. "Virtually every level of tennis can be serviced from this facility."

The project includes tax incentives from state, city and county officials — including a dirt-cheap long-term lease for the land — USTA officials said. It will open in late 2016 or early 2017.

"It's a watershed moment for us," said Patrick McEnroe, who oversees the USTA's player development program for elite juniors and professionals.

MORE: Federer won't change schedule because of growing family

Along with the $500 million expansion project underway at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens that includes adding a retractable roof to Arthur Ashe Stadium, it marks the most ambitious burst of development in USTA history.

Lake Nona eventually will be home to more courts than any other facility in the country and rival the Nick Bollettieri-founded IMG Academy near Tampa.

 

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Pros switch on hi-tech racquets in time for Wimbledon

LONDON (Reuters) - A handful of the world's best tennis players will show up at tournaments within weeks armed with new technology they hope will give them an advantage at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, the man behind the 'smart racquets' has told Reuters.

Without identifying the players who would be first to wield the hi-tech weapons, Eric Babolat confirmed "connected racquets", with sensors feeding back information on the players' forehands, backhands and much more besides, would be swung in anger for the first time, after a decade in development.

"It could be any week. We have a lot of players testing. It is going to happen very soon," Babolat told Reuters in an interview at Britain’s National Tennis Centre in south-west London.

"It is a question of days, not months."

Declared legal by the guardians of the sport, the International Tennis Federation (ITF), who adopted a new rule covering the technology at the start of the year, selected Babolat racquets will feature data-collecting sensors in their handles,

"Quite simply, this is information like we have never been able to get before," smiled Babolat, scion of the French tennis manufacturing empire built out of a 19th century family business making sausage skins, surgical sutures and piano strings from animal gut.

"It is information direct from the racquet, from the string bed, and it tells us exactly what is happening, not just a feeling from the player.

"INCREDIBLE TO IMAGINE"

"For me it was incredible, that you can take the number one tennis player in the world (Rafa Nadal) and see that he doesn't really know anything about what is happening in his racquet, apart from his feel. He has no data about anything, and it is incredible to imagine.

"It is like you are a Formula One driver and you don't know how fast you are driving and you don't know..." Babolat trailed off, shaking his head. "It is a bit unbelievable, but it is like that.

"No longer", the CEO and chairman of the French business said.

In essence, the technology-loaded racquets collect data such as shot power and ball impact location along with the number of strokes, the level of spin imparted, total play time, endurance, technique, consistency, energy and rallies.

The information is transmitted through bluetooth to smartphones or tablets where players and coaches can analyse and share their data with other analysts and online communities.

 

Monday, May 12, 2014

Rafael Nadal, Maria Sharapova are the big winners in Madrid

Rafael Nadal picked up his first European clay-court title of the season Sunday after his opponent, Kei Nishikori, retired while trailing in the third set.

The world No. 1 Spaniard raised concerns with his less than dominant play during the recent clay-court tournaments and seemed to be on his way to yet another loss.

But Nishikori, who took a medical time in the second set for treatment on his back and hip, called it a day when trailing 2-6, 6-4, 3-0, to give Nadal his fourth Madrid Open trophy. By reaching the finals, the Japanese star moved up three spots to a career high world No. 9.

With the victory, Nadal became the first repeat winner in Madrid and picked up his 44th career title on clay. But the win is only his second clay-court title of the year on a surface he typically rules.

“I was blocked. There were some moments where, I don’t know, I couldn’t find myself,” Nadal said (via Associated Press). “It wasn’t that I didn’t want to play or I was missing intensity, I was just mentally blocked.”

The Madrid Open win guarantees that he will stay No. 1 in the rankings leading up the French Open that begins May 25.

read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/early-lead/wp/2014/05/12/rafael-nadal-maria-sharapova-are-the-big-winners-in-madrid/


Friday, May 9, 2014

Serena pulls out of Madrid Open with thigh injury


Serena Williams has pulled out of tennis' Madrid Open with a thigh injury ahead of her quarter-final against Petra Kvitova, the world No. 1 said on Friday.

Williams, winner of the last two editions of the tournament, suffered the injury in her first-round match against Belinda Bencic and with the French Open just two weeks away, she decided to pull out to give herself time to recover.

"I have a left thigh injury and, unfortunately, have to withdraw from this year's Madrid Open," the 32-year-old American said in a statement.

"It happened during my first-round match. It started to get better, but most importantly right now, I just need some time to rest and recover. It's beyond words. It's so frustrating... "This is not the way I wanted this week to end."

read more: http://www.straitstimes.com/news/sport/tennis/story/tennis-serena-pulls-out-madrid-open-thigh-injury-20140509 


Thursday, May 8, 2014

Andre Agassi picks Rafael Nadal ahead of Roger Federer as tennis's greatest all-time player

 Andre Agassi has hailed Rafael Nadal as the best player in the history of tennis, ahead of Roger Federer.

The former world No 1 opted for the Spaniard over Federer, whose wife earlier this week gave birth to a second set of twins, because he has thrived in an ultra-competitive "golden age of tennis".

"I'd put Nadal number one, Federer number two," the eight-time Grand Slam-winner said.

"Federer separated himself from the field for four years. He separated himself from Roddick and Hewitt," Agassi added.

"Nadal had to deal with Federer, Djokovic, Murray in the golden age of tennis. He has done what he has done and he's not done yet." 



Conventional wisdom ranks Federer ahead of Nadal, as the Swiss holds a record 17 Grand Slam titles against 13 for the current world No 1.

But Nadal has a convincing 23-10 head-to-head record against Federer and is one Australian Open victory away from becoming only the third man to win all four Grand Slam titles twice.

"He has won multiple majors, every single one (more than once) except the Australian Open - and give him another year on that," Agassi said.

"It's just remarkable to me what he has done, and he has done it all during Federer's prime."

Agassi added that he did not discount Australia's Rod Laver, two-time winner of the calendar-year Grand Slam, when rating the greatest player of all time.

And he confirmed he would play in the Singapore leg of the inaugural International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) after the dates were rejigged to avoid Thanksgiving - as long as the event goes ahead.

"It seems like it's all happening. I just can't make any promises I can't control. What I can't control (is) if (the event) really exists or not," he said.

"But if it's happening, I'm absolutely going to be there and I will spend time leading up (to the event) playing."