Brad Gilbert inducted into Foothill College Hall of Fame

 

                                                       (Credit: Ben Parker/ATPGuy.com) 

On Saturday, tennis legend Brad Gilbert was inducted into the Foothill College Hall of Fame. This was the first year Foothill had a Hall of Fame ceremony, so it was really neat for Gilbert to be a part of the school's first ever Hall of Fame class. As a fellow Foothill alum (Spring 2012, Music) and sportswriter, I jumped at the chance to attend. It was fun for me to walk around a campus that I spent three years at. Foothill had a profound impact on me as it helped prepare me for my time at UC Berkeley, where I graduated with a degree in Philosophy (Fall 2014). Special shout out to Dr. Robert Hartwell, Brian Tapia, Brian Lewis, and the entire Foothill College Gospel Choir! 

During his pre-recorded video presentation and subsequent live speech, Gilbert acknowledged the impact that his coach at Foothill Tom Chivington had on his career. Without the coaching he got from Chivington, Gilbert said he wouldn't have had the success he had both as a player and as a coach. Under Chivington's coaching, Gilbert won the California Junior College Singles Championship and the U.S. Amateur Hardcourt Championship before transferring to Pepperdine. Gilbert had a stellar career at Pepperdine as well, reaching the singles final of the 1982 NCAA championship, where he lost to Mike Leach of Michigan 5-7, 3-6. 

"I landed at Foothill College on January 2nd, 1980 as a young eighteen year old not knowing a lot about the great institution of Foothill College or our coach Tom Chivington," Gilbert said in the video portion of his remarks. "It would only take me a few days to discover the magic of Foothill College. Go Owls! And the legendary coach Tom Chivington. I feel like in a very short period of time, my life became a lot clearer in what I was doing and where I was going. I'm forever grateful for the time that I had at Foothill College. 

"Amazingly, in 60+ years, Foothill College has only had three tennis coaches from the legendary Dick Gould who started the program to Tom Chivington who was there for well over 30 years to Dixie Macias, who is there now and was my assistant coach in 1980 and '81. It is such a great place. I really feel like those two years that I was at Foothill paved the way for everything that I did in my tennis career and my coach Tom Chivington was there with me my entire time. I wish we were going in the Hall of Fame together, but I'm so grateful to the Foothill family for allowing me to be there for those couple of years and to all my friends who I text always, I always say 'Go Owls!'" 

After his collegiate career, Gilbert had success on the ATP Tour, winning 20 career singles titles, the bronze medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, and getting ranked as high as No. 4 in the world on January 1st, 1990. Gilbert reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon in 1990 and the quarterfinals of the US Open in 1987. He didn't have as much success at the other two grand slams, reaching the 4th round of the Australian Open in 1984 and the 3rd round of the French Open in 1993. Gilbert did find success at the ATP Tour Finals, reaching the semifinals in 1987 and reaching the final of the Grand Slam Cup in 1990, which was a tournament that was similar in model to the ATP Tour Finals, inviting players who had performed the best in grand slams during the year. 

What made Gilbert's playing career so impressive is the fact that he wasn't the most physically gifted player on tour. He had to work harder than others to achieve success and dive deeper into the mental side of the game, which is the theme of his famous book Winning Ugly.  I always tried to employ some of his tactics in my own tennis matches in high school and on the Nike Junior Tennis Tour. A must read if you are into tennis! 

After his playing days were over, Gilbert gained even more fame for coaching Andre Agassi, who won six of his eight grand slams with Gilbert as his coach. Gilbert also coached Andy Roddick, Andy Murray, Kei Nishikori, and Coco Gauff. Known for his mastery of the mental side of the game, his coaching career has truly spanned multiple generations. In addition to being an amazing coach, Gilbert has also acclaimed fame for being one of the top analysts in tennis as a member of ESPN's star-studded lineup that also includes John McEnroe, Patrick McEnroe, Mary Joe Fernandez, Chris Evert, Pam Shriver, and Chris Fowler. 

Going back to his Hall of Fame induction at Foothill College, it's always neat to see people give back to their roots and never forget where they got started. While Gilbert went onto achieve incredible success at the professional ranks as a player, coach, and analyst, he never forgot where it all started. 

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The SAP Open in San Jose should return

 

                                    (Andy Roddick at the SAP Open-Credit: Kelley L. Cox/USA TODAY Sports)

Over the weekend for CardinalSportsReport.com, I covered the Stanford men's basketball game against No. 10 Oregon at the SAP Center in San Jose, California. It was a two-game showcase called the San Jose Tip-Off that also featured Cal against No. 23 San Diego State. 

Walking around the SAP Center brought back memories of the SAP Open, which I went to many times growing up. I got to see players like Andy Roddick, Andre Agassi, Mark Philippoussis, Lleyton Hewitt, and Milos Raonic among others. It was a fun tournament that had a rich history dating all the way back to 1889, making it the second oldest ongoing tennis tournament in the United States. It had been played in various locations across the Bay Area, settling in San Jose in 1994 until its final season in 2013. 

In addition to the names I listed above, other legends of the game such as Stan Smith, Arthur Ashe, John McEnroe, Brad Gilbert, Stefan Edberg, Michael Chang, and Pete Sampras also competed in the event. It had a rich history and had a really solid venue at SAP Center. 

Part of what led to the demise of the tournament was its status as an ATP 250 event. Being the lowest level of tournaments on the main ATP Tour made it hard for it to attract good players every year. And then that in turn led to attendance issues. That being said, the final season of the tournament featured a final between world No. 13 Milos Raonic and world No. 22 Tommy Haas with Raonic winning 6-4, 6-3. No. 16 John Isner was also playing, so it was still attracting top 20 talent. 

The best match I saw was a match involving Guillermo Cañas and some higher seeded guy. It might have been Philippoussis, but I'm not positive. But it was absolutely a thrilling night of tennis. I remember Cañas lost but played with tremendous heart. I think the fact that he was wearing his hat backwards inspired me to do the same in many of my high school tennis matches and tournaments that I played in. 

Other memories include Philippoussis and Roddick hammering massive serves that reached 140 mph type speeds, Andre Agassi playing late into the night, and spending time with my family in the process. While most people associate SAP Center with watching the San Jose Sharks play, for me it's the SAP Open. It was a fun, competitive tournament that was the only major ticket in town for men's professional tennis. Given it's such a hub for tennis, it only makes sense for the Bay Area to have an ATP tour event. I hope the SAP Open returns and if it does, I'll be sure to buy a ticket and watch some amazing tennis! 

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10 things to look for at the 2017 French Open

The French Open at Roland Garros begins on Sunday, May 28 and so it’s time for me to list my 10 things to look for at the second Grand Slam of the tennis season. Click here to view the seeds. Click here to view the draw.

#1. Can anyone stop Rafael Nadal? Rafael Nadal comes into Roland Garros having won clay titles at Monte Carlo (ATP 1000), Barcelona (ATP 500), and Madrid (ATP 1000) while also reaching the semifinals at Rome (ATP 1000) before falling to Dominic Thiem, who is the #6 seed at Roland Garros.

While he is seeded #4, Nadal comes into this event as the heavy favorite to win. Andy Murray has never won the French Open, Novak Djokovic has just one title all season at Doha, which is an Australian Open tune up, Stan Wawrinka failed to reach the quarterfinals at all three ATP 1000 Masters events on clay, and Roger Federer is skipping the event.

Given Nadal’s historical success at Roland Garros and the lack of anyone really emerging as a serious contender, it will be a major disappointment for Nadal and his camp if he doesn’t walk away with his 10^th French Open title.

#2. How much will the absence of Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova hurt the women’s competition? Serena Williams will not play in the French Open due to her pregnancy and Maria Sharapova was denied a wild card because of her suspension for doping. Sharapova is eligible to play on the WTA Tour again, but the only way she could have gotten into the French Open this season was through a wild card since her ranking isn’t high enough to play in the qualifying rounds.

With Serena Williams unable to compete, Maria Sharapova’s presence could have given the women’s draw a real boost in terms of ratings and interest. While the French Tennis Federation did what was perhaps the morally right thing to do, they certainly weren’t thinking of their fans or ratings when they decided to not grant her a wild card. If the women’s tournament suffers from a lack of ratings and ticket sales, the decision to not give Sharapova a wild card may come back to haunt the event.

#3.  Is Dominic Thiem the best hope to knock off Rafael Nadal? With Murray, Djokovic, and Wawrinka all looking like long shots to upset Nadal, most people see Dominic Thiem as the guy with the best chances of taking out the King of Clay. Thiem took out Nadal in the quarterfinals at Rome, but lost to Nadal in the previous two clay events in Barcelona and Madrid. Since he has faced Nadal a lot recently and can say he’s beaten him on clay earlier this season, I give Thiem a puncher’s chance at taking out Nadal at Roland Garros, but nothing more than that.

Note: If Thiem were to face Nadal, it would be in the semifinals after a projected quarterfinal match against Djokovic.

#4. Can Angelique Kerber go the distance?  Angelique Kerber comes into this event as the #1 player in the world and with both Serena and Sharapova out, she is on paper the heavy favorite to win it all. The biggest hurdle she faces could be herself. The furthest she’s gone at Roland Garros is the quarterfinals and that was back in 2012. The only player who might be considered the favorite ahead of Kerber is Garbiñe Muguruza, who won the event last year. Unless it’s Muguruza who takes her out, it will be a major disappointment if Kerber doesn’t go all the way.

#5. Will Andre Agassi make the difference for Novak Djokovic? One of the major headlines coming into the French Open is defending champion Novak Djokovic’s decision to hire Andre Agassi as his coach. It’s unclear how long Agassi will work with Djokovic, but he will be his primary coach for the French Open at least. A lot of people see this move as an act of desperation on Djokovic’s end, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad decision. As a player who also most excelled on the hard courts, Agassi can relate well to Djokovic as he tries to go about finding more success on the dirt. Given their similarities, this could be a good pairing.

#6. Will Petra Kvitova make a run? After being sidelined for an extended period of time due to a robber stabbing her hand with a knife, the fact that Petra Kvitova can compete is a miracle and fantastic news. She’s currently the #15 seed and will be making her season debut. The furthest she’s gone at Roland Garros is the semifinals back in 2012, so if I can be honest, I have a hard time seeing her find that same level of success this year.

#7. Can Andy Murray get back to the Final? Andy Murray lost to Novak Djokovic in the final last year. As the #1 seed, Murray has a great shot of getting back for a second straight year. Nadal, Thiem, and Djokovic are all on the opposite side of his draw, which is obviously good news. The biggest threat on his side appears to be Stan Wawrinka and he hasn’t exactly lit the dirt on fire this clay season.

#8. Can Garbiñe Muguruza defend her title? As the defending champion, Garbiñe Muguruza is the biggest threat to Angelique Kerber in this event. She comes in as the #4 seed and would face Kerber in the semifinals should they meet. While I agree that Kerber should be the favorite considering her ranking and recent success, it’s pretty tough to pick against Muguruza at this event. She won it last year and seems to enjoy the clay as much as anyone in the women’s draw.

#9. Will anyone from France step up?  #31 Gilles Simon, #28 Caroline Garcia, #24 Richard Gasquet, #16 Lucas Pouille, #15 Gaël Monfils, #13 Kristina Mladenovic, and #12 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga are the seeded players from France in both the men’s and women’s draws. At every Grand Slam, players from the home country always have a bit more pressure on them to deliver the goods and represent their country with pride.

Sadly for France, they’ve not had a champion at Roland Garros in quite a while. Yannick Noah is the last Frenchman to win the event back in 1983 while Mary Pierce is the last Frenchwoman to win the event back in 2000. Odds look slim that either drought will end this year.

#10. Can Karolina Pliskova back up her ranking? Karolina Pliskova is ranked #3 in the world and with Serena Williams out, she’s the #2 seed at Roland Garros. She’s been playing some fantastic tennis as of late, reaching the final of the 2016 US Open and the quarterfinals of the 2017 Australian Open.

However, she’s not found success at Grand Slams away from the hard courts, failing to get past the second round at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon. On the clay this season, her results haven’t given us any reason to think she’ll have much improvement. She lost in the quarterfinals at Stuttgart, the Round of 32 in Prague, the Round of 32 in Madrid, and quarterfinals in Rome. If I can be honest, I’ll be surprised to see her survive into the second week.

Predictions: As far as my predictions go, I have Rafael Nadal defeating Andy Murray in the men’s final 7-6, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 to win his 10^th French Open title. In the women’s draw, I have Garbiñe Muguruza defeating Simona Halep in the final 6-4, 6-3 to win her second French Open title.

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2015 Wimbledon Men's Singles Final Preview: Novak Djokovic vs. Roger Federer

                                                (Credit: Marianne Bevis. Click here for source) 

     The 2015 Wimbledon men's singles final is Sunday at 9:00 AM EST on ESPN. The two men competing for the title are men who we have been accustomed to seeing on the final Sunday of grand slams: World #1 Novak Djokovic and world #2 Roger Federer. Federer is in possession of 17 grand slam titles, the most of any male player, and Djokovic is in possession of 8 grand slam titles, which makes him tied with Andre Agassi and a slew of other players.

     They have faced each other 39 times over the course of their careers, with Federer holding a 20-19 edge. While it is true that Federer's best surface is grass and Djokovic's best surface is hard court, what's interesting is that in the three matches that they have played on grass (all being at Wimbledon), Djokovic has won twice. This suggests that the grass may not be giving Federer as big of an advantage as we would think. Ironically, Federer has had better success against Djokovic on clay, with a 4-3 record. What makes that ironic is that Federer has only one grand slam title on clay at the 2009 French Open but he has seven Wimbledon titles.

     In truth, if you look at the head-to-head records, there really isn't a reason to give one man an edge over the other. When these two guys play, it's almost always a really competitive and close match. When it comes to picking a winner, one has to look at how both men have been playing over the course of the tournament.

     To get to the Wimbledon final, Roger Federer has defeated Damir Dzumhur, Sam Querrey, Sam Groth, Roberto Bautista Agut, Gilles Simon, and Andy Murray. In his six matches, Federer has dropped only one set.  As for Novak Djokovic, he has defeated Philipp Kohlschreiber, Jarkko Nieminen, Bernard Tomic, Kevin Anderson, Marin Cilic, and Richard Gasquet. In his six matches, Djokovic has dropped two sets, both of which were in his five set thriller against Kevin Anderson.

     Based on this data, one would give Federer a slight edge. He has dropped fewer sets against slightly better competition. In the semifinals, Federer defeated Andy Murray in straight sets, who is probably the biggest threat to him and Djokovic. As for Djokovic, he too won his semifinal match against Richard Gasquet in straight sets, but in that match he was taken to a tiebreaker in the first set and narrowly won the next two sets 6-4, 6-4.

     What also factors into all of this is what both players are playing for. Federer is playing for his 18th grand slam title and his eighth Wimbledon title, which would give him more Wimbledon titles than any other man in the history of tennis. As for Djokovic, he is playing for his ninth grand slam title and his third Wimbledon title.

     What Federer is playing for is greater from an all-time historical perspective, but at least in his case, his legacy is already set in stone as the greatest tennis player of all-time. Some, including myself, have put forth arguments for why Rafael Nadal should be considered the greatest of all time, or why Pete Sampras deserves to recognized as such, but at the end of the day, the true measuring stick for greatness in tennis is grand slam titles.

     Federer has more of those than any other man in the history of the game, which is why I say his legacy is set in stone. One can argue about a lot of things, but nobody can argue about who has the most grand slam titles ever. The answer is Roger Federer and until somebody else passes him with more grand slam titles, Federer will be the greatest tennis player ever.

   

                                                 (Credit: Marianne Bevis. Click here for source)

     Unlike Federer, Djokovic is still in the process of passing other tennis legends on the all-time grand slam champion list. He is still yet to pass Andre Agassi, Ivan Lendl, Jimmy Connors, Ken Rosewall, and Fred Perry, all who have eight grand slam titles as well. Ahead of him on the all-time list are Bill Tilden (10), Rod Laver (11), Björn Borg (11), Roy Emerson (12), Rafael Nadal (14), Pete Sampras (14), and of course Roger Federer (17).

     While many rightfully want to mention Djokovic in the same sentence as Nadal, Sampras, and Federer for what he has accomplished so far, it needs to be made clear that Djokovic still has a some work to do before he fully deserves to be mentioned in the same sentence as those three players. For Djokovic, a win on Sunday against Roger Federer would be a huge résumé builder for him and also put him eighth on the all-time grand slam titles list.

     A loss on the other hand, would hurt his legacy. It would make him 1-2 in grand slam finals this year and also give another grand slam title to a player whose all-time record he is chasing. In many ways, one could argue that if Novak Djokovic wants to someday join the greatest of all-time discussion, he needs to win Sunday's Wimbledon final against Roger Federer. That may sound like an overreaction to one match, but if you think about it, this is the final of Wimbledon, the biggest tennis match of the year and he is playing the game's greatest player.

     When considering all these factors, I have to give a slight edge to Novak Djokovic to win Wimbledon. In my Wimbledon preview, I picked him to win and I don't see a good enough reason for me to pick against him. While Federer may never get another chance to play in a Wimbledon final and win a record eight Wimbledon titles, Novak Djokovic really does have more on the line. His reputation as the best player in the world and his reputation as perhaps the greatest tennis player ever are both on the line. Federer has neither of those things on the line and thus shouldn't feel as much motivation to win.

     If Djokovic doesn't win this title, this will sting way more than the loss in Paris did last month because now his pain will be compounded by another failure in a grand slam final. For Djokovic, this feels like a must win match while for Federer, it feels much more like icing on the cake. That in short is the real difference here.

---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @atp_guy for tennis news. Also, like my tennis page on Facebook ATP Guy Nation