A few years ago when I was serving as the President of the US Professional Tennis Association’s Eastern Division, I asked Patrick to speak at a coaches’ conference. His wife had a performance the same evening, and getting from Manhattan out to the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows and back to the city for her show was going to be challenging due to traffic. He never wavered. He charmed and challenged all the attendees and set a strong tone of expectations for American teaching professionals. Knowing that the event had a limited budget, Patrick donated his time. Everyone in tennis seems to have similarly positive experiences with Patrick. With this appointment, he continues his ascendancy as one of the true leaders of our sport. I can attest that he “thinks globally, but acts locally.”

I have been thinking of Patrick’s oldest brother, John, lately as his career relates to the constant Federer Debates. By the end of 1984, John McEnroe was being referred to as the greatest player ever by former champions such as Rod Laver, Jack Kramer, and Don Budge. That season, he lost a mere three matches, and, like Federer in 2006, seemed in a class of his own. By then, McEnroe had eclipsed Bjorn Borg, and proved to be a superior talent to Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl. At 25 years old, he won his eighth major title at the 1984 US Open. Recall that in that era, the top ranking players did not enter the Australian Open as a matter of course, so McEnroe was generally competing in three majors each year (the Masters and WCT Finals would have been considered “bigger” tournaments to win from 1978-85, at least).

By almost any measure, McEnroe’s 1985 season was also brilliant. He won 72 matches and lost just nine. He took eight singles titles. However, he tweaked his hamstring, which slowed him down by perhaps a half-step. He had begun an intense relationship with his future wife Tatum O’Neal. He no longer seemed to be the best mover in the sport. His focus was less myopic. He lost in the second week of each of the four majors that season.

After that season, John McEnroe stayed at the top echelon of the sport but he was never again a serious contender for the major crowns, and his efforts to regain his #1 ranking through the years were frustratingly futile. Others had caught up to him, and they would soon sprint past him. The hunter became the hunted, and the hunted certainly resented that role. The moral of that story: enjoy Roger Federer while he lasts. It might be a minor injury that compromises his sublime movement. It might be an off-court situation that divides his attention. It might be that the next generation simply improves sufficiently to displace the mighty Federer. In sports, these changes can happen pretty quickly.

If Serena Williams is fully engaged with her tennis, and is feeling healthy, can Justine Henin beat her? Maybe on clay. The quarterfinal result from Key Biscayne was a pretty wicked taming of the world’s #1 ranked woman. They are the two best players of their generation, so their matches are fascinating.

There are still some single-session tickets available for the juicy Davis Cup quarterfinal between the US and France in Winston-Salem, NC. The French team is deep and a threat to win any of the five rubbers. Team USA is, of course, looking to become the first back-to-back champions in a decade.

Enjoy the business end of the Sony Ericsson down in Key Biscayne…

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Will the same happen again in 2008? Probably. It will be even more difficult for players to justify a trip to Beijing with the US Open, the world’s richest prize money tournament (lest you forget), beginning shortly afterwards.

Andy Roddick’s withdrawal has gotten a lot of attention, but I admire his forthrightness. Most players will feign an injury at the last moment to appear as though they “really wanted to be there.” Kudos to Roddick for telling it like it is: the US Open is the priority for tennis players.

It is great that our sport is part of the Summer Olympic Games, but foolhardy to think that players who grow up watching Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and US Open finals will care as deeply for the once-every-four-years deal. A quick glance at the honor roll of medal winners supports this. Some all-time greats did receive medals at previous Olympics, but there are a lot of names that would be difficult for even hard-core tennis fans to recall. As the “ol’ perfessor” Casey Stengel used to say, you can look it up.

My family and I were having a holiday in the South of France two weeks ao, and I insisted that we make a pilgrimmage to the Monte Carlo Country Club, where Bjorn Borg spent so much time practicing. On one of the outside courts, the relentless Justine Henin was going through an on-court workout that would wear out any Olympic decathlete. She was also working on finishing points with her most potent weapon, her forehand. This stroke is more effective than, but often overshadowed by, her more aesthetically pleasing one-handed backhand. It is hard to envision her losing her crown at Roland Garros.

Of course, the tournament organizers in Indian Wells would have much rather seen the world’s #1 player in the Californian dessert than training on clay in Europe. Sadly, with the stubborn reluctance to modify the one-year-runs-into-the-next schedule of the international tour, players choose to make their own off-seasons. It seems that the time after the Australian Open ends in late January until March is becoming a “window” that more players will be using. It would be great to correct this one day.

After seeing Novak Djokovic winning in Indian Wells and reading more and more analysis of Roger Federer’s feelings toward the young Serb, I was reminded of a remarkable moment in boxing’s recent history. Roy Jones, Jr. was viewed as his generation’s pound-for-pound greatest, and one of the best boxers of all time. He won a disputed decision against Antonio Tarver, which led to their rematch. Jones had a few “explanations” for his sub-par performance leading into the second fight. When the boxers met in the middle of the ring for the pre-fight instructions, they were, as is customary, asked if they had any questions. “Yeah, I got one,” said Tarver, “You got any excuses tonight, Roy?” In an astonishing performance, Tarver knocked Jones cold in the second round.

To borrow from Antonio Tarver, we also “got” a few questions this week:

1) “What is your take on Roddick skipping the Olympics?”
~Arvind from India

See above. It is the right move for Roddick at this stage of his career. His decision will set a trend this summer. I’d expect Roddick to look to play in London 2012, which, again, would be the right move for him at that stage (unless he has a Barry Bonds-like second half of his career). Roddick will be just shy of his 30th birthday during the London 2012 Games, and will predictably get caught up in the “one more time” sentimentality. This year’s US Open will be among the last and best chances that Roddick has of enhancing his Hall of Fame career- and he is already a first ballot H-of-F’er.

2) I am an aggressive player, and I always tend to find a way to hit winners. I am a one-handed player for both forehand and backhand, I can do quite good on both sides, but sometimes I make many errors on my backhand, how do I improve that?
~Tony from Hong Kong

Despite your ability to always find a way to hit winners, I would urge you to play slightly more conservatively on your backhand and wait for the opportunity to use your forehand to full advantage. Think Fernando Gonzalez, who will roll, slice, and, of course sometimes, nail his backhand. When he gets a forehand, however, it is Katie Bar the Door.

Lastly, kudos to Rafael Nadal and David Nalbandian for playing in a friendly exhibition at the Palm Beach International Polo Club (on Har Tru!) on Tuesday evening. The event raised $50,000 for their respective charities, and Nalbandian was able to provide a favor for his buddy and fellow Argentine, Adolfo Combiaso, who is regarded as the world’s finest polo player.

The worst example of why things are out of whack between Dubai and the rest of the tour occurred two years ago. In Andre Agassi’s final season, while he was looking to minimize travel, he opted to fly half-way around the world to Dubai in lieu of playing the Tennis Channel Open in his hometown of Las Vegas. Of course he was offered an appearance fee that even he could not refuse. By the way, in 2007 Agassi purchased tickets to attend matches at the Darling Tennis Center. That act showed a lot about Agassi’s character, or it was his penance. Regardless, there are not too many people “in” tennis who opt to pay for tickets when all-access credentials are readily available.

Congratulations to Sam Querrey, who won his first ATP title in Las Vegas. Too young to legally enjoy a celebratory beer, Querrey looks like a sure-fire future Davis Cupper. Forecasting future champions is always risky business, and Sam Querrey is a prime example. The first international junior tournament that he played was at the 2004 US Open (where he extended that year’s champion, Andy Murray, to three sets in the quarterfinals). The Californian was only able to enter this event as a wildcard, based on his winning the Boys’ 16 and under Nationals in Kalamazoo, MI (as a third-year 16s, by the way). He was hardly on the experts’ radar screen at that time, but rather just another good American junior who appeared primed for college tennis.

In Andy Murray’s second round match in Dubai, he let fly several clearly audible obscenities. I have a soft spot for Andy, because he is my son’s favorite player and I love his competitive spirit. But it appears that the point penalty system, which was put in place a few decades ago to essentially reign in John McEnroe, has been relaxed considerably. If these same rules existed back in 1990, then Johnny Mac would have won his eighth major at that year’s Australian Open instead of being unceremoniously defaulted.

The week following Andy Roddick’s victory in San Jose, Jon Wertheim of Sports Illustrated criticized the popular American for some unseemly, and certainly unsportsmanlike, behavior. There was a marked improvement in the way Roddick carried himself in Dubai. I suspect that a member of the Roddick team – and perhaps Andy himself – read this SI.com article. I feel Wertheim is comfortably growing into the position that the late, great Gene Scott once held: the conscience of tennis. There was nothing unfair about the opinions he shared. It was nice to see Andy enjoy his best victory in a few years, and behave honorably. In fact, commentator David Mercer referred to his semifinal win over Novak Djokovic to be “the highest quality in sport and sportsmanship.”

I watched 50,000 Balls, an interesting documentary about the lives of four top-ranking 12 and under American players from the summer of 2006. In Hoop Dreams fashion, it will be fascinating to see the sequel 500,000 Balls when these boys reach the 18s! Hopefully, a prominent Film Festival will show the project.

Serena Williams edged ahead of big sister Venus in their career head-to-head record (8-7) with a third set tiebreak win in the semifinals of Bangalore, India on her way to her 29th career title. This match could have been a preview of the 2008 Olympic Games gold medal match for women’s singles.

Congratulations to Wayne Bryan for being named the 2008 Professional Tennis Registry’s Professional of the Year. Wayne reminds me of the Grateful Dead. As was frequently said about this legendary band, Wayne is not only the best in the world at what he does, he is the only one in the world who does what he does. Every coach, and every parent for that matter, ought to have a copy of his book The Formula: Raising Your Child to be a Champion in Athletics, Arts, and Academics.

Joel Drucker wrote a nice piece on Wayne’s boys, Bob and Mike Bryan, who continue battling to make professional doubles relevant. The Brothers are relentlessly nice young men, and a credit to the tennis profession.

Monica Seles has announced her retirement, and she is a shoo-in for induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. A player must be inactive on the main tour for five years to be eligible for induction. Well, Seles’s last professional match was played in 2003 during Roland Garros. While the class of 2008 has already been announced, her retirement announcement gives our sport the opportunity to do right by one of the greatest champions of all-time by fast-tracking her induction.

The buzz that the Federer-Sampras exhibition created was wonderful for our sport. “Cheap” tickets were scalped for over $1,000. George Vecsey of the New York Times wrote a wistful article previewing this match and Harvey Araton, also from the NY Times, wrote an interesting post-match commentary. In previous eras, these cross-generational challenge matches were common. Bill Tilden played Ellsworth Vines, Vines played Don Budge, Budge played Bobby Riggs, Riggs played Jack Kramer, Kramer played Pancho Gonzalez, Gonzalez played Rod Laver, Laver played Jimmy Connors, etc. Before tennis went “open” in 1968, the only (and the best) way champions had to earn money was through playing in exhibitions against previous champions.

Getting psyched up to play against Roger Federer in a sold out Madison Square Garden is more manageable for the 36-year-old Sampras then the prospect of grinding out Tour matches (or even of having to win seven matches in 13 days at Wimbledon). It is times like this when I really miss the New York sports talk radio stations!

Roger Federer’s less than gracious post-match comments about Andy Murray were likely taken out of context, but his follow up comments that Murray is more talented than Novak Djokovic seemed really out of character. Rafael Nadal disturbs Federer, and John Yandell wrote fascinating articles about this topic on www.TennisPlayer.net, but Djokovic apparently really gets under Federer’s skin. Last week, the Serb opined that he expected Murray to win and that Federer is essentially losing his aura of invincibility. Hmmm…

The announcement that Roger Federer was sick with mononucleosis must have surprised Pete Sampras, who holds Federer in the highest regard. Pistol Pete won his seventh Wimbledon title on a broken foot and his fifth US Open title with stomach ulcers. Sampras has always talked about how he admires the way Federer carries himself, and these champions obviously share unique experiences. Here’s hoping that they grab a beer together and discuss the time-honored Aussie code that both men respect: If you’re fit, then you take the court; if you take the court, then it means you’re fit.

There was a great trivia question a few years ago: Who was the last man to win a tour-level event while using a wood racquet? Hint: he was the only player to beat Mats Wilander in a major back in 1988. Well, here is a modern era trivia question: Who was the last man to win a tour-level title WITHOUT using polyester strings? Polyester strings have had as great an impact on the way tennis is played professionally as larger head-size, graphite racquets had 25 years ago.

I am looking forward to watching the Indian Wells coverage on EuroSport next week. Please feel welcome to send questions, comments, criticisms, requests, and jokes each week.