You've been playing hard to get, haven't you, tennis? I know you've been avoiding me. First, you invited so many people over to your place in Palm Springs a few Saturdays ago that there was no room left for me. I tried not to take it personally, but you knew it was the only day I could come over. I jealously watched you on TV, hosting tens of thousands of people at your gorgeous Tennis Garden at Indian Wells. It seemed like you were having a wonderful time without me. Don't get me wrong, I was never under any misconception that this relationship was exclusive. Still, I hoped you held a special place in your heart for me, as I do for you. But I got your message. You froze me out. You knew I was heading down to Florida to visit my family. You deliberately hurt me by not showing yourself on the cable system at my mother's house. I was forced to record your Final events in California on my grandmother's DVR, then watch them days later. That was very coy of you. Then I have to watch as you flirt and canoodle with the top men in the game -- Nadal, Djokovic, Federer, and Del Potro. Tennis, you are indeed a fickle mistress. But I caught up with you yesterday, didn't I?
It's been quite a while since I got the distinct pleasure of seeing my favorite female player in person. Yesterday on Court 3 at the Crandon Park Tennis Center on Key Biscayne, Ana Ivanovic (Serbian Sensation) played doubles with Andrea Petkovic (Serbian-born German). Ivanovic and Petkovic lost the first set, then went up 5-1 in the second. The crowd (and me) began gravitating to Court 3. As I waited in a long line to get into the stands, Ana and Andrea completely blew their lead. After a man nearly fell on me trying to get a glimpse of the action on the steps leading to the court, I finally grabbed a seat as the duo with the Serbian connection won the last two games to take the set 7-5 and send the match into a super-tiebreaker. (For those who may not know, both the ATP and WTA use super-tiebreakers to decide doubles matches. Instead of playing a third set, they play an extended tiebreaker. The first team to reach ten points with a two-point lead wins.) The super-tiebreaker in this particular match got testy. Anastasia Rodionova (Russian-born Australian) slammed a volley directly at Petkovic, who was pretty close to the net at the time. Andrea went down, shaken but uninjured. Ana compassionately checked on her playing partner. A few points later, Petkovic sort of returned the favor by smashing a volley near Rodionova but not at her. Rodionova shot a look back at Petkovic. Several points after that, Rodionova got another opportunity to peg Petkovic, but slammed the ball in her general direction instead. The exchange seemed to ignite Ivanovic and Petkovic, who had never won a doubles match together. They dominated the rest of the super-tiebreaker, winning it 10-5 and taking the match. To celebrate, the two cuties hi-fived, hugged, and danced a little jig in front of their bench. Unfortunately, as of press time, photos were unavailable due to a lost cord connecting the camera to the computer. Luckily, I took plenty of mental snapshots of the stunning Serb. Maria Sharapova may be the media darling of women's tennis, but to this reporter, Ana Ivanovic is the prettiest player with the most specatucular smile. I hope she regains the form that took her to the top of the game, and we see her flash those pearly whites many more times while hoisting championship trophies in the air.
Jack Sock is going to be an outstanding professional tennis player. At the moment, he's an 18-year-old high school player who has led his team to a state championship in Kansas and won the U.S. Open junior championship. He is from Lincoln, Nebraska, resides and trains in Kansas City, and sometimes practices at the USTA National Training Center in Boca Raton. Because many tennis insiders believe he has a very bright future, he received a wild card entry into this year's main event at the Sony Ericsson Open. I watched his match on the Grandstand Court yesterday against a 28-year-old Argentine and tour veteran, Carlos Berlocq. With Berlocq leading 5-2 in the first set, I planted myself in the second row, directly in the sweltering midday sun. Immediately, I got a sense of the match as Sock served to stay in the set. Berlocq was playing clay court tennis on a hard court, offering lots of spin and no pace on his high-percentage deliveries, and Sock was getting frustrated. After an agonizing point that ended in a unforced error from the American teenager, I saw Sock mouth "Hit the fucking ball" to Berlocq. Sock held for 3-5, then raced to a Love-40 lead as Berlocq tried to serve out the set. A forehand error followed by a backhand error, then a rare ace from Berlocq, and the game was at Deuce. Surprisingly, Berlocq wilted, handing Sock the break with a forehand error and a double fault. I wish I could say this got the crowd into the match, but that was not the case. The heat seemed to numb the sun-baked spectators. I found myself cheering on young Jack Sock with one other man (who I would later find out was a family friend of the Socks) and a few scattered voices. With Sock serving at 4-5, Berlocq continued to frustrate him with high-arcing spins. As teenagers are prone to do, Sock got impatient and dumped a couple of forehands into the net. But he hung tough, constructed a few nice points, and held for 5-5. From my vantage point, the Argentine appeared to be breathing heavy at this point. However, the American didn't seem to notice. Instead of working Berlocq around the court, Sock put together a string of overanxious errors to hand Berlocq an easy hold. Serving at 5-6, Sock again failed to move Berlocq around and got broken at Love. At 5-5, the set was there for the taking, but the inexperience of the 18-year-old cost him the opportunity to wear out his opponent 10 years his senior. Momentarily losing his temper, Sock smacked his racket into the chair before sitting down for the changeover.
As the second set got underway, Berlocq got his energy back and resumed his clay court tactics of keeping the ball in play with long looping strokes with heavy topspin. Now it was Sock who seemed to be panting a bit and feeling the Miami heat. Berlocq held for a 1-0 lead. Sock double faults twice in his service game and gets broken to go down 0-2. He hits a ball out of the park in utter frustration. However, young Jack Sock regained his composure, constructed several good points, and fired a backhand winner to break back. Not only did that game get him back in the match, it offered a glimpse into the bounce-back potential of this future star. The two players traded service holds until Sock again broke the South American for a 4-3 lead. Sock consolidated the break with another hold for 5-3. Feeling confident, Sock puts more pressure on Berlocq's serve and takes him to 15-40 -- two set points. But Sock nets a forehand, then hits a backhand wide, nets another forehand, and Berlocq wins the next point for the hold. Now serving for the second set, Sock hits a forehand winner and follows it with a backhand winner. On the next point, the players exchange drop shots, and Sock's hustle wins it. 40-0. Three more set points. Here, Sock's forehand breaks down yet again. He buries an overanxious forehand in the middle of the net. He hits a forehand way long. 40-30. Sock appears to finally have the set won, but the crafty Berlocq scraps to stay in the point until Sock hits wide for Deuce. Two more forehands into the net later and Sock finds the set leveled at 5. Ironically, 5 is also the number of set points lost for Jack Sock.
At 30-all in Berlocq's service game, Sock changes tactics and plays it safe. He spins the ball into play, turning the tables on Berlocq and forcing the error. Sock plays a well-disguised drop shot on break point and it's called in. Sock pumps his fist. Berlocq challenges. Just out. Deuce. Sock jumps on a second serve and sets up an easy overhead smash. Another break point. Out of character, Berlocq comes to the net and puts away a volley to get back to Deuce. Sock hits two good forehand then one bad one into the net. Ad-In. Sock rips another forehand, which hits the net, pops up, and lands on his side. 6-5, Berlocq. Busting out his best serves, Jack aces Charley (Berlocq's nickname) twice and holds to force a second set tiebreaker. Another forehand error gives Berlocq the first point. The second point is a scrambling, wild, all-court point that goes to Berlocq for the mini-break. Young Sock hits his racket into the side partition, but not too hard, then rallies back with an ace on the next point. Sock's forehand comes through and the winner gives him the mini-break back at 2-2. But the Sock forehand breaks down and finds the net on consecutive points. 2-4, Berlocq. A big second serve earns Sock the next point. At 4-3, Berlocq flattens out his forehand and forces Sock to pop it up. The ball lands wide. With a chance to get to Match Point, Berlocq uncharacteristically sails a forehand long. Sock serves at 4-5. A huge first serve from Sock leads to an overhead smash, and it's all even at again at... you guessed it, 5. Sock plays a great point and smashes another overhead into the open court for a 6-5 lead. This time, Berlocq throws his racket to the ground. It feels like Sock's set now. Berlocq digs deep for another big serve. 6-all in the tiebreaker. Berlocq spins a backhand, Sock nets it. 6-7. Match Point for Berlocq. In keeping with the theme, Sock hits another forehand long. Just like that, it's over. 7-5, 7-6 for Berlocq. After shaking hands at the net, the American teenager slams his racket into his bag and takes a seat. He was the more talented player on the court. But the guile and match experience of Berlocq won out. Lesson learned for the Lincoln native, who will now return to Kansas City to try to lead his high school tennis team to another state championship. Best of luck to you, Young Jack Sock. We'll be seeing much more of you in the near future.
