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Banned
To those who are interested. Courier won the tournament beating Muster in the finals. Mac beat Becker, then had tough, close losses to Krajicek and Courier, here are reports of those 2 matches.
Torquemada Courier puts McEnroe on rack
By Ronald Atkin at the Royal Albert Hall
05 December 2004
Despite his brave attempts to discount an 11-year age gap, the Masters title which John McEnroe has won four times in seven years was torn from his grip at the semi-final stage in London's Royal Albert Hall yesterday. So Jim Courier, at 34, moved to within a step of this afternoon's $100,000 winner-take-all prize, while the 45-year-old McEnroe, as indestructible as they come in this sport, said he would be back next year "if they invite me". They wouldn't dare refuse. In the final Courier will face Austria's Thomas Muster, who defeated Anders Jarryd 3-6 4-3 when the Swede defaulted with a shoulder injury.
There had been attempts to hype Courier-McEnroe as a grudge match at the conclusion of the Delta Tour of Champions season, but they chose not to play tennis with a snarl. After all, they run businesses close to each other in Lower Manhattan and frequently enjoy a game together in New York. As Courier generously acknowledged after his 7-5 7-6 (7-4) victory: "When I moved to New York four years ago John kinda took me under his wing and showed me the ropes. But we both bring that kind of energy to the practice court as well."
The one hour 45 minute contest was not without the odd glare, curled lip or outburst. How could it be otherwise when McEnroe is involved on a seniors circuit where he reckons, perhaps only half in jest, that the requirement to rant is written into his contract?
This is Courier's first year on the Tour of Champions. The man who twice won both the French and Australian Opens showed the ability to pound a tennis ball remains very much within his remit by easily topping the rankings in the six run-up events to this Masters tournament. He hammered away at McEnroe and one of his winners, a half-volley from behind the baseline which rocketed past his incoming opponent, would not have been out of place in Roger Federer's glittering repertoire. But the Grand Old Groaner stayed with him virtually to the last rally, despite sounding at times as if he was in the hands of Torquemada as he stretched and reached, gasped and grunted. It was, as Courier said, "high-energy stuff".
The speed of the Albert Hall's carpet has long been a blessing to McEnroe's serve and volley skills. He knows the territory and works it well. So well that he easily kept pace with Courier in the early stages, which were distinguished by McEnroe's overruling a lineswoman's fault call on a Courier serve and declaring it an ace. "That's the first time you've done that," said an astonished Courier. "You owe me 500," quipped McEnroe, presumably meaning dollars.
The McEnroe benevolence did not last. Despite the clear support of the audience, he was broken in the 12th game of the opening set, pushed on to the back foot by the quality of Courier's passing shots, and the response was to hurl his racket the width of the court.
It was McEnroe's inability to convert break points (he managed only one out of five) which prevented him extending, or even possibly winning, this match. The one break he did contrive, which put him 3-2 up in the second set, was annulled three games later as he dropped serve to a Courier backhand pass of the highest calibre. By this stage of his life, McEnroe is able to spot writing when it is on the wall, and he reacted by staggering to the side of the court, collapsing on his back and lying there for the best part of a minute. This was followed by his first high decibel rant, but by then the match was an hour and 24 minutes old, so it qualified as gesture politics only.
Sure enough, Courier ran out a clear winner of the second set tie-break and after accepting the applause he generously indicated that his opponent deserved some, too. He got it.
Afterwards, McEnroe confirmed he would probably be in next year's line-up. "I feel I can hang on a bit longer," he said. "Obviously my days are numbered but I am going to work hard and keep my options open. I lost 5 and 6 to Jim Courier, I have nothing to hang my head about."
Krajicek has the final word over grumbling McEnroe
By Gary Jacob
NOBODY takes his tennis as seriously as John McEnroe, even down to the timing of his crabbiness on court. The eruptions are supposed to unsettle his opponent and entertain the audience but, as the American suffered his first defeat of the week at The Masters event at the Albert Hall, London, last night, a series of line-calls were clearly rankling with him.
On the only occasion that Richard Krajicek was successfully goaded by an outburst, he was told by McEnroe that he should stop whining. “I replied that if I was whining, what was he doing?” Krajicek said. “He is looking for confrontation, but if you don’t give it to him, you are alright. He was aching for a discussion with me.”
Having been broken by McEnroe, 45, early in the match, Krajicek, 33 on Monday and the youngest player in the seniors tour, broke back twice to take the set 6-4 with some forceful passing shots and powerful serves. His opponent was less than impressed, grumbling and growling at the umpire.
Things went further awry for McEnroe when he lost serve in the opening game of the second set, but he broke back at 4-4 to force a tie-break, which he won, before losing the champions tie-break 10-7. “My rhythm was off,” McEnroe said. “I have felt better and wasn’t flowing as easily as I was against (Boris) Becker (on Wednesday).”
McEnroe will play Mikael Pernfors, of Sweden, in the quarter-finals, while Krajicek will now play Anders Jarryd, another Swede. Jim Courier, the leading player on the seniors tour, beat Pat Cash 6-2, 6-3 to face Guy Forget.
Cash will play Thomas Muster, the Austrian who has won both his matches. Michael Stich has withdrawn after complaining of a racing heart and headache during his opening loss to Muster on Tuesday.
ALSO:
The crowd at Kensington Gore knew what to expect. McEnroe was assured of a quarter-final place after beating Boris Becker, but Krajicek had to win to stay in the tournament. And McEnroe, at 45, is 13 years senior in age to Krajicek.
But the years deceive. The toll, in terms of wear and tear, that tennis takes on a big man, like the 6ft 5in Krajicek, the legacy of five operations to the knees, a foot and an elbow because of all that thumping power from so much height, takes away more from the Dutchman than the guile, finesse and intuition that have stayed with Mac.
Undoubtedly, of course, it’s a greying McEnroe these days. He was the idol of Krajicek’s boyhood and they met when Krajicek, born in Rotterdam to Czech immigrants, visited England as a 10-year-old.
On Thursday, Krajicek asked McEnroe to give him a quote for the back cover of the book the Dutchman has just finished writing. “You,” Krajicek told the American, “are the first chapter in it.”
The title of the book, Harde Ballen (Hard Balls), gives the game away. Written by Krajicek personally and edited by his wife, the former model, film actress and author Daphne Deckers, it is built around 12 chapters of players who have either inspired or intrigued Krajicek.
“I write about what we have in common — for example, John’s father was tough with him, and mine was with me.”
Nobody defies age more than John P McEnroe. Still in command of touch and speed of brain — still capable of mouthing audible obscenities — he battled for an hour and 38 minutes before succumbing to Krajicek’s ability to serve, even now, at speeds of 133mph.
Torquemada Courier puts McEnroe on rack
By Ronald Atkin at the Royal Albert Hall
05 December 2004
Despite his brave attempts to discount an 11-year age gap, the Masters title which John McEnroe has won four times in seven years was torn from his grip at the semi-final stage in London's Royal Albert Hall yesterday. So Jim Courier, at 34, moved to within a step of this afternoon's $100,000 winner-take-all prize, while the 45-year-old McEnroe, as indestructible as they come in this sport, said he would be back next year "if they invite me". They wouldn't dare refuse. In the final Courier will face Austria's Thomas Muster, who defeated Anders Jarryd 3-6 4-3 when the Swede defaulted with a shoulder injury.
There had been attempts to hype Courier-McEnroe as a grudge match at the conclusion of the Delta Tour of Champions season, but they chose not to play tennis with a snarl. After all, they run businesses close to each other in Lower Manhattan and frequently enjoy a game together in New York. As Courier generously acknowledged after his 7-5 7-6 (7-4) victory: "When I moved to New York four years ago John kinda took me under his wing and showed me the ropes. But we both bring that kind of energy to the practice court as well."
The one hour 45 minute contest was not without the odd glare, curled lip or outburst. How could it be otherwise when McEnroe is involved on a seniors circuit where he reckons, perhaps only half in jest, that the requirement to rant is written into his contract?
This is Courier's first year on the Tour of Champions. The man who twice won both the French and Australian Opens showed the ability to pound a tennis ball remains very much within his remit by easily topping the rankings in the six run-up events to this Masters tournament. He hammered away at McEnroe and one of his winners, a half-volley from behind the baseline which rocketed past his incoming opponent, would not have been out of place in Roger Federer's glittering repertoire. But the Grand Old Groaner stayed with him virtually to the last rally, despite sounding at times as if he was in the hands of Torquemada as he stretched and reached, gasped and grunted. It was, as Courier said, "high-energy stuff".
The speed of the Albert Hall's carpet has long been a blessing to McEnroe's serve and volley skills. He knows the territory and works it well. So well that he easily kept pace with Courier in the early stages, which were distinguished by McEnroe's overruling a lineswoman's fault call on a Courier serve and declaring it an ace. "That's the first time you've done that," said an astonished Courier. "You owe me 500," quipped McEnroe, presumably meaning dollars.
The McEnroe benevolence did not last. Despite the clear support of the audience, he was broken in the 12th game of the opening set, pushed on to the back foot by the quality of Courier's passing shots, and the response was to hurl his racket the width of the court.
It was McEnroe's inability to convert break points (he managed only one out of five) which prevented him extending, or even possibly winning, this match. The one break he did contrive, which put him 3-2 up in the second set, was annulled three games later as he dropped serve to a Courier backhand pass of the highest calibre. By this stage of his life, McEnroe is able to spot writing when it is on the wall, and he reacted by staggering to the side of the court, collapsing on his back and lying there for the best part of a minute. This was followed by his first high decibel rant, but by then the match was an hour and 24 minutes old, so it qualified as gesture politics only.
Sure enough, Courier ran out a clear winner of the second set tie-break and after accepting the applause he generously indicated that his opponent deserved some, too. He got it.
Afterwards, McEnroe confirmed he would probably be in next year's line-up. "I feel I can hang on a bit longer," he said. "Obviously my days are numbered but I am going to work hard and keep my options open. I lost 5 and 6 to Jim Courier, I have nothing to hang my head about."
Krajicek has the final word over grumbling McEnroe
By Gary Jacob
NOBODY takes his tennis as seriously as John McEnroe, even down to the timing of his crabbiness on court. The eruptions are supposed to unsettle his opponent and entertain the audience but, as the American suffered his first defeat of the week at The Masters event at the Albert Hall, London, last night, a series of line-calls were clearly rankling with him.
On the only occasion that Richard Krajicek was successfully goaded by an outburst, he was told by McEnroe that he should stop whining. “I replied that if I was whining, what was he doing?” Krajicek said. “He is looking for confrontation, but if you don’t give it to him, you are alright. He was aching for a discussion with me.”
Having been broken by McEnroe, 45, early in the match, Krajicek, 33 on Monday and the youngest player in the seniors tour, broke back twice to take the set 6-4 with some forceful passing shots and powerful serves. His opponent was less than impressed, grumbling and growling at the umpire.
Things went further awry for McEnroe when he lost serve in the opening game of the second set, but he broke back at 4-4 to force a tie-break, which he won, before losing the champions tie-break 10-7. “My rhythm was off,” McEnroe said. “I have felt better and wasn’t flowing as easily as I was against (Boris) Becker (on Wednesday).”
McEnroe will play Mikael Pernfors, of Sweden, in the quarter-finals, while Krajicek will now play Anders Jarryd, another Swede. Jim Courier, the leading player on the seniors tour, beat Pat Cash 6-2, 6-3 to face Guy Forget.
Cash will play Thomas Muster, the Austrian who has won both his matches. Michael Stich has withdrawn after complaining of a racing heart and headache during his opening loss to Muster on Tuesday.
ALSO:
The crowd at Kensington Gore knew what to expect. McEnroe was assured of a quarter-final place after beating Boris Becker, but Krajicek had to win to stay in the tournament. And McEnroe, at 45, is 13 years senior in age to Krajicek.
But the years deceive. The toll, in terms of wear and tear, that tennis takes on a big man, like the 6ft 5in Krajicek, the legacy of five operations to the knees, a foot and an elbow because of all that thumping power from so much height, takes away more from the Dutchman than the guile, finesse and intuition that have stayed with Mac.
Undoubtedly, of course, it’s a greying McEnroe these days. He was the idol of Krajicek’s boyhood and they met when Krajicek, born in Rotterdam to Czech immigrants, visited England as a 10-year-old.
On Thursday, Krajicek asked McEnroe to give him a quote for the back cover of the book the Dutchman has just finished writing. “You,” Krajicek told the American, “are the first chapter in it.”
The title of the book, Harde Ballen (Hard Balls), gives the game away. Written by Krajicek personally and edited by his wife, the former model, film actress and author Daphne Deckers, it is built around 12 chapters of players who have either inspired or intrigued Krajicek.
“I write about what we have in common — for example, John’s father was tough with him, and mine was with me.”
Nobody defies age more than John P McEnroe. Still in command of touch and speed of brain — still capable of mouthing audible obscenities — he battled for an hour and 38 minutes before succumbing to Krajicek’s ability to serve, even now, at speeds of 133mph.
