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Baggie awards 2004
From Roger Federer to Paris Hilton, revisiting the crazy year that was
Posted: Monday December 13, 2004 2:51PM; Updated: Monday December 13,
2004 3:15PM
It's mid-December, which means that it's time for our seventh annual
Baggie Awards. Or is it the sixth annual? We'll check with Wimbledon
chair umpire Ted Watts and get back to you. In any case, it is time to
recognize the best and most bizarre from tennis in 2004.
But first, a quick detour from our usual cynicism to say thanks again
for another great year. We say this every year, but if you guys have
half as much fun visiting this page as I do responding to your
consistently thoughtful/informed/offbeat/entertaining inquiries, then
we're all doing pretty well. So keep the mail coming, and we'll do it
again in '05.
When the ATP and WTA brain trusts come to their senses and hold a joint
year-end event, maybe we'll have an actual Baggie Awards ceremony. Until
then, the virtual trophies go to (envelopes, please) ...
MVP, men
Roger Federer
Not even close. Three Majors, a Masters Cup title, multiple titles on
every surface, an undefeated record in finals. The abiding question for
next year: Can anyone challenge this guy?
MVP, women
Maria Sharapova
Smashing those "next Anna" comparisons like low-flying lobs, Sharapova
announced her arrival in '04, first by winning Wimbledon and then
(perhaps just as important) staring down Serena Williams to win the WTA
Championships. We've known for years Sharapova had game, but who knew
she competed this well?
Match of the year, men
Marat Safin d. Andre Agassi, Australian Open semis, 7-6, 7-6, 5-7, 1-6,
6-3
Safin is not known for mental toughness, but in a high-stakes match
against the defending champ the Russian showed poise to match his
shotmaking.
Runner-up: Federer d. Lleyton Hewitt, U.S. Open final, 6-0, 7-6, 6-0
The match wasn't even close -- which is the point. On a Major stage
against a top-shelf opponent, Federer simply put on a clinic, more
evidence that he is essentially playing solitaire these days.
Match of the year, women
Serena Williams d. Amelie Mauresmo, Wimbledon semis, 6-7, 7-5, 6-4
In a year that featured few personal highlights, Serena should fondly
recall this three-set epic. Beating Mauresmo in a tight match is
ordinarily no distinguishing feat, but this just-add-water classic was
as much about Serena's grace under pressure as it was about Mauresmo's
iffy nerves.
Comeback player of the year, men
Tommy Haas
So chronically injured he wasn't ranked in '03, Haas regained his health
and his form and climbed to No. 17.
Runner-up: Guillermo Canas, who moved from No. 274 to No. 11.
Doubles team of the year, women
Virginia Ruano Pascual and Paola Suarez became the first team to win
three straight U.S. Opens in the Open Era.
They often pin themselves to the baseline. They serve modestly. They
volley unremarkably. But they have a synchronicity that quietly enabled
them to win three Majors. Their success is the most underrated story in
tennis.
[As we said last year, it's more important we stop smoking, cut back on
our fast food intake, fill out that organ donor card, quit golf cold
turkey, and stop letting our New Yorker magazines pile up. But somewhere
on our list of New Year's resolutions, we ought to vow to do a better
job of supporting doubles.]
Class move of the year, women
After losing the U.S. Open final, Elena Dementieva had both the poise
and presence of mind to deliver an eloquent speech about the evils of
terrorism and importance of unity between the United States and Russia.
Newcomer of the year, men
Tomas Berdych
Since we already knew about Rafael Nadal and Joachim Johansson, we'll go
with Czech teenager Berdych who moved from No. 113 to 45, reached the
fourth round of the U.S. Open and beat Federer at the Olympics.
Newcomer of the year, women
Nicole Vaidisova
After beginning the season unranked, this Czech 15-year-old is currently
ranked No. 77 after compiling a 31-8 mark (and beating a slew of veteran
players) during the year. When the age-eligibility shackles come off,
look out.
Runner-up: Jelena Jankovic
The best player you've never heard of -- though that won't be the case
for long.
Best comeback, men
Australian Open fan to Taylor Dent: "I paid good money for this."
Dent: "This is costing me a lot in pride, too!"
Best comeback, women
Down 6-0, 5-0 in her first-round match at Roland Garros, Lisa Raymond
rallied to beat Lubomira Kurhajcova 0-6, 7-5, 6-3.
Best exchange, women
Question to Mauresmo at the Italian Open: "Who are you in love with
now?"
Answer, with pitch-perfect comedic timing: "I'm really in love with an
Italian journalist."
Best exchange, men, part I
Question to Roddick: "I think everyone in this room would say that
you're an incredibly loyal guy, a good friend and so forth ..."
Roddick: "Thanks, buddy. I think you're swell, too."
Best exchange men, part II
Question to Roddick after he was humiliated by Hewitt in the Masters Cup
semifinals: "Your volleys seem like they are a lot better right now.
Have you been putting a lot of time into improving your volleys?"
Roddick: "I'm glad you still say that after today."
Q: "Definitely. This week, I couldn't have been more impressed."
Roddick: "Where have you been the last hour and a half? You just get
here? Did the rain throw you off?"
Q: "Yeah, actually, I didn't see the match today."
Roddick: "All right then (smiling). Yeah, I'm the man. In that case, I
kick ass. I'm great. I'm volleying like a machine."
Best exchange, men, part III
Tim Henman to Roddick after beating him in a tiebreaker for the sixth
time in their past 11 sets. "Nice match."
Roddick: "Thanks. We'll have to play a close one next time."
Best exchange, men, not involving Roddick
Q: "Andre, do losses like today make you rethink your future on tour?"
Agassi: "No, but questions like that do."
In a shameless co-opting of Esquire's Dubious Achievement Awards, here
are some of tennis' more peculiar snippets from '04
Wimbledon chair umpire Ted Watts inadvertently awarded Croatia's
Karolina Sprem an extra point in a second-set tiebreaker. Amazingly,
both Williams and Sprem played on without protest.
It's just me and my four billion or so supporters
Explaining his lackluster play after a match, Paradorn Srichaphan
remarked, "I often feel like I'm representing the whole of Asia -- it's
a lonely journey."
And the weird thing was there was an hour-long rain delay during the
match
Roddick was asked whether he watched the Wimbledon match between Serena
Williams and Jennifer Capriati. [Serena defeated Capriati 6-1, 6-1.]
"No. I was in the bathroom. I came out, and it was done."
Really, I meant it in the best possible way
Jerome Haehnel on his French Open defeat of Agassi: "I spoke with many
friends, and they told me I can win against him today," Haehnel said.
"He lost one week ago against a guy like me [Nenad Zimonjic] -- a
simpleton, a bad guy, a bad player."
But otherwise, he's a pretty good mate
Writing a column in the London Sunday Times, Pat Cash had the following
to say about Mark Philippoussis: "He is a sulker who likes to blame
everybody else but himself for his failures. Anybody with sufficient
substance wouldn't have resorted to the telephone to vent his annoyance,
but confronted me face to face. Such cowardice is the main reason he
will never be a champion."
I wished he served harder and had more girlfriends
Skier Bode Miller told Tennis magazine that his favorite player is
Philippoussis on the grounds "he's way underrated."
The players' lounge, meanwhile, was overrun with 12-year-old boys
In a (lamentably successful) effort to drum up publicity, organizers of
the TMS Madrid event replaced traditional ballkids with professional
models.
Next time I'll just skateboard down the Spanish Steps
Hours after meeting the Pope in Rome, James Blake suffered a freak
accident when he ran into the net post of a practice court, sidelining
him for the summer Slams.
Not only that, it's 24 hours a day, too
Anna Kournikova -- perhaps the name rings a faint bell -- on the rigors
of playing tennis. "You play everyday -- it's a job 24/7, seven days a
week."
But after that, his opponent cracked
Safin received a point penalty when he pulled down his pants after
celebrating a nifty shot during his second-round match at the French
Open. Safin went on to beat Felix Mantilla 11-9 in the fifth set.
Oh, just 650,000 give or take a few
Paris Hilton interviewing Serena and Venus Williams at the Tommy
Hilfiger fashion show in New York last September: "How many minutes
apart were you born?"
On that note, Happy New Year and best for the holidays ...
Sports Illustrated senior writer Jon Wertheim covers tennis for the
magazine and is a regular contributor to SI.com.
Baggie awards 2004
From Roger Federer to Paris Hilton, revisiting the crazy year that was
Posted: Monday December 13, 2004 2:51PM; Updated: Monday December 13,
2004 3:15PM
It's mid-December, which means that it's time for our seventh annual
Baggie Awards. Or is it the sixth annual? We'll check with Wimbledon
chair umpire Ted Watts and get back to you. In any case, it is time to
recognize the best and most bizarre from tennis in 2004.
But first, a quick detour from our usual cynicism to say thanks again
for another great year. We say this every year, but if you guys have
half as much fun visiting this page as I do responding to your
consistently thoughtful/informed/offbeat/entertaining inquiries, then
we're all doing pretty well. So keep the mail coming, and we'll do it
again in '05.
When the ATP and WTA brain trusts come to their senses and hold a joint
year-end event, maybe we'll have an actual Baggie Awards ceremony. Until
then, the virtual trophies go to (envelopes, please) ...
MVP, men
Roger Federer
Not even close. Three Majors, a Masters Cup title, multiple titles on
every surface, an undefeated record in finals. The abiding question for
next year: Can anyone challenge this guy?
MVP, women
Maria Sharapova
Smashing those "next Anna" comparisons like low-flying lobs, Sharapova
announced her arrival in '04, first by winning Wimbledon and then
(perhaps just as important) staring down Serena Williams to win the WTA
Championships. We've known for years Sharapova had game, but who knew
she competed this well?
Match of the year, men
Marat Safin d. Andre Agassi, Australian Open semis, 7-6, 7-6, 5-7, 1-6,
6-3
Safin is not known for mental toughness, but in a high-stakes match
against the defending champ the Russian showed poise to match his
shotmaking.
Runner-up: Federer d. Lleyton Hewitt, U.S. Open final, 6-0, 7-6, 6-0
The match wasn't even close -- which is the point. On a Major stage
against a top-shelf opponent, Federer simply put on a clinic, more
evidence that he is essentially playing solitaire these days.
Match of the year, women
Serena Williams d. Amelie Mauresmo, Wimbledon semis, 6-7, 7-5, 6-4
In a year that featured few personal highlights, Serena should fondly
recall this three-set epic. Beating Mauresmo in a tight match is
ordinarily no distinguishing feat, but this just-add-water classic was
as much about Serena's grace under pressure as it was about Mauresmo's
iffy nerves.
Comeback player of the year, men
Tommy Haas
So chronically injured he wasn't ranked in '03, Haas regained his health
and his form and climbed to No. 17.
Runner-up: Guillermo Canas, who moved from No. 274 to No. 11.
Doubles team of the year, women
Virginia Ruano Pascual and Paola Suarez became the first team to win
three straight U.S. Opens in the Open Era.
They often pin themselves to the baseline. They serve modestly. They
volley unremarkably. But they have a synchronicity that quietly enabled
them to win three Majors. Their success is the most underrated story in
tennis.
[As we said last year, it's more important we stop smoking, cut back on
our fast food intake, fill out that organ donor card, quit golf cold
turkey, and stop letting our New Yorker magazines pile up. But somewhere
on our list of New Year's resolutions, we ought to vow to do a better
job of supporting doubles.]
Class move of the year, women
After losing the U.S. Open final, Elena Dementieva had both the poise
and presence of mind to deliver an eloquent speech about the evils of
terrorism and importance of unity between the United States and Russia.
Newcomer of the year, men
Tomas Berdych
Since we already knew about Rafael Nadal and Joachim Johansson, we'll go
with Czech teenager Berdych who moved from No. 113 to 45, reached the
fourth round of the U.S. Open and beat Federer at the Olympics.
Newcomer of the year, women
Nicole Vaidisova
After beginning the season unranked, this Czech 15-year-old is currently
ranked No. 77 after compiling a 31-8 mark (and beating a slew of veteran
players) during the year. When the age-eligibility shackles come off,
look out.
Runner-up: Jelena Jankovic
The best player you've never heard of -- though that won't be the case
for long.
Best comeback, men
Australian Open fan to Taylor Dent: "I paid good money for this."
Dent: "This is costing me a lot in pride, too!"
Best comeback, women
Down 6-0, 5-0 in her first-round match at Roland Garros, Lisa Raymond
rallied to beat Lubomira Kurhajcova 0-6, 7-5, 6-3.
Best exchange, women
Question to Mauresmo at the Italian Open: "Who are you in love with
now?"
Answer, with pitch-perfect comedic timing: "I'm really in love with an
Italian journalist."
Best exchange, men, part I
Question to Roddick: "I think everyone in this room would say that
you're an incredibly loyal guy, a good friend and so forth ..."
Roddick: "Thanks, buddy. I think you're swell, too."
Best exchange men, part II
Question to Roddick after he was humiliated by Hewitt in the Masters Cup
semifinals: "Your volleys seem like they are a lot better right now.
Have you been putting a lot of time into improving your volleys?"
Roddick: "I'm glad you still say that after today."
Q: "Definitely. This week, I couldn't have been more impressed."
Roddick: "Where have you been the last hour and a half? You just get
here? Did the rain throw you off?"
Q: "Yeah, actually, I didn't see the match today."
Roddick: "All right then (smiling). Yeah, I'm the man. In that case, I
kick ass. I'm great. I'm volleying like a machine."
Best exchange, men, part III
Tim Henman to Roddick after beating him in a tiebreaker for the sixth
time in their past 11 sets. "Nice match."
Roddick: "Thanks. We'll have to play a close one next time."
Best exchange, men, not involving Roddick
Q: "Andre, do losses like today make you rethink your future on tour?"
Agassi: "No, but questions like that do."
In a shameless co-opting of Esquire's Dubious Achievement Awards, here
are some of tennis' more peculiar snippets from '04
Wimbledon chair umpire Ted Watts inadvertently awarded Croatia's
Karolina Sprem an extra point in a second-set tiebreaker. Amazingly,
both Williams and Sprem played on without protest.
It's just me and my four billion or so supporters
Explaining his lackluster play after a match, Paradorn Srichaphan
remarked, "I often feel like I'm representing the whole of Asia -- it's
a lonely journey."
And the weird thing was there was an hour-long rain delay during the
match
Roddick was asked whether he watched the Wimbledon match between Serena
Williams and Jennifer Capriati. [Serena defeated Capriati 6-1, 6-1.]
"No. I was in the bathroom. I came out, and it was done."
Really, I meant it in the best possible way
Jerome Haehnel on his French Open defeat of Agassi: "I spoke with many
friends, and they told me I can win against him today," Haehnel said.
"He lost one week ago against a guy like me [Nenad Zimonjic] -- a
simpleton, a bad guy, a bad player."
But otherwise, he's a pretty good mate
Writing a column in the London Sunday Times, Pat Cash had the following
to say about Mark Philippoussis: "He is a sulker who likes to blame
everybody else but himself for his failures. Anybody with sufficient
substance wouldn't have resorted to the telephone to vent his annoyance,
but confronted me face to face. Such cowardice is the main reason he
will never be a champion."
I wished he served harder and had more girlfriends
Skier Bode Miller told Tennis magazine that his favorite player is
Philippoussis on the grounds "he's way underrated."
The players' lounge, meanwhile, was overrun with 12-year-old boys
In a (lamentably successful) effort to drum up publicity, organizers of
the TMS Madrid event replaced traditional ballkids with professional
models.
Next time I'll just skateboard down the Spanish Steps
Hours after meeting the Pope in Rome, James Blake suffered a freak
accident when he ran into the net post of a practice court, sidelining
him for the summer Slams.
Not only that, it's 24 hours a day, too
Anna Kournikova -- perhaps the name rings a faint bell -- on the rigors
of playing tennis. "You play everyday -- it's a job 24/7, seven days a
week."
But after that, his opponent cracked
Safin received a point penalty when he pulled down his pants after
celebrating a nifty shot during his second-round match at the French
Open. Safin went on to beat Felix Mantilla 11-9 in the fifth set.
Oh, just 650,000 give or take a few
Paris Hilton interviewing Serena and Venus Williams at the Tommy
Hilfiger fashion show in New York last September: "How many minutes
apart were you born?"
On that note, Happy New Year and best for the holidays ...
Sports Illustrated senior writer Jon Wertheim covers tennis for the
magazine and is a regular contributor to SI.com.
