Since the Open tennis era began in 1968, Craig Tiley told the press at the 2012 Australian Open, "The game has evolved with greater speed and velocity and now players, with their skills, are countering that speed and velocity and adding some of their own. Some of those rallies between (Rafael) Nadal and (Novak) Djokovic, we would never have seen those 10, 15 years ago (around 1997). Not at that pace and not at that duration. There was one 37 ball rally where Djokovic almost won the point eight times and Nadal was able to defend." Novak Djokovic told the press, "Tennis has evolved in a way because of the technology. Now the game is based on the baseline, longer rallies and so forth."
In 1993, Jim Courier defeated Goran Ivanisevic to win the Italian Open in 2 hours and one minute. Of his loss at the Foro Italico, Goran explained, "I was staying 10 meters back and playing like (Gabriela) Sabatini. This isn't women's tennis. He didn't have to play. He didn't do anything extra. I was late. I missed my chances. I served bad. I was terrible. I always play wrong against him, and today I didn't play at all until I was 5-1 down. He dictated everything. He was all over me. But not only me, everybody. Mentally, he is the strongest."
At the 1995 French Open championships, 'Sports Illustrated' recalled, "The French Tennis Federation (FTF) accurately anticipating small crowds, scheduled every women's quarterfinal match away from the marquee stadium. Officials know: neither Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and Steffi Graf is being pushed to brilliance but rather is treading water."
At the 1995 French Open championships, 'Sports Illustrated' recalled, "The French Tennis Federation (FTF) accurately anticipating small crowds, scheduled every women's quarterfinal match away from the marquee stadium. Officials know: neither Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and Steffi Graf is being pushed to brilliance but rather is treading water."
Andrei Chesnokov acknowledged with love, "I cannot watch the women - forget about it. I'm sorry. I like the women, but not in tennis. For me, women's tennis doesn't exist. For me, women's tennis is in slow motion." At the Italian Open in 1993, Michael Chang took 3 hours and 38 minutes to defeat Andrei Chesnokov in what described as "the year's longest three-set match on the tour." While Goran Ivanisevic played like Gabriela Sabatini in Rome, Gabriela Sabatini celebrated her 23rd birthday in Berlin losing to Steffi Graf in 2 hours and 18 minutes at the $750,000 German Open. In the 3rd round, Sabine Hack played Steffi Graf for the first time and won the first set 6-0.
Inside the Gottfried von Cramm tennis center before a capacity crowd of 5,500, Guy Hodgson reported, "Her (Sabatini's) one Grand Slam success, the 1990 United States Open, came when she rushed the net, imposing herself. Yet something inside tends to keep her anchored to the baseline unless things are going well. Yesterday she advanced with more eagerness than usual and could have won in straight sets if she had taken her chance at 5-4 up (in the first set)."
In an online forum, fans participated in email-based Google Group discussion. Johan Steiner observed, "Since January 1988, I have taped approximately 40-45 matches of Steffi vs. various other players. Never before have I seen her utilize her topspin backhand as often as she did in the German Open final this year (1993). I am glad to see that she has confidence in attempting this shot in important matches. This added dimension to her game will bring much more excitement to her matches and to women's tennis in general."
Shun Cheung added, "Unlike Sanchez, (Monica) Seles and Graf who are very consistent, Sabatini can play great in one match and then terrible in another. For example, in Rome (1993), she beat Sanchez easily in the semi and then lost easily to (Conchita) Martinez in the final, on her favorite court. While Sabatini has a lot of talent, she will never become a great player in the type of Seles and Graf. However, one cannot rule out the possibility that Sabatini will do well in a few tournaments."
Of losing the 1993 Italian Open singles final, Gabriela Sabatini told the press, "I didn't play badly but I wasn't able to take advantage of my chances. Maybe I should have attacked more. But it's difficult to attack when you are not moving well, and when your opponent is controlling the match." 'The New York Times' recounted, "In her semifinal victory against top-seeded Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Sabatini was able to neutralize her opponent on the baseline, then capitalize on errors and openings. In the final, this strategy failed her as Martinez offered her few of either.
"After holding serve in the first two games (of the first set), the players staged a 25-minute, 32-point marathon in Game 3, with the Argentine finally putting away a backhand volley on her ninth break point to take a 2-1 lead. Neither player was able to hold serve during the next 7 games (5-5), and while both made errors, the Spaniard was doing much more damage from the baseline, running her adversary from corner to corner and keeping her on the defensive in the 81-degree Roman heat. Martinez continued to press in the second set, but Sabatini had clearly lost her desire to run (6-1 final set)."
'CNN' reported in 2010, "The U.S. Professional Championship was first held in 1927, but it was not until 1968 that the four Grand Slams allowed professionals to play, beginning the modern 'Open' era. Before that, top players established their reputations with a string of Grand Slam wins before turning professional and touring the world to play in a limited range of tournaments and lucrative exhibition matches.
"After holding serve in the first two games (of the first set), the players staged a 25-minute, 32-point marathon in Game 3, with the Argentine finally putting away a backhand volley on her ninth break point to take a 2-1 lead. Neither player was able to hold serve during the next 7 games (5-5), and while both made errors, the Spaniard was doing much more damage from the baseline, running her adversary from corner to corner and keeping her on the defensive in the 81-degree Roman heat. Martinez continued to press in the second set, but Sabatini had clearly lost her desire to run (6-1 final set)."
'CNN' reported in 2010, "The U.S. Professional Championship was first held in 1927, but it was not until 1968 that the four Grand Slams allowed professionals to play, beginning the modern 'Open' era. Before that, top players established their reputations with a string of Grand Slam wins before turning professional and touring the world to play in a limited range of tournaments and lucrative exhibition matches.
"With the Open era, professional players formed their own associations and circuit, with the men's ATP (Association of Tennis Players) formed in 1972 and the WTA (Women's Tennis Association) in 1973.
Outside of the Grand Slams, which remain under the auspices of the International Tennis Federation (ITF), every major individual tournament in the world is now controlled by the ATP and WTA.
With the professional era has come an explosion in prize money, sponsorship and television revenues."
'The New York Times' reported in 2007, "When the gates of the All England Club open for Wimbledon this summer, at least one thing will change: The tournament will award equal prize money to men and women for the first time.
Wimbledon, the oldest of tennis’s four Grand Slam events, joins the United States Open and the Australian Open in handing out equal prize money to all male and female competitors for similar finishes. The United States Open has done so since 1973, the Australian Open since 2001. The French Open gives equal prize money to only the men’s and women’s singles champions, a practice it began in 2006."
Billie Jean King told the press, "But remember, it's not about the money, it's about the message it sends to women and girls around the world. Every time we can change a benchmark like this, it helps people ask in their daily life, 'Are we insisting on equality for our sons and daughters?' So that makes it a very important moment in history."
Billie Jean King told the press, "But remember, it's not about the money, it's about the message it sends to women and girls around the world. Every time we can change a benchmark like this, it helps people ask in their daily life, 'Are we insisting on equality for our sons and daughters?' So that makes it a very important moment in history."
