By SANDRA HARWITT, For The Associated Press June 20, 2005
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- In Taylor Dent's opinion, winning is all about his
ability to hold serve, regardless of what his coach might say.
On opening day at Wimbledon, Dent proved that theory to be true, losing only
one service game to beat qualifier Dick Norman 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-7 (7),
6-1.
``For me, hitting accurate serves is probably the biggest piece of the
pie,'' Dent said after the three-hour, 22-minute victory Monday.
ADVERTISEMENT
The No. 24-seeded Dent tends to be an independent thinker, and he has had a
series of coaches during his seven years on tour.
He arrived at Wimbledon without a coach after severing his most recent
alliance with former tour player Francisco Montana following the Key Biscayne
tournament in late March.
Dent acknowledged he's frequently at odds with coaches when they disregard
his notion about succeeding, pushing him to concentrate on improving his
ability to break an opponent's serve.
``I feel like I'm very stubborn when I believe something,'' Dent said. ``If
they're going to say, `Oh, jump off the Empire State Building, you'll be fine,'
I'll say, `But, you know, gravity is going to happen and it's a hard floor down
there, what about that?' And they say, `No, no, you'll be fine.'
``You know, forgive me if I don't jump.''
Two other American men also won, and two lost. Dent next plays compatriot
Kevin Kim, who beat British wild card Alex Bogdonovich 6-7 (4-7), 6-1, 6-4,
6-2. Lucky loser Justin Gimelstob, who has never gone beyond the third round at
Wimbledon, defeated Adrian Garcia of Chile 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5).
Qualifier Jeff Morrison, playing in only his second Wimbledon, was
eliminated by Jonas Bjorkman 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 2-6, 6-2. Wild card James Blake,
staging a career comeback after missing much of last year because of shingles
and a neck injury, lost to Jan Hernych 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (4).
``I still take a positive from this because I am healthy,'' Blake said.
``Last year at this time I wasn't healthy, so it has been a big step for me.''
Dent's big serve makes him a threat on grass, but he came to Wimbledon with
a modest 5-5 career record at the All England Club. He has an injury-plagued
history, and his match against Norman was only his third in nearly three
months.
It was a classic serve-and-volley grass-court duel: Dent hit 23 aces, Norman
25. And Norman -- at 34 is the oldest player in the men's draw -- refused to fold
after losing the first two sets without dropping his serve.
Dent, who sometimes goes for too much on too many shots, made his own
trouble in the fourth-set tiebreaker, squandering three match points with
faulty shots. He smacked a high backhand crosscourt volley wide to extend the
match into a decisive fifth set.
A series of errors, including a double-fault to 15-30, cost Norman his serve
in the opening game of the final set, and Dent led the rest of the way.
``It was so much tension in the tiebreaker of the fourth set where I had to
save three match points,'' Norman said. ``When you have to save a match point
against Dent who is serving, it's pretty stressful.''
Mark,
No, I agree she has no grass game whatsoever. She can't get
underneath the ball well enough on the backhand side to do well at
Wimbeldon. Oh and thanks for the heads up on those shoe lifts,
they're great. I feel like i'm 6' foot tall now and for only 12
bucks, good find. For the price of going to a movie I gained an
inch in height, ya gotta love ebay:) If anybody else wants to check
em out I actually found them on ebay, just go to ebay.com and type
in "be taller elevation" in the search and you'll get them or cut
and paste this link:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?
ViewItem&item=3980110160&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&rd=1
Thanks Mark,
Christopher M.
Go Maria!!
Hey I'm so glad i found this group! I'm a huge Taylor Dent fan! I was
so dissapointed about Taylor withdrawling from the US Clay Courts in
Houston due to his injury.
On April 24th Taylor turns 24 years old -- that means you have less
than a month to send in your warmest birthday wishes. To sign the
Taylor Dent Online e-card, just go to the link here [
http://taylordentfans.bravejournal.com ] and leave as long a message
as you like! I will give all efforts to see your messages get to
Taylor once signing closes on April 23rd at 11:59 PM PDT US.
There's no visual card yet, but I will be unveiling the candidates
for people to choose from in a few weeks' time. Best of all? You can
send in candidates! Cards will be restricted to a maximum width of
500 pixels and a maximum height of 350 pixels, and should contain a
general message of birthday congratulations -- "Happy Birthday
Taylor, from all your fans!" will do perfectly, but if you want you
can use something else, as long as it's appropriate. Card candidates
are due by April 18th to let people have enough time to vote. You
can send a link or an attachment to taylordentonline [at] gmail.com.
Have fun with this, and please tell all your friends! It'd be great
to get a lot of participation on this! Go Taylor!
http://taylordentfans.bravejournal.com
TD
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
O C W E E K L Y
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Check out this article at http://www.ocweekly.com/ink/05/26/news-beers.php
Tennis Starts with Love
by JOEL BEERS
And ends with winning, which usually means not being ranked 65th like Kevin Kim
hey evryone, my name is April, I'm 16 years old from Sydney
Australia. i went to the medibank international held at homebush bay
on mon, tues and wed. saw taylor play ventura and fish. he is the
nicest guy, i asked for a foto and started talkin 2 him and he was
so nice! same with jan michael gambill. he lost in qualies tho.. so
yeh hes like so tall and so good looking in real life! i still cant
get over it! anyhow, gtg.. love lots, april
--- In taylordent@yahoogroups.com, chunkybum02@a... wrote:
> hey
> just to update you on taylor's situation:
> john fitzgerald (australian davis cup captain) interviewed him
briefly later
> on.
> taylor says he's been really tired this past week and he just thinks
he may
> have picked up a bug during the week. since he didn't get a break
between the
> final at adelaide and first round in sydney, it's understandable and
he wants
> to hopefully be at 100% for the aus open next week. so he pulled out.
> after his warm up he took a quick trip to the bathroom and reported
some
> 'spillage' ... i.e. he puked.
> hopefully he gets better in time. he's been in awesome form!
> -jizz
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
He should be fine for the aus open specially he's seeded now so he
wont have to play qualifying matches. :D
hey
just to update you on taylor's situation:
john fitzgerald (australian davis cup captain) interviewed him briefly later
on.
taylor says he's been really tired this past week and he just thinks he may
have picked up a bug during the week. since he didn't get a break between the
final at adelaide and first round in sydney, it's understandable and he wants
to hopefully be at 100% for the aus open next week. so he pulled out.
after his warm up he took a quick trip to the bathroom and reported some
'spillage' ... i.e. he puked.
hopefully he gets better in time. he's been in awesome form!
-jizz
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Joachim Johansson in final, they've never played each other. Tails
had 10 aces today and Pim-pim had 16. Poor line judge calling the
center line is all I can say!
--- In taylordent@yahoogroups.com, "Slash" <rzeractor@y...> wrote:
>
> --- In taylordent@yahoogroups.com, "Slash" <rzeractor@y...> wrote:
> >
> > Taylor dent has started the year off strong, by defeating last
> > year's champion, Lleyton Hewitt in straight sets 7-6 6-3 on
friday's
> > match.
> > From what I saw, dent was in amazing form - he seems to be
playing
> > extremely well.
> > He will go on to play Chela today in the semis. I will see if I
> > could cap the match from channel 7.
>
> Amazing match - Dent smashed Cela 6-1 6-1 in under an hour.
--- In taylordent@yahoogroups.com, "Slash" <rzeractor@y...> wrote:
>
> Taylor dent has started the year off strong, by defeating last
> year's champion, Lleyton Hewitt in straight sets 7-6 6-3 on friday's
> match.
> From what I saw, dent was in amazing form - he seems to be playing
> extremely well.
> He will go on to play Chela today in the semis. I will see if I
> could cap the match from channel 7.
Amazing match - Dent smashed Cela 6-1 6-1 in under an hour.
Taylor dent has started the year off strong, by defeating last
year's champion, Lleyton Hewitt in straight sets 7-6 6-3 on friday's
match.
From what I saw, dent was in amazing form - he seems to be playing
extremely well.
He will go on to play Chela today in the semis. I will see if I
could cap the match from channel 7.
HOFER TENNIS
Shop and get personalized service when buying your tennis equipment.
Doug Hofer is a USPTA certified tennis pro, USRSA certified
professional racquet stringer, and a Dunlop Advisory Staff member.
Check out my "Tennis Tip of the Week".
http://www.hofertennis.com
This story was sent to you by: TD
Article from Newsday.com
--------------------
Return with mettle
--------------------
Dent, Fish came home from their Olympic experience with a renewed confidence and
focus that was evident in their first-round victories
BY ARTHUR STAPLE
STAFF WRITER
August 31, 2004
Plenty of the biggest names in men's tennis went to Athens in search of a medal,
but they ended up soaking in the Olympic atmosphere rather than participating in
a ceremony.
Mardy Fish and Taylor Dent went for the experience of being an Olympian. Fish
came within a set of a gold medal, and Dent came within a few points of a
bronze. Where their good friend and fellow American Olympian Andy Roddick, as
well as world No. 1 Roger Federer, may have viewed the tennis portion of the
Olympics as a distraction to their preparation for the U.S. Open, Fish and Dent
have come into Flushing Meadows with confidence that shone through in breezy
first-round wins for both yesterday.
"I've never had more confidence with my game," said Fish, the No. 26 seed, who
swept past David Ferrer, 7-5, 6-3, 6-2. "I feel like I've finally figured out
how I need to play. I feel like I went over there and really found a game plan."
Fish roomed with Roddick in the athletes' village at the Olympics and the two
made some famous friends -- wrestler Rulon Gardner "told me the snowmobile story
four times, and he showed me his toe, and I didn't want to see it," Fish said.
But this was more than just a chance to take pictures and hang with guys like
Michael Phelps and his serious collection of hardware.
Fish had been in the midst of a very mediocre season -- he reached one final, in
Germany in June, and won one match between the Australian and Wimbledon,
dropping his career record in Grand Slams to an ugly 8-11 -- when the Olympics
came along. He plays Davis Cup whenever asked, and perhaps where the Olympic
tournament was not good timing for the big boys like Federer, who ousted Alberto
Costa, 7-5, 6-2, 6-4, in his first round match, it was perfect for the patriotic
Fish.
Fish said his serve was not on for much of the event, but he kept points short
against superior baseliners like Juan Carlos Ferrero and eventual bronze
medallist Fernando Gonzalez. In the gold-medal match, Fish went up two sets to
one on Chile's Nicolas Massu but could not close out the double gold-medal
winner. "A lot of people have been asking me, 'What would you rather do, win a
gold medal or a Grand Slam?'" Fish said. "I would prefer a gold medal around my
neck with the National Anthem playing. I think that would be the ultimate in
sports for me."
Yesterday, he was still not serving well (47 percent on first serves), but he
forced the pace and, as he did in Athens, came to the net often on Ferrer's
second serve.
Dent, the No. 21 seed, had an easier day, defeating fan favorite Younes El
Aynaoui, 6-1, 2-1, when El Aynaoui had to retire with a foot injury. Dent missed
out on a medal in Athens with a three-set loss to Gonzalez, 16-14 in the third
set. He still felt a big boost of confidence in his game after a similarly
mediocre season to Fish -- Dent reached the third round in Australia and at
Wimbledon, losing to Roddick both times, but hasn't reached a final this year.
"I think in that week [in Athens] I got back to where I was a year ago around
this time, when I wasn't really too concerned about how I was executing my game
. . . but just really focused mentally on the court," said the big-serving Dent,
who reached the fourth round here last year but had to retire with a hamstring
injury against Andre Agassi.
"If I shank one over the stadium, I don't let it bother me. If I take care of my
head first, then I think my game will follow."
Copyright (c) 2004, Newsday, Inc.
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/sports/tennis/ny-spday0831,0,1327925.story?coll=ny-tennis\
-headlines
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
Wow. What a match
El Aynaoui was injured, even at the start. Dent flew through in the
first set 6-1 where Younes retired early in the 2nd.
Dent's game was pretty solid, if he keeps this form he should go
pretty far. However his roadblock will be Federer - Dent will have
to work pretty hard for that match.
TD wants you to see this article from www.chicagosportsreview.com, at
http://chicagosportsreview.com/chicago/chicagoview.asp?c=120829
In Athens, During Olympics, Tennis at its Best
I've lamented many times how I long for better times in tennis, and
this Olympic tournament gave me just that. If only men's and women's
tennis could sustain such a great level of play, with such incredible
drama, on a regular basis.
Read more...
http://chicagosportsreview.com/chicago/chicagoview.asp?c=120829
THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE WAS ALSO ATTACHED:
(Hear hear!)
Forwarded by TD, tennisdearthegreat@....
-------------------------
Ninth seed withdraws from RCAs
Ninth-seeded Taylor Dent became the RCA Championships' third seed and fifth
player to withdraw because of illness or injury since the draw was made last
Friday night.
To read the full story, click on the link below, or copy and paste it into your
Web browser: http://www.indystar.com/articles/0/164137-7730-102.html
-------------------------
If you have problems accessing this story, please let us know at
http://www.indystar.com/help/contact/contact_us.html.
Forwarded by TD, tennisdearthegreat@....
-------------------------
Roddick needs company from U.S. peers
During periods when men's tennis has reached its popularity peak in the United
States, it has been spurred by rivalries between Americans.
To read the full story, click on the link below, or copy and paste it into your
Web browser: http://www.indystar.com/articles/3/163383-6613-036.html
-------------------------
If you have problems accessing this story, please let us know at
http://www.indystar.com/help/contact/contact_us.html.
Hi Talkin' Taylor!
Article
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2004/July/18/sport/stories/01sport.htm
Regards,
TD
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
July 18, 2004
APTOS - Tucked away in a corner of the second level of Seascape Sports Club is
a small shrine to the tennis greats who have walked through the doors and helped
put the little beach town place on the map.
Michael Chang. Patrick Rafter. James Blake. Jan-Michael Gambill. Vince Spadea.
Taylor Dent. Mardy Fish. Robbie Ginepri. Bob and Mike Bryan. The list goes on.
Photos of each, nearly small enough to fit in one's wallet, appear on a wall,
listing some of their accomplishments. It's a modest assembly.
Every summer since 1988, the game's up-and-comers come to play the cement
courts in the $50,000 Seascape Challenger, the longest running challenger in the
U.S.
Chang, one of the event's most recognizable former entrants played Seascape
three times, but all in the twilight of his career, well removed from French
Open win as a teenager in 1989.
This is a tournament of the future.
After Seascape, Rafter claimed U.S. Open singles titles in 1997 and '98, and
the Bryan brothers, who gained notoriety at Stanford University, went on to win
the 2003 French Open doubles title.
Those close to the event are quick to point out, they haven't heard the last of
the Seascape Challenger alums. Seven of the top-10 ranked Americans, and 17 of
the top 20 played in the event, which serves in part as a tune-up for the U.S.
Open, a hard-court event.
"Some people came up to me and said this year's draw is lacking the big names,"
Seascape tennis pro Rick Kepler said. "Yeah, well, in a few years you never
know."
Kepler should save his breath, and point people to the shrine.
How many of these guys were household names when they played here?
It seems, there are hundreds of challengers every year.
Is the Seascape Challenger really so special?
"Yes," said Keith Crossland, a USTA tournament supervisor for the past 15
years.
Crossland travels across the country to run events like Seascape's, and said he
sees a difference and he sees why this event has helped lure some of the game's
future greats.
"There are a lot of things that make this tournament a good one," Crossland
said. "The venue, the location, the timing of this tournament to the Mercedes
(in Los Angeles), the host families. There is a conglomeration of players out
there who talk with each other and will say this is a good place to be."
Seascape's sunken centre court, surrounded by less than eight rows of wooden
bleachers, is intimate. Few venues allow spectators to be so close the action.
"At these courts, you'll see some of the same guys who in eight weeks will be
on Centre Court at the U.S. Open, because they're taking on someone like (Andre)
Agassi," Crossland said. "And people can say, 'Yep. I was just across the fence
from them.' "
The Seascape Challenger awards 50 ATP points to the singles winner. For a
player in the top 100, that isn't much. But for the recent college grad or newly
turned pro, it's an opportunity to rise through the rankings.
"If a player is ranked 150th, they might go to No. 145," Crossland said. "But
let's say a guy is around No. 450, he might jump to No. 350."
It's a chance for some big moves, and an opportunity to build a reputation.
But that's not always the case. This year's likely top-seed, Israel's Harel
Levy, is currently ranked No. 130 and is well known. At one point, Levy ranked
was in the top 30 in the world. He is recovering from a hip injury.
Challenger tennis is likened to Triple-A baseball, the highest level in the
minor leagues before reaching the majors.
Some guys, like Chang and even Agassi, have used Challengers when coming back
from injury or to get their games back on track.
Two challenger events helped rejuvenate Agassi's career a few years back. For
the most part, challengers are for the up-and-comers, which means players who
don't have a lot of money.
There are challengers that offer hotel accommodations to players at no cost,
and those events usually mean more points, because the free housing figures into
the total purse.
Most players go from event to event, and usually by car.
Seascape's tennis fraternity does everything to make the player's stay a
memorable one.
All the players are given the opportunity to stay with host families.
"They're kind of your family for a week," said Debbie Humphreys, who has been
hosting players for five years. "They're on the road so much. And so you just
want to make them feel welcome and special."
Last year, Humphreys hosted American Jeff Salzenstein, who went on to claim his
second Seascape title in three years.
"Jeff was such a good volleyer," said Humphreys, who has three children,
including two daughters. "So I would leave notes on his door. 'I love your
volleys. Do it today!' And we gave him hugs."
Even in the span of a week, strong bonds are formed between players and host
families.
One evening, Salzenstein took a liking to Humphreys' grandson's gaudy, green
dragon slippers.
Humphreys said, "He asked, 'If I win, can I wear these on Centre Court?'"
He did and he did.
"He was out there in the slippers dancing around," Humphreys said. "It was so
cute."
The two stay in contact.
In fact, days removed from his win last year, Salzenstein called to see if his
victory was good enough to get him in the local paper.
Humphreys has pictures of Salzenstein and Kevin Kim alongside pictures of the
rest of her family.
Charlotte and Foster Mahood have housed players since the event started, but
memories of 2002 Seascape champion Brian Vahaly still holds a soft spot in their
hearts. It was Vahaly's first professional win.
"He's like a son," said Charlotte, noting they still stay in touch. "We watched
him win that tournament, and it became real personal. And we didn't know him
before that."
It was a memorable week for both parties.
And when it was time to say good-bye, Foster noticed Vahaly forgot to pack all
his goods as he got in his car.
"He left his trophy in the dining room," Foster said. "I brought it out to him,
and the next thing I know, he says, 'I know, I want you to have this.'
"It was his first challenger win, his first pro win, his biggest paycheck.
You'd think he want (his trophy) for posterity."
No, this tournament's all about the memories, simple and sweet like the shrine
on the second floor.
jseimas@....
Copyright (c) Santa Cruz Sentinel. All rights reserved.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Home Deliver: Subscribe today, for more info visit:
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Forwarded by TD, tennisdearthegreat@....
-------------------------
Serving up some power
When home runs were leaving major-league ballparks at alarming numbers in recent
years, the focus turned to an alleged juiced up baseball.
To read the full story, click on the link below, or copy and paste it into your
Web browser: http://www.indystar.com/articles/1/163544-6111-036.html
-------------------------
If you have problems accessing this story, please let us know at
http://www.indystar.com/help/contact/contact_us.html.
This story was sent to you by: TD
--------------------
Dent Looks Ahead After Quick Exit
--------------------
By Lauren Peterson
Times Staff Writer
July 14 2004
After losing to Greg Rusedski in the first round of the Mercedes-Benz Cup
tournament Tuesday at the Los Angeles Tennis Center, Taylor Dent of Newport
Beach will have to look forward to other events this summer.
The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-tennisnotes14jul14,1,2389350.story?coll=la-h\
eadlines-sports
Visit Latimes.com at http://www.latimes.com