2009 Tennis Christmas Wish List

Happy holidays, everyone! For tennis fans, this is about the loneliest time of the year. The Davis Cup just ended, with Spain winning it handily over the Czech Republic. It pretty much salvaged the year for Rafael Nadal, as he was instrumental in securing the cup for Spain with two huge wins in the tie.

Other than the couple of charity events that go on during this time, professional tennis has taken a break. It's a great time to reflect on the year that was. As you know, this was a dream year for Roger Federer, if you forget about his loss in the U.S. Open final. Federer not only married his long-time girlfriend and partner, Mirka, but he won Roland Garros and Wimbledon to succeed Pete Sampras as the player with the most Grand Slam tournament titles in a career with 15. Then he captured the number one ranking for the year end with his victory in the Barclay's ATP World Tour final. Finally, add to that the birth of his twin daughters, Charlene Riva and Myla Rose, and you have a near perfect year. Okay, so he lost to Juan Martín del Potro at the U.S. Open. The guy can't be perfect, can he?

On the women's side, Serena Williams wound up on top of the heap after another season-ending championship final win over sister Venus in Doha. Serena completed a pretty good year, too, if you pretend she didn't blow up in the U.S. Open semifinal against Kim Clijsters and wind up losing that match and getting an $85K fine for doing it. Serena published her autobiography and also made an appearance on the Tyra Show (I know, I was there).

The one interesting ending note was that the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour had a season-ending championship for the new players and emerging stars. At the Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions, 10 of the second-tier players played in round-robin format for a $600K prize. Aravane Rezai captured the tournament.

To sum it all up, just about another typical year for men's and women's professional tennis. The year ended quietly, as there was almost no press coverage for either of the season-ending tournaments. Guess that is a good thing. Tiger Woods wishes his year ended as quiet.

Yes, I mentioned Tiger. Well, let us not forget that one of his best friends is Roger Federer. I can't help but wonder if Mirka is chasing Roger around the house like Elin did Tiger. I'm sure Mirka had a few conversations with Roger over the past few weeks. I also wonder if Mirka has forbidden Roger to hang with Tiger anymore. Hopefully there won't be any Roger surprises like we just got with Tiger.

For many years now, I've been bringing you my tennis Christmas wish list. This year will be no different. I'm sure Tiger has a Christmas list, but I'm thinking Santa just might have him on the "naughty" list this year. So, without further adieu, my list for 2009:

10) I'm hoping for Kim Clijsters to enjoy her holidays with her family, spend a few days hitting at my local club, and then jetting off to Australia and picking up right were she left off in NYC. May this holiday season see her rest and renew her fighting tennis spirit. The women's tour desperately needs that. Oh, and the Australian Open championship.

9) An incident-free 2010 for Stacey Allaster, Sony Ericsson WTA Tour CEO and Chairman. Larry Scott left the position mid-2009, and Stacey's first real test came at the U.S. Open with Serena William's outburst. When it was all done, the tour and Ms. Allaster gave Serena the largest fine ever on the tour and for a female professional athlete. Good job, but I'm hoping that Stacey will get a gift of a profitable and highly watchable 2010 tour year without any of the negative drama.

8) A winner from the UK for Wimbledon. Andy Murray will do nicely. It's been such a very long time since a homegrown champion held the cup high and proud. Andy Murray is good enough, experienced enough, and has the game. Maybe Father Christmas will bring all my British readers and friends a present this coming summer.

6) A healthy Rafael Nadal. I have always thought that his game was unnatural and placed too much stress on his arms and his legs. This year, for the first time, it showed. Rafa is still very, very young. If his body starts to give out this early, it would just be a shame. Hopefully when his family sings Feliz Navidad, included with it will be a special delivery with vibrant, injury-free, health for Rafa in 2010. And maybe another French title.

5) The return of Justine Henin to the women's tour. Santa, this is the one gift I would love. Kim Clijsters is back, and immediately dominated. Justine left way too early, and would be an amazing addition to the tour. There is a Wimbledon title waiting. So Santa, please?

4) A year without Mary Carillo, Mary Jo Fernandez, and Brad Gilbert in the booth at any major tournament. Sorry, but I'd love to see some new talent doing commentary. Mary Carillo is starting to wear on me, she doesn't bring anything. Brad, well, is living off his 15 minutes of fame as Andre Agassi's coach. Mary Jo, well, your post-match reaction and interview at the U.S. Open after Serena's clear, rule-violating outburst was to this journalist, pathetic. Let's add Cliff Drysdale to the mix. ESPN, USA, and any other network need to find new voices for the sport. With the exception of Bud Collins. Let's have more Bud, please.

3) A great year for the tennis industry. Racquet sales were down. Prince, Head, Wilson, and Babolat all felt the effects of the global economic crisis. Participation in tennis on the recreational level is rising. Those players aren't investing in a new stick every year like they used to. Niche companies like Vantage continue to hold ground with their special offerings, but even the smaller guys are finding it hard to grow. Bring a robust 2010 to Vantage, Power Angle, Avery, and all the niche companies and also to bring better years for the big four.

2) Better economy for the tournaments that are not part of the grand slam. The Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open will always do fine, even though the next year looks like they might not do as well as in 2008 or 2009. The announcement that the RCA Championships in Indianapolis, Indiana was up for sale and not coming back in 2010 says it all. Professional tennis stays interesting because it has always reached the fans with the smaller tournaments and seasons. I can't imagine the Aussie season without Auckland, the clay season without Monte Carlo, the grass season without the Stella Artois, and the U.S. summer hard court season without Indianapolis, Cincinnati, or Washington, DC. Let's hope that the powers that be all give us enough money this year to be able to support our local tournament.

1) Peace, love, joy, and prosperity to all the tennis fans who read about tennis here on Sports Central and who share their knowledge and opinion with me, Mert Ertunga, and the rest of the staff. My wish for you is that in 2010 you have health to play tennis whenever you can and the economic advantage to allow you to enjoy tennis for the great sport it is.

Happy holidays and happy New Year to all my readers. Enjoy your time with friends and family. I'll see you here again in 2010!