Pro players no longer the retiring type

Master of ceremonies Brad Gilbert poses with James Blake at the
$100,000 RelyAid Natomas Challenger in Sacramento last October.
Blake won the singles title at 32 years old. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Until recently in professional tennis, hitting age 30 was a death knell.
   That is, unless your name was Connors, Sampras, Agassi or Navratilova.
   You lost half a step, which was fatal against an army of young, fast, hungry players.
   Today, though, many players remain active and even excel in their 30s. Retirement age has been pushed back three to five years.
   Tommy Haas, 34, of Germany became the oldest player in 30 years to beat the world No. 1 when he stunned Novak Djokovic 6-2, 6-4 tonight in the fourth round of the Sony Open in Miami.
   That's only the latest example.
   Three of the eight men's and women's semifinalists in this year's Australian Open were in their 30s: Roger Federer (31), David Ferrer (30) and Li Na (30). Serena Williams (31) would have made it four if she hadn't been upset by 19-year-old fellow American Sloane Stephens 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 in the quarterfinals. No matter. Williams, who hurt her back in the eighth game of the second set, last month became the oldest woman to reach No. 1 in the world.
   In a first-round men's match in Melbourne, 31-year-old Jarkko Nieminen of Finland upset Haas, seeded 19th, 8-6 in the fifth set before losing in the second round.
   Then there was Kimiko Date-Krumm. The 42-year-old Japanese became the oldest player to win a match at the Australian Open when she crushed 12th-seeded Nadia Petrova 6-2, 6-0 in the first round. Date-Krumm went on to reach the third round in singles and doubles.
   Only five years ago in Melbourne, no men or women in their 30s reached the fourth round. Only four -- Vince Spadea (33) of the United States, Stefan Koubek (31) of Austria, Virginia Ruano Pascual (34) of Spain and Ai Sugiyama (32) of Japan -- gained the third round.
   The SAP Open in San Jose on the ATP World Tour has featured more than an eight-fold increase in the number of players 30 or over in the main draw of singles in the past five years. One-quarter of last month's field, seven of 28 players, were in their 30s. The oldest one, Haas, reached the final. In 2008, Max Mirnyi of Belarus was the only "senior citizen" in the 32-man singles draw, and he had turned 30 only six months beforehand.

Benjamin Becker of Germany was seeded first
in the Sacramento Challenger at 31 years old.
Photo by Paul Bauman

   Four players in the 32-man singles draw of the $100,000 RelyAid Natomas Challenger in Sacramento last October were in their 30s. Benjamin Becker (31) of Germany and James Blake (32) of the United States were seeded first and second, respectively. Blake won the title, and countryman Bobby Reynolds (30) reached the semifinals. Rik de Voest (32) of South Africa lost to Blake in the second round. In the inaugural (2005) Sacramento Challenger (won by de Voest), only Eric Taino had reached his 30th birthday, which came only seven months earlier.
   What's going on?
   "Good question," de Voest said. "I'm not quite sure."
   Blake, a Harvard alumnus who reached a career-high No. 4 in the world in 2006, also is mystified. He hazarded a few guesses before concluding: "I don't know. Guys just really want to keep playing."
   Reasons often cited are better nutrition, fitness and post-match treatment. As renowned coach and commentator Brad Gilbert said, "Guys are taking better care of themselves."
   Why?
   "I think now that tennis has become an all-year sport, people are doing a much better job of staying in shape and doing much more nutrition, fitness and supplement(s)," Gilbert said.
   Said Becker: "Oh, I don't know. Maybe they know it's a great job to have and they want to stay in tennis as long as they can.
   "For me, an example is Tommy Haas. He works very, very hard -- harder than some young guys coming up. He's maybe somebody to look up to because at 34 years old, he's still doing his off-court stuff that nobody else sees except the players and his coach. It's pretty impressive, and that's the reason he can play so long."
   Becker, returning from a torn groin muscle, lost in the first round of the Natomas Challenger to then-20-year-old American Daniel Kosakowski. Becker traveled with a physiotherapist/fitness coach for the first time that week.
   "I had some injuries (in 2012), more than I had before," explained Becker, who ended Andre Agassi's career in the third round of the 2006 U.S. Open. "I was actually out almost all (of 2011 because of two operations on his left -- non-playing -- elbow), so now I'm getting to the point where it's very important to have somebody who actually knows my body."
   Players unanimously say the game has become more physical, and therein lies the key.
   "The courts are getting slower, and the balls are getting heavier, so there are more rallies," said Becker, who turned pro in 2006. "It's not like it used to be with serving and faster hardcourts. It's getting more physical than even when I started. You have to be in better shape, and you have to be faster and do that for a longer period of time."  
   It seems paradoxical. Wouldn't a more physical game favor younger players?
   "No," said Becker, the 2004 NCAA singles champion from Baylor in Waco, Texas, "because it takes time to (prepare) your body to be ready for that challenge. There are no more teenagers that come up and be a sensation like Boris Becker (who won Wimbledon in 1985 at 17). It's really tough for guys to come up at 18, 19 years old and have a body to endure the hours on court, to go through the practice sessions and the matches, and do it many times during the week, not just one match. ... "
   Instead of careers lasting from age 16 to 30, they often extend from 21 to 35. 
   "I also call it the 'Andre effect,' " said Gilbert, who coached Agassi to six Grand Slam titles, an Olympic gold medal and the No. 1 ranking, all in singles. "People saw that Andre was still doing great in 2005 at 35, and I think he opened a lot of guys' eyes that you can play (well) in your mid-30s."

Rik de Voest, 32, of South Africa
said advances in string technology
have helped make the game more
physical. Photo by Paul Bauman

   It all started with Sampras' 6-7 (2), 7-6 (9), 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 victory over Goran Ivanisevic in the 1998 Wimbledon final. Ferocious serves on the slick grass dominated the match; rallies were almost nonexistent. Meanwhile, many in the crowd and worldwide television audience fell asleep.
   Petrified by the prospect of lower TV ratings -- i.e. advertising revenue -- tournament officials made the surface slower. That allowed baseliners such as Lleyton Hewitt and David Nalbandian to meet in the 2002 Wimbledon final, won by Hewitt. The rest of the world followed Wimbledon's lead.

   Advances in string technology also have made the game more physical.
   "You can hit a ball harder and create more rotation with the strings on the ball so that it doesn't go out," said the slightly built de Voest, who outlasted strapping U.S. prospect Rhyne Williams, 21 at the time, 5-7, 7-6 (3), 6-4 in the first round of the Sacramento Challenger.
    Longer points put a premium not only on conditioning and mobility but on experience and strategy. On any given point, players must make split-second decisions on whether to keep the ball in play or go for a winner. Older ones have a better sense of when to play it safe and when to pull the trigger.
   "As you get older, you get a little wiser," said the undersized Reynolds, who eliminated another powerful American prospect, 20-year-old Jack Sock, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (4) in the opening round of the Sacramento Challenger. "You kind of realize how to play the game of tennis rather than just going out there and hitting balls. It's a lot more about placing your serve in order to get the next shot. It's more like a chess game, and I think it takes time to realize that."

Bobby Reynolds, 30, was worn out after a
7-6 (6), 6-4 (4) victory over fellow American
Jack Sock, 20, in the first round of the Sacramento
Challenger last October. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Excellent conditioning helps, but a more physical game inevitably means more injuries. That means more forced vacations, allowing players to recover physically and mentally from what amounts to a 12-month grind every year and extend their careers.
   In addition to Benjamin Becker's elbow operations, Haas has had numerous major operations. Blake missed much of 2004 with a broken neck, suffered when he hit his head on a net post in practice, and a virus. Rafael Nadal recently returned from a seven-month layoff following a knee injury and virus. Date-Krumm retired for 12 years (1997-2008).

   Legal supplements also could play a role, but presumably they help younger players, too.
   Most pros agree that playing tennis beats getting a job in the real world -- if there are any.
   "You have guys now that are 30 and still in unbelievable condition and still have a lot of love for the game," said Reynolds, who attended prestigious Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., for three years before turning pro 10 years ago. "It's tough to give it up. What else do I want to be doing other than going out here and leaving it all out on the court?"

COLLEGE SCORES

Men

   No. 22 Baylor def. No. 15 Cal 6-1 in Waco, Texas. No. 1 singles: No. 71 Julian Lenz (B) def. No. 44 Ben McLachlan 6-3, 6-4. Records: Baylor 13-4, Cal 8-7.
   No. 67  Santa Clara def. No. 55 Tulane 4-3 in Santa Clara. No. 1 singles: Dominik Koepfer (T) def. No. 63 John Lamble 6-7, 6-1, 6-1. Records: Santa Clara 12-6, Tulane 11-5. Note: Sacramento's Matt Kecki, a senior transfer from four-time NCAA defending champion USC, lost at No. 4 singles and No. 1 doubles for Santa Clara.

Blake shows class while winning Sacramento title

   Notes from the recent $100,000 Challengers in Sacramento and Tiburon:
   Class act -- James Blake won more than the singles trophy in Sacramento. The former world No. 4 also won many friends with his sportsmanship and politeness.
   Most notably, the seeded-second Blake conceded a point in his 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory over qualifier Taro Daniel of Japan in the first round. With Daniel serving at 15-30 in the first game of the second set, Blake appeared to win the point when Daniel hit a lob long. But Blake notified the chair umpire that he had nicked the ball with his racket. Otherwise, no one would have known.
   Throughout the week, Blake said "Too good" when opponents hit passing shots and thanked ballboys and ballgirls for giving him balls.
   On the rare occasions when Blake made a bad error, he didn't yell, belt a ball into the next county or smash his racket to smithereens. He simply admonished himself by muttering "James" in a disappointed tone like a father to his son for neglecting to take out the trash.
   The oldest player in the singles draw, Blake will turn 33 on Dec. 28. He hopes to play for another year or more. Whenever he retires, it will be a sad day. 
   International intrigue -- Daniel, the youngest player in the singles draw at 19, has an unusual background. He was born in New York, grew up in Japan, lives in Spain and visits Santa Cruz in Northern California every year.
   Daniel's father, a financial manager for TRW Automotive in Spain, is from Santa Cruz, and his mother is Japanese.
   Consummate pro -- Rik de Voest, who won the singles title of the inaugural (2005) Sacramento Challenger and the doubles crown in Tiburon last week (with Chris Guccione), is a throwback. He wins with guile rather than power, volleys deftly and, like Blake, conducts himself professionally.
   Only 5-foot-11 (180 centimeters) and 150 pounds (68 kilograms), de Voest compensates for his lack of power with mental toughness, craftiness and consistency. The 32-year-old South African keeps the ball in play until 1) his opponent makes an error or 2) he can pound the ball into a corner and come to the net for a putaway volley. He is ranked No. 185 in singles (career-high No. 110 in 2006) and No. 131 in doubles (career-high No. 36 in 2009).
   De Voest had no business beating Rhyne Williams in the first round in Sacramento yet prevailed 5-7, 7-6 (3), 6-4 in 3 hours, 13 minutes. Williams served for the match at 5-4 in the second set and led 4-1 (one service break) in the third set.
   Williams, 21, is a prototypical young American. He has size -- 6-foot-1 (185 centimeters) and 177 pounds (80 kilograms) -- a big serve and forehand, and a volatile temper. While de Voest kept his cool in the match, Williams went ballistic.
   After de Voest hit a topspin lob to break for 5-4 in the third set, Williams smashed his racket on the court three times and was assessed a point penalty. Earlier, Williams had received a warning for pounding a ball over the fence.
   Fan-demonium -- Players often argue with the chair umpire. But with a spectator? It happened at the Natomas Racquet Club in Sacramento during Tennys Sandgren's 6-4, 6-3 second-round victory over Matt Reid of Australia.
   Sandgren, a 21-year-old American who won the doubles title with ex-University of Tennessee teammate Williams, complained to the chair umpire about not informing him that new balls were being used.
   "Yes, he did," spectator Bob Martinez, the junior tennis coordinator at the Gold River Racquet Club in the Sacramento area, told Sandgren. "Everybody heard him. You're complaining about everything. Just play ball."
   "Who are you?" Sandgren shot back.
   "Just a spectator," Martinez said.
   "That's all you need to say," Sandgren replied.
   After the match, Sandgren approached Martinez, and they cordially discussed the incident.
   "It wasn't just the balls," Martinez said later. "It was everything. He was yelling at the ballkids to move over faster. They were freaking out. It really bothered me because I work with kids. I would have regretted it if I hadn't said anything."
   Yankee Doodle Dandies -- Sacramento and Tiburon fans likely have witnessed the next generation of U.S. Davis Cup players.
   The front-runners to succeed John Isner, 27, and Sam Querrey, 25, in singles appear to be 62nd-ranked Ryan Harrison and No. 165 Jack Sock, both 20. Harrison reached the final of the Tiburon Challenger in 2010, and Sock won it last week. Sock already has won two U.S. Open titles, boys singles in 2010 and mixed doubles (with Melanie Oudin) last year.
   The top-ranked doubles team of Bob and Mike Bryan, 34-year-old identical twins, could play for another five years. Ironically, another pair of brothers, Ryan and Christian Harrison (18), might succeed them. In only their second pro tournament together, they stunned fourth seeds and reigning finalists Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski of Poland en route to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open last month.
   Christian lost in the first round of singles in last year's Sacramento Futures. He did not play doubles in the tournament at the Park Terrace Swim & Tennis Club.
  Also in the doubles mix are Sandgren and Williams, and the Sacramento runners-up, Devin Britton (21) and Austin Krajicek (22). After the All-American doubles final, the Tiburon title match was an all-foreign affair. De Voest and Australia's Guccione, seeded fourth, beat second-seeded Jordan Kerr of Australia and Andreas Siljestrom of Sweden 6-1, 6-4.

Top seed Becker ousted in Sacramento Challenger

Daniel Kosakowski, a 20-year-old wild card, upset No. 1 seed
Benjamin Becker, below, 7-5, 6-3 Tuesday in the first round
of the $100,000 RelyAid Natomas Challenger in Sacramento.
Photos by Paul Bauman

   SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- On paper, it was a stunning upset.
   Daniel Kosakowski, a 20-year-old wild card who turned pro last year in Sacramento, ousted Benjamin Becker, a 31-year-old veteran seeded first, 7-5, 6-3 Tuesday in the first round of the $100,000 RelyAid Natomas Challenger at the Natomas Racquet Club.
   Becker is ranked No. 85 in the world after reaching a career-high No. 38 five years ago. Kosakowski, meanwhile, is No. 304.
   Most glaring of all, Becker has won 97 matches on the ATP World Tour, the major leagues of men's professional tennis, to Kosakowski's one.
   But considering recent history, Kosakowski's victory wasn't all that surprising on a day featuring the exits of three more seeds, the world's fastest server, a former Sacramento champion and several U.S. prospects. Kosakowski's triumph might have even been predictable. He has been on fire while Becker has been recovering from his latest injury.

   Kosakowski, a Los Angeles-area native whose parents are Polish, has won 11 straight matches and 13 of his last 14. He reached the final round of qualifying at the U.S. Open in August, beating 82nd-ranked Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia in the second round. Becker was the second top-100 win of Kosakowski's career.
   Last month, Kosakowski won $10,000 Futures tournaments in the Los Angeles suburbs of Claremont and Costa Mesa in consecutive weeks.
   "I was working on a lot of things in the summer, and things are starting to click now," said Kosakowski, who turned pro after winning the $15,000 Futures tournament in Sacramento in June 2011. "I got a lot of confidence from the Open. I know what I'm doing on the court and executing my game plan."
   Kosakowski, who won 24 of 25 points on his first serve against Becker and displayed a sensational one-handed backhand, added that he worked on his "serve and trying to be more aggressive with the backhand, trying not to give up too many freebies or short balls."     

Second-seeded James Blake, 32, wore down 19-year-old
qualifier Taro Daniel of Japan 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 in a match featur-
ing the oldest and youngest players in the singles draw.

   Becker, meanwhile, tore a groin muscle three weeks ago playing in a Davis Cup doubles match for his native Germany. He lost with Philipp Petzschner, but host Germany beat Australia 3-2 on clay to qualify for the elite World Group next year.
  "When I came here, I didn't know if I could play," said Becker, a right-hander with a two-handed backhand who underwent two operations on his left elbow last year and missed seven months. "I'm happy I didn't have any pain today, but I'm not happy with the way I played. I expected not to play my best, obviously. That's how it goes when you have a tough first round.
   "I saw he won a few tournaments (recently)," added Becker, who's best known for ending Andre Agassi's career in the third round of the 2006 U.S. Open. "He had a lot of confidence, and he could see that my confidence was not very high. I'm trying to get it back and hopefully have a better week next week (in the Tiburon Challenger in the San Francisco Bay Area)."
   Despite their age difference and nationalities, Becker and Kosakowski have a few things in common. Both are undersized former college stars.
   Becker, who's listed at 5-foot-10 and 158 pounds, is one of the few pros who played for four years in college. As a junior at Baylor in Waco, Texas, he won the 2004 NCAA singles crown and helped the Bears capture their only NCAA team title.
   Kosakowski said he's 6-foot and 180, but he appears smaller. He turned pro after one year at UCLA, where he was named first-team All-Pacific-10 Conference and the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year.
   After the first round of the Natomas Challenger, the only seeds left are No. 2 James Blake of Tampa, Fla., and No. 5 Matteo Viola of Italy. No. 3 Ryan Sweeting, the 2005 U.S. Open boys champion, withdrew with food poisoning, and No. 8 Denis Kudla, a 20-year-old American born in Ukraine, lost to qualifier Greg Jones of Australia 6-3, 6-0.
   Blake, a 32-year-old wild card and last year's runner-up to 6-foot-10 Ivo Karlovic, wore down 19-year-old qualifier Taro Daniel of Japan 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 on a 99-degree day in a match featuring the oldest and youngest players in the singles draw.
   "I got my legs moving a little better in the second and third sets, and I think his legs kind of went out on him  in the third set," said Blake, ranked No. 97 after reaching a career-high No. 4 in 2006. "He's already played three matches here.
   "I'm not a spring chicken anymore. Sometimes it takes a little longer to warm up. Those things are going to happen sometimes, but I'm happy I got through it."
   Blake, plagued by tendinitis in his right knee last year and earlier this year, pronounced himself fit but said he's taking his career "one match at a time at this point." He hopes to play all next year, "but you never know. One more bad injury, and that can change real quick."
   Eight years ago, Blake broke his neck while practicing in Rome. He slipped on a wet clay court while racing to return a drop shot and struck the net post. Had he not moved his head at the last moment, doctors said he could have been paralyzed.
   Viola dismissed Samuel Groth of Australia 6-2, 6-3. Groth, who blasted a 163-mph (263-kph) serve in a Challenger tournament in South Korea in May, converted only 20 percent of his first serves in the first set and 39 percent overall.
   "I felt really flat on court," said Groth, who has battled a head cold for two days. "I probably had my worst serving day for a year, and I was pretty slow in my movement. I don't think there was actually too much I did well out there. Matteo doesn't give you much, and I knew I was going to have to play a lot better than I did today, that's for sure."
   Bradley Klahn, a San Diego-area resident, and John Millman of Australia had big years in 2010. Klahn won the NCAA singles title as a Stanford sophomore, and John Millman captured the Sacramento Challenger. They met for the first time Tuesday, with wild card Klahn prevailing 7-6 (0), 6-4.
   The day ended with two 30-something veterans knocking out young Americans.
   Rik de Voest, a 32-year-old South African who won the 2005 (inaugural) Sacramento Challenger at the Sutter Lawn Tennis Club, outlasted 21-year-old Rhyne Williams of Knoxville, Tenn., 5-7, 7-6 (3), 6-4 in 3 hours, 13 minutes.
   Williams, who turned pro shortly after reaching the NCAA singles final in 2011 as a Tennessee sophomore, served for the match at 5-4 in the second set and led 4-1 (one service break) in the third set.
   Bobby Reynolds, 30, of Acworth, Ga., outslugged Jack Sock, 20, of Lincoln, Neb., 7-6 (6), 7-6 (4) in a matchup of 2011 Sacramento Challenger quarterfinalists. Sock, last year's doubles runner-up with Nicholas Monroe, already is out of this year's tournament. He and Phillip Simmonds of Reston, Va., narrowly lost in  the first round of doubles to Groth and Chris Guccione, the defending champion with Carsten Ball, on Monday.
   
RELYAID NATOMAS CHALLENGER - SACRAMENTO, CA, USA

$ 100,000
SEPT. 29 - OCT. 7, 2012

RESULTS - TUESDAY, OCT. 2, 2012Singles - First Round
[WC] D Kosakowski (USA) d [1] B Becker (GER) 75 63
[2] [WC] J Blake (USA) d [Q] T Daniel (JPN) 46 63 61
M Reid (AUS) d [LL] F Wolmarans (RSA) 64 64
[5] M Viola (ITA) d S Groth (AUS) 62 63
[Q] G Jones (AUS) d [8] D Kudla (USA) 63 60
M McClune (USA) d [Q] P Simmonds (USA) 16 63 61
R Farah (COL) d A Bogdanovic (GBR) 61 62
B Reynolds (USA) d J Sock (USA) 76(6) 76(4)
L Vanni (ITA) d [Q] L Gregorc (SLO) 46 64 76(3)
[WC] B Klahn (USA) d J Millman (AUS) 76(0) 64
R De Voest (RSA) d R Williams (USA) 57 76(3) 64
Doubles - First Round
[4] A Daescu (ROU) / A Hubble (AUS) d [LL] L Gregorc (SLO) / A Pavic (CRO) 63 64
A Kuznetsov (USA) / M Zverev (GER) d S Ianni (ITA) / M Viola (ITA) 63 64

ORDER OF PLAY - WEDNESDAY, OCT. 3, 2012
STADIUM start 11:00 am
D Kudla (USA) / T Smyczek (USA) vs A Courtney (USA) / P Raja (IND)
Not Before 12:30 PM
A El Mihdawy (USA) vs B Reynolds (USA)
S Groth (AUS) / C Guccione (AUS) vs [4] A Daescu (ROU) / A Hubble (AUS)
Not Before 4:00 PM
L Vanni (ITA) vs A Kuznetsov (USA)
COURT 1 start 11:00 am
M Reid (AUS) vs T Sandgren (USA)
M Zverev (GER) vs I Van der Merwe (RSA)
Not Before 3:30 PM
[3] B Reynolds (USA) / I Van der Merwe (RSA) vs [Q] J Dadamo (USA) / B Klahn (USA) - After suitable rest

Tursunov no longer faults father

Dmitry Tursunov, middle, poses with fellow Moscow natives Mischa Zverev,
left, and Igor Andreev at the 2012 Aptos, Calif., Challenger. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Igor Tursunov was obsessed.
   His only goal in life was for his son Dmitry to become a professional tennis player.
   If that meant forcing Dmitry to train five or six hours a day and eat healthy foods as a child in Moscow, too bad. If that meant belting Dmitry when he resisted, tough. If that meant sending Dmitry to live in the United States at 12, so be it.
   "He trained under a lot of duress from 6 to 12," said Vitaly Gorin, Dmitry's coach since the player was 12 and his former legal guardian in California. "Spending time with his father and (older) brother turned into a job, a profession he didn't sign up for. His father recognized his ability and pushed him hard."
   For many years, Dmitry resented his rigid upbringing. But then a funny thing happened. He grew up. Now 28, Dmitry adamantly defends his father.
   "When he was chasing me around during practice — half the time I was running away — he was saying I'll thank him later," said Dmitry, a Sacramento-area resident since 2000 who won the deciding Davis Cup match for host Russia against Brazil on Sunday. "I never believed it for a second, but in the end, he was right. He tried to get the result with whatever means he could."
   Igor Tursunov, a former nuclear engineer who played tennis recreationally, died of pancreatic cancer July 13 at 59 years old. That's the life expectancy for Russian men. The corresponding figure in the United States is 75.
   "I don't know many people who would be able to sacrifice their entire life for a child's potential career," Dmitry said. "I understand he was living vicariously through me. Maybe he was oppressed when he was younger. In the end, he achieved what he wanted."
   Mark Knowles, formerly ranked No. 1 in the world in doubles, has observed Tursunov on the ATP World Tour and played with him on the Sacramento Capitals of World TeamTennis in 2004. Five years ago, when Tursunov was ranked No. 26 in the world, Knowles told The Sacramento Bee: "He's a top-10 player for sure, maybe top five. The first time I saw him (in 2001), I thought he was a great player. He hits the ball as clean as anyone off both sides, he has a lot of power, and he serves big. He moves well and is a great athlete.
   "The only thing that has held him back is the mental side. He needs to develop points and use his strength better. He has a tendency to overhit, which is normal for a guy with that much power. It's hard to know when to pull the trigger and when to harness your power."
   Tursunov, who also has been plagued by injuries, hasn't quite reached the top 10. Still, as renowned coach and commentator Brad Gilbert said of his friend and former pupil, "He's done pretty well for himself."
   Ideally built at 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds, Tursunov has won seven singles titles on the ATP World Tour, reached a career-high No. 20 in 2006 and amassed $3.93 million in prize money. He has advanced to the fourth round at Wimbledon twice, narrowly missing the quarterfinals in 2006.
   Tursunov played the two signature matches of his career on Russia's 2006 Davis Cup championship team. He clinched a quarterfinal victory over France by defeating Richard Gasquet 7-5 in the fifth set before a hostile indoor crowd in Pau, France. Improbably, Tursunov topped that by outlasting Andy Roddick 17-15 in the fifth set in four hours, 48 minutes on clay, the worst surface for both players, in Moscow to clinch a semifinal win over the United States.            
   Tursunov also is accomplished in doubles with five career ATP titles and a career-high ranking of No. 36 in 2008. He reached the French Open semifinals in 2008 and quarterfinals in 2007 and 2009, all with Igor Kunitsyn of Russia.
   Tursunov was coming back from three operations within one year — for bone spurs in his left ankle, a bone chip in the ankle and nerve inflammation and a cyst in his left foot — when his father was diagnosed last November. Ranked No. 516 in July 2010, Tursunov has climbed back to No. 41. He won a Wimbledon tuneup tournament on grass in the Netherlands in June for his first ATP World Tour singles title in two years.
   "It's been a very interesting last six months for Dmitry," Gorin said last month at his tennis academy in Granite Bay, a Sacramento suburb, while watching Tursunov hit with fellow pro Jimmy Wang of Taiwan. "Outside of match play, he didn't train at all. He's hitting really well for as little training as he did. He was just going from home (in Moscow) to the hospital."
   Tursunov's lack of training caught up with him, though, on the summer hardcourt circuit. Also dealing with girlfriend issues and hassles with the homeowners' association that governs his two-bedroom Folsom townhouse, he went 1-4 in singles and 0-2 in doubles. Tursunov lost in the first round of singles and men's doubles at the U.S. Open. He did not play mixed doubles.
   "I feel like I'm constantly emptying water out of a lifeboat with no time to paddle," Tursunov said in a long, candid interview at the academy.
   Tursunov is a complex person: part Russian, part American, part pro tennis player, part comedian and part philosopher. With his curly, blond hair, blue eyes and impeccable, accent-less English, he easily could be mistaken for a Southern California surfer. In fact, Tursunov's countrymen call him "Surfer Dude" because of his California residence. Never mind that Sacramento is 100 miles from the Pacific Ocean. 
   Tursunov became the talk of the tour as the ATP's resident blogger in 2006 but gave it up because it took too much time. He remains as irreverent and self-deprecating as ever, though, as shown in his recent "bag check" video for Wilson Sporting Goods. Some highlights on YouTube:
   --On his tournament accreditation badge depicting a big letter "L": " 'L' for loser, I guess."
   --On a callous on his hand: "I'm single, so ... "
   --While flipping through a few bills in his wallet: "That's all my prize money for this year."
   Tursunov seems utterly without pretense and is very considerate. He is extremely accommodating with reporters and helps junior players and even other pros.
   Wang, for example, launched a comeback last November after two operations on his right (playing) wrist. Tursunov is the master of comebacks, having also suffered stress fractures in his left foot and ankle, two broken vertebrae and a re-fractured vertebra early in his career.   
   The 26-year-old Wang, a former top-100 player, said of Tursunov's guidance: "It's been very fortunate. I've stayed at his place the last 12 months. I was out for three years and had no idea how to get back in the right way. Experience-wise, he has helped me a lot, not just on the court but off."
   South African Rik de Voest,  in an interview with The Bee last October, described Tursunov as "a character with a very dry sense of humor." They had some unusual on-court conversations while winning the doubles title in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, two years ago, de Voest said.
  The pair discussed "everything but tennis ... the people in the crowd, what was going on in Dubai, where we were playing next and Dmitry's one-liners that would keep me laughing and relaxed," said de Voest, the singles champion of the inaugural Sacramento Challenger in 2005.     
   It figures that Tursunov would want to take his mind off tennis. His father never wanted to talk about anything but Dmitry's tennis. 
   When asked why Igor loved tennis, Dmitry said only that his father played at a court where he worked.
   "We never talked about it much or anything except (my) tennis, to be honest," Dmitry recalled. "That's why we had so much friction between (ages) 9 and 23. Everything was always tennis. If I was playing well, everything was peachy. If not, it was a world crisis. At 17, 18, 19, I got fed up with it. I started seeing my life in my results."
   Tursunov said he "blew a gasket a couple of times" when he was about 20.
   "I told my dad, 'If you don't want to talk about anything except tennis, let's not talk,' but in rougher terms. He was losing whatever connection he had with me. He started to mellow out the last five or six years, and we were able to talk about different stuff," Tursunov related.
   It wasn't quite that simple, though.
   "After I put the ultimatum down, he still went through the back door," Tursunov continued. "He'd ask, 'How's your girlfriend?' but he would always come back to tennis. I told him, 'I'm not that stupid.' He had no other passion. I became more lenient as long as we didn't only talk about tennis."
   An obvious comparison is with Andre Agassi and his fanatical father, Mike.
   "In the last couple years of his career, Agassi told me his father still called him to say he was using the wrong racket," said Tursunov, who sometimes hit with Agassi when Gilbert was coaching the legend. "You're never going to change the person, but my dad (eventually) understood there was more to life than tennis. He would love for me to be No. 1, but it was more important to have a connection with me than never have a conversation."  
   Igor was highly educated, but all it got him was a low-paying job as a nuclear engineer. He eventually quit to sell tennis rackets with Dmitry's only sibling, Dennis.
   "(Igor's) salary was not even enough to pay for (tennis) equipment," Dmitry said. "You also have to pay for courts and travel."
   But Dmitry was going to become a pro, one way or another.
   "I had a regimen," he recalled. "There was a lot of practice. If I didn't want to practice, he'd chase me around and beat me up. There were fights all the time. I did pushups, weights and squats."
    Igor also put Dmitry on a diet of healthy foods such as carrots (for better vision), walnuts, raisins, sour cream and cottage cheese (for calcium) and honey.
   "I was forced to eat it all," Dmitry growled.
   Only when discussing his regimen did Tursunov display any bitterness.
   "Every morning, you know you have to eat the god-damned cottage cheese and shaved carrots and work out," he snarled. "I hate routines and always have."
   Tursunov then turned philosophical again when discussing his father.
   "He did in a sense take away my childhood and force me to do things, but all kids are forced to go to school instead of playing on the monkey bars, eating candy and dissecting worms," he said. "Now, I get (paid for working out and playing tennis), but back then, I didn't get a new bike. I just got more work."
   Tursunov described his mother, Svetlana, as "very strong emotionally. She let me go (to the United States) at 12 1/2 and didn't see me (much) for nine years. She can handle a lot. She handled it well after my dad died."
   Tursunov admitted that he doesn't "know what I would do as a parent. If you provide everything, the child won't be able to solve problems and rise to challenges. In the end, you have to struggle to achieve something. If it's a gift, you haven't really succeeded. It's given to you.
   "I remember my first phone, sneakers and pair of jeans in the States. I don't know how many kids remember those things. They come so easy."
   Many kids at Gorin's academy, where Tursunov trains, lack the perseverance that Igor drilled into Dmitry, the tennis star lamented.
    "Some are happy to be in the setting, and others in the same situation feel shortchanged. It comes from background. I see a lot of kids stop short when the going gets tough. That's a big aspect of the sport -- how you get through challenges. Rafa (Rafael Nadal) will walk on burning coal to win a match. Others will give up just thinking about that. Sport brings out the best and worst in people."
   Tursunov took a swipe at American society when asked if he was physically abused as a child.
   "Yeah, I've gotten hit. My mom hit me with a wet dish rag across the face when I said something impolite. I didn't go to the school counselor, I didn't file for abuse, and I didn't go to a foster home.
   "If I didn't get hit by my mom or dad, I would get (figuratively) hit today. I think I'd rather get (physically) hit a couple of times."
   Economics dictated that Tursunov leave Moscow at 12 to fulfill his potential. Gorin's father had become acquainted with Tursunov through a distant cousin of Vitaly's who was a friend of the head of the Russian national junior team. Igor learned that Vitaly had attended legendary Australian coach Harry Hopman's academy in Florida and was convinced.
   "He idolized Hopman," said Vitaly, a 41-year-old Ukraine native who moved to the United States at 9.
   Igor took Dmitry to live and train with Gorin, who was living in Los Altos in the San Francisco area.
   "Tennis is so much more expensive in Russia," explained Gorin, who bought the Granite Bay Tennis Club in 2000 and converted it into an academy. "(Igor) was killing three birds with one stone. I had gone to the Hopman academy, tennis cost less in America, and (Dmitry) was getting involved with a family (the Gorins) capable of sponsoring him."       
   Tursunov, who spoke no English at the time, was hardly traumatized by the move.
   "When I was left to myself, it was a breath of fresh air," he conceded. "No one was standing over my head and forcing me to do stuff. I was still motivated to practice hard. If I didn't, I would have gone back to Moscow. I still realized everything was about tennis and I was supposed to become a pro by 17 or 18."
   At that point, Gilbert saw Tursunov play for the first time.
   "He didn't have a lot of confidence in his game," said Gilbert, who also has coached Andy Roddick and Andy Murray and currently works with promising Kei Nishikori of Japan. "I told him, 'For sure, you're going to be a good pro.' He was ranked about 500 at the time. Sometimes he can be self-deprecating. He said, 'Everyone says that.' But I'm not everyone."
   Tursunov, who has a friend in Mill Valley in the San Francisco area, often practices at Gilbert's house in nearby San Rafael.
  "I don't coach him (anymore), per se," said the 50-year-old Gilbert, who was born in Oakland, grew up in Piedmont and played at Foothill College in Los Altos before transferring to Pepperdine. "I like him a lot and encourage him. I root for him because he's been the best player from Northern California for a long time, and his coach went to Foothill."
    Like Agassi, Tursunov said he hated tennis for much of his life. And now?
   "I enjoy it quite a bit," he admitted. "I started enjoying it a whole lot more (in the past few years) without the pressure of having to prove myself to someone. I realized I'm the only one I have to impress."
   Why the change?
   "I started maturing," Tursunov said. "Definitely working with Brad helped me. He's very focused on being positive and complimenting yourself. ...
   "My potential is higher than my results, but I'm happy with my effort. I'm doing my best and learning. I enjoy the challenge. I'm not afraid to fail. I failed before, and I'm still alive."
   Tursunov plays more conservatively, reining in his power, but feels more internal pressure as he nears the end of his career.
   "I understand that one point can sway a match quite a bit," he explained. "I choke a little more. Everybody chokes. The more it means to you, the more you choke."
   Tursunov will turn 29 in December. One source of inspiration is American Mardy Fish, who's ranked a career-high No. 7 at 29. But few players excel once they hit 30. 
   "I definitely value the time I have left," he said. "I know I don't have the rest of my life to play tennis. I'd like to play the way I know I'm capable of playing. I have to figure out a way to focus on tennis."
   That was never a problem when Igor was hovering over Dmitry, who grew to appreciate his father's efforts.
  "It's very easy to criticize but hard to point out how to make it better," Dmitry said. "He was navigating unknown waters. He might have made a lot of mistakes, but there's no right or wrong way. I've gone through a bigger journey than most pro tennis players."
   In the end, Dmitry did not expressly thank his father. It wasn't necessary.
   "I'm not very good at being emotional," Dmitry said. "I think he understood (my gratitude), though. He would come out to practice and watch. He seemed content. He seemed happy with what he accomplished in life. There's no way he could have come to the tennis court, which split us apart for so long, and watched quietly if he wasn't content."

Capitals end drought, reach playoffs

   The drought is over.
   In a tense match, the host Sacramento Capitals beat the last-place Springfield (Mo.) Lasers 21-17 Thursday night to reach the World TeamTennis playoffs for the first time since 2008.
   That's an eternity for Sacramento. The Capitals hold WTT records for most league titles (six), most playoff appearances (18) and most consecutive playoff appearances (seven).
   Sacramento will face the St. Louis Aces on Saturday at 2 p.m. in the Western Conference finals in Charleston, S.C. Both teams finished 8-6 as the Capitals ended their streak of two consecutive losing seasons, a first in their 26-year history.
   In today's Eastern Conference finals, the Washington Kastles (14-0) will play the Boston Lobsters (7-7) at 4 p.m. in Charleston. Washington became the second team in WTT's 36-year history to go undefeated in the regular season. The other was the Newport Beach Dukes in 1994.
   The winners will meet Sunday at 2 p.m. in Charleston for the WTT title.
   For the second consecutive match, Sacramento led by two games entering the last set (mixed doubles with Mark Knowles and King) on Thursday night.
   The Capitals had lost the set and match to Boston on Wednesday night. This time, though, Knowles and King beat Rik de Voest and Carly Gullickson 5-3 to preserve Sacramento's victory. Springfield ended its season 4-10.
   The Capitals and Aces split their two regular-season matches, both in St. Louis.
   The Aces won 26-21 in the season opener for both teams. Half of the Capitals' roster missed the match because Vania King rested after Wimbledon and Dusan Vemic encountered visa problems in Serbia.  
   In its seventh match of the season, Sacramento edged St. Louis 20-19 in a Supertiebreaker.
   Capitals 21, Springfield 17
   Men's singles -- Dusan Vemic, Capitals, def. Greg A. Jones, Spr., 5-4.
   Women's doubles -- Vania King and Yasmin Schnack, Capitals, def. Carly Gullickson and Lilia Osterloh, Spr., 5-0.
   Men's doubles -- Jones and de Voest, Spr., def. Mark Knowles and Vemic, Capitals, 5-4.
   Women's singles -- Osterloh, Spr., def. King, Capitals, 5-2.
   Mixed doubles -- King and Knowles, Capitals, def. Gullickson and de Voest, Spr., 5-3.