February 1, 2009 
Tennis Facilities Tip
Quality lighting is a big differentiator for a tennis facility. It’s not difficult to assess your lighting system’s performance and it should be done annually using a light meter to take foot-candle readings. These can then be compared with USTA recommendations for nighttime play to see how your system is holding up. And it is worth checking out the latest innovations in tennis court lighting. New technology has led to the development energy efficient, high performance systems that may save you money while improving performance.
Australian Open: Serena's the One Joel Drucker Melbourne – As I said in my previous column, the Australian Open is the Ringo of the Slams: the least important, but unquestionably one of the Fab Four – and, like Ringo, perhaps the most beloved. Everything from the friendly locals to the carnival-like atmosphere of the event makes it quite fun – even if this year the brutal heat (often exceeding 100 degrees) on several days turned the grounds into a ghost town. I’m focused here strictly on the women. And once again, I must hand it to Serena Williams. As Fed Cup captain Mary Joe Fernandez told me just after Williams had smoked Dinara Safina in the finals, “For some players results build confidence. For Serena it’s the opposite. I think that’s something you’re born with.”
While I’m not sure if genetics are the telling factor, it’s fascinating how boldly Williams competes. If not necessarily in her DNA, certainly it was in her environment. Since infancy, her father Richard infused her and sister Venus with the notion that they were destined for greatness. And it worked. There came a fortunate escape for Serena in the 4th round when an early morning stomach virus caught up with Victoria Azarenka and she was forced to retire in the second set after winning the first. Another Houdini-like effort came the next day amid Australia’s unique circumstances. Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova won a tight first set, 7-5. By now the oncourt temperature was well part 100, at which point the referee opted to close the roof. The fit Kuznetsova was vexed by this, but still went up 5-3 and served for the match in the next game. But invariably, Kuznetsova sank, Williams rose – and never looked back.
Even when down 3-1 in the second set of her semi versus Elena Dementieva, it was hard to see Williams losing. This was even more so the case for the final, when a cowed Safina was unable to play the ball and instead succumbed to the situation – a situation Serena relishes. She’s now a snappy 10-3 in Grand Slam finals, her only losses coming to sister Venus and another insouciant sort raised by a driven father, Maria Sharapova. A Long and Winding Road But speaking of fathers, the most emotional story in Australia was the journey of Jelena Dokic. Ranked as high as number four in the world in ’02, she’d fallen way, way off the radar. A first round was nice, a second round was even nicer, and soon enough Dokic became the prodigal daughter. Over her career there had been all sorts of rancor, ranging from her father’s public tirades -- and the indications aren’t pretty on the private front – to her severing ties with Australia and other woes.
But now Dokic is back, and while certainly she rode a tide of emotion to reach the quarters, between the lines it’s impressive to see how well Dokic played. Her pace was as hard as anyone, her flat drives – particularly her backhand – finding corners, her serve placed deep. In many ways it was refreshing to watch someone compete with such gusto. Now comes the challenge of the week in, week out grind. It’s one thing to get pumped up and strike boldly on prime time TV when a nation is watching and there are few expectations. It’s another when it’s 10:30 on a back court in Indian Wells in front of 75 people who are splitting their time between watching the match and twiddling thumbs across their Blackberrys. Amid all this, three Russians reached the semis. I so admire the work ethic of players from this country. But I still wish either in their formative stages the Russians would learn more of the game’s nuances. So much of their playing style is based on raw baseline firepower that big matches can unmask a fundamental lack of imagination and vision – the kind of creativity and somewhat irrational confidence it takes not just to grind it out week after week but to step up one’s game and snare the very biggest titles. Serena has this more than any player of the last decade. As always, we would love to hear from you! Questions, comments, personal experiences all create helpful dialogue for everyone! Please click here to send us your email.
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