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Olympics should use Hopman Cup format |
If ever there was an argument for a team format for the Olympics (a best-of-five format, one men's singles, one women's singles, one each of doubles, plus mixed), it's Hopman Cup. There are lots of countries which have a strong men's tennis program, or a strong women's program, but not both.
Case in point: Argentina. With Guillermo Coria, David Nalbandian, Gaston Gaudio, Guillermo Canas, Juan Ignacio Chela, and a host of others, they are one of the Great Powers in men's tennis. But on the women's side, only Paola Suarez is in the Top 30 -- and she didn't elect to play Hopman Cup. Gisela Dulko -- a rising player but one still short on big match experience -- got the call to play alongside Coria.
Italy's problem is rather the reverse. Ironically, they have historically liked men's tennis best -- but right now, they're much stronger on the women's side, with Silvia Farina Elia, Francesca Schiavone, and younger players such as Flavia Pennetta. The best they have in men's singles is probably Filippo Volandri, and he isn't here. That left Davide Sanguinetti, who seems to be in his final fade-out, as Italy's singles player.
So the singles went as expected: Schiavone pounded Dulko 6-1 6-3, while Coria enjoyed the slowish court to the tune of a 6-1 7-6 win over Sanguinetti. That left the doubles, and it looks like raw talent settled things there: The gap between Schiavone and Dulko is less than the gap between Coria and Sanguinetti, and Argentina became the first team to win a tie, winning the doubles 7-5 6-0.
(This is from the January 3 issue of Bob Larson's Daily Tennis) |
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