shoot-out P E R S O N A L I T Y : L L E Y T O N H E W I T T ARGENTINA VERSUS SPAIN May 2005 Communication and External Relations Department

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1 P E R S O N A L I T Y : L L E Y T O N H E W I T T May 2005 Communication and External Relations Department ARGENTINA VERSUS SPAIN The big shoot-out Gaston Gaudio 1

2 Cover story Gaston Gaudio Carlos Moya The big challenge Back on clay again, the battle at the top is immediately Argentina versus Spain, with Roger Federer the only obvious alternative. Last year the South Americans dominated the field. This year revenge is in the air. As soon as the world circuit comes back round to the clay courts, the battle at the top narrows down to just two countries, Argentina and Spain, and possibly Roger Federer and Marat Safin (on one of his good days). You don t need a degree in tennis to understand this, just the patience to study the clay court tournament scoreboards. Roland Garros 2004 was the last straw: three semi-finalists out of four were Argentinean, as were both of the finalists, with (surprisingly) Tim Henman the odd man out. There was an unexpected dearth of Spaniards, though to be fair Nadal was out through injury and Moya only lost after an incredible match with Coria. Will it be the same story this year? Will everyone have to bow down before the Argentineans? They re not likely to repeat such overwhelming predominance, partly because the Spanish have some new arrows in their quiver. Of all talent born in magical 1986 they picked the joker, the baby phenomenon capable of scaring King Federer, even on American cement in Miami. Rafael Nadal is the player any nation would want: good looking, fearless and above all extremely strong. In his sleeveless top and Pinocchio shorts, he started the season on clay as an outsider and after the first few tournaments is already being hailed as one of the favourites. Post scriptum 102 of the top 104 world players have registered for Roland Garros, with German Popp and Russian Tursunov missing the roll call Lleyton Hewitt is helping build an orphanage in Cambodia New sites for a number of ATP players To find out everything about Marat Safin just click on or for Filippo Volandri 2

3 Surprises People are expecting Guillermo Coria to manage at last to win at Roland Garros or that Gaston Gaudio will give us an encore. Looking to Spain, the money seems to be on the freshness of Rafael Nadal, the experience of Carlos Moya or the re-birth of Juan Carlos Ferrero. And there s no lack of outsiders. First of all, the reborn Argentinean Mariano Puerta, who after a long absence made a thundering come-back by winning the Casablanca tournament and reaching the final in Buenos Aires. His backhand is still a joy to see and it s going to be great having him back on the major courts. In the Spanish camp, David Ferrer may not be the most talented player in the circuit but even a top player, on an off day, will be risking it against the consistency and solidity of this finalist at Valencia, who has already shown himself a good all-rounder by reaching the semi-final on cement in the ATP Masters Series in Miami. Mariano Puerta But Spain isn t just Nadalito. Up to a couple of years ago the king on clay was Juan Carlos Ferrero, a minor champion who spent more time last season with his physiotherapist than anyone else. It s hard to imagine him back at the top but seeing him down below the 50 mark in the INDESIT ATP 2005 Ranking for so long was an insult to his talent. Drawing him in the early rounds in Paris or in the ATP Masters Series tournaments won t be fun for anyone, yet when you ve got 16 players in the world s top 100 it s easy to come up with someone new every season seems to be David Ferrer s year; a highly physical talent, he plays like he s swallowed a box of Duracells. Perpetual motion in person, he plays back any ball he s given and can keep running for half the day vitality in tennis shorts, he gives 100% on every point in every match, in every tournament. True he s not a no. 1, but having a supporting cast of his calibre is a luxury. Fans will wonder if this commentator has memory problems. Er, hang on, what about Mr. Carlos Moya?. Potentially, he would seem the perfect clay court machine, with his powerful serve, absolutely lethal forehand, solid backhand and a top of the class touch. But his best days seem behind him, especially as he s one of those players who can never be satisfied with winning less than a Roland Garros. If I had to put money on it, I d say we re more likely to see Nadal holding up the Three Musketeers Cup than our bel Carlitos. The Spanish are ready to do battle but the Argentineans are still the real favourites. The Paris 2004 finalists - Gaston Gaudio and Guillermo Coria - have been joined by the ever reliable Canas, a Nalbandian who, when not injured, is a pain for anyone and even the old Mariano Puerta, a player who used to be as competitive in the restaurant as he was on court. Slimmer now and in fairly decent form, he s technically peerless but is handicapped by being only 175 cm tall. There aren t many alternatives, to be honest maybe only one, King Federer. Though it s true the Swiss ace looks mortal again on clay, but could win even in human mode. He ll be the favourite in any given match but the problem is what might happen if the blindfolded goddess turns the other way when the draw is made. Roger can beat Coria and he can also beat Nadal, Moya and any other clay specialist. But what if he gets all of them, one after the other? If you have to go to five sets with Nadal, how do you show up on court the day after against another long distance racquet wielder? The only year that Pete Sampras looked like winning in Paris he had to play 4 long matches in a row. Federer has more miles in his legs, but will he have them in his head as well? Rome and Paris will pronounce the solemn verdict. Rankings by nation Nations Points* 1 Argentina 26 2 Spain 31 3 USA 40 4 Russia 46 5 Sweden 69 6 Czech Rep Croatia 97 8 Germany France Belgium 135 *Sum of fi rst three players in the INDESIT ATP 2005 Entry Ranking Wilson Racquet Sports have decided to sponsor the Jensen Brothers Tour, a series of clinics that tour the United States taking the game to young people 1986 promises to become a magical year, with Rafael Nadal, Gael Monfils and Richard Gasquet all being born in it Formula 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya skipped the Bahrain Grand Prix due to an injury he got while... playing tennis 3

4 Personality Lleyton Hewitt If all that counted in tennis was fighting spirit, mental energy, the capacity to get excited, the 24 year old Australian would be the no. 1, permanently. Battle cry C mmmooooonnnn. Screamed after every important point Mission... possible Of course I m convinced I m going to beat Federer. The only problem is that it s not going to be simple. Everyone knows that Roger s the man to beat at the moment. Will to win To pep myself up I always think of the face my opponent would make if he beat me. Never surrender It never even occurred to me to withdraw against Nadal in the Melbourne tournament. Even if I d broken my leg, I would have stayed on court fighting. Ready, steady, go! We all started out as equals, we new generation players. We were 6 or 7 and after a few hundred matches here we all are again, together, fighting for the big titles. It s pretty surprising if you think about it. A question of centimetres Tennis is a game where a mere centimetre can make the difference. I won a match against Agassi thanks to a lob that he missed by a hairsbreadth. Obviously a cool head is needed at times; the mental factor is more important than anything else. Earnings It s obviously fantastic to earn loads of money doing what you love, but I d play even if we didn t earn so much. I don t earn much in the Davis Cup but when I plan my year, it s the fi rst thing I think of. Best qualities Mentally I think I m one of the strongest players on the circuit. And I believe I m one of the fastest too. You know? Passing shots, lobs, recoveries... Well, if I m at the top of the world rankings, I owe it to these qualities. Ex-fiancée In ending my relationship Lleyton Hewitt with Kim Clijsters I think I behaved in a very mature way and managed the situation perfectly, both on and off court. In-laws and adversaries He already made a few comments to me in the locker room. He won t be getting me a Christmas present. He reckons today was mine. After beating Joachim Johansson in the semi-final of the US Open (Johansson s girlfriend is Hewitt s sister). On transfer I never think anyone can be stronger than me. I believe in myself and in the past it s got me out of lots of complicated situations and this has made me a stronger person. Like playing in a Davis match on transfer: in those conditions I think I m very competitive. It s a quality you re born with and that you can improve on, step by step. I have the never-say-die attitude. New loves I just thought he was one of the cutest, simplest guys around, easy to talk to and have fun with. Bec Cartwright, fi ancée and famous TV personality in Australia Davis companions When I played in the Davis Cup and the legendary Pat Cash was on court, we were all more convinced and concentrated. The same thing happens when Lleyton Hewitt s in the team. Wally Masur Force of mind I don t know any player who wouldn t be happy to have just a bit of Lleyton Hewitt s force of mind. Todd Woodbridge Winning attitude He plays every point as if it were the second world war. Roy Emerson Great praise How can you not love Lleyton Hewitt? He s incredible for all of us who aren t 1 metre 90 giants, he offers everyone the hope of playing this sport at the highest levels. You can see he adores tennis and that he fights over every ball. God, I adore him. Billie Jean King One of us He s a great fi ghter, with a consistent game. Even when he s in diffi culty, he always tries to be aggressive. He s ready to start winning the major tournaments again. He s earned his place amongst the greats of this sport. Andre Agassi Great refusal Hewitt? He simply refuses to lose. John Newcombe Post scriptum Fancy enjoying a spot of tennis whilst flying? The video of the Masters Cup 2004, Facing Federer, will be showing on British Airways, Sas, Cathay Pacific and Qatar Airways flights. 11 th April saw the start of the ATP Fantasy Tennis 2005 game. To sign on, visit com Ongoing success for the line of clothing produced by Willy Canas and bearing his initials 4

5 Special Ranking INDESIT ATP 2005 Race 1 Roger Federer (Sui) Age 23 Race points wins/2 defeats On clay he ll be more vulnerable but this year s number 1 spot already looks set, months in advance, to be his. Federer s only risk? Not winning a slam at Roland Garros, maybe. 6 Ivan Ljubicic (Cro) Age 26 Race points wins/9 defeats The big surprise at the start of the season must also prove his worth away from the fast courts. It won t be easy, partly because he s not used to playing at this level every week. 2 Rafael Nadal (Esp) Age 18 Race points wins/6 defeats The most threatening alternative to Federer. He won his first Masters Series in Monte Carlo and then the Barcelona tournament, making him one of the biggest favourites for Paris. 7 Andre Agassi (USA) Age 34 Race points wins/6 defeats Always competitive, he s hoping to summon up the resources needed to win just one more Slam. In the meantime, he continues to inhabit the Top 10, though he doesn t look very competitive on clay. 3 Lleyton Hewitt (Aus) Age 24 Race points wins/3 defeats This is the toughest moment of the season - the clay court stage. He s no specialist but he has such confidence in his own capacities that may well become competitive on clay as well. 8 Gaston Gaudio (Arg) Age 26 Race points wins/7 defeats The reigning Roland Garros champion has a real chance of doing a repeat. Not a great performer on fast surfaces, he suddenly gets very dangerous on clay, so he can be confident about maintaining his Top 10 ranking 4 Marat Safin (Rus) Age 25 Race points wins/5 defeats You d have to get into his mind to understand what s happening to him. He has everything it takes to win on clay as well but he seems to have lost the brilliant touch he had at the start of the season. 9 Nikolay Davidenko (Rus) Age 23 - Race points wins/11 defeats One of the big surprises of the season. A very complete player, he s competitive on all surfaces, though clay isn t his favourite. His main objective now is staying in the Top Andy Roddick (USA) Age 22 Race points wins/4 defeats Regained his winning habit in the Houston tournament. Great things can t be expected of him on clay, at best he ll take home a few points to keep him in the lead group. 10 Guillermo Coria (Arg) 11 Age 23 - Race points wins/8 defeats Back on clay again, the Wizard immediately left his mark by reaching the final in in Monte Carlo. Now ready to fight for a place in the top 8 for the Masters Cup at the year end. 1 Ranking in the INDESIT ATP 2005 Race 1 INDESIT ATP Entry Ranking Roger Federer Bryan / Bryan Second serve Serving counts for less on clay courts, where the first point is very often won on a second serve. Listed below are the Top 50 INDESIT ATP 2005 Race players who win the most points (%-wise) on their second serves. The world s greatest doubles Here are the strongest teams in the current doubles season in Europe. Pos. Team Points 1 Bryan/Bryan Black/Ullyett Knowles/Nestor Bjorkman/Mirnyi Arthurs/Hanley Aspelin/Perry Paes/Zimonjic Cermak/Friedl Damm/Stepanek Bhupathi/Woodbridge 138 Player Nation Points won on second service Roger Federer Switzerland 60% Joachim Johansson Sweden 58% Rafael Nadal Spain 57% Mariano Puerta Argentina 57% Wayne Arthurs Australia 57% Andy Roddick USA 56% Stanislav Wawrinka Switzerland 56% Marat Safin Russia 55% Andre Agassi USA 55% Olivier Rochus Belgium 55% Marat Safin Giving nothing away And here are the rankings of the INDESIT ATP 2005 Race Top 100 players who commit the fewest double faults per match. Player Nation Double faults per match Victor Hanescu Romania 0,9 Christophe Rochus Belgium 1,0 Nicolas Lapentti Ecuador 1,1 Rafael Nadal Spain 1,3 Mariano Puerta Argentina 1,3 Sebastien Grosjean France 1,4 Davide Sanguinetti Italy 1,4 Marat Safin Russia 1,4 Potito Starace Italy 1,4 Tomas Zib Czech Rep. 1,4 The eight teams that will take part in the ARAG World Team Cup in Düsseldorf have been chosen: Argentina, Germany, Chile, Sweden, Usa, Spain, France and Australia In American World Team Tennis, Boris Becker will meet John McEnroe on 14 th July Gasquet s victory over Federer is causing great resonance in France: the young champion from Beziers was interviewed on France 2 and given a three page feature in Equipe. 5

6 (Un)familiar faces Surprise! Richard Gasquet They re not as famous as the top players but on a good day they can beat anyone. Consistency players and sloggers, speed merchants and enfants prodiges, which of them will be the surprises at this stage of the season? The Americans like to call them the underdogs but the term certainly doesn t do them justice. They re outsiders, players you wouldn t expect to see in key matches but who can beat a reigning champion. The category breeds potential aces and honest racquet workers, young talents and precision athletes who would have made perfect marathon runners. What they all have in common is the ability to surprise, to beat even His Majesty Federer and even to win a little money if they re good at betting. We took a look at these people in the backwaters of the INDESIT ATP 2005 Race to find out which players the top seeds should be on the look out for on the way to Paris. At the head of the queue is a kid that s set to reach the higher echelons of the game and who is only outside the top group at the moment because he s maturing relatively slowly. Which doesn t stop him being the hottest tipped outsider at this stage in the season. And in fact he s moved to Paris. We talking about the French Richard Gasquet, from Beziers, which usually turns out rugby champions rather than tennis stars. At 9 years old his photo was on the front cover of Tennis Magazine, with the eloquent title, A gift from heaven. And you didn t have to be an expert to appreciate this, it was enough to see his backhand, having a gracefulness rarely seen in such a young kid. He won his first ATP Masters Series match at 15, in Monte Carlo but only managed to follow it up three years after, in the last ATP Masters Series, once again the Country Club in Monte Carlo, where he scraped into the qualifications as a wild card. And as such he beat the world number one Roger Federer in a show of spectacular tennis. His backhand has few equals in terms of elegance, as well as being highly effective, but it s his repertory as a whole that so impressive, because this little French kid has rare fantasy. His physique is still lagging somewhat behind his talent but as soon as he puts on a few more kilos he ll be Top 10 material. His lucky stars permitting, he ll be public enemy no. 1 for the favourites in Rome and Paris. Following him we have the Spanish David Ferrer, r, about as different from Gasquet as you could imagine. For Ferrer is no monster of talent, which is also why he deserves even more respect. A tennis player who came to the game from middle distance running, the Spaniard can run after the ball all morning without sweating and as long as his physique holds out, he s a dangerous customer, especially if the game is drawn out and high technique gives way to sheer stamina and killer instinct. He can keep up a punishing pace from the base line and recovers even the most impossible balls. Between the two we have mano de Piedra, aka Fernando Gonzalez. He doesn t have the pure style of Gasquet but it would be hard to find anyone who slogs more savagely than this Chilean. With that forehand that ought to have a firearm license, he can leave you three metres off the ball at every shot. Pity for him that he knows little of percentage tennis, ie. the tactical sense that tells you not to risk more than is necessary. Post scriptum Readers of the Chinese version of Tennis Magazine voted Roger Federer as the most popular player. Over 50,000 readers voted Jim Courier, the great champion who retired in 2000, will be back as a doubles player at the Houston tournament with... Andre Agassi 6

7 Half measures are not for him. And now for the first Argentinean in this line up of outsiders. Mariano Puerta is a strange player. If you meet him in the Club, you could take him for a banker enjoying a day away from the City. With his incipient pot belly and generally somewhat less than gladiatorial physique, he hardly encourages you to bet on him against the athletic monsters that abound on today s circuit. But when you see him unleash that lefthanded text-book backhand, you realize why the big names breathe a sigh of relief when they see his name come out on the other side of the draw. There are still doubts though about his stamina in matches that run to five sets. A player that looks very solid physically on the other hand, is Filippo Volandri. His limit is a technical one - his serve, though improved, isn t up to the rest of the shots in his repertory. And in fact he s the Top 100 player with the lowest ace rate. But if he survives the first few shots in the game, he s wicked off the base line, being one of the few who can play winning shots either forehand or backhand. Fernando Gonzalez David Ferrer An even more complete player is the Spanis Tommy Robredo who lacks only a little more punch in his shots to make the next quality leap. At the start of his career he was dangerous on clay, now he s maybe more competitive on cement. He s a tricky customer because he can do everything, including the subtle art of the chop, at which he excels. Igor Andreev is very different from Robre- do. He can hit hard, very hard, but is still a little lacking in regularity. A great slogger on a good day though, he can be formidable, as no less than Macho Nadal found out when he lost to him in Valencia. But consistent performance is as important as power and Andreev is decidedly wanting. Something no one could say of Alberto Martin. He has patience to spare but not the power. A fine backhand, true, but before winning a point he has to nag away at his adversary for ages and risks tiring himself out in the process. To close our Top 10 outsiders, another two hard sloggers, the French Paul-Henri Mathieu and the Argentinian Agustin Calleri. All we can do now is wait and see what happens on court. Rome, Hamburg and Paris might be launch pads that propel them from relative nonentity into the top player club. Those are our surprise players. Only the court will show if we re right in our predictions. Rome, Hamburg and Paris might be launch pads that propel them from relative nonentity into the top player club. Agustin Calleri A 18 years 10 months, Nadal is the second youngest winner of a Masters Series after Michael Chang (18 years 5 months, Toronto) It was an honest and self-ironic Safin we saw in Monte Carlo, where he lost to Ferrero: One thing s certain. When I play badly, I play really badly! Hugo Boss renewed its sponsoring of the Davis Cup till It will thus become the longest-standing sponsor of the over 100 year old event 7

8 Memorabilia Borg s headband Bjorn Borg 8 Clay means hard work, sweat, suffering, conditions that have never worried me. Most fans remember my fi ve consecutive Wimbledon wins, but at Roland Garros I won 6 out of 8...

9 ROME SPECIAL Rafael Nadal The Rome tournament is a special event that draws a colourful public and gets the whole city involved, eager as it is to discover a new local hero, like Adriano Panatta in The gladiators Roma caput mundi. In tennis too. Rome has its peculiar charm, produced by that strange combination of an archaeological setting and a local population that s one of the warmest and most bizarre you can imagine. Rome has always been the scene of incredible stories. Who doesn t remember Thomas Muster turning up on court with his leg in plaster and announcing in all seriousness, I ll be back next year to win. Behind the smiles we were all laughing. But the year after he did win the tournament. Or the great battle between Ivan Lendl and Guillermo Perez Roldan in the final in And again, that old gentleman in the tatty blue shirt who got up in the VIP stand while Panatta was losing disastrously to Gerulaitis: Adriano, you re the worst of the worst! But he said it with such affection that he managed to spur on the champion to a come-back. Rome and its public - an inseparable duo that makes this tournament the most curious of the circuit. But it s also a public that knows and loves its tennis, that pays tribute to the icons of the game and above all spurs on the real gladiators, the ones that never give up a ball, that sweat blood and tears till the last 15. Homage will undoubtedly be paid to Andre Agassi because everyone knows that it could be the last time the Las Vegas Kid wields a racquet in the Eternal City. An Agassi who in Rome lost to Stefano Pescolido, threw away a final against Alberto Mancini but also triumphed when no one thought he would any more, in 2002, in the final with Tommy Haas. But Rome will above all be greeting the two new phenomena of world tennis: Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. The former they ve already seen at work, at a time when he was still mortal though. They re now keen to see the delights Carlos Moya Key info Date: 2 nd 8 th May 2005 Venue: viale dei Gladiatori, Roma Tournament director: Sergio Palmieri Surface: clay Draw size: 64 players Prize money: 2,082,500 Winner in 2004: Carlos Moya Post scriptum Only five teenagers have ever won an ATP Masters Series tournament: Nadal (18, Monte Carlo 2005), Medvedev (19, Monte Carlo and Hamburg 1994), Chang (18, Toronto 1990) and Agassi (19, Miami 1990) In the Era Open, US players have won most in Rome, with 7 victories. Followed by Spain with 6, Sweden with 4, and Argentina and Austria with 3 9

10 ROME SPECIAL of the extra-terrestrial version, even though on clay he becomes more vulnerable. And over the head of the Swiss ace hangs the sword of Nadalito, who missed Rome last year because of a minor injury. This year though he s one of the favourites after his success in Monte Carlo. But the two of them won t be fighting it out on their own - there are hordes of clay specialists ready to ambush them. Top of the list is the Magician, aka Guillermo Coria, who after an operation on his shoulder is back delighting the tennis crowds again, with that physique of his that makes you wonder how on earth he stands up to athletes like Safin, Roddick and Nadal (answer: tennis is played with the arms and legs but also with the head). And after him a numerous Spanish speaking contingent, from the reigning Paris champion Gaston Gaudio, to the current Rome 3 victories Thomas Muster 2 victories Bjorn Borg, Vitas Gerulaitis, Andrei Gomez, Ivan Lendl, Thomas Muster, Jim Courier Filippo Volandri Habitual winners Andre Agassi champion Carlos Moya, not to mention Juan Carlos Ferrero, Tommy Robredo, Guillermo Canas, David Ferrer and a whole list bordering on the encyclopaedic. And the other top players in the INDESIT ATP 2005 Race? Remember, there are big differences between the various surfaces, so the rankings may change when the play moves to clay. On clay Andy Roddick has so far achieved nothing but embarrassment. Hewitt is little better and Safin isn t encouraging anyone to bet on him. Of this ace trio, Safin has the best credentials, provided he s willing to suffer even more than he had to to win the season s first Slam, in Australia. But Rome isn t only interested in foreign champions. Italian players have often risen to the occasion with the crowd cheering them on to their first triumph. All the local hopes are in Filippo Volandri, a player that no one wants to meet on clay. If he had a serve on a par with his other shots, he d be permanently in the Top 20. He reached the quarter-finals in Monte Carlo, so one would be justified in hoping for a miracle at the Foro. An Italian, let s not forget, hasn t reached a final in Rome since And from nearby Campania whole busloads will be arriving to support the kid from Cervinara, Potito Starace. People are keen to see if he can build on his exploits last year; if he rises to the occasion, he could cause a big upset. Attention will also be on Past winners Here are all the winners in the Open Era John Newcombe (Aus) 1970 Ilie Nastase (Rom) 1971 Rod Laver (Aus) 1972 Manuel Orantes (Esp) 1973 Ilie Nastase (Rom) 1974 Bjorn Borg (Swe) 1975 Raul Ramirez (Mex) 1976 Adriano Panatta (Ita) 1977 Vitas Gerulaitis (USA) 1978 Bjorn Borg (Swe) 1979 Vitas Gerulaitis (USA) 1980 Guillermo Vilas (Arg) 1981 José Luis Clerc (Arg) 1982 Andres Gomez (Ecu) 1983 Jimmy Arias (USA) 1984 Andres Gomez (Ecu) 1985 Yannick Noah (Fra) 1986 Ivan Lendl (Cze) 1987 Mats Wilander (Swe) 1988 Ivan Lendl (Cze) 1989 Alberto Mancini (Arg) 1990 Thomas Muster (Aut) 1991 Emilio Sanchez (Esp) 1992 Jim Courier (USA) 1993 Jim Courier (USA) 1994 Pete Sampras (USA) 1995 Thomas Muster (Aut) 1996 Thomas Muster (Aut) 1997 Alex Corretja (Esp) 1998 Marcelo Rios (Chi) 1999 Gustavo Kuerten (Bra) 2000 Magnus Norman (Swe) 2001 Juan Carlos Ferrero (Esp) 2002 Andre Agassi (USA) 2003 Felix Mantilla (Esp) 2004 Carlos Moya (Esp) the young promises, from Andreas Seppi to Fabio Fognini, a 17 year old who would be well worth the effort of going to see in the qualifying rounds (30 th April 1 st May). For the rest, the Foro Italico is the perfect venue for a day of splendid tennis. Not to mention the evening, when the village will host famous names from show business and the court will see champions that have written the history of our sport. As a parallel event, in fact, there will be a leg of the Senior Tour, featuring John McEnroe and Mats Wilander, Henri Leconte and Guy Forget, Jim Courier and Thomas Muster, and the Italians Paolo Canè and Renzo Furlan. Post scriptum Each of the last 9 years has seen a different winner; the last player to win twice in a row was Thomas Muster in 1995 and 1996 Andre Agassi is the player who s won the most Masters Series: 17. Followed by Pete Sampras with 11 and Thomas Muster with 8 10

11 Historic moments The Foro Italico has always been a stage for epic contests, extraordinary exploits and curious spectacles. Here s our Top Ten. Koeverman s roll It could only happen in Rome! The match seemed over: Alberto Mancini on the verge of defeat at the hands of Mark Koevermans, who plays a killer shot as a spectator throws a roll on court. The ref orders a replay. Mancini takes courage, beats the Dutchman and gets through to the final. In Muster s plaster A drunk in Miami breaks his leg for him, in He resumes training in a chair specially made for him and swears he ll be back stronger than ever. Like Rambo in tennis shorts. But he came back to Rome the year after, and won. Lendl s whistles Lendl in a ferocious five-set final against Guillermo Perez Roldan, whom the Roman public had adopted as underdog. The good-looking Argentinian fought like a tiger but lost in the end. Lendl was whistled during the trophy ceremony and swore he d never come back to Rome. Local hero 1976 was the golden year of Italian tennis, with Adriano Panatta winning in Rome and Paris and spurring on the Italian team to win the Davis Cup. In Rome he won after breaking 11 match points in the first round. Thomas Muster Ivan Lendl Pistol Pete Pete Sampras never liked clay, and of his 14 Slam wins, in fact, there s not a single Roland Garros. But in 1994, in Rome, he played pure attacking, textbook tennis on clay as well. Hats off. What a court! Some say it s the finest court in the world, the Pallacorda in the Foro Italico, surrounded by magnificent statues. And when Italians are playing, there s an atmosphere of gladiatorial contests in the Coliseum. Higueras s coins José Higueras, one of the most consistent (and boring) players on the circuit, was showered with coins in his match with Adriano Panatta in the 1978 semifinals and decided to abandon the court. Adriano Panatta Vanity Fair Rome was famous for years not only for its tennis tournament but also for the parties that enlivened the evenings in what became known as the most beautiful and desirable village in the world of tennis. Mantilla is Felix If you d bet even a few euro on Mantilla winning in 2003, you d have won a nice little pile. In the final he beat the player who was to become the current phenomenon: Roger Federer. Mantilla was the first non-seeded winner since the time of Martin Mulligan (1963). Josè Higueras Felix Mantilla The fi rst time The first International Championship to be played in Italy took place in Milan in1930. It was won by a tennis legend, the American Big Bill Tilden, who strolled through the final against the Italian Uberto De Morpurgo (6-1, 6-1, 6-2). The tournament was moved to Rome in Roger Federer seems stuck on 8 and has won 4 (out of a possible 9) different ATP Masters Series. The record is 7, held by Agassi Useful tip: don t miss the matches on the secondary courts, especially if Italians are playing. The atmosphere is magic. One thing to remember, get there well before the match starts or you may not find a seat The youngest Rome Tournament champion was Bjorn Borg, winner in 1974 at 17 years, 11 months and 28 days 11

12 ROME SPECIAL Head hunting for the Top 10 Italy isn t going through a very happy stage at present, given it only has one player in the top 30 in the INDESIT ATP 2005 Rankings. There are 16 other nations, in fact, that have at least one player ranking higher than the Italian Filippo Volandri (no. 29). However, there are some new faces warming up for the big tournaments, such as Potito Starace and Andreas Seppi. The special ranking table below is to show Italy s position with respect to the Top 10 nations. Italy s best chance of entering this grouping is in this season, since her best players prefer clay. To attain 10 th place Italy needs to gain 40 places on Belgium. Anyway, Italy has three players in the Top 100, as well as Seppi, who promises to join the ranking soon, given his good start to the clay season. This puts Italy in an honourable 10 th place in terms of players in the Top 100. Ranking by nation Nation Top 3 Top 100 Nation Top 100 players Potito Starace Future stars Argentina 26 Spain 31 USA 40 Russia 46 Sweden 69 Czech Rep. 87 Croatia 97 Germany 100 France 127 Belgium 135 Italy 174 Spain 16 Argentina 11 France 8 USA 7 Czech Rep. 7 Germany 6 Russia 4 Italy 4 Sweden 3 Croatia 3 Italy has been waiting for a Top 10 player since the times of Adriano Panatta and Corrado Barazzutti. Hopes for the future are pinned on the most promising of young Italian talents, 18 year old Fabio Fognini, a junior who s already performing well in his first professional games. Particularly good on clay, he has a sound baseline game and sufficient personality to make the top levels. Expectations are also focussing on another 18 year old, Gianluca Naso, as well as on the 14 year old phenomenon Adelchi Virgili, though we ll have to wait a few seasons to see if his talent will really come through. Post scriptum Fabio Fognini The oldest winner in Rome was Rod Laver: 1971 at 32 years, 9 months and 1 day The centre court at Foro Italico holds 9,485 spectators The tournament s of ficial site: w w w.telecomitaliamasters.it For further information, please contact Chiara Pascarella (Indesit Company, chiara.pascarella@indesitcompany.com, tel. +39 (0) ) or Valentina Broglia (Indesit Company, valentina.broglia@indesitcompany.com, tel. +39 (0) ) 12