Wednesday, August 12, 1998
BY DAVE SCHUTTE, MICHAEL PERRY, NEIL SCHMIDT
The Cinicnnati Enquirer
MASON -- It has been a difficult time for Petr Korda to focus on tennis. His second daughter, Nelly, was born two weeks ago Tuesday, but Korda has been on the road most of that time.
The family, including wife Regina and 5 1/2-year-old daughter Jessica, is in Bradenton, Fla., and Korda doesn't know if he'll get home before the U.S. Open, which begins Aug. 31. By that time, Nelly will be over a month old.
"It's hard to concentrate in the moment for me," said Korda, the No. 3 seed at the Great American Insurance ATP Championship who plays today in the second round against qualifier Marcos Ondruska. "I'm used to having the family around. I really rely on the family a lot."
Korda, 30, is having the most eventful year of his career. In January, he won his first Grand Slam title, the Australian Open. He has been ranked in the top four almost all year, including a career-high No. 2.
This from a man who finished 1995 ranked No. 41 and whose career had been all but written off.
"Nobody would put a penny two, three years ago on me," Korda said.
Korda had groin surgery in 1995 and again in 1996. Last year, after defeating Pete Sampras in the U.S. Open, he had to default in the quarterfinals after suffering inflammation in his nose, on which he had surgery in November.
His goal had been to return to the top 10 for one day. He was No. 13 after last season and was named comeback player of the year by Tennis magazine.
"It was a great achievement for me," Korda said.
Camera shy
ESPN is testing several new camera angles at this tournament, the most notable of which is one which moves horizontally along the baseline during each point. The idea is to give viewers a ground-level view of the speed of the sport, but some players have complained about having it in their peripheral vision.
"It drives me nuts," Andre Agassi said. "It just bothers me that it's moving . . . When the ball is moving and something else is moving, it's a bit more distracting. It's literally a more difficult thing to do."
ESPN analyst Cliff Drysdale admitted watching that angle took some getting used to. "I've been looking at it a half-hour, and I'm getting a bit seasick," he said.
Another camera that was hung about 55 feet above the net on Center Court has been removed.
"It wasn't high enough and didn't cover the entire court," said J. Wayne Richmond, ATP Tour Executive Vice President. "They may bring in a cherry picker and attempt to hang it from the light poles."
An overhead camera has been used for indoor matches but never in an outdoor facility.
They're qualified
Three of the seven players who earned berths in the main draw by winning the qualifier last weekend advanced to the second round with victories on Tuesday.
Leading the way was Andrei Medvedev, a 6-4, 6-4 victor over another qualifier, Arnaud Clement, while Marcos Ondruska and Jerome Golmard also advanced.
Apparently the day off proved important. The other three qualifiers (Olivier Delaitre, Sebastien Grosjean and Wolfgang Schranz) were eliminated Monday.
The two at-large entries, Alex O'Brien and Steve Campbell from the United States, both lost first round matches.
While Medvedev, the 75th ranked player in the world, has been overpowering, Ondruska, a resident of Cape Town, South Africa, has also been sharp.
"I started the year playing poorly," Ondruska said following a 5-7, 6-2, 6-3, over Campbell. "About two months ago, it started coming together and I'm now playing with a lot of confidence."
The 25-year-old Ondruska turned professional in 1989 and achieved a ranking of 27th in the world in 1993. He is currently 108.
"The points I'll earn here should put me back in the top 100," Ondruska said.
For the kids
As in past years, players from the Great American Insurance ATP Tennis Championship will visit patients today at Children's Hospital Medical Center.
More than $3.5 million has been donated to Children's Hospital during the past 24 years.
Wolf steps in
Five-time Cincinnati Metropolitan Tennis champion Marty Wolf has replaced former Xavier University athletic director Jeff Fogelson on WLW-AM (700) for hourly updates from the ATP Tennis Center.
"Bill Cunningham (WLW program director) and I talked about it several weeks ago," Wolf said. "Many years ago, I did this tournament for Channel 12 (WKRC-TV)."
Besides providing the scores, Wolf also gives ticket information, weather conditions, upsets and highlights from matches involving the best players.
Saying thanks
Pins commemorating 20 consecutive years of service were awarded to 16 volunteers prior to the start of the Greater American Insurance Tennis Championship.
Two of the recipients -- Nancy Smetts (New Smyrna Beech, Fla.) and Sue Mangold (Atlanta, Ga.) -- are former residents of Cincinnati who return every year to work the tournament.
The others are Robert Stewart, Ken Berry, Mary Gaddis, Fred Lang, Phil Hinkle, Ollie Rawlings, Thomas Fey, Bob Weigl, Lynn Adams, Dr. Edmund Jones, Dottie Lang, Mary Anne Asbury, Bumpy Frazier and Jim Brockhoff.
Sign please
The jumbo Penn tennis balls used by younger fans for player autographs cost $26.50 at the ATP Center. More than 125 had been sold through Tuesday.
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