Astar is born. That is how I feelAstar is born. That is how I feelabout the sudden, amazingrise of Bianca Andreescu. Itis not often that a teenagercomes from nowhere in ourgame and seems immediatelyto have the stamp of achampion. I’m excited afterwatching her win at IndianWells last week, and anyonewho has not yet seen her has a treat tocome.I remember Boris Becker winningWimbledon unseeded at the age of 17 andSerena Williams winning at Indian Wellsas a 17-year-old phenomenon. Then therewas the time, 2005 I believe, when Iplayed a pre-Wimbledon exhibition inLiverpool and had a mixed-doubles partnerI had never heard of but who I realisedstraight away was special. His namewas Novak Djokovic. Champions likethose somehow have a presence. It’s theway they walk, talk, think, carry themselves.Andreescu has that.She says all the right things media-wiseand she can also handle the big stage andthrive on it. You see plenty of fine playerswho tend to choke when the pressure ison or are intimidated by a stadium crowdor the big occasion. Those players usuallyplay their best tennis in practice. Thechampions welcome the eyes of theworld, embrace the momentous occasionsand bring out their best when itreally matters. That’s why we love thetrue champions.Andreescu took some notable scalpsand reached the final as a qualifier atAuckland in early January but her trueemergence from the chrysalis came lastweek at the BNP Paribas Open in IndianWells, one of the biggest tournaments MaroutsideMaroutsidethe Grand Slam championships.With a mixed background from Canada,the country she represents, and Romania,Andreescu was a wild-card entry,aged 18. She thrashed Garbine Muguruza,the 2017 Wimbledon champion, and battledto overcome Elina Svitolina, theworld No 5, in the semi-finals before beatingAngelique Kerber, the reigning Wimbledonchampion, in the final.Mind you, it was not those shockresults that most impressed me. It wasthe combination of her poise as a performerand the creative nature of hergame. She is solid in all respects, secureon both wings with a powerful first serviceand a better second service thanmost on the women’s tour. It is the varietyof her game, though, that marks outAndreescu and is so refreshing. Paradoxically,it’s also rather old-fashioned.In the modern game, the majoritysprint along the baseline and slug it out with groundstrokes until one of themwith groundstrokes until one of themmisses or hits a winner. These players justplay their own game and hope it outmatchesthe opponent’s game. Theydon’t stop to analyse the opponent, towork out what the opponent doesn’twant and cannot handle.Andreescu has the weight of shot andconsistency to join in with the baselinersbut she also has the high tennis IQ to varythe exchanges. She likes to break up therallies by introducing a change of pace,coming into the net, using some trickyspins and angles. It brings in strategy, theelement of surprise, and it’s a breath offresh air. It is not easy because even witha wide selection of weapons, you have tochoose how and when to best employthem. It’s called shot selection andAndreescu has the goods. It may beinstinct, or intelligence, but she has anuncanny ability to get it right.In this respect, she reminds me of Martina Hingis , the world’s best in the late1990s. Sometimes Hingis would come upwith a shot that appeared an odd choice,a slow, sliced shot angled in the forecourt,for example. And almost invariablyit turned out to be just the shot toflummox her opponent and win thepoint. Andreescu does not yet haveHingis’s soft hands or capability at thenet, but she knows when to throw in adrop-shot or a slow, looping moonball tothe back of the court.Marvellous as she already is, there isroom for improvement. Against Kerber,Andreescu wanted to come forward tothe net in the final set but was just tootired. The fitness to play these difficultback-to-back matches is not there yet, butthat part is fairly easy to fix.On grass, she will find that her varietyis a great asset, but she will need toshorten her swing on the forehand a littlebit and also improve her slice. These  adjustments are all doable and her coach,adjustments are all doable and her coach,Sylvain Bruneau, clearly knows his stuff. Icannot hide my enthusiasm forAndreescu but I’m well aware that I maybe adding to the weight of expectation.So far, she appears to be able to handle allthe attention.As she recently said, “I try not to haveexpectations because expectations ruin alot of things.” That is a great attitude andshows her maturity.Andreescu is not the only bright newstar to have come shining into thewomen’s game. Two years ago, it was JelenaOstapenko, who crashed the sceneby winning the French Open, but she hasstruggled pretty much since. Last yearNaomi Osaka won at Indian Wells and shehas gone on to win the US Open and theAustralian Open. She is the current worldNo 1, but she may soon find Andreescu onher tail. Every time Andreescu plays a topplayer, we look up the records and see itwill be their “first meeting”. It will be“first meeting” when she plays SerenaWilliams, 19 years her senior, and “firstmeeting” when she plays Osaka.I can’t wait to see Andreescu versusWilliams. But I am even more excitedabout Andreescu versus Osaka: thatcould be the first instalment of one of oursport’s great rivalries.

  Sometimes Hingis would come upwith a shot that appeared an odd choice,a slow, sliced shot angled in the forecourt,for example. And almost invariablyit turned out to be just the shot toflummox her opponent and win thepoint. Andreescu does not yet haveHingis’s soft hands or capability at thenet, but she knows when to throw in adrop-shot or a slow, looping moonball tothe back of the court.Marvellous as she already is, there isroom for improvement. Against Kerber,Andreescu wanted to come forward tothe net in the final set but was just tootired. The fitness to play these difficultback-to-back matches is not there yet, butthat part is fairly easy to fix.On grass, she will find that her varietyis a great asset, but she will need toshorten her swing on the forehand a littlebit and also improve her slice. Theseadjustments are all doable and her coach,Sylvain Bruneau, clearly knows his stuff. Icannot hide my enthusiasm forAndreescu but I’m well aware that I maybe adding to the weight of expectation.So far, she appears to be able to handle allthe attention.As she recently said, “I try not to haveexpectations because expectations ruin alot of things.” That is a great attitude andshows her maturity.Andreescu is not the only bright newstar to have come shining into thewomen’s game. Two years ago, it was JelenaOstapenko, who crashed the sceneby winning the French Open, but she hasstruggled pretty much since. Last yearNaomi Osaka won at Indian Wells and shehas gone on to win the US Open and theAustralian Open. She is the current worldNo 1, but she may soon find Andreescu onher tail. Every time Andreescu plays a topplayer, we look up the records and see itwill be their “first meeting”. It will be“first meeting” when she plays SerenaWilliams, 19 years her senior, and “firstmeeting” when she plays Osaka.I can’t wait to see Andreescu versusWilliams. But I am even more excitedabout Andreescu versus Osaka: thatcould be the first instalment of one of oursport’s great rivalries.with groundstrokes until one of themmisses or hits a winner. These players justplay their own game and hope it outmatchesthe opponent’s game. Theydon’t stop to analyse the opponent, towork out what the opponent doesn’twant and cannot handle.Andreescu has the weight of shot andconsistency to join in with the baselinersbut she also has the high tennis IQ to varythe exchanges. She likes to break up therallies by introducing a change of pace,coming into the net, using some trickyspins and angles. It brings in strategy, theelement of surprise, and it’s a breath offresh air. It is not easy because even witha wide selection of weapons, you have tochoose how and when to best employthem. It’s called shot selection andAndreescu has the goods. It may beinstinct, or intelligence, but she has anuncanny ability to get it right.In this respect, she reminds me of Maroutsidethe Grand Slam championships.With a mixed background from Canada,the country she represents, and Romania,Andreescu was a wild-card entry,aged 18. She thrashed Garbine Muguruza,the 2017 Wimbledon champion, and battledto overcome Elina Svitolina, theworld No 5, in the semi-finals before beatingAngelique Kerber, the reigning Wimbledonchampion, in the final.Mind you, it was not those shockresults that most impressed me. It wasthe combination of her poise as a performerand the creative nature of hergame. She is solid in all respects, secureon both wings with a powerful first serviceand a better second service thanmost on the women’s tour. It is the varietyof her game, though, that marks outAndreescu and is so refreshing. Paradoxically,it’s also rather old-fashioned.In the modern game, the majoritysprint along the baseline and slug it outIt is the variety ofher game thatmarks her out andis so refreshing.Paradoxically, it’salso old-fashionedAstar is born. That is how I feelabout the sudden, amazingrise of Bianca Andreescu. Itis not often that a teenagercomes from nowhere in ourgame and seems immediatelyto have the stamp of achampion. I’m excited afterwatching her win at IndianWells last week, and anyonewho has not yet seen her has a treat tocome.I remember Boris Becker winningWimbledon unseeded at the age of 17 andSerena Williams winning at Indian Wellsas a 17-year-old phenomenon. Then therewas the time, 2005 I believe, when Iplayed a pre-Wimbledon exhibition inLiverpool and had a mixed-doubles partnerI had never heard of but who I realisedstraight away was special. His namewas Novak Djokovic. Champions likethose somehow have a presence. It’s theway they walk, talk, think, carry themselves.Andreescu has that.She says all the right things media-wiseand she can also handle the big stage andthrive on it. You see plenty of fine playerswho tend to choke when the pressure ison or are intimidated by a stadium crowdor the big occasion. Those players usuallyplay their best tennis in practice. Thechampions welcome the eyes of theworld, embrace the momentous occasionsand bring out their best when itreally matters. That’s why we love thetrue champions.Andreescu took some notable scalpsand reached the final as a qualifier atAuckland in early January but her trueemergence from the chrysalis came lastweek at the BNP Paribas Open in IndianWells, one of the biggest tournamentsThe latest sensation in women’s gameshowed at Indian Wells that she has awinning blend of poise and creativityHeading for thetop: BiancaAndreescucelebrates acareer-highvictory in theBNP ParibasOpen finalJOHN G MABANGLO MOVE OVER, SERENA...HERE COMES BIANCA

Arriving at the AustralianArriving at the AustralianOpen each year is a bit likethe first day of term atschool. It’s a time forgreeting friends after a longbreak, and for the playersit’s a time of hope andrenewal, or maybe a chanceof redemption. So it wasshocking and sad to arrive inMelbourne to the news that AndyMurray’s brave and often triumphantcareer is almost at its end. It has been areal downer. But not a surprise.I thought a year ago that Andy did notlook right, and each time he tried tocome back I wasn’t convinced. I couldsee him favouring his left side even whenhe was just standing still. Unfortunately,I was right and Andy has beendesperately unfortunate.Most injuries can be repaired. I hadtwo knee operations during myplaying days and I was back oncourt within a month each time.But Andy has been sufferingfrom a chronic condition; a vitalpart of his body has simply wornout.You could love Andy or notlove him. I always loved him, as aplayer and a person. In the earlydays, when he was surly, I defendedhim. I admired him as a fighter,the ultimate professional. Hewas always fair and he alwaysgave 100%. His movement fora tall man was cat-like. I sawhim as a big male leopardgoing in for the kill.He had grace, too. It ishard to overestimate thepressure he was under asa British player expectedto win Wimbledon.When he did just thatin 2013, I waswatching it with mywife Julia from theseats you get as amember whenyou win thetournament. Itwas actuallythe very firsttime I hadsat theresince gettingthose seats in1978. I was so nervous for him. I thoughtthat he was going to pass out in that lastgame against Novak Djokovic when hewas trying to serve out for the match.When he went up to his box and washugging his team, I wanted to yell: “Goto Judy, go to your mother!” and whenhe at last embraced her I cried like ababy. I’m tearful now just thinking aboutit.Judy Murray deserves all the credit inthe world. She has raised two sons whobecame world champions. They areboth fine people. Andy has been achampion of equal rights, an animallover. He is self-deprecating and he hashad to overcome shyness.As a clever, resourceful guy, Andy willhave any number of ideas and offers topursue. I just hope he doesn’t make themistakes that I made when I retired. Thefirst year, I said yes to everything. It wastoo much. The second year, I said no toeverything. It took me at leasttwo years to get the balanceright.He will have manychallenges ahead, but for themoment it will be difficult everytime he steps on to court. Myheart goes out to him. He hasthe pain of his hip to worryabout and all the emotionsinvolved in knowing thathe has to give up doingwhat he so desperatelywants to do, what heenjoys and what hasdefined him.Opponents, of course,will show no mercy.AS THE first Grand Slam ofthe year, the AustralianOpen is alwaysunpredictable, the mostlikely major to throw upunlikely winners. This year, itis even more unpredictablethan usual. Will Rafa Nadal’sbody hold up? How willSerena Williams fare, havinghardly played anycompetitive tennis since theUS Open? They could beknocked out early or theycould win the whole thing.There is a burst of youngtalent coming through as well, and it may be that the changing of theand it may be that the changing of theguard, which has been predicted yearafter year, will at last take place. Though,as fast as the courts are, Roger Federerjust might make it three in a row . . .Watch out for Aryna Sabalenka, fromBelarus, who improved so much in 2018,her first full year on the WTA Tour. She isonly 20, makes a habit of defeating top-10 ranked players and is learning tocontrol her temper. It will also beinteresting to see how Naomi Osakaresponds after winning her first GrandSlam in New York. She’s unassuming andfun to watch, but there’s fire in her belly.Sabalenka is seeded 11, Osaka four.There have been some complaintsfrom the men about the Dunlop ballsthat are being used in Australia for thefirst time this year. I haven’t hit withthem yet, but some say that they feel abit dead and that it’s difficult to generatepace with them. That could extendrallies and if it is as hot as it was last yearthe physical demands on the players willbe greater than ever.At least we will not have any more ofthose interminable matches, whichmade for some not-great-to-watch tennisin those long final sets. For the first time,the Australian Open will have a final-settiebreak. It will be a match tie-break, thefirst player to win 10 points (by two) atsix games all. Unfortunately, each of thefour Grand Slam championships nowhas a different format for concludingmatches. Wimbledon will have atiebreak at 12 games all, the French stillgoes all the way in the fifth set while theUS Open has a normal tiebreak at six all.We need a standard rule.I think the final set tiebreak rule willmake this Aussie Open a bettertournament and perhaps make it evenmore unpredictable. Let’s play!

Serena Williams has part of it right. There is a huge double standard for women when it comes to how bad behavior is punished — and not just in tennis.

Read the full article in the NY Times.

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Rolling back the years...

This Ladies' Invitation Doubles point has to be seen to be believed 😮 👏#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/1sJxbHPnXd

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 15, 2018

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