Lions lay in wait looming like feline ball collectors prepared to pounce on a stray shot while a short lob away Jim Courier and Monica Seles traded shots restoring the roar for tennis from a midtown Manhattan crowd more than eight weeks before the city that never sleeps hosts its major tennis telethon that is the U.S. Open. (more…)

Elevation is in the air as upward mobility takes center stage on centre court at Wimbledon this month.

The roof will be back above tennis’ most prestigious patch of turf as Rafael Nadal tries to shatter the symbolic glass ceiling in dethroning defending champion Roger Federer at the grass-court Grand Slam.

A year ago, the roof above Wimbledon was removed creating a more wide-open atmosphere among the coziest centre court in Grand Slam tennis.

Last year’s one-year phenomenon of a windy centre court at Wimbledon — the result of the removal of the overhang, the first step towards a retractable roof to be ready for 2009 — may be gone, with the support structure now in place to block the gusty breezes of Southwest London — but both ESPN lead analyst Patrick McEnroe and ESPN armchair analyst Dave Nagle, believe at this year’s fortnight the winds of change may present, with Rafael Nadal closer than ever to dethroning five-time champ Roger Federer.

McEnroe doesn’t need to scan the sky to see the shifting horizon among the world’s top three players.

“I think Federer is the favorite, but I certainly wouldn’t say he’s the overwhelming favorite,” McEnroe said today in a conference call with the media to promote ESPN’s coverage of The Championships. “I said it when we left the Australian Open: for the first time when we got on the plane leaving Australia I had some real doubt whether Federer would end the year No. 1 in the world and I think those doubts have been confirmed. The reality is Roger has been the third best player in the world this year and the points and the tournament results both back that up. Nadal and Djokovic have both won a major and both won significant. Roger has won two relatively small titles. I certainly think the gap has closed significantly. You still have to say Roger is the favorite — he’s maybe the best grass-court player ever along with Sampras — but I don’t think he’s the clear cut favorite he’s been in the past.”

Count Queen’s Club runner-up Novak Djokovic concurs. The reigning Australian Open champ, who handed Federer, weakened by mono, his first straight-sets loss in a major since the 2004 French Open en route to winning his first career Grand Slam at the Melbourne major, sees cracks in Federer’s competitive psyche.

“Some things are changing. I think he’s a little bit shaken with that loss and mentally he has been struggling in the last couple of months,” Djokovic said today. “It’s normal to have ups and downs after four years of absolute dominance on the men’s tour. New names are coming, fresh talented players who believe more they can win against him and I am one of them. Suddenly he is worried a little bit.”

There is cause for concern for Federer.

Nadal has four factors working in his favor as he aims to break through and win his first major outside of Paris:

1. Head-to-head record — Though he’s 0-2 lifetime vs. Federer on grass, losing the last two Wimbledon finals, he has won 11 of their 17 meetings and pushed Federer to the five-set limit for just the fourth time at The Championships before bowing 7-6(7), 4-6, 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-2 in the 2007 final. The 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 thrashing he administered to the World No. 1 in the French Open final marked the first time Federer lost a set at love since Byron Black beat him, 6-3, 6-0, in the 1999 Queen’s Club. Nadal also owns a far superior five-set record though that stat is deceiving since Federer has been so dominant in recent years he’s rarely been pushed to the limit in Grand Slam play.
2. Quality of play — Nadal has been the best player in the sport this season posting a 49-7 record with five titles to his credit. He enters Wimbledon carrying a 17-match winning streak.
3. Adapting to the surface — Nadal’s backhand, particularly his slice backhand, are both improved shots, his serve is even more effective and troublesome on grass than it is on hard courts, he has showcased an improved volley and in fact attacked net more than Federer in the ‘07 final and grass tends to rewards athleticism and both Nadal and Federer remain the top two movers in the game.
4. Tenacity — Nadal has invested the time in effort into learning to adapt his game to grass and while he is typically deferential in discussing his shot at winning Wimbledon he’s said from his very first appearance winning the championship is a goal.

McEnroe, who returns to Wimbledon as an analyst for ESPN’s coverage of The Championships, believes should the world’s top two meet for the third straight year in the final Federer will be forced to confront the residual effect of the thorough thrashing he took in the Roland Garros final.

“I think the fact that Nadal just won Queen’s Club, which is a better field than the Halle title Federer won, and Nadal beat both Roddick and Djokovic to win there gives him a tremendous amount of confidence for his grass-court game,” McEnroe told Tennis Week today. “The other thing is just how close he came to beating Federer in the final last year. To me, the biggest x-factor is the absolute beat-down he gave Federer at the French Open. To lose just four games in the French Open final to the World No. 1 — to me if they play against each other in the final that’s gotta be significant.”

Grinding out a win over Nadal in Paris, where he owns a 28-0 record, sometimes seems a task as immense as constructing a replica of the Eiffel Tower out of Popsicle sticks. Federer has been even more dominant at Wimbledon over the past five years, but the difference is at Wimbledon the margins of victory can be much smaller and that’s where Federer has been at his best.

The Swiss stylist has been remarkably commanding on the pressure points at Wimbledon.

He has won 20 of 23 tie breakers at his favorite major, including an impressive 8-1 record in tie breakers played in the Wimbledon final. Federer, who will step on centre court at precisely 2 p.m. on Monday armed with five consecutive Wimbledon titles and a 59-match grass-court winning streak that stretches back to 2002, has used bounced back from trying French Open losses by reigning at Wimbledon.

Will a return to the centre court lawn infuse Federer with the confidence that has waned at times this season or will the reality that Nadal will always represent a problematic match-up and the residue of that Roland Garros annihilation finally catch up with Federer? McEnroe believes both forces will be at work should they square off for the third straight year in the final.

“To be honest it’s a little bit of both,” McEnroe said. “I can’t image if he steps out on the court to play Nadal he’s not going to be thinking of that French Open beat down that he took. And yes I think (going back to grass) gives him confidence and winning Halle without dropping serve does as well. But overall his confidence cannot be has high as it was.”

Still, in purely technical terms, Federer’s game is better suited for grass: he serves bigger than Nadal, prefers the low ball that he will see on grass, he plays closer to the baseline and takes the ball earlier than Nadal and has both the slice backhand and volley necessary to thrive at net when he chooses. The question is can Federer put the pieces together against an opponent who has consistently confounded him on other surfaces?

The Nike sweeping swoosh on her shirt isn’t concealing a red “S” on her chest, but it sometimes seems that way to Lindsay Davenport’s friends who have taken to tagging tennis’ top working mom with a new nickname — “Super Mom” — as she’s crafted a career rebirth that might make even kryptonite cringe at her powers of perseverance.

When the 31-year-old Davenport returns to Wimbledon for the first time in three years this month she’ll be carrying both 1-year-old son Jagger (and his diaper bag) and career full of impressive grass-court credentials: she has reached at least the semifinals in five of her last six Wimbledon appearances.

“It’s so exciting for me to play Wimbledon again and I’m really looking forward to getting back there and playing on grass,” Davenport told Tennis Week yesterday hours before boarding a plane bound for London. “Grass has always been a good surface for me, I really enjoy playing on grass and I’m kind of amazed when I think about the whole summer of opportunities I have in front of me in playing Wimbledon, the Olympics in Beijing and of course the U.S. Open. I really have a lot to look forward to.”

The three-time Grand Slam champion can look back on one of the most memorable Grand Slam finals in Open Era history in her last Wimbledon appearance. Facing long-time rival Venus Williams, Davenport held championship point in the 2005 Wimbledon final before the 14th-seeded American fought back to seize the Rosewater Dish with a thrilling 4-6, 7-6(4), 9-7 victory over Davenport in a magnificent match that spanned a record-setting two hours, 45 minutes and will be remembered as one of the most riveting women’s finals in history.

Since Davenport upset Steffi Graf, 6-4, 7-5, to win the 1999 Wimbledon title a trio of Americans — Venus Williams, Serena Williams and Davenport — have combined to claim seven of the last nine Wimbledon titles with only Maria Sharapova (2004) and Amelie Mauresmo (2006) breaking the American stronghold on the championship.

British bookmaker Ladbrokes has set Sharapova as the favorite to win Wimbledon (2/1) followed by Serena Williams (3/1), Ivanovic (4/1), Venus Williams (5/1) and Jelena Jankovic (14/1) with Davenport a 33/1 shot to reclaim the Rosewater Dish.

“I think when you ask about Wimbledon favorites it’s the same ones you always read about: Maria, Venus and Serena and now Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic,” said Davenport, who enters Wimbledon having won two of the six tournaments – Auckland and Memphis – she’s contested this season. “Obviously, the big servers are going to have an edge on grass.”

Less than three months before Ivanovic defeated Dinara Safina in the French Open final, Davenport dispatched Ivanovic, 6-4, 6-2, in Miami before bowing to Safina in the next round. Ivanovic’s power-based baseline style has evoked comparisons to Davenport’s game, but the former No. 1 says the new top-ranked player has her own style.

“I think she has a much better forehand than I had at her age and she moves a little bit better,” Davenport said. “She was just coming off winning Indian Wells when I beat her so it’s tough to make that transition, but I felt like I had the big game to beat her and you need to have a big game to beat her.”

Davenport and follow U.S. Open champion Tracy Austin were in New York City on Thursday to promote Decades of Smooth — a skin health awareness campaign aimed to help women and men make informed skin care choices. A cornerstone of the campaign is the Juvederm sponsorship of the U.S. Open, the first medical aesthetic brand to sponsor the tournament. Visit the Juvederm booth at the Open for a free facial analysis and the chance for a free treatment worth $600. Davenport spent some time hitting with members of the media and then enjoyed a surprise belated birthday cake (she celebrated her 32nd birthday on June 8th).

Prevailing over prohibition is a family tradition for Ken Solomon.

The Tennis Channel CEO is the grandson of Charlie Berns, famed founder of New York City’s legendary 21 Club, which boasts a countless collection of toys and sports memorabilia in its dining room from donors ranging from John F. Kennedy to John McEnroe to Willie Mays to Chris Evert.

Legend has it that “Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Becall got engaged at table 30″, that former patron Ernest Hemingway had a romantic rendezvous with Legs Diamond’s girlfriend in the kitchen and that director Alfred Hitchcock and surrealist Salvadore Dali dined together there.

During prohibition, 21’s owners created a reversible bar and secret wine cellar to hide booze during periodic raids from federal agents.

So it was fitting recently that 21 hosted the formal press conference to announce Tennis Channel, ESPN and USTA had agreed to a six-year pact starting in 2009 that will see TC and ESPN share U.S. Open cable rights. The pact will provide more than 150 hours of annual Open coverage with TC carrying more than 60 hours of live U.S. Open coverage starting in 2009.

For Solomon, cracking what he views as a prohibition on tennis television coverage, continues the family tradition.

Tennis Week caught up with Tennis Channel’s CEO and Chairman (pictured in photo at left with USTA CEO Pro tennis Arlen Kantarian in middle and ESPN’s John Skipper at right) before he boarded a plane for Paris for this interview.

Tennis Week: How did you raise the money for to acquire U.S. Open cable rights and did the deal involve the USTA gaining greater shares in Tennis Channel?

Ken Solomon: This deal in many ways has been several years in the making — not in the actual negotiations — but in terms of Tennis Channel first getting certain elements in place that would allow this deal to take place. First and foremost expanding that relationship with ESPN was important, but really it goes back in many ways to — and prior to — us acquiring Roland Garros rights. Because I’m not sure all of this could have happened without that happening first. I’m not saying it is a linear quid pro quo, but we had to prove we were a media platform and media brand that could deliver what needed to be delivered for a Grand Slam tournament if we were going to step into this arena. And I think not only the acquisition of other rights but also in the way that we were able to construct those partnerships which aided us in the ability to gain meaningful distribution, which wasn’t always a given. Three years ago we were in the low single digits in terms of number of millions of subscribers. For Roland Garros we will be in over 55 million homes, which is a significant jump. And part of that jump includes not just being there, but doing it well and our goal is to do it even better. So we made the decision to launch in 24/7 High Definition, which Roland Garros will be broadcast in completely and that’s a major step forward for us and the sport.

Tennis Week: The U.S. Open is one of the most valuable properties in tennis so how were you able to raise the money for rights?

Ken Solomon: We had a bake sale and then we took people down to the wine cellar (laughs)…. We’re a privately held company so it isn’t appropriate for me to discuss the finances. What you can take away from it is we have always firmly believed if we create the right platform then the opportunity to expand the pie and take on major programming assets exists. And now we have the opportunity to broadcast one of the greatest spectacles in sports and we’re very excited about that.

Tennis Week: What innovations or changes do you have in mind for your French Open coverage?

Ken Solomon: Everything you saw last year is going to be multiplied several fold. We are going to continue with the live coverage where both we and ESPN cross-promote each other so fans always know what is coming up on both networks and we are going to continue interactive applications with various distributors. We’re probably most excited about the addition of HD from tip to tip. As you know, tennis produced in high definition is an entirely different experience for viewers. We’ve got the Rene Lacoste special, a piece on the 25th anniversary of Yannick Noah’s great victory at the French Open. We have a lot of surprises and a lot of new innovations, but I think what you are going to see is a continuing evolution in the way we cover the spectacle. We couldn’t be more excited about the coming days and now we have an even broader reach with more hours of coverage and then the ability to promote our prime time coverage of Wimbledon, which will then lead into our coverage of the U.S. Open Series — all three of which will be in high definition — and that’s all going to come together for what we truly believe will be a phenomenal summer of tennis on Tennis Channel as well as online through our web site.

Tennis Week: Since you joined Tennis Channel you’ve spoken about the importance of Hi Def and I agree with you: it is a much more appealing experience seeing the sport in Hi Def. In terms of technology, of the way the game is shot, produced and presented both on TV and via web streaming, what innovations or enhancements do you believe would really help grow the audience for the game or does it ultimately come down to the match on the court, the player personalities and rivalries?

Ken Solomon: Everything. We’re hoping to bring everything we can to make it more entertaining and enjoyable for viewers. There are so many technological innovations in the television world — many of which have not migrated previously to the tennis world just because we didn’t have enough coverage. Our goal is to take the best innovations — whether it is super slow motion , whether it is cameras in different positions, layover of multiple shots in one frame, the continuing evolution of Hawk-Eye technology, you name it. The world is our oyster in terms of adding great entertainment value and context and we are hard at work at bringing those innovations to the way the sport is presented on television. We’re finally in a position — with a critical mass of distribution that includes all four Grand Slams — to be able to do that and I believe we are going to move into the golden age of tennis on television.

Tennis Week: When I talk to people in the tennis industry and in television the consensus is that Tennis Channel has never been a more valuable property than it is right now. Given the value of U.S. Open cable rights, given the fact you are now a stakeholder in all four majors, given your complete tournament coverage throughout the years and with all those assets obviously there is speculation this would be the best time to sell the network particularly for those investors who have been in for the long haul. What are the immediate plans for Tennis Channel and would you entertain offers to sell?

Ken Solomon: The immediate future is to continue to build one of the most uniquely valuable properties in the media landscape. Beyond that we have no plans. We have a tremendous amount of ability to grow the sport and grow the value for all the stakeholders in the sport. It has been a very long hard struggle to get to this point — one we have embraced over the last five years now the fun begins. And there’s plenty of hard work to continue to do. We are energized and excited to take the value we have added by virtue of these additional rights we now own and all the other things that have happened and put those together and create something that has never been created before: the first network in history that has the sum and substance of a pro sport on one platform and the lifestyle element of the most highly participatory sports on the planet: three-quarters of our audience plays tennis. When you factor in our broadcasts in high definition, our broadband rights together with what I believe is the greatest collection of on-air talent we have ever assembled for Roland Garros, we believe we’re going into high gear right now.

Tennis Week: A lot has been said about what the U.S. Open pact means for TC, what does it mean for viewers? Is there anything you can add in that regard we did not discuss?

Ken Solomon: I think it is important that people understand the reality of the partnership as it pertains to the U.S. Open. We are a full participatory partner in this next evolution of how the Open will be covered. There are days where we have exclusive prime time rights and there will be simultaneous windows where Tennis Channel and ESPN will be on the air at the same time covering different courts — something that has not been done before. CBS used to do a 15-minute U.S. Open wrap-up show at 11:35 p.m. We’re going to do a four-hour show hosted by a top personality and we are going after the best on-air talent in tennis. We’re going to broadcast what we are calling “The U.S. Open Tonight” a show that will begin at 11 p.m. and run through the night with all kinds of innovative opportunities. We are a major participant in the middle Labor Day weekend, traditionally one of the best times for the Open. We’ve got exclusive prime time rights on the middle Saturday and Sunday nights. These are exclusive, exciting time slots for the U.S. Open and these are big steps we’re taking. We’re improving by leaps and bounds and our commitment to HD is an example of that.

Tennis Week: It was a historic setting for the USTA’s announcement of your U.S. Open coverage at the 21 Club. I’m told your family has a historical connection to 21? And is it true if an American does well in Paris you’re going to host a celebration at 21?

Ken Solomon: (laughs) I like the sound of that. Going back to 21 Club was a wonderful and magical day for us. My grandfather, Charlie Berns, founded 21 as a student fresh out of college just before prohibition. He was an old bootlegger, I suppose you can say, and in some ways we’re continuing that trend in sneaking more tennis into more people’s households. And it was a very sentimental and important moment for me to be standing there with (the USTA’s) Arlen Kantarian and (ESPN’s) John Skipper. Both have been tremendous partners and we couldn’t have asked for a better reception. ESPN deserves a tremendous amount of credit for accepting the vision that even as the dominant network there is a value to creating an integrated distribution chain. Quite honestly, they could have gone about their lives without venturing into this, but ESPN took a very progressive point of view and I believe it will certainly pay off for them and for the U.S. tennis fan, who you and I both know has been the most abused fan in professional sports for years now. The sport and the fans are finally getting what they deserve: first-class combined coverage of the U.S. Open with Tennis Channel and ESPN and of course CBS on network television and I think it will surpass any coverage you have seen of any previous major.

Tennis Week: At the press conference announcing the deal, Arlen Kantarian suggested his next aim is to try to broker or perhaps even participate in a putting together a deal for Indian Wells and Miami television rights. I understand it may be difficult to comment given FSN’s current rights and option to renew, but what are Tennis Channel’s plans regarding Indian Wells and or Miami?

Ken Solomon: We are partnered with the USTA on numerous fronts and we always have an interest in participating in whatever fashion is most appropriate to bring more tennis to more fans more often. Hopefully, from our perspective we can produce telecasts that are editorially unique because our viewers come to us predisposed in knowing and liking the spot as opposed to a general entertainment network where that may or may not be the case. Our viewers come to us with a different point of view: a point of view that is tennis-centric. To a degree that anyone wants to include us further, we have participated in those events before and we participated in Miami, to a degree, this year. And if there is any way for that to happen in the future there would be interest. I think it would be appropriate that we would not be the driver in that process.

Tennis Week: I was on a conference call with an ESPN exec recently and he was basically saying — and I don’t want to misquote him so I will paraphrase him — that when you see player withdrawals and players not showing up for Masters Series and Tier I events it reinforces the fact that the majors are the real value for television. He was saying that since the majors are when all the players, the advertisers and viewers show up simultaneously that is obviously a reason why ESPN focuses on the Grand Slams whereas you just can’t count on all the players, the sponsors and the ratings for non-Slam events. What’s your view on that? Does the sport and the industry itself do enough to support these other events to make them viable for TV.

Ken Solomon: Our stance is quite different. The reason why our partnership with ESPN is so powerful and so sympatico is because we have different goals and objectives. ESPN is one of largest and most valuable networks of any on the planet, but our goals do meet in the middle when it comes to tennis. ESPN’s job is to be as big as possible and to have the largest events in any given sport. Because they service multiple sports, they cannot cover every sport tip to tip as we try to do. We are filling an entire network with top-quality events and how could they possibly do that when there are innumerable sports for them to cover? Obviously, from a reliability standpoint where you have a field of 128 men and women across singles, doubles and mixed doubles — not to mention the majors just by their size — allow the virtual guarantee of having marquee talent available for virtually any hour you’re on the air. That doesn’t mean the majors are not susceptible to pull outs: Andy Roddick hurt his back and had to pull out of the French Open for the first time. Players do get real injuries and that’s a fact of life. Tennis players have a lot of pressure put on them that other athletes don’t have to face. Football players don’t have to travel the entire world and since they are part of a team if they’re hurt it doesn’t mean that the team can’t go on and they don’t have to do it 52 weeks a year. So I think that the answer is this is a beautiful marriage between us. Our goal and our job isn’t to focus on those very few super stars, but but to focus on the broad field and entire spectacle of an event. There are established stars now like Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal who four years ago were not household names yet Nadal was on our air quite regularly four years ago and many people had never heard of him back then. So it’s exciting to us as a network and to put a spotlight on the sport 52 weeks a year and not only televise the stars of the game but to bring you the new personalities and hot young players that are developing.