'Unless you are Top 10, you are nobody'

Sanguinetti tries to revive Italian tennis

By Matthew Cronin
tennisreporters.net

Susan Mullane/ Camerawork USA, Inc.

FROM THE SIEBEL OPEN IN SAN JOSE, CALIF. – It's tough being the No. 69th ranked tennis player from Italy, home to '76 Roland Garros champ Adriano Panatta and the some of the most accomplished and exciting soccer players that the world has ever seen.

Such is the life of Davide Sanguinetti, a wise old veteran who downed American Justin Gimelstob 6-4 6-7 (7-2) 6-3 and danced into the final of the $355,000 Siebel Open on Saturday.

"If you don't get into the top 10, the Italian press says we don't have players," said Sanguinetti, who has a career high ranking of No. 43 and won his only two titles last year in Milan and Delray Beach. "There's a lack of tennis in Italy. They should do more publicity. There used to be a lot o tennis on TV, now there are no more matches. The kids don't see tennis and don't see any of the players. They won't see me playing the final tomorrow."

Middle to late age fans remember the brilliance of Panatta and almost every hardcore fans have take a trip to the famed Foro Italico in Rome, where some of the memorable clay court battles in history have been contested. When you've seen some of the great clay courters paint the Sistine Chapels at Foro Italico (Borg, Muster, Guga), it must be difficult to get excited about prospects of Rita Grande or Renzo Furlan.

But Italian men's tennis has had its moments over the past five years, such as when it's Davis Cup squad reached the final in 1998 and lost to Sweden.

"The group we has in '98 final, we didn't have top 10 player, but we were good, myself and Andrea Gaudenzi. We were a real team. Now we are older and there are no new players."

LATE BLOOMER
Maybe age is not such a bad thing for Italian tennis. The 30-year-old Sanguinetti has hit his stride during the past year and believes his best tennis is ahead.

"I started a little late because I played college [UCLA] and was behind 3 or 4 years," he said. "They say you peak in strength at age 33. But I think I'm pretty close now. You can always improve forehand, volleys, serve, and second serves. There's always something to do."

After Gimelstob fought off two match points in the second set of their semi, Sanguinetti regrouped in the third set, slyly passing the net-charging Gimelstob and gaining control of most of their baseline exchanges by mixing up the pace.

Sanguinetti did not play a great match, but he battled hard, occasionally cursing at himself, complaining to his coach but never allowing Gimelstob to suck the energy out of the arena. "I had to fight like a dog out there," said Sanguinetti, who will top seed Andre Agassi in Sunday's final.

In order to keep Sanguinetti from controlling the center of the court, Gimelstob relentlessly charged the net, but his the Italian kept firing balls at his shoe tips and tripping him up crosscourt.

Serving for the match at 5-4, Sanguinetti held two match points, but Gimelstob fought them off by ripping a return winner down the line and watching Sanguinetti miss a backhand. In the tiebreak, Gimelstob ripped two service winners and ace and won the set when Sanguinetti netted a return.

"After the second mach point, he was different player, then it was a different match, he started coming to the net, he was more aggressive and he was popping his serve," Sanguinetti said.

EARLY BREAKS IN THIRD SET
Sanguinetti broke Gimelstob for a 2-0 lead in the third set, but the New Jersey-ite broke right back.
"I was a little frustrated and nervous," he said. "I had to calm down, regroup and start returning better. That was it because I started returning better.

Moving with the nimbleness of a cougar, Sanguinetti broke Gimelstob to 4-2 with a slap shot forehand crosscourt return winner. Sanguinetti won out the contest when Gimelstob knew he had to something special and committed three straight forehand unforced errors.

"He played better than I did," said Gimelstob, who nailed 41 winners but committed 41 unforced errors. "The balls just kept coming back and I made too many errors trying to be aggressive. He's a pretty deceptive player and returns real low, which puts you under pressure. He's very crafty and is a good mover."

Sanguinetti has a good chance of facing Agassi in the final, who he has never beaten. He has tremendous respect for the eight-time Slam champ. "Everybody knows Agassi hits the ball harder than anyone and is a great athlete," he said. "He's the best player in the world, even if he's ranked No. 2. He's playing unbelievable. He's at his peak. He's hungry and keeps winning. … I have to do something different against him, probably make him play more balls."

With his nearly gray hair and intellectual's demeanor, you would never think at first glance that Sanguinetti is capable of going ballistic. But since his wife, Tatiana, gave birth to their first child, Alice, last year, Davide has found a better balance.

"Life has changed completely," he said. "Now my first thoughts is going to her. When I lose I'm usually really mad, but when I talk to the baby, after two minutes, I forgot I lost. It's a good thing."