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The TV tennis switcherooThe Tennis Channel visits many courts in Slam debut
Its coverage out of Paris is more than competent and has a refreshing, newsy approach. TTC has decided to jump its coverage from court to court, much like standard golf coverage where one golfer will drive off of the 12th tee and then the next picture shows another golfer putting on the 16th green. I had some time on Sunday morning to watch as TTC switched between three matches, sometimes only showing one game before going between Philippe Chatrier, Suzanne Lenglen and Court 1. This style did not interrupt my interest in any of the matches and provided a glimpse into the excitement of watching Grand Slam tennis. Visiting a Slam is of the great sports spectator experiences because you have a pick of watching a variety of matches, often from close distances on many of the back courts. Another advantage of this type of switcheroo coverage is seeing a variety of players, many of which are in the all-important Top-11 through Top-40 group – minor stars and up-and-coming standout players. The only way we're going to see Juan Monaco, Marion Bartoli or Anabel Medina Garrigues on US network TV is if they face a Top-5 player or an American star. Which brings us to solid but predictable NBC, which will assuredly give us full-match coverage of Serena Williams and Roger Federer, but only a few highlights of any other matches. The network (and this goes for CBS at the US Open and, to a lesser extent, ESPN/ESPN2) will often deluge viewers with a stream of the Williams sisters, Maria Sharapova, Federer and Rafa Nadal. While tennis insiders know Jelena Jankovic will go very deep in this tournament – the final is in her sight, the big-time TV networks will ignore her until after she makes her mark. TTC has done a credible job getting up to steam in a few months for its Slam debut. As always, its graphics are appealing. They produced a funny commercial, putting together the McEnroe brothers to argue about their sibling rivalry, now in the announcer booth. However, it's pretty obvious John and Patrick weren't in the same studio when they recorded the piece and the production technique needs improvement. Putting announcers on three courts must have been a stretch. Experienced commentators such as Leif Shiras, Katrina Adams and Barry McKay do a fine job. Analyst Martina Navratilova couldn't help but mention (and mention and mention) how overweight and slow Bartoli was and how it cost her the match against Jankovic. Chanda Rubin also unfolded some insights from her knowledge of the tour but needs to get more grounded in her verbal delivery. However, James Blake's brother, Thomas, was recruited into an analysis role and his weak voice and inexperience is not up to the task. He even threw in an "um," the double fault of any on-air personality.© TennisReporters.net 2007
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