“Running The Table” is currently available in all bookstores, and on Amazon.

Jon’s “Tennis Mailbag” is a weekly fixture on the Sports Illustrated website. Jon is also a very good friend of TalkAboutTennis.com, as he plays our Suicide Pools, and has linked our site in the Mailbag on many occasions. A good number of our staff and membership have found TAT directly as a result of Jon’s kindness in promoting our site.

Jon took some time out of his busy schedule to answer questions posed by TAT members.


TAT: Has there ever been anything you've ever written in your column that, later on, you REALLY regretted?

JW: "Where to begin? Even on the web, there’s not enough space for all the answers I wish I could take back. One that comes to mind immediately is a poem mocking Roger Federer to the tune of “If I Only Had a Heart.” I posted it in June of 2003, a few weeks before he began the most dominating run in tennis history." (Note to TAT members - the original "If I Only Had A... can be found here.)

TAT: What led you to write a book about pool in the first place? Are you a pool shark in secret? And who on the ATP and WTA tours do you think would make the best pool hustlers?

JW: "No, I’m no pool shark. I stumbled upon the story—and thus the book. A few years ago, I was reading the Wall Street Journal and there was a story about a pool tournament that, in passing, referenced, “an overweight player named Kid Delicious who made a six-figure income hustling.” I didn’t care who won the tournament, I wanted to know about Kid Delicious. I tracked down the guy and the rest, as they say, is history. At the time I didn’t know much more about pool than “the white one is the cue ball.” But the initial Kid Delicious story ran in Sports Illustrated and it was so much fun I figured I’d try and dilate it into a book. Hustling is as much about guile and disposition as it is about natural talent. Someone like Martina Hingis would be a hell of a hustler. (And who knows; she has time on her hands these days.) Same for Fabrice Santoro. Someone like Federer might have the touch and hand-eye coordination to be a very strong player, but I fear he’s a bit too precious."

TAT: How did you get into writing about tennis in the first place?

JW: "I played a lot growing up. Never at a particularly high level but I had a state ranking, played for my high school team, etc. and always loved the game. Then I met Stefan Edberg. Well, here’s a link that explains more: http://www.geocities.com/edhead01us/wertheimArticle.html

TAT: Do you ever get angry letters/e-mails from tennis players/coaches/agents/organizations after you criticize them?

JW: "Sure. This will sound trite but I once had an editor tell me, “If everyone likes everything you’re writing, you’re no journalist.” The vast majority of the angry mail I get is civil and reasonable and I try to respond either personally or as a follow-up in the Mailbag. What I have no use for are the anonymous emails saying, “RODDICK SUXXX!!!” or “WHY DO YOU ALWAYS HATE ON KIMMY??!!!”"

TAT: Of all the personalities in the 2000 "Venus Envy" season, whom did you find most interesting? Most difficult? And what made them that way do you think?

JW: "I have to say that I’m still fascinated by the Williams family. At least in tennis, their backstory gets taken for granted. But, really, this is one of the more incredible sports stories I’ve ever come across. Imagine if Tiger Woods had a brother who was just as good. Or if Barry Bonds’ brother had been chasing him in the home run derby. Two Grand Slam champs from the same bedroom is crazy. Add in themes of race and class and culture and personal loss and divorce; it just becomes more fascinating. Then, Venus and Serena do things that are exceptionally good (graduating from school; unapologetically having other interests) and exceptionally bad (graceless in defeat; an unprecedented record of dubious withdrawals) and the narrative gets even more complex. I’ve been covering the Williams sisters for a decade now and, when people ask, “What do you make of them?” I’m still not sure how to respond."

TAT: Any friendships on or between the tours that might surprise fans?

JW: "Not specifically. But I’m generally impressed by the level of collegiality these days. For many years there was this prevailing wisdom that “this is an individual sport and I can’t get so close to my opposition.” Even Sampras and Agassi, who had a million similarities, operated at a remove from each other. The trend now seems to be one of increasing warmth. Doesn’t mean that Justine and Serena are texting each other on the hour. But even a rivalry like Federer-Nadal seems to have a social component."

TAT: Do fans have a seriously wrong impression about any certain players, in your opinion - and who?

JW: "I should probably be careful, but let’s just say there a few players who get a free pass. And a few who aren’t the villains they’re made out to be. As a rule, anyone can be charming when the klieg lights are on and the tape recorders are running. You get a better sense of a player watching them “off camera.”

TAT: Do you think there will be any new slam winners next year and at what slam?

JW: "I suppose I should say “yes,” but if you look at the field, I’m not sure there’s a glaring “Never-Won-a-Slam” candidate. Djokovic, I suppose, is tops on the list. But the way I see it, Nadal is, more or less, without peer on clay. And Federer likely wins Wimbledon plus at least one other Slam. That only gives an “outsider” such as Djokovic or Nalbandian one chance. Injuries could change the balance of power, but it’s just a tough time to be a top male player not named Raffa or Roger. As for the women, again, injuries are key. If everything breaks right, Jankovic, for instance, could score a big prize. But between/among Henin, the Sisters, Sharapova and Kuznetsova (all obviously former winners) I’m not sure there will be a breakthrough."

TAT: Any sense of how well the doubles teams of today- even the twins- would do in the eras of Martina/Pam, BJK/Rosie and McEnroe/Fleming and the great Aussie teams?

JW: "I get hammered when I write this but I think the sport has evolved so much that you almost can’t make the comparison. The Bryan Brothers are 6-foot-four, they serve 125 mph, they’re doubles specialists who have devoted their lives to this pursuit. It’s sacrilege, but I can’t see them losing to anyone. It’s Roger Clemens (bad analogy this week, I suppose) versus Warren Spahn. Watch the Bryans play and then spark up a video of, say McEnroe-Fleming. It’s hardly the same sport."

TAT: What do you think about the overall health of our sport? What are some of the changes needed to improve tennis? Which of the planned changes do you support or not support, and why?

JW: "Some days I worry about tennis. Other days, less so. It’s struggling in the States and has been for a distressingly long time. For all the money the USTA mints at the U.S. Open, the organization still hasn’t made significant inroads in growing the sport here. Television coverage has never been worse. More and more events are going off-shore. Just anecdotally—from colleges dropping tennis programs to tennis clubs being razed for high-rises—I see a lot of hurt. Then you look around the globe, and the sport is thriving in lots of places. China is becoming a force. Andy Murray is among the most famous British athletes. Sania Mirza is an A-list celebrity in India. And, for better or worse, so long as it’s popular among a “desirable” economic demographic, it will always survive. As far as improvement, everyone has an opinion. I think globalization is much an enemy of tennis as a friend. I think Davis Cup is in dire need of fixing. I think it’s asinine for the tours to try and represent both players and promoters, labor and management as it were. I think the players break down way too often and no one has the guts to take on the equipment manufacturers or shorten the schedule in any meaningful way. Replay was great and hopefully it will weaken resistance to change. Bring on no-ad scoring. Four-game sets. As we saw with the ATP’s round robin, it’s possible to experiment and then determine the old way is preferable."