| | ESPN tennis analyst Pam Shriver played it safe and picked the No. 1 seeds to win the Australian Open in her chat with ESPN.com users.
Shriver tackled user questions live from Sydney and said she feels Martina Hingis and Andre Agassi are playing the best tennis in the early stages of the tournament. Shriver also touched on the prize money issue, what lies ahead for Monica Seles and why Jennifer Capriati is both helped and hindered by the fast courts Down Under.
An edited transcript from Shriver's Jan. 21 chat follows.
| |  | | Between 1980-88, Shriver was ranked in the top 10 world rankings nine times. |
Pam Shriver: I am here and ready to go.
It's fun that Jennifer Capriati is still in the tournament and that Pete Sampras was able to dig himself out of a big
hole and keep his quest for the record alive - going for No. 13 (major titles).
Let's get to the questions.
Paul: I'm cheering for Jennifer Capriati and I was wondering your opinion of her chances in her bracket
and if you feel that her big swing and style of game is effective on the new surface at this event?
Pam Shriver:
She is in a good part of the draw. Mary Pierce is the only seed in her way to get to the semifinals. Patty
Schnyder is playing very well and Jennifer will have to play her best match of the tournament to
survive.
The speed of the court works for her as much as it does against her. It helps her ground strokes
move faster, and occasionally when her opponents get a hold of one she is sometimes late with her
big backswing.
Katrina: In your opinion, don't you think both Capriati and Pete Sampras are nearing the end of their
careers?
Pam Shriver:
Jennifer is only 23 years old and it is almost like she is starting a new career. Probably half of the
10 years since she started competing on tour, she has not been playing. So she is actually younger
-- playing-wise -- and should be able to play until she is 30 if she wants to.
As for Pete, he seems to love chasing history and with each major, that is what he is doing. So, if
he stays healthy and dedicated, he should have three or four more years. But injuries have started
to become more of a factor for him.
Nathaniels: What do you think of Alexandra Stevenson's future as a tennis star? Does she have the talent?
Pam Shriver:
She has as much raw talent as any young player playing right now. She has one of the top two
or three best serves in the game right now. When she gets a little more experience and cuts down
on her unforced errors, the sky is the limit. With young players there are always a lot of ifs.
Paul: Do you feel that Martina Hingis and her poor sportsmanship will eventually cost her later on in her
career?
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SHRIVER'S FILE
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Shriver entered the pro ranks in 1979 as a singles player, but her place in history is in doubles. She won the 1988 Olympic gold medal alongside partner Zina Garrison. Shriver saw her best results when she was teamed with Martina Navratilova. Between 1981-87 the pair won 20 majors and captured the Grand Slam in 1984. They went on to win 79 titles together. At one point the doubles partners strung together a 109-match win streak, which ended in 1985.
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Pam Shriver:
I think she is getting more savvy when and what to say about her opponents. She also has, at times,
been humbled by the power players like the Williams sisters, Davenport and Mauresmo.
Martina, while still being a teen-ager, is growing up quickly and becoming a better sport. She has a
long way to improve.
Oscarsterl: Will the Williams sisters ever play doubles with anybody besides each other?
Do you see (as I do) that a time will come when the Williams sisters are not so close and are
competing for the titles against each other?
Pam Shriver:
I think the sisters will always be very close and they will learn to balance the on-court situation.
Doubles is such a natural partnership, and they won two of the majors together (French and U.S.).
I see them playing doubles for a long time if they choose to enter the event.
The problem for them is staying healthy. I think they are young and growing into their bodies.
They play an extremely physical type of game and I think they could do better at injury prevention
techniques -- weights, stretching etc.
David: What is in Monica Seles' future?
Pam Shriver:
I hope all good things.
She has been through a lot of pain in the last six years and I want her to most of all be happy. I
hope she can dedicate herself to getting into the kind of physical shape that it takes to compete at
the highest position -- going for No. 1.
I hope she finds happiness off the court as well. What happened to her in 1993 in Hamburg was one of
the saddest things ever in sports.
Oscarsterl: Have you talked to Steffi Graf about AA? What has she said?
Pam Shriver:
I saw Steffi last night for the first time and I told her how great it was to see her so happy. She
thanked me but I didn't get a chance to ask her about her happy relationship.
She commented on an article I wrote about the passing of my husband that appeared in a paper
down here. So that is what we mostly talked about.
She said the next two months will be busy for her, but she didn't go into specifics about it or
whether it involved Andre or not.
Pretty powerful tennis couple there -- powerful forehands.
Paul: How old were you when you decided to retire from playing on the tour and what was your
reason?
Pam Shriver:
I was 34 when I retired and the reason was that I was too old to win much. Especially my right
arm, which I relied on for a big serve, started to feel like it was 100 years old.
GoUSA: What do you think of Lleyton Hewitt? Does he have the drawing ability to revive men's tennis?
Pam Shriver:
He certainly has more charisma than most of the men playing today, except for Andre. Down
here he has developed an enormous following because he has not lost this year in three
tournaments. Whether or not he becomes a star in the states will depend on his success in the
majors, particularly the U.S. Open. But he should connect with the young people in the U.S. He is
still 18 years old.
Jesse: Who do you think is going to win?
Pam Shriver:
I think Hingis is playing the best tennis on the women's side. Davenport should get through the
bottom half of the bracket but she hasn't played that well yet. But she will have to against
Anna Kournikova in the next round. Serena Williams needs to really pick up her game if she wants to
last into the second week.
On the men, Agassi and Philippoussis is intriguing in the next round. So far Agassi has been playing
the best of any of the men. But Sampras, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, the defending champion and Hewitt are all
playing well. If Agassi beats Mark Philippoussis, he becomes one of the instant favorites. It is always
harder to pick the men's side.
JB: How do the tennis fans rate in Australia versus the U.S., French, and English? Are they still a
tennis-crazy crowd as they were in the John Newcombe days?
Pam Shriver:
Yes, they are still tennis crazy down here. A rich history, along with a lot of talent on the men's
side, coupled with the Davis Cup win in '99 has put tennis back on top of the fan's sports interest.
The fans here are very knowledgeable but all the majors have, for the most part, fans that are
interested and follow the sport. Each major has its unique flavor that reflects the cultures where
they are played.
Scott: Andre is "again" in a pivotal situation in his career. Can he stand up to the pressure of being or
chasing No. 1 for an extended period of time?
Pam Shriver:
Time is the key. I think this is where Steffi Graf will help because she remained one of the most
consistent top players ever. At 29, he doesn't have time to let it slip again. Based on how he is
playing here, he looks very much ready to sustain the high level of '99.
Oscarsterl: Is Andre Agassi a decent/nice/sincere guy or is he only nice when the cameras are on?
Pam Shriver:
Andre is nice with or without cameras every time I have come into contact with him. He is very
friendly, appreciative of his gifts and very spiritual. I like him but that doesn't mean he is perfect.
JB: What's your position on the "prize money" issue? Do you think the prize money should be equal for
the men and women? I know Lindsay Davenport has been quite outspoken regarding this issue.
Are you in agreement?
Pam Shriver:
Absolutely. Lindsay supported my stance in an article I wrote about the equality issue. I wanted
people to remember that for better than 10 years that this tournament had equality. It is cruel to
take it away from any group of people -- regardless of race, religion, sex, etc. I think it is good
when the top players can articulate the issues involved because they are the ones who carry the
weight unlike people like me -- the retired has-been.
Eric: I was just wondering how Monica Seles' career would have turned out if the
stabbing incident never occurred. Do you think she could have become the greatest tennis player
ever? Who do you think is the greatest?
Pam Shriver:
I think it is quite possible she could have been known as the best singles player ever if she hadn't
gotten stabbed -- but we'll never know. It is safe to say she would have added more than the one
major she won since the incident.
I think Martina Navratilova was the most complete player ever when you take into account everything
she accomplished.
That is all the time I have for now. Thanks for all the questions.
Here is a reminder of some of our show times over the weekend. I hope everyone tunes in.
ESPN2 -- Sat, Sun, and Monday 12:30 a.m.-2:30 a.m. ET (Set your VCR)
ESPN -- Monday 1-3 p.m. ET
Take care. | |
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