Oct 1, 2008 - 2:59 PM
0 shoutsBy Chuck LaRose PA SportsTicker Tennis Editor
(C) 2008 PA SPORTSTICKER INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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This hasn't been the best week for Wall Street and the United States economy, but I'm here to help.
No, I have no economic plan (who does?) and, like many of you at this point, no money.
But I do have some stock advice for you, at least as it relates to the world of tennis.
Stock prices, like tennis players, rise and fall, and the key to success is spotting those on the rise and ridding yourself of those heading for a downturn.
So stop obsessing over your 401K balance for a moment as we take a look at the players you should be buying and selling at this point.
Nikolay Davydenko (SELL): The 27-year-old Russian was as high as No. 3 in the rankings in 2006, but with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal cemented in the top two spots, he never had much chance to become a No. 1. For most of the last year, he's been a distant fourth behind the "big three" - Nadal, Federer and Novak Djokovic - and slipped to sixth after the U.S. Open. He's never played in a Grand Slam final and probably never will. At this point, Davydenko is best known for the investigation into a suspicious match he played in Poland last year. The investigation found no evidence of wrongdoing, but Davydenko continues to be a punch line for anyone who doubts the integrity of the sport.
Dinara Safina (BUY): If only we bought into the 22-year-old Russian a little sooner. Safina won her fourth title of the season last week in Tokyo and has risen to a career-best ranking of third. She isn't defending many ranking points the remainder of the calendar year and if she keeps playing like this (41-5 since the start of May), she'll likely ascend to the No. 1 ranking in 2009. Keep in mind, Safina started 2008 with an 11-10 record and lost in the opening round of the Australian Open, so there's plenty of ground to gain.
Juan Martin del Potro (BUY): Though he won four consecutive titles this summer, it was easy to cast doubt on this 19-year-old Argentine because he had faced limited competition en route to those victories. But a quarterfinal performance at the U.S. Open and wins over Davydenko and 20th-ranked Igor Andreev during Argentina's Davis Cup win over Russia has made a believer out of me. He's gone from 81st to 12th in the rankings since April and will be in the top 10 soon.
Vera Zvonareva (SELL): The ninth-ranked Russian has won two titles and has three runner-up performances this year, but she's just 2-9 against top-10 players. Her top-10 standing is certainly deserved, but she's probably reached her high-water mark as far as rankings go.
James Blake (SELL): I admit that this is a bit of age discrimination since Blake, who turns 29 in December and is on the way to becoming a senior citizen by tennis standards. To his credit, the American has hung around the top 10 for most of the year. But he recently backed out of the U.S. Davis Cup semifinal due to fatigue - the first sign of "old age."
Agnieszka Radwanska (BUY): The 19-year-old Pole has won three titles this season and was a quarterfinalist at the Australian Open and Wimbledon. Like Zvonareva, the 10th-ranked Radwanska has had her problems with elite players (3-9 vs. top 10), but she's only getting better at the moment.
Daniela Hantuchova (SELL): The 25-year-old Slovak has been maddening to watch at times during her career. She's no stranger to stunning upsets but has had trouble putting away matches that seem well in hand. It looked like Hantuchova would finally break through to reach her first Grand Slam final at the Australian Open earlier this year, but squandered a 6-0, 2-0 lead in the semifinals against Ana Ivanovic. She suffered a stress fracture in her foot during the spring and has struggled since returning. Currently ranked 13th, Hantuchova will likely slide out of the top 20 in 2009.
Richard Gasquet (SELL): Earlier this year, John McEnroe suggested during a television broadcast that the 13th-ranked Frenchman might need a "heart transplant." Gasquet is 27-19 without a title this season and skipped the French Open - his home event - because of a "knee injury." It seems like tennis is more of a chore than a profession for the 22-year-old, who is at least on his way out of the top 15 by year's end.
Nicolas Almagro (BUY): The 19th-ranked Spaniard has done most of his damage on clay, going 30-8 on the surface with two titles this year. Nadal made him look silly during a 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 quarterfinal win at the French Open, but that could develop into an interesting claycourt rivalry next year.
Zheng Jie (BUY): She's recovered from the ankle injury that cost her most of 2007 and has been a wrecking ball at times this year, despite the absence of a title. The 25-year-old became the first player from China to reach a Grand Slam semifinal at Wimbledon, where she ousted top seed Ivanovic. She has gone from 133rd to 26th in the rankings and will keep rising.
QUIZ: Patty Schnyder recently won the Bali title at the age of 29, but she's hardly the oldest female player to win a singles title. Do you know who holds that distinction? Answer below.
VERBAL VOLLEY: This week's comments come from Brian in Maryland:
"Can people in the media stop saying that Rafael Nadal is "arguably" the best claycourt player in history. What's there to argue?
"I know Bjorn Borg has six French Open titles and Nadal has four, but Nadal will have six or more by the time he's through.
"Plus, Nadal has beaten Roger Federer (the best player ever) in three of his French Open victories. There's no question Nadal is the undisputed 'King of Clay.'"
QUIZ ANSWER: Billie Jean King won the last of her 78 career titles at Birmingham in 1983 at the age of 39. Martina Navratilova is the second-oldest titlist, having won her last championship at age 37.
Question or comment? E-mail chuck.larose@pa-sportsticker.com.
