Smash hit

There are two reasons for this downturn - simple, brutal economics and the fact that tennis somehow does not register with editors in America as it does in Britain, France, Spain, Argentina and many places elsewhere. This is a horrible shame and one the Net Post hopes will be rectified over time, possibly if another Sampras-Agassi rivalry comes along.

One man who will not be returning to New York, nor Indian Wells in the spring, more's the pity, is Jerry Magee who retires from the San Diego Union-Tribune this week at the age of 80. Jerry always wore a baseball cap and shorts, carried a huge yellow wad everywhere he went, wrote in indecipherable black felt-tip, addressed the issues straight on, talked American football relentlessly, made the most heartfelt calls home (he talked in a resonant voice so you could overhear his side of the conversation without meaning to eavesdrop) and was (is) a lovely writer. We shall miss him and it seems he will miss us too.

The best part of a job which kept him on the Union Tribune for 52 years? "Just to be where things were happening, that was always been the allure for me," he said. "I don't like to travel for travel's sake. But I always enjoyed the camaraderie with other people of the press. Newspaper guys get a bad rap." And he never did hear me sing - which is probably just as well. Enjoy the rest, Jerry.

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The Nikolay Davydenko Match Fixing story looks as if it will not disappear quietly. Though officially the ATP's investigation into his match in the Sopot Open in Poland in August 2007 against Argentina's Martin Vassallo Arguello, on which some £3.5 million in bets were placed (much of it on the lower ranked Argentine even when he was losing) is closed, a sense of concern remains. Just why did so many people end up piling so much money onto someone who ought to lose? It still does not make any sense.

Davydenko, the Russian, is in the clear but does not intend to let the matter rest there. The world No.6 may sue the ATP Tour to force it to pay his legal costs after its 13-month inquiry found no evidence of wrong-doing on his part. Davydenko wants the ATP to issue a more positive press statement in his favour and 'maybe apologise,' Frank Immenga, his lawyer, said. But apologise for what? For trying to get to the bottom of a disturbing case and following its own rules? Immenga says that Davydenko lost 'millions' after talks with potential sponsors were terminated and he didn't get offers of tournament appearance fees. He would shed no more light on it than that.

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A week is a long time in tennis. Ross Hutchins, a member of the disenchanted Great Britain Davis Cup team which lost its world group relegation play-off to Austria, flew to Beijing, teamed up with Steve Huss, the Australian, and immediately lifted the China Open doubles title (his first on the ATP Tour) with a 7-5, 6-4 victory over Ashley Fisher of Australia and Bobby Reynolds of the USA. The pair did not drop a set the entire week. "I came late here due to Davis Cup, which didn't go so well, but it's been a brilliant week," Hutchins said. "We played some amazing stuff." No rest for the wicked, the pair are heading to Mons, Belgium, this week for an ATP Challenger for which they are the third seeds.

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To someone else who wasn't exactly pleased after the Davis Cup defeat. Roger Draper, the chief executive of the LTA, thought he would hand with ease an inquisition from Mark Saggers, of BBC Sport on Five, an interview which was not one of the best either has participated in. Draper could not get a word in edge-ways (something of a blessing because he did not have much interesting to say) and Saggers' voice rose to a soprano's pitch so often, it made one wince. Draper, the Net Post hears, is asking for an apology from the BBC which induces another wince.

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We hear of another interesting result with the Davis Cup tie against Ukraine on its way. Chris Eaton - remember him from Wimbledon? - played Sergiy Stakhovsky, the Ukraine No.1 in the second round of qualifying for the ATP tournament in Metz, France yesterday, and lost 6-7(6) 7-6(2) 7-6(8). Eaton, who qualified for the All England championships before winning a round in the main draw and became something of a cult figure - served eight aces but also racked up eight double faults, the last to lose the match. But the discrepancy in their rankings, No.83 in Stakhovsky's case to No.378 for Surrey's finest, suggests our boy is on a steep learning curve.

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Here's a glorious one for the stat-minded among you, courtesy of the inestimable Greg Sharko, king of the statisticians on the ATP Tour. When Rafael Nadal first became the world No.2 on July 25, 2005, who else was in the top 10? Answer: 1) Roger Federer, 2) Nadal, 3) Lleyton Hewitt, 4) Andy Roddick, 5) Marat Safin, 6) Andre Agassi, 7) Nikolay Davydenko, 8) Thomas Johansson, 9), Guillermo Canas, and 10) Mariano Puerta.

Where are they now? Federer, No.2; Nadal, No.1; Hewitt, No.60; Roddick, No.8; Safin, No.38; Agassi, retired; Davydenko, No.6; Johansson, No.77; *Canas, No.56 and *Puerta, No.162 (*Both Canas and Puerta served time out of the sport for doping offences)

PPS: Canas was robbed last week near his parents' home in the outskirts of Buenos Aires. Three robbers ambushed him and stole cash, credit cards and personal belongings before escaping in the player's own Mercedes. Thankfully, Canas was unhurt.

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Congratulations to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France, on his debut victory on the ATP Tour in the Thailand Open. And what a way to do it. The French virtuoso, who missed three months of the year (including the French Open and Wimbledon) after knee surgery, defeated Novak Djokovic, the world No.3, 7-6, 6-4 in a repeat of their memorable Australian Open final in January. "The last game was very hard and I was just saying in my head 'Go On! Do It!' so it was incredible," Tsonga said. Think of what is to come next year from Nadal, Federer, Djokovic, Murray, Roddick, Tsonga, Del Potro, Monfils and Nishikori. Mouth watering.