Djokovic repped his team and country – and won the ATP Cup for Serbia with one of his best friends by his side

When Novak Djokovic won his ninth consecutive match on hard courts against Rafael Nadal in a pivotal singles rubber between Serbia and Spain at the ATP Cup final Sunday night, he continued the mastery he’s enjoyed over the World No. 1 by winning 19 consecutive sets going back to the 2013 US Open final.

Djokovic’s 6-2, 7-6 (4) win over Nadal inside a packed and loud Ken Rosewall Arena leveled the inaugural ATP Cup final at 1-1 and overturned the momentum Spain had established when Roberto Bautista Agut gave his country a 1-0 lead following his 7-5, 6-1 win over Dusan Lajovic in the opening rubber. Djokovic extended his ATP Cup singles unbeaten streak to six and improved his career head-to-head record against Nadal to 29-26.

It also meant the first ATP Cup, which began with 24 teams playing in three Australian cities amid the country’s blazing bushfires and ended with the final two in Sydney at the end of the 10-day tournament, would come down to a winner-take-all live doubles rubber that would decide which country would lift the title trophy. What a way to start the 2020 tennis season!

Looking back, Djokovic dominated Nadal from the beginning of their one hour and 55 minute match. He put the Spaniard on the defensive, both with his returns and during some prolonged and grueling rallies. After Djokovic broke Nadal in the opening game and later in the seventh game of the first set, he hit four consecutive aces to close out the first set. Djokovic maintained his level of intensity in the second set – he would finish with 12 aces and win 84 percent (41 of 49) of his first-serve points – and forced Nadal into a defensive posture that took him out of his comfort zone. As Djokovic later recalled, “I started the match perfectly with everything working for me.

“I was trying to take away as much time as possible from him. I was serving very well, definitely the best serving match I had in the tournament. Just extremely satisfied with the way I performed.”

Djokovic outpointed Nadal 75-59 and saved five of five break points. 

Nadal was matter of fact in his assessment: “Happy the way that I was able to compete. I had my chances. I was very close. Not happy with the loss, of course, but the feeling in that second set is positive.”

Now, with plenty of flag-waving fans repping both countries and with the arena’s namesake, Australian Hall of Famer Ken Rosewall in attendance, it was game on for the champion’s trophy.

While Spain opted not to play Nadal in doubles because he had run out of energy, Djokovic still had something left in the tank to offer Serbia. He was in the Serbian doubles lineup, where he teamed with his longtime friend and teammate Viktor Troicki. Together, they proved clutch against Pablo Carreño Busta and Feliciano Lopez of Spain and won the decider, 6-3, 6-4.

“We won against a really, really good doubles team,” Djokovic said during Serbia’s team press conference. “It was a surprise that Nadal was not on the court, but nevertheless, we had to do the job and the job was done very well.”

Throughout, Team Serbia received tremendous and loud fan support, especially in Sydney, where there is a large Serbia population – and Djokovic fed off of the energy that their vocal cheers of “No-le” and “Ser-bia” created. As New York Times tennis correspondent Ben Rothenberg tweeted, “Every Serbia match felt like a home game, both in Brisbane and Sydney.”

“I’ve never experienced an atmosphere like this on a tennis court. ... You carried us to victory and we owe you a big, big thanks,” Djokovic said during the trophy ceremony in thanking the Serbian fans. “We are part of an individual sport where we play by ourselves. But even when we were playing singles, it never felt like it was only you out there. You always have a team in your corner giving you strength and focus. This was the highlight of the competition, along with the support of fans and the flags.”

As soon as Djokovic served out the final game of the match and the tournament, his Serbian teammates and their captain, Nenad Zimonjic, sprinted from the team zone on to the court and surrounded him and Troicki. Together, they broke into a celebratory group hug that was both genuine and giddy – and thoroughly enjoyable to see.

“I’ll remember this experience for the rest of my life as definitely one of the nicest moments in my career,” said Djokovic following his team’s jubilant celebration. That says something coming from the 16-time Grand Slam champion who will begin his title defense of the Australian Open next week in Melbourne. Djokovic has lifted the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup seven times. 

“Ive been very fortunate and blessed to have an amazing career the last 15 years, but playing for the team, playing for the country with some of my best friends for a long time, you can’t match that. That’s just too special.”

A version of this story first appeared on Tennis-TourTalk.com. 

Screenshot photo courtesy of ATP world video stream.

At the year’s end, one last 2019 travel adventure

Once upon a time, the beloved and respected American actor Alan Alda suggested that you have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. “What you’ll discover,” he said “will be wonderful. What you’ll discover is yourself.”

As we begin the New Year, 2020, no matter where we may be or reside in the world, it’s worth a moment of our time to consider the meaning of Alda’s words.

Last Sunday, my wife and I returned from a brief but eventful five-day holiday visit to New York City, our fourth trip there during 2019. Each time we go – and it’s only a 3 1/2-hour trip via the Amtrak Northeast Regional – we try to see a different part of what is arguably one of the greatest cities in the world. Our post-Christmas, pre-New Year’s visit rewarded us with a wonderful opportunity to discover new things – and, this time, from a Lower East Side perspective. It was worth it.

Our visit began with theater – we saw the much anticipated “David Byrne’s American Utopia” at the intimate Hudson Theatre (once home to NBC’s “Tonight Show” back in the early 1950s Steve Allen era), featuring a tour de force performance by the Talking Heads superstar that was part TED talk, part rock concert, and very much a bare-footed dance spectacle. There were crowd-favorite hits newly arranged by Byrne like “Once in a Lifetime” and “Burning Down the House,” that complemented songs covering the 67-year-old’s post-Heads solo career. All together, they wove a narrative in which Byrne tried to help his audience find a sense of happiness in these troubled times we all live in.

Our visit included shopping, from loading up on mouth-watering Lindt chocolates to finding new fashion at Uniqlo’s expansive Fifth Avenue headquarters near the Museum of Modern Art just above Rockefeller Plaza, where there was plenty of activity centering around its colorful, larger-than-life Christmas tree and popular skating rink.

We enjoyed a satisfying, educational day visiting two of the city’s finest museums – the newly re-opened MOMA, where we braved the crowds hovering around Van Gogh’s “The Starry Night” and Monet’s “Water Lillies,” and a hidden gem in the Tenement Museum, located at the corner of Orchard and Delaney streets in the Lower East Side, about a five-minute walk from the Hotel Indigo, where we lodged during our stay.

All along our journey in New York City, which the cast of Hamilton describes it as “the greatest city in the world,” there was plenty of wonderful food awaiting us, from the delicious dim sum at Nom Wah Tea Parlor in Chinatown on Christmas Evening (very much worth the 75-minute wait just to get a table); to a pre fixe epicurean delight at Butter in Midtown; to late night posh doughnuts at the Donut Pub in Chelsea; and, finally, deli delights at Russ & Daughters Appetizers (bagels with cream cheese) and Katz’s (cheese blintzes).

New York City is a place in which I could never see myself getting bored. There’s always plenty of interesting things to explore and admire – and to be curious about – any time of the day or night.

As I learned once again, it’s easy to get caught up in the city’s history. I was reminded of this when I learned about late 19th/early 20th-century shop life at 97 Orchard Street while visiting the Tenement Museum. I was reminded of this through the art I saw at MOMA; as well as in the Puerto Rican-infused jazz music I heard at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Also, in the theater I enjoyed on Broadway with “David Byrne’s American Utopia,” and from the tremendous choice of food – where, if you think about it, there’s every imaginable ethnic cuisine to be discovered and eaten.

There’s plenty to explore in New York City. I know I’ll be back, again, soon.

In the meantime, I look forward to 2020 and the New Year that awaits. Hopefully, it will be a year full of new discoveries and new travel adventures. It is truly my hope that yours will be filled with new discoveries and new travel adventures, too.

Safe travels and Happy New Year!

Photographs: Michael Dickens, © 2020.

Christmas 2019: The Day of Joy Returns

Christmas 2019 is upon us, and
 once again, I would like to share a Christmas Day poem 
by the 19th-century Scottish poet and essayist, 
Robert Louis Stevenson 
reflecting our common humanity:

A Prayer for Christmas Morning

By Robert Louis Stevenson

The day of joy returns, Father in Heaven, and

crowns another year with peace and good will.

Help us rightly to remember the birth of Jesus, that

we may share in the song of the angels, the 

gladness of the shepherds, and the worship of the

wise men.

Close the doors of hate and open the doors of

love all over the world.

Let kindness come with every gift and good

desires with every greeting.

Deliver us from evil, by the blessing that Christ

brings, and teach us to be merry with clean hearts.

May the Christmas morning make us happy to 

be thy children.

And the Christmas evening bring us to our bed

with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for 

Jesus's sake.

Amen.

Wishing kind thoughts for a Merry Christmas. 

Although we are of many faiths,

it is important that our common humanity 

allows us to share a season of peace and goodwill.

Photo Illustration: Christmas Tree at the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.; by Michael Dickens © 2019.

Rosa Parks: In Her Own Words at the Library of Congress

Rosa Parks: In Her Own Words, the newest Library of Congress multimedia exhibition, opened on December 5, in the Library’s South Gallery of the Jefferson Building in Washington, D.C., to much fanfare and critical praise. By humanizing Rosa Parks, visitors are able to see her greatness in a new light.


“I want to be remembered as a person who stood up to injustice, and most of all, I want to be remembered as a person who wanted to be free and wanted others to be free.”

– Rosa Parks

If you are of a certain age, chances are good you remember the famous photograph of Rosa Parks seated on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus, taken Dec. 21, 1956.

A year earlier, on Dec. 1, 1955, Parks became nationally known for her refusal to give up her seat to a white man on a crowded bus in the same city.

Parks’ arrest was the catalyst that led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott, a pivotal event in the American Civil Rights movement which ultimately brought about the dismantling of Jim Crow segregation in the southern United States.

While Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her seat on the bus, the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the subsequent fallout from it all happened before I was born, as a student of American history I’ve always been interested in learning more about her life of defiance and how she became a symbol of human dignity and freedom, not only in America but internationally, too.

During a recent visit to Rosa Parks: In Her Own Words at the Library of Congress, I learned that while Rosa Parks (1913-2005) became an icon of the Civil Rights Movement – “celebrated for this single courageous act of civil disobedience” – she has often been characterized by misconceptions. It’s an old and convenient story that is finally being debunked. “Contrary to popular belief, Parks was not a demure seamstress who chose not to stand because she was physically tired.” Instead, as I learned, “her calm demeanor hid a militant spirit forged over decades.”

Among many first-week visitors to the exhibit was E.R. Shipp, a Pulitzer Prize winner for commentary, who is journalist in residence at Morgan State University’s School of Global Journalism and Communication in Baltimore, Maryland. She wrote Parks’ obituary while she was a reporter for The New York Times and gained a keen insight about the civil rights icon – especially after interviewing Mrs. Parks in a New York City church in 1988, in the midst of a voter registration drive. She and I shared a brief conversation in person following a curator’s tour and later continued it via email as we discussed our shared experiences after seeing Rosa Parks: In Her Own Words.

“I was very impressed with the exhibit and think that, for most people, it will be a revelation,” Shipp told me. “Even now, many people only know that Mrs. Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery and that she became known as ‘the Mother of the Civil Rights Movement.’ Those who know that, don’t now much more than that.”

Shipp conveyed to me she was impressed by the quality of Mrs. Parks’ personal writings as much as with the behind-the-scenes insights that her writings offer us. She hopes to make use of the papers as a scholar and journalist in the future. “I did not really know her family lineage and did not realize that many of her forebears could easily have called themselves white. They were what the writer Jill Nelson has called ‘the voluntary Negro,’ she said.”

Shipp, who writes a column every other Wednesday for the Baltimore Sun, shared her insights about Parks with her readers today, noting: “Perhaps it is inevitable that each generation puts a stamp on the past. The power dynamics of who disseminates a history becomes key.”

Rosa Parks: In Her Own Words is presented in a multimedia format in four main areas – Early Life and Activism, The Bus Boycott, Detroit 1957 and Beyond, and A Life of Global Impact – and together, we learn of the complete story about the remarkable life and contributions of the mother of the Civil Rights Movement.

So, just who was Rosa Parks? For one, she was a seasoned activist – an organizer – who organized to free the Scottsboro Boys in the 1930s. Also, she helped operate the NAACP and Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters offices in Montgomery during the 1940s and 1950s. Despite her punishment from the bus incident, which included unemployment and dire poverty – not to mention being the subject of death threats – Parks strove for social justice and human rights. She served as an inspiration not only in the U.S. but also around the world, fighting for women’s rights and speaking out against the Vietnam War. She was a prisoner advocate and supported the growing Black Power movement of the 1960s. By the 1980s, she supported the presidential campaigns of Jesse Jackson and also participated in the anti-apartheid protests against South Africa. She was an advocate of nonviolence and peace. What a remarkable life Mrs. Parks lived!

After her death in 2005, Rosa Parks’ body lay in honor at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, the first woman given that distinction. In 2006, a statue of Mrs. Parks was placed in the National Statuary Hall. Throughout the U.S., there are many schools, parks and streets which are named in her honor.

Thanks to the vast archives of the Library of Congress, which includes the Rosa Parks Collection (a gift to the Library of Congress from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation), visitors to Rosa Parks: In Her Own Words will see a variety of rarely seen materials that offer not only an intimate view of Rosa Parks, but also document her life and activism – “creating a rich opportunity for viewers to discover new dimensions to their understanding of this seminal figure.”

Credits: Cover photo by Michael Dickens. Original photo of Rosa Parks seated on bus from Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. Rosa Parks statue photo courtesy of AOC.gov. Video courtesy of YouTube, LOC.gov.

Seriously Funny ... Exercising First Amendment freedoms through comedy from the desk of ‘The Daily Show’

Jon Stewart

“Seriously Funny: From the Desk of ‘The Daily Show with Jon Stewart’,” on display through Dec. 31 at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., explores humor as a protected form of free speech under the First Amendment.

When I visited the “Seriously Funny” exhibition during Thanksgiving weekend, I saw firsthand the lasting influence that Jon Stewart, former host of The Daily Show, had on political satire. It could be seen through the list of comedians that Stewart mentored during his tenure: Stephen Colbert, John Oliver, Samantha Bee, Hasan Minaj and current The Daily Show host Trevor Noah, among many.

The centerpiece of the “Seriously Funny” display of more than 50 artifacts is The Daily Show desk and globe that was part of the set of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. There’s also an original Newseum-produced short film that goes behind the scenes at The Daily Show with Trevor Noah and shows how a typical day’s program is developed and produced.

During his years sitting at the anchor desk of The Daily Show, Stewart exercised his First Amendment freedoms through comedy and spurred his audience to think critically about the world. Night after night, he found humor in serious matters. No doubt, there were many who trusted Stewart’s satirical take on the news more than actual broadcast journalists. Imagine that!

Highlighting his tenure as host, Stewart guided us through the tragedy of 9/11, two wars and four presidential elections. He challenged both politicians and the press to do a better job. Later, he became a passionate and vocal advocate for the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund.

Among many who have praised Stewart’s work, former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw said: “There are more facts and more truths told in the first eight minutes of The Daily Show than most political news conferences in Washington.” Also, David Remnick, editor in chief of The New Yorker, noted: “He set out to be a working comedian, and he ended up an invaluable patriot. He wants his country to be better, more decent, and to think harder.”

“Welcome to ‘The Daily Show,’ Craig Kilborn is on assignment in Kuala Lumpur. I’m Jon Stewart.’” With those words spoken on January 11, 1999, the comedian Stewart became anchor of The Daily Show, broadcast on cable’s Comedy Central. From opening night through 2015 when he stepped down, Stewart transformed the program from what had been a modestly successful parody of TV news into a cultural treasure. Through Stewart’s use of funny, often-pointed video clips and pointed and poignant commentary, The Daily Show became a trusted source of news for many Americans. Over time, Stewart became just as comfortable in satirizing current events as he was in interviewing newsmakers – from world leaders and Nobel laureates to best-selling authors.

I learned that a 2004 video of The Daily Show host became so popular it helped inspire the creation of YouTube a year later. By 2007, a Pew Research Center study ranked Stewart alongside CBS News’ Dan Rather and CNN’s Anderson Cooper as “a trusted source for news.” Stewart was the cover subject of many American magazines, including Rolling Stone, which in October 2004 dubbed him “The Most Trusted Name in News.” In the Rolling Stone cover story, Stewart said, “We need a news organization that puts country over partisanship.” In his last week as host, Stewart compared a Republican presidential candidate forum to a scene from the popular Pixar movie “Toy Story.”

Looking back on Stewart’s 16-year run as host of The Daily Show, he challenged viewers “to think about politics and the press while laughing at the absurd. Whether advocating for legislation, challenging the powerful and political elite, or launching a new generation of comedians, Stewart had a vast impact on American culture.”

MSNBC prime time host Rachel Maddow praised Stewart by saying: “I think his work on The Daily Show at Comedy Central has made our country a better country. I think it has made politics more accountable. I think it has made the news media sharper and more self-conscious and ultimately better.”

On his very last show, Stewart’s parting words were matter-of-fact, bordering baffled anger. He expressed, “So I say to you, friends: The best defense against bullsh*t is vigilance. So if you smell something, say something.”

Credits: Photos by Michael Dickens © 2019. Videos courtesy of YouTube.com, Comedy Central.

The Two Popes: An unconventional buddy film

The Two Popes, director Fernando Meirelles’ (City of God) intimate story about one of the most dramatic transitions of power within the Catholic Church in the last 2,000 years, stars Jonathan Pryce as Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio and Academy Award-winning Anthony Hopkins as Pope Benedict XVI. It’s a biographical drama written by Anthony McCarten (The Theory of Everything), based on his 2017 play The Pope, and inspired by true ecclesiastical events.

The film debuted at the Telluride Film Festival last August and was also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. It’s scheduled for a limited U.S. release on November 27 and opens in the U.K. on November 29. Digital screening on Netflix begins December 20. Bryce Dessner of the band The National scored the soundtrack for the film.

Behind Vatican walls, this 125-minute film in English with a variety of subtitles (Latin, Spanish, Italian, French, Portuguese and German) portrays two very different men caught up in a struggle between tradition and progress, between guilt and forgiveness – and how each confront their past in order that they may find a common theological ground amidst political turmoil in the Catholic Church in which to forge a future for more than a billion worldwide followers.

We learn of the popular Argentinian Cardinal Bergoglio, a lover of both international football and tango – the future Pope Francis – who requests permission from Pope Benedict in 2012 to retire, doubting his ability to remain a “salesman” for Catholic values. This is happening at a time when the introspective Pope Benedict is facing scandal and self-doubt. So, he summons the man who is his harshest critic – and future successor – to come to Rome “to reveal a secret that would shake the foundations of the Catholic Church.”

While the film is historic fiction and focuses on a series of serious conversations about human understanding and fallibility – and through flashbacks, we learn much about Bergoglio’s Jesuit background and how he became a beloved figure in Argentina – there are moments of humor and surprise, none better than two popes sharing a pizza and a Fanta inside the Vatican while debating the future direction of the Catholic Church. Topical social and cultural subjects such as homosexuality, abortion, divorce, sexual abuse among priests, climate change and economic inequality are discussed – sometimes heatedly – between the two pontiffs.

Looking back, it didn’t bother me that much of what we see in this relevant film – the conversations between Benedict and Francis – is purely speculative and may not have actually happened, such as one the two share in a helicopter ride together.

Pope Benedict: “What is that plant?”
Cardinal Bergoglio: ”It’s oregano. Your gardener gave it to me.”
Pope Benedict: ”You’re very popular”
Cardinal Bergoglio: ”I just try to be myself.”
Pope Benedict: ”When I try to be myself, people don’t like me very much.”

Sure, Benedict was portrayed in the film as physically ailing and tired – “I cannot play this role anymore” – unable “to hear the voice of God.” While he is shown having a cordial relationship with the younger, more energetic and thoughtful bishop throughout the film, did he really pick Cardinal Bergoglio to be his chosen successor? Probably not. However, the friendship that is forged between the two seems genuine and both Hopkins and Pryce give tremendous acting performances in their respective roles. The visual direction (think Saint Peter’s Basilica and Square) is so very beautiful and stunning, especially the staging of the papal conclaves inside the Sistine Chapel that take place in the selection of both Pope Benedict and Pope Francis.

“Being Pope, you must remember you are not God,” Hopkins reminds Pryce. “You are only human.”

As one film critic recently suggested, “Like us, our spiritual leaders can be haunted by doubt and questions of belief. But it’s our humanity and differences that bring everybody together, sometimes over a World Cup match and beer.”

Credits: Cover photo – Courtesy Netflix. Videos – Courtesy YouTube.

“Stop Making Sense”: Same as it ever was ...

David Byrne once said that the goal of the Talking Heads’ 1984 documentary film Stop Making Sense was “to show how a concert gets made” even as it’s taking place. With an eye toward going to see the famous Talking Heads frontman star in David Byrne’s American Utopia on Broadway next month, I re-watched the 35-year-old, Stop Making Sense in its 88-minute entirety earlier this week. I’m happy to say that not only did this seminal movie directed by Jonathan Demme seem so quaint, but it perfectly captured the band’s enormous and joyous energy and multicultural sound.

For the uninitiated, the Talking Heads were a 1980s American rock band band that evolved from East Coast new wave and avant-garde to a funk and world music sensibility as their sound gained popularity and their clean-cut image became a part of our aural and visual comfort zone. As one critic once suggested, the Talking Heads sound “dissolved barriers between disco and rock, conceptual art and dance pop.” They were one of the most popular bands when I was a university student in the Upper Midwest and many of their songs were indeed staples on my college radio show’s playlists back in the day.

At the beginning of Stop Making Sense, from the moment Byrne walks out onto a bare Pantages Theater stage in Los Angeles wearing a grey suit and white docksider sneakers – slinging an acoustic guitar over his shoulder and toting a boombox – and says “Hi. I got a tape I want to play,” everything comes to life as he launches into a solo version of “Psycho Killer.” Then, song by song, the concert builds as additional members of the Talking Heads – bassist Tina Weymouth, drummer Chris Franz and guitarist/keyboardist Jerry Harrison – come out on stage, one at a time. Later, they are joined in the mix by guitarist Alex Weir, percussionist Steven Scales, keyboardist Bernie Worrell, and vocalists Ednah Holt and Lynn Mabry, all who contribute to the excitement of watching this great music documentary unfold and build to a delightful crescendo. Through it all, Byrne’s wide-eyed enthusiasm and his staccato-like dance moves – his appreciation for live performance art – are nothing short of memorable.

Stop Making Sense is a groundbreaking concert film that not only is packed with 16 of the Talking Heads’ most memorable songs (their excellent cover of Al Green’s “Take Me to the River,” “Life During Wartime,” “Heaven,” and “Burning Down the House” among many), but thanks to the wall-to-wall sound, wonderful cinematography and Byrne’s quirky and bodaciously-boxy “Big Suit,” it adds up to one of the best rock movies ever filmed.

I remember seeing Stop Making Sense for the first time shortly after it was released in the fall of 1984 in a downtown Minneapolis movie theater. Mind you, this was long before the internet and social media came along. However, if either had existed like today, no doubt I would have taken to Facebook or Twitter to share positive thoughts about Stop Making Sense and my word-of-mouth excitement. It’s still a timely reminder of music that sounds so good.

An afternoon of wine and words with Jancis Robinson

The British wine writer and critic Jancis Robinson has been described by Decanter magazine as “the most respected wine critic and journalist in the world.” She writes daily for her website, jancisrobinson.com, pens a weekly column for the Financial Times of London as well as a bi-monthly syndicated wine column.

Among the many wine-related subjects Robinson has explored and written about recently include: “Why is wine so expensive?” She explains: “Inflation is a worldwide phenomenon and it applies from the bottom to the top of the scale.”

Robinson is perhaps best known for her critically acclaimed wine reference books, including The Oxford Companion to Wine, and The World Atlas of Wine, which she co-wrote with Hugh Johnson. This fall, it published its 8th edition (and first since 2013). Although it weighs a ton, it’s an invaluable reference tool and a great companion read. One thing worth noting is The World Atlas of Wine is renowned for its superlative cartography. The 8th edition has – count ‘em – 230 “unique detailed” maps of the world’s wine landscape, “including specially created soil maps, helping readers to understand the link between the wines and their source.”

A New York Times review of The World Atlas of Wine stated: “The atlas is so good in so many ways, with concise sections on the history of wine, how it’s grown and made, climate change and how to store and serve wine. But the maps are the thing, along with the brilliant descriptions of terrain and terroir. A great way to learn about wine is to open bottles and read this book.”

Recently, I enjoyed a rainy, NFL-free Sunday afternoon at a Smithsonian Associates wine event in Washington, D.C., “Jancis Robinson and the Newest World Atlas of Wine.” It was time well spent – and that was before sampling the tasting menu!

Throughout Robinson’s 90-minute conversation with Washington Post wine columnist Dave McIntyre, I learned about wine’s newest regions and listened as Robinson discussed several oenology-related topics such as the recent changes in the global winescapes. She also spoke on the accelerating effects of climate change that’s forcing the wine industry to take decisive measures in which to counter or adapt to the shifts.

Later, Robinson led a tasting of selected 21st century wines from Uruguay (Albariño Bouza 2017), Cyprus (Tsiakkas Xinisteri 2018), Israel (Flam Classico 2017 and Sphera First Page 2018) and Virginia (Cabernet Franc Riserva 2014, Ramiisol). The local red from Virginia was enjoying its first public tasting and among wine drinkers attending, it proved to be a popular favorite.

Credits: Photos by Michael Dickens, © 2019.

On Tennis: ‘A Very Special Night’ for Ashleigh Barty Capped a Very Special Season

Ashleigh Barty made a bit of Tennis history Sunday evening at the Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen in southeastern China. The top-seeded Barty beat defending champion Elina Svitolina, 6-4, 6-3, before an enthusiastic, sold-out crowd inside Shenzhen Bay Tennis Centre and seen by a worldwide TV audience in the millions. At the end, she lifted the Billie Jean King Trophy and finished the year-end World No. 1.

For her achievement, Barty won more money – $4.42 million – than any male or female professional ever has in a single tennis tournament. And, the affable, 23-year old Aussie did so with a breathtaking performance that lasted a business-like one hour and 27 minutes to cap a most spectacular season.

“Bizarre, if I’m being complete honest. It feels like it’s been a year that just hasn’t stopped. It’s been a year of incredible ups and downs,” said Barty, who finished the WTA Finals 2-1 in her group (defeating Belinda Bencic and Petra Kvitova while losing only to Kiki Bertens) before toppling No. 2 seed Karolina Pliskova in the semifinals en route to reaching Sunday’s final. “ I think more ups than downs. To cap it off with a very, very special night tonight in Shenzhen is really cool.”

With her triumph, Barty becomes the first Australian since Evonne Goolagong Cawley in 1974 and 1976 to capture the WTA Finals title and only the fifth player to win the tournament in her debut. The Queenslander has single-handily put Australian women’s tennis back on the map.

Against Svitolina, whom she came into the final with an 0-5 win-loss record in career head-to-heads, Barty took advantage of most – if not all – of her opportunities. She won close to 50 percent of her return points, broke Svitolina four times in eight tries – including three in the 10th game, finally hitting a forehand return winner on her third opportunity to win the opening set. The second set was characterized by five service breaks in the first eight games, which gave Barty a chance to serve for the match at 5-3. She closed it out at love.

On a night in which Svitolina managed to place only 55 percent of her first serves in play, the Ukrainian managed just two service aces after hitting a career-high 16 against Bencic a day earlier in the semifinals. “I missed just little bit of my chances and that’s what made the difference,” Svitolina said during her press conference.

As both players awaited the start of the awards ceremony, it was very evident from their facial expressions who had won and who came up short. Barty sat quietly and patiently, grinning from ear to ear, while Svitolina bore a look of total disappointment and fidgeted with her smartphone.

“For me, each time I stop on court I want to win. There is no other way. I want to win, doesn’t matter what tournament it is,” Svitolina recently told the WTA Insider. “Since I’ve been on the WTA Tour, I’ve won a title every year. I got a little bit spoiled, maybe.”

Although she will finish the year ranked No. 6 in the world, Svitolina did not win any WTA titles despite reaching the semifinals of both Wimbledon and the US Open as well as at Doha, Dubai and Indian Wells.

When Barty was asked during her final Shenzhen press conference to describe her breakthrough win against Svitolina, she said: “Tonight it felt like it was a lot more clear, a lot more concise from my end. I took my opportunities when I got them. (The forehand) was a side that I wanted to try to get into tonight. I think it was important for me to move forward, then to try to bring Elina in a few times as well, which worked really well.”

Barty was equally effective against Svitolina on the slow court, whether drawing her in toward the net with her deceptive drop shots and backhand slice – or from deeper back ripping forehand winners from the baseline.

Hall of Famer Lindsay Davenport, who won the 1999 WTA Finals title and commented on the final for Tennis Channel in the U.S., said: “Barty stayed so composed throughout the entire match. There were parts of the match where her game, her forehand, left her – her biggest shot.

“You never saw any reaction from Barty. She just kept her head down and kept going to work – especially down the stretch. She was the more solid player and it was Svitolina who cracked.”

Barty reflected positively on her success, saying: “To come through a week like this, you have to beat the best of the best. It takes me back to some memories in Miami where I felt I did that for the first time, beating back-to-back Top 10 players, having that really consistent week. I’ve grown and developed so much since that fortnight in Miami. To be able to bounce back after the disappointment after my match with Kiki was really important.”

Looking back, Barty finished the season with the most wins on tour (56), the most Top 10 wins (12) and tied with Pliskova for the most titles won on tour (4). She won titles on every surface. Of the nine biggest titles in women’s tennis, Barty won three of them – Roland Garros (Grand Slam), the Miami Open (Premier Mandatory) and the WTA Finals. She became the first Australian woman ranked No. 1 since Goolagong Cawley in 1976.

Also, Barty became the first player in the 44-year history of the WTA rankings to become year-end World No. 1 after finishing the previous season outside the Top 10. She rose from a 2018 year-end ranking of No. 15 to finish 2019 at No. 1 by playing in just 15 tournaments. Not bad for someone who was ranked No. 315 at the end of 2016 after taking a gap year to leave tennis for professional cricket.

“To be able to call myself the year-end world No. 1 singles player is one of the proudest moments of my career,” said Barty, as quoted by the WTA Tour website. She gave props to her coach, Craig Tyzzer, who has guided her since her return to tennis and leads her support team that includes her mental coach, Ben Crowe. “This achievement is truly a team effort, and I would not be receiving this honor  or had the best season of my life without the people around me who have supported me on this incredible journey.”

With little time to celebrate, it’s back to Australia for Barty, where she will anchor Team Australia in the Fed Cup finals against France this weekend in Perth.

“There’s one more very important week to cap off what would be the most perfect year,” said Barty. “This Fed Cup final is something I’ve been looking forward to for a long time.

“Playing for your country, for myself to play in front of my friends and family, representing Australia, wearing the green and gold. There’s absolutely nothing better.”

Credits: A version of this story originally appeared in Tennis-TourTalk.com. Photo: Courtesy of Ashleigh Barty Twitter page. Videos: Courtesy of YouTube and WTA Tour.

On baseball: An unlikely World Series journey

What an unbelievable and unlikely baseball journey it’s been for my adopted (hometown) team, the Washington Nationals. A week ago, at 11:08 p.m. Eastern Time, the Nationals completed a four-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals to win the 2019 National League Championship Series. After beating the Milwaukee Brewers in a winner-take-all Wild Card game, then prevailing over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Division Series, the Nationals captured the team’s first pennant in its brief history since the franchise grew out of the defunct Montreal Expos after moving to Washington, D.C. in 2005. It’s been a time to remember.

Not since the days of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1933 has there been a World Series played in the nation’s capital city. It involved the original Washington Senators, who played their games at the long-since-torn down Griffith Stadium in the Shaw neighborhood, near Howard University. Those Senators left town three decades later and are now the Minnesota Twins. Then, a second Washington Senators franchise arrived in 1961 and promptly left town in 1972 to become the Texas Rangers.

In 1904, the Senators were playing so poorly that well-known baseball writer and humorist Charles Dryden famously wrote: “Washington – first in war, first in peace, last in the American League.”

Finally, Washington’s baseball fortunes all changed a week ago on October 15.

⚾️ Prize least expected.

⚾️ Pop the corks. Raise the pennant.

⚾️ Improbable team.

Now, the Nationals will face the mighty Houston Astros in the 2019 World Series starting tonight. Pretty good for a Nationals team that was 19-31 on May 23 and seemed hopeless. The team wasn’t hitting in the clutch, it wasn’t pitching effectively, it wasn’t fielding particularly well. The team’s manager, Dave Martinez, was on the verge of being fired.

Then, the team started winning – and people started paying attention.

“Since baseball time is measured only in outs,” the esteemed longtime New Yorker baseball writer Roger Angell wrote in The Summer Game, “all you have to do is succeed utterly; keep hitting, keep the rally alive, and you have defeated time. You remain forever young.”

While I’ve long been a fan of the San Francisco Giants from living 21-plus years in the San Francisco Bay Area before moving to suburban Maryland two years ago, I’ve (finally) begun taking an interest in the Nationals, too. After all, Nationals Park is only 6.5 miles from our home just across the District line – and I’ve been a baseball fan all my life.

As longtime Washington Post national baseball columnist Thomas Boswell, who’s been around the nation’s capital city writing about baseball through good times and bad – mostly bad – wrote upon the Nationals’ pennant-clinching victory over the Cardinals: “What the Washington Nationals have done this season is like going into your backyard with a spade to plant petunias and, instead, striking oil.

“Their appointment with the World Series, just 14 days after facing elimination in the wild-card game, is like spilling water on Grandma’s painting of an old farm house and finding out she had painted over a still-pristine Picasso.”

Last week’s Game 4 pennant-clinching victory over the Cardinals – another “Curly W in the books” as the team’s radio play-by-play broadcaster Charlie Slowes bellowed in a celebratory tone across the air waves – was part comedy, part horror show. But in the end, the Nationals won 7-4. Indeed, as NLCS MVP Howie Kendrick of the Nationals said, “Some of the best things come from the unexpected moments.” Indeed, they do. How else do you explain the “Baby Shark” phenomenon that’s unified the Nationals and rallied their fan base? I witnessed good fortunes for the Giants in 2010, 2012, and 2014. Maybe, good fortunes will come to the Nationals, too.

So, I say: “Congratulations to the Nationals and good luck!

#STAYINTHEFIGHT

A World Series postscript:

The Washington Nationals won their first World Series title on Wednesday, October 30. They beat the Houston Astros 6-2 in the decisive Game 7 of the best-of-7 series and won the series four games to three. It brought the city of Washington its first World Series title in 95 years.

⚾️ Can you believe it?

⚾️ World Series Curly W!

⚾️ A great victory.

#FIGHTFINISHED

Photo: Courtesy of Google Images.