Tennis mailbag, with CNN's Candy Reid
(CNN) -- Do you have a question about tennis for World Sport Anchor Candy Reid? E-mail candy@cnn.com.
Q. Hi Candy. Serena Williams pulled out of her Dubai Open semi-final, blaming the ball for her injury. Tell me if Serena has a point or is she just being her usual "ungracious self" and making excuses instead of congratulating her opponent and accepting defeat. Even when she wins she is still very ungracious. Always making out like it could have been a better victory if she wasn't playing under stress from one mysterious ailment or the other.
Regards, Tony, Nigeria.
A. Tony, I agree that Serena is not always the most gracious loser but there aren't too many on the women's tour that are (Kim Clijsters and Lindsay Davenport being the obvious exceptions.) I often hear both Serena and Venus saying after they have lost a match "well she played well ... but I was absolutely awful" or something to that effect. I'm sure these kinds of things are said because even though they know their opponent played well, saying it out loud may give that player extra confidence next time they meet. However, there's no doubt Serena was struggling with an arm injury during that match and the heaviness of the balls may well have been to blame. If you strike it late or not quite on the 'sweet spot' a heavy ball (or a ball which is wet) can cause all kinds of problems.
Q. Hey Candy! I actually saw you play for the University of Tennessee back in the day. My question is about Andy Roddick. I think his game is too one-dimensional for him to add to his major haul. He has a big serve but not much else to rely on. To me he's just another Ivanisevic or Philippoussis. If an opponent like Safin or Hewitt can withstand his big serve, Roddick doesn't have a "Plan B" and will likely lose. I feel his BH and net play needs work for him to truly be one of the best. Your thoughts?
Nick Keller, Dallas, Texas
A. Well Nick, I think Andy would agree that his backhand and volley need to improve for him to grab a few more grand-slams. And it's obvious he's been working on both. He's been getting up to the net a lot more recently and with that serve why not? If he can win a few more easy points then it's going to help him in the majors which of course require you to win 7 matches to be the champ. Okay, so his backhand may not be the weapon his forehand is, but he's using the slice much more now to change it up and if he can improve his backhand down the line and turn it in to a winning shot then more trophies will be hitting him on the head! I believe he has a better all-around game than both Ivanisevic and Philippoussis and that reflects in his ranking and the fact that he's very consistent. I can't remember the last time that Roddick lost in the first round of a tournament. Can you?
Q. Who (overall) has been the most consistent female player over the last 3 years?
Sowari Wilcox
A. Hmmm, tough one Sowari. I'd have to say Lindsay Davenport. Alright she hasn't won a Grand-Slam in over five years now but she's got to at least the 4th round in every Major she's played in since 2002. She's also won 9 tournaments in that time and has played in countless finals. Perhaps though, she wins by default -- so many of the other top players have been forced to take time off through injury and/or illness in the past few years.
Q. Candy, why does Roy Emerson get no respect from the media or tennis fans when talking about the best players of all time? He won 12 majors, including the career Grand Slam twice over. I'm too young to have seen Emerson play but it sound like he was unstoppable.
Bradley Smith, Columbus, OH
A. Well Bradley, I suppose it's because Emerson's last major win came in 19-67 and so many tennis fans like you didn't get the opportunity to see him in action. His name, in fact, only really came up when Pete Sampras was close to breaking his Grand-Slam record in 2000.
Q. Hi Candy my name is Camilia and I'm from Espoo, Finland. I'm a huge Daniela Hantuchova fan. What do you think of her recent form and will she be able to get back into the top 10?
A. It's great to see Hantuchova winning again and looking healthy and happy on court Camilia. She certainly is one of the most graceful players on tour. However, I don't think she's going to get back to her 2002 heights when she got into the top 10. She's a top 20 player in my opinion, and definitely capable of beating some big names from time to time.
