What does Channel Nine's tennis whisperer Jim Courier think of what's unfolding in men's tennis?
The state of the game
THAT JIM COURIER ever gets criticised, by anyone, for his tennis commentary is proof of one thing only: you can never please everybody. Because what’s not to like about Courier with a microphone? He knows tennis inside-out, is forthright but never unkind, speaks with authority without arrogance – and never for the sake of it. Commentary for Courier is not just words, words, words. It is compassion. It’s insight. It’s illumination. That the voice is familiar and engaging, a Floridian melody, is icing.
Many readers will remember him as a player – a champion who won four major titles (two Australian Opens, two at Roland-Garros between 1991-93) and was world No. 1 for 58 weeks. A graduate of the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy, he was an absurdly fit, hypercompetitive force of nature with one of the all-time great forehands and a penchant for idiosyncratic celebration: he jumped into Melbourne’s Yarra River after both his AO triumphs. Anytime you watched a Courier match, you saw what ‘bleeding to win’ means.
By today’s standards, the end came early: Courier was just 29 when he left the stage to his great contemporaries, like Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, and shortly before the emergence of the Big Three. As far as he went as a player, you could mount a case that it’s in his second career, in the commentary booth, that he’s truly found his calling. Esquire asked him 12 questions.
Esquire: How do you assess Novak Djokovic’s chances of winning another grand slam title before he retires?
Jim Courier: Novak has a chance to win more majors, but with every major that passes, it gets tougher and tougher for his body to hold up. There’s also the inevitable decline in footspeed that he has fought better than just about anyone so far.
Djokovic’s hardcourt record is second to none, all time. But what’s your read on why he’s been relatively more successful at the Australian Open (10 titles) compared to the US Open (four titles)?
I think the night-match aspect at the Australian Open and his affinity for playing under the lights increased his chances over the years in Melbourne. He was able to avoid a lot of the incredibly hot days, when fatigue can level the playing field.
It seems as though the issue of a jam-packed tennis calendar – too long a season, with virtually no off-season – is reaching boiling point. Do you think trouble, maybe some form of player revolt, is looming? And what would be the Courier remedy?
Players are starting to raise their voices more on this topic. They must be willing to create breaks in their own schedules by selectively missing mandatory tournaments. They are independent contractors and need to take a little more ownership of their schedules at times. And if that means skipping a tournament and making less of the bonus-pool money as a penalty, they need to do that. Federer was a master of this as his career went on.
What would you say to the contention that the standard of play in Sinner-Alcaraz matches has exceeded what we saw in the era of Federer-Nadal-Djokovic?
The level that the New Two, Sinner and Alcaraz, are playing would certainly allow them to be competitive with the Big Three’s level at their peak.
In Sinner and Alcaraz, tennis has two new potential all-time greats – just like that! Can you look at them and say, ‘I think this guy, long term, is going to be the more successful of the two’?
I couldn’t say who will have a more successful career. I think health is going to be such a huge part of the answer to that – and that’s unknowable. The only thing I do know is I am going to enjoy the show they put on for as long as we’re lucky enough to watch them.
Returning to Djokovic, do you think the Australian Open or Wimbledon represents his best chance of winning major title No. 25?
I think Wimbledon is his best chance. The fact is there are fewer players who know how to play well on the grass compared to hard courts, so he is less vulnerable in the early rounds than he could be in Melbourne next month.
Alex de Minaur is tormented by his failure, thus far, to get past the quarter finals at a major. If you had his ear, how would you advise him?
Alex is looking for his first semifinal at a major and that time is coming soon. He needs just to keep his head down, commit to simplifying his mental outlook in quarterfinals and treat those matches like they’re any other round in the tournament. He’ll get there.
Who do you think are the one or two players most likely to prevent a Sinner-Alcaraz final?
I’d say Djokovic. And [I would have said British world No.10 Jack] Draper to be the ones to get in the way of the fourth consecutive major final between Sinner and Alcaraz.
Outside of the current top 20, who do you see as being the most exciting player on the ATP tour?
[Brazilian 19-year-old] Joao Fonseca [currently the world No. 24] is incredibly exciting. The highest-ranked teen has huge weapons, charisma and a massive Brazilian fan base that will be in full voice in Australia when he plays.
You’ve been coming to the Australian Open to work for a local broadcaster – Seven and, more recently, Nine – for 20 years. We hope you keep coming for another 20 years. How have your perceptions of Australia and Australians changed over this period?
It’s been a privilege to work for Channel Seven and Nine at the AO over the years. Bruce McAvaney is a legend and what a thrill it was to learn from him. Now I get to sit with two of the best tennis minds in the world in Lleyton Hewitt and Todd Woodbridge on many of the big matches for Channel Nine. The Australian people have been so welcoming to me, and I do feel like an honorary Aussie when I’m in Melbourne.
Who wins the men’s final at the Australian Open and why?
Sinner over Alcaraz is the easy pick because Jannik loves the faster conditions a bit more.
As a former great who’s watched elite tennis up close as an analyst for more than two decades, how have your observations over the years affected the way you reflect on your own playing days? I know you couldn’t possibly have thought, I should have worked harder! But have you had other epiphanies?
I look back on my time as a player with a mixture of gratitude and wonder that I used to be able to do the things, both on and off the court, that a top pro player does. I had a high capacity for suffering physically to reach peak fitness – something I left behind when I retired from playing.
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