The Washington Times
  • Subscribe
  • Times News Services
  • RSS
  • Mobile Headlines
  • e-edition
  • E-MAIL ALERTS
  • REGISTER
  • LOG IN
  • E-MAIL ALERTS
  • WELCOME
  • Your Profile
  • Log Out
  • Front Page Image
  • Classifieds
  • Autos
  • Real Estate
  • Jobs
  • Special Sections
  • Customer Service
  • Home
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Sports
    • NFL
    • NBA/WNBA
    • MLB
    • NHL
    • Tennis
    • Golf
    • Motorsports
    • Soccer
    • NCAA
    • Olympics
    • Outdoors
    • Other
  • Culture
    • Home & Living
    • Family & Kids
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Health
    • Washington Visitors
    • Books
    • Military History
    • Life
    • Auto
    • TV Listings
    • Movie Listings
    • Death Notices
    • Entertainment
  • Themes
  • Communities
  • Marketplace
    • Autos
    • Jobs
    • Real Estate
    • Classifieds
    • Shopping
    • Dining Out
    • Education
    • TWT Store
  • Videos
    • Two Guys
    • Birnbaum on Washington
    • Liz Glover
    • Amanda Carpenter
    • Morning Briefing
    • Documentaries
    • Joe Giganti
    • Video Game Minute
  • Podcasts
    • About Headlines
    • Audio and Radio
    • America's Morning News
  • Sports

    Redskins still going south

  • Sports

    MMQB: It's safe to lay blame on Landry

  • Sports

    Redskins Insider: Being upfront about offense

  • Sports

    Knott: Not taking a pass at working together

  • Sports

    Offense erupts in Caps' victory

Home » Sports

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Troubles over for Haas

Rate this story

Average 0.00
after 0 votes
Login or register to rate this story

Veteran beats rival Mahut

  • Font Size -+
  • Print
  • Email
  • Comment
  • Tweet this!
  • Share
  • Article
  • Comments ()
  • Click-2-Listen
  • Videos
Please stand by, images loading!
  • Joseph Silverman/The Washington Times
Tommy Haas overpowered Nicolas Mahut in the final set, winning 94 percent of service points.

More Sports Stories

  • Redskins' Hall heated after scrum
  • Wizards 'out of gas,' lose fourth straight
  • Officially charged with a difficult task
  • Terps will try in trying times

By Harlan Goode

Tommy Haas removed his white hat and began launching backhands into the crowd. The sun was setting, and a cool breeze was blowing through William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center. Haas had defeated nemesis Nicolas Mahut.

Haas avoided a third loss to the Frenchman with a 7-6 (4), 6-3 victory in the Legg Mason Tennis Classic on Wednesday night.

"It feels good, definitely," a relieved Haas said. "I was really looking forward to this match."

Haas blew a 5-3 advantage in the first set but collected himself in the tiebreaker, finishing Mahut with a forceful cross-court forehand. He overpowered his lanky opponent in the final set, winning 94 percent of his service points.

"I am pretty happy with my game as of now," Haas said. "I am feeling pretty good from the baseline, and in my returns today, I was seeing the ball pretty clear."

Until his two fated meetings with Mahut, Haas' antagonists have been largely nebulous.

Ever since his prodigious backhand landed him a spot at the Nick Bollettieri Academy at the age of 11, Haas has been regarded as one of the most talented players on the tour. But accidents, ailments and injuries have prevented the 30-year-old German from capturing a Grand Slam.

By the time Haas turned pro in 1996, he already had broken both ankles.

After capturing a silver medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and rising to the No. 2 in the world in 2001, Haas was forced to put his career on hold after his parents were hit by a truck while riding the Harley Davidson that Haas had bought for his father, Peter. The young star sat by his father's bedside for six months, then took his turn in the recovery room after injuring his shoulder later in the year.

Back at full strength in 2004, Haas won a pair of singles titles and was named ATP comeback player of the year.

After cramps knocked him out of the 2006 U.S. Open and a torn abdominal muscle forced him to pull out day before facing Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2007, Haas thought he had seen - and felt - it all. Then things took a turn for the bizarre.

Midway through a 2007 Davis Cup semifinals match, Haas left the court with what he thought was a routine stomach bug. Then a conspiracy theory developed that someone had slipped something sickening into Haas' drink. By the time an International Tennis Federation investigation tested him eight weeks later, it was too late to prove anything.

"If there was something, who knows," Haas said. "I'll tell you one thing, I was as sick as a dog as I ever have been."

So far, 2008 has been relatively pain, stress and freak accident-free. Haas reached the quarterfinals at the ATP Masters Series Indian Wells in March and again in Indianapolis in June.

Haas said his early exit from last week's Countrywide Classic in Los Angeles - a 6-2, 6-4 loss to Donald Young - was due to more benign distractions.

"L.A. has become like my second home because my girlfriend [actress Sara Foster] lives there," said Haas, who normally resides in Bradenton, Fla. "A lot of her friends came to watch, so I got a little bit nervous. I don't know why."

Apparently, hitting his backhand is harder for Haas with a group of blonde bombshells cheering his name from the stands.

With Mahut defeated and Foster in Los Angeles, Haas can focus on winning in the District.

"I do really enjoy coming here, playing here," said Haas, who has twice advanced to the Legg Mason quarterfinals and will face Alejandro Falla in the third round. "I love to see [the District]. It reminds me a lot of a nice European city, and the stadium has such a good atmosphere."

[Get Copyright Permissions] Click here for reprint permissions!
Copyright 2009 The Washington Times, LLC

Post a comment

There are comments on this article, submit your opinion!

Please login or register to post a comment

Ask a Question

You Report

Do you have another point of view, photos, audio, video or more information about a story?

Top Stories

Most Read

  1. EXCLUSIVE: Rare virus poses new threat to troops
  2. Parents buying homes for kids at college
  3. EDITORIAL: Too scared to recognize terrorism
  4. Inside the Beltway
  5. House OKs health reform bill
More Top Stories »
  1. Sniper's ex-wife speaks out on abuse
  2. Annandale man killed in hit-and-run
  3. Aborted fetus cells used in beauty creams
  4. Sunshine vitamin stirs new debate
  5. PRUDEN: Corpse sits up, gets nice salute

Most Shared

  1. EXCLUSIVE: Rare virus poses new threat to troops
  2. Parents buying homes for kids at college
  3. EDITORIAL: Too scared to recognize terrorism
  4. Sunshine vitamin stirs new debate
  5. EDITORIAL: President Obama causes more unemployment
More Top Stories »
  1. The enemy at home
  2. Patent case goes to Supreme Court
  3. PRUDEN: Corpse sits up, gets nice salute
  4. EDITORIAL: Mr. Obama, stay away from this wall
  5. Choosing fantasy or facts

Most Commented

  1. House OKs health reform bill
  2. EDITORIAL: Too scared to recognize terrorism
  3. Army chief wary of backlash against Muslim soldiers
  4. EDITORIAL: Mr. Obama, stay away from this wall
  5. Obama praises those who ended Fort Hood violence
More Top Stories »
  1. Health bill faces roadblocks in Senate
  2. Obama: It's Senate's turn on health care
  3. Israelis unsure of U.S. support
  4. Obama urges House to pass health care bill
  5. Lieberman vows probe of Hood rampage

Listen to Washington Times Radio

  • America's Morning News

    with John McCaslin and Melanie Morgan

Question of the day

Which was the Redskins' worst loss of the first half of the season?

Blogs & Columns

  • Redskins 360

    Zorn: Horton out at least four weeks

  • Chatter

    Strasburg named AFL pitcher of the week

  • D1SCOURSE

    Terps' Smith again ACC specialist of the week

  • Lovey Land

    Nationals should go shopping when players go on the market

  • SportsBiz

    World Series and marketing

  • Blog FC

    CSN interview with Soehn

  • In The Room

    Nylander's time with Caps could be over

  • Outlet

    Suns 102, Wizards 90

  • Daly OT

    What to do about Johnny Damon

  • Post-Up

    Langhorne, Harding heading to Russia with national team

  • Inside Outside

    The urge to cheat can be overpowering for some

  • National Pastime

    AFL Orioles - Week 4

Videos

Advertising Links
TWT Store
  • e-edition
  • Print Edition
  • Weekly Washington Times
TWT Affiliates
  • Middle East Times
  • Golf
  • UPI
  • Arbor Ballroom
  • Washington Times Global
  • About TWT
  • Press Room
  • F.A.Q.
  • Work for TWT
  • Advertise
  • Sponsors
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Site Map

All site contents © Copyright 2009 The Washington Times, LLC.