Mark Gladwin

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Mark Gladwin
92093675.jpg
Place of Birth
Stastny, Kaber Province
Height/Weight
6'1" / 201 pounds
Plays
Right, one-handed backhand
Singles Record
212-78

Personal Life

Mark Gladwin was born in Holy Mother Hospital, London, to Jerry, an esteemed athletics coach at Carson City University, and Alison Schaefer, a mathematics teacher at Wilson High School in London; Mark grew up mostly on the CCU campus, and attended Wilson, but chose not to continue into traditional tertiary education, instead attending the Morton Tennis Academy. He can speak passable French from his secondary education, and displayed some knowledge of Pacitalian when greeting a group of Pacitalian players on a world tour – the home team won out eventually, four matches to three – and is able to field questions in either language.

He previously had problems with his temperament while playing, occasionally being forced to leave the court in the middle of matches or practises after arguing with officials and other players; at twelve, he hit his opponent in the back of the head with a serve, then punched him as a result of something his opponent said. Eventually, he was asked to see a psychiatrist because of his anger problems – his parents were concerned it would hurt his chances of a promising career in the sport – but channelled the anger into martial arts prowess; as of 2007, he holds a red belt in Tho Fan and is working on his Thai boxing.

He is a keen follower of sport other than tennis, and displays his allegiances freely. He supports the Carson City Kings professional and the CCU Warriors college ice hockey teams, based on growing up on the university campus, as well as the London Lions gridiron squad; he is a personal friend of Rob Shields, the London Knights goaltender, which creates a certain conflict when the Kings and the Knights face off. He also supports an amateur hockey club financially, the Grunberg Golden Geese (so named for their birthplace and home ice, Grunberg Memorial Park in the heart of London), and sometimes practises and plays alongside them when his schedule is free. When not on the court, Gladwin lives in his home on the Ikaneban coast, where his hobbies include chess and playing card games, particularly poker – which, by his own admission, he is not good at – as well as playing with his dog, a St. Bernard named Bernard.

In an interview with the Sportsman in July 2005, he confirmed the rumours that he was dating artist and photographer Alice Cameron after the two were spotted enjoying intimate dates at a number of upmarket restaurants across the nation. Cameron was revealed to be pregnant in March 2006, but she later had a miscarriage; shortly after, it emerged that Gladwin had cheated on his girlfriend a number of times, mostly while on tour overseas. He has also been noted for being arrogant about his star status, frequently refusing to sign autographs and acting like a prima donna after poor performances, and was sued in May 2006 by the mother of a pair of children who alleged that Gladwin not only refused to sign her sons’ shirts, but took the shirts and threw them in a nearby bin. The case was thrown out in short order, with the mother ordered to pay the court fees, but the damage was done.

Coaches

From the age of eight to sixteen, Gladwin trained and played at the Cedar Falls Tennis Club, under the tutelage of Jason Dexter – they also participated in a number of doubles tournaments together – before moving on to the Morton Tennis Academy. Despite the good pedigree of the Academy, both in coaching and among students – in his final year, he played with then-freshman Craig Brewer – he claims to have disliked his time there. In an interview with the Sportsman in 2003, he explained “[the coaches] were only interested in papering over weaknesses and I was told not to bother trying a backhand at all at some points.”

After leaving the Academy and turning pro, Gladwin joined the stable of established coach Gordon Holcombe and immediately felt the effects, placing third in the inaugural Samson Cup (losing to eventual winner Izzy Farrell) and beating Marty Malone in a five-set thriller to win the Raycast Open in January 2001. This was an interesting shift in the dynamics, since Gladwin was no longer his coach’s “star man” – ranked 39th, he had to share attention with Sam Alden, the reigning All-Nation Open champion and 1st in the nation. It was Alden’s influence that actually lead to Gladwin’s latest coaching shift, as following his defeat in the 2001 All-Nation Open, Alden organised a new schedule with Holcombe that effectively forced Gladwin out. This led him to Terry Gleason, who had been recommended by his father, and this partnership stuck.

Playing Style

Gladwin's style favours his strong serve and powerful forehand, and his game is frequently tailored towards breaking his opponent's serve and making the most of the "free points" he generates through his numerous aces and good return game. During his early years, his backhand - both volley and return - was far weaker than his forehand, which created problems for him when he faced accurate opponents who could force him to move. At the same time, his stamina was often lacking, meaning the majority of his points came in short, sharp rounds, whereas longer rounds usually result in him making sloppy mistakes and losing points. However, greater experience helped Gladwin develop the more maligned areas of his game; he credits current coach Terry Gleason with the development of his backhand that culminated in his 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 victory over second seed Howie Davenport in the 2006 Islands Open, and his father with improving his stamina and speed.

Gladwin's most effective tactic is also his most common - he serves inside the box at a tight angle, relying on the power of the serve to force the opponent into a hasty return, then replies with a forehand smash or volley, depending on the opponent's position, to win the point. Despite being the worst-kept secret in professional tennis, the technique has continued to work because, in the famous words of Brandon Hill, "it's bloody impossible to defend". Through diligent practise, Gladwin has perfected his aggressive baseline style and stance to the point where his fundamentals are next to perfect; there are still areas that need to be polished, in particular his killer instinct (or, more accurately, lack of it) and accuracy issues on the return, but little else is necessary. He is very much a hard court specialist, having played on hard courts for most of his life and favouring the allowance of concrete surfaces for unreturnable shots and aces.

Equipment

Originally, Gladwin’s racket of choice was a Turris X120 in green and black – his colours – but after signing a sponsorship deal with Fann Sporting Suppliers, he has since used their equipment, starting with a Fann Sabre-3 then moving to a Fann Claymore in 2005. He also frequently wears the number 44 along with his name on the back of his shirt, in a tribute to his beginning at Cedar Falls Tennis Club; this is a practise which has become much-imitated since 2001, in particular by Ivan Fesenko, the national #4, who wears the number 12 like his father, Igor, the famous former defenseman of the Triela Ravens.