Pronouncing Foreign Names

       A major tennis tournament is ending today in Australia.  Many more countries send competitors than in former years; what a challenge it is for those not from the player’s country to pronounce the names.  At a recent tournament I jotted these notes:
 
    Today Jankovich played Palyuchenkova.  That second name has six syllables, PAL-ee-you-CHENGK-o-vuh.
    I always get mixed up between Cilic and Lubicic, pronounced CHILL-itch and L’YOU-bih-chitch.  Federer finally beat Cilic today in a hard-fought match, and only after it was over did I realize I’d been thinking Cilic was Lubicic.
    Tipsarevic won a match I didn’t see.  His name is pronounced tip-SAHR-uh-vitch or tip-suh-RAY-vitch--I don’t know which.