Forty Deuce

Pic This: Adorbz.

Fröhliche Weihnachten, from the Federers.

So...Justine Really Wants To Win Wimbledon.

In case you were wondering. Nice profile, though.

"She's A Maaaaaaniac, Maaaaaaniac On The Floor. And She's Dancin' Like She's Never Danced Before..."

"Did you eat a lot of paint chips when you were a kid?"

I Love Anne Keothavong.

That's all really.

In good news, Anne will be returning from injury for Great Britain's Fed Cup tie in Lisbon in February.

I'm An American So I Can Say This: We Do Not Play Nice In The Sandbox.

Primarily because we suck at it.

Serbia has wisely chosen indoor clay for their Fed Cup tie against The Sockless Dick-Blah Brothers.  Pretty sure that indoor court is going to be nice and damp, too.  

Ajde, motherfuckers.

Oh Look. A Boring Guy Wearing A Boring Kit. Awesome.

Seriously, what is up with Adidas?  First they recycle Dinara's 08 kit for Dani, then they put Fer in that godawful collared 80's kit, and now they recycle the blue Fred Perry 09 kit and somehow make it look like puke. 

 

AND FOR FUCK'S SAKE, STOP WITH THE COLLARS.

I'm so angry I can't deal with this right now.

You Know, Because This Worked So Well Last Year.

Apparently Jo has signed on to switch from his trusty Wilson racquet to Babolat.  This is a *huge* change and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't completely confuzzled by this move. 

Anyone who plays tennis and and has play-tested racquets knows that of all the major manufacturers, Babolat is the most unique in the way that the racquet plays.  In my experience, you either *really* love Babolats from the first few swings or you don't.  Typically, players who use Babolats like it for the control and amount of spin it can maintain, e.g., Rafa, Caro, A-Rod, and Kim.  It's not really a power racquet.  In fact, when I play-tested it, the ball completely flew on me because I tend to hit flat.  More importantly, it's a racquet that can take a long time to get used to.  You usually start using it from a young age. 

For a player that hits as flat as Jo does and who relies on his volleys, this is really curious.  Much more curious than Nole's move from Wilson to Head or Ana's move from Wilson to Yonex.  This sticks, generally, aren't radically different.  Obviously I'm sure he tested it for a good amount of time, but still.  I don't know.

Augh.  I'm worried.  Very very worried.

Best/Worst: What Do We Know, Really.

This week, Brodie, the man behind Mind the Racket, joins in as we continue our year-end wrap up by discussing the best and worst student/coaching relationships, our favorite tennis journalists and bloggers, and things that would or would not surprise us in 2010.  

And I force everyone to stroke my ego by discussing their favorite FD Posts.  I think you can hear my awkward squirming.  I'll post the links in the comments.

The Podcast will be off next week as we all enjoy the holidays with our families.  But we'll return with one more podcast before 2010 where, as promised in the podcast, we're going to play Marry/Boff/Kill.

Please weigh in with your own thoughts on our categories in the comments. 

FD Podcast #11: Oi to the World

Finals Week

Tennis Channel is reairing 2009's Grand Slam finals starting December 21.  Check out the rankings for the men's finals.  Geez, SOMEONE hates it when Fed loses, huh?

Whatever.

#8 – 2009 French Open Women’s Final: (Dec 21 @ 7 pm ET)
Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Dinara Safina (6-4, 6-2)

#7 – 2009 Australian Open Women’s Final: (Dec 22 @ 7 pm ET)
Serena Williams def. Dinara Safina (6-3, 6-0)

#6 – 2009 US Open Women’s Final: (Dec 23 @ 7 pm ET)
Kim Clijsters def. Caroline Wozniacki (7-5, 6-3)

#5 – 2009 Wimbledon Women’s Final: (Dec 24 @ 7 pm ET)
Serena Williams def. Venus Williams (7-6, 6-2)

#4 – 2009 US Open Men’s Final: (Dec 25 @ 7 pm ET)
Juan Martin Del Potro def. Roger Federer (3-6, 7-6, 4-6, 7-6, 6-2)

#3 – 2009 Australian Open Men’s Final: (Dec 26 @ 7 pm ET)
Rafael Nadal def. Roger Federer (7-5, 3-6, 7-6, 3-6, 6-2)

#2 – 2009 French Open Men’s Final: (Dec 27 @ 7 pm ET)
Roger Federer def. Robin Soderling (6-1, 7-6, 6-4)

#1 – 2009 Wimbledon Men’s Final: (Dec 28 @ 7 pm ET)
Roger Federer def. Andy Roddick (5-7, 7-6, 7-6, 3-6, 16-14)

Out of Trouble

Reeshard has been officially cleared by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which dismissed WADA and the ITF's appeals. 

The court accepted Gasquet's claim that he inadvertently consumed cocaine by kissing the woman in a Miami club hours after withdrawing injured from a tournament in March.

"It was impossible for the player, even when exercising the utmost caution, to know that in kissing a woman who he had met in a totally unsuspicious environment, he could be contaminated with cocaine," the court said in a statement.

A CAS panel of three lawyers said the quantity of the drug in Gasquet's urine test was "minute" and the 23-year-old Frenchman was "clearly not a regular cocaine user."

"The possibility of contamination became the most plausible explanation," CAS said.

The verdict was greeted with dismay by WADA and the ITF, the sport's world governing body.

"WADA considered that the evidence warranted full and total scrutiny," director-general David Howman said in a statement. "WADA abides by the CAS ruling and has no further comment at this stage."

ITF president Francesco Ricci Bitti said the federation was "disappointed" with the court's ruling.

"The ITF also recognizes the potential implications of the CAS decision with respect to future decisions and will discuss these with WADA," he said.

The 23-year-old Gasquet served a 2 1/2-month suspension before an independent ITF tribunal cleared him to resume his career in July. It ruled he was not to blame because the woman -- identified only as "Pamela" -- contaminated him with cocaine.

CAS said that ban should not count as a doping offense on Gasquet's record, even though he had not appealed against it.

No word on what this means for Reeshie financially, seeing as how the original suspension forced him off the court for quite some time.  But I'm sure he's just happy to be cleared.

In other WADA/ITF news, Yanina Wickmayer was cleared to accept a wildcard into Auckland, which she did. 

FD 09 Year In Review: Sweet.

Going into NYC, we all but handed the trophies to Fed and Serena.  Everyone seemed to be struggling but them.  Boy, am I glad we were wrong.

• "Bright lights will inspire you..."
• Rafa was adorbz.
• Shirtless boys.  And JJ. 
• Yes, Dinara was at the US Open.  
• Big Sasha!  
• Ah, the media blitz that is the USO.
• At least it wasn't Dance Off, Pants Off.
• I still giggle at this.
• The stalkerazzi hit the USO.
• People were worried about Ana.  Justifiably so.
• Seriously you guys, she don't care.
• Pic'n at the USO.
• The drama, it started early.
• Tee-BOW!
• There's still hope, you guys.
• Let's just say it.  Dinara was HORRIBLE.
• Ana finally laid it all out there.
• Sanowa!
• Stella drops MaKiri and low and behold, she starts winning.  Oh, tennis.
• "With legs wide open..."
• But before he leaves, Marat's got something he needs to say.  And so does Momes.
• Augh, fuck you, Vania.
• Oh, Cones.
• Mono broke her va-JJ.  Speaking of JJs...
• Believe It, America.
• Scheisse.
• Forza!
• A few weeks after losing to Sammy Q and getting dusted by Elf twice, A Rod falls to Halpert. 
• Maria gives my favorite quote of the year.
• All was not well in Rafa Land.  But he did recapture #2 and got some man-love.
• Holy crap.  Start the bandwagon.
• Flavs vs. Bepa.  Yup.  
• Nole does good by NYC.
• C Note sad.
• Yanina Wickmayer, ladies and gentlemen.
• Pretty is as pretty does.
• The USTA did what it does best: fucks shit up.
• *#$)(@$)#@(#&(@*Y!!!!!!  
• "It's too late to apologize....it's too late...."
• Welcome to the big boys, Juan.  No really, WELCOME.  You even made it on Best Week Ever!
• Rule Brittania!
• My ovaries hurted.

Thank you New York for ending the Slam season with warm and fuzzies.  We needed that.

FD 09 Year In Review: Let's Get Hard

After a few more stops in Europe, we were off to North America for the US Open Series.  And really, it was nutty, especially on the WTA side.  But what else is new?

• The USO marketing machine kicked into gear.
• Bromance Round 2 commenced.  Davis Cup just never sucks. Ever.
• Ana started WAGging.  Badly.
• Sania got engaged.
• Rajeev!
• James Blake is wise.
• Reeshard was cleared and we were introduced to Pam.
• Portoroz was awesome.  Oh well.
• Flavia started warming up.
• Jeremy was cutes.
• Sybille Bammer won a title.  SYBILLE BAMMER.
• Au revoir to the always classy Nathalie Dechy.
• Mirka popped.
• You can't hear me, but I'm making helicopter noises. Also, hee.
• More embedded reporting, this time from Mrs. Saifn in LA.  And her presence clearly inspired Marat.
• AKO ran into a fence and was out for the year.
• The Samurai became a real thing.
• Ana said goodbye to Scotty B and his mandals.
• Dani was winning in Palo Alto.  And I was happy.
• I caught some live tennis at my "home tourney".
• Not sure what was the best part of the cat fighting between JJ and Mono: The hilarity or the irrelevance. Oh and you know what happens when JJ starts popping off: Everyone jumps on.
• Sam Sacked Serena in Stanford.  And Mono pulled off quite the upset.
• Embedded reporting from DC, courtesy of Romana.
• Easily the most anticipated match that was never aired on TV.
• Ana and Dina tried to fuck my LA vacation.  But they failed.  I had a blast in LA, thanks to Victoria, Katie, and Mrs. Saifn.
• Mrs. Saifn and I commit Grand Theft Dina.
• Elf began his pwnage of A-Rod.
• Kimmy returned.  And she did ok for herself.
• YES.
• Marat finally started acting like a big brother.  And we all swooned.
• Dina's #1 fan needs to be at every tournament.
• And introducing, the Coconut.
• I'm Famous!
• Ana's career came full circle.
• Rafa returned.
• Flavs kept on truckin'.
• Sybille Bammer.  SYBILLE BAMMER.
• Whoa, remember this crazy match?
• Delpo made a statement.
• The Coconut looked like she was back on track.  Nope.
• Muzz finally captures #2.  And I'm the only one who's happy about it.
• K Bond.  Write it down.
• FeVer!
• The FD Stalkerazzi descended on Toronto.
• Toronto got crazy.
• A Rod continued to kind of suck after Wimbly.
• Fed welcomes Andy to the fold and Nole welcomes Rafa back.
• Just when I was totally over Lena she makes a run.  Whatever.
• Happy Birthday, Brodie.
• The girls go to New Haven.
• Mo Mo, please.

And with that, off to NYC.

Stanley The Married Manley

Congrats to Stanley, who looked amazingly cool as he married his beautiful girlfriend, Ilham Vuilloud in a small private ceremony in Lausanne, Switzerland.

I have to say, that dress is awesome.  She looks great.  And I love the open collar on Stan.

Pic This: Awww...She's Adorbz.

Entertain Me!

Interesting Q&A with WTA CEO Stacy Allaster.  And props to TW buddy and former FD commenter, Master Ace:

4. The road map was indeed a success especially after Wimbledon. However, I have heard that players and fans complained that the Premier 5 and Mandatory events were too close together. Will the WTA consider separating them by putting a Premier tournament or have an off week between them?
--Master Ace, Birmingham, Ala.

Thanks for your question, Master Ace. The 2009 calendar was the result of a collaborative effort between the Tour and our players. We worked closely with the Players' Council and our players and reviewed more than five years of Top 10 player playing patterns. Together with the players we determined that the athletes want to play two to three weeks prior to a Grand Slam and because of that, we scheduled our commitment tournaments (such as Mandatory and Premier 5 events) with context to the athletes' competitive needs. During our discussions with the Players' Council, we brought the back-to-back scheduling of Indian Wells and Miami tournaments up for discussion. Our players decided that they wanted to play those two tournaments back-to-back without a break in between.

The Tour also examined two back-to-back scenarios at Rome/Madrid and Tokyo/Beijing. In order to provide sufficient rest and travel time for those players that go deep at Rome or Tokyo, the Tour introduced "performance byes", meaning that the semifinalists of the first tournament (Rome and Tokyo) receive a first round "bye" for the second week (Madrid and Beijing). This gives our players additional time for travel and rest.

Finally, as we move forward, we will continue to closely track the data to ensure that we stage the right events during the right dates. The Tour is committed to maximizing our players' health and well-being in order to ensure that we consistently deliver our top player fields to our top tournament. I can also tell you that in 2011, we will flip the schedules of Rome and Madrid, so that Madrid comes first. This will make a difference as Madrid's draw is larger, at 64 players, vs. Rome's 56. Having a bigger tournament such as Madrid precede Rome will give our athletes additional days to rest and recover in between these events, particularly as they prepare for Roland Garros.

6. What other sports executives do you admire most?

I greatly admire the commissioner of the NBA, David Stern, because he was one of the first people in sports to understand the value of entertainment. The NBA has taken on a role of a leader in being a fan-centric brand worldwide. David is a great visionary and a trailblazer who has changed how we view sports in general.

7. What is the state of the sponsorship deal with Sony Ericsson and a possible replacement?

We are currently in discussions with Sony Ericsson. Our sponsorship has provided excellent return on investment for Sony Ericsson and we remain cautiously optimistic of a renewal and expect a decision in the near future. If Sony Ericsson were to not continue as a global sponsor of the Tour after 2010, given the strength and quality of the women's tennis product, I am confident that we would find a replacement. That said, I am of course hopeful that Sony Ericsson will want to continue and working with Sony Ericsson remains our priority.

8. What are your main objectives for 2010?

As CEO, I'm determined to deliver to our fans and business partners and continue the effective work with our tournaments in order to manage our business through the challenging global economy. The financial stability of our sport is my main priority. As I look ahead, our main objectives for 2010 and thereafter include continuing with the success of the roadmap, building our brand and the sport in China, expanding and enhancing the Tour's digital platforms, and most importantly, focusing on the fan experience, delivering to our investors, and ensuring the overall health of our players.

I think it's interesting that she admires David Stern for his understanding of sports as entertainment.  If that's something she values it could lead to either some horrific changes to tennis (i.e., on-court coaching) or more focus on marketing, which I think could be a good thing.  I like that she's thinking about ways to expand the WTA's use of digital media.  Welcome to the 21st century, WTA!

Have A Rad Christmas

The Rads had a great time shopping for needy families over the holidays.

Very cool of them.

Even if Agi was thoroughly confused.

Someone's Been Listening To A Lot of Rihanna In The Off-Season

Pete visits with JJ at Bollitieris.  Nothing new or particularly availing.  Maybe it would have been a more informative article if he didn't spend two paragraphs leering.

Anyway, I'm really interested to see how JJ does in Australia.  There's no reason she shouldn't be making the quarterfinals of every tournament she enters.  I mean that.

Back To Sherbet

 

Rafa's AO Kit.  It's...colorful.

Again, I withhold judgment until I see it on Rafa.

The hoodies are cute:

 

This Is...Not a Good Look.

Fer's AO Kit.  Um...oh well.

More pics here.

FD 09 Year In Review: Green With Envy

Wimbledon is not my favorite tournament.  I love London, I love the pomp and circumstance at Wimbledon, but I hate hate hate grass court tennis.  And to top it all off, my favorite players never do well at SW19.  This year would be no exception.

• It's not you, it's me.
• The Muzz Machine picked up, whether any of us (or him) wanted it to or not. 
• Jesus, you guys.  I really had no idea how Twilighty I was being.
• It's a long tennis season.  Players were falling apart.
• Remember when Sania beat AKO and Pavs on grass?  It happened.
• I dare say this is the last time you'll see Fred Perry on the hallowed grounds of Wimbledon.
• The WTA kept putting together awesome YouTube content.
• Mixed doubles 2012.  Bring it on.
• Dina keeps earning respect.
• The Glitter Queen slipped into a coma.  No word on when she'll be back.
• In case you haven't heard...
• Greg Garber of ESPN picks Mario Ancic to win Wimbly.  And my confidence as a blogger soars.
• There's this recurring show in SF, Golden Girls in Drag.  This reminds me of that.
• You'll have to forgive me if I completely forgot Dima won a title this year.
• AHHHHHHH!!! FORGOT ABOUT THESE!!!
• Rafa withdraws from Wimbly.  And I try very hard to remain interested.
• And to think, the jacket wasn't the worst part.
• Well, she *did* make it past the second round.  So...
• My love affair with L. Rob continued.
• Serena sought Russian citizenship.
• Fed's mooseknuckle is awesome.
• JJ may or may not have been taking advice from this guy.
• The British press decide to tear into AKO.  Fuckers.
• Pretty pictures on grass.  Love it.
• Olivia takes out Masha and the Believe Train starts to pick up steam....
• Rules.  They confuse Serena.
• I finally fully embraced my Muzz love, much to the chagrin of others.
• In defense of the "boring ones".
• Not sure Pam has sobered up since this video.
• Stella dumped Kiri for Caro.
• Ana Scott.
• Ivo won, danced, and showed Jo the door.
• Mono had one of the more epic collapses of the year.
• JJ bled from her JJ.
• Boom Boom Pow.
• Dina and Momes brought the roof down.
• Muzz and Stan play an epic one into the night.
• Serena was en fuego.
• Sorry, Fed and Andy.  Yours wasn't even the match of the tournament.
• Of Mice and Men, WTA style.
• Kim vs. Brooks.  Andy vs. Andy.
• Serena takes it.
• Fed won.  And I was respectful.  Until I wasn't.
• And everyone threw some condescending love A-Rod's way.

Next up: U-S-A!  U-S-A!

Pic This: Oh, Sara. You Make Me Laugh.

Team Italia celebrating their Fed Cup win in Italy.

 

Sara looks like she literally just came from a poker game.

The Bracket Buster Returns

Nalby is playing a number of exos in South America to test how his surgically repaired hip is doing.  So far so good.  He beat Gaudio and Massu and he's set to play next week in Buenos Aires.

We need a healthy Nalby.  I miss playing "So, which Nalby will we get this week?"  It's a fun game and 10 out of 10 times, I'm wrong.

Suspension of Suspense

Don't book your tickets to Australia just yet, but a Belgian court has supended the one year bans handed down to Yanina Wickmayer and Xavier Malisse.  Wicks has been offered a wildcard into Auckland and she's waiting official word that she'll be permitted to play.

It's unclear what the basis of the overrule is.  I'm genuinely curious.

Pic This: Team Jacob

This whole Vika on Twitter thing is going to be awesome.

Donkey Says...Novak Djokovic

"Oh Yes-le. Was there ever any doubt?  You are the perfect combination of hot, funny, and intense when you need to be. You are the reason I started reading C Note's blog and obsessively Googling tennis players. You are the reason I called up Comcast to add a subscription for the Tennis Channel. You are the reason I started looking for legal positions in Belgrade. One word from you, and I would pick up and move to Monaco so we can settle down and have our nanny raise the children I plan to make with you with vigor. Thanks to all the FDers who put up with what amounted to a week long blogging equivalent of a photo bomb. You can come back now, TO." -- DG

Couldn't say it better than that.  So enjoy the photo essay.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Birthday, Donkey.

PS -- New Moon this week?