Forty Deuce

Pic This: Marat. 'Nuff Said.

WHY IS YOUR SHIRT ON?????

Pic This: Muzz Smilin', Struttin', Sweatin'

He looks like such a goofball when he smiles.  Makes me kinda love him more.

Guess Who's Back...

Oh, Sven.  Come here you big beautiful man.  How we've missed you. 




It may be totally unjustified, but seeing him there puts to rest a lot of my anxiety going into AO. 

More Ana practice pics:

Ponder This: Toughest Slam To Watch?

So I get made fun of a lot for how much tennis I watch.  I'm always dragging in the mornings because invariably I've been up until at least 3am watching some tournament taking place somewhere on the other side of the world.  But when it comes to Slams it's even worse because you really don't want to miss anything and there's like 8745234 matches going on at once, with the early rounds occupying 14 hours of the day.

So question:  What's is the toughest Slam to watch? 

You would think for me it would be the Australian Open, but I actually find that super easy to watch because it doesn't really take place during work hours.  I can get a good 6 hours of work uninterrupted by any concerns about tennis.  Plus I'm a night owl so I can stay up to watch matches and I love coming home from work and being able to watch 6-8 hours of tennis immediately.

The US Open is annoying because it takes place during my work day.  And, since I'm a night owl, it bugs me that the tennis is over by 10pm my time.  That's like, FIVE HOURS of live tennis I'm not getting during my prime tv watching time!

For me the toughest Slams to track are probably Wimbledon and RG.  I'm not a morning person, so rolling out of bed at 4 or 5am is not good times for me.  And play is finished by the time I get home from work, which means I don't get to watch that much live tennis.  Factor in the rain delays and it's just really hard to know who's playing where and when at any given moment.  That said, Wimbledon does have the best livestream service, so that's a check in their favor.

Thoughts?

Australian Open US TV Schedule

TTC is planning to air 30 live or first-run hours, while ESPN2 is scheduled to broadcast nearly 100 hours of primetime and overnight coverage.  Yay!  Live tennis!

Play will begin on ESPN2 on Sunday, Jan. 18 at 7 p.m. ET and will continue through the women’s and men’s finals live Saturday, Jan. 31, and Sunday, Feb. 1, respectively.

Don't forget to set your Tivos to Australian Open Today on TTC also.  It'll be the morning show that recaps what the hell went on while you were sleeping.  Assuming you actually hate tennis and fell asleep.

Sunday, January 18, 2009
Early Round Play - ESPN2 - 7:00 pm - 2:00 am (LIVE)

Monday, January 19, 2009
Early Round Play - ESPN2 - 3:30 am - 8:00 am (LIVE)
Early Round Play - ESPN2 - 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm (Same-day)
Early Round Play - ESPN2 - 9:00 pm - 2:00 am (LIVE)
Early Round Play - TTC - 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm (LIVE or First Run)

Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Early Round Play - ESPN2 - 3:30 am - 8:00 am (LIVE)
Early Round Play - ESPN2 - 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm (Same-day)
Early Round Play - ESPN2 - 10:00 pm - 2:00 am (LIVE)
Early Round Play - TTC - 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm (LIVE or First Run)

Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Early Round Play - ESPN2 - 3:30 am - 8:00 am (LIVE)
Early Round Play - ESPN2 - 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm (Same-day)
Early Round Play - ESPN2 - 11:00 pm - 2:00 am (LIVE)
Early Round Play - TTC - 7:00 pm - 11:00 pm (LIVE or First Run)

Thursday, January 22, 2009
Early Round Play - ESPN2 - 3:30 am - 8:00 am (LIVE)
Early Round Play - ESPN2 - 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm (Same-day)
Early Round Play - ESPN2 - 11:00 pm - 2:00 am (LIVE)
Early Round Play - TTC - 7:00 pm - 11:00 pm (LIVE or First Run)

Friday, January 23, 2009
Early Round Play - ESPN2 - 3:30 am - 8:00 am (LIVE)
Early Round Play - ESPN2 - 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm (Same-day)
Early Round Play - ESPN2 - 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm (LIVE)
Early Round Play - ESPN2 - 11:30 pm - 2:00 am (LIVE)
Early Round Play - TTC - 9:30 pm - 11:30 pm (LIVE or First Run)

Saturday, January 24, 2009
Early Round Play - ESPN2 - 3:30 am - 8:00 am (LIVE)
Early Round Play - ESPN2 - 9:00 am - 2:00 pm (Same-day)
Early Round Play - ESPN2 - 10:00 pm - 1:30 am (LIVE)
Early Round Play - TTC - 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm (LIVE or First Run)

Sunday, January 25, 2009
Early Round Play - ESPN2 - 3:30 am - 8:00 am (LIVE)
Early Round Play - ESPN2 - 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm (Same-day)
Round of Sixteen - ESPN2 - 9:00 pm - 1:30 am (LIVE)
Round of Sixteen - TTC - 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm (LIVE or First Run)

Monday, January 26, 2009
Round of Sixteen - ESPN2 - 3:30 am - 6:00 am (LIVE)
Round of Sixteen - ESPN2 - 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm (Same-day)
Men’s and Women’s Quarterfinals - ESPN2 - 9:30 pm - 1:30 am (LIVE)
Women’s Quarterfinals - TTC - 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm (LIVE or First Run)

Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Men’s and Women’s Quarterfinals - ESPN2 - 3:30 am - 6:00 am (LIVE)
Men’s and Women’s Quarterfinals - ESPN2 - 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm (Same-day)
Men’s and Women’s Quarterfinals - ESPN2 - 9:30 pm - 2:00 am (LIVE)
Men’s and Women’s Quarterfinals - TTC - 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm (LIVE or First Run)

Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Men’s and Women’s Quarterfinals - ESPN2 - 3:30 am - 6:00 am (LIVE)
Men’s and Women’s Quarterfinals - ESPN2 - 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm (Same-day)
Women’s Semifinals - ESPN2 - 9:30 pm - 1:30 am (LIVE)
Men’s Quarterfinals - TTC - 9:00 pm - 11:00 pm (LIVE or First Run)

Thursday, January 29, 2009
Men’s Semifinal #1 - ESPN2 - 3:30 am - 6:00 am (LIVE)
Men’s Semifinal #1 - ESPN2 - 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm (re-air)
Women’s Doubles Final - TTC - 9:00 pm - 3:00 am (LIVE or First Run)

Friday, January 30, 2009
Men’s Semifinal #2 - ESPN2 - 3:30 am - 6:00 am (LIVE)
Men’s Semifinal #2 - ESPN2 - 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm (re-air)
Men’s Doubles Final - TTC - 11:30 pm - 1:00 am (LIVE or First Run)

Saturday, January 31, 2009
Women’s Final - ESPN2 - 3:30 am - 5:30 am (LIVE)
Women’s Final - ESPN2 - 9:00 am - 11:00 am (re-air)
Women’s Final - ESPN2 - 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm (re-air)

Sunday, February 1, 2009
Mixed Doubles Final - TTC - 12:00 am - 1:30 am (LIVE or First Run)
Men’s Final - ESPN2 - 3:30 am - 6:30 am (LIVE)
Men’s and Women’s Final - ESPN2 - 3:00 pm - 8:00 pm (re-air)

Australian Open Today airs Monday, Jan. 19-Friday, Jan. 30 on Tennis Channel. The show generally runs from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. ET. Exceptions are (all times ET): Saturday, Jan. 24 – 2 p.m.-7 p.m, Sunday, Jan. 25 – 8 a.m.-noon, Thursday, Jan. 29, and Friday, Jan 30 – 6 a.m.-2 p.m.

All times are EASTERN TIME

It's the Williams' To Lose

ESPN's non-predictions for the ladies side of the AO.  My favorite part is this quote from Dina on the Sisters Williams:

"I think even they don't know what to expect from them[selves]."

The Onion Loves Roger

Hee.  From last year's AO:

Roger Federer On Winning Australian Open: 'I'm Not Roger Federer, I'm Novak Djokovic'

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA—Following questions on topics ranging from his feelings about winning his fourth Australian Open title to his relationship with Tiger Woods, a visibly frustrated Roger Federer informed reporters Sunday that he was not tennis player Roger Federer and was in fact tennis player Novak Djokovic. "This is my first Grand Slam title, though I hope to win many more," said Federer, who initially appeared to be having fun at the expense of the media present by wearing a dark wig and speaking with an exaggerated Serbian accent. "Seriously, I'm Novak Djokovic. I beat Roger Federer in straight sets in the semi-finals. I repeat, my name is Novak Djokovic. That's capital N, O, V, [approx. 10 letters omitted]." Longtime tennis reporter Bud Collins said the post-match press conference was "classic loose, easygoing Federer," adding that the 14-time Grand Slam champion always remains humble and often deflects praise onto others when asked about his professional achievements.

The Crazy Train Is Here To Stay

 

In the clash of young guns, JMDP came out on top in three sets, 46 64 61.  I'm beginning to question Ernie's ability to play more than two sets, let alone five.  I don't know if it's a fitness thing (though he looks like he bulked up in the off season) or if it's mental.  But something ain't right. 

Otherwise, it was a day of three setters in Auckland but in the end, the only seed to fall was Juan Monaco.  And how about a tip of the cap to Johnny Isner, or as I like to call him, Jim Halpert.  He's come through qualifying beating Bellucci and now Ginepri.  Air five, Halpert.

[1] J Del Potro (ARG) d E Gulbis (LAT) 46 64 61
[2] D Ferrer (ESP) d M Gicquel (FRA) 67(3) 64 64
[3] R Soderling (SWE) d [Q] B Reynolds (USA) 63 46 62
[4] N Almagro (ESP) d Y Lu (TPE) 67(4) 63 62
[5] P Kohlschreiber (GER) d J Ferrero (ESP) 64 46 76(5)
[6] S Querrey (USA) d [Q] G Muller (LUX) 36 63 64
V Troicki (SRB) d [8] J Monaco (ARG) 36 64 62
[Q] J Isner (USA) d R Ginepri (USA) 64 67(1) 76(5)

Fed vs. A Lefty From Spain

 
Yay!  The matchup I wanted to see!  Fed vs. Fer will be second on court in Kooyong.  It'll be interesting to see where Fer's game is at compared to the big boys.

Come on, Ana.  You gotta at least show up for THIS one.

Sydney Day 5: OOP

Ken Rosewall Arena
1. Sugiyama vs. Safina (NB 12.00hrs)
2. S.Williams vs. Dementieva
3. ATP: Hewitt vs. Nalbandian (NB 15.00hrs)
4. ATP: Djokovic vs. Ancic (NB 19.30hrs)
5. ATP: Tsonga vs. Nieminen

Court 1
1. ATP: Chardy vs. Gasquet (NB 15.00hrs)

Is ReRe going to be recovered in time for her smash-up with Lena?  Nole gets his second real test against Almost Super Mario and that should be awesome.  And the night will close with a rematch of last week's Brisbane cracker between Jo and Jarkko.

The Cat Has Nine Lives (Well, Seven Now)

Oh, Ski Boots.  She's young and you can't blame her.  But she choked hard against ReRe.  She served for the match at 40-0, and double faulting and missing an easy smash for the win.  This would have been her official coronation as the player to watch in 2009.  But as it was, she played well, gained a lot of respect, showed some guts in not going away after dropping the second set, and the match should give her a lot of confidence going into Sydney where, depending on the draw, she should easily be a quarterfinalist.

But still.  Serving at 40-love for the match and you lose?  Can we all agree that Serena may be the most difficult player on the tour to close out?  Stosur couldn't do it, Boots couldn't do it.  What makes you think it'll be any easier for the lower players to do it on the big stage of a Slam?

As for Serena, to be fair, she didn't play great and seemed to be hampered by some niggling injuries.  At one point she was stretching her back and in the third she was redoing her ankle tape job.  It wouldn't surprise me if she withdrew from the tournament.  This is a lot of tennis to be playing in advance of the AO, and she doesn't have an easy road.  She plays Lena next and then most likely Dinara (who faces Ai in the SF) in the final. 

More on ZinaGate

Here's Matt Cronin's take on Zina's possible suit against the USTA:

According to the Sports Business Journal, Zina Garrison, arguably the least successful captain in U.S. Fed Cup history, is about to sue the USTA for racial discrimination. Garrison, whose tenure as captain was marked by team ineptitude and a mediocre 5-5 record, is said to have been in unsuccessful settlement talks with the USTA.

Her lawyer told the SBJ that Garrison is seeking millions of dollars in back pay and damages.
The possibility of a suit is stunning, given that Garrison, former Fed Cup coach, was handed the job after Billie Jean King resigned in 2004 and lobbied heavily for her assistant to be given the post. In four years as captain, Garrison failed to secure even one title for the 17-time Cup champion U.S. In her 10 matches as captain, the team had a 5-5 record and was unable to win a significant match, as she was unable to recruit Serena Williams to play more than once and even though she had her friend Venus on the squad for the 2007 semifinals at home in Vermont against Russia (her one great chance to take down that mighty team), she could not coax the squad to victory, as Venus and Lisa Raymond gagged in a stunning doubles loss to Nadia Petrova and Elena Vesnina.

Other US players –such as Jill Craybas, Laura Granville and Meilen Tu, complained about Garrison’s lack of communication skills. Last year, the USTA announced that Garrison would be replaced by Hispanic-American Mary Joe Fernandez in 2009, and Garrison seemed to be pleased with the transition and said she was ready to pursue other interests. The U.S. was swept by Russia on clay in Moscow.

Garrison has also served as USTA board member and committee member, as well as a two-time Olympic captain, so it’s not as if she's been ignored. In fact, her captaincy was pretty heavily promoted. Her friend, Fernandez, has to be embarrassed, and the same might go for King. The USTA is not planning to settle, so things could get ugly. Stay tuned.

On an unrelated note, Matt reports that Sven was on court with Ana in Melbourne yesterday.  That's great news.

High Five!

I don't know if Reeshie has his gameplan written on his hand but whatever he's doing it's working.  He beat #2 seed Gilly in straight sets  64 64.

That's more like it.  Nole was en fuego today (even in his dorky hat).  He beat PHM easily 61 62 and he looked great.

Nalby also came out strong, beating Llodra 61 63.  Still looks fat though.  And how about a shout out to Getting Close To Super Mario!  He beat Disco 2 and 1.  Not too shabby.

[1] [WC] N Djokovic (SRB) d P Mathieu (FRA) 61 62
[3] J Tsonga (FRA) d S Bolelli (ITA) 64 61
[4] D Nalbandian (ARG) d M Llodra (FRA) 61 63
[Q] J Chardy (FRA) d [5] I Andreev (RUS) 64 46 64
M Ancic (CRO) d [7] T Robredo (ESP) 62 61
[WC] L Hewitt (AUS) d J Tipsarevic (SRB) 75 64
J Nieminen (FIN) d [WC] C Guccione (AUS) 76(8) 63
R Gasquet (FRA) vs [2] G Simon (FRA) 63 64

With Sveta's withdrawal (Ai is into the quarters) only three ladies matches were played in the oppressive heat of Sydney.  Dina dispatched of the overheating Cone 3 and 4, and Lena fought off Agi 62 57 64.  Serena and Boots are playing right now.

Air Quotes: Muzz Fires Back (not really, but it sounds more dramatic, no?)

“The more you play him the less fearful you are – you’re not scared to win the match.  If you’re young and you play against the top guys, once you get close to winning you get nervous.  Now when I play him I don’t get nervous. If I play my best, I can beat him...  The older you get, the more matches you play, you realise what the bookies are saying doesn’t make any difference once you get on court. You just get on with the job.”

-- Andy Murray, on the bookies' putting him at top odds.

Air Quotes: Rafa's Resume

"I don't feel like I have to defend anything and I start this year from zero again. I'm 22 years old and have won five grand slams, 12 Master Series titles, an Olympic gold medal and I'm world number one -- that keeps me calm.  Seven years ago if somebody had said to me you will win those titles over your career I would have signed for it immediately."

-- Rafa, on whether he feels any pressure heading into 2009

Busted Belly

Poor Kuz.  She was forced to withdraw from Sydney due to an ab injury.  Ab injuries suck.  They're like back or neck injuries.  No matter what you do you can't really immobilize them and get them to heal quickly, and they're so crucial to core strength and power.  Hope she heals in time for AO.

Roger and Fer Keep Rolling

This is the first year I've watched the Kooyong exo and all I have one question:

Who WOULDN'T want to play Kooyong?  I mean, you get some good competition, it's in Melbourne so you don't have to travel, you can get used to conditions, and you're guaranteed some matches.  It seems like such a great exo in advance of AO.

In today's matches, Fed beat DB Chuck, Fer beat Tuxedo Mask, and Stan beat Baggy.  Lubey is playing Gonzo right now.  Incidentally, Sven was sitting in Fer's box.  No Ana sighting though.  I'm super curious to see how Fer fares against Roger if they play each other.

Melbourne Muzz

Muzz is in Melbourne and is hitting the courts too. 

 
 I hope he realizes how hard it is to win a slam.  Like, it's REALLY hard.  I mean, I hope someone told him.  Because otherwise, he might not know.

Rafa Rockin' Red

Hitting the practice courts again in Melbourne Park. 

 
FLOVE the red.

A Historical Look At The Aussie Open.

Air Quotes: Blood Is Thicker Than Water

"I think if you do well — and obviously Jelena is a great player — and everyone who gets to No. 1 position deserves it.  And it was very, very close (for the year-end top spot) so I think she was tough, she was the most consistent and obviously she deserves it."

-- Baby K, on whether JJ is a deserving #1.  Don't mess with the Serbs, yo.  They roll deep.

Just Can't Do It.

In my sleepless daze the other day I didn't even catch that Blah was wearing Fila instead of Nike.  Apparently he's switched.  Nice signing for Fila I guess, though does this mean we'll be seeing Blah in sleeves?  Or is that the "Blake inspired line".  I would assume that line will be nicely tailored, look good, perfectly functional, and totally blah.

WILL ANYONE BE SLEEVELESS ANYMORE?!?!?!?

Stick It! (No, Not The Gymnastics Flick)

 

Lauren reminded me today of Stick It Wear, which makes these rad shirts and sweatshirts that only true tennis nerds would really understand.  I have the grass vs. clay sweatshirt in grey and I FLOVE it.

Of course, I took a magic marker and drew in some tears on the grass side and crossed out the 08.  I'm all about accuracy.

Air Quotes: I Hope The Kid Found a Zoltar Machine

 

"I didn't take it too serious.  He was a young boy and he was so cute and his friends were saying, 'Come on, tell her, tell her' and I was like, 'Tell me what,' and he said, Will you marry me?'  I told him 'Okay, maybe when you get older.' "

-- Baby Koala, on the marriage proposal she got last week in Brisbane.

Shocker: Fed T-Shirt is Very Nice and Classy. My Apathy Continues

Listen up, Fed Fans.  Get em while they're hot.  Nike Dri Fit t-shirts with your lovely Fed subtely emblazoned (if that's possible) on the chest.  $30 at Midwest Sports.

But why'd they have to make it so boring?  I mean, is there a more nondescript, apathetic, Swiss color than charcoal?  One Ball Armstrong gets bright yellow and Fed gets grey?

And then there's the picture.  I would so buy one of these had they used a better picture. 

To wit:

Say it with me people.  UPGRADE.

But if this Nike shirt is starting a trend, may I perhaps make some humble suggestions to Nike,  Adidas and K Swiss regarding some other players?

 

  

C Note, 60

At first I was super confused by this ad.  "Ana's 30?  What?"  But then I liked it for the simple fact that no photoshop was used.  Maybe Adidas failed to renew their Photoshop license in light of the dour economy.  Silver lining!

In case you can't read it, this is what it says:

"Ana, 30. Thirty minutes of 'me' time - it's what I need before I can meet my next challenge. Impossible is nothing."

Maybe I love it because, as Love All can attest, I'm the same way.  If you don't give C Note her "me time", C Note is one cranky motherfucker.  So there's that.

Cry Cry Cry

I admit it.  I totally cried during this thing.  Don't judge me.

Auckland Day 3 Scores and OOP

Oh to be an Ernie fan.  It ain't easy.  But he fought through today and beat Granola Bar in three sets.  That sets up a blockbuster matchup with JMDP.  Daveed will also be in action for the first time.

Is it just me or does Ernie have a different look in his eyes these days.  I get the sense that he's no longer just happy to be there.  He wants to win.  Watch out, boys.

Scores:
5] P Kohlschreiber (GER) d [WC] D Hrbaty (SVK) 61 62
[Q] J Isner (USA) d [7] A Montanes (ESP) 76(4) 75
[8] J Monaco (ARG) d V Hanescu (ROU) 63 64
[Q] G Muller (LUX) d F Serra (FRA) 63 64
Y Lu (TPE) d S Darcis (BEL) 76(5) 62
E Gulbis (LAT) d M Granollers (ESP) 64 67(5) 61
[Q] B Reynolds (USA) d [Q] O Hernandez (ESP) 76(4) 57 62
M Gicquel (FRA) d A Calleri (ARG) 36 64 64

Day 4 OOP:

Center Court (11am)
Lu vs. Almagro
Gulbis vs. Del Potro
Gicquel vs. Ferrer
Soderling vs. Reynolds
Kohlschreiber vs. Ferrero (7:30pm)

Court 4
Querrey vs. Muller (11am)
Troicki vs. Monaco (2pm)

Court 6
Ginepri vs. Isner (2pm)

Sydney Day 4 OOP

Ken Rosewall Arena (from 11.00hrs)
1. ATP: Tsonga vs. Bolelli
2. ATP: Djokovic vs. Mathieu
3. ATP: Tipsarevic vs. Hewitt
4. Dementieva vs. A.Radwanska
5. S.Williams vs. Wozniacki (NB 19.30hrs)

Court 1 (from 11.00hrs)
1. ATP: Llodra vs. Nalbandian
2. Cornet vs. Safina (NB 12.00hrs)
3. Kuznetsova vs. Sugiyama
4. ATP: Nieminen vs. Guccione
5. ATP: Gasquet vs. Simon

Court 5 (from 11.00hrs)
1. Doubles
2. ATP: Ancic vs. Robredo
3. Doubles
4. ATP: Andreev vs. Chardy

There isn't one match on that slate that I don't want to watch.  Ok, I could skip Nieminen/Gooch, but otherwise, that is one awesome set of matches.  My top 3:  Lena/ARad, ReRe/Boots, and Reeshie/Gilly.

And here's hoping Nole doesn't lose to PHM.  He's been playing pretty well.

Sydney Day 3 Results

Welcome to Sydney, the Anti-Hobart.  Where seeds do what they're supposed to do and high level competition is aplenty.  That being said it was a pretty ho-hum day, though Sveta had to battle back to beat Kaia Kanepi in a third set tiebreaker.

Speaking of which, check it out.  Sveta's got a belly tat:

Although now that I wrote that I remember the Inside the WTA bit where Nads talks about wanting a tattoo and Sveta said she'd go with her because she already had one.  I'm just rambling.  Anyway, here are your scores:

(1) Serena Williams (USA) d. Sara Errani (ITA) 61 62
(2) Dinara Safina (RUS) d. (Q) Vera Dushevina (RUS) 63 60
(3) Elena Dementieva (RUS) d. (WC) Jarmila Gajdosova (SVK) 62 64
(5) Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) d. Kaia Kanepi (EST) 62 26 76(3)
(6) Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) d. Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) 63 75
(8) Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) d. (Q) Melanie South (GBR) 62 60
Alizé Cornet (FRA) d. Alisa Kleybanova (RUS) 76(5) 61
Ai Sugiyama (JPN) d. Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP) 26 61 62

A nice win by Reeshie over Dima.  Here's hoping he mixes things up in Melbourne.  The kid is just too good to be the #3 Frenchie.  Tipsy over the Sockless Wonder and check this out:  Gooch beat Big Byrd.  That's a bit of a shocker, no?

And of course, the hometown boy won.  He came back to beat Apricot Bars in three sets.

[WC] C Guccione (AUS) d [6] T Berdych (CZE) 63 64
J Tipsarevic (SRB) d [8] M Fish (USA) 64 36 64
P Mathieu (FRA) d A Seppi (ITA) 62 26 63
[WC] L Hewitt (AUS) d J Benneteau (FRA) 57 62 64
[Q] J Chardy (FRA) d R Stepanek (CZE) 64 30 ret. - illness
R Gasquet (FRA) d D Tursunov (RUS) 76(4) 64

Dude. Hobart Sucks.

Whatever.  Everybody lost.  I'm not going to be tracking this tournament.  Flavs, Zheng, AKO all lost.  No seeds are left.

Like I said.  Whatevs.

The Boys Try To Stay Warm In Kooyong

What a fun little group they've collected in for Kooyong.  I wish Rafa was there instead of Douchey but you can't always get what you want.  FLOVE me some Marin though.  Huzzah!


FERNANDO!  NO!  DO NOT LISTEN TO DOUCHEBAG CHUCK.  DO NOT TALK TO HIM, DO NOT LET HIS DBness INFLUENCE YOU.  STAY AWAY.


You too, Gonzo.  Earmuffs.


Aw...there's that double chin that I love. 


"I'm the best, blah blah blah.  Always will be, blah blah blah.  Even if I lose, I win, blah blah blah.  Just do it."
 

More Boys On The Practice Courts

Yeah, add it all up, and it's still not Marat.

"He's A Favorite? Why, Because He's Beaten Me Four Straight Times? Preposterous."

Ok, so you all know I'm trying to make amends with Roger.  It's one of my New Year's Resolutions.

Well the little Swiss pisser ain't making it easy on me:

Some British bookmakers listed Murray as the favorite for the Jan. 19-Feb. 1 event after he defended his Doha title and won an exhibition at Abu Dhabi, also featuring Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Federer, who will equal Pete Sampras’ record 14 Grand Slam titles if he wins his fourth Australian Open final, was surprised to hear it.

“Who said that? The bookies? Good for him,” Federer said Tuesday at a news conference for the Kooyong exhibition tournament, his traditional tuneup for the year’s first major. “It doesn’t help him a whole lot. I’ve been in that position before as well and didn’t make it.”

...

“He’s put himself in a great position. He started off well, going well in Doha. He finished strong last year. It still does surprise me that the bookies say that,” Federer said. “He’s never won a Slam.

“Novak is the defending champion here. Rafa had an incredible season last year. I won the last slam of last season. It’s surprising to hear.”

...

“He’s shown for a year now he’s knocking on the door, trying to make his move,” Federer said. “Sure, he’s put himself in a position, but winning a Grand Slam is a different animal.

“Not many guys have been able to win a Grand Slam in the last few years. Rafa and me took a lot of them, Novak won here last year. They don’t come easily.”

Listen, I get it.  He's just being honest.  But it's totally unnecessary.  He sounds like a little brat.  Why can't he just say "You know, that's not surprising.  He's been playing really well," and just leave it at that. 

Whatever.  I already made it 11 days longer than I thought I would with my resolution.  Success in my book.

Pic This: Smiley Sweaty Serbian Sisters

Heh.

God Bless You Australia and Your Oppressive Heat

I may or may not have screamed out loud and startled my sleeping dog.

Hobart OOP

Centre Court (from 11.00hrs)
1. Zheng vs. Dulko
2. A.Bondarenko vs. Kvitova
3. Pennetta vs. Rybarikova
4. Govortsova vs. Pironkova (NB 19.00hrs)

Court 1 (from 11.00hrs)
1. Pavlyuchenkova vs. Suárez Navarro
2. Santangelo vs. Benesova
3. Czink vs. U.Radwanska

Court 8 (from 11.00hrs)
1. Doubles
2. Keothavong vs. Razzano

What a Poser

Fernando took some time to pose for some AO 09 promo pics.  He's just all kinds of delicious, and a WAY better model than his girlfriend.
 

You can see more pics here.

This Could Get Ugly

Zina Garrison is planning to sue the USTA for racial discrimination, claiming she was wrongly dismissed as the captain of the Fed Cup team.  She's seeking millions of dollars in back pay and damages.

A USTA spokesman, Chris Widmaier, responded, “I will not comment specifically on threatened litigation. But I would like to point out that over the years, Ms. Garrison has been asked by the USTA to serve in any number of capacities, including as a USTA board member, a USTA committee member and as captain of the USA Fed Cup team. So what I will say in looking at that history is we would be puzzled by any allegation that Ms. Garrison has been discriminated against, and we would vigorously defend such an allegation.”

This would not be the USTA’s first brush with racial charges. The organization is currently being sued in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York by Marvin Dent, who alleges the group did not promote him to director of tennis at the National Tennis Center in favor of Whitney Kraft, who is white. Dent’s complaint alleges a pattern of racial discrimination at the group, a charge the USTA vigorously contests.

In addition, in 2006, the New York state attorney general and the USTA entered into a consent decree that directed the tennis group for two years to create a transparent process for applying for chair umpire positions. The USTA had been sued in 2005 by two black umpires, Cecil Hollins and Sande French, who alleged the USTA allowed racist comments directed toward African-American umpires.

So this is basically going to be a "You have a long history of discrimination and you're doing it again" vs. "We gave you a boatload of opportunities and you sucked" case.  I wrote my law review article on employment discrimination (my controversial argument: it sucks), and I'm not saying I know much about it but I'm pretty sympathetic to ED plaintiffs.  But dude, Zina.  You were Fed Cup Captain for four years, during which time the U.S. never won Fed Cup despite having Venus, Serena, Lindsay, Lisa Raymond, and Liezel Huber.  Now obviously that's not entirely your fault (if Vee and Serena don't want to play they don't want to play), but what did you expect?  This is what we call a "legitimate non-descriminatory basis" for your termination.  They gave you four bites at the apple, it didn't happen, and now they're bringing in Mary Jo. 

All this is to say I hope that Zina has more evidence to support her case.  Because right off the bat the USTA is going to win the PR war and they can point to a legit reason for your termination.  She's going to need evidence to show the "legit reason" is just pretext and a cover for the underlying discriminatory reason.  But considering that they were already in settlement discussions and those discussions broke down, and sure the USTA doesn't want this to be public if in fact they did something sinister here, I'm thinking she doesn't have that strong of evidence.

Or maybe I'm just talking out of my ass.  Probably.

"Tonight We Sex IN HELL!!!"

Black Sports Online has a pretty hilarious post on Serena.  There's so much going on there I don't even know where to begin.

ReRe lost her crown as #1 Crazy to JJ last season, but she's put in a lot of work in the off-season and is in the best crazy-shape of her life.  I think she's going to make a real run to get that #1 Crazy ranking back. 

Never bet against Serena.

Another Excuse For a Marat Pic

 

Marat has withdrawn from the exo in Kooyong, citing a shoulder injury.  More likely than not it's just a tweak and he just wasn't feeling like going to Kooyong, before the AO.  Besides, he got some good matches in last week at HC.  He'll be replaced by Ivan Ljubicic.  Roger Federer, Stanislaw Wawrinka, Fernando Gonzalez, Fernando Verdasco, Marin Cilic, Carlos Moya and Marcos Baghdatis are all scheduled to play there.

He's in Melbourne practicing with all the other pretty drama kids (I'm referring to two separate people here, just to clarify), hitting at Melbourne park.  Clearly the shoulder ain't that bad.

More Melbourne practice pics from Gonzo, Baggy, and T Haas:

 

UPDATED: JJ's In Melbourne

Venus, JJ, and AI are all in Melbourne, taking the courts at Melbourne Park to practice.  And it sounds like JJ is still kinda sick, and still being JJ:

MARIA Sharapova has already announced that she won't be seen, Venus Williams doesn't want to be seen, and Jelena Jankovic sees the world as her stage. Ana Ivanovic, meanwhile, remains the contender everyone wants to see.

So was the scene at Melbourne Park yesterday, where three leading hopes for the Australian Open women's crown got their eyes in ahead of next Monday's start to the first grand slam of the year.

With Sharapova unable to shake a shoulder injury in time to defend her title, organisers praying for a withdrawal-scare-free week would have blanched at the news that world No. 1 Jankovic had shortened last week's Hong Kong hit-out citing a virus. Her presence on court two yesterday morning, sweating and scowling her way through a vigorous workout, was welcomed. A teensy hint of melodrama tends to follow Jankovic, the self-styled Serbian princess who rose to the top ranking by year's end despite not winning a major and reaching only one slam final, at the US Open. There were heavy sighs aplenty in yesterday's session, often directed at her Spanish coach, Ricardo Sanchez.

"Move, move," Sanchez implored his charge. There were hints that her health might not be as rude as she would like, with Jankovic panting heavily and sinking hands to knees several times during her 15-minute window in front of the cameras. A distressed Jankovic is hardly a novel sight; her last Melbourne outing, a semi-final loss to Sharapova last January, included a medical break and a bizarre post-match rant about the painkillers she was popping and how she didn't want to end up like Heath Ledger.

Yesterday's unease may have simply been down to working hard while throwing off an annoying bug, and Sanchez seemed unconcerned about anything beyond the fitness of her backhand and forehand.

"This important — many ball, many ball," he told an onlooker, before turning on Jankovic again and providing a theatrical demonstration of how she should be hitting through the ball, not up and over it. If Jankovic was taking notice, she hid it well.

Perhaps she was miffed at not getting first run on the main stage, where compatriot Ivanovic slugged it out alongside her Australian trainer Scott Byrnes.

The 2008 runner-up was all smiles, perhaps still thinking about the teenage ball boy who proposed to her in Queensland recently, although more likely happy to be back in a city she loves and over the dizziness and lethargy that forced her withdrawal from the Brisbane International.

Last season was a breakthrough for Ivanovic, who rose to No. 1 in the world after winning the French Open, but then had a spate of injuries that limited her preparation for the last two majors of the year and kept her out of the Beijing Olympics.

She is fit now and she appeared to relish hitting a ball over a net, over and over.

It's easy to smile when your life as a tennis pro is only five years old. Add another decade on the merry-go-round, and you might be moved to break off from your warm-up, call your nearest lackey, and order the removal of those pesky cameras that have come to watch you hit a ball.

When you've been playing as long as Venus Williams, it must be hard to see tennis as a game.

UPDATED: More practice pics:

Sydney Interviews

Interviews with Nole, Nalby, Dani, Sveta, Dina, A-Rad, and Mario here.

Tournament of the Futile

After one round of play, only three seeds are still in the tournament in Hobart.

1st Round Losers:

• Peer
• Wozniak (6)
• Vaidisova
• Chakky (3)
• Szavay (5)
• Schnyder (2)
• Tanasugarn (8)

And let's not forget.  This is a weak field.  Thankfully Flava Flav and Zheng Jie are still in.  And nice to see AKO didn't let that tough loss to Vesnina derail her.

Scores:
Pennetta d. Peer 62 76(5)
U. Radwanska d. Wozniak 36 76(3) 75
Zheng d. Erakovic 61 46 61
Dulko d. Voegele 62 63
Santangelo d. Vaidisova 61 61 (!!!)
Pavlyuchenkova d. Rogowska 62 61
Suarez Navarro d. Chakvetadze 76(5) 16 75
Keothavong d. Szavay 63 75
Razzano d. Camerin 61 62
Govortsova d. Moore 60 63

Sydney Day 3 OOP

Ken Rosewall Arena (from 11.00hrs)
1. Hantuchova vs. A.Radwanska
2. S.Williams vs. Errani
3. ATP: Benneteau vs. Hewitt
4. ATP: Guccione vs. Berdych
5. ATP: Tursunov vs. Gasquet

Court 1 (from 11.00hrs)
1. Dementieva vs. Gajdosova
2. Dushevina vs. Safina (NB 12.00hrs)
3. ATP: Fish vs. Tipsarevic
4. Doubles
5. ATP: Chardy vs. Stepanek

Court 5 (from 11.00hrs)
1. ATP: Seppi vs. Mathieu
2. Kuznetsova vs. Kanepi
3. Cornet vs. Kleybanova

Court 6 (from 11.00hrs)
1. South vs. Wozniacki

Court 7 (from 12.00hrs)
1. Sugiyama vs. Medina Garrigues

Sara Errani made it to the semis last week in Brisbane, so she won't be a complete rollover for Serena.  But it'll be interesting to see how Serena bounces back from almost being knocked out by Stosur.  Are all the cobwebs gone now?  Or will she continue to struggle?  Same goes for Kuz.  Lena vs. Jarkka should be good too.  And is it just me or does it feel like The Cone has been on court EVERYDAY for the past two weeks?

As for the boys, Gasquet should be able to carve up Dima.  I'm a little surprised Steps is playing Sydney.  And the match I want to see is The Sockless Wonder vs. Tipsy.

Auckland Roundup: Day 2

Over in Auckland, Sammy, Viktor, and Robbie all won.  For a split second I thought Robbie beat Jason Statham.  Alas, it was Jose Statham.  Less hot.

But in bad news, Special Kei had to retire with an elbow injury against Juan Carlos Ferrero.  Hope he gets himself healed for the AO.

(As aside, it totally is an Asian thing.  Kei has the racquet too.)

Scores:
[6] S Querrey (USA) d [WC] D King-Turner (NZL) 64 75
J Ferrero (ESP) d K Nishikori (JPN) 53 ret. (right forearm)
V Troicki (SRB) d I Kunitsyn (RUS) 61 62
R Ginepri (USA) d [WC] J Statham (NZL) 62 63

Sydney Roundup: Day 2

The results, for the most part, were kept to form on both sides. 

For the ladies, Vera, Vika, and Mono withdrew/retired due to illness (Vera/Vika) and injury (Mono).  I don't know what Mono was thinking.  She already complained of running out of gas in Brisbane, but then she turns around and tries to play this tourney anyway and now she's injured.  Vika's withdrawal was expected given her run in Brisbane, but too bad for Bepa.  How many times do I have to tell you?  Do NOT eat the shrimp cocktail at the player's party.  That shit's been sitting out.

Dina, Lena, Cone, and Boots kept their strong starts going, while Domi barely put up a fight, falling listlessly to Boots.  And of course, every tournament director's nightmare came true:  MaKiri lost in the first round.

(2) Dinara Safina (RUS) d. Sorana Cirstea (ROU) 62 61
(3) Elena Dementieva (RUS) d. Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) 75 61
Alizé Cornet (FRA) d. (7) Nadia Petrova (RUS) 62 64
(8) Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) d. Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) 61 62
Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) d. (Q) Klara Zakopalova (CZE) 63 60
Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP) d. (LL) Anastasiya Yakimova (BLR) 61 36 63
Kaia Kanepi (EST) d. (Q) Angelique Kerber (GER) 61 75
Ai Sugiyama (JPN) d. (LL) Jill Craybas (USA) 62 63
Alisa Kleybanova (RUS) d. Maria Kirilenko (RUS) 62 62
Sara Errani (ITA) d. Casey Dellacqua (AUS) 61 62
(Q) Vera Dushevina (RUS) d. (WC) Emelyn Starr (AUS) 60 61
(Q) Melanie South (GBR) d. Marion Bartoli (FRA) 11 ret. (left calf strain)
(WC) Jarmila Gajdosova (SVK) d. (LL) Karin Knapp (ITA) 64 62   

As for the boys, FeLo ran into a very hot (playing wise) Jarkko.  He almost beat Tsonga last week in that epic three setter. 

[5] I Andreev (RUS) d [Q] F Dancevic (CAN) 76(2) 63
[7] T Robredo (ESP) d J Melzer (AUT) 63 64
J Nieminen (FIN) d F Lopez (ESP) 62 76(9)
M Ancic (CRO) d [Q] X Malisse (BEL) 64 67(5) 63
M Llodra (FRA) d [Q] D Gremelmayr (GER) 60 62
S Bolelli (ITA) d [LL] P Starace (ITA) 76(1) 64
 

Photoshop This, Adidas!

Wow.


Dina outmuscled Baby E wannabe Sorana Cirstea, 62 61.  Guess that forehand is back on track.

Ellesse Fail.

I guess Nads signed a deal with Ellesse.  In return, Ellesse made her look like a piece of Cherry Lemonade Hubba Bubba:

And if that wasn't humiliating enough, Nads was busted by Alize today, 62 64.  But at least she's recovered from her viral meningitis and is back on the court.

Pic This: What's Black and White and Sweaty All Over?

Dani's rockin' her new Nike garb.  I think it looks great on her, particularly the skirt. 

She must feel good in it.  She won her first round match in Sydney over a qualifier 63 60.