Forty Deuce

Wet 'n Not-So-Wild

Queens:

The boys cruised (yes, in Marin's case I'm using "cruised" loosely) through the day.  Thankfully ATomic lost.  So that's not gonna be a thing.

Singles - Second Round
[1] R Nadal (ESP) d M Daniel (BRA) 62 62
[2] N Djokovic (SRB) d P Lorenzi (ITA) 63 63
[5] M Cilic (CRO) d [Q] N Mahut (FRA) 67(5) 63 62
[7] S Querrey (USA) d R Ginepri (USA) 76(4) 62
[8] F Lopez (ESP) d [WC] G Dimitrov (BUL) 62 64 
[9] J Benneteau (FRA) d K Anderson (RSA) 75 63
[12] M Llodra (FRA) d J Levine (USA) 64 62
M Fish (USA) d [13] S Giraldo (COL) 76(5) 62
[14] D Sela (ISR) d G Muller (LUX) 75 62
[16] D Istomin (UZB) d D Brown (JAM) 76(7) 64
M Granollers (ESP) d M Gicquel (FRA) 61 64
X Malisse (BEL) d [WC] B Tomic (AUS) 62 36 62

Doubles - Second Round
[1] D Nestor (CAN) / N Zimonjic (SRB) d C Fleming (GBR) / K Skupski (GBR) 64 36 10-5
A Golubev (KAZ) / D Istomin (UZB) d [3] S Aspelin (SWE) / P Hanley (AUS) 76(4) 61 
K Beck (SVK) / D Skoch (CZE) d [4] M Fyrstenberg (POL) / M Matkowski (POL) 64 36 10-5
[5] M Fish (USA) / M Knowles (BAH) d A Murray (GBR) / J Murray (GBR) 63 63
N Djokovic (SRB) / J Erlich (ISR) d [7] M Melo (BRA) / B Soares (BRA) 76(3) 46 10-3

Doubles - First Round
M Lopez (ESP) / R Nadal (ESP) d R Schuettler (GER) / J Tipsarevic (SRB) 64 63
A Clement (FRA) / N Mahut (FRA) vs M Granollers (ESP) / F Lopez (ESP) 52 - To Finish Thursday

Birmingham:

Blame the rain all you want, Birmingham, but the real reason for the 5+ hour rain delay?  Their court covers were too small so despite the fact that the rain stopped, the courts were too wet to play.  Idiots.

Needless to say, Robbie's singles and doubles matches were pushed.

Suspended due to rain
(2) Maria Sharapova (RUS) vs. Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) 40
(4) Aravane Rezai (FRA) vs. Anastasia Rodionova (AUS) 20
Michelle Larcher de Brito (POR) vs. (7) Olga Govortsova (BLR) 61 13
(Q) Alison Riske (USA) vs. (9) Aleksandra Wozniak (CAN) 42
Sania Mirza (IND) vs. (14) Tamarine Tanasugarn (THA) 64

Singles - Second Round
(5) Sara Errani (ITA) d. Shenay Perry (USA) 62 46 61
(Q) Sesil Karatantcheva (KAZ) d. (6) Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ) 64 64
Anna Chakvetadze (RUS) d. (8) Andrea Petkovic (GER) 64 64
(10) Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) d. Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) 75 46 76(5)
(13) Angelique Kerber (GER) d. Ayumi Morita (JPN) 61 76(7)
Alla Kudryavtseva (RUS) d. (16) Vania King (USA) 61 62

Singles - First Round
(Q) Kaia Kanepi (EST) d. (12) Elena Baltacha (GBR) 61 ret. (GI illness)
Karolina Sprem (CRO) d. (15) Kristina Barrois (GER) 57 76(5) 76(4)
Jill Craybas (USA) d. (LL) Sophie Ferguson (AUS) 75 46 76(3)
Anne Keothavong (GBR) d. Pauline Parmentier (FRA) 46 75 75

And over in Schlafburg, Germany...

Drop It Like It's Hot.

Did Chakky beat Petkorazzi?  Yes.  Are there pics of it?  No.

So it goes.

Livin' on the Edg.

AKO has to be happy about rain stopping play for the day in Birmingham.  She gutted out a though three setter in the morning and was scheduled to play Nails later in the day *and* a doubles match.  Phew!  Eat some pasta tonight, Anne!

Masha was cruising against Bethanie before rain stopped her match at game point on her serve at 4-0 in the first.  Hope that shoulder is OK to play some double days this week. 

 

You guys, there's a reason Masha doesn't smile much. 

She looks like a dork when she does.

Pic This: Obligatory Feli Ab Shot

You know Judy was courtside for this one.

Cruise Control

62 62 in 52 minutes.

63 63 in an hour and 12 minutes.

I Am Happy To Report...

...that I have finally finished grieving. Seven stages in three days? I think I'm maturing as we speak.  Bring on the grass!

Wednesday OOPs

Queens:

Rafa and Nole finally take the court after what is trule an "Amuse Bouche" of a first match on Court 1.

Oh, and try not to tank this one, Sam.

Birmingham:

Let's try this again...

Centre Court (from 11.00hrs)
1. Aravane Rezai vs. Anastasia Rodionova
2. Bethanie Mattek-Sands vs. Maria Sharapova
3. Laura Robson vs. Yanina Wickmayer
4. Li Na vs. [Pauline Parmentier or Anne Keothavong]
5. Huber/Mattek-Sands vs. Robson/Watson

Court 1 (from 11.00hrs)
1. Vania King vs. Alla Kudryavtseva
2. Pauline Parmentier vs. Anne Keothavong (NB 12.00hrs)
3. Alison Riske vs. Aleksandra Wozniak
4. [Elena Baltacha or Kaia Kanepi] vs. Jarmila Groth
5. Borwell/Kops-Jones vs. Rodionova/Rodionova
6. Keothavong/South vs. Pelletier/Senoglu

Court 2 (from 11.00hrs)
1. Ekaterina Makarova vs. Magdalena Rybarikova
2. Sophie Ferguson vs. Jill Craybas (NB 12.00hrs)
3. Tamarine Tanasugarn vs. Sania Mirza
4. Marina Erakovic vs. [Sophie Ferguson or Jill Craybas]
5. Hsieh/Kudryavtseva vs. Dzehalevich/Poutchek
6. Erakovic/Tanasugarn vs. Black/Raymond

Court 3 (from 11.00hrs)
1. Yaroslava Shvedova vs. Sesil Karatantcheva
2. Elena Baltacha vs. Kaia Kanepi (NB 12.00hrs)
3. Andrea Petkovic vs. Anna Chakvetadze
4. Ayumi Morita vs. Angelique Kerber
5. Czink/Errani vs. King/Shvedova
6. Grandin/Spears vs. Kondratieva/Uhlirova

Court 4 (from 11.00hrs)
1. Shenay Perry vs. Sara Errani
2. Karolina Sprem vs. Kristina Barrois (NB 12.00hrs)
3. Michelle Larcher de Brito vs. Olga Govortsova
4. Mirjana Lucic vs. [Karolina Sprem or Kristina Barrois]
5. Ditty/Savchuk vs. Chuang/Govortsova

What Can You Do? Grass Needs Water.

So far the weather has not been cooperating in Jolly Ol' England.  But at least the big boys got to see the court in Queens.

Queens:

The Andys return triumphant, Gael is...Gael, Reeshie keeps winning, Janko keeps losing, and G-Spot and Dima scored some wins.  Oh, and ATomic bounced Seppi.  Don't let that get to his head.  No really.  Don't.

Singles - Second Round
[3] A Murray (GBR) d I Navarro (ESP) 76(8) 63
[4] A Roddick (USA) d I Kunitsyn (RUS) 62 61
R Schuettler (GER) d [6] G Monfils (FRA) 63 67(4) 62
[14] D Sela (ISR) vs G Muller (LUX) - to finish Wednesday 75
R Gasquet (FRA) d R Ram (USA) 63 75

Singles - First Round
M Granollers (ESP) d [10] J Tipsarevic (SRB) 64 36 63
[13] S Giraldo (COL) d E Korolev (KAZ) 76(8) 46 63
[WC] B Tomic (AUS) d [15] A Seppi (ITA) 63 57 63
M Fish (USA) d S Devvarman (IND) 61 64
M Gicquel (FRA) d M Russell (USA) 76(6) 63
N Mahut (FRA) d Y Lu (TPE) 76(2) 64
[WC] G Dimitrov (BUL) d A Bogdanovic 46 63 64
[Q] D Tursunov (RUS) d X Malisse (BEL) 62 76(3) 
D Brown (JAM) d [Q] F Dancevic (CAN) 75 67(4) 64

Doubles - First Round
R Schuettler (GER) / J Tipsarevic (SRB) vs M Lopez (ESP) / R Nadal (ESP) - postponed to Wednesday
A Murray (GBR) / J Murray (GBR) d S Lipsky (USA) / S Querrey (USA) 62 64
C Fleming (GBR) / K Skupski (GBR) d S Huss (AUS) / G Monfils (FRA) 64 64
A Clement (FRA) / N Mahut (FRA) vs M Granollers (ESP) / F Lopez (ESP) - to finish Wednesday 52
N Djokovic (SRB) / J Erlich (ISR) d [WC] J Delgado (GBR) / J Marray (GBR) 75 63
A Golubev (KAZ) / D Istomin (UZB) d E Butorac (USA) / R Ram (USA) 64 67(5) 10-7
K Beck (SVK) / D Skoch (CZE) d R Hutchins (GBR) / J Kerr (AUS) 63 64
M Cilic (CRO) / A Sa (BRA) d [WC] C Eaton (GBR) / D Inglot (GBR) 62 60

A shitload of rain pushed off all the fun matches at Edgbaston.  Nice win for Vania, though.

Birmingham:

Singles - First Round
(9) Aleksandra Wozniak (CAN) d. Alicia Molik (AUS) 75 61
(16) Vania King (USA) d. Kirsten Flipkens (BEL) 64 60
Ayumi Morita (JPN) d. Maria Elena Camerin (ITA) 62 36 62

Suspended due to rain
(15) Kristina Barrois (GER) vs. Karolina Sprem (CRO) 21
Jill Craybas (USA) vs. (LL) Sophie Ferguson (AUS) 75 34

Pic This: That Just About Sums Up The Life And Times Of Gael Monfils

Lost.

Pic This: Andy Roddick on Grass: A Photo Essay

Pic This: Judy Must Have Had 2-for-1 Coupon.

The MurBros also won their doubles match over Sam Querrey and someone not named John Isner.

Well, that was definitely one way to go, Jamie.

It's Better Than A Playstation, Andy. Seriously.

 

You know it!

With the two ladies of his life sitting courtside, a freshly-shorn Moose kicked off his Queens campaign with a straight set win.  He looks good!

I want to grab his ears.  But anyway. 

Pic This: Franny Meets The Prime Minister, Mocks Belt's Attempt At Functionality.

Tuesday Tunes

Required Reading

A great pre-semifinal profile on Sammy Stones. 

Ravi Ubha makes his case on why Sods is the real deal.  And Tom Perrotta profiles him.

One day later, Franny looks to the grass.  Sam too.

The real winner at RG10?  Babolat.

Kamakshi Tandon goes all Nancy Drew in The Curious Case of Victoria Azarenka.

Pic This: Apparently When You Retire, You Get A Free Set Of Abs.

Damn, girl!

Tuesday OOPs

Busy day in Queens as rain suspended play on the late matches on Monday.

Queens: Moose, A-Rod, Gael, Janko, Reeshie, Evgeny, Grigor, and Nole, Rafa, Feli, Marin, are up in doubles.

Birmingham:

Centre Court (from 11.00hrs)
1. Pauline Parmentier vs. Anne Keothavong
2. Laura Robson vs. Yanina Wickmayer
3. Bethanie Mattek-Sands vs. Maria Sharapova
4. Aravane Rezai vs. Anastasia Rodionova
5. Erakovic/Tanasugarn vs. Black/Raymond

Court 1 (from 11.00hrs)
1. Alicia Molik vs. Aleksandra Wozniak
2. Karolina Sprem vs. Kristina Barrois
3. Elena Baltacha vs. Kaia Kanepi
4. Ditty/Savchuk vs. Chuang/Govortsova

Court 2 (from 11.00hrs)
1. Sophie Ferguson vs. Jill Craybas
2. Michelle Larcher de Brito vs. Olga Govortsova
3. Andrea Petkovic vs. Anna Chakvetadze
4. Czink/Errani vs. King/Shvedova

Court 3 (from 11.00hrs)
1. Vania King vs. Kirsten Flipkens
2. Ayumi Morita vs. Maria Elena Camerin
3. Hsieh/Kudryavtseva vs. Dzehalevich/Poutchek (NB 13.00hrs)

Squats and Back Extensions, People.

Gotta love the early grass tournaments, as all the veterans have to struggle to get their grass legs under them after months of clay court tournaments.  I'm going to assume that's the explanation for JCF and Marcos going out in the first round of Halle.  It also explains the relative success of the qualifiers in Birmingham, who've already had a few grass matches under the belts.  

Robbie made it through after Voegele retired, after losing the first set, due to a low back injury (a common ailment on grass).

Other notable winners: Apricot, Reeshie, Viktor, Lleyton, Sania, Bethanie, A-Chak, Burrito.

At Least It's Soft.

It's a shame that I don't like grass court tennis.  I love the look of the grass and I love Wimbledon.  I kind of think Pete Sampras ruined it for me.  Watching that hairy dude serve and volley his way to title after title drove me away from tennis.  

But I still love the look of it.  Especially when people are falling down!

Kid Didn't Even Change His Shirt.

Rafa left Euro Disney, took a bit of a nap on the train, and popped up in London to do a "light hit" for 20 minutes in the rain at Queens. 

According to @DavidLawTennis:

 

As I said earlier today, In-cray-ah-blay.

So This Is A Weird Feeling.

Could it possibly be that I'm rooting for Andy to do well at Wimbledon? I'm really starting to think that women's final has fucked up my bearings beyond repair.  I just think it'd be a bummer of A-Rod's Wimbledon story gets no further than last year's final, which still smarts for many many reasons.

Ok, put it this way.  I'm not rooting for you to lose.  This is major progress for me.

You should take what you can get, Andy.

Look Who Cleaned Up Before Coming Home.

Moose Mania begins as Muzzard is in Queens to defend his title against a stacked field.

Guess the dude is ready for his close-up.  Either that or the boys at 19 Entertainment held him down for a quick clip.

That tape sure does make me nervous, though.

Pic This: Euro Disney Still Exists?

Poor dude.  All he wants to do is hop on the train and get to Queens.  But no.  The FFT had to drag him to the soul-crushing idiocy that is Euro Disney and make him pose with a bunch of Furries.

In-cray-ah-blay!

Come On, C Note. Get Your Fucking Head In The Game.

I was hoping to take a breather this week.  But then I looked at the draws for Queens, Birmingham, and Halle and I got sucked back in.  I mean, I can't take a week off when Rafa, Muzz, Robbie, and Masha are playing.  Like, I physically can't. 

Queens: Monday OOP

Birmingham:

Centre Court (from 11.00hrs)
1. Regina Kulikova vs. Magdalena Rybarikova
2. Laura Robson vs. Stefanie Voegele
3. Alla Kudryavtseva vs. Heather Watson
4. Shenay Perry vs. Naomi Broady

Court 1 (from 11.00hrs)
1. Anna Chakvetadze vs. Melanie South
2. Chan Yung-Jan vs. Sania Mirza
3. Tamarine Tanasugarn vs. Lilia Osterloh
4. Sesil Karatantcheva vs. Katie O'Brien

Court 2 (from 11.00hrs)
1. Melinda Czink vs. Marina Erakovic
2. Michaella Krajicek vs. Anastasia Rodionova
3. Julie Coin vs. Jarmila Groth

Court 3 (from 11.00hrs)
1. Chang Kai-Chen vs. Ekaterina Makarova
2. Ekaterina Dzehalevich vs. Michelle Larcher de Brito
3. Misaki Doi vs. Angelique Kerber

Court 4 (from 11.00hrs)
1. Alberta Brianti vs. Bethanie Mattek-Sands
2. Mariana Duque Marino vs. Mirjana Lucic
3. Alison Riske vs. Sandra Zahlavova

Pic This: Au Revoir.

 

And so another RG comes to a close.  All in all, it was an odd tournament that had some unexpected twists and turns that ended in two memorable feel good moments that made you happy and proud to be a tennis fan.  You can't ask for more than that.

 

Autograph request fail.  Or win.  I'm actually not sure.

 

Come to Mama.  I'll make it all better.

 

Hey, does anyone have 3-Across?

It's all fun and games until Rafa doesn't show up.

 

I'm happy to see you too, Andy.  At ease.

Man, So That French Open Was Something, Huh?

On this week's FD Podcast, the team recaps the heartwarming event that was Roland Garros, we argue the merits of the women's final, and I try to talk out my feelings.

And Lexi gives us an Anna Chakvatadze grass preview.  Unsolicited.

Just a reminder, you can download the podcast directly below (right-click save), listen to it on the page (just click the arrow), listen to it from the Forty Deuce Facebook Page, or subscribe to the podcast via iTunes (iTunes lists "0 items" but if you subscribe and then refresh your subscriptions, it'll download).

FD Podcast #19: Back In Black

Committed.

If there is one thing that unites great champion athletes it's a sense of delusion.  For some, that level of delusion can be comical or eyeroll worthy (I'm rolling my eyes at you, Serena).  For others it manifests itself in a self-confidence that seems independent of results.  I'd put Fed in this category.

In Rafa's case, it's a humility that is independent of results.  If you didn't know better as you watched Rafa collapse to the ground on match point, roar in exaltation and relief, and convulsively sob into a towel as he realized not only what he accomplished on this dominant two month run, but also how he had finally overcome the devastating professional and personal trials of the last year, you would have thought this was his first career Slam victory.  Leave it to Rafa to make Franny's celebration look mundane and entitled.  As the NBC commentator's remarked, you could see in his reaction that he genuinely thought this day might never come again. 

And that, in a nutshell, is what drives Rafa.  The cynics will say that he's the epitome of false modesty.  After all, how can the player anointed "the King of Clay", with the results he's had on this surface over the course of his career, possibly think that, if healthy, he wouldn't ever hoist the Coupe de Mousquetaires again?  He ran the table in the pre-tournament run-ups in dominant fashion.  He didn't drop a set going into Sunday's final.  He was the unanimous favorite as he picked apart and broke down challenger after challenger, ramping up his level of play from match to match.  I mean, come on, Rafa.  You can't be serious.

But that's Rafa.  He's dead serious.  He's dead serious when he tells you he gets nervous before every match.  He's dead serious when he tells you that he knows that he can play well, create good chances, and lose.  He's dead serious when he tells you that he accepts the fact that he can either win or lose on any given day when he takes the court. 

Take that practical, if not sometimes delusional, view of his tennis mortality and combine it with the fiercest competitive fire on the tour, and Rafa's results and his reactions make sense.  The guy believes he can lose against anyone and therefore he will do anything and everything to prevent that from happening.  That explains how he hit the ground running today, Vamosing and fist-pumping as early as 1-1 in the first.  It's why he took the game to Sod from the first ball, tracking down every single ball, no matter how hard it was crushed, and forced Sod to hit another ball.  Rafa was everywhere.  It was a jaw-dropping, dizzying display of defense that I haven't seen from him since the AO09 semifinal.  

As for Sod, I thought he played.  To put it in WTA terms, he pulled a Sam.  He played well enough to win most matches.  Just not this one.  Rafa was just too good and Sod acknowledge as much after the match.  Rafa forced him to hit winner after winner just to get a winner and on this day, his serve wasn't as effective as in previous rounds.  Could he have made some adjustments?  Sure.  Would it have made a difference?  Probably not.  And so for the second year in a row, he beats the top seed and defending champion, only to lose in the final.  And thus begins the rather unfair talk as to whether Sod has the guts to win a Slam.  But whatever.  Dude played well.  He just ran into a delusional madman.

Delusions, while they do have a negative connotation, can be a mechanism for self-preservation.  Again, see e.g., Serena Williams.  Blocking out the negative to remain in a positive state of mind is understandable and expected among the greats.  But Rafa's tact, of blocking out the positive to remain in a neutral to negative state of mind, takes iron-strength character to pull off.  Without that character, he's just a Spanish Debbie Downer.  He's no different than any other headcasey Negative Nelly on the tour.  With it, he's a humble, fiery competitor who plays without a lick of entitlement.  That's fucking scary.

Vamos, kid.  We've missed you.

Welcome Back, Kid.

A 64 62 64 devastating sleeper hold of a statement.  Rafa just suffocated Sod with his dizzying and at times, impossible looking defense, that saw Sod having to hit 3-5 winners just to win a point (if he'd win it at all).  The pressure clearly got to Sod as the match wore on, the toll of the tournament took out his legs, and with all of that, his mind.  The dude just couldn't go toe-to-toe with Rafa for three sets.  Just like Franny, he saved his best for last.

I'll be back with more later.  But congrats to Sod for a great tournament and congrats to Rafa on an incredible run.  He wins three straight Masters on clay, wins his 5th RG without dropping a set, avenges his loss over Sod, and reclaims the #1 ranking at a time when he can only gain points from here on out.  Amazing stuff. 

Eurodriver Is Way Creepy.

Jo meanwhile, is very very sexy.

Crazy ass, Russians.

Pic This: Don't Let Banksy In There.

The stairway from Philippe Chatrier is lined with player autographs.  How cool is that?

Mario!

Can He Do It?

When it all boils down to it, that's the singular question for each of these guys.  Can Rafa withstand the barrage that is a fearless Sod to avenge last year and re-establish him at the top of the game?  Can Sod continue his unconscious hitting, show that last year wasn't a fluke, and establish himself as the only guy in the game who can stand toe to toe with Rafa and Fed without a lick o self-doubt?

This is juicy as all get out.  See you in the morning.

Air Quotes: Head of the Class.

Great stuff from both players in their presser.  If I wasn't so lazy I would go back and see when the last time a heavily favored loser didn't use "I didn't play well today" as an excuse for a loss.  Or a pair of pressers where both players had nothing but respect for each other.

All Is Love.

Congrats to Nenad and Buscemi, 2010 Roland Garros Men's Doubles Champs.  Nice tournament for Nenad, who picked up the trophy in mixed, too.

But thanks to this picture, we're all winners.  SQUEEEEEEE!

Dear Sam: It Was All My Fault And I'm Sorry.

Hey Sam,

You don't know me.  Actually, that's not totally true.  I'm that weird Asian chick who cheers embarrassingly loud at your matches in California.  Remember the LA final when you lost to Flavi but turned to a group of girls in the stands and waved?  Yeah, that was me and my friends.  We weren't drunk, I promise!  Remember your match against Serena at Stanford?  Yeah, I wasn't there for that one.  But I cheered you on really loudly from my house.  I just wanted you to know that.  Oh, but remember Indian Wells?  I was the one you kept looking at when you destroyed Bepa out on Court 2.  And remember when I stopped you to get a picture and you were super nice even though you had the same expression my corgi gets when strangers try to pet him?  Yeah, that was awesome.  Did I ever tell you that you're the only tennis player I've ever stood for a picture with?  Not Ana, not Masha, not Nole, no one.  Just you.  Oh, I didn't?  Well it's true. 

I'm sorry, did this just get weird? 

Anyway, all that is to say, I'm a big fan.  And it's because I feel we have this unique bond -- my corgi Chase's fur is the same color as your hair!  Fuck...it got weirder, huh? Sorry -- I feel compelled to unburden my conscience with a confession.  Now, please don't be mad.  I'd ask you to promise not to be mad but I know how lame and useless that is.  I've seen Pulp Fiction.  Do you like Pulp Fiction?  You do?!?  Oh, awesome! Isn't just the best mov-- sorry.  Getting distracted.  Ahem.  Confession time.

It's my fault you lost.

No, no, no, don't try and console me with your kind Aussie-accented "No, don't be silly."  It really was my fault.  I am absolutely convinced of this.  Why, you ask?  Oh, gosh, Sam.  Where do I even begin?

1. I kicked this whole tournament off with a bottle of Australian Shiraz in your honor.  No really, you can listen to the proof!  I drank an entire bottle of Shiraz in the span of two hours just for you.  And yet, when it really mattered, I couldn't go out of my way to drink a bottle in solidarity during the final?  I mean, I know it was a 6am match but come on!  It was the least I could do and yet, in my arrogance I thought "Nah.  That'd be a dumb idea."  You know what's a dumb idea?  NOT DOING EVERYTHING IN YOUR POWER TO HELP OUT ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE PLAYERS WIN HER FIRST SLAM.  Fuck, I'm really sorry. 
2. I didn't wear my Lacoste hat.  Granted, I didn't wear the Lacoste hat all tournament.  But still!  I couldn't be bothered to roll out of bed and grab the hat and throw it on???  I mean, what sorry excuse for a fan am I?
3. I watched the final in my living room.  I haven't watched any of your matches from the living room.  I've watched them from my bed.  Oh, don't get weird.  That's not supposed to be like a dirty thing or anything.  I'm just that lazy and it's been cold.  But I was a crazy superstitious athlete in my day so I know how dumb it was to change things up before an important match.  I'm just so sad that you had to deal with the repercussions of my idiocy.
4. I started looking through my iTunes library to pick what song I was going to play during the FDPodcast in the event you won.  So dumb.  Um, hello?  Chickens?  Hatching?  THIS WAS SO STUPID OF ME, SAM!  But really, could you blame me?  I sure as hell wasn't going to use Men at Work.
5. I didn't play tug or war with my dog when you were down a set.  Now, don't make fun of me, Sam.  that's not nice.  I'm trying to have a heart-to-heart with you right now.  Laughing in my face doesn't help.  See, when you dropped that second set to Serena I woke up my dog and we played a vicious game of tug-o-war in my room.  I guess I figured it might get the fight back in you and give you some renewed energy.  What was that?  No, I'm not in therapy.  No, I'm not crazy.  JUST A CRAZY FAN FOR YOU!  Wait, Sam, come back!  That was supposed to be funny.  I'm sorry.

So yeah, I'm really sorry, dude.  Or mate.  Can I call you mate?  Do I sound like a poseur?  I don't want to sound like a pos--yeah, ok, I'll stick to "dude".

This was the biggest match of your life and I totally failed you.  I hope you can forgive me and we can still be friends.  I'm really gutted over the whole thing.  I've been listening to "Flume" on loop, haven't left the house all day, and my dog won't talk to me.  I assume you feel worse about this than I do but I can't honestly believe that it's possible.

What's that?  You don't feel worse than I do?  Well fuck, that's kinda weird.  I guess you have more maturity in your forecep than I do in my entire body.  Huh?  What's a forecep?  Um...it's kind of a long story.

Well, I hope you have a wonderful dinner with your family and know that you gained a whole slew of fans these past two weeks.  Good luck at Wimbledon (though really, we all know you kinda suck on grass) and I hope to see you in California in a couple of weeks. 

That is, if this letter isn't Exhibit A to your application for a temporary restraining order.  

Kind regards,

Courtney

PS -- Chase sends his apologies as well.  He just wasn't feeling it this morning.

Lose Yourself.

 

You better lose yourself in the music, the moment
You own it, you better never let it go
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime yo

And so she did.  Oh yes, she did.

 

It was a match that, quite frankly, no one gave her a chance to win.  That's not to say people said she couldn't be "the winner", but the conventional wisdom was that this was Sam's match to lose.  The match was in Sam's hands and if Franny happened to be standing on the other side of the net on a day when Sam left her game, brain, or heart in the locker room, then of course, Fran would be the winner.  But being the "winner" and "winning" the match are two different things.  Of course, predictions are based on assumptions.  Generally, if they're done right, they are based on both empirical data and non-empirical data.  But they're still based on something "concrete".  Stats, style of play, form, momentum, etc. 

So leave it to the ballsy Italian and her team to completely pull the rug out from under everyone by unveiling a hyper-aggressive game plan and heretofore never-before-seen highly effective serve to "out offense" Sam.  I'm not sure anyone saw this coming.  I had assumed going into the match that Fran would try and use her different spins and angles to jerk Sam around and outrally her.  But it was the serve -- THAT SERVE -- that shocked the shit out of me. 

Now, to be clear, anyone can come up with an effective game plan.  But it takes a wily, seasoned veteran who understood the stakes and landscape of this match -- she was going up against a big hitter who could control points in, what is very probably, her one and only shot at a Slam title -- to fully commit and embrace this game plan.  Franny was being asked to play, what was for her, Red Line tennis -- pedal to the metal, serve huge, hit big, and crash the net.  Fail to execute and this could have been a 40 minute final.  Succeed and it's your moment.  And succeed she did.

This was two sets of awesome tennis.  Both players came out of the gate holding serve and sticking with their game plan.  And Sam played well.  Fran was simply better.  She had the better game plan, she committed to it and executed it to perfection, and Sam just couldn't make the adjustments she needed to.  Two mental lapses might keep her up at night: The double fault to give Fran the 1st set break and the crap game she threw in at 4-2 in the second set that gifted Fran the break back to get back on serve.  That was particularly gut-wrenching.  I really wanted to see what would happen in a third set.

So thanks, ladies. 

Two great stories, two amazing athletes, and two likeable, classy individuals who competed hard and played the best women's final in years.  WTA fans couldn't have asked for anything more.

Thanks, Sam, for giving us a week of tennis that we'll always remember.

And thanks, Franny, for giving us a day that we won't soon forget.

I'm The Boss.

Forza Franny!

Franny absolutely earned this one and both Sam and Fran gave us the best women's RG final in years.  It was quality tennis all the way through with the more courageous player coming out on top.  Well done, ladies.

A more robust post to come after I get some sleep and finish hugging my corgi for comfort.  But use this as a celebration post. 

Surprase, Surprase.

Air Quotes: Forgive and Forget. Maybe.

Q. You have played him a couple of times, and you had some psychological battles. How would you describe your relationship to him?
RAFAEL NADAL: I don't have nothing to say about the relationship. For me, the relationship with him was normal. I had a little bit more tension than usual match in Wimbledon match 2007?

Q. 8.
RAFAEL NADAL: 8, no. No, no.

Q. 2007.
RAFAEL NADAL: 7?

Q. Well, it doesn't matter.
RAFAEL NADAL: 2007? Yes, it matters. (Laughter.)
2007, but after that, no, I didn't have not one problem with him. I think he's doing well, and at the same time he improves his level of tennis. He improve his level of kind of person, no? I think he improve his personality the last year.

Q. How?
RAFAEL NADAL: I think he say more times hello to the rest of the yeah, I am speaking serious. I am speaking in the positive way, not in a negative way. Sure.

Q. He didn't say hello earlier?
RAFAEL NADAL: I think he was very shy in the beginning. I think so, no? But I think he improves a lot.

Rebound Ace

I kind of assumed that everyone knew that Sam had Lyme Disease three years ago.  But I guess that's not the case.  So you can read up on it here.  You've come a long way, kid. 

Aw, Stefan. Your Attempt At Violence Is Adorable.

The only thing this video really confirms is this: Stefan Koubek is the opposite of intimidating. He would have been better off trying the Vader Death Pinch.  Oh, and Koellerer is a douche.  He has to be if he incited a hobbit to violence.

Sister, Sister Slam

I don't think Serena's loving her trophy.

Venus and Serena finally got that elusive French Open doubles title, thus giving them not only the career Slam, but also the "Venus and Serena Slam".  They currently hold all four Slam titles.

Which means they were in a good mood in the presser:

Q. And also, how old were you when you played your first doubles match together?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Super young. (Laughing.)
VENUS WILLIAMS: Extremely young. That's what we were saying the other day. We're the longest standing doubles team. We've been playing since the '80s together. We've got quite a record.
It's been we don't even remember the first time. It's been forever.

Q. Do you remember anything about that? What you wore? What happened on the court?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah, I remember a couple things. I remember sorry. (Laughing.)
VENUS WILLIAMS: Oh, no.

Q. Oh, yes.
SERENA WILLIAMS: I remember my dad told Venus you remember this? (Laughing.) He told Venus to cross you remember now?
VENUS WILLIAMS: No. I can't.
SERENA WILLIAMS: (Laughing.) He told Venus to that she had to cross more, and so I think she got upset and she crossed when the person was serving. (Laughter.)
She ended up volleying the serve. Oh, it was so funny.
I remember my dad, he's so positive. He's like, Oh, no, no, Venus, not that. Just wait until after the serve.
I promise you every tournament I think about that when we're in doubles. I'm thinking, Okay, I got to get aggressive. I just always think about that.
VENUS WILLIAMS: I remember that.
SERENA WILLIAMS: You remember?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Isha was serving. Our older sister was serving.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Oh, my gosh. That was so funny.
VENUS WILLIAMS: Wow.
SERENA WILLIAMS: And I also remember my dad told me I had to play the forehand because I was young and I was smaller, and then he put Venus on the backhand. It's been like that ever since. That was 20 years ago?
VENUS WILLIAMS: At least.
SERENA WILLIAMS: At least.
VENUS WILLIAMS: More than 20.
SERENA WILLIAMS: Yeah.

Cute.  Still bummed they didn't whack a ball at Liezel in the semis though.

If you've grown up with a little sister, this is *totally* what happens. 

EVERY. FUCKING. TIME.

In in mixed doubles news, Kata and Nenad! 

I mean, any team involving Kata and Nenad pretty much rules at anything.  But it's nice that they got a trophy to reward their general awesomeness.  Plus it's an excuse for pictures of Nenad.  So a round of win for everyone.

"I Grew Up. As Person, As Tennis Player."

Franny's interview on Tennis Channel.

Martina on the women's final.  And Greg Garber completely jinxes Sam on ESPN.

PLEASE! SOMEONE WATCH THIS FINAL! IT'LL BE GOOD WE PROMISE!

Unless I've been asleep the night before the RG women's finals of the past, when's the last time you remember the combatants taking these joint pictures with flags and shit?  Never is my answer, though again, I could be wrong.

But you can't blame the RG tournament directors and all the networks who have the rights to air the women's final from freaking out a bit and trying to promote this as much as possible.  I mean, really, apart from the entire continent of Australia, the non-misogynistic parts of Italy, and pockets of hard core tennis fans, who exactly is going to watch this final?

It's a shame, really.  I'm super excited for this final and completely stressed.  On one hand, how amazing would be to see Fran hoist that trophy?  She's 29, she'll probably never get another chance at this, and her victory celebration would be the stuff of legend.  At the same time, I get the sense that Fran will be ok whether she wins or loses.  She's already accomplished so much this tournament.  It's win-win for her from here on out.

Which brings us to Sam.  As much as I love Fran, it would be really really bad for women's tennis if she won.  It would be deemed a fluke, a blip on the radar, a win that has zero impact on women's tennis going foreward.  Basically, these two weeks would all have been for naught; a few interesting matches that we'll all forget about because, at the end of the day, they didn't matter.  

A Sam win does matter.  At least Sam was a pre-tournament contender and has the resume to back up the win so that it's not seen as a fluke.  It changes the current WTA landscape in the same way that a Sod win would change the ATP landscape.  It's not just that these players have the capacity to beat the best players on any given day, but they become real threats because a Slam win shows they have the mental fortitude to close out big matches, which, especially for the WTA, is what separates the elite from the just very good.

To me, a Fran win would require Sam to pull a Dinara 09 in the final.  And how much would it suck if, after the run she's had this week, Sam mentally collapsed in the final.  If Sam loses the story will be just that: Sam lost.  No one will remember this as the final that Franny won.  It'll be the one where Sam Stosur had a complete mental collapse, served double digit DFs, and was hitting forehands at line judges.  No one will remember what she had to do to even get to the final.  Because, like I said, none of those matches matter if she doesn't win.  That's the cruel world of sport.

Plus her entire family is flying in from Australia.  Like I said.  I'm worried.  Auuuuuught! [/Katie]

Anyway, I just hope it's a good final.  If it's actually competitive then I'll be happy either way.  If it's a complete collapse by Sam then I'll be throwing things.  I never said I was mature.

 

The Way It Had To Be

For all the pre-match jockeying among a subset of fans wanting a Nadal-Berdych final, this is the one that true tennis fans wanted, nay, *needed*.  Sod was able to withstand a solid challenge from Tomas before the brave Czech ran out of gas under the hot Paris sun (huh?  Where's that been?) and Sod was able to turn it up a notch and take the last two sets.  Rafa overcame a DoucheStamp who left it all out there in the third-set to make his return to the final.

And so, this is the way it should be.  In order to reclaim his crown, Rafa needs to avenge his loss to Sod.  And in order to claim his maiden Slam and have no asterisk whatsoever in the vicinity of his name in the books, Sod's gotta go through Fed and Rafa.  It's hard not to see the parallels between Sam's run and Sod's.  No one will question them if they raise the Coupe this weekend and they will have rightfully earned their place in the conversation.

I'll be rooting for Rafa, obviously.  But I have to say, I'll be the first to stand and do a slow clap for Evil if he pulls this off.  Because aside from being a fan of any particular player, a fan of the sport of tennis, or a fan of storylines, I am first and foremost a fan of sport.  And seriously, this would be an even more impressive feat than DelPo beating Fed at USO 09. 

And it makes me hate Sod even more for making me say that.

Go Tennis.

Pretty Sure They'll Give You One Now, Sam.

Reposting this because it was funny then and it's funny now.

RG Day 13 OOP

Get it, boys.

Court Philippe Chatrier 13:00 Start
Men's Singles - Semifinals
Robin Soderling(SWE)[5] vs. Tomas Berdych(CZE)[15]
Men's Singles - Semifinals
Jurgen Melzer(AUT)[22] vs. Rafael Nadal(ESP)[2]

Court Suzanne Lenglen 11:00 Start
Legends Under 45 Doubles - First Round
Thomas Muster(AUT) / Mark Woodforde(AUS) vs. Arnaud Boetsch(FRA) / Cedric Pioline(FRA)
Women's Legends - First Round
Mary Joe Fernandez(USA) / Conchita Martinez(ESP) vs. Gigi Fernandez(USA) / Natasha Zvereva(BLR)
Legends Under 45 Doubles - First Round
Yevgeny Kafelnikov(RUS) / Andrei Medvedev(UKR) vs. Sergi Bruguera(ESP) / Richard Krajicek(NED)
Not Before 15:00
Women's Doubles
Serena Williams(USA)[1] / Venus Williams(USA)[1] vs. Kveta Peschke(CZE)[12] / Katarina Srebotnik(SLO)[12]
Legends Over 45 Doubles - First Round
Guy Forget(FRA) / Thierry Tulasne(FRA) vs. Ilie Nastase(ROU) / Emilio Sanchez(ESP)

Air Quotes: To Be Fair, I Think This Is As Complimentary A Presser As JJ Is Capable of Giving.

Q. She's obviously a player who has been around for a while. As a singles player, a decent one but never one of the top 5 or 10 players. Now she's looking like she is beating Justine and Serena and you consecutively. How is she doing it? Are you surprised at the kind of leap that she's made?

JELENA JANKOVIC: To be honest, she kind of has like almost the game of a man. That's what it feels like. When I look at how the men play, she has kind of a similar she has a very good kick, which not many women can not women have. It's a very heavy, you know, spin.

And then, you know, she runs around the forehand. You know, she has that kind of, and, you know, it's showing. She's been very impressive the last I don't know how many months. She has had pretty good results.

Q. Sorry to ask, but who do you think would have a better chance in the final, Samantha or Francesca?
JELENA JANKOVIC: You know, so far, you know, I think Samantha has a very big chance. She played so well this tournament, and she has beaten, you know, I think the favorites of this tournament.
So I think she has a good chance. You know, she's playing very, very well. I think she'll do it.

Transcript here.

Franny In The Locker Room

Pic This: There Better Be Chocolate Somewhere In There

Happy 24th Birthday, Rafa!

Air Quotes: Hooks Crossed.

Q. Last year you won your first title in Osaka with beating Francesca, and now here comes again. Do you think it's kind of like of a lucky charm for you, I mean, to play against Francesca in a final?

SAMANTHA STOSUR: Well, I hope so. (laughter.)