Forty Deuce

KO'd

I knew yesterday was too good to be true. 

AKO busted her knee in doubles yesterday when she hit a fence while chasing down a ball.  She was carried off on a stretcher and reports form the tournament are that she was screaming pretty badly.

The caption accompanying that pic: Busted my knee in the dubs. Got a scan in the morning but think i know already :-(

Well it's as bad as it looks.  No word on the results of the scan but Matt Cronin is reporting that she's out for the year.  And as one who has busted her knee, I can tell you that you're only screaming if there's been a tear.

Tough luck, AKO.  Get better.

Oh, and did I mention who was on the other side of the net?  Guess.

Air Quotes: Ok. Nevermind. I Don't Want To Be British.

Jee.Sus.

Q. This is not an accusation, but do you feel as though you’ve let a few people down today?

ANNE KEOTHAVONG: I feel like I’ve let myself down more than anything. You know, Wimbledon is such a special tournament to me. And, you know, this year especially, I just felt, you know, I’ve overcome so much just to get where I am (tearing up.)

Q. Did you put more pressure on yourself, do you think?

THE MODERATOR: Can we stop for a few minutes.

(Pause in interview.)

ANNE KEOTHAVONG: Sorry.

(2 questions later...)

Q. The way the Brits are going out today, it’s shaping up to be a pretty dark day for British tennis at Wimbledon. Do you feel sort of a collective responsibility, or are you solely focused on your own results?

ANNE KEOTHAVONG: You know, I can’t speak for the other girls. I can only focus on my own tennis. You know, that’s hard enough as it is.

You know, the other girls, I’m sure, have tried their hardest. You can’t guarantee the results at the end of the day, but I think you can definitely guarantee that all the British girls have tried, you know, 110%.

"After The Party Is The After Party"

This is one of the more random collection of players I've seen, considering that three of them kinda suck on grass, the other is marginally ok though has been sucking of late, and the other two are just crazy.  Well ok, one of those two is crazy.

Fine.  I'll be the asshole.

Who invited the draggies?????

I can't explain it but I just heart these two.  Homecoming King and Queen of FD High.  By a landslide.

I Don't Think They Put That On Their License Plates

I'm looking forward to hopefully reading this Telegraph Magazine interview with AKO, wherein she discusses, for the first time publicly, her visit to Laos and the circumstances surrounding their escape to Britain during the Vietnam War.

Total "Holy Shit!" fact of the day: Laos is, per capita, the most heavily bombed country in THE HISTORY OF WARFARE.

Air Quotes: Goddammit, I love the Brits.

Probably because I grew up with my mum's Laotian cooking, I love incredibly spicy food - the spicier the better - but the others didn't seem to be as up for the hotter dishes as I was. I had what I thought was a relatively mild curry but when Speedo, my fitness trainer, and Nigel Sears, who is the Head Coach of Women's Tennis in Britain, tried it, it seemed to set their mouths on fire. It was a pretty poor effort from both of them, really.

-- AKO, blogging from Birmingham.  I can just hear that last line with the accent and it makes be giggle.

Pic This: Dina's Deli Is Full Service

Day 2 and come and gone.  But it left us with some great Kodak memories.


Shirtless Kolya!

or...

Shirtless Kolya?


Augh.  I've totally been there, Igor.  You should probably switch to Dailies.


"Do you want them toasted with schmear?"



I don't know what was going on in Tammy's match vs. Camille, but it seemed like a dance party.


Seriously, Andy.  One size.  That's all I ask. 


Jeremy, you're borderline offensive, too.  I'm sure there's a way to wear Lacoste so that it fits.


Mmmm.  Pretty.

(A)KO

Poor Anne.

She really didn't play badly, certainly nowhere near the level where you'd expect someone to get double bagelled. An awful lot of those games went to 30-30 or deuce, sometimes multiple deuces. She had a great clay season coming into Roland Garros and even with an unlucky draw, deserved better than that. After all, Dina's had problems with players a lot worse than AKO.

But Dinara was just on a mission today. It wasn't her best performance by any means, but she did the most important thing-- she played the big points big. In the middle of the second set, AKO was up 40-0 on her own serve and the crowd went wild-- but a few minutes later, Dinara had heartlessly broken her once again. Sad for Anne, who really played well enough to win a few games, but an important start for Dinara, proving to herself that she can hold it together and decimate an in-form player.

In other news, Kleybs is out; Aravane's in; Kolya's through; Rafa is serving for the second set in a surprisingly close match (!!!) with a guy Justin Gimelstob assures us has "played a lot of Challengers"; The Burrito got bagelled in the first set by Melanie South; Stan's just into a 5th set against Devilder, and Venus is at a set all (!!!) with Bethanie Mattek, but up a break in the 3rd. The most stunning news from that match, of course, is that Bethanie is not the worst dressed player on the court.

The Buzz Around The Grounds

"Yeah. I definitely think Nadal is probably a big-time favorite."

-- Serena, in response to who the favorite is.

"And it's always a pleasure playing at Roland Garros - coming back here gives me a special sensation."

-- Rafa, on the chills that multiply when he comes back to RG.

“I was at the draw, so it would be hard to miss it.”

-- Baby E, in response to a reporter's question on whether she knew who her first round opponent was.  Unfortunately I'm positive this wasn't as snarky as it reads.

“I’m taking it a match at a time. I’m not putting any pressure on myself. I don’t have anything to lose this year. I’m more confident than I was a couple of weeks ago. I think that’s a step in the right direction.”

-- Serena, on her outlook going into RG. Tom Tebbutt reports that she was curt and vague and he thinks that there's some concern in the Serena camp.

“We’re a bit different persons, me and him. He can maybe practice one and a half hours a day and it’s enough for him. I’m a little more stubborn. I need to have like four hours on the court. He was like (telling me) ‘no, just practice half an hour and it’s fine for you.'  But now he doesn’t go into the tennis (with me). I think he respects me more now.”

-- Dina, on the worst tennis-related advice Marat ever gave her.

“The one thing I’ve done better this year is not to treat it as a completely different surface. And that’s totally changed my game-style. I still play the same way as I do on hard courts but I just need to move better, and I have done.”

-- Muzz, on *not* changing his tactics after Key Biscayne

"As world No 1 she's backed it up by winning the last two tournaments, in Rome and Madrid.  She's yet to win a Grand Slam, but she has proved she's the most consistent player out there. She puts herself on the line and you can't really argue with that. If someone competes well at the big tournaments week in and week out then they deserve to be where they are."

-- AKO, on whether her first round opponent deserves the #1 ranking. Pfft.  What does she know?

“I literally just walked out there 10 seconds before I got asked, ‘what do you think of the roof?’ I was like ‘I don’t know.'"

-- Muzz, trying to explain his awesome"it's a nice roof, compared to other roofs" quote.

“Carlos Moya, we all know he was a former No. 1 and winner of his Grand Slam here, he came up to me and said it was the best three-set match that he ever watched on this surface. Of course, all the people that have watched the match and have the opportunity to tell me something, they’ve all been saying positive things and comments regarding that match. So, I must be very proud.”

-- Nole, on the greatest compliment he's received since his 3 set heartbreaker to Rafa in Madrid.

“I feel good, a lot of control, much more control than Madrid. The feeling in Madrid was [that] the ball wasn’t inside the racquet, no? You touch the ball with the racquet and the ball go out of the racquet very fast and very early, no? Here the feeling is the ball stays here [again indicating inside the hitting area of the frame]. You can feel more the ball. But, yeah [the conditions] is heavier, and the ball too. My feeling is easier [for me] to play.”

-- Rafa, on home sweet Paris home.

"I'm not even listening to what people are saying. I'm just focusing on myself, just taking one day at a time. I don't think about what I want to happen in 14, 15 or 16 days' time. I live for today. Today I had a practice. That's all. Tomorrow is another day."

-- Dina, doing her best Scarlett O' Hara impression.

“I still believed in myself. I always worked hard and knew I was on the right path. But having to repeat yourself and explain yourself, wasn’t really fun. Sometimes you almost start to think about it being better not to play a tournament. You just want to train and do things without always being watched.”

-- Fed, doing his best Mr. Cellophane interpretation.

"I prefer shouting"

-- Muzz, on racquet thowing.  Thanks, Captain Obvs.

Air Quotes: British sarcasm 92%

"Maria Sharapova is making her comeback from injury here and I’ll be interested to see her play. She’s the only person the tournament gives a practice court to for two hours straight and she doesn’t have to share the court with anyone else so I expect to see her firing after all the preferential treatment!"

-- Anne Keothavong, on Masha's preferential treatment at the Warsaw Open. 

AKO Is Officially My New Favorite Player.

From her Twitter feed:

Felt like cack today and didnt have the energy to run around. Dubs is scheduled for late tomo eve so hope to feel better for that

I've thought about it all afternoon.  There's no way that's a typo. 

Now all I want to do is go with her to pub in London, down some Newcastles, and say "cock" a lot.  We're so besties.