ATP piece on France's ability to identify young talent.
But all the talk of "talent spotting" and "detection" immediately made me think of this:
But all the talk of "talent spotting" and "detection" immediately made me think of this:
Posted by C Note on November 12, 2009 in ATP, Gael Monfils, Gilles Simon, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)
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We get it. You're a fighter. A bull. Ain't nobody gonna hold you down.
Seriously, you don't have to prove it every.fucking.day.
Rafa saved one match point to survive an inspired day from Tommy. Poor, poor Tommy. He still hasn't been able to beat Rafa, and this was probably his best chance.
Rafa being Rafa, still found a way to find the positives:
"The better new is I didn't play my best but I played much better than yesterday," said Nadal. "I felt the ball much better than yesterday. For moments, I felt I have the control of the ball. I have the chance to play big rallies without having mistakes. So that's very important for me."
Well he better find his game quick because he faces Jo tomorrow. And Jo is looking good, even though he had to oust the hobbled Chicken today.
Gotta love it.
Posted by C Note on November 12, 2009 in Gilles Simon, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Rafa Nadal | Permalink | Comments (12) | TrackBack (0)
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(Couldn't find a pic from today. So we're going to go with this one.)
I have no idea how Commodus survived this match, but big ups to him. After splitting the first two sets against Lubes, Gilles suffered a rough knee injury in the third set that required him to call a trainer in the middle of the game. He was hobbling and really, had no business continuing to play, and had it been a tournament in any other city I'm sure he would have retired. But he gamed up and finished the match. He somehow kept holding serve to force a tiebreak, and in that tiebreak he played extremely intelligent tennis to take the match. I don't know what happened to Lubes. You'd think he'd start moving Gilly around but he didn't. He just kept puffing the ball back with no pace in the middle of the court. It was so odd.
Afterwards, Gilles seemed almost embarrased about the win. It isn't clear whether he'll be able to play his next match.
Earler, Fernando survived a scare and kept his WTF dreams alive by gutting out a three set win over Seppi. Don't fuck this up, Fer. I want to see you in London.
Oh, and before I forget, what the fuck, Feli?
Singles - Second Round
[6] N Davydenko (RUS) d B Becker (GER) 62 61
[7] F Verdasco (ESP) d A Seppi (ITA) 67(3) 64 64
[8] J Tsonga (FRA) d A Montanes (ESP) 61 75
[11] G Simon (FRA) d I Ljubicic (CRO) 63 36 76(4)
Singles - First Round
N Almagro (ESP) d M Chiudinelli (SUI) 62 64
[Q] D Guez (FRA) d S Wawrinka (SUI) 63 64
J Monaco (ARG) d J Chardy (FRA) 76(6) 75
J Benneteau (FRA) d P Petzschner (GER) 46 75 63
[Q] A Clement (FRA) d F Lopez (ESP) 63 61
Posted by C Note on November 11, 2009 in ATP, Fernando Verdasco, Gilles Simon | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
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Posted by C Note on November 06, 2009 in Gilles Simon, Pic This! | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
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Posted by C Note on October 04, 2009 in Gilles Simon, Nikolai Davydenko | Permalink | Comments (10) | TrackBack (0)
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Awesome win for the forgotten Serb, coming back from a set down to take out Jo. He dropped the first set 16 before coming back to demolish Jo 62 63.
No defending the title for you, Jo.
It's a "Go Tennis!" final for me, as Viktor will take on Gilles.
Gilles karate chopped DoucheStamp in two tight sets.
Have fun, boys. I know I will.
Posted by C Note on October 03, 2009 in ATP, Gilles Simon, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
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Because this collection of fearsome kickboxers is...neither of those last two things.
You're adorable and all. Really.
But there's a reason the French have never won a war. Like...ever.
As for Halpert, he was making sexy face...
...while getting a thai foot massage. Efficient, that one.
Way adorable though.
And does Gilles shirt say "Cool Trainers Always Make Me Smile"? You're so awesome.
Posted by C Note on September 30, 2009 in ATP, Gilles Simon, John Isner, Pic This! | Permalink | Comments (18) | TrackBack (0)
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Posted by C Note on September 29, 2009 in Gilles Simon, Marat Safin, Pic This! | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack (0)
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You knew today was going to be all about the love when Nico and Rafa took some time out of their busy work schedules to enjoy a little couples massage. That's love, people.
Yes, Flavia. Your balls are *that* big.
SuperJo.
I didn't know you could call an MTO for a hug. I wish Bepa called one.
Why is Elf *always* whacking off during matches? It's poor form, dude.
Posted by C Note on September 07, 2009 in ATP, Daniela Hantuchova, Flavia Pennetta, Gael Monfils, Gilles Simon, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Juan Martin del Potro, Pic This!, Rafa Nadal, US Open, WTA | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBack (0)
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Jo and Gael move on to the Round of 16 with ease. Jo with a straight set win over the Techno King, and Gael after Chucho retired in the third set. Both highl entertaining guys who were made for NYC, but I have to put my money on Jo from here on out. It's been fun, Gael, but for obvious reasons you need to go away now.
But all was not well for the Blue, White, and Red. Gilly was forced to retire after dropping the third set because of a knee injury. Now that France has caught on, it's official: Knee problems are the new black.
Poor Gilles. He was playing so well, too.
Posted by C Note on September 06, 2009 in Gael Monfils, Gilles Simon, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, US Open | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
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Posted by C Note on September 03, 2009 in Anna Chakvetadze, Bethanie Mattek, Daniela Hantuchova, Gilles Simon, Marat Safin, Maria Kirilenko, Pic This!, Rafa Nadal, Serena Williams, The Mighty Fed, Vera Zvonereva | Permalink | Comments (20) | TrackBack (0)
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Aw, poor Gilly. But he had a great run and I think he's got some confidence back. Does anyone else get the sense that he's playing tight? Either from the pressure, lack of confidence, or injury? He just doesn't seem to be the same smiley Gilles from last year. Hell, I guess we can say the same for Nole.
Magician, Joker, Entertainer. Kid got through in straight sets.
He'll face the winner of Big Berd and Rafa. Here's hoping for a 1, 2, 3, 4 semis.
Posted by C Note on August 21, 2009 in Gilles Simon, Novak Djokovic | Permalink | Comments (15) | TrackBack (0)
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Slowly but surely, he's working his way back to form. Rafa started slowly (literally) against Paulie, eventually finding himself down 4-1. He looked a step slow and fairly tentative, and Paulie capitalized by jumping on every short ball that Rafa hit. But then he hit a ridiculous backhand flick passing shot and something seemed to flip. He got that fire back and the fistpumping and vamosing kicked into high gear.
I was gchatting with donkeygrooming at the time and she asked what the score was. I told her Rafa was down 1-4 but he would be fine. You could see it. Once he secured the first set 75, the rest was history. He closed out the match and played well. I still think he's a step slow and he doesn't trust his legs. But if he can keep notching some wins he'll be able to work himself out of it.
In the other matches of the evening, Gilles was able to close out on Kolya in three sets, and Big Berd bombed his way to a straight set win. He'll clash with Rafa tomorrow in what will be a tricky one for Rafa. Then again, they're all feeling a bit tricky these days, no?
Posted by C Note on August 21, 2009 in ATP, Gilles Simon, Nikolai Davydenko, Rafa Nadal | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
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The boys were all about showing off their goods today in Cincy. Isner scored a huge win over Haasi, in a tight three setter 76(5) 57 76(3). Really nice win for Halpert.
And Gilly has a two match win streak (what???) with his three set win over Igor. Man, there is a whole lotta lank going on in that wee little body of yours, Mr. Simon.
But the rest of the day saw quite a few surprising results. Gonzo retired after the first set to Big Berd, Fer lost to Garcia-Lopez, Lawnmower took out Sods, and Daveed stopped Not!Mario in straights as well. Add to that list FeLo going down 9-7 in the third set tie break to DoucheStamp, Techno falling to Gooch, and Blah losing to Consumption (ok, maybe that one's not really an "upset") and you have yourself quite the eventful day for the sausages.
Singles - Second Round
[9] G Simon (FRA) d I Andreev (RUS) 76(5) 67(6) 61
D Ferrer (ESP) d [14] M Cilic (CRO) 76(4) 62
Singles - First Round
T Berdych (CZE) d [10] F Gonzalez (CHI) 64 ret. (knee)
G Garcia-Lopez (ESP) d [11] F Verdasco (ESP) 76(4) 76(4)
L Hewitt (AUS) d [12] R Soderling (SWE) 36 76(8) 63 - saved 2 M.P.
[Q] M Youzhny (RUS) d V Hanescu (ROU) 75 62
J Melzer (AUT) d F Lopez (ESP) 57 76(4) 76(7)
A Seppi (ITA) d [Q] J Hernych (CZE) 36 64 61
[Q] C Guccione (AUS) d P Kohlschreiber (GER) 75 26 63
I Kunitsyn (RUS) d J Blake (USA) 76(5) 67(5) 64
P Petzschner (GER) d [Q] S Bolelli (ITA) 76(6) 63
[WC] J Isner (USA) d T Haas (GER) 76(5) 57 76(3)
Doubles - Second Round
[2] D Nestor (CAN) / N Zimonjic (SRB) d R Lindstedt (SWE) / M Melo (BRA) 64 64
Doubles - First Round
M Llodra (FRA) / J Tsonga (FRA) d J Melzer (AUT) / R Stepanek (CZE) 76(2) 64
Posted by C Note on August 18, 2009 in ATP, David Ferrer, Gilles Simon | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
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Posted by C Note on August 13, 2009 in Gilles Simon, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
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Posted by C Note on August 10, 2009 in Andy Murray, ATP, Fernando Verdasco, Gilles Simon, Rafa Nadal | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBack (0)
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Well, you'll always have pretty.
Loses his first match in Hamburg to a qualifier in three sets. Why he didn't choose to defend Indy is beyond me. Is he still with Carinne? Something tells me he's been galoshing the Cone. Clearly he's got whatever she has.
Not sure if it helps any of us Gilly fans sleep at night, but Gilles wasn't the only one to crash out of Hamburg today. Tommy, Stan, and DoucheStamp all found themselves booking their flights to the U.S. a tick earlier than they'd like.
Singles – Second Round
I Navarro (ESP) d [4] T Robredo (ESP) 75 76(2)
G Garcia-Lopez (ESP) d [5] S Wawrinka (SUI) 62 64
[8] P Kohlschreiber (GER) d [Q] P Starace (ITA) 62 46 64
[Q] P Cuevas (URU) d [9] J Melzer (AUT) 76(5) 63
[10] V Troicki (SRB) d T Gabashvili (RUS) 36 62 64
[13] P Mathieu (FRA) d [Q] P Riba (ESP) 61 26 76(3)
[WC] D Brands (GER) d [1] G Simon (FRA) 36 64 63
Singles - First Round
J Benneteau (FRA) d J Chela (ARG) 64 16 61
J Monaco (ARG) d M Youzhny (RUS) 76(4) 63
[WC] F Mayer (GER) d R Schuettler (GER) 67(3) 63 63
F Fognini (ITA) d I Minar (CZE) 64 62
Doubles - First Round
[2] W Moodie (RSA) / D Norman (BEL) d J Chardy (FRA) / P Mathieu (FRA) 36 63 10-7
[4] L Dlouhy (CZE) / D Skoch (CZE) d J Brunstrom (SWE) / J Rojer (AHO) 76(5) 76
J Knowle (AUT) / J Melzer (AUT) d M Granollers (ESP) / T Robredo (ESP) 64 62
M Melo (BRA) / F Polasek (SVK) d [WC] K Krawietz (GER) / N Langer (GER) 60 64
Wednesday OOP:
Posted by C Note on July 22, 2009 in ATP, Gilles Simon | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack (0)
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Day 2 pretty much followed the script from Day 1. The top seeds played like top seeds, a few moments of heartburn, a few minor upsets. But all in all, no major shakeups.
The Getty caption to this pic is "Jeremy Chardy serves to Andy Roddick during their first round match...", which...uh, no. Still a rad pic though.
Momo will vanquish all that stand in her way. Or...well...at least the one who stood in her way today. Who knows what'll happen in two days.
Aw...how adorable. She went ditched the black tape and went with the traditional off-white tape out of respect for Wimbly. Or something.
And I'm pretty sure that if Martina saw this pic she'd cream herself. Go Volley!Ana!
I shit you not. Those are the lyrics to "One Moment In Time" by Whitney Houston.
That hand belongs to Georgie Stoop, who also admitted to listening to Spin Doctors before taking the court. Either Georgie Stoop is 40 years old or the early 90's just hit Britain.
Seriously, Adidas has to be feeling pretty good about themselves. That or they totally bribed all the photogs to not take pics of their athletes slipping on the grass.
To this day my parents still make fun of me because when I was a kid (and really, up until I was like 14) I always took pictures crouched down on one knee. I have no idea where that habit came from. But I'm fairly certain I have a childhood pic that looks exactly like this one. Minus the racquet and ball. But I think I was definitely in a skirt. All class, baby.
Posted by C Note on June 23, 2009 in Amelie Mauresmo, Ana Ivanovic, ATP, Caroline Wozniacki, Dinara Safina, Gilles Simon, Jelena Jankovic, Venus Williams, Wimbledon, WTA | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBack (0)
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But in other dude news, A-Rod came out of the gate with a somewhat impressive performance over newly-shorn Jeremy Chardy, who all of sudden looks Robredoesque. Rod made only 9 unforced errors. On grass. That's, and I hate to phrase it this way, Rafa-like.
Then again, he still needed four sets to seal the win. Which seems to indicate that maybe he was playing a little too safely on his return games. I'm not asking you to go all Blah on us, Andy, but you really do have to pick it up and play more aggressively on the green stuff.
Elfy also pwned on his first match on grass since last year's Wimbly and in a somewhat shocking development, Gilly and his one good knee won in straight sets.
According to the Wimbledon website, Ernie won. I checked my calendar and its not April Fool's, Christmas, or my birthday. So...nice try, Wimbledon. I will not fall for your poorly edited scoreboard. And also, that is a mean mean joke.
Posted by C Note on June 23, 2009 in Andy Roddick, ATP, Gilles Simon, Juan Martin del Potro, Wimbledon | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
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Thanks to the best gay for sending this along. Nice to see the hot boys of tennis getting the love and respect they deserve.
But no Goth Bols or Janko? Blasphemy!
Posted by C Note on June 03, 2009 in Andy Murray, ATP, David Ferrer, Fernando Verdasco, Gilles Simon, Juan Martin del Potro, Tommy Haas | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
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Posted by C Note on May 29, 2009 in Agnes Szavay, Ana Ivanovic, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Andy Murray, David Ferrer, Dinara Safina, Elena Dementieva, Fernando Verdasco, Gilles Simon, Jelena Dokic, Maria Sharapova, Novak Djokovic, Pic This!, Roland Garros, Sorana Cirstea, The Mighty Fed, Victoria Azarenka | Permalink | Comments (18) | TrackBack (0)
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Posted by Carrie on May 29, 2009 in ATP, Fernando Verdasco, Gilles Simon, Guest Blogger, Marin Cilic, Nikolai Davydenko, Roland Garros | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
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Get ready, Paris. If you hated Shrieka, you're going to hate this one.
Disco Cone won a match! And gave an awesome presser to boot.
...
...
...
I'm sorry. What were we talking about? My mind wandered.
Uh. Ok.
Yes, we can smell what Marat is cooking. And it smells like a big pile of bullshit.
I don't know why I thought Jay-Z would do well here.
It's ok, Purple One. Go get ready for Wimbly.
Le sigh. Love you.
I look through a lot of tennis pictures everyday. And the reality is that these players are so technically sound that it becomes rare that you see an action shot of a player that looks new.
This one looked new. Her face isn't all contorted, she's balanced, and she's statuesque.
Love it.
Agnes rockin the punk Fila dress. She won! I can't really explain my affinity for Agnes. But I'm really happy she's winning again.
Posted by C Note on May 27, 2009 in Agnes Szavay, Alize Cornet, Gilles Simon, Michelle Larcher de Brito, Pic This!, Rafa Nadal | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBack (0)
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All credit to ESPN for calling itself out. From their 5 things we learned today feature:
1. Dinara Safina is playing like the favorite: Through two rounds she has lost a total of exactly … uh, two games -- in less than two hours. The No. 1-ranked Russian rolled qualifier Vitalia Diatchenko 6-1, 6-1. Since she ascended to the top spot, Safina has won 16 of her 17 matches on clay. She got to the final here a year ago and made the Australian Open final earlier this year. This, clearly, represents her best chance to join brother Marat as a Grand Slam champion.
Safina's coach, Zeljko Krajan -- naturally -- was again disappointed in her play.
"If one day he's going to be happy, I think I'll finish my career," she said. "He's never happy. Even today, he's not happy."
2. And Ana Ivanovic is starting to play like the defending champion: There have been some dicey moments this year -- like losing in the third round of the Australian Open and her second matches in Miami and Rome -- but her form seems to be returning.
Ivanovic torched Tamarine Tanasugarn 6-1, 6-2 and she said she thinks she can repeat at Roland Garros.
"I do," she said, "and I worked very hard for it and know I have a game."
3. ESPN.com's "experts" asleep at the wheel: The four women tabbed by six ESPN.com writers as sleepers -- Amelie Mauresmo (2), Patty Schnyder (2), Sabine Lisicki and Kaia Kanepi -- all lost in the first round. Sleepers, did we say sleepers? We meant to place them in the early-exit category.
"If Gulbis loses, I'm completely inept with my pre-tournament picks," said tennis writer Bonnie Ford, eyeing the scoreboard with disgust early in the day.
Ten minutes later, Ernests Gulbis -- Ford's male sleeper -- fell to Nicolas Almagro in four sets. What's the French word for inept?
"Incapable," said Ford, who speaks fluent French, explaining that the word is the same in both English and French.
4. Andy Roddick is the last American man standing: As a corollary to No. 3 -- and a public service, no doubt -- we are compelled to further mention that no fewer than four ESPN.com experts (who shall remain nameless) chose Roddick as their candidate for an early exit. With the loss by California native Robert Kendrick to Gilles Simon in the second round, 5-7, 0-6, 1-6, Roddick is the LAMS.
Did we mention that Simon and fellow Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who now appear to be in terrific form, were the other two early-exit choices?
Tapping Momo as a sleeper and Gilly and Jo as early exits weren't bad calls. But Sabine? Everyone knew she was pretty injured coming into RG. Kaia Kanepi? Uh...yeah...I don't know what that was about.
But really, say it with me...ERNIE???
I guess I don't really understand how Bonnie Ford can be SO SHOCKED that Ernie lost. My only guess is that while the rest of us are waking up in the middle of the night to watch Ernie lose ever so beautifully (though let's face it, he hasn't been losing beautifully lately) Bonnie's doing the smart and rational thing and sleeping.
Pfft. Weak humans.
Posted by C Note on May 27, 2009 in Ana Ivanovic, Andy Roddick, Dinara Safina, Ernests Gulbis, Gilles Simon, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, WTA | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)
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I really kind of meant it in a "lookit all those straight set wins" kind of way, but then I found this...
Posted by Carrie on May 27, 2009 in Agnes Szavay, Alize Cornet, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Andy Murray, ATP, Ernests Gulbis, Feliciano Lopez, Fernando Gonzalez, Fernando Verdasco, Gilles Simon, Guest Blogger, Janko Tipsarevic, Marin Cilic, Na Li, Roland Garros, Victoria Azarenka, WTA | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
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Posted by C Note on May 24, 2009 in Amelie Mauresmo, Ana Ivanovic, Andy Murray, ATP, David Ferrer, Ernests Gulbis, Fernando Verdasco, Gilles Simon, Pic This!, Roland Garros, The Mighty Fed, WTA | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBack (0)
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So far so good on the men's side on Sunday, which saw all the seeds through though not without a battle of two. Muzz didn't need much time at all in his opening match against Chela. He took care of the Argentine, 2 2 and 1, in an hour and a half. Not sure how I feel about the all black Fred Perry kit, but if it produces these kinds of results, I suppose I'll deal.
Both of these guys are hot. Both of them are smurfing the Adidas blue. And both are prone to fits and starts. One had an easy three set win and the other had to gut out a 5 setter.
But I guess I just gave it away seeing as how if Marat were the one in the 5 setter we all know he would have lost. Nice showing by the Captain who was businesslike in his 4 4 and 4 win over a French qualifier. Gilles on the other hand needed 5 sets to outlast the America Rafa. Nice win for Gilly and happy to see him feed off the home energy (as opposed to pulling a Momo and buckling under the pressure).
Not even a confuzzlingly large ice towel could cool down Sex on Fire. He beat another Frenchman, Serra, 2 1 and 4. And fellow Spaniards Daveed and Nico also made it through in straight sets.
Nice comeback win from Lleyton, who took advantage of a physically fading Ivo (who served a record breaking 55 aces in the match) to come back from two sets down. I'm not sure I'll ever really understand Ivo's fitness issues. I know he's a big guy and everything, BUT ALL YOU DO IS SERVE. Like, his service games are so economical that I'm blown away he can get all that tired. And it's not like he engages in ridiculously long rallies during his opponent's service games, either. Go run some hills, Ivo.
Posted by C Note on May 24, 2009 in Andy Murray, David Ferrer, Fernando Verdasco, Gilles Simon, Marat Safin, Roland Garros | Permalink | Comments (11) | TrackBack (0)
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If you haven't seen the not-so-fab pics of Gilly and Jo in French Men's Fitness, check out G's write up.
But doesn't that pic remind you of something?
Something fabulous?
Posted by C Note on May 23, 2009 in Gilles Simon | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
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Posted by C Note on May 23, 2009 in Alize Cornet, Ana Ivanovic, Andy Murray, Dinara Safina, Fernando Verdasco, Gael Monfils, Gilles Simon, Jelena Jankovic, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Maria Sharapova, Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal, Roland Garros, The Mighty Fed | Permalink | Comments (13) | TrackBack (0)
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Of course, the headline would make sense if Gilles had rounded off the top 8 making the quarters, but given his form lately, unfortunately I can't say I'm surprised. Has Lubey been tested for doping? That's the only explanation for his recent form. That or he read a good book or something.
Rafa and A-Rod benefitted from walkovers, with PEHK and Kolya withdrawing with left leg injuries. Fed proved that no matter what, he still pwns Blah, Muzz and Fer had quality wins over solid dirtballers (something tells me Pico's going to be RG spoiler), and Elf had to mount a strong comeback to overcome Stanley the Manley.
Singles - Third Round
[1] R Nadal (ESP) d P Kohlschreiber (GER) W/O (left leg)
[2] R Federer (SUI) d [14] J Blake (USA) 62 64
[3] N Djokovic (SRB) d A Seppi (ITA) 64 64
[4] A Murray (GBR) d [16] T Robredo (ESP) 75 61
[5] J Del Potro (ARG) d [11] S Wawrinka (SUI) 46 64 64
[6] A Roddick (USA) d [10] N Davydenko (RUS) W/O (left leg)
[WC] I Ljubicic (CRO) d [8] G Simon (FRA) 36 64 63
[7] F Verdasco [ESP] d [WC] J Monaco (ARG) 75 62
Doubles - Quarter-finals
J Del Potro (ARG) / M Fish (USA) d S Huss (AUS) / R Hutchins (GBR) 67(9) 62 10-4
Doubles - Second Round
[2] D Nestor (CAN) / N Zimonjic (SRB) d [WC] M Lopez (ESP) / R Ramirez Hidalgo (ESP) 63 67(7) 10-6
N Djokovic (SRB) / D Vemic (SRB) d [8] M Melo (BRA) / A Sa (BRA) 62 76(9)
Posted by C Note on May 14, 2009 in ATP, Gilles Simon, James Blake, Novak Djokovic, The Mighty Fed | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
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Methinks I have a brilliant idea for Gilly for next year's Monte Carlo talent show...
The Great Boobed Owl survived a second set challenge from Kendrick to get through in straight sets. He's the top seed in Estoril. Scawy.
But the big news was Nalby crashing out to Capdeville, 2 and 2, and now the rumors are flying that he won't be fit for RG. That hip isn't looking good.
Singles - First Round
[1] [WC] G Simon (FRA) d R Kendrick (USA) 63 76(7)
P Capdeville (CHI) d [5] D Nalbandian (ARG) 62 62
[6] M Fish (USA) d T Gabashvili (RUS) 63 64
M Gicquel (FRA) d P Andujar (ESP) 76(6) 64
O Hernandez (ESP) d [WC] R Machado (POR) 75 16 75
Doubles - First Round
[3] F Cermak (CZE) / M Mertinak (SVK) d [Alt] P Capdeville (CHI) / I Navarro (ESP) 63 62
Posted by C Note on May 04, 2009 in ATP, David Nalbandian, Gilles Simon | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBack (0)
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Well this was one of the more delicious scorelines of the year. Rafa demolishes The Evil One, 61 60.
How hard did he have the beg the umpire to give him that one gain? Methinks Mr. Umpire's going to be rocking some new Pradas on Saturday. And yes, I have a huge stupid grin on my face as I type this. I really do hate that Fucker.
Well alrightalrightalright. So Gilly lost to a Matthew McConaughy's doppelganger in two listless sets. Yeah, I'd make that face too.
Singles - Third Round
[1] R Nadal (ESP) d R Soderling (SWE) 61 60
[2] R Federer (SUI) d [16] R Stepanek (CZE) 64 61
[3] N Djokovic (SRB) d [13] T Robredo (ESP) 61 61
[5] J Del Potro (ARG) d [10] S Wawrinka (SUI) 62 67(5) 63
[6] F Verdasco (ESP) d R Gasquet (FRA) 75 64
[Q] M Zverev (GER) d [8] G Simon (FRA) 64 61
[12] F Gonzalez (CHI) d J Melzer (AUT) 36 63 75
[Q] J Monaco (ARG) d [15] M Cilic (CRO) 64 64
Doubles - Second Round
[1] B Bryan (USA) / M Bryan (USA) d J Knowle (AUT) / J Melzer (AUT) 64 63
[2] D Nestor (CAN) / N Zimonjic (SRB) d J Blake (USA) / M Fish (USA) 63 46 10-6
[3] L Dlouhy (CZE) / L Paes (IND) d I Karlovic (CRO) / D Vemic (SRB) 61 61
[4] M Bhupathi (IND) / M Knowles (BAH) d S Bolelli (ITA) / A Seppi (ITA) 76(5) 26 10-3
[5] B Soares (BRA) / K Ullyett (ZIM) d M Melo (BRA) / A Sa (BRA) 62 64
[6] M Fyrstenberg (POL) / M Matkowski (POL) d J Benneteau (FRA) / J Tsonga (FRA) 75 63
[7] M Mirnyi (BLR) / A Ram (ISR) d [WC] D Bracciali (ITA) / P Starace (ITA) 75 63
[8] J Coetzee (RSA) / J Kerr (AUS) d [WC] F Cipolla (ITA) / F Fognini (ITA) 61 75
Posted by C Note on May 01, 2009 in ATP, Gilles Simon, Rafa Nadal | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBack (0)
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Posted by C Note on April 22, 2009 in Gael Monfils, Gilles Simon, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Richard Gasquet | Permalink | Comments (14) | TrackBack (0)
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Q. Was this match, like you said yesterday, you had no reference points to be able to play on clay?
GILLES SIMON: Yes. I didn't have reference points. And on top of this,
this match was completely rotten from the first to the last point. So
it's not only the lack of reference points.
Q. What is it then?
GILLES SIMON: I don't know. I'm surprised myself. I felt at ease on
this surface. I was moving well. But I don't remember ever playing so
badly. Nothing was right. Nothing was working. My forehand, my
backhand, my serve, nothing.
Q. Do you believe playing a qualifier first round coming back from the United States was a tricky match?
GILLES SIMON: No. On the contrary, I believe this was a good draw. It
is always better to play a qualifier, although he won matches just
before and he has his bearings.
Q. But you didn't know this one?
GILLES SIMON: Yes, I did. I played him a long time ago. I also saw
several matches from him so I knew what he can do well. But I played so
bad today that I couldn't have beaten anyone. In the beginning he made
a couple of mistakes, but then he understood very soon that I would
play a very short point or I would hit the ball out.
Q. When was the last time you played as badly as this?
GILLES SIMON: I believe this match is a record.
Q. Are you worried?
GILLES SIMON: I'm certainly not pleased with that match. But I'm not
even worried. If I had lost playing sometimes good, sometimes bad, I
would have thought it's strange.
But in this case, I didn't even have good moments. It went so bad that I think the result is normal.
Q. What bothered you in his game? He's a left hander? He was hitting the lines too often?
GILLES SIMON: Nothing special. I was concentrating on what I had to do,
and he was putting some rhythm into the ball, which is good. He was
serving well, but I was able to return. But I felt lost on the court.
The third backhand I was hitting went into the net. The third forehand
I was hitting, I was hitting the frame. I think I made 40 unforced
errors and just 1 winner. What could I do?
Q. Four winners.
GILLES SIMON: But two aces (smiling).
The dude gives good interview. Makes me wonder about his other oral skills.
Ew! I'm talking about debating! Get your mind out of the gutter. Sheesh.
He seems like he'd be a master debater.
Posted by C Note on April 14, 2009 in Air Quotes, Gilles Simon | Permalink | Comments (17) | TrackBack (0)
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I blame the werewolf look. What, is he auditioning for a role in New Moon?
Gilly and the Frenchies had a tough day at the office. And we're not talking Jo and Reeshie, two players whose games may not suit clay. We're talking the dirtball dogs, Gilles and Gael. Gilles lost to Andreas Beck 75 61 (6-1? On clay?), and Gael was absolutely trounced by Janko, 63 61 (Really Gael? [Insert disapproving look here]).
So the other seed is out of Fed's quarter. No wonder the dude looks so damn relaxed.
Posted by C Note on April 14, 2009 in ATP, Gael Monfils, Gilles Simon | Permalink | Comments (18) | TrackBack (0)
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As for the boys the match of the day was Monfils/Marat.
I'm not really sure *how* Marat blew a 5-2 lead in the third set, but he did. I'm not convinced La Monf even knows how he did it. After being down and out and down two breaks, the match somehow landed in his lap.
I blame the Magic Cap of Dorkitude. Also, memo to Adidas: Maratski hasn't retired yet. You might want to get him the new blue kit ASAP. Russian Smurf needs to make an appearance immediately.
In other news, Wolverine, aka, the man who cannot be killed, somehow ropped the first set to Old Man Rainer 63, only to revive himself and issue double breadsticks the next two sets. He lives to fight another day. Also, nice wins for Big Byrd over Blah (and for serious, Blah could not have been more Blah (or is it Blahier?) in that boring as match), and Taylor Dent continued his comeback efforts with a win over a tough but probably still injured Disco.
[2] R Federer (SUI) d [28] N Kiefer (GER) 64 61
[3] N Djokovic (SRB) d [31] P Mathieu (FRA) 64 61
[5] A Roddick (USA) d [25] D Tursunov (RUS) 76(9) 62
[7] G Simon (FRA) d [29] R Schuettler (GER) 36 61 61
[9] G Monfils (FRA) d [22] M Safin (RUS) 57 75 76(3) - saved 2 M.P.
[10] J Tsonga (FRA) d [Q] R Kendrick (USA) 75 64
[21] T Berdych (CZE) d [13] J Blake (USA) 64 67(3) 63
[Q] T Dent (USA) d [15] T Robredo (ESP) 75 63
Posted by C Note on March 29, 2009 in ATP, Gael Monfils, Gilles Simon, Marat Safin | Permalink | Comments (18) | TrackBack (0)
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Dima yukking it up on the practice field with Viktor.
Daveed and Chucho taking a breather.
Rod Laver explaining to Bud Collins what Roger has to do to beat Rafa (seriously).
She actually looks like she knows what she's doing in this pic.
Gilly and the beautiful surroundings. And smog. But let's focus on the positive here.
Rafa at night. Dude was MOBBED.
Sania does not look convinced by Sven's advice. She would lose serve in the very next game and stare angrily at Sven.
(Pics for Forty Deuce by C Note and Love All)
Posted by C Note on March 16, 2009 in Ana Ivanovic, ATP, Daniela Hantuchova, David Ferrer, Gilles Simon, Rafa Nadal, Sania Mirza, The Mighty Fed | Permalink | Comments (21) | TrackBack (0)
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Posted by C Note on March 15, 2009 in Ana Ivanovic, Gilles Simon, Marat Safin, Pic This! | Permalink | Comments (32) | TrackBack (0)
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Posted by C Note on March 15, 2009 in Gilles Simon, Marat Safin | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
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Posted by C Note on March 10, 2009 in Gilles Simon, Pic This! | Permalink | Comments (31) | TrackBack (0)
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Posted by C Note on March 09, 2009 in Davis Cup, Gilles Simon | Permalink | Comments (14) | TrackBack (0)
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Poor Gilly. I was worried about him after hearing the interview with him yesterday when he seemingly didn't seem all that concerned about the difference between Davis Cup and any other tennis match you'll ever play. Methinks the rookie just wasn't prepared for what he was about to walk into, especially on a hostile court.
Ain't no shame in losing to Big Byrd, though. It was a tight match that took almost 3 and a half hours before Byrdy prevailed, 76(3) 46 76(2) 63.
Of course, this put a lot of pressure on Jo, who had to face the red hot (play-wise) Worm. Thankfully Jo kept his cool and played solidly, beating Steps, 75 62 76(1). Afterwards, Jo kept it teamy:
Posted by C Note on March 06, 2009 in ATP, Davis Cup, Gilles Simon, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
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Posted by C Note on March 05, 2009 in Davis Cup, Gilles Simon, Janko Tipsarevic, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Marat Safin, Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)
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Posted by C Note on March 05, 2009 in Gilles Simon, Pic This! | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBack (0)
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Posted by C Note on March 05, 2009 in ATP, Davis Cup, Gael Monfils, Gilles Simon, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Richard Gasquet | Permalink | Comments (15) | TrackBack (0)
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Posted by C Note on February 27, 2009 in Gilles Simon, Pic This! | Permalink | Comments (42) | TrackBack (0)
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God. Recently it seems like every picture of this kid just makes me sad irrespective of whether he's winning or losing. They remind me of Sveta's quote after her loss to Dina at RG 08, "I could not put up much of a fight with her today because first I had to fight myself and that's as far as I can go." Or something like that. I just see a guy who just has no idea what's going on right now and is fighting against himself to get through.
Luckily he did today, beating Tuxedo 63 64. Quite a nice win for him over a very solid opponent.
And the hot teacher/student French-on-French action ended the way that it should, with Gilly winning in straight sets and looking might good doing it. I seriously want to lick his neck in that pic. Nom nom.
Nole and Gilles will face each other tomorrow.
[1] N Djokovic (SRB) d [5] M Cilic (CRO) 63 64
R Gasquet (FRA) d [2] A Murray (GBR) W/O (virus)
[3] G Simon (FRA) d F Santoro (FRA) 76(3) 61
[4] D Ferrer (ESP) d [6] I Andreev (RUS) 75 61
Posted by C Note on February 26, 2009 in Gilles Simon, Novak Djokovic | Permalink | Comments (16) | TrackBack (0)
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Grigor Dimitrov, a teenage wild card cutie from Bulgaria, pushed Rafa to three sets and really impressed until he started to run out of steam and start cramping. Apparently Grigor is part of the Adidas Player Development Program. At least, I assume so because Sven was watching him in Rotterdam.
Nice that he put on a good show. Even nicer that Rafa was able to pull it out. From all reports it sounds like Rafa's not keeping the best form in Rotterdam. I still think he'll make it to the finals though. The boy just doesn't quit.
No no no, Mario. The cape goes on your back. No...like, you tie it...oh nevermind.
Super Mario made a rare appearance today, upsetting #4 seed Gilly in three sets, 64 36 63. It's ok, Gilly. You're still fun to look at, especially with your new bed head look. Cat sound.
Here are the rest of your scores:
[1] R Nadal (ESP) d [WC] G Dimitrov (BUL) 75 36 62
[2] A Murray (GBR) d A Seppi (ITA) 76(4) 75
M Ancic (CRO) d [4] G Simon (FRA) 64 36 63
[5] G Monfils (FRA) d M Llodra (FRA) 64 64
[7]J Tsonga (FRA) d D Tursunov (RUS) 76(6) 62
[LL] M Gicquel (FRA) d P Mathieu (FRA) 64 63
Posted by C Note on February 12, 2009 in ATP, Gilles Simon, Mario Ancic, Rafa Nadal | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBack (0)
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Yeesh. I'm glad I was too busy at work to pay attention to the livescores. I might have had a bit of a fit. Rafa was pushed to three sets by Goth Bols, eventually winning, 46 62 75. I can't stand all these indoor pictures. After being spoiled by all the great shadows and light from AO, this just looks so bush league. Oh well.
In other drama, Daveed couldn't keep is semi-strong run going, losing to Misha, 62 36 62. I wish I knew what was up with that kid. He had a nice win over Baggy last week in Johannesburg. It would have been nice to see him follow it up.
Meanwhile, the Frenchies roll on, as Jo and Gilly notched tough straight set wins. This winning is getting contagious as even their non-Muskateer countrymen are catching on, with Marc Gicquel and Michael Llodra both winning three setters over Koralev and Dr. Ivo, respectively.
Here are your scores (Kolya and Apricot Bars are still playing):
[1] R Nadal (ESP) d S Bolelli (ITA) 46 62 75
[4] G Simon (FRA) d P Kohlschreiber (GER) 75 76(1)
[7] J Tsonga (FRA) d [WC] J Huta Galung (NED) 76(4) 76(4)
M Ancic (CRO) d R Schuettler (GER) 75 62
M Llodra (FRA) d I Karlovic (CRO) 46 63 64
[LL] M Gicquel (FRA) d [Q] E Korolev (RUS) 36 63 62
M Youzhny (RUS) d [6] D Ferrer (ESP) 62 36 62
Posted by C Note on February 11, 2009 in ATP, David Ferrer, Gilles Simon, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Rafa Nadal | Permalink | Comments (17) | TrackBack (0)
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How is he NOT the most famous tennis player of all time? HOW?!?
Also? WHY DID I TAKE GERMAN IN HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE?!?!?
Posted by C Note on February 04, 2009 in Gilles Simon | Permalink | Comments (28) | TrackBack (0)
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