Forty Deuce

The Sincerest Form of Flattery.

The coke-habit-sniffing was an inspired choice, Janko.

And So a Boy Becomes a Man...

I don't know. I liked Aga's better.

Marin lost to Janko.  His struggles continue.  Sigh.

Credit to Racquet Required for finding the clip.

Pic This: To the Dearly Departed.

We just didn't have enough time together.  Makes me way emo.

That's Just His Face.

He's happy!  I promise!  Either that or he, much like the rest of the world, has no fucking clue what's been handed to him.  Why do tennis tournaments insist on buying their trophies at Good Vibrations?  I hope they sterilized it first.

Delpoooooooooooooooo!

He won!  I can't believe he won.  He did so without dropping a set in Delray Beach.  This is obviously his first title since USO 09 and he's now 4-0 in finals on US soil.  We love you, Delpo.  Please stay.

The win rockets the big man back into the Top 100 at #89.  Three weeks ago he was ranked #484.  How's that for a climb?

(Pics: AP)

Numb and Neutral.

What's the best way to cope the day after your favorite player plays an epic three setter, saves match points, only to lose?  Crawling back under my covers this morning didn't seem like a viable (or healthy) option.  I perused the order of play on my tram ride to Melbourne Park and came up with a game plan:  I was going to watch matches that didn't require me to pick sides or root for any players.  I just didn't have it in me to get emotionally attached to any matches today and I certainly didn't have the capacity for heartbreak or disappointment. 

Luckily, two matches fit the bill: Fernando vs. Janko and Petko vs. AKO.  I like all four players, I'm fine if any one of them win, and since they were playing each other, I was ok if any one of them lost.  This seemed like a fool-proof plan.  I could just sit and enjoy the tennis and just hope and root for each player to put in a good performance.

After strolling the grounds to soak in some practice courts (I saw Big John smiling and chatting up some fans as he signed autographs after practice) I returned to the scene of the crime: Hisense Arena.  It was another overcast day as I settled into a chilly dome for Fernando vs. Janko.  I made it a point to avoid the seat I was firmly lodged in for almost three hours yesterday.  Post-traumatic stress disorder is real and it must be managed.

For two sets Janko was, as he tends to be, early-round-Slam Janko.  He was hitting his serve and going for his shots and Fer just couldn't find his range or figure out how to get him out of his rhythm.  It was kind of a bummer, actually.  I wanted to see a good match and Fernando wasn't obliging.  It was looking like the men's side would suffer their first top seed exit.  He was at times frustrated, at times listless, and at times, racquet-breaky. 

But somewhere along the way -- maybe it was all the Serb flags in the crowd -- Janko remembered that he is Serbian.  Serbs just don't do straightforward.  Serbs do drama.  And there has been no bigger or better stage for Serbian drama in the past 24 hours than Hisense Arena.

So Janko would find himself, after dropping the third set, twice serving for the match in the fourth set.  In fact, he would have three match points.  Somewhere in those three match points, Fernando would twist his ankle and get gimpy.  And yet.  AND YET.  Janko would choke on a backhand volley that, instead of putting away, he put back into the middle of the court to give Fer a chance to pass.  He did, and it was all downhill from there.  Janko would blow the rest of his match points, Fernando would break to force a tiebreak, which he won 7-0, crushing forehands left and right.

From there the Serbian fatalism that I have come to know and love/hate kicked in and you just knew it was over.  Fernando would drop a bagel in the fifth set, crushing forehands and serves, and Janko looked like he would rather be anywhere than Hisense.  I knew the feeling.  He said afterwards that he was "dead in the legs".  Probably true, but he was dead in the heart, too.

It was a disappointing end to the match for sure.  I would have loved to have seen these two play at their best.  But it happens and after Janko blew that one MP that he should have converted the result was inevitable. 

Good win for Fernando, though.  Not sure how this match will get written up but I wouldn't label the win an "epic comeback".  I mean, Fernando definitely stepped up a bit, but by then Janko was long gone.  Hopefully it knocked something loose in Fernando's head and he plays better going forward.  It was a rather shocking performance after his masterful destruction of Rainer Schuettler on Monday.

But the match served it's purpose.  I was able to sit there and watch some good tennis without any frazzling or real vested interest.  So go me.  My plan was working.

I bookended the day (or at least I thought it would be the bookend) with Petko vs. AKO on Court 3.  Again, a match that I could be happy about either way.  Anne has been on the brink of retirement and had a great qualifying run to get into the main draw here to get her back into the Top 100.  A spot in the third round to face a possibly gimpy Venus would be HUGE for her.  But then there's Petko, who's trying to kick off her year positively after a pretty heartbreaking 2010. 

You could tell from the get-go that this match meant a lot to these two, who are good buddies off the court.  I mean, of course they would be good buddies.  Awesome people find awesome people and become friends.  Those are the rules of the universe. 

Anne came out of the blocks on fire, moving really well and playing steady, patient tennis.  She would take the first set convincingly, 6-2.  But after Petko left the court for a toilet break and then had to call an MTO at the first change to get her ankle taped (she twisted it in the first game of the second set), Anne cooled off a bit.  It was a tense second set but you got the impression that Petko was going to be able to pull away.  Anne's a fighter and she broke her while she was serving for the set, only to be broken back and eventually lose the second set.  From there it was all Andrea, who ran away with the third 6-0 to send her good buddy packing.  Another disappointing end to an otherwise well-played match, but no real disappointment from me.  I'm looking forward to the Petko/Venus third rounder.

I came back to the media center with a bit of pep in my step.  I felt recharged and ready to go for tomorrow's day of stress.  I thought that would be the end of the day. 

Noooooot quite...

(Pics: Getty, AP, Reuters)

Pic This: Let's Get Happy.

 

Day 1 is in the books, it's 3 am, and I'm pooped.  Which means that these captions are not going to make any sense. 

Hands down the best picture of the dress I could find.

Djok o' Lantern.

Even his hair is giving you the thumbs up!  Adorable.

How do you spell relief?

S-A-N-I-A-M-E-L-T-D-O-W-N

Oh Look. There's More.

And in case you missed the post match festivities....

Champ Stamp > Tramp Stamp.

Shaved heads or not, who wouldn't lick them?

Thanks for the link, Miljan.

(Pic: Mondo)

Pic This: How Do You Say "WOOT" In Serbian?

This picture is amazing.  I have nothing more to say.

Whee!

I don't know.  Your head is still shinier.

Monchichi!

The Dog Days Are Over.

So this was kind of a big deal.

When I think about what Serbia was able to accomplish, not just this year but over the course of the past three years to qualify for World Group, three words come to mind: team, resilience, and pride.

Team:  These are the same four players who have been playing together for over three years.  The bonds reflect that.  All I have to know about this team was what I saw on Friday.  After Novak won the second rubber, he ran over to the bench and started high fiving everyone in the team box.  When he saw Janko, he stopped and grabbed him, giving him a big hug and kissing his head.  He could have easily just given him a high five.  But Nole took the moment to let Tipsy know that the team was still with him and that the tie wasn't over.  Brothers in arms, standing together, at the end of a long journey.  You could see that they were not only happy for themselves, but happy for each other.  Amazing.

Resilience: Serbia becomes the 13th nation to hoist the Davis Cup and only the second unseeded team to win it.  They do so after blowing a 2-0 lead in the doubles rubber on Saturday with Viktor, who struggled in the last three sets of that doubles match, rebounding to take a straight set victory over Mikey Llodes, who had been unbeaten in Davis Cup all year.  Let's also not forget Janko's heroic semifinal wins over Tomas and Radek to get them here.  And of course, Novak Djokovic.  It's hard to imagine the amount of pressure he must have felt all year as the Serbs made their run.  But the sometimes fickle-flower went undefeated all year in singles.  The Serbs are a stubborn people.  In this case that stubborness translated into immovable...

Pride:  Has there been a Davis Cup in recent memory that meant more to a nation?  Scrap that.  Has there been a Davis Cup in recent memory that meant more, period?  Am I trading in hyperbole?  I honestly don't think so.  I'm not Serbian, I wasn't at the tie, and maybe I'm totally talking out of my ass here, but didn't it feel as though all of Serbia had its eyes on Belgrade Arena this weekend?  FOR TENNIS.  A sport that was considered "a girl's sport" for so many years.  The only comparable I can think of is if Andy Murray wins Wimbledon.  But even then I don't think it will compare to what happened for the nation of Serbia, the four men who became national heroes, or the sport of tennis in that country in the span of 72 hours.  You can see it in every single picture that has beamed out across the world. 

Congrats to Serbia and to all the Serbian fans around the world.  Thanks for letting the rest of us tag along.  This was awesome.

(Pics: Getty, AFP, Reuters)

I'm Officially Freaking Out.

I have totally been taking this tie for granted all week.  "Pfft.  There's no way Serbia loses this one.  Not at home."  And then, somewhere between this morning's draw ceremony and all the Qatar outrage, I flipped. 

"Shit.  They could totally lose this."

I'm not sure whether it's my incisive tennis analysis or my tendency to adopt the Serbian "doom and gloom" paranoia when something doesn't look like a sure thing.  All I know is that the frazzle came and I'm not sure what to do. 

I mean, everyone is picking you guys to win.  Pete Bodo thinks it'll be a 3-0 sweep!  Augh!  Stress!

First up tomorrow will be Tipsy vs. Gael.  Despite Viktor recent form (win in Moscow), I think this is the right call.  Janko has been a DC stalwart and he has the guts to step on court in front of 18,000 screaming Serbs and focus to get the job done.  Despite the fact that these two have engaged in the worst trash talking ever ("You're nervous." "Bish, please, I ain't nervous.  You should be nervous."), I think this match is a total toss-up.  I am really interested to see how Gael will deal with this raucous crowd (in the undercard of crowd vs. umpire, I'm going with the crowd). 

Gael won their last match at the USO, but if I recall, Tipsy was physically spent from his Roddick match.  Someone on the FD FB page said that Tipsy may be carrying an injury into this tie.  Take that with a grain of salt, but...FRAZZLE ROCK.

Guy has indeed tapped Gilles over Llodra -- in hopes of saving Mikey's energy for dubs and maybe reverse singles -- to face Nole in the second rubber.  On paper, this looks like a straight set win all the way.  Gilles is 1-5 against Nole, with that first win coming in their first match ever.  Their last match, in Beijing was a 63 62 shellacking.  To me, there's no way Gilles is going to win this match.  All he and Team France can hope is that he makes it a long one and drains some of that Nole energy for Sunday. 

This could go down as an MJ/Coco decision for Guy.  Personally, I think it's the right move.  In the event the Sunday rubbers are live, I'd rather throw a relatively fresh Mikey out there.  He has the maturity to deal with the crowd, a psychological edge in that he beat Novak less than a month ago, and all the pressure will be on Novak to pull out the win.  But if you play him on Friday, you're putting him up against a relatively more relaxed Novak, you drain him for doubles (which is an absolute must win for France), and then you either have to throw him out there again on Sunday or bring in Gilles.

Tactically, I think it's the move you make, though if it doesn't pan out you'll get killed for it. 

So anyway, yeah.  I'm worried.  That Gael/Janko rubber is HUGE.

(Pics: Getty)

 

 

 

"I Hate Him But In a Positive Way."

Augh. I still love you, you bastard. I could listen to him talk all day.

Pic This: Meanwhile, In Belgrade...

Thanks, Miljan.

(Pic: Mondo)

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...Janko, You Make Me Laugh.

JJ had eye surgery last week.  She said she looked liked a pirate.  She even posted pictures of it.  I even asked Janko to get a picture of it.

Today, Janko retweeted this:

Come on.

Pic This: Serbs. Suits. Sluuuuuurp.

I love that Janko insisted on wearing glasses for this Elle photoshoot.

I also love everything going on right here.

Heh.

He Said It.

So...Janko lost to Zeballos.   But he had some amazing Beef Stroganoff.

So it wasn't a completely wasted trip to Moscow.

(Pic: Getty)

Pic This: Emo Needs a Hug!

Bonus Nole after the jump.

Ajde vs. Allez.

Janko Tipsarevic.  Davis Cup Hero.  Has a nice ring to it.

Serbia came back from 1-2 in the tie to book their spot in the Davis Cup finals for the first time ever and they pretty much have Janko to thank for it.  He won both his singles ties, beating Berd and Steps to dig ther Serbs out of the whole left after NeNole couldn't come through in the doubles yesterday.  His hair is shaggy, his beard is long, and his balls, they are big.

Serbia will host Team Step Up 3D, who bounced the Argies 5-0.  This should be a cracker of a tie but I already give France the edge.  The DC final will be held immediatley after the London Championships.  You have to think Serbia's going to have to field an exhausted Nole, once again.

But we'll worry about that in two months.  For now, congrats to these hard working boys.  Two much deserved champions if you ask me.

Sigh. Here We Go Again, Argies.

Mr. Davis Cup didn't come through today in the rubber the Argies absolutely needed after Mikey Llodes beat Pico in the first rubber of the day.  Gael, tennis' version of a "box of chocolates", came out firing, taking an aggressive game to Nalby and using the home court to his advantage.  There would be no brainfarty trick-shotting today and as a result, Argentina finds itself in a 0-2 hole going into tomorrow's doubles.  You have to think it'll take a miracle to pull this one out.

Over in Belgrade, Janko was the man of the hour, stepping up to take out Tomas in four sets to even the tie at 1-1.  Too bad Viktor couldn't step up to beat Steps.  I really thought that was the rubber the Serbs were going to win.

Nole says he might be fit for doubles tomorrow but will definitely up to play Tomas on Sunday if that rubber is necessary.  I would love to see some Nenad/Nole dubs.

Pic This: Stand and Deliver.

It's hard to believe that the 2010 Slam season is officially over.  There was heartbreak and heartwarm (that's a word, right?) over the past nine months and I for one have enjoyed every minute of it.  Ok, maybe not that one night in January, but otherwise, it's been pretty great.  Ok, that one afternoon in May kinda sucked, too. 

Where was I? 

Oh, right.  I realized this afternoon that I never did a proper Pic This entry for the USO.  Shame on me. 

So here we go....

"Janko, Janko, Janko! Oi Oi Oi!"

What a night on Ashe.  I wasn't even supposed to be there.  I didn't have a ticket to the night session but lucked into one thanks to some friends.  So there we were, up in Section 309, row O (translation, high up in the upper deck) drinking beer and occasionally cheering on Tipsy, who I'm not sure we had much faith in.

But then shit got real.  And the scattered shouts of "Ajde, Tipsy!" became hoarse roars, which somehow morphed into a "Janko, Janko, Janko!  Oi Oi Oi!" cheer, because we obviously didn't get it out of our system at Sam's match.  We got a lot of annoyed looks and by the time the fourth set came around, there was no one sitting in the four rows in front of us.  Whoops!

But the cheers worked.  Or so I like to think they did.  The ATP noticed.  And apparently J-Mac noticed.  The five of us up in the rafters were apparently making quite a ruckus.  In response to our cheers, the Andy fans came up with "Finish him!" when Andy was down 2 sets to 1, which...doesn't make sense, and they started cheering for Janko's UFEs and unforced errors.  Tit for Tat, I guess. 

But in the end, the Tat won.  And we celebrated with an "Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole, Janko, Janko," cheer. 

Look, I didn't say we weren't obnoxious.  I'm just saying we were excited and well within the rules.  If anyone should be pissed it should be the 23,000 Andy fans who sat on their hands all night and got outyelled by five people.  As we were walking out this girls hot us an annoyed look and asked if we were all Serbian.  To which I of course responded, with my obvious wit and charm, "No, but that doesn't mean I can't root for Serbs.  And I can't stand Andy Roddick."  Surprisingly, this did not seem to satisfy her.

As for A-Rod's foot fault meltdown, I honestly don't care.  I mean, how can anyone who follows tennis be surprised by his on court behavior anymore?   The guy is absolutely incapable of seeing the big picture.  So what if it took Sod a bit of time to call a challenge?  Let's just make sure the call was right.  So what if the linesperson's explanation for your foot fault was unsatisfactory?  You still did it!

I'm a bit tired of everyone trying to defend him.  The bottom line is that it's unacceptable behavior and it's unfitting of a guy who tries to put himself out there as a sportsman.  If Novak acted that way he'd be crucified.  Muzzard?  Same.  Roger?  Same.  But somehow because A-Rod's such a dude and American journos love him he gets a free pass?  Bullshit.

I've tried with Andy.  He has his charming moments.  But no other top player lashes out the way that he does on court.  It's just flat out ugly.  Thankfully we were so high up in the stands that we could only laugh.  He looked ridiculous.

Get It, Serbia.

Nenad and some bearded girl won their dubs rubber today, which puts Serbia in driver's seat at 2-1.

Bless.

Congrats. Whatever.

Justine came back from a set and 3-0 down in the third set to win in s'Hertogenbosch.  Nice comeback, but her penchant for digging herself into third set holes is disconcerting if you're a Justine fan.  Which, I presume no one who reads this blog is so I'm moving on.

Oh, PetKo.  So close!  Your love of third set drama is commendable but the drama only works if you win.  It's like in Alias.  Sydney's idiocy as a spy that requires her to be rescued week by week is only forgiveable if she actually gets rescued.  I mean, if she really were to die, that's no fun, right?  Take heed, PetKo.  All that unsolicited constructive criticism aside, well done this week!

 

Speaking of well done, how about a standing ovation for Ekaterina Makarova?  She went through Eastbourne qualies, then beat Flavs, Nads, Sveta, Sam, and Vika for her first WTA title.  And here's the kicker: She didn't drop a set.  Yes, Vika practically had to be hauled off in an ambulance in the final (looks like a right leg injury), but credit to Maks for not freezing in any of these matches and keeping her nerve.  She could have easily headcased it once Vika started being all drama and shit.  A much deserved ovation, kiddo.  She could meet Venus in the second round of Wimby.

 

Much love to Team MomoLlodes!  Mikey came through in the final to capture his first singles title of the year.

Fear the Scrunchie.  FEAR IT.

And Sergiy Staks demolished a deranged homeless man in the Bosch final, 63 60.

Pic This: RG Day 1

It was a beautiful day in the neighborhood.  Walk with me.

Gisela!  It's singles!  Flavi's not there.  Focus!

"So what I'm gonna do is I'm going to hit more to his forehand, like high topspin, and push him back behind the baseline.  Then I'm going hit this shot, have you heard of it?  It's called a forehand drop shot.  Anyway, apparently it works on clay.  I just figured this out.  Yeah, I know, I'm brilliant.  So like I was saying..."

More after the jump.

I Just Love His Voice

Creepy. I know, you guys. I KNOW.

Viktor Loses His Shit

Janko and Viktor were so fun to watch in doubles. But a number of bad calls led Viktor to lose his shit. But my favorite part of this video is my friend's "Come on! Let it go! Win!" If I had a nickel for every time I've wanted to yell that at a match...

That said, he also kept it classy:

Thx 4 the Mmories

 

 Oh, Janko.  You are like a cup of hot cocoa on Christmas morning.  Last year you gave me RacquetGate.  This year, you gave me your random rollaway racquet bag.  I don't know why you insist on having a rollaway.  It's not like you're decrepit.  But thanks for having one.  It made me laugh a lot while I was standing so close to you it got awkward:

 

 

 

While I Was Busy Stuffing My Face at Olive Garden...

Davis Cup once again did not disappoint.  There was drama, there was passion, and there was national pride.  But most importantly there were hot sweaty dudes rubbing up on each other.  Like all over the world.  On behalf of all the women in the world who are currently celebrating Woman's Herstory Month (see what I did there?), I say "thank you."

Spain v Switzerland 4 - 1

A blockbuster tie on paper, except that, well, it wasn't really.  Spain played without Rafa, Fer, Feli, and JCF, and Switzerland claimed they were short a player.  I don't know what they're talking about but the Switz were heaping their hopes on the spittle-strewn shoulders of newly daddied Stan.

In the end it was a true team effort as Daveed won his first rubber, Marcel and Tommy teamed up to take the doubles, and Daveed came back on Sunday to take his second rubber.  Vamos, Spain. 

France v Germany 4 - 1

Look at that.  That is the definition of teamy.  All the Frenchies were on hand to support each other as France demolished Germany 4-1, clinching the tie with the doubles win on Saturday.  Ok, not all the Frenchies were there.  But I don't think Guy wanted Jeremy's bad mojo anyway, so thanks for staying away, Jerms.

Russia v India 3 - 2

Russia's into the quarters over India as Mischa clinched it in the fourth rubber.  Tough couple of days for Somdev, who couldn't convert either of his matches.  That was a pretty monumental task anyway.

Sweden v Argentina 2 - 3

Well done to you, Argies and welcome back Nalby!  What a way to make a splash.  Dude saved the Baby Blues by helping with the doubles win and then winning the decisive 5th tie.  Thank god he did.  I'd much rather see Nalby/Elf in the DC quarters than Sod and his merry band of Swedes.

Croatia v Ecuador 5 - 0

Complete mismatch, really.  Marin and Ivo vs. The Brothers Lappentti in Croatia?  Move along, Croats.

Serbia v United States 3 - 2

Way to make it interesting, guys.  One of the BryBros gets food poisoning from some chicken curry, has to pull out of doubles, eyebrows are raised, and then Nole and Halpert play a 4+ hour five setter, which Nole wins to clinch the tie.  Huge win for Nole and the Serbs, but for me, the star of this tie was Johnny Isner.  In his first DC tie the kid jumps in to play doubles with the non-tummy-afflicted BryBro to beat Nenad and Janko.  Then he comes back the next day and battles on clay, his worst surface, in front of a hostile crowd to force the world #2 into a five setter that Nole narrowly wins, 6-4.

So yes, congrats to Serbia.  Seriously, you know how stoked I am for you guys.  But can I please get a standing slow-clap for Halpert?  He showed so much heart this weekend.

Belgium v Czech Republic 1 - 4

This one goes into the Croatia/Ecuador category.  Moving on.

Chile v Israel 2 - 1

This one's still going with Chile one win away from clinching the tie after they dropped the doubles today.  Go get it, Gonzo.  And God bless.

Well At Least We Have An Excuse For Some Janko Pic Spam

So, I never have dreams.  I mean, I *have* dreams, like aspirations and whatnot, but I don't dream while I sleep.  Or, at least, I don't recall them when I wake up.

But last night I totally had this dream about Muzzard that basically involved us getting into arguments, screaming at each other, walking away from each other, following each other, arguing some more, and then somehow, after 5-6 of these episodes, reaching a quiet detente in the back of a London taxi.  And no, that "detente" is not a euphemism.  We literally were too tired to continue arguing.

And then I wake up and see that he lost to Janko.  Weird, is all I'm saying.

But enough about Muzz.  Here, without further ado, is some love for Janko.  Because there haven't been very many opportunities this year:

 

 

Love, indeed.

Pic This: AO Day 4

I mean, really, Aga?  REALLY?

BOOBIES!!!

Who has two thumbs and is adorable?  THIS GUY.

Oh, Daveed.  You try so hard.

Robbie!

Boys and their balls.  Quite a theme so far.

Totally climbing my list. 

"So you come here and you ask me for a favor..."

Yes, Nole.  As a matter of fact I do have tickets to the gun show.

Sunshine in the house.  If she wins a Slam...good Lord the sponsorship blitz...

You and me both, dude.

Ring and a track jacket?  Shabby chic, indeed.

Um, ok.

Someone's looking woooz....

Oh, nevermind.

You Keep Me Hangin' On.

Why do you insist on leaving tournaments before I get to see you?  Is it to keep me wanting more? 

It's working.

Singles - Second Round
[1] R Federer (SUI) d V Hanescu (ROU) 62 63 62
[3] N Djokovic(SRB) d M Chiudinelli (SUI) 36 61 61 63
[6] N Davydenko(RUS) d [Q] I Marchenko (UKR) 63 63 60
[9] F Verdasco (ESP) d [Q] I Sergeyev (UKR) 61 62 62 
[10] J Tsonga (FRA) d T Dent (USA) 64 63 63
M Baghdatis (CYP) d [17] D Ferrer (ESP) 46 36 76(4) 63 61
[18] T Haas (GER) d J Tipsarevic (SRB) 46 64 63 16 63
[20] M Youzhny (RUS) d J Hajek (CZE) 62 61 61
[22] L Hewitt (AUS) d [Q] D Young (USA) 76(3) 64 61
[26] N Almagro (ESP) d B Becker (GER) 64 62 36 46 63
[30] J Monaco (ARG) d M Llodra (FRA) 36 36 76(5) 61 63
[31] A Montanes (ESP) d S Robert (FRA) 46 67(3) 62 63 62
A Falla (COL) d M Granollers (ESP) 64 61 63
L Kubot (POL) d S Giraldo (COL) 64 36 63 61
[Q] S Koubek (AUT) d [Q] I Dodig (CRO) 76(4) 61 62
D Istomin (UZB) d M Berrer (GER) 75 63 64
  
Doubles - First Round
[3] L Dlouhy (CZE) / L Paes (IND) d L Friedl (CZE) / D Skoch (CZE) 63 61
M Kohlmann (GER) / J Nieminen (FIN) d [4] M Bhupathi (IND) / M Mirnyi (BLR) 64 64
F Gonzalez (CHI) / I Ljubicic (CRO) d [6] F Cermak (CZE) / M Mertinak (SVK) 63 76(7)
I Karlovic (CRO) / D Vemic (SRB) d [9] C Kas (GER) / D Norman (BEL) 64 36 64
[11] S Aspelin (SWE) / P Hanley (AUS) d M Daniel (BRA) / D Koellerer (AUT) 61 62
J Benneteau (FRA) / S Darcis (BEL) d [13] M Llodra (FRA) / A Ram (ISR) 75 36 75
[14] M Damm (CZE) / F Polasek (SVK) d [WC] M Matosevic (AUS) / B Tomic (AUS) 62 61
J Isner (USA) / S Querrey (USA) d J Coetzee (RSA) / R Wassen (NED) 64 61
C Ball (AUS) / S Huss (AUS) d B Becker (GER) / F Mayer (GER) 76(6) 76(3)
E Butorac (USA) / R Ram (USA) d T Bellucci (BRA) / A Sa (BRA) 63 64
I Andreev (RUS) / E Korolev (KAZ) d S Stakhovsky (UKR) / M Zverev(GER) 61 76(6)
F Lopez (ESP) / R Schuettler (GER) d F Gil (POR) / K Vliegen(BEL) 63 62
F Fognini (ITA) / P Starace (ITA) d J Chardy (FRA) / M Gicquel (FRA) 51 ret. (Chardy - wrist)
S Bolelli (ITA) / A Seppi (ITA) d L Lacko (SVK) / M Russell(USA) 64 62
I Kunitsyn (RUS) / D Sela (ISR) d M Chiudinelli (SUI) / V Troicki (SRB) 64 62

Mad World

Donnie Darko and The Usual Suspects? 

Augh!  You charm me again, you hot misogynist d-bag!

2010 Serbs: Drama Free (I Hope)

 

So far it's been a great day for Serbia with everyone advancing and Nole still to play. 

 

Ana kicked off the day with a tighter than the score would indicate 62 63 win over JJ's doubles partner (huh?) Shanay Perry.  The toss is still wonky unfortunately, but the rest of her game at least looked ok.  She was cracking quite a few forehands that made me smile.  She'll probably play Gisela in the next round.

 

JJ had a relatively easy go with a 64 60 win over Niculescu.  She'll play Katie O'Brien next.

 

As for the boys, Vikto beat Lapentti in straights and Janko is two sets and a break up on young American Ryan Harrison.  

Let's go Serbs!

Church of the Poison Mind

And, finally, we come to Chennai.  Which is running this befuddling banner on its official website:

Somehow, the idea of Robin Soderling giving a sermon is completely hilarious.

Draw
Top Seeds: Sod, Marin, Stan, Janko

Potential Quarterfinals: Sod/Dudi Sela, Stan/Michael Berrer, Janko/Rajeev Ram, Marin/Simon Greul

Potentially Interesting First Round Matches: Sod/Robby Ginepri, Janko/Carlos Moya, Marin/Igor Kunitsyn

Interesting Questions: What kind of shape is Carlos Moya in?  Will Sod dominate this tournament as much as it looks like he should on paper?

Donkey Says...Janko Tipsarevic

"Wonder how soft that hair would feel on the inside of my thighs as he pops his head up to quote me Nietzsche." --DG

I don't think I can really add anything to that.  So I'll just be quiet now.

 

 

Nomnomnom, you little cub.

Another One Bites The Dust.

Augh.  Marat retires, Goth Bols gets married, and now Janko is engaged.

He proposed to his girlfriend, TV presenter Biljanu Šešević while on vacation in the Maldives.

Thanks to Funkadelic for the link.

There Is Balance in Safinland

Marat continued his impressive Round 1 winning ways by beating Richard in two tough straight sets in St. Pete's.  To quote Mrs. Saifn, "Marat defeats Gasquet 7-6 6-4, furthering my theory that only one Safin can win a match on any given day."  So true.

Singles – Second Round
[2] V Hanescu (ROU) d I Marchenko (UKR) 63 64
E Gulbis (LAT) d [4] J Chardy (FRA) 76(7) 63
[8] H Zeballos (ARG) d [Q] O Dolgopolov Jr. (UKR) 63 61
B Phau (GER) d K Beck (SVK) 64 21 ret. (respiratory illness)

Singles – First Round
[1] M Youzhny (RUS) d A Golubev (KAZ) 63 62
I Kunitsyn (RUS) d [7] P Cuevas (URU) 64 63
M Safin (RUS) d R Gasquet (FRA) 76(5) 64

In Vienna, Tipsy scored a solid win over the always tricky tall guy, 76(4) 64.  Nice couple of weeks he's having. 

Singles – Second Round
[2] R Stepanek (CZE) d F Gil (POR) 62 63
[4] P Kohlschreiber (GER) d V Crivoi (ROU) 62 30 ret. (right shoulder)
[5] N Almagro (ESP) d W Odesnik (USA) 64 64

Singles – First Round
[3] G Monfils (FRA) d G Garcia-Lopez (ESP) 75 64
J Tipsarevic (SRB) d [8] J Isner (SRB) 76(4) 64
D Koellerer (AUT) d J Nieminen (FIN) 61 62
[Q] D Hrbaty (SVK) d R Ramirez Hidalgo (ESP) 63 64

And over in Lyon, Simon took Gilly to the mat before going down.  And yes, I meant that the way it sounded.

Singles – Second Round
[5] J Benneteau (FRA) d [Q] K Anderson (RSA) 75 62
F Serra (FRA) d [8] A Montanes (ESP) 75 63

Singles – First Round
[2] G Simon (FRA) d S Bolelli (ITA) 76(5) 76(5)
[6] P Mathieu (FRA) d L Mayer (ARG) 76(5) 62
N Kiefer (GER) d [WC] S Grosjean (FRA) 46 76(7) 76(2) – Saved 2 M.P.
O Rochus (BEL) d [Q] V Millot (FRA) 63 62

Sunday Wrap-Up: Lazy Guest Blogging (ATP Edition) (UPDATE)

Unfortunately, much like C Note, I haven't had any access to TV today; ergo, I didn't see a single second of any of the finals.  They're all waiting impatiently on my DVR, though.

Beijing: Djokovic d. Cilic 6-2, 7-6(4)

 

Nice tournament win for Novak, even nicer that it'll send him back to the top 3.  That is one ridonkulous punch bowl they gave him for the room party, though.  And kudos also to Marin; even if he lost the final, rolling over Rafa like that in the semis was no small feat.

Tokyo: Tsonga s. Youzhny 6-3, 6-3

1. Jo's hair is nutty.  In a good way, but still.  Maybe it has something to do with the Van de Graaff generator they gave him as a trophy.

2. How surprised was I to see Misha in a final??  His first of the year, as ATPTennis.com tells me.  ATPTennis.com also tells me he's played 31 tournaments this year.  Wha?

Mons (Challenger): Tipsarevic d. Stakhovsky 7-6, 6-3

I don't have much to say about this except that I'm pretty sure Milo Rambaldi had something to do with Janko's trophy.  UPDATE: When this picture came along, I realized that they gave Sergei a crystal armadillo for his trophy or something.  I don't know what they're smoking in Mons, but I want some.

"I Wanna Rock With You, All Night..."

Aww...Tax does her best Michael Jackson impression.

 

Ooga Chakka Ooga Chakka Ooga Chakka...

 

Focus on your tennis and stop practicing making out with your girlfriend, Tomas.

 

You know what, dude?  You deserve to lose if you're going to wear those sunglasses.

FD's Most Wanted

 

 

 

Cheezburger, Cheezburger, Cheezburger!

Sigh.

Singles – First Round
T Gabashvili (RUS) d A Seppi (ITA) 63 61
[WC] D Brands (GER) d [Q] V Crivoi (ROU) 46 64 61
[Q] P Cuevas (URU) d B Phau (GER) 76(0) 64
I Navarro (ESP) d S Darcis (BEL) 64 64
P Petzschner (GER) d F Serra (FRA) 76(3) 62
[Q] P Riba (ESP) d [Q] E Korolev (RUS) 76(3) 62
[Q] P Starace (ITA) d M Gonzalez (ARG) 57 64 63
G Garcia-Lopez (ESP) d C Rochus (BEL) 64 62
J Hernych (CZE) d [WC] K Krawietz (GER) 60 46 63
[WC] S Greul (GER) d J Tipsarevic (SRB) 26 63 63
[Q] M Granollers (ESP) d M Vassallo Arguello (ARG) 64 64
A Beck (GER) d O Hernandez (ESP) 67(3) 64 64

Tuesday:

You Sockless Little Twit

 
The Sockless Wonder dispatched of the Socked Misogynist 64 36 61 64. 

Go to the corner, eat some Rice a Roni, and think about what you've done, asshole.


You and me, buddy.  You and me.

I Would Totally If You Seek Amy You

Janko's got a hankerin' for some Brit Brit, y'all:

Janko Tipsarevic has always been something of an eccentric but it may surprise one or two of his fellow professionals to learn he is currently hooked on Britney Spears. The Serbian, who lost to Andy Murray at this year's French Open, was overheard probing one of his team over Britney's latest Tour dates — aptly named Circus', given he would make a fine ringleader. Unfortunately for Janko, Britney's tour left these shores last week to head for Paris so don't be surprised if he isn't too disappointed should he lose his second-round match tomorrow.

Thanks to donkeygrooming for the link and for being a good friend and following tennis this week when I totally know you don't care, and for spending your otherwise very important work hours googling hot tennis players.

Pic This: TGIF (Grainy, Like Real Scrambled Porn)

Right on daytime TV!  Naughty.

Pic This: Save To File.

Why do I have the feeling I'm going to be whipping this pic out down the road.

Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'...

I really kind of meant it in a "lookit all those straight set wins" kind of way, but then I found this...

... and this...

Ha.

That, of course, is the pride of Great Britain, taking a dive on his way to a tough 4-set victory over Potito Starace.  It's a good sign that he could tough out a win on a surface he's clearly uncomfortable on, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that RG 2009 is not where Muzz is going to have his Grand Slam breakthrough.  His next match, where he'll face either F-Lo or Tipsy, could be a real struggle for him.

Back to all those straight setters... Nando, Gilly, Marin, Gonzo and Victor Hanescu (okay...) are all through to the third round in straight sets.  Nando, Gilly, Gonzo and Marin had almost absurdly easy times of it out there, with Gilly in particular picking up speed as the match progressed.  Good for him, it would be great for him to be able to turn around his season a little at his home Slam.  Arnaud Clement, C-Roch and Nico Almagro are through in 4, the latter meaning that-- of course-- we must say goodbye to Ernie.  Oh Ernie.

On the women's side, Kristina Barrois is gunning for my personal "least favourite person" award for failing to take out Vika, even after being up two breaks in the first.  Oh well.  Agnes had an impressive 0 and 2 win over Lena V and Nails also had a competent win (1 and 4) over Timea Bacsinszky (known to me as the only player who wears more makeup than JJ).  The Cone managed to finish off her match from yesterday in 2, so good for her.  Pavs is also through, headband and all, in two sets over Julie Coin.

(Sorry for the rushed, picture-free quality of this post; I've got my goddaughter the rest of the day and somehow her mother didn't think "watch TV with Aunt Carrie" was the best idea for an activity.  Bummer.)

Serbian Bromance 92%

Congrats to Team Serbia, who beat the home team, Germany, to win the World Team Championship.  What's the WTC you ask and why are you just hearing about it now?  It was a team based competition that took place in Dusseldorf this week that I didn't bother covering until now.  So there.

Much love for the adorably hot boys of awesome hair and perfect skin.  Must be something in the water.


Ah.  Guy love.  Always win.  Have we ever seen Janko so happy?

Pic This: Janko's Got A Girlfriend, C Note Has A Sad Face

According to Lana her name is Biljana Sesevic and she's a former TV presenter
who is now a boat dealer (huh?).

Pic This: Pretty He Is

This might be my favorite pic that Love All took.

(Pics for Forty Deuce by Love All)

5-0 Be Pigs, Y'all. PIGS!

The Janko video I reference in the podcast. You can see Marat laughing in the corner. I'm too lazy to research and identify the chick so if anyone knows put it in the comments. She looks so darn familiar.