#1 - Gools' Win-Face.
#2 - JJ's...face.
(Pics: Reuters, Getty)
So Rafa has made good on his promise during Wimbledon to join the awesome heaven and hell that is THE TWITTERVERSE. Good news? Bad news? I genuinely don't know. Twitter has been a boon for fans, players, and organizations who choose to use it as a medium to show off their personalities. In some cases, if they have awesome personalities, it's the best thing in the world. In other cases, if they have crap personalities (or no personality) it's complete boresville. And in other cases (HOW MANY CASES ARE ON THIS DOCKET???) it's a complete waste because the Twitter accounts are completely corporate and agent run. Oh, you just posted 15 new pictures on your Facebook page, JJ? Thanks for the breaking news.
So basically I'm a little scared for Rafa. This is a 90% you lose, 10% you win situation. He's such a huge public figure with an established persona. His Twitter account already has a lot to live up to, whereas most of the players who have greatly benefitted from Twitter (Petko for example) were virtual unknowns when they started. They had the freedom to brand themselves as they saw fit. Not everyone can pull off a Novak Djokovic.
And so, as a public service to one Mr. Rafael Nadal, here is a list of tweeters to emulate, and a list of tweeters to...not.
Twitter Idols:
Twitter Jersey Shore:
So here's the basic upshot: Let your twitter show off *your* personality, Rafa. Don't *try* to be anything. Just be Rafa. If you're not funny, that's ok! You know what you are? YOU ARE ADORABLE AND NICE. So be adorable and nice. My guess is that your Twitter will be a cross between Sunshine Sabine's always happy and informative tweets (that include a lot of pics), and Andy Murray's semi-boring-but-they're-not-really boring-if-you-love-him tweets about sports. Or maybe you can shoot for a Mardy Fish-style (I know, it's weird for me to say that). But his Twitter has been great. Informative, classy, and occasionally funny.
But, like, no planking, dude. Also, don't "vamos" in every tweet. That would be the Caro equivalent of winking.
All I'm saying is vamos responsibly. Our eyes are on you.
(Pic: Rafa's Twitter)
Yeah yeah yeah. It's late and no one cares about the Wimby player party anymore. BUT I HAVE THINGS TO SAY. So here we go.
Not digging the hair, but the dress is colorful, young, and fun. It kind of makes me want a strawberry daiquiri. Or a Jamba Juice. It is also just begging for a nip-slip. No word on whether that happened but if it didn't I would very much like to know the name of the fashion-tape manufacturer. I have a roof that needs to be reshingled to withstand gale force winds.
Sometimes people get scared of fashion. Like, they find it to be this weird place with weird people with weird vocab who make things that look pretty fucking weird and yet the world jizzes itself upon their unveiling and it makes you feel dumb cuz you don't get it. So people (like how I'm using anonymous "people" to make my argument? Stay with me.), being scared because they don't want to sound like a doof, basically excuse anything that looks nutty as "avant garde" which, apparently, automatically means it's amazing and good.
I mean, it's bullshit is what I'm saying.
Fashion, like any creative art, is obviously very subjective. But it's not *completely* subjective. I don't fucking care that Bethanie is awesome or that this was designed by Gaga's designer. THESE ARE NOT EXCUSES FOR CRAP. I mean, first of all, LITERAL MUCH??? Oh, you came dressed like a tennis ball because you are a tennis player who hits tennis balls about to play at a tennis tournament and this party has lots of tennis people who are also going to hit tennis balls at this tennis tournament and everyone loves tennis and oh yeah tennis. This is *literally* literal.
Second, aside and apart from the concept, let's go to construction. Did Alex Noble sit in his minimalist industrial loft in Hell's Kitchen with a can of tennis balls, an exacto knife, and a glue gun? The skirt is fine and whatever, I guess, but that whole tennis ball bustier fringe action is horrible. I can totally see Nina Garcia giving crazy stinkface as this goes down the judging runway. Auf Wiedersehen!
Last, concept and construction down, it just looks bad. People can talk about how they admire Bethanie for having the courage to wear it and that the courage itself should win the day. But dudes, I think it's really courageous for someone to walk around naked in a public space. Doesn't mean that I also don't think "Dude, have some self-respect. Stop trying so hard to attract attention. It's pathetic. Put some clothes on."
Ok, so it's Caro, right? So we totally know it could be worse. The fact that Stella didn't tack on a ruffle or 3000 to this thing is a victory. From this angle the dress looks nice. I actually quite like it. It drapes beautifully and I'm a sucker for that shit. But from the front it looks completely wonk. The waistline is all crooked and I can't tell if it's a Stella affectation or Woz is wearing it wrong.
As for the hair, look. I'm struggling to be nice here, really. But let's just say that Woz has a certain facial feature that is only highlighted when you put her hair up like that. Let it down, let it loose, and I think she could have really rocked this look.
Upshot: Lots to like, lots to hate, and in the end the look fell short. Sound familiar?
We always say that JJ loves the stage. The Drama Serb, nee Glitter Queen, undoubtedly loves the attention. She wants to be watched, she wants to be talked about it, she wants to be in the mix. But if JJ loves the stage, then Francesca Schiavone *LOVES* the stage. She fucking owns the stage. She went down to Home Depot, bought the raw materials, spent years building the stage according to her own personal specifications, and then decided to sell her house and live on her stage. Fed Cup, the Slams, Fran smells the big moments and absolutely seizes them.
JJ on the other hand has never been able to truly embrace her Black Swan (or Pink Swan as it were this week). Just as she had Ana on the ropes in the third set in 2008, JJ totally had Frank on the ropes in the third set yesterday. She was playing terrifically in the beginning of the set, holding easily, pressuring Frank on her serve, while Fran's frustration seemed to reach a boil. It all came down to that 3-4 game, when JJ had 0-30 on Fran's serve. It looked like Fran was just going to give the game away, opening up with two easy unforced errors. Fran took a breath, harnessed her chi, and dug herself out of that game, which sent JJ into a tizzy. She turned and barked at her box, filled with her two brothers (I think) who had been loud and vocal throughout the match. Instead of continuing to plug away (after all, it was still on serve at 4-4), JJ just couldn't get her head out of that missed opportunity. She played tentatively for the remainder of the match, the sting off her backhand wing gone, with body language that screamed to the stadium that she was done.
Frank of course, did what she do in Paris. Inspired after that eighth game, she was bounding about, whooping and hollering, and basically sunk her teeth into the match and never let go. Not that JJ was trying vigorously to wrench back control. It was sad to see. She really had a chance here. But once again, she wilted in the big moment. She let the moment control her instead of forcing the moment to bend at her will.
Fran on the other hand is strong like bull. The moment didn't even have a chance.
Bend, baby, bend.
(Pics: Getty)
Had to post these hilarious quotes from JJ and Ana, as translated for me by a buddy. They're talking about the Orthodox tradition of dying eggs and then kids go one-on-one, knocking their eggs together with the one coming out uncracked being the winner.
How have you been in beating others with eggs, remember any particular victories?
Jelena: Before I start, I always try to pick a smaller or a harder egg from the basket, and to cheat a little when it comes to that. I remember even that I took some wooden eggs, "planted" them as ordinary, and so I managed to defeat them all. But when it all ends, I leave to others to eat. I do not like to eat eggs, and if I have to, then I eat only the egg whites. Eggyolk I'll throw out, I don't like it. But I really like beating eggs.
Ana: I've never good at it from what I remember. I always come in last. Brother, Milos has always been better at choosing the egg that's strongest and will hold on to it until the very end. I'm not sure how he did it, but he'd be the most successful.
JJ cheats. Ana sucks. Tale as old as time.
(Pic: Novosti.rs)
During an interview with a writer for the Sony Ericsson Open website (which was never posted, unfortunately, though I have the audio) Petko said that her favorite tournament outside of the Slams was Stuttgart. She cited the fact that it's the only tournament in Germany these days (which blows) and she loves any excuse to get home.
So it must have been quite the boon for Team Germany when they all got to fly home early for Fed Cup (which was held in the same arena this past weekend) and now get to show their stuff to their countrypeople.
So far, so good. Congratulations, Stuttgart. You've got four Germans in the quarters, with at least one guaranteed in the semis.
Petko fought off the nerves and a pesky JJ to advance, 36 61 63. Sabine took out a struggling-but-still-very-good-at-tennis Nails, 64 75. Kristina Barrois upset Mono, 64 62. And the in a shocking turn of events, the day ended with Vika taking the first set over Julia Goolia, only to *abruptly* retire seconds later without calling a trainer. The official word is that she retired with a right shoulder injury. Puzzling, no doubt.
Regardless, it's been a dazzling five days for the German Ladies of Wrestling and it's not over. Sabine and Julia will face off in one quarterfinal, Petko gets another chance at a big forehead scalp against Caro, and Barrois will try not to lose her head against Aga. All that AND Petko and Julia will face off against Sam and Sabine in doubles.
All aboard the GLOW revival. You know you missed it.
(Pics: Getty)
"Nothing can be for Serbia to achieve one without the other. This victory is very much Ana, just like all the other girls. Because of my condition I could not sit on the bench all the time and cheer for her first day, but I was watching the Sunday when they played against Cibulkova. it is ridiculous to talk about that I have something against her and that I do not care that she wins and is looking forward to. I was thrilled when she got Hantuchova, this victory meant a lot to us. I'm sorry that it hurt, was it is a real setback for her, but I want her to recover as soon as possible and again begins to infrequent triumphs."
Translation error WIN.
They may not be best friends, they may not be great tennis players all of the time, and they may have disagreements from time to time. But after this weekend they both share one unbreakable bond:
Daniela Hantuchova hates them both equally.*
In what was hands-down the most ridiculously dramatic tie of the weekend, Team Serbia overcame every fucking obstacle thrown in their way to stage in improbable comeback to take the tie over Slovakia 3-2, thus avoiding relegation to World Group II.
I'm going to guess that the only person who is happier than JJ, Ana, Bojana, and Alexandra about Serbia surviving this dicey tie is Dejan. When he announced on Friday that he wasn't putting in JJ to play a singles match on Saturday, people (read: me) were like "THE FUUUUUUUUUUCK????" You're *not* going to play the Serbia #1 and player who's been making quarterfinal and semifinal runs for the past month and a half? Watchu smokin' and can I have NONE OF IT.
No one was providing any clarification other than "I just think it's the right move." We would find out after the tie that JJ wasn't feeling well so she essentially tapped herself out of Saturday's action. I totally get why Dejan wouldn't say that in the first place. But seriously, it would have saved everyone a lot of heavy drinking.
ANYWAY.
Shit could have been baaaad after Saturday. Bojangles couldn't hold on to a one-set lead over Domi and collapsed in three, shifting the pressure on Ana. AND WE KNOW HOW MUCH ANA LUUUUUUUURVES PRESSHA!
Actually, she lurved it quite fine. She threw down the best Fed Cup performance of her career, beating Dani easily, and no there was no squeaking so don't even start with me, Dani. WHEEE!!! 1-1 after day one. Surely Dehan would put JJ in on Sunday and Ana and JJ would win their rubbers, hop on a plane, and go broker some peace in the Middle East.
BUT NOOOOOOOOOOOO.
After dropping the first set 63 to Domi, Ana was up 3-0 when she went for a backhand and felt a twinge in her abs. Yup, the same abs that forced her to retire from Hopman Cup earlier in the year. After dropping three straight games after that, she pulled the ripcord and retired from the match. Oh, and when Ana retired in tears, Domi danced around and celebrated like she won a Slam.
And that's when the Tennis Gods were like, "HAIL NAWWWWW, MIDGET."
Help us JJ-Wan Kenobi. You're our only hope.
And so, like death and taxes (which are due today, btw #PSA), JJ summoned Falkor (anyone?) and rode in to save the, what turned out to be, very very very long day. First she needed over two hours and 45 minutes to beat Dani, 7-5 in the third. Then she powdered her nose, took some time to explain to AK-47 what it means when Aunt Flo comes for a visit (mentoring!), and took the court for the decisive doubles match. Which turned out to be nuts.
Clearly the fact that it was a decisive doubles match wasn't dramatic *enough* for Team Serbia so they decided to make it interesting: by going down a set and 5-1, 30-0 to Dani and Rybarikova. Just for shits and giggs.
Final score? 26 75 97. Serbia advances, Slovakia relegated.
I honestly had no idea whether those guys were Serbian coaches who were celebrating via dog pile, or Slovak fans who bumrushed the court to tear JJ's head off. Either way, that looked kinda scary. But also very very awesome.
A gutsy Sunday for JJ who should totally get a Heart Award for spending over six hours on court, and a wonderful win by TEAM Serbia. Ana secured a point, JJ secured a point, and AK-47 comes through YET AGAIN in a decisive doubles rubber. And before people even try to slag off Bojana, let us not forget that much like Tipsy's DC heroics from last year, Serbia wouldn't have even been in a position to get back into World Group if not for Bojangles' Heart-Award-Worthy performance in the first round against Canada.
As for all the stuff on the Twitter about pitting JJ fans against Ana fans and all that nonsense (if you don't know what I'm talking about don't worry about) all I have to say is this: Whatever. This is a great accomplishment and result for these four ladies and I would personally rather spend my energy celebrating that than trying to turn shit all negative. It just seems so unnecessary. For now, let's pop some champagne, link arms, and sing made up songs that involve words like "ajde", "idemo", and "swimming pools". We can all return to throwing poo at each other tomorrow.
That's Fed Cup, people. It brings people together for a united cause. Crazy shit happens when you stich that flag on your kit. Sorry, did I say "crazy"? I meant AWESOME.
(Pics: AP, Fed Cup Site)
*No, I do not know why JJ was dressed like the Hamburglar.
Yo. Adidas. Can she have her own "All Petko" shirt now? I think she's fucking earned it.
How many times have we been left with head in hands as a player pulls off a career performance one day only to turn around the next and barely look like a person worthy of the court? It happens all the time, whether it's our favorite players or the players that beat our favorite players, only to stink up the joint the next round. You hear it all the time from the women of the WTA: Anyone can beat anyone on any given day. Some argue that's because of parity, some argue inconsistency. But anyone who follows the tour knows it's true. It happens all the time.
So I think as tennis fans we are savvy enough to know that one win does not a career make. One win does not transform you into a player to be reckoned with. One win can easily be shrugged off as a mere blip, excused as an outlier. But string some quality wins together? That's a signal. Do it at a high-level tournament? Air-horn. And do it with solid performances over the course of a two-week tournament? Ticker tape parade. Even the ignorant jerks who try to pretend that women's tennis isn't a thing have to put down their Playboys and go "Hmmmm."
Petko's having one of those runs. Sure, her big personality is making a splash here in Miami and she's charming the pants off the local media who clearly have no idea that she's, you know, a thing. Her first press conference was attended by me and a writer for the tournament website. Now they're events. I mean, talk about your favorite indie band blowing up overnight. It's like Death Cab before they were on The OC. All of a sudden people who know shit about shit are acting like they discovered something new. "Wow. That Ben Gibbard is talented. He can really craft a song." NO SHIT, SHERLOCK! WE'VE KNOWN THAT FOR YEARS!
Imagine my eye-rolling when the first question posed to Petko after her win over Caro was, "So, do you have a name for that dance?" Come on, homie. You had 45 minutes to get ready for this presser. Google is your friend.
You can understand why she's ready to retire it.
But enough of my ranting. Back to the tennis.
A day after ousting Caro in three sets, Petko backed up her win with a three-set tussle with JJ that saw more ups and downs than something other than a rollercoaster because that rollercoaster analogy is trite. JJ came out firing in the first set and wasn't giving Petko much of a chance to do anything. Then the rain came at 5-2, the players were called off the court, and Petko harnessed her chi:
"I started off very slow, especially my feet were not moving well. I was always one step late, I had the feeling. I also had the feeling that Jelena was playing really, really great in the beginning and she didn't really give me the chance to play my best. So I think the rain delay slowed her down a little bit and gave me also the moments and the time to calm down a little bit because I was also getting emotional and frustrated with myself.
[My coach] just told me to remain calm, that she was playing really great, and if she plays a whole match like this then you can just say 'Okay, very well played.' So that calmed me down a little bit because I felt like, okay, I'm playing bad, but I didn't really acknowledge the fact that she was playing great. That really calmed me down to know that, Okay, if she really plays that well I'm just going to shake her hand and say, Hey, well played today."
Unfortunately, I didn't get to see much of the post-chi-harnessing play. I was over on Court 2 watching Ana and Kim. But it sounds like Petko upped her level, JJ dropped hers and it was all to play for in the third, which saw JJ get an early break at 4-2 before Petko was able to fight to reel off the next four games, fighting off multiple break points at 4-4 to hold, and then breaking JJ in a nine-deuce game for the match.
The theme of the day seemed to be fitness. A bit more on that later. But physically, Petko's a beast, and her fitness level drives her confidence:
"Physically I'm, I think, one of the most prepared girls in the tour. My coach actually said to me when he came on the changeover, I said, Man, I'm dying. He said, Okay, imagine you are dying, how is she feeling? I was like, Okay, she's dead already."
This is why you hit the gym, ladies. There are enough things to be worried about on the court. Freaking out because you're not sure you can last very long doesn't need to be one of them.
As for your Daily Petko Quippy-Quips:
"I have a very good coach who's gonna bring me all the food I need. I'm going to go to a steakhouse, eat eight steaks, and I'm gonna be fine."
"I like it much more to play doubles with a friend, with a good friend, instead of practicing with your coach who bores me after a while. (Laughter.)"
"I believe in myself. But unfortunate in tennis, it's not only about you. There are also other players who have a word to say. But that's at least a step, the first step to believe in yourself and believe that you can win. I mean, I took out the world #1 and I took out the former world #1, so I think there is nothing that stands in the way. Just two more girls stand in the way. (Laughter.)"
"I'm doing intervals. So in the beginning I started with 30/30, and the closer it gets to the tennis I start to do it as related as possible to rallies. So 15 seconds, 15 seconds for my type of game is maybe the -- I think Karlovic does 2 seconds, 2 seconds. (Laughter.)
Eh. You're awesome. I gots no more to say.
(Pic: Getty)
I enjoy the WTA's All-Access Hour and if I'm ever lucky enough to get to a tournament early enough to attend them, I do. For the most part they give you an opportunity to actually talk to a player, as opposed to shout questions at them, and you can ask some of the more off-beat questions that may not be appropriate for a press conference.
The hour started with JJ, who still sounds like she's been out smoking and partying. The low, gravelly, raspy voice makes it borderline impossible to understand her sometimes. But the one you can never misread is JJ's face. At one point, a journo asked her what she thought of Nole's amazing run and whether she had any thoughts as to why he was so inspired. As she started to answer, a male journo, with a smart-alecky tone, exclaimed "Maybe's it's Ana!" and started laughing at his own joke. I stifled a gasp and literally stepped back five steps. Sure enough, JJ stopped her answer, silently shot him a deathglare for a good 5 seconds, and then kept answering.
JJ, 1, Ignorant and Rude Journo, death. Seriously. So rude.
Next up, after turning to see Bepa in a spectacular Ed Hardy hoodie chatting with a journo in Russian, I decided to lady up and chill by Sam's table. After wiping the beads of sweat from my brow, I finally asked her a question that I've had for her since Indian Wells: What's your take on your year so far?
I haven't had the season that I wanted to yet, that's for sure. I played some pretty good tennis and feel like I'm playing quite well on the practice court. Haven't been able to put it together in a tournament yet unfortunately. But at least I feel like I'm playing well, I'm feeling fit and doing the things I need to do. Hopefully for me it's not too far away and it's just around the corner, getting good results. You gotta go through these times, it hasn't been horrible but it hasn't been what I wanted.
Way to get it all emo, Court! Quite the talent you have.
Next up, Vika. Yes, I know I've been papped repeatedly while talking with Vika. If you read FD enough you might be wondering, "What the hell were you talking to Vika for?" Well the one awkward thing that can happen at AAH is that some players end up not getting talked to, or they get 5 questions and all the journos leave to go talk to Kim or Caro or something. That almost happened to Vika and I just kind of felt bad. So I stuck around with her and chatted about the friendships on tour, the cameraderie, why she thought that was, etc. It was actually kind of nice. I suspect she's a perfectly nice person when she's not talking tennis.
"I think more [cameraderie]. I don't want to sound cocky or anything but I think a lot of us young players brought it. Because we came from juniors and we have the competitors between us but we also have our friendship. We have our rivalries on the court but we're normal people off the court. We see each other at every tournament. I think we brought a lot of that into the game, also from the men's tour. I think it's great. I think for the fans it's exciting to see how we have relationships between all of us, not just the lower ranked players.
It's very exciting. It makes it easier for us to joke around. It's part of the tennis life and it's part of being a tennis family."
And on her groin injury:
"I'm trying get back. Practiced a little bit yesterday, just easy. And it was not a tear but it was still a strain. Trying to recover and hopefully I'll be fine."
From there it was over to Fran's table, where those who were smart enough to ignore Kim and take in the Schiavone Experience were literally on the edge of their seat, leaning forward, listening intently. That's what Fran does. She draws you in, whether she's hooha-ing on court, or dropping truth-bombs in what I can only describe as her bedroom voice. It's a well-articulated raspy drawl that hovers just above a whisper. It's bomb, is what I'm saying.
One thing I love about watching AAH or press conferences is that moment when a player gets asked tricky question, you're silently screaming the right answer in your head, and then they totally nail it. It's like prepping a witness for the stand and seeing your witness totally nail their cross-examination. I had one of those moments during Fran's presser. One of the journos spent most of his/her time asking every single player about Serena and Venus. This was part of his exchange with Fran:
Q: Do you miss them? Do you feel like "this thing is wide open without Serena." More fair for everybody? A better chance to win any tournament you're in?
A: "Well yeah. When I win the French Open, there was Venus and Serena. For sure they are tremendous athletes but at the same time, we are other great competitors. For sure we are gonna miss them."
YES. FISTPUMP. NAILED IT. The minute he asked the question all I could think was "Wait, she won a Slam and Serena and Venus were there. To her *any* tournament is wide open regardless." You go on, Frank.
Also, your hipster glasses are awesome:
(Pics: Forty Deuce)
We just didn't have enough time together. Makes me way emo.
Between Andrei telling JJ that she had no heart on a coaching timeout aired publicly all over the world and the intense one-hour debriefing that we witnessed on the practice field after her loss, you kinda gotta wonder how long this coaching relationship will last.
I'm not entirely sure they came to an agreement as to what happened in that match. But it was hilarious watching them try.
(Pics: Forty Deuce)
There was fist-pumping, there was ajdeing, and there was smiling. That's the usual way of things whenever these two meet. But the difference in today's match between the two Serb Sisters is that while Ana typically only has a monopoly on the first two, today she owned all three. She played like she believed in every aspect of her game: her forehand, her backhand, her swing volley, they were all working today and they were all hit with conviction. It was actually beautiful to watch. If you're an Ana fan you know that it's been a loooooooong time since we could truly and honestly say her game was pretty. I don't know what she put in her Wheaties but she played without any doubt today.
Ok...most of it. The toss was still a problem. But again, today was a bit different. Typically, when Ana throws up an errant toss she'll catch it and you'll see her elbow lock and forearm ripple as she seems to be squeezing the ever loving crap out of the ball. I've seen this happen quite a bit. It has always been a sign of tension and obvious annoyance/embarassment with herself.
But that wasn't the case today. More often than not, Ana would just smile in reaction to the particularly egregious tosses. She was laughing with her box, engaging with the crowd, and smiling on missed challenges. On one particularly bad challenge, she started talking to the crowd while Hawkeye was loading to get their opinion. Upon seeing the error of her ways, she started laughing and apologized to JJ for even bothering to challenge. This was a loose kid.
Maybe she knew the Lord Baby Jesus was on her side?
Or perhaps she was playing in honor of Leather, who she has summarily fired. That's right folks. I actually got to break news today! We obviously noticed that Leather wasn't in Ana's box so I asked around, got confirmation of the split, then asked Ana about it in the presser. REPORTAGE. Don't worry. It won't happen again.
But yes, Ana and Leather have split. They remain friends but had differing views on where her fitness needed to go:
"I just felt like I needd to get a little bit stronger. I was feeling very weak on the court and I had quite a few injuries. I just want to take a bit different approach and gain some more muscles beause my game is so powerful. I felt weak and that caused a lot of stress on my body. At the end of last year I lost some weight and I felt really fast and strong on the court, but then I lost too much and I just felt like I couldn't produce anything out of the corners. I was feeling quite weak on the court and I couldn't recover. I just felt like I needed a little bit different approach. I needed to gain some of that strength back. Not dead weight, just some more muscle mass. It's a process.
So there it is. No more Leather. More on that in a bit.
This was a tough loss for JJ, as evidenced by the one hour she spent sitting on the practice field with her team, gesticulating wildly, talking animatedly, miming everything she did wrong and arguing about it. She gave full credit to Ana in the presser and said she just didn't feel like she was moving very well. That's a pretty accurate assessment of the match right there. Ana's strengths (big hitting, big serving, controlling rallies) were on and JJ's strengths (movement, return of serve, consistency) were off. Put it all together and you get a 64 62 loss that saw her coach call her out on a coaching timeout for not having any heart.
Way harsh, Tai.
Resplendent stuff from Ana, who follows in her BFF's footsteps to upset a top seed and more importantly, put together a performance to remind everyone that yes, she can be very good at tennis. With Kim's second set retirement to Mono due to a shoulder injury, Ana's got a real shot here. She'll get Bartoli in the quarters and either Yanina or Shahar in the semis.
With Dinara's run, Masha around, Ana beating JJ, and Sam sucking at tennis, this really does feel like 2008.
Ah...2008. Those were the days.
(Pics: Forty Deuce)
Pavs successfully defends her title in Monterrey by coming back after dropping the first set to beat the surging-yet-still-sputtering JJ, 26 62 63.
She celebrated by eating this:
And here I thought she knew her way around a cake. I was horribly mistaken.
(Pic: AP)
There is a heaven. Of this I am sure. How can I be so sure? Because we finally have proof that heaven's corollary, hell, absolutely and definitively exists. I know this because I lived through it watching this craptastic match last night.
Is there anything more frustrating than watching two talented players trapped in their own heads? For almost three hours it seemed like neither of these two would JUST RELAX. Sam looked so frustrated and pissed by the fifth game (she would go on to DF two breaks to JJ in the first set) that I was begging, pleading, whining for her to just go ahead and break something. Break the racquet, the shrubbery, her chair. SOMETHING. But no.
As for JJ, it's still a tactical issue. She was told for years that she had to be more aggressive and so she's trying. But 80% of the time you're like "WTF? Why did you try and hit that shot?"
In the end, JJ would win 76(4) in a third set tiebreak. She deserved the win, I thought. If anything, those three missed forehands in the tiebreak by Sam proved that. You don't deserve to win a match when you miss easy shots like that.
I mean, the match wasn't HAAAAAAHRIBLE. It had a handful of great points, a couple for Sam, quite a few for JJ (some of those passing shots were amazeballs). I'm happy for JJ. If she can get her game back on track and be relevant again, maybe she'll finally regain the Glitter Queen moniker as opposed to the "Oh yeah. Her." label.
But Jesus Christ, Sam. Gauloises thought I was crazy when I cautiously predicted Sam would lose. But she just hasn't looked right all year. The game is 70% there but there are so many little things that, if you've watched every Stosur match all year (which I pretty much have, a majority of them live) you can see pretty clearly. Sure, she's moving a bit better, but her first serve has been wildly inconsistent, forcing her to rely too much on her kicker, which, while effective, still allows her opponent to get the ball back and start a rally. Once in the rally, Sam's losing way too many "neutral ball" points, that is, rallies that start or get to 50/50. She's even missing on the last ball on rallies that she has no business losing, and often it's been happening too many times on big points. She's not terminating on the forehand side and she's not consistent enough to work the point with it without missing.
Last year it seemed like Sam had a good idea of what she wanted to do with her backhand. Nowadays she goes for the two-hander when she's not in the position to hit it, and she goes for the slice when she should hit the two-hander. There's no clarity on that side which I think accounts for all the misses.
But at least I can pretend this tournament doesn't exist anymore. Pack your bags, head back to the States, figure out your shit, and let's hit IW and Miami running, corgi.
JJ has Caro next. She's actually 4-0 on the NEWBUTNOTNEW World #1. I have absolutely no problems with JJ getting it done.
So do it, Glitter.
(Pics: Getty, AP)
This. This is what it takes to pull me out of my lazy, blogless, vacationing and fire up the MacBook.
So...JJ did an ad for a Swiss sperm bank.
This ad is fail for so many different reasons, some obvious, some not-so-obvious.
But before we close the loop on this one, let's step for a second and survey the scene: Let's face it, could this have happened to anyone other than JJ? It's just so perfect.
WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM???
Hisense Arena claimed the tennis lives of two more Serbs this afternoon, as JJ and Bojangles went down to Peng and Bepa, respectively. That's another early-round loss for JJ, who's gotta be concerned about the state of her game and her ranking. She's got Indian Wells, Rome and RG SF points to defend over the next 6 months and it wouldn't be a shock to see her ranking plumet into the 20s if she can't get it together. She just doesn't look like she knows what she wants to do out there tactically and the frustration sets in quite quick.
JJ was up 4-1 in the first set and seemingly cruising before she lost her way and let Peng back into the set. JJ began to back off a bit and Peng stepped up, hitting low and flat and keeping the ball out of JJ's strike zone. Once Peng got into the match JJ retreated, playing more passively and either refusing to step in to attack when she needed to, or pulling the trigger too early and missing the shot. It's the same old story for her really. I feel like I've written up that match analysis at least five times by now.
With JJ and Ana out, Bojangles was the last Serb standing. Stand she did for 45 minutes, as she quickly showed her solid game of finding angles and hitting near the lines. I was feeling pleased as punch (as much as I could as she was beating up Bepa) that Bojangles was proving me clairvoyant. She took the first set easily, 6-2.
But then Bepa, being the nerd that she is, got figured Bojangles' game and started to add a bit more variety to her shots. She also used her legs, running down everything she could to put pressure on Bojangles to hit harder and closer to the lines. The legs worked, and Bepa was able to come back and virtually cruise to a three set win.
A really solid win for Bepa and a lot to be positive about for Bojangles after her Australian swing. She's going to bag her first title this year. I just know it.
But back to Hisense. Nole and Viktor are the only two Serbs left in the singles main draw and WOULDN'T YOU KNOW IT, they're playing each other tomorrow and they're scheduled for Hisense. My prediction? The building collapses and they're both out of the tournament.
Do NOT go near Hisense tomorrow. You've been warned.
(Pics: Getty)
Rezai d. Jankovic, 75 26 63.
I don't have anything to say. It just seemed like news. Because it's actually not.
(Pic: Forty Deuce)
According to this kinda sketchy source, JJ's finally latched onto a coach, hiring former ATP pro Andrei Pavel. I only remember him as the guy who retired to Moose on that super dupery hot day at the 2009 Australian Open. But if you believe the aforementioned kinda sketchy source, Pavel reached a career-high rank of #13 on the WTA.
So...I guess he knows what it takes to win on the WTA. Good job, JJ!
(Pic: ATP Official Site)
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.
The WTA season is officially over. I think I speak for everyone when I say "othankgod". I definitely need a break. And alcohol. Maybe some decriminalized, but not legalized, drugs.
But before we wrap it up, here are some good quotes from Doha:
Well you won more games than I thought you would so that in and of itself is a victory.
Kind of.
Even though I watched this match I kind of don't remember this match. Like, at all. I remember the commentators saying that JJ fainted in the locker room yesterday, was advised that she should go to the hospital, refused, and had an IV drip all night. I think after I heard that I may have stopped paying attention to the match.
Jim Fleming from USA Today (@USATgolftennis) brought up an interesting debate topic via Twitter. He said he gave JJ a lot of credit for taking the court and trying her best. I countered that it's her job as a professional athlete to try her best, that I give her credit for the hard work to qualify for Doha, but not so much for her competitive spirit once she got here. Matt Cronin has been adamant all week that he thinks JJ should have called her season and skipped Doha to heal up and let an alternate (Nails) take her spot.
I kind of agree that JJ should have skipped Doha. She's clearly not even close to 100% and when you're fainting and needing IV drips after one match that lasted less than an hour, you're not even fit enough to be competitive. But at the same time I totally understand wanting to take the court to try, because you just never know. And of course, there's the money issue. You get $100,000 for showing up and another $100,000 for every RR match you win.
But this brings me to my take on it: I get JJ wanting to make the trip to Doha, try and heal up, and take the court against Vera yesterday to see if she could compete. Why not at least give your body a chance to heal and pocket the $100,000 "appearance fee" while you're at it. No fault in her there. But once you pocket that $100k, you don't get any more money (or rankings points, obvs though you do get rankings points for each match played regardless of result) unless you win matches. So if it's true that after yesterday's match she was fainting and was advised to go to the hospital, refused, and drank from a banana bag all night then she should have sat out today's match against Kim and called it a season. I can't think that she thought that she could beat Kim given her physical state. And I can't think that the fans tuning into the match were watching because they wanted to see Kim get a punching bag as an opponent.
Feel free to voice your disagreement in the comments. I really do want to hear people's thoughts on this.
Anyway, speaking of Kim, she looked great in that first set. She was actually serving quite well, hitting cleanly, and moving great. Then things started to get loose towards the end of the first and into the second. She was double faulting like a mofo (10 for the match, I believe), which means that the serving woes she's been dealing with since her return at Wimbledon are still an issue.
But this was probably a good match for Kim to make her competitive return. JJ really couldn't hurt her, not in her state, so it was a nice way to easy into things. But she'll have her work cut out for her tomorrow when she takes on Vika.
Day two should see more competitive matches, primarily because there are more healthy players on the slate. That's always a plus.
First up, Vera vs. Vika. This one's juicy and Vika's coming off a win in Moscow, but I'm going with Bepa, who leads the H2H 5-2. Vika doesn't have a great history of performing well at back-to-back tournaments. Then again, they've met three times this year with Vika winning two and retiring in one. So...shit, I don't know.
Yup. That's some quality tennis analysis right there.
Next up, Kim vs. JJ. Something tells me I will be napping during this one. JJ only took 3 games off Bepa and had to be put on an IV drip after the match. So...how many do we give her off Kim?
Yeah...that's what I thought.
Kim leads the H2H 6-1, with JJ winning their last match in Toronto in 2009.
Rounding out the night, Sam vs. Caro for supremacy in the Maroon Group. Their H2H is 2-2, though they haven't played since Osaka in 2009. Based on recent form I'll go with Caro, though if Sam can go a full match serving the way she did in the second set against Fran, this could go Sam's way.
Doubt it, though. Sorry, Sammy.
Oh, also, if Caro wins she secures the year-end #1 over Bepa.
Play starts at 5pm local time, 10am EST.
Caro and Bepa cruised in their first round matches, with Caro beating a hobbled Elena 1 and 1, and Bepa beating a ailing (is that vague enough?) JJ, 3 and 0. Everybody was all like "ZOMG, this purple vagina tour is such a LOLZ! How can anyone take it seriously?"
Well, we all know that JJ and Lena are hobbled, right? And we know their results in the last few months haven't been great, no? And we know that Caro and Bepa are, according to the rankings, the top two players in the world who actually play tennis full-time. I mean, even if you can't accept that fact you have to agree that they have both had waaaaaaaay better years than Lena and JJ. And we know that Caro and Bepa have been in good to fantastic form over the past few months.
So...how are these results surprising? Disappointing? Sure, I mean, everyone *hopes* for competitive matches but I don't think we had any reason to believe these were actually going to be close ones. And if anything, wouldn't it have been more pathetic if the top two players couldn't blitz a player with one leg and another with no nose?
Calm down. I'm referring to JJ's respirtatory issues, knee jerks. She skipped her post-match presser, by the way. You just keep on keepin' on, JJ.
So I'm going to be the one to say great job Caro and Bepa. You're the top seeds in your groups and you played like it today, playing smart and contained tennis to get on and off the court quickly.
And you did it while still being you. Well done.
Oh, and PS, I can't wait for the handwringing and rending of garments when Rafa and Roger dole out some breadsticks and bagels in London. Because you know there's absolutely no double standard here. Not at all.
(Pics: Getty)
Play begins tomorrow at 5pm local time.
Here's hoping JJ wears clothes.
First up is new world #2 Bepa vs. an already whining about injury and fatigue JJ. JJ's just going to go out there and try her best, you guys. The two have a 6-6 H2H but you have to like Vera in this one. Reports from the ground say Vera is looking great in practice, JJ not so much.
Also, is she breaking out in hives or something in that picture? That's a distracting amount of splotch all along her neck and upper chest.
Next up, very nice blond ladies who haven't won shit. Or so the narrative would read if I weren't me and I were someone else. Elena is coming off an ankle injury that forced her to withdraw from Luxembourg so who knows what her form is. Caro is coming off -- what's this? -- a two-week break since she won in Beijing. That's like a three-month break for most people.
Caro leads the H2H 4-3, but she's beaten Elena both times they've met in 2010, most recently in the Tokyo finals. Gotta tap the kid here. She kinda really needs to win this title.
I don't even want to talk about it.
I'm still smarting.
Though, Sam, if I may, can I just as you one teensy-weensy little favor? Please get that nail polish off. Otherwise I'm going to spend the entirety of your match laughing my ass off, and that's not the type of support or intensity I want to be bringing to this match.
(Pics: Getty, AP)
The ladies are finally in Doha (doesn't it seem like we've been talking about the YECs for forever now?) and kicked off the festivities by glamming up for the sole purpose of showing off their amazing sock tans. Which is kind of the only thing they really can show off given that it's, you know, Doha.
This is actually the last year Doha will host the YECs, which is kind of a shame because it looks like the ladies finally figured out how the hell they're supposed to do their hair and makeup. I hope they take everything they've learned with them to Istanbul next year.
Yes, Vera, I said Istanbul. Try to act enthused, Kim.
But really, they all looked great.
Most Goddessiest.
Most "Yeah, What Up Now, Tracy? Say It To My Face"-iest.
Most--wait, is that FRAN???
Most "I Really Don't Want To Be Here-iest."
"Bitch, Get Out My Personal Space-iest"
*tap tap tap*
Uh...JJ? Yeah, hi, sorry. I'm gonna need that award back.
Here you go, Kim.
Taylor Swiftiest.
Most--wait, is that SAM???
(Pics: Getty, AP)
Bad idea? Or BEST IDEA. You decide.
(Pic: Tennis Forum)
This is Zarina Diyas. She was born in Kazakhstan 17 years ago. She is currently ranked #268 and had to qualify to get into the main draw in Moscow.
You know who this is, I presume.
Well, young Ms. Diyas dispatched Old Smokey, 61 62. She was up 5-0 in the first before JJ threw down the MTO card. Afterwards, JJ, THE TOP SEED, refused to give a presser but made sure that the WTA communications people wrote down her ailments to give to the press.
So shall we do another run through of JJ's losses since Wimbledon? OK!
Please come to Doha, JJ. Your presence decreases the possibility that Sam will be at the bottom of the table.
Also, we need you for the sleepovers. Your vajazzling skills are second to none.
If I hear the words "Moscow" and "party", I usually think of a pretty kick-ass time. Booming techno, nutty laser lights, carafes of vodka, and enough organized crime to make you feel nice a cozy.
What's all up in all the Russians' jocks tonight? It's a party! Loosen up!
Well, speaking of loosening up, nice sex hair, MaKiri. I presume Igor is smoking a cigarette in the backseat of a black Range Rover right now.
Jesus. Eat something. Gaunt is not a good look for you.
Flavia was clearly ready to party. Here's hoping Marat gave her a tour.
Cute monochromatic French boys.
Anyway.
ZOMGJUSTINBIEBER!!!
"Later, guys. I got a thing."
You can see more amazing pics here.
And believe me. They are amazing.
In a result that should not and probably does not shock anyone, JJ lost to Kaia in straight sets. That's two wins for Kaia over JJ in a month. I don't watch enough JJ matches to know what's going on with her but I did find one comment from the British Eurosport commentators interesting. Sam Smith was saying (at least, I think it was her) that JJ just straight up has no gameplan these days. She wants to be more aggressive from the baseline but more often than not she's pulling the trigger too early or on shots she has no business trying to hit for winners. It's a combination of no tactics and poor shot selection. People talk all the time about "mindless ball-bashing". This is mindless counterpunching. And it's just as bad.
The girl needs a coach. But apart from that, she needs to allow herself to be coached, and I just don't think she's willing to do that in a meaningful way. I can't blame her, really. I mean, she gave herself over to Ricardo and Etch and they derailed her big time. But she also has to remember that with Ricardo in her corner, she made her only Slam final and she made a four week run that got her that year-end #1 ranking that she so loves.
She's got the movement. She's got the shots. There's no reason to think she can't get herself back into the realm of relevancy. But right now it's just ugly to watch.
Did someone photoshop out the dildos? Because those are some seriously anemic fist pumps, if that's what they're trying to do.
The Tokyo draw is out and everyone in that picture has a reason to be smiling other than Lumberjack Sam. She's in a quarter along with Vika, Ana, Dinara, Aravane, Wicky, and Mono. That's...rough. So I will excuse her weird fist thing up there. But the rest of you? No excuses.
In other news, BEPA YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!!! CAN YOU HEAR ME! CAN YOU????
Come on, Caro. Do us a solid and tell her.
Someone's gotta get through that thick skull of hers.
In addition to the article and the videos, NYTM also put together a slideshow of awesome pics from their WTA power shoot. I said it before and I'll say it again. This is how you show women athletes as physical, strong, muscular, and beautiful without simply objectifying them as sex objects. Really great stuff.
I absolutely love it when tennis hits the Big Apple because you get all this crazy coverage from the U.S. media outlets, and sometimes, just sometimes, they'll surprise you. Like in this video collection from the NYT, which features Kim, Serena, Elena, JJ, Sam, Vika, and Bepa.
First of all, that's a great collection of players. They didn't just go the easy route, there and get Mels, Maria, Venus, etc. Second, everyone looks great and really, it doesn't feel like they're objectifying the players. The movement is really beautiful. Third, a tube top? Really?
Really?
WTA Superfans is saying this is JJ's USO dress.
I'm totally hoping for an electrical storm just to see that thing under static duress.
I mean...she can't right? SHE CAN'T!
#shetotallycanandwould
Thanks to @shay_jr for tweeting me the pic.
UPDATED: While we all know she totally can and she would, BoxiFrixi has pointed out that thankfully, that's not her USO dress. That pic is from a photoshoot from a while ago. PHEW!
The court conditions were tough today folks, with on-court thermometers hitting the 120F mark. But you know what they say, the conditions are the same for everyone and everyone's gotta deal. JJ, the top seed at her second straight tournament, got bounced in straight sets by Akgul, denying us a JJ/Ana quarterfinal. I know that Akgul's big server, but this is a match that you expect JJ to win, using her movement and strokes to grind down her slower opponent in the blazing heat. But I guess Cincy is to Akgul as California is to Dani. She just seems to find some mojo there. The last time a qualifier made the quarters in Cincy? 2007. And yes, it was Akgul. Which means she's building quite the fan base:
A more respectable loss for Caro, losing to Mono in straights in her first tournament in the US after her run to the title in Copenhagen last week. Word on the street is that Caro's beefed up her serve. That's nice to hear, but once again she plays a match that shows that she, just like JJ and Aga, can be hit through. If the field wasn't quivering in their shoes at the thought of playing these counterpunchers before, they definitely aren't quivering now.
It'll be interesting to see how these two rebound in Montreal. Oh, and in a stroke of comedy, they'll swap places heading into to Montreal. That's right, Caro's back to #2.
The shit gets real this week as the USO Series gets two top level mandatory events for the men and women. The top ladies, sans Serena (foot), Venus (knee), and Sam (forecep) are in Cincy and my big question is whether Vika and Masha can back up their form and results from Stanford. They both took last week off.
As for JJ, THE NUMBER TWO PLAYER IN THE WORLD (it's on her business cards), she'll get a chance to rebound from her loss to Kleybs in the second round of San Diego. She blamed the loss on her injured ankle, which she said she couldn't practice on at SD, but she's been on the courts in Cincy. So...I'm assuming it's better? I guess we'll get the definitive answer if she loses, which she shouldn't, seeing as how she's got two qualifiers in the first two rounds. Then again, if I'm one of those qualifiers, I'm smelling blood.
Cincy also sees Kim returning to action. I mean, who knows how that's going to turn out. And Aga will be playing her third tourney in three weeks. I get that she's fit now and everything, but she was fiddling with her foot throughout yesterday's final.
Early round jaw droppers: Sveta vs. Masha, Ana vs. Vika, Flavia vs. Zheng. Other fun ones: Dani vs. Pavs, Petko vs. Coq au Vin. If only because I get to keep using that nickname.
Here's a fun game: Who will get dumped out first: Aga or Franny. Discuss.
Cincy draw and OOP.
Center Court (from 11.00hrs)
1. Vania King vs. Nuria Llagostera Vives
2. Dinara Safina vs. Roberta Vinci
3. Marion Bartoli vs. Anabel Medina Garrigues
4. Victoria Azarenka vs. Ana Ivanovic (NB 19.20hrs)
5. Gullickson/Gullickson vs. Kleybanova/Makarova
Grandstand (from 11.00hrs)
1. Monica Niculescu vs. Sabine Lisicki
2. Jamie Hampton vs. Sara Errani
3. Shahar Peer vs. Olga Govortsova
4. Mirza/Niculescu vs. Hampton/Oudin
5. Craybas/Gallovits vs. Coin/Hradecka (NB 19.00hrs)
Court 3 (from 11.00hrs)
1. Bojana Jovanovski vs. Aravane Rezai
2. Dominika Cibulkova vs. Alona Bondarenko
3. Alisa Kleybanova vs. Alexandra Dulgheru
4. Ayumi Morita vs. Arantxa Parra Santonja
Court 4 (from 11.00hrs)
1. Kimiko Date Krumm vs. Akgul Amanmuradova
2. Vera Dushevina vs. Anastasia Rodionova
3. Yaroslava Shvedova vs. Alla Kudryavtseva
As for the dudes, we've got a sausage smorgasbord in Toronto, as all the top guys are in action. So far, the story has been Rafa and Nole playing dubs together, starting tonight, but apart from that piece of marketing genius it feels like a whole lot of "wait and see". Rafa and Roger are on opposite sides of the draw and can't meet until the finals but each of the top four will have some work to do to get there. Ok, maybe not Nole. His draw is pretty cake. He just has to survive himself.
Rafa's got A-Rod is his quarter (and Sam Q in his 1/8), Moose has Sodz (who, incidentally, could move up to #4 depending on how those two do here), Fed has Big Berd, and Nole has the Broken Playstation.
Match I want to see: Nalby vs. Sod (R3). Hell, how about Ernie vs. Sod (R2)?
Match you couldn't pay me to watch: Fabio vs. Radek (R1). Barf.
Toronto draw and OOP:
Flavi and Sveta, yukking it up before Sveta's dubs match.
I wish Bepa would do *this* on the changeovers.
I'm thinking the security folks get really confused when they check her badge.
Dani, cruising the food court for a Nutella stand.
Z and Domi watching the JJ match. I burst out laughing when I spotted him coming down in that shirt. Because seriously, you could spot him from space.
Sveta, Bepa, and Sergey watching Dinara.
"It's not a tumor."
Dinara enjoying a latte while watching Dani beat Mono.
It was tres cute.
Sam being awesome.
Oh, Sam. I'm gonna need a ring, not a ball. But yes. A THOUSAND TIMES YES.
Is it really an upset when *everyone* was tapping it to be an upset? JJ somehow gave up a 4-1 lead in the first to lose the set 75. She mounted a bit of a comeback down 0-4 in the second but Kleybs was able to steady herself, crack the shit up out of Steph, Victoria, and I, and take the match in straights.
Kleybs was in full Riot Grrrl effect last night. First let me point out that Victoria was shivvering. I didn't think it was that cold but let it be known that it wasn't a warm and balmy East Coast night. Kleybs was dripping EVERYWHERE. At one point, after they switched sides, JJ stepped up to serve only to ask Lynn to have the ball kids wipe up Kleybs' sweat drops, which had clearly accumulated at the baseline.
Kleybs saw and couldn't help but laugh. I love that she's not embarrassed by it. Most normal people would. Not Kleybs.
At another point in the second set, she went to the back of the court and wrung out her hair. Two feet from the linesperson. He was...not amused. Hell, even Lynn started sending the ball kids out sua sponte to wipe up sweat puddles. You'd think this was a basketball game.
But the coupe de grace? Kleybs runs wide for a ball and can't get there. She happens to be standing right in front of JJ's box when she turns and goes FULL WRING. RIGHT IN FRONT OF SNEKS. Sneks starts laughing and pulls her camera out of her purse to take a picture.
Meanwhile, I'm sitting courtside with Steph and Victoria and we are doubled over in laughter and cackling. It was the greatest thing ever.
Kudos to Kleybs for the win. I was cheering for her pretty loudly and my viral Kleybs marketing paid off. The guys in front of us turned around and told us she was absolutely phenomenal. FUCK YEAH, SHE IS. She was absolutely beaming after the match and was really cute in her on-court interview, though that's like saying Sam was effusive in her on-court presser. It was as cute as Kleybs can be.
This is Sneki leaving. At 2-5 in the second. Nice to know your mom still believes, huh? Oh, and she almost bit it hard on those stairs in those heels.
JJ was in press immediately with a huge ice bag on her ankle and blamed that for her loss. She says she hasn't been able to practice all week because of the ankle. Asked if thought she should skip Cincy to rest an ankle she hasn't been able to play on, she seemed unconvinced. It will shock me if she pulls out.
