Forty Deuce

Kolya Wins At Life.

That is all.

Air Quotes: 1-Up

''He's very fast. He plays like PlayStation.''

--Juan Martin del Potro, on Kolya The Hedgehog

WTF? Kolya The Fuck.

And then, there was Kolya.

 

I could not be happier about this result.  I mean, seriously, what can you say about Kolya's performance at the World Tour Finals (see, that's me trying to be professional).  He only beat all of the 2009 Slam winners (Fed, Rafa, Elf), as well as RG09 Finalist and hot hand (Sodz).  No one can find anything to criticize in this result.  Tough draw, tough opponents, tough matches...

Tough Kolya.

He'll end the year at #6, bumping A-Rod down to #7. 

 

Too bad for Elf, but he just run out of gas.  A win would have gained him the #4 rank from Muzz.  

And with that, the ATP season ends.  Nole, Rafa, and Fer limped, Muzz flopped, Sod surged, and Fed secured his top ranking.

Thoughts on the WTF? 

Aw, That Was Fun.

Well that was an up and down match, but thoroughly enjoyable.  It was a shame one of them had to lose.

The first set was all Kolya, as he was dictating play and Nole looked a bit rusty.

In the second set, Nole raised his level and Kolya dropped his. 

 

And the last set was pure fun.  Nole broke ahead with the early break before Kolya played a GREAT game to break back to 5-5.  But from there Kolya would flinch and drop the next two games.

But it all doesn't matter.  Because this happened:

 

 

I can't wait for the day when the guys realize that the truest, purest form of sportsmanship is exchanging shorts. 

Pic This: The Mad Men Of Putnam, Powell, and Loeb

 

I'd totally watch the spin off.

ATP WTF, Sponsored By Planters Peanuts.

 

But where are the top hats and monocles?  Talk about a missed opportunity.

Either that or this is a brilliant viral marketing campaign by Planters, a la this.

Ok, I'll stop fawning but I love love LOVE the ties the ATP made for them.  The hunter green and grey?  Swoony McSwoonerson over here.

 

Aaaaaand I've stopped swooning.  Thanks, BonerKillerer.

 

I will say this about Fed.  I'm glad he's procreating so that he can pass on that head of hair.  

 

Ahem.  No kids yet for Kolya.  No coincidence I'm sure.

 

I wonder if Simon Fuller, at some point, will drug Muzz, throw him into the back of a van, drive him to some dark alley, and get a one eyed Asian dentist in a wheelchair to fix his teeth.  Because boy, those things ruin a lot of pics.  That said, they're also why I love him.  I know, I'm not right in the head.

 

Aw, perfect. 

 

Rafa looks so different from picture to picture.  Does the dampness of his hair make *that* much of a difference?

 

It's weird to see Andy actually look bigger than Rafa.

Oh yeah.  This guy.

Welcome To The Hogwart's Reunion.

 

If Shanghai made the boys look like Hitmen, London has turned them all into the most mischievous group of prep school kids this side of Manhattan.  And I LOVE it.

  

The battle for Class President begins here.

Nice to see Rafa's hair decided to dry for this pic.

  

The faves.  Or so "they" say.

  

Cute.

 

Not sure why I can't find his stock picture.  Did someone arrive a little late to the party?

 

Lucky Sod.

Chunnel, 2 Tickets, Please.

Anxious to get home to Kim, I see.

A tired Muzz fell to Steps in three, 16 63 64.  Hungover from the Marat celebrations, perhaps?

For better or worse, Andy wasn't the only seed to fall today, as Kolya and FeVer both lost.  The good news for Kolya?  Fer's loss guarantees Kolya the 7th spot in London.  So watch out, ladies.  Kolya's coming to London and he's...oh, Irina's coming too?  Uh, nevermind.

Fernando's in a tougher position.  He'll have to see how Paris plays out to determine his fate.  If I read the ATP's chart right, Fer is eliminated if Sod makes the finals, or if Jo wins the tournament.  Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

"What, my hair is not good enough?"

I want one.

Rough Day

Tough day for both Fernando and Kolya, who are still trying to secure spots to the WTF.  Fer was able to come back from dropping to take the second, only to play one bad game in the third to lose 63 26 63.  Too bad.  He really wanted to impress the home crowd on this one.

Kolya on the other hand took the first set only to drop the next two, 64 63.  So the two who are still playing for something get bounced on the same day.  On to Bercy!

 

Go get 'em, Muzz.

Russians, Muzzard, and an Ill-Fitting Hat.

Fer in, Tommy out.  No real surprise there.  It was a clean kill.  But I love with Sergio Tachini decides to abandon navy blue and rock out some colors.  And I LOVE Tommy's red and white kit. 

Same goes for Fred Perry.  Love the red accents on Muzz's kit, even if it looks like Muzz is bleeding from the pits.  He also had a clean win, 4 and 2 over Montanes.

And of course, the Russians are in the mix.  Koyla took out Garcia Lopez in straights and Mischa upset Gilles, 4 and 4.  They'll face off in the other semi.

I love it when Gilles gets all veiny.  It makes me laugh.

"He Knows When All The New Collections Are Coming Out."

There's a reason Igor's snagged MaKiri. He's awesome. Also, was Kolya changing his oil before his sit down interview? Distracting.

Pretty Is As Pretty Does, Indeed

What the hell has gotten into Marat? 

The guy shaves, flies east, and starts playing like he cares.  I can't process it.  Congrats on the three set win over Kolya, Maratski. 

Loved the love between these two.  Marat's always been Kolya's #1 fan. 

Air Quotes: Pretty Is As Pretty Does

Q: Is that because you're not so good looking and keep looking 
outside the court which makes you put more focus on your tennis? 
And given a chance, would you like to be more good looking or keep 
your life going like this? 
NIKOLAI DAVYDENKO: Um, you know, if I be if I don't have wife, you 
know, maybe I can say, "Yeah, I disappoint I'm not maybe good 
looking," yeah, but really I have many girls can be in Russia. I don't 
know about China, but in Russia it's I still look good, like feeling 
comfortable, you know.

Moskau, Moskau!

The biggie for this week is Kremlin Cup; an ATP 250 for the men and a Premier for the women.  Since it's the week before Doha, most of the top women are giving Moscow a miss.  Never mind that, though, because the four women still in contention for the last spot/alternate status at YEC are all playing.  Davai!

ATP

Nads did the draw.  This is a picture of her immediately after she drew Safin/Davydenko for the first round.  Heh.

 

Yeah, well done, Nads.  So, I suppose we can expect Marat to exit stage right from his last Kremlin Cup relatively early.  Although he did beat Kolya there last year.  Anyway...

Draw

Top Four Seeds: Kolya, Victor Hanescu, Misha, Igor Andreev

Potential Quarterfinals: Kolya/Martin Vassallo Arguello, Igor/Janko, Misha/Fabrice, Hanescu/Pablo Cuevas

Potential Interesting Early Matches: Kolya/Marat (1R)

Interesting Story Lines: Will Igor Andreev repeat as "Mr. Fair Play"?  Will Marat actually give a shit? 

WTA

 

Draw

Top Four Seeds: Vera, JJ, Aga, Flavs

Potential Quarterfinals: Vera/Nads, JJ/Lena V, Aga/Franny, Flavs/Dominika

Potential Interesting Early Matches: CanWoz/Errani (1R), Flavs/Agnes (1R), JJ/Shvedova (1R), Vera/Pavs (2R), Aga/Winner of CanWoz v. Errani (2R), Franny/Sorana (2R), Flavs/Dushevina (2R), JJ/Lucie (2R)

Interesting Story Line: 4 players. 3 YEC spots.  Bring.  It.  On.

You Had Me at "Privet"

How amazing.  How motherfucking amazing.  I fell in love all over again.  Kolya, you dirty bastard.  When you bring it, you bring it.

[6] Nikolai Davydenko (RUS) d. [1] Rafael Nadal 76(3) 63 

 

 

 

What an amazing match he played.  When Kolya's at his best his game is gorgeous to watch, and today, that's where he was.  Unbelievable sprint after unbelievable sprint, amazing angle after amazing angle, winner after winner.  This is the kind of match that makes me wonder why the vast majority of the tennis press insists on calling him boring.  His game is so amazingly versatile, his press conferences have a great dry humour to them, and I swear I remember reading at some point that Marat said Kolya was the funniest guy on the Russian Davis Cup team.  Suck on it, universe.  If you can't see the brilliance of Kolya Davydenko, it's your own fault.

Ahem.  Uh, anyway, super awesome for Kolya to get a win like this after all the injuries and the betting controversy.  Well played, sir.  Well played.

As for Rafa...

 

Don't you worry.  It'll come.

Big Pimpin'

Really, any chance to post my favourite picture of Kolya.  Any chance whatsoever.

 

Sooooo... Kolya took out Nole in an epic, awesome match today.  Over three hours, each player only broken once, a mere 3 points total separating them in the end.  Amazing, just the kind of match-- regardless of the outcome-- that tennis could do with more of.  Especially at a tournament where there have been so many retirements.  

I know I'm basically just babysitting a blog full of Novak fans, but I can't pretend that I don't like Kolya better.  IMO, he is consistently one of the most underrated players on the ATP.  And with the injury-filled year he's had, I can't help but be insanely pleased for him.  This is precisely the kind of match he needs to be winning in order to climb back up the rankings.  With this win, he jumps to #7 in the rankings, putting him right in contention for one of the final spots to WTF in London.  

As for the other semi, eh, whatever.  Feli has extremely questionable facial hair and retired against Rafa.  Whatever.

That scruffy half-beard looks good on no one.  No one, Feli.  Not even you.  Anyway, so, Rafa's through to the final and, as James LaRosa pointed out today, he hasn't had to play a match point since the third round.  Unbelievable.

Singles - Semi-finals 
[1] R Nadal (ESP) d F Lopez (ESP) 61 30 ret. (right ankle)
[6] N Davydenko (RUS) d [2] N Djokovic (SRB) 46 64 76(1)

Catching Up

So... that work thing happened.  And now I am determined to at least get a results post out.  It's not gonna be much, but I submit it humbly for your consumption, dear reader.

Shanghai

More retirements??  You're kidding, right?  And my Quality Guy Ljubicic, too.  Sobs.  But he's an old guy, I guess I'll forgive him the hip injury.

Also, Feli won another match?  This is beginning to feel like some kind of alternate universe.  Also, I was very amused by Kolya's quote that Stepanek "destroyed" him in the second set.  I don't think 6-4 counts as destruction, sweetie.

Singles - Quarter-finals

[1] R Nadal (ESP) d I Ljubicic (CRO) 36 63 ret. (left hip)
[2] N Djokovic (SRB) d [8] G Simon (FRA) 63 26 62
[6] N Davydenko (RUS) d [13] R Stepanek (CZE) 61 46 61
F Lopez (ESP) d [9] R Soderling (SWE) 76(4) 63

Linz

Finally.  Actual matches!  If I hadn't been so preoccupied all day, I would have been glued to Radwanska/Safarova.  Wickmayer/Errani and Kvitova/CSN aren't too shabby, either.  I keep thinking how awesome it'll be if Round 1 of the YEC Race to the Bottom comes down to an Aga/Flavs final.  That would be faaaaaaaantabulous.

Singles - Quarterfinals
(1) Flavia Pennetta (ITA) d. Ioana Raluca Olaru (ROU) 75 62
(2) Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) d. (7) Lucie Safarova (CZE) 63 76(9)
(3/WC) Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) d. (8) Sara Errani (ITA) 75 63
Petra Kvitova (CZE) d. (4) Carla Suárez Navarro (ESP) 75 64

Osaka

The Shanghai of the WTA.  Two retirements in four quarterfinals?  Woz/Woz is always a good time, and I'm glad that those matches are at least getting a little closer, but still.  More than one meaningful match this late in a tournament would be nice.

Singles - Quarterfinals
(1) Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) d. (6) Aleksandra Wozniak (CAN) 62 67(1) 62
Sania Mirza (IND) d. (2) Marion Bartoli (FRA) 64 20 ret. (right shoulder injury)
(3) Samantha Stosur (AUS) d. Jill Craybas (USA) 61 63
(4) Francesca Schiavone (ITA) d. (7) Melinda Czink (HUN) w/o (right foot injury)

Walking Wounded

Two more retirements in Shanghai.  Seriously, this is getting ridiculous.

 

Is it me, or does the trainer working on Stan look kind of like Marin Cilic?  I was super confused for a second.  I guess I'm never really surprised when Monfils retires; he plays a game that seems to me unnecessarily physical.  It's just begging for an injury of some kind.  In any case, there really have been an awful lot of injury retirements in Shanghai.  A little worrying, when you consider that there's still a long way to go in the ATP season.

In other news, the Sod beat Jo-Willy in what looks like a surprisingly unchallenging match.  Then again, it doesn't seem all that surprising.   Oh, and Feli won again.  Wha?

Singles - Third Round
[1] R Nadal (ESP) d [14] T Robredo (ESP) 61 64 
[2] N Djokovic (SRB) d [Q] R Schuettler (GER) 64 62
[9] R Soderling (SWE) d [5] J Tsonga (FRA) 63 63
[8] G Simon (FRA) d T Berdych (CZE) 63 64
[6] N Davydenko (RUS) d [10] F Gonzalez (CHI) 63 75
I Ljubicic (CRO) d [11] G Monfils (FRA) 62 30 ret. (back)
[13] R Stepanek (CZE) d S Wawrinka (SUI) 36 76(5) 42 ret. (abdominal strain)
F Lopez (ESP) d J Melzer (AUT) 57 76(3) 61

Give It Up For The Little Guys

Big ups to Koyla for taking his third title of the season, beating Fer in straight sets.  

Despite their rankings, a bit of a surprising win, no?

 

And Gilly finally breaks through for his first title of the season, beating Viktor in straight sets.

 

You're the best.

Formulaic

It's #1 vs. #2 in Kuala Lumpur, as Kolya rallied to beat General Sod 16 76 62, and Fer took out Gonzo 64 75.

 

Gonzo was...not pleased.

"Sleepless long nights, that is what my youth was for."

 

While Tokyo's tourney director is probably still in the hospital recovering from a panic attack, KL's tourney director has to be feeling pretty darn good right now.  They've done a great job with the promo stuff and now they've backed it up with quality tennis, as the top four seeds have made the semis. 

Nice run by Reeshard, by the way.  Some quality wins on the way to the quarters and he gave Fer a tough match.  Good job, Coke Head.

On a somewhat unrelated note, check out this remix of "1234".  I hear at at Barney's with the best gay and we may have had a little dance party in the men's shoe department.

Pic This: Work It

Today was Labor Day in the states, which means no working, lots of out of towning, and, if you're in the Bay Area, lots of trying to figure out how the hell you're supposed to get to a BBQ in the East Bay when the Bay Bridge is shut down.  Let's just say Tommy wasn't the only one with that look this weekend.

But while we were being lazy bums, the action in NYC kept rolling.

 

Doesn't this look like a "Pic This" pic?  But I can't think of the perfect caption, even though it's begging for one.  Kinda like how Caro's begging to get f'd in the a. 

Oh, look!  Caption!

Smug little bastard.

 

The Sex expert.

 

This is Yanina Wickmayer.  She is a quarterfinalist.  Or something.

En Fuego

Slowly but surely, he's working his way back to form.  Rafa started slowly (literally) against Paulie, eventually finding himself down 4-1.  He looked a step slow and fairly tentative, and Paulie capitalized by jumping on every short ball that Rafa hit.  But then he hit a ridiculous backhand flick passing shot and something seemed to flip.  He got that fire back and the fistpumping and vamosing kicked into high gear.  

I was gchatting with donkeygrooming at the time and she asked what the score was.  I told her Rafa was down 1-4 but he would be fine.  You could see it.  Once he secured the first set 75, the rest was history.  He closed out the match and played well.  I still think he's a step slow and he doesn't trust his legs.  But if he can keep notching some wins he'll be able to work himself out of it.

In the other matches of the evening, Gilles was able to close out on Kolya in three sets, and Big Berd bombed his way to a straight set win.  He'll clash with Rafa tomorrow in what will be a tricky one for Rafa.  Then again, they're all feeling a bit tricky these days, no?

No Match

Muzz is on fire and not even the wet blanket that is Kolya can put him out.

Le Muzz won easily 62 64 and will face the winner of Fed/Jo, which is going on right now.


As for the ladies, Caro was not match for Lena, once again.  She held serve, like, once, losing 62 61.


So congrats to Lena, who is fast becoming the Kolya of the WTA. 

"Oh yeah, she's still playing, huh?"

Big Boys

Rafa made his triumphant return and actually played a full match, beating Petzscher 63 62.  He looked much better than yesterday, particularly his serve, but every time he lunged for a ball or I heard his shoes squeak to a stop, I cringed.  He take on next, who needed three sets and two calls to the trainer (bum right shoulder, apparently) to get past Hanescu. 

 
As for Nole and Muzz it was business as usual.  Nole looked rock solid today in his win, though no thanks to his Mom shorts.  And Andy made JCF look like an old man in his 1 and 3 win.

Oh and Kolya beat Gonzo 76(2) 75.  Not that you'd know this seeing as how there are no pictures of that match anywhere.

Back To Back Awesomeness

A week after taking the Silver Propeller in Stuttgart, Kolya walks away with...well...a large blue crystal trophy in Umag.  He busted JCF 63 60 in the final.

Stand proud, Kolya. 

Pic This: Could The ATP Hate Kolya More?

"I'm Like A Bird, I Wanna Fly Away..."

He's just the best.  And so is that trophy.

First title of the year for Koyla, beating PHM 4 and 2 in Hamburg.

I'd Gefaellt Him. I'd Gefaellt Him Hard.

Kolya speaks German? How did you guys not tell me this???

Pic This: Leapin' Leprechauns

The higher they go, the harder they fall.  Sad for Elfie. 

But he was WAY cute in his presser.


They don't call him Gonzo for nothing.

I actually think I would enjoy watching the Williamses play doubles live.  Not on TV when there's other interesting and important tennis going on, but you know, at other times.

Just because I know boys read this blog.  You're welcome.  I guess.


Sigh.  If only he flipped it.  Next time.


"Uh...hello."


Hey, it's *that* guy!

Most of the time Momo's pics look weird, primarily because she comes under the ball (heh) so much on her forehand and then her one-handed backhand looks nuts if you don't catch it right. 

But then there are pics like this.  Love.


*Yeah* you're in.  My vagina.

Hey, Upper East Siders.  Looks like S dropped in and braved the hot sun in support of Lonely Boy.  All kidding aside though, I've always really liked Kim Sears.  And I *need* that purse.

Nooooo.  No vest.  Bad Muzz.  Bad.

The Sex is in the house, people.  Respect.

Pic This: It's All About the Angles

The bad news?  You lost your match.  The good news? The FFT would like to put your work "Racquet Sculpture" on display in the Roland Garros on-site museum.

Has anyone else ever noticed that every single match she wins, there's at least one picture of Dina like this, pigeon-toed beyond belief?  Adorably awkward, but my knees and hips hurt just looking at it.

Why why why does anyone ever want these people's sweat-soaked towels and wristbands?  It is seriously one of the most disgusting things I can think of.

Erm... scary.

Just really liked the way this one was shot.

It took me awhile to figure out what this one was: Victoria Azarenka, as seen between the legs of a linesman.  Uh... okay.

Andy's left arm/shoulder look seriously whack here.

Player and Racquet: A Study in Three Parts

What, You're Too Proud to Sleep Outside the Embassy Like the Rest of Us?

See, this is why RG needs lights.  Because, due to a lack of lights at Roland Garros, one of Kolya's matches got held over last week, which meant he missed his appointment at the British embassy to get a visa, which means maybe now he can't play Queen's.

Q. Maybe you need to play on grass. Are you looking forward to that?

NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Yes, because first I need to make visit to England. I don't know if I reach there, you know, coming to the Wimbledon (laughing.)

But should be, yes, next week Queen's. We'll see if I can get visa.

...

Q. Talk about your visa. What's the problem?

NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Problem what?

Q. The visa, were you serious about that, getting a visa for England?

NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Yeah, just ‑‑ no, it's no problem. I try and make last week. I should be have appointment, but I played three days in a row. If you remember, I didn't finish my match and should have been next day play and I have appointment.

Yeah, I pass my time, and now the holiday in England Monday, and then, you know, try to do tomorrow. I know some players say I wait already 10 days hear about visa. And for me now I be in trouble.

If I go tomorrow, I should be receive my visa end of next week. I don't know what I can do. I should be play already Monday Queen's.

And for us, like Russian, it's really, you know, important to try to do faster. I don't know if I can do this week to do something.

Tsk.  Why you gotta be hatin' like that, France?  Still holding a grudge for that whole "Napoleonic Wars" thing?

At any rate, au revoir, Kolya.  It was good to see you back.  Nice run, too bad about General Sod.  And as a farewell, I'll include my favourite picture ever of Nikolai Davydenko:

Good times.  

Pic This: Good Things *Did* Happen Today.

Here's the thing.  As much as it sucked that Rafa lost at least now we have an interesting tournament on the men's side.  I honestly have no idea how thing's are going to shake out.

Must be weird to actually have the Parisians on your side.


Kolya's got your balls.  Tough for Fer.  Really thought he'd make a run here.

 
Nice to see Muzz saluting his fallen Falcon friend and rocking the White Hat of Dorkitude. 
And looking hot in it, I might add.


Ruh roh.  Dina's beauty salon is open for business.  Kid's getting ready for her closeup.


Show me where the bad man touched you, Marin.


Well, Viko, have the lambs stopped screaming?


At first I thought this pic was stitched together.  Something about it looks surreal.


Nice to see Jay-Z still in the tourney, even if for dubs.  Lavender Jie has a calming effect on me.


You *should* hide your face, Agnes.  That was just sorry.

Air Quotes: I Don't Know Where to Go With *Any* of This

What’s the best concert you’ve seen? 
It was in Abu Dhabi on New Year’s Eve. I took part in an exhibition and then went to a Shakira concert in a 7 star hotel. It was the most amazing show I’ve ever seen.

...

When was your first kiss? 
There have been so many I can’t remember!

...

Who’s the nicest guy on tour? 
They’re all really nice: Federer, Nadal. All of the guys in the top 100 are cool. But if you asked me which one was the best looking I’d say Feliciano Lopez. Everyone thinks he’s gorgeous, with his blue eyes and curly hair. 

-- Up Close and Personal with Nikolai Davydenko

Skinny Guys Everyone Forgot About

  

Yeah... those guys.  Every single slam, I look over the draws at the end of the first week and have 3-4 "oh... that guy?  Really??" revelations.  Marin Cilic is definitely one of those... his career record on clay is, uh, less than stellar.  But if Super Mario can't be here, it's nice to see his younger sidekick doing well. Except for the second set, it was a relatively routine win over Stepanek, which seems like a pretty good result. The Worm's a solid clay court player, and it seems like Marin played a decent match.  

It's not necessarily surprising that Kolya would still be in this, but it's so good to see him back and playing well.  I don't know what his expectations were coming into Roland Garros, but coming off a long injury layoff, it would have been reasonable for them to be fairly low.  Hopefully that match against Nando will live up to its potential, their head to head is 4-1 Davydenko, but they're even on clay and Nando is obviously a completely different player than he was last time they played (3 years ago).

And, finally, the love child of Tim Henman and Pete Sampras took out an injured Gilly in straights.  Oh well, Gilly.  Oh well.  I didn't see it, but I can't possibly hold a grudge against anyone who reminds me even remotely of Tim Henman, so roll on Victor Hanescu.  I guess.

Pic This: Dina's Deli Is Full Service

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


Shirtless Kolya!

or...

Shirtless Kolya?


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


"Do you want them toasted with schmear?"



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


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


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


Mmmm.  Pretty.

(A)KO

Poor Anne.

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

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

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

Pic This: A Kolya, A Baker, A Candlestick Maker

The best thing about all these photos is Kolya's unbreakable concentration.


It's ok, Kolya.  The village will not starve. 


Is he really that much smaller than Sabine?

Double Duty

The iron men who won early this morning.  Rafa made quick work of Lapentti, Muzz gutted out a tough win over Fognini, Kolya beat Nalby in three, and Lubey took out Goth Bols in straights.  They'll all take a nap and come back to play their quarterfinal matches in a few hours (Rafa vs. Lubey, Muzz vs. Kolya).  How fun for them.

[1] R Nadal (ESP) d [Q] N Lapentti (ECU) 63 60
[4] A Murray (GBR) d [Q] F Fognini (ITA) 76(11) 64
[8] N Davydenko (RUS) d [12] D Nalbandian (ARG) 64 57 63
[WC] I Ljubicic (CRO) d S Bolelli (ITA) 75 76(2)

Are Head Racquets Cursed?

Kolya has withdrawn from Chennai AND the Australian Open due to a heel injury.  WTF?

Kolya Likes Head, Too.

It looks like Kolya is ditching the trusty stick that helped him win Miami and moving to Head.  He's playing with a Head paintjob for now:

And unlike Nole, it looks like the stick is working out well.  Kolya won his opening round match in Chennai.

You can tell it's not a Prince because of the lack of Speedports (the trademark holes around the top and side of the frame):

Also, it looks to be the same racquet that Emilio is holding here:

This move will give Head Nole, Muzz, Kolya, Gilles, Ernie, and Marat, just to name a few.  Not a bad crew of boys.  *Insert Marat likes Head joke here*

Tennis Is Back, Y'all. And So Are Rafa's Press Conferences.

The top ballers are in Abu Dhabi for the Capitala World Tennis Championship exo.  For whatever reason, Blah was invited to come along too. 

Blah will be leaving Abu Dhabi with a nice chunk of change and an ass whoopin', courtesy of The Muzz, who beat him soundly 62 62.

In the other match of the day, Kolya The Invisible picked up where he left off in Shanghai, beating A-Rod, 64 64.

Muzz will face Fed and Kolya draws Rafa.  Both matches will be played tomorrow with Muzz/Fed kicking off at 3pm local time (3am PST).

Speaking of Rafa, he's back to his usual presser antics, which means a load of hilarious pictures:

 
He knows that's not a trophy, right?

"Maybe the fourth bottle of Veuve was a bad idea."

 
"This humidity is really fucking with my hair."

"I did Not.  Have.  Sexual.  Relations.  With That Woman."

Air Quotes: A Gimelstob Gem

"Beyond stylistic differences on the court, these two have tremendous contrast in personalities.  Mainly, Novak has one. 

-- Justin Gimelstob, during the Nole/Kolya final

Suck It, Haters.

Well the kid everyone loves to hate walked away with his first TMC trophy and a huge confidence booster going into the off-season.  Nole overwhelmed and outplayed a serve-less Kolya, winning 61 75.  And no, the match wasn't even that close. 

This was the best I've seen Nole play since the AO.  His shot selection was spot on.  His head was totally into this match and he was constructing points and executing shots beautifully.  I love smart aggressive Nole.

Also, memo to Nole:  Rafa bites his.  Fed smiles creepily next to his.  Muzz probably screams mercilessly at his.  You should totally start wearing your trophies as hats.

As for Kolya, hey, it was a great tourney for him.  He should have given Nole more of a run, but here's another huge batch of points that in 10 months we'll all totally forget about when we ask "how the hell is that guy in the top 5?"

And as much as he's hated by Rafa and Fed fans around the world (more Fed fans than Rafa fans to be fair), the bottom line is that Nole keeps it interesting.  Don't like his antics on the court?  Fine.  Don't like the stupid shit that comes flying out of his mouth sometimes?  Ok.  Jealous of his awesomely soft kitten-like hair (TM gauloises)?   Duh.  But his talent is real and his game, when it's on, is just awesome.  The only question with him is the mental side.  He's more of a headcase that JJ and Ana combined.  I wish he'd just embrace his "I'm the guy you love to hate" mantle for a while.  But I think Muzz's rise into the upper echelon of challengers to the thrown will take some attention of him and give people another lightening rod to attack.  Because really, if you don't like Nole for the crap he says and does, you really shouldn't like Muzz.

So going into 2009 we've got a wide open race in Australia.  We've got a Rafa that has shown he can win on hard courts, a presuably 100% healed and hungry Fed, a confident Nole with a load of points to defend, and a confident and in-form Muzz looking to bust up the big Three.  And then of course there will the dangerous outliers in Jo and Elf, and bracket busters like Gilly.

Oh yeah, Nole will finish the year on 10 points behind Fed.  And, most likely, Nole will go into AO 09 at #2 because Fed isn't playing any warm up tournaments in January.  How nutty is that?

The Muzz Train Runs Out of Gas

 
The biggest question coming out of yesterday's epic Muzz/Fed match was whether or not young Andy's body could recover in 24 hours to beat Kolya.  Apparently not. 

Andy clearly had nothing left and lost listlessly to the relentless Russian, 75 62.  Andy's legs must have felt like sandbags because there's just no way he loses to Kolya if he's moving well.  Understandable, but disappointing.  You have to wonder whether all that effort spent to beat Fed was worth it.  Could it be that Nole's "tanking" against Jo showed more experience in energy management?  I hate to answer yes to that but it's hard to argue.

Now we'll see whether Nole can capitalize or whether Kolya can take advantage of the cards being dealt to him.  He got an extra days' rest to face an exhausted Muzz.  Now, he's face a physically worked over Nole in the final tomorrow.  Nole had some calf trouble today so we'll see if that affects his movement tomorrow.

Augh.  If Kolya wins this I'm gonna be pissed.  Like, mouth of a Safina pissed.

Kolya Kualifies

Well The Forgotten One has booked himself a spot into the semifinals in Shanghai, dusting the very tired Elf, 63 62.  Even though he and Nole finish 2-1 in round robin play, Nole will be the #1 seed out of the group because he won their head to head battle. 

As for the Elf, time to go home and rest up for Davis Cup.  Methinks this was a blessing and he knows it.

Nole Goes On Walkabout, Grabs A Bagel, Then Books A Semifinal Spot

What is up with these weirdo scorelines out of Shanghai?  Nole won today, beating Kolya 76(3) 06 75.  You never scorelines like that in the ATP.  So weird.

With the win, Nole is the first player to advance to the semis.  Thursday's match between Elf and Kolya will decide the other semifinal spot. 

More Pics From the Hitman Convention

 


 

The Kids Cool Off

When Nole wears black, he means business, and that's exactly what he gave Hot Crazy Train today in hard fought straight set win, 75 63. 
 
Methinks the Train is starting to lose steam and I really hope his trip here to Shanghai doesn't affect his Davis Cup performance.  Maybe that's why he was pouting in those player party pics?

In the second match of the day, Kolya won a very tough, very hotly contested three setter, finally winning 67(6) 64 76(0).  Seeing as how these matches aren't being shown live in the U.S., I have no idea what happened to Jo in that last tie breaker.  But losing at love in the final breaker?  Sounds like a complete lack of concentration and focus.

Next up tomorrow, starting at 6pm local time:
1. The Number 2 Player In The World vs. Commodus
2. Andy vs. Andy