Forty Deuce

UPDATED -- BREAKING NEWS: Jelena withdraws...from opening ceremonies.

Because it wouldn't be JJ without some added drama.  It's being reported in the Serbian press that JJ has decided not to participate in tonight's opening ceremonies because of an injury she sustained during Friday morning's practice.  Arm and shoulder injuries wouldn't keep you from marching.  Leg and back injuries would.  No word yet on what the injury is.

This is too bad.  I was hoping to see her march and then, midway through, call for the trainer.

(Thanks to the posters at Tennis Forums for the sources.)

UPDATE:  Apparently JJ did walk in the opening ceremonies.  So she must have felt better.

Just when I count you out, Adidas, you do something kinda mildly awesome.

So Adidas released a "Special Edition" Barricade V for the Olympics.  They look like this:

Yes, that's "Special Edition" Black and White.  BBBBOOOOORRRRRIIIINNNNGGGG.  Much like their Olympic collection.

But there's a catch.  Apparently the soles look like this:

Yup.  That's a map of Beijing.  Me likee.

Thanks to Tennis Served Fresh for the head's up. 

Geez, has Fed left the court yet?

Fed must really be trying work out the kinks in his game.  He got into Beijing earlier than any of the top players and he's been working hard on the practice courts every single day.

More player practice pics from Great Tennis Photos:

 

Nole FINALLY decides to join everyone in Beijing.

He's tasty.  That is all.

Also arriving, Elena Dementieva:

Does anyone know who Elena is playing for?  If you could find out and email me at tipsforcaptainobvious@gmail.com, I'd really appreciate it.  It's going to bug me for the rest of the day.

Beijing Draws Released: Crapshoot.

You can download the men's draw here and the women's draw here.

This competition is tough one to predict because there are just too many questions for both sides right now.

Questions on the Men:  What will Fed's form be?  Is Rafa out of steam? Will Rafa's limitations on hard courts finally knock him down?  How will Nole deal with last week's loss in Cincy?  How will Nole deal with the conditions?  Can Andy continue his run?

Questions on the Women:  Who's injury free and who isn't?  How is Ana's thumb?  How's Serena's knee?  Can JJ deal with the added pressure of having to perform under the scrutiny of #1?  How much is left in Dinara's tank?

Men's Draw

Fed's Quarter:  He's got a tricky draw that should see him come through, but then again, who knows with his form these days.  First round sees him up against the solid-on-hard-court Tursonov and he's got a potential second round rematch with either big serving Dr. Ivo. or Athens nightmare Tomas Berdych.  On the other side of his quarter are James Blake and Gilles Simon.  Like I said, he should make it through, but who knows?  I'll pick Fed to get through, but my dark horse is Simon.

Ferrer's Quarter:  David Ferrer and Kolya are both in this draw but Kolya will get dumped early, very likely in his first round match with Ernests Gulbis.  Gonzo and Janko are also in this quarter.  This draw in particular is a crapshoot.  I really want to see Ernests make a run here and he has the game to do it.  Whether he has the focus is another issue.  I'm going to go with Ernests to get out of this quarter.

Rafa's Quarter:  The draw isn't doing the future #1 any favors and he has the toughest road of all the top seeds.  Not only is the surging Andy Murray there, but also Igor Andreev, Lleyton Hewitt, and Radek Stepanek.  Andy Murray should have an easy go until he potentially meets Rafa in the quarters.  Either way, I pick Murray.

Nole's Quarter: If Nole can endure the heat and smog, he should come through to meet either Rafa or Muzza in the semis.  The other top seed is David Headbandian, who is coming off injury and I doubt he will be on form.  He could have a tricky matchup with Kei Nishikori in the second round.  I'm really worried about his fitness in these conditions, but I'll go with my boy Nole.

Semifinals: Fed vs.Gulbis, Andy vs. Nole
Gold Medal Match: Fed vs. Andy
Gold Medal: Andy
Bronze Medal: Nole

Women's Draw

Ana's Quarter: Who knows how Ana's thumb will hold up.  That's the big question mark for this quarter.  If it's feeling even 80% she should be able to breeze to the semis.  There's a potentially tricky matchup with Tati Golovin in the second round, but she's coming off injury and I doubt that she'll be match fit.  The biggest obstacle will be Agi Radwanska, who could run Ana all over the court and force her to go for winners in order to shorten the rallies.  One of those two will come out of this quarter, but since I'm an Ana fan, I'm going with her.

Serena's Quarter:  This is a potentially a tough quarter for Serena, who is coming off the knee injury that forced her out of Stanford.  Who knows where she's at.  In addition, she'll have to deal with Nicole Vaidisova, but no one ever knows which Nikki will show up.  Athens silver medalist Lena D. waits on the otherside.  She got dumped out of Montreal in the first round by eventual runner-up Domi Cibulkova. 

JJ's Quarter: Just like Rafa, the draw is not kind to the future #1.  She has by far the toughest draw.  Dinara waits on the other side and you'd be stupid to bet against her to make it through her section easily, though Lindsay could meet her in the second round, and hometown favorite Zheng Zie could meet her in the quarterfinals.  As for JJ, she should have some easy matches until the third round rematch with Cibulkova.  It doesn't matter though.  I put my money on Dinara to get out of this quarter.

Kuzzie's Quarter: Other than a tricky first round match with Li Na (never underestimate the Chinese on home soil), Kuzzie should make it through to the quarters easily.  She showed good form in Montreal and it seems that her knee injury wasn't bothering her.  On the other side of the quarter is Venus, who hasn't played a match (other than World Team Tennis) since Wimbledon.  I put my money on Kuzzie beating Venus in the quarters.

Semifinals: Ana vs. Serena, Dinara vs. Kuzzie
Gold Medal Match: Serena vs. Dinara
Gold Medal: Serena
Bronze Medal: Ana

All this being said, with so many unknown factors this really is a crapshoot.  Given the conditions, it would not shock me if a Gilles Simon or an Agi Radwanska won the whole thing. 

Baby Panda has 9 fingers, no clothes.

From Ana's Diary entry posted on her site today:

"The humidity here is incredible, it's like 100%! It creates a haze that makes it hard to even see! I had practice at 10am this morning and they had to turn the lights on because it’s so foggy you can’t see across the court! It’s going to be very tough conditions during the matches.

Unfortunately my thumb is still painful and I cannot practice. I am still having laser treatment on it, but it’s very frustrating, not being able to prepare as I would like. I just hope it heals very soon.

My bags got lost again! It was a bit of a worry because I have a special Olympics outfit to wear, but luckily they arrived today. Security here is very high so there was a delay in receiving them after they had been located."

I hope it's a special Olympics outfit and not a Special Olympics outfit.

Too easy?  Sorry.

Air Quotes: Rafa goes Commando. Does Disco Tommy know about this?

"It's hot here, so I really don't need my pajamas."

-- Rafa Nadal, in response to questions regarding his lost luggage.  Rafa is sharing a room at the Athlete's Village with Tommy Robredo.

Pic This: Fed gets Punk'd.

(Hint: Look at the scoreboard)

The Sisters Williams have arrived. Step aside, people.

ReRe does not look pleased.  See Ana, THAT's how normal people look when they get off 15+ hour plane trips.

And did I just catch a litle Kung Fu Fighting from Venus?  Awkward....

Lindsay D. has also touched down.  Team USA flew in together out of San Jose.

Pazcek beats #1, decides she doesn't want to be Austrian anymore.

Giant Killer Tamira Pazcek seems a little bitter she wasn't chosen for the Austrian National Team, even though he ranking qualified her under ITF rules.  In an interview, she said that she's considering becoming a Brasilian national.  Pazsek has long trained in Brasil and her coach, Larry Passos, is Brasilian. 

What's that I hear?  Is it the sound of the LTA helicopters descending on Lil Ms. Pascek's home for an immediate extraction?

There's gotta be a Target somewhere. Go buy some shorts, Rafa.

So apparently Rafa's luggage was lost on his way to Beijing.  Which explains why he is wearing the same pair of shorts in every practice session.  One word: Ew.

(Pics courtesy of GreatTennisPhotos.com -- Follow the link for more pics!)

UPDATED: Black and white Baby Panda hits the practice courts.

Girl, it's 100 degrees and humid.  Why in the world are you wearing your boyfriend's XL t-shirt to practice.

Speaking of the weather (and in further validation of what I've been saying all along) here's a report on how the weather and pollution are affecting the tennis players:

TOP tennis stars are lining up to complain about the soaring heat, humidity and the pollution in Beijing.    

With big-name players sweating through practices in sauna conditions, the temperature -- and overhanging smog -- have been the main talking points at the open-air Olympic Green Tennis Centre.

Incoming world number one Rafael Nadal, dripping with sweat during a practice match with Fernando Gonzalez, accidentally broke a racquet when it slipped out of his hand on serve.

Women's number two Ana Ivanovic appeared exhausted during a work-out, doubling up on court to catch her breath.

And players beaded with perspiration have been towelling off and drinking gallons of liquid as they go through their routines in the oppressive heat.

Gonzalez, who is bidding to defend his doubles title with Nicolas Massu, admitted conditions were extremely difficult with temperatures of up to 34 deg C (93 deg F) and unpalatable smog.

"The conditions are really tough with the pollution and it's really hot. We don't have too many days to adapt so I hope to be much better than today,'' he said.

Slovakian beauty Daniela Hantuchova said she had never experienced such heat.

"It's tough. It's maybe the hottest weather I've experienced,'' she said. "Hopefully it can cool down.''

Meanwhile Australia's Samantha Stosur said conditions were "pretty rough'' and among the most difficult all season.

"It is very hot and very humid and the sun isn't even out yet so I'm sure it will probably only get worse from here,'' Stosur said.

"It is unpredictable and probably the hottest conditions we are going to play in all year.''

The heat and humidity of a Beijing summer, along with chronic pollution, have been major concerns for participants in the Beijing Games, which open on Friday.

Many athletes arriving in the Chinese capital have expressed concern about air quality, including four members of the US cycling team who wore masks as they emerged from the city's airport.

On Wednesday, much of the Games complex was just a blur from Olympic Green, just over two kilometres (a mile and a half) away.

Not good to hear veteran players complain about the heat and Baby Panda already wheezing.  Does anyone ever remember seeing a match where Ana seemed like she couldn't catch her breath?  Disconcerting to say the least.

UPDATED: I'm thinking Ana's borrowing Scott's shirt.  Which makes my prior "boyfriend" comment kinda weird.  Unlike the Serbian media, I don't think there's anything going on with those two.

Lastly, I just wanted to post this picture because doesn't it look like she was just sitting there and someone (maybe Rafa) sarcastically/jokingly said "Hey, nice shirt."

 

PROGRAMMING ALERT: Baby Panda on the loose!

After much discussion with loyal Forty Deuce commenter chuppachup, for the next two weeks Baby Elephant will be taking a backseat to Baby Panda, in honor of the Olympics.  Admittedly, this change is primarily for comedic purposes, as I can get a heck of a lot more mileage out of panda jokes in Beijing.

ITF to Rainer Schuettler: Fick Dich!

Rainer Schuettler, this year's Wimbledon semifinalist, wasn't supposed to play in the Olympics.  But he's going to.  And the ITF is not happy about it. 

Prior to his Wimbledon run, Schuettler was ranked #89 on the day when the entry list was determined (June 9).  His low rank put him outside of the automatic entry list for Beijing (it's only a 64 player draw).  But then Rainer tore through Wimbly, his ranking skyrocketed to #34, and he and the German Olympic Federation suddenly decided they wanted to put the hot hand into Beijing instead of the TWO other German players ranked higher than him (Gremelmayr and Berrer). 

So they appealed to the Court for Arbitration of Sport, arguing that a number of players had now dropped out, he had the support and nomination of his Olympic Committee, and therefore he should be given a spot at the Olympics.  The ITF on the other hand argued that under the well-established rules for player entry, in the event of players pulling out, the next eligible ranked player would be given a spot.  In this case, that should have been Gremelmayr and then Berrer.  The ITF was particularly pissed off at the German Olympic committee because they knew about this rule but blatantly ignored it by nominating Schuettler instead.

The CAS issued their decision yesterday and have allowed Schuettler entry into the Beijing Olympics.  To say the ITF is pissed would be an understatement:

The ITF deplores the lack of understanding by the German Olympic Committee about entry to tennis events around the world including the Olympic Games.

However, while recognising that the German NOC may not understand how professional tennis works, there is no excuse for Mr. Schuettler who is prepared to take a place that was earned by his compatriot Denis Gremelmayr and of next alternate Michael Berrer. The ITF wishes him the best of luck even if he was not eligible for Beijing.

Ouch.

I actually don't have a problem with the CAS's decision and I think the ITF is just pissed that they got poo pooed so publicly.  The fact is that each country should have full autonomy in deciding who they want to send to the Olympics.  If the German Olympic Committee wants to let Rainer leapfrog to the front of the line they should have the right to do that and they should have to deal with the internal consequences of that decision (Gremmie and Berrer can't be happy about this).

That being said, the irony is not lost on me that the German's totally ignored the clear rules, policy, and procedures put in place by the ITF.  I thought German's LOVED rules.

Raja and Rafa land in Beijing. Separately, just so we're clear.

Rafa landed in China yesterday and was completely mobbed by fans and media.  I'm very curious to see how he handles all the attention. 

Down The Line has more pictures and video of his arrival.  Poor guy.

Roger and Mirka chartered a NetJet from Cincy and has been in Beijing for a couple of days now.  He's not staying in the Athlete's Village because during the last Olympics he was mobbed too much. 

Here's a tip Rog, if you want to keep it on the down low, (1) wearing a hat that DOESN'T have your initials emblazoned on it might be step one and (2) having your girlfriend wear a cashmere cardigan that you DIDN'T wear on Center Court at Wimbledon during the Greatest Match of All Time, which incidentally, also has your initials on it, might be step two.

Roger has already hit the practice courts.  Hope his lungs are ok.

Pics courtesy of Men's Tennis Forums.

UPDATED: Baby Elephant lands in China. Has crazy bed head.

Looks like Ana made it to Beijing ok with her ridiculously large sunglasses in tow.  It always makes me laugh when I see pictures of players pushing their own luggage carts.  Don't they have people to do that for them? 

Question: Do tennis players check their racquets?  Or do they carry them on?  It seems it would be  a big problem if the airline lost their luggage.  Since most players customize their racquets, it's not like they can run down to Sport Chalet and buy new ones.  Random thoughts I have at 2am.

EDITED: Found a few more at Ana's Forums.  I see Scott!  I was wondering if he would be accompanying her.  I never know what the rules are at the Olympics with respect to whether you are allowed to bring your team or not:

You can also see some video of her arrival here. 

Fustercluck Watch: Yes, the pollution is real.

That's a picture of Beijing this morning.  And no, that's not fog. 

On Monday Beijing’s air-pollution index rose above the World Health Organization recommended maximum for the first time in four days.  China says the air is fine, but the BBC calls bullshit:

 

According to data from Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau, air quality on Monday was still considered a "blue sky day".  

But the BBC’s own test found one major pollutant, particulate matter, was almost six times higher than the recommended level.

 

The World Health Organization’s target is 50 micrograms per cubic metre. But we recorded levels in Beijing at 292 micrograms on Monday.  

 

The test was done at a time of day when many Olympic events will take place.  

From the International Herald Tribune:

The body's reaction to pollution exposure is immediate, said George Thurston, a professor of environmental medicine at NYU School of Medicine.

"Your body says, 'This air is bad; breathe less of it,' and that's a defensive mechanism," Thurston said. "For athletes, that means they will go into oxygen debt sooner and will start cramping up. At an event like the Olympics, that could be disastrous."

And if the smog isn't enough, how about the heat?  From Australian doubles specialist, Sam Stosur:

"It's very hot, very humid and the sun's not even out yet so it can only get worse from here... It's unpredictable and probably the hottest conditions we are going to play in all year."

Oh boy.

Ana out of Beijing? Let's hope not. UPDATED: Hail to the naw!

According to the Serbian press (which, means we should take this with a huge salt lick), Ana is traveling to Beijing with her doctor and will decide on Tuesday whether or not she can play.  A source says that she doesn't feel any pain in the thumb anymore but she's still having problems gripping her racquet.

Does anyone have a baby I can sacrifice?  A virgin?  A Jelena Jankovic voodoo doll?  Anything?

Kidding.  I honestly don't think she'll pull out even if the thumb is bad.  If anything, that will help her manage her expectations and put less pressure on herself.  I think the opportunity to go to the Olympics and just walk in the Opening Ceremonies is so great and something that, if I were an athlete, I would not miss.  If that means she loses in the first round, so be it.  At least then she can get her thumb treated and be ready for the US Open.  There's always 2012, though that will be in London on grass courts, which is not great for her. 

Thanks to jelenacg at Ana's Forums for the translation.

UPDATED:

The General Manager of the Serbian tennis federation announced today that Ana will compete at the Olympics despite her thumb injury.  As translated by a poster over at AI's Forum:

The best tennis player of the world Serbian Ana Ivanovic will compete on the Olympic tournament, despite the injury of thumb on her right hand, as is announced by general manager of Tennis Alliance of Serbia Dusan Orlandić.

Orlandić said that after the elimination on the tournament in Montreal medical examinations were conducted in Italy, which showed that it is not a serious problem.

"Ana has a tendon injury, has started the necessary therapy and will continue with it in Beijing. She should, as planned, continue preparations for the Olympic tournament on Wednesday" said Orlandić for "Sportski Zurnal".

   

Ana Ivanovic will leave on Tuesday, over Munich, for Beijing, where other representatives of Serbia in tennis will join her.

Many thanks to Nestor at Ana's Forums for the translation.

Olympics Update: Bepa replaces Maria in Beijing. Rounds out Russian Crazy Train.

Vera Zvonereva will take Maria's spot on the four woman Russian team at the Olympics.  Between Kuzzie, Dementieva, Safina, and Bepa, that's a whole lot of crazy.

Also, the draw will be conducted this Thursday.

Olympics Tennis Schedule

ESPN has posted the Tennis schedule for the Olympics.  Of course, it doesn't really mean all that much without seeing the draw.

But the biggest takeaway?  Because I live on the West Coast, I get to watch tennis for seven straight days IN PRIMETIME.  No more of this waking up in the middle of the night BS that I've had to endure for Wimbly and Roland Garros. 

Like Ana, I am very excited.

I guess he's just plain Mario now.

The bad news is that Mario Ancic has pulled out of the Olympics.  The good news is that he's gone to the doctor and it doesn't look like his illness is related to mono.  At least I think that's what's being reported in Croatia. 

Also, Marcos Baghdatis has withdrawn from the Olympics as well as the U.S. Open due to a wrist injury.  Too bad really.  I hope he gets his game back on track.  I miss that guy.

BREAKING NEWS: Masha out of Beijing. Doubtful for the US Open.

Maria Sharapova is pulling out of the Olympics after an MRI today revealed two small tears in in right shoulder.  I don't know if it will require surgery but either way, that's going to take a while to heal.

Really too bad.  I love watching Masha compete.  I can do without the shrieking but I love the intensity.  How can you not love a girl that screamed "Allez up your fucking ass!" at the Roland Garros crowd?

Beijing Medals Revealed. Made in China.

1) They look plastic

2) Why is the silver medal taupe?

3) Are athletes now competing for jade medals?  Seriously, why is the bronze one green?

I hate to be a Debbie Downer, but these look horrible.  Especially compared to the medals used in:

Athens

and Sydney

Hopefully they look better in person.

Maria Uncertain for Beijing. C Note sad.

In case you missed my drunken posting last night, Maria has withdrawn from Montreal due to her previously reported shoulder injury.  She is getting an MRI done today.

Here's what she said in her post-match presser:

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Bad news, you guys, because I'm withdrawing. It was pretty obvious out there. Coming into this tournament, I wasn't quite sure if I was going to be able to compete. In the last few weeks, I've been struggling with trying to find a solution to the aggravation I did to the shoulder back in Indian Wells in one of the matches. I haven't really found the solution yet.
I just spoke to a couple doctors that are here, you know. They advised me to really try to find the cause of the problem, sort of what's causing my bursitis, because they think there's something else behind it rather than just that.
So, you know, tomorrow I'm going to head to the doctor's office - it's obviously too late right now - and get an MRI, this specific MRI they want me to take, see, kind of go from there.
It's obviously unfortunate. You know, you try to do every little possible thing you can. But at the end of the day when you go on court, you're thinking about aggravating things, you're thinking about, you know, an injury. It's not just really the way to play, so...

Q. The obvious question is the Olympics and the US Open. What is your gut feeling about them?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: My gut feeling? I think the results tomorrow, you know, will help me with the bigger picture. But, I mean, at the end of the day, it's tough to go on court and not be close to even, I mean, 50%. I'm too good of a player to go out there and try to fight through something that I think can eventually become something serious.

Q. Looked like you were a million miles away in between points. I guess you were thinking about how it was feeling...
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Obviously, I was not even sure if I was going to continue in the beginning of the third set because it was getting worse as the match went on. I mean, it's tough to fly all the way to Montréal and play two sets and say, I'm done. Maybe that's the right thing to do. But I have too many fans out there watching me that support me, you know, on a daily basis to kind of say, I'm going to head home... At least I finished the match.

So her participation in Beijing is looking iffy.  Sounds like her team is finally dealing with the reality that her shoulder pain is not an acute injury and that it's something that could require her to take some significant time off.  It's a real shame because I love watching her play and I especially love watching her compete.  But I do have the feeling that this shoulder situation will require surgery, and who knows if Masha will be the same after that.

Apparently Zheng Jie is playing for USC.

Tip of the cap to Nike once again, who never fail to treat their athletes with the fashion respect they deserve.

Pics of a few players' Olympic duds.  You can also see Federer's classy get up at Down The Line.

Masha (USA...I Mean RUS)

Zheng Jie (CHN)

Yan Zi (CHN)

Adidas on the other hand looks like they're going to just saddle all of their players in boring black and white:

Does anyone know what the rules are exactly as to what the athletes can wear in Beijing?  I presume that Ana Ivanovic isn't going to get stuck wearing Kappa gear (Serbia's team sponsor) but is it like Fed Cup where the athletes must wear either their country's colors or the country has to be prominently displayed on their uniform?

This is SO not going to work.

Today kicked off the first day of a two month long restriction on car use in Beijing in preparation for the Olympics.  Basically residents can only use their cars on alternate days depending on whether their license plate ends in an odd or even number.  In addition, buildings and factories are being ordered to cut their emissions by 30%. 

I don't know where the tennis venue is situated but if you thought Nole's breathing problems were an issue in Australia, you ain't seen nothing yet.  Just think about all those players who rely on their fitness to win them matches (Rafa, JJ, Ferrer).  How is the pollution going to impact them?

As reported by NBC:

Despite architecturally adventurous venues and $40 billion spent on improving infrastructure, China's greatest challenge has been keeping the city's air clean for the world's greatest athletes participating in the Aug. 8-24 games. Instead of blue skies, Beijing's skyline is normally shrouded with a thick gray haze.

Already, many competitors are choosing to train away from Beijing, and International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge has said outdoor endurance events lasting more than an hour will be postponed if air quality if poor.

The world's greatest distance runner, Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia, has decided not to run the marathon event because the city's pollution irritates his breathing.

Experts say the city cleanup measures could still go wrong because unpredictable winds might blow pollution into Beijing, or the lack of wind - common in August - could enable local pollution to build up.

This Olympics is going to be a shit show, folks.  China is in for a rude awakening when all the world descends on this typically secreted and shrouded country.  The Olympics is supposed to be the culmination of the best that sport has to offer, but when the venues and the organization can't get it together, what's the point?  You're setting the athletes up for failure.

Already I have heard anecdotal accounts from some of my friends who are based in and around China that Western journalists are being kicked out of the country, and curfews have been put in place in the major hot beds of social activity.  An unexpected algae outbreak has made the lake where the sailing competition was to be held unnavigable for boats and thousands of people have been working at the lake to manually extract the algae (and let's not talk about the environmental impact of these harvesting efforts).  Legitimate questions over media freedom still linger, political activists are being detained by the government, and migrant workers are being forced from there homes and out of the city.  They've even implemented an "Etiquette Campaign", which tells people they need to form an orderly queue, shower, and probably not spit too much.

Buckle up, folks.  It's going to be a bumpy ride.

Buff and otherwise attached dudes love Ana.

Jeez, Ana gets around!  On the heels of her Mallorcan holiday with Rafa (not really, but kinda), Ana was back in Serbia today for a ceremony for Serbia's Olympic athletes. 

Three observations:

1. She cut her hair and it looks cute.
2. She seems to have gone on a headband shopping spree while in Spain.
3. She's totally getting hit on by that ripped dude to her left.

Who is the smirky no-neck guy?  That's Serbian waterpolo player Aleksandar Sapic.  According to Wikipedia:

In 2005, Šapić married Ivana Šljukić his girlfriend of few years, and the widow of slain mobster Sredoje Šljukić.

His wife is the widow of a slain mobster?  Stay away, Ana.  Stay away.

"And I'm back in the game."

The ITF announced today that Amelie Mauresmo will replace Mary Pierce and play singles at the Olympics.  Good for MoMo I guess, though she's not really a threat to any of the top players.

Just kidding.  So Mary Pierce withdrew, was replaced by MoMo, who withdrew, who was replaced by Pauline Parmentier.

Nothing to see here, move along.

So much for the comeback.

According to some French posters over at TennisForums, Mary Pierce has withdrawn from the Olympics due to her bum knee, which is a shame on many levels.  First, I was really excited to see Mary back on the court absolutely crushing the ball.  Second, the FFT had chosen her over Mauresmo to play singles, which prompted Mauresmo to pull out of the Olympics altogether.  Will Amelie take her spot now? 

But, and I admit this makes me a small person, I am relieved because that's one less hard hitting veteran that Ana Ivanovic has to potentially contend with.  For the past few weeks I've had this sinking feeling that AI was going to get dumped out early by Mary.  Everyone knows that Ana cannot handle anyone who hits the ball hard and flat like Pierce used to.  Guess I can sleep easy now.

Behind the scenes with the current "It Girl"

If you're like me (and I'm sorry if you are) you spend hours thinking about what it must be like to be a professional tennis player.  All the training, the travel, it seems like a very lonely life to me.  Which is why these days, understandably, so much emphasis is put on "the team" you surround yourself with.

Eurosport followed Ana Ivanovic at the Qatar Total German Open in Berlin just before Roland Garros this year.  I found the documentary that followed to be very revealing and fun to watch. 

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Beijing Entry List -- Women's

As for the Ladies, again, competitive as all get out.  No MoMo due to her injury and the FFT not selecting her for singles.  Will Cornet and Golovin team up in doubles?  That would be a photog's dream. I'll be interested to see if Lindsay is able to compete in singles too. Speaking of blasts from the past, Mary Pierce is in the mix.  I'm really hoping she's not in Ana's part of the draw.  It could be Miami Round 2 Redux if that happens.

Entry List (Singles):

1 Ivanovic Ana SRB
2 Sharapova Maria RUS
3 Jankovic Jelena SRB
4 Kuznetsova Svetlana RUS
5 Dementieva Elena RUS
6 Williams Serena USA
7 Williams Venus USA
9 Safina Dinara RUS
11 Hantuchova Daniela SVK
12 Schnyder Patty SUI
14 Radwanska Agnieszka POL
15 Szavay Agnes HUN
16 Azarenka Victoria BLR
17 Cornet Alize FRA
18 Schiavone Francesca ITA
19 Vaidisova Nicole CZE
20 Golovin Tatiana FRA
22 Pennetta Flavia ITA
25 Peer Shahar ISR
26 Davenport Lindsay USA
27 Razzano Virginie FRA
PR 27 Pierce Mary FRA
28 Bammer Sybille AUT
29 Bondarenko Alona UKR
31 Cibulkova Dominika SVK
32 Wozniacki Caroline DEN
33 Mirza Sania IND
34 Kanepi Kaia EST
35 Medina Garrigues Anabel ESP
36 Govortsova Olga BLR
PR 36 Stosur Samantha AUS
37 Daniilidou Eleni GRE
38 Sugiyama Ai JPN
39 Knapp Karin ITA
40 Pironkova Tsvetana BUL
41 Dellacqua Casey AUS
42 Dulko Gisela ARG
43 Yan Zi CHN
45 Li Na CHN
47 Safarova Lucie CZE
48 Benesova Iveta CZE
49 Suarez Navarro Carla ESP
PR 50 Sequera Milagros VEN
50 Peng Shuai CHN
51 Zakopalova Klara CZE
53 Krajicek Michaella NED
54 Amanmuradova Akgul UZB
55 Paszek Tamira AUT
57 Arvidsson Sofia SWE
PR 60 Zheng Jie CHN
61 Errani Sara ITA
63 Perebiynis Tatiana UKR
64 Erakovic Marina NZL
65 Domachowska Marta POL
66 Cirstea Sorana ROU
67 Bacsinszky Timea SUI

As for doubles, the most disappointing and glaring omission is no Ivanovic/Jankovic pairing.  It makes sense, they both suck at doubles and they don't really get along.  But you'd think they'd give it a go just for the heck of it.  But even without the Serbian Sisters, there are some fun doubles teams: Kuzzie and Baby Beluga in particular should be fun.  But let's face it.  Everyone is playing for silver behind the Williams sisters.  Wimbledon made that pretty darn clear.

Entry List (Doubles):

Argentina              DULKO, Gisela, JOZAMI, Betina
Australia               STOSUR, Sam, STUBBS, Rennae
                            DELLACQUA, Casey, MOLIK, Alicia
Belarus                 AZARENKA, Victoria, POUTCHEK, Tatiana
                            GOVORTSOVA, Olga, KUSTOVA, Darya
China                    YAN, Zi, ZHENG, Jie
                            PENG, Shuai, SUN, Tian Tian
Chinese Taipei      CHAN, Yung-Jan, CHUANG, Chia-Jung
Czech Rep             BENESOVA, Iveta, VAIDISOVA, Nicole
                            KVITOVA, Petra, SAFAROVA, Lucie
Estonia                 ANI, Maret, KANEPI, Kaia
France                  CORNET, Alize, RAZZANO, Virginie
                            GOLOVIN, Tatiana, MAURESMO, Amelie
Greece                  DANIILIDOU, Eleni, GERASIMOU, Anna
Hungary                ARN, Greta, SZAVAY, Agnes
India                     MIRZA, Sania, RAO, Sunitha
Israel                    OBZILER, Tzipora, PEER, Shahar
Italy                      SANTANGELO, Mara, VINCI, Roberta
                            PENNETTA, Flavia, SCHIAVONE, Francesca
Japan                    MORITA, Ayumi, SUGIYAMA, Ai
Poland                   DOMACHOWSKA, Marta, RADWANSKA, Agnieszka
                            JANS, Klaudia, ROSOLSKA, Alicja
Russia                   KUZNETSOVA, Svetlana, SAFINA, Dinara
                            VESNINA, Elena, ZVONAREVA, Vera
Slovak Republic      HANTUCHOVA, Daniela, HUSAROVA, Janette
Spain                     MEDINA GARRIGUES, Anabel, RUANO PASCUAL, Virginie
                             LLAGOSTERA-VIVES, Nuria, MARTINEZ SANCHEZ, Maria Jose
Switzerland            GAGLIARDI, Emmanuelle, SCHNYDER, Patty
Ukraine                 BONDARENKO, Alona, BONDARENKO, Kateryna
                             KORYTTSEVA, Mariya, PEREBIYNIS, Tatiana
USA                       DAVENPORT, Lindsay, HUBER, Liezel
                             WILLIAMS, Serena, WILLIAMS, Venus

Beijing Entry List -- Men's

Last week, the ITF announced the direct entry list for the upcoming Beijing Olympics.  Nothing particularly shocking (Roddick already said he wasn't going), but looking it over there's no doubt that this is going to be ridiculously competitive.  It's a shame that so few points are awarded for the Olympics.  They should really treat it as a Tier 1 event.

Entry List (Singles):

1 Federer Roger SUI
2 Nadal Rafael ESP
3 Djokovic Novak SRB
4 Davydenko Nikolay RUS
5 Ferrer David ESP
7 Blake James USA
8 Nalbandian David ARG
9 Wawrinka Stanislas SUI
11 Murray Andy GBR
12 Berdych Tomas CZE
13 Almagro Nicolas ESP
14 Tsonga Jo-Wilfried FRA
15 Gonzalez Fernando CHI
16 Stepanek Radek CZE
17 Mathieu Paul-Henri FRA
18 Youzhny Mikhail RUS
19 Robredo Tommy ESP
21 Monaco Juan ARG
22 Karlovic Ivo CRO
23 Baghdatis Marcos CYP
25 Nieminen Jarkko FIN
27 Ljubicic Ivan CRO
28 Simon Gilles FRA
29 Tursunov Dmitry RUS
30 Hewitt Lleyton AUS
31 Seppi Andreas ITA
32 Monfils Gael FRA
34 Andreev Igor RUS
38 Kiefer Nicolas GER
39 Tipsarevic Janko SRB
40 Kohlschreiber Philipp GER
41 Querrey Sam USA
42 Soderling Robin SWE
44 Ancic Mario CRO
45 Chela Juan Ignacio ARG
47 Bolelli Simone ITA
48 Canas Guillermo ARG
51 Gulbis Ernests LAT
53 Darcis* Steve BEL
55 Lee Hyung-Taik KOR
56 Cilic Marin CRO
58 Starace Potito ITA
59 Ginepri Robby USA
62 Haase* Robin NED
63 Lapentti Nicolas ECU
65 Sela* Dudi ISR
66 Gremelmayr* Denis GER
67 Rochus* Olivier BEL
68 Bellucci Thomaz BRA
69 Johansson Thomas SWE
PR 70 Hrbaty Dominik SVK
71 Minar Ivo CZE
72 Hanescu Victor ROU
73 Lu Yen-Hsun TPE
74 Koubek Stefan AUT
75 Daniel Marcos BRA

But looking over the doubles entry list its clear that this is going to be where the fun is at.  Look at some of those pairings.  Monfils and Tsonga!  Canas and Nalbandian?  Rafa and Disco Tommy?  Super Mario and Ivan the Terrible?  Fed and Stan?  It'll be fun.

Entry List (Doubles):

Argentina          CANAS, Guillermo, NALBANDIAN, David
                        CALLERI, Agustin, MONACO, Juan
Australia           HANLEY, Paul, KERR, Jordan
                        GUCCIONE, Chris, HEWITT, Lleyton
Austria             KNOWLE, Julian, MELZER, Jurgen
Bahamas           KNOWLES, Mark, MULLINGS, Devon
Belgium      *     DARCIS, Steve, ROCHUS, Olivier
Brazil                MELO, Marcelo, SA, Andre
Canada             NESTOR, Daniel, NIEMEYER, Frederic
Chile                GONZALEZ, Fernando, MASSU, Nicolas
China               YU, Xin-Yuan, ZENG, Shao-Xuan
Croatia             ANCIC, Mario, LJUBICIC, Ivan
Czech Republic  DAMM, Martin, VIZNER, Pavel
                        BERDYCH, Tomas, STEPANEK, Radek
France              CLEMENT, Arnaud, LLODRA, Michael
                        MONFILS, Gael, TSONGA, Jo-Wilfried
Germany           KIEFER, Nicholas, KOHLSCHREIBER, Philipp
Great Britain     MURRAY, Andy, MURRAY, Jamie
India                 BHUPATHI, Mahesh, PAES, Leander
Israel                ERLICH, Jonathan, RAM, Andy
Italy                  BOLELLI, Simone, SEPPI, Andreas
Poland               FYRSTENBERG, Mariusz, MATKOWSKI, Marcin
Russia               ANDREEV, Igor, DAVYDENKO, Nikolay
Serbia               DJOKOVIC, Novak, ZIMONJIC, Nenad
South Africa      COETZEE, Jeff, MOODIE, Wesley
Spain                ALMAGRO, Nicolas, FERRER, David
                        NADAL, Rafael, ROBREDO, Tommy
Sweden             ASPELIN, Simon, JOHANSSON, Thomas
                        BJORKMAN, Jonas, SODERLING, Robin
Switzerland       FEDERER, Roger, WAWRINKA, Stanislas
USA                  BRYAN, Bob, BRYAN, Mike
                        BLAKE, James, QUERREY, Sam