Sunday, August 22, 2010

Idle Chit Chat

by Savannah

For you aspiring television stars and tennis fans here's a clip you'll surely enjoy.


What Not To Wear
Men have worn some real doozies over the years. I'm sure many of us remember Dominic Hrbaty's backless gem, but Novak Djokovic has entered the realm of what the fuck was he thinking with his yellow and black kit he's worn during Toronto and Cincinnati.
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The sheer awfulness of this outfit is only hinted at above. When you see the back view just make sure your jaw isn't fractured by hitting the top of a table or something.
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Djokovic, seen above with Jeremy Chardy of France, totally distracted me with this kit. Of course I have been said to have the attention span of a gnat but I have watched very long tennis matches and paid attention thank you very much. I'm guessing the wings have symbolic meaning in Serbia but I don't know. Maybe it's the yellow and black paired with the white and black cap? In my book it's awful and would be awful in any color and deserving of being trash canned by Stacy London and Clinton Kelly.

Pilot Pen In Trouble

YAHOO is reporting that the tournament taking place in New Haven, Connecticut this week may be on its last legs. Citing the poor economy the Pilot Pen company is not renewing its sponsorship. Tournament Director Ann Worcester will be conducting tours for several companies during the tournament.
...The tournament must let the owners, the United States Tennis Association, know whether it will continue leasing both sanctions or “hand back the keys by the end of September,” Worcester said.
(,,,)
Worcester said her ideal candidate would be an international company based in Connecticut. She said that she is confident someone will step up in the next month, but that she’s also working on a couple of backup plans.

If New Haven can’t get a full commitment, it might settle for a sponsorship that will allow it to keep just a men’s or a woman’s tournament, she said.

It’s also possible that Yale and local corporations could put together a “bridge” sponsorship that would give the tournament another year or two to find a single title sponsor.


Making It Official
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The USTA officially announced that Juan Martin del Potro would not be able to defend his title at the US Open which starts on August 30. Del Potro is reported to have just started hitting and is in no shape to compete in a Grand Slam event. This news was totally expected and makes me wonder what the heck was going on when reports of his making the trip to New York were rampant earlier this summer.

Sunshine Supergirl
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I apologize to Donovan for paraphrasing the title of his hit song from a few years back. Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark will be the women's top seed at this years US Open now that world number one Serena Williams has withdrawn. Is she just a pusher, someone who has no strategy other than to keep the ball in play? There will be extra focus on her style of play today since she has the potential to play two matches in Montreal due to rain that kept the semi finals from being played yesterday. It's going to be interesting to see how Svetlana Kuznetsova plays today as well. She is a US Open champion and now one of the women being mentioned as capable of winning the event this year. Of course good Sveta is capable of winning any tournament. It's bad Sveta that I'm concerned about.
The winner of their match will face either Victoria Azarenka or Vera Zvonareva in the final that will be played later today.

Miscellany
Why was so much cyberspace ink wasted on what was obviously a fake video of Roger Federer hitting a can off the head of a production assistant? The man flinched after the can was heard rattling to the floor not before as most human beings would do with a tennis ball flying at them. Just proves all the fanboys and girls are not sitting at home obsessing over their favorite doesn't it?

When Brad Gilbert says on national television that he never, ever, expected to see a player wearing a certain color again you have to wonder what the hell was going on in said players camp. I know the player has been raised not to be superstitious but someone has to insert reason when it comes to certain things. I'm just saying.

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The Russian women are back in the conversation. There was a lot of talk about the lack of Russian women in the top ten but it seems that a new generation is trying to step into the spotlight. The problem they're facing is fitness. Dinara Safina changed coaches and said her back problems were over but she is still having trouble returning to form. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova has played very well of late but she needs to lose a few pounds. The same can be said for Alisa Kleybanova. I still can't watch her matches for fear of her repeating that hair thing but she has the potential to do very well on the tour if she works on her fitness. That's a nice euphemism isn't it?
With Elena Dementieva struggling with her game, Maria Sharapova still struggling mentally, Anna Chakvetadze having never recovered her previous form and Svetlana Kuznetsova still searching for consistency the Russians are going to be the big mystery for the rest of the year. Why didn't I mention Bepa in the above litany? She deserves her own separate mention no?
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When people are watching your tennis more for seeing how spectacular your melt down will be this time and not because of how you're playing you've got image problems. Ranked number eleven now Vera is the highest ranked Russian woman.

End Note
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I guess all that snarking about whether Serena Williams injury was real or not can be put to rest. There is no way in hell Serena would miss playing the US Open unless she is too injured to play. No one wears that "boot" unless they have to. Yes Serena has been out and about but that is the reason the boot is designed the way it is.
There were hints of course. If you follow her hitting partner Sasha (Big Sascha) on Twitter you know he has not been talking about practices or anything tennis related. It's been all about Serena and her team keeping busy. Serena has also been photographed a lot while she was out and always with the boot on.
Injuries and illnesses of other players, male and female, are reported with the seriousness they deserve but mention that Serena, or her sister Venus Williams, are injured and the haters come out of the wood work. It seems to me that the idea that African Americans don't feel pain or get injured the way others do is still alive and well in these United States.

















7 comments:

Overhead Spin said...

Oh Savannah, thank you so much, especially the last part about Serena and the African American theme. I also get the feeling that people feel that they should consider themselves lucky that they are even playing this sport. It comes across in not what is said but what is not being said. As we say where I am from, backra massa days done.

Onwards... the Falcon is the symbol that is at the back of Novak's clothes and are a Serbian symbol inasmuch as the Bald Eagle is a symbol in America and revered.

Russian Revolution...that door closed a long time ago. It was overhyped as far as I am concerned. A bunch of head cases with one or 2 striking gold.

The video of the ball on the head may have been fake, but guess what, it put tennis and Gillette in the spotlight. If it was to get people talking about both, it accomplished it.

The Fed/Rafa gigglefest should be required viewing for all those idiots out there who continue to engage in FeDal wars. These guys have maximum respect for each other. No doubt about it. You get the feeling though that Rafa is the more mature of the two :)

Finally, Wozniacki's game is going to be picked apart like when we are cooking salt cod in the Caribbean. You have to pick it apart to take out all those small bones. When you are done you are only left with a small amount. That is what is going to happen to her when the commentators finish with her, especially when she plays the night matches. It will be interesting to see if equal opportunity will prevail this year at the Open. You know, put the women's matches on after the men's. Only person who will make people sit in their seats after a men's match is not playing this year. Just saying...

Savannah said...

But did the shirt have to be yellow? Thanks for the intel re the falcon wings.

The video I posted is the only one still available. All of the others were removed. I keep checking to see if someone pulled the link. If it disappears it's because that happened.

The Rogers Cup final is taking place today at 1:30p Eastern and I'm going to listen/watch to hear how they comment on it. I've held up the winners post so that I can report on what is said for those unable to watch it. Will they pick apart her game or will they act as if she's the best thing since sliced bread?

I was married to a Haitian for over 20 years and have cleaned my share of salt cod. Great analogy.

Helen W said...

Unfortunately the video is now gone :( -- why are they so intent on removing it?

Personally I have no problem with Novak's outfit, yellow, falcon and all. Wasn't that keen on Roger's pale pink shirt, not the color but the fussiness of it.

I have zero problem Serena is not playing the USO because of her foot injury. If she had other reasons, I believe she would speak them forthrightly, like she does about playing in Indian Wells.

Overhead Spin said...

Watching the match and listening to the CBC (Canada tv) commentary with Tracy Austin and nope, not a word about Caro's very limited game. She is playing good now, but Vera is just a monumental head case. Like I said the Russians are just a bunch of overhyped players.

The most fundamental part of the game they cannot seem to be able to do it, which is to serve. I just really hate watching them.

Savannah said...

I knew the video would eventually disappear. :(

I'm watching on Tennis Channel and there is no analysis whatsoever. The commentator was just talking about one of the players not wanting to go to New York on a downer.

He did just say Wozniacki has the chance of becoming number one if she wins today, the Pilot Pen and the US Open. The days of JJ's reign will be remembered fondly if that happens.

Interesting comment about the Russian women and their inability to serve. Wozniacki isn't doing anything but her usual - keeping the ball in play. This is the potential number one of women's tennis. Rolling eyes.

Overhead Spin said...

LMAO Savannah, it is only going to get worse when the Sisters finally hang up their racquets. Head cases, also rans, never was etc. No wonder they are wringing their hands hoping that Sharapova will get her act together and start to dominate, but even her days are over. That shoulder can no longer stand up to the brutality of the sport.

HelenW, I think the pink shirt was an homage to his daughters. Funny that fans of both Fed and Nadal are wringing their hands wondering what is Nike thinking putting these guys in pink shirts. LOL I like it actually.

vw said...

I was at Cincy and Rafa's bright pink shirt was fantastic. I'm not a fan of yellow and don't own one article of yellow clothing. Djok looks best in black or red, IMO.