Heard Around - Road Trip Edition III

by Savannah

This was written over the course of the week.

7/30/2007

And now, for another heart rending episode of "As The Ball Bounces"
This episode features one Jelena Dokic. A few years ago she was number four in the world, had the requisite psycho dad in her entourage, and it seemed she would be around for awhile. Today she is arbitrarily ranked at #9999 in the world - no points kiddies - and was last seen trying to shake down TA for money while she worked with her private coach. The Aussies, I mean come on they're descended from the folks the Brits dumped out of their gaols a few hundred years ago - know a con when they see one and told her where to go and what to do when she got there.
Will Jelena stop being fascinated by her rides on the baloney (I use this word in all it's possible connotations) pony and play tennis again? Stay tuned.




Then there is Ms Patty Schnyder. A few years ago she fell victim to some sleaze ball promoting an orange juice diet. She dropped tons of weight and maybe a few brain cells. When she got rid of him (thanks to parental intervention) she then took up with and married one Rainer Hoffman who was one step ahead of the police at the time. Hoffman, knowing a gravy train when he sees one, became her coach without a lick of tennis experience and has seen to it that his wife has played pretty well since she's been with him. Dr Walter Bartoli is criticized for the way he trains his daughter. Wonder what special techniques Rainer uses?

Now ladies how would you feel if here you are, a pro player, and had just lost a match to Sania Mirza who is playing very well of late, and your husband/coach decides to work with her? Of course some of you will take the high road and say that the relationship is professional and that nothing will come of it. Uh-huh. Right. I see that duct tape you're hiding behind your backs. Most of us would cut right to the chase and say "Oh HELL NO!" while wielding either a cast iron skillet, butcher knife, metal skewer or chop sticks. Whatever is handy. There is no public record of what Patty's reaction was - it seems Ms Mirza approached Mr Hoffman. That Sania was able to play after that is beyond me (I wonder what Tanya Harding is charging these days) but I digress. Mr. Hoffman was seen Sunday illegally coaching Ms Mirza who played one of the worst matches I've ever seen. It should be noted that both Pammy and MaryJo commented on the goings on and made it clear that their husbands would not be coaching, working with, or in any way counseling Ms Mirza.

Oh how will this all work out? Will the French women, seeing their own little soap opera taking a back seat to the Dokic saga and the Hoffman-Schnyder-Mirza triangle decide that the mud pit is the way to go? Will Barbie and Maid Marion have a hair pulling contest? Racquet bashing?

The ATP,not to be left out has seen Carlos Moya's new girlfriend classified as a skank by some of his fans while Flavia Pennetta, his fiancee of just a few weeks ago has gone home pulling out of her events for "personal reasons" thus earning the sympathy of everyone who has stayed with someone for four years or more, looked away when people said he/she was a dog and then opens the papers to find your fiance/fiancee in a lip lock with some low life, well, skank?

Will any of these ladies be seen mopping up dog poo with a Chanel dress? Chasing down the parents of their assistants carrying enough coke to earn a felony indictment while wearing pants that weren't theirs? Tune in next week, or tomorrow, for the next installment of "As The Ball Bounces".


8/1/2007

"Ben", new to tennis blogging, is doing reports on the goings on at Legg Mason, his home tournament. Here's an excerpt from a report he made on the Bozoljac/Capdeville match.

Serving at 2-2, Bozoljac begins to complain to the chair umpire about the overhead lights pointing down at the stadium. There are four poles of floodlights which have now switched on, and are now glaring down upon the court. It’s only about 6:30 pm, and the sun is still far above the tree line—there is absolutely no need for the lights. It may be like a baseball game that starts in the late afternoon, where they have the lights on from the start so that the players eyes can adjust to the new lighting gradually and seamlessly.
Bozoljac is broken, and sits down, still barking at the chair...
Bozoljac summons the tournament supervisor, via the chair’s walkie-talkie, to ask him to shut off the lights. I can’t hear most of what is said, but the lights don’t get turned off. Bozoljac is still fuming, getting totally thrown off his game. The only time I can remember seeing anything like this was during the first round of the 2006 Australian Open, during Zvonareva vs. Hingis, when Zvonareva asked that the band playing outside the stadium be told to stop. That seemed like a far easier request to execute than Bozoljac’s. Zvonareva was also crying when she asked, which probably helped her cause.

Legg Mason Tournament Report

Welcome to the blogsphere Ben.

8/2/2007

So the British press in the person of one Des Kelly just got around to reporting that Rafa, during Wimbledon, cursed at a ballkid who was too slow in bringing him his towel. According to some Fedtards this puts Rafa right up there with the antiChrist and makes anyone who is a fan of his right there with him.
I guess for some it burns that fans have not ignored the role his five day lay off vs Rafa's seven straight days of play in the outcome of the Wimby Final so they've adopted Faux News tactics of character assassination. The article is linked below so you can make your own judgement. And while you read remember who it was who audibly cursed at the chair and demanded that Hawkeye be shut down.

Shame On Nadal

This guy also seems to think Venus has issues with shrieking. Guess he's never made it to a Pova match...

8/3/2007

James Blake has spoken. He has declared that the United States will win the Davis Cup tie against Sweden this September. Jonas Bjorkman seems to think otherwise.

James Blake is sure of winning the semi-finals against Sweden in the upcoming Davis Cup in September. He has said, (quote) "We have the world's best doubles pair players and Andy Roddick's serve is a killer." What is your response?

Bjorkman: "Self-confident Americans who come to Sweden and play in the Davis Cup have always been welcomed, because they lose every time. On the paper they are stronger, but that has never been a guarantee of victory. With the support from the audience and well prepared players we still have a great chance at winning. We are not afraid of the United States, even if they are big favourites."

I dunno James. Shouldn't you be more concerned with your play such as it's been this year? I mean I support the United States in Davis Cup and hope we win. But somehow I think Andy Roddick and the Bryan Twins will have more to say about that than you will James. I'm just saying cocky and arrogant might not be the way to go right now you know?

Cocky Americans Lose

More on the Nadal "Puta" statement.

It seems the British press did comment on it right after Wimby finished.

There was an extraordinary moment during Thursday's win over Mikhail Youzhny when he muttered "Puta", or "whore", over his shoulder at a ball boy who waited a microsecond too long to take his towel from him. If he understood, I'm sure the ball boy didn't mind. Being called a whore by Rafael Nadal is a moment to treasure.

Puta

This guy seemed to just present it as some of the stuff that happens during a match. He also reports on Bjorkman's meltdown about a call that went against him. Since no one speaks Swedish one can only assume that Jonas used words most foul to address the chair. But no one has an agenda against Jonas.

By the way I could be wrong but if the ball kid addressed by Rafa was male I think he would have said "Puto". Something about the gender endings in Spanish but why let that get in the way of a good story?

Now Who's Screaming For Help?

Once again Etienne de Villiers has had a live grenade tossed in his lap. It seems that a match between Nikolay Davydenko and Martin Vassallo Arguello was unusual for several reasons. When Davydenko retired in the third set ahead 6-2, 3-6, 2-1 many tennis fans found it odd that the iron man of tennis retired giving Vassallo Arguello the win. Davydenko cited a foot injury as the cause of his retiring and said he wanted to be ready for The Tennis Masters Series event in Montreal. No big deal. When betting firm Betfair voided all match and set bets on the match due to unusual betting patterns during the match it became a big deal.


Martin Vassallo Arguello

I don't gamble on sports. I don't play fantasy games, join suicide pools or anything like that. I like to enjoy the sport, baseball, basketball, tennis, whatever, and don't need my ego involved in whether a team or player wins or loses. This means I don't have a clue what they're talking about when they start saying someone went from 4-7 to 2-5. I do understand what it means when it's put like this though:

Betfair said it received about $7 million in bets on the match -- 10 times the usual amount -- and most of the money was on Arguello to win, even after Davydenko won the first set 6-2.

ESPN Article

The initial report on the BBC was a little clearer on the pattern that caused the concern.

About £3.4m had been bet before the match and during the first set - 10 times the amount typical for a match of this kind, distorting the market.

BBC Article

As I write this (Saturday Morning 8/4/2007) more suspicious betting patterns have been discerned involving Vassalo Arguello in Poland and at the Legg Mason event in Washington DC.

The ATP has issued the following statement through a spokesman:

“We take issues surrounding gambling extremely seriously and have strict rules in place.

“In addition, we have memorandums of understanding with UK and European betting companies that ensures inform-ation(sic) pertaining to any ATP match that may look suspicious, based upon gambling patterns, is shared with us immediately.

“It would be inappropriate for us to comment further on any individual match or on the status of any potential investigation until such time as the process has been completed."

I agree with the ATP stance here. Everyone involved is innocent until proven guilty. This scandal, coming on the heels of the doping drama of the Tour de France, the soccer (football) betting scandals in Italy, the NBA ref who was betting on games he officiated, and the Michael Vick dog fighting situation the last thing tennis needs is to be dragged onto this stage. I am sure this will be investigated thoroughly and that proper action will be taken. Davydenko is playing in Montreal next week and has a bye in the first round. There is no truth to the rumor that the action on "bye" was so heavy betting had to be suspended.



8/4/2007

I am a self confessed Rafatard. I am also a V-nut. The women have been playing in San Diego this week and I have to say that the draw there worked out nicely. The quarters featured some great matchups including Venus Williams vs Anna Chakvetadze. I am a newly minted admirer of Ms Chakvetadze but when she's playing Venus I give you one guess who I want to win. So you can imagine my frustration when Venus went on a mental walkabout serving for the match at 5-4 in the second and ended up losing in three sets. We V-nuts know our fave can do this, it happens a lot during her matches but she usually recovers. But the deceptive Anna did not let Vee back into the match. I call Anna deceptive because it doesn't look like she's doing much of anything when she plays and the next thing you know she's won. Needless to say I was too through last night/early this morning.
Anna plays Maria Sharapova today. The last time Anna played Maria she wilted like a fangirl in heat bowing out meekly to Maria. I hope she does better today.

Marion Bartoli took a lot of heat this week for saying out loud that since making the Wimbledon final she's become a target. She'll learn to self censor herself I'm sure. But I don't see what was so wrong with what she said. The women are now out to beat her as best they can and she's noticed it.

I wish Venus would take a page from Maid Marion's book. Yes Venus has been playing well of late. She is positively glowing and her life seems to be in a good place right now. But she should have been ready for the long haul last night. Anna has been playing very well too. I couldn't see the match (something about Barry Bonds and home run history caused ESPN to give the television rights to The Tennis Channel which meant I couldn't see it) but from all reports Venus began to rush her play in the second set and that that was her undoing.

You're a target Venus. You've always been a target and will continue to be. Just because Marion is not the superstar you are doesn't make her statement less true. No more snatching defeat from the jaws of victory okay? Thank you.

Loose Ends

The Rogers Cup Main Draw finally came out last night. For obvious reasons I don't comment on ATP draws. I did chuckle at the thread on Mens Tennis Forums that got the image of Mirka Vavrinec and Toni Nadal fighting over the draw in my head. Thanks guys.

Does anyone know why WTA event sites universally suck?

With all the news and goings on this week who has time to comment over John Isner (I have no idea so don't ask),Ivo Karlovic and Gael Monfils making the Legg Mason semi finals the tallest ever? Andy Roddick is the shrimp in this group at a mere 6'2". Monfils is 6'4", Isner is 6'9" and Karlovic is 6'10". If you are wondering both Roger and Rafa are 6'1". I have no idea what this translates to in metrics. I should but I've never been able to get my head around it.

Legg Mason has also been an ace fest. The count for August 3 is as follows:

Isner - 30
Karlovic - 29
Haas - 20
Monfils - 14
Capdeville - 7

And people wonder why I like clay court play.

Heard Around Wimbledon - And Some Idle Chit Chat

Not even one full week had passed and there was enough juicy stuff to start a column. Keeping up with tennis trends I too have started a notebook. Notes to myself appear in this post.

The LTA has given Peter Lundgren a leave of absence for "personal reasons" after he allegedly slurred his words while addressing his fellow coaches at a LTA meeting last week. The leave is supposed to last until the Davis Cup Tie in September.In other LTA news apparently the British players were miffed because thanks to the suspension they had no coach available to them today(June 26).
Isn't that expression about throwing good money after bad a British expression?


Once again the a US sports writer has declared that if there are no American superstars the sport of tennis is dead. Filip Bondy's article in the Sunday June 24 New York Daily News, while focusing on tennis, damns it with faint praise. He goes on and on about the state of American tennis and asks where are the McEnroe's and Connors of this generation. He then says outreach in the inner cities has not born fruit. I have to object to that comment. As a USTA member I get their magazine. I see plenty of people of color in the ranks of the USTA. I also know a woman of color who is on the Board of the USTA in her region.It may come as a surprise to people like Bondy that many of the people living in America's cities go to work everyday, put their kids in the best private schools (religious or secular) that their budgets allow, and actually play tennis. In Harlem there are tennis courts at the Harlem River Houses that have been there for years. Last year Serena visited them. Here's a newsflash. The local people play on them.

It may also surprise him that the sport of tennis is not dead everywhere and it's not dead in the United States unless all those people who come to New York for the US Open and make it the most profitable sports event in the city are actually beamed down from Mars or Planet Mongo. Are those aliens that flock to Mason, Ohio every year? And just who are those people in Miami every spring?
A column talking about why American tennis is in trouble would've been much more interesting but not as heart warming to the powers that be.




Marat Safin, when asked if he has confidence going into a possible third round match against Roger Federer said no. His confidence left him some time in March he said. Not quite what I wanted to hear from Marat going into this match.
I like how the Wimbledon officials decided to put Marat's rain delayed match on court 13 and how the fans were hanging from the rafters. The ESPN announcers railed about the tags on his shirt being out and how that showed lack of respect for the event. Guess he should've worn off white trousers and a matching jacket. Oh yes, and carried the now essential manpurse.

Speaking of purses there are thieves in the mens locker rooms.

Jonas Bjorkman, who usually doesn't get steamed about anything except cold Swedish meatballs, is furious about an increasing amount of wallet theft in ATP locker rooms, including a handful of incidents at the Sony Ericsson Open on Key Biscayne earlier this year.

"It's happened at Indian Wells, Key Biscayne, the Australian Open, the French Open, Queens. It's become a very serious problem and we're going to be bringing it up at the players meeting at Wimbledon," said Bjorkman.

Entire Article

There is also a report about this in L'Equipe which states that the following players have also been victimized:
Paul-Henri Mathieu, Richard Gasquet (wallets in Miami), Allegro (wallet in RG), J. Murray (cell phone and wallet in Queen's), Grosjean (money, Queen's), Butorac (prize money in Surbiton), Mahut (iPod during the Wimbledon qualies), Carlsen (Rolex during the Wimbledon qualies).
Serious stuff. The L'Equipe article is not available on line but is quoted from on Mens Tennis Forums



Maria Sharapova has stated that after Wimbledon is over she is taking three weeks off so that her shoulder can continue healing. If her shoulder is injured why is she playing? Remember Venus playing in 2003 with a serious injury Maria? Here's the link.
BBC

Apparently the same scheduling genius who put Marat on Court 13 on June 26 scheduled Ana Ivanovic for Court 18 today. Not only are they hanging from the rafters but the press has taken up residence on the court. Distracting much?
The scheduling should not be an issue during a Slam but when you see something like this you have to wonder what they're drinking during High Tea.
Justine - Centre Court
Serena - Court 1
Jelena - Court 2
Daniela - Court 2
Marion - Court 4
Golovin/Mauresmo - Court 5
Nicole - Court 11
Dinara - Court 13
Martina - Court 13
Michaella - Court 13
Golovin - Court 14
Pe'er - Court 14
AnaI - Court 18

Someone please explain that to me. And while you're at it please explain Ms Sharapova's gills. Thanks


Note to self:
Sooo when I go to Wimbledon sometime in the near future for the first week make sure to get ground passes unless a fave is playing on Centre Court. Pack a lunch and camp out on Court 18, the poor fans Centre Court. The list of high quality players on that court this week is stunning. Some of them are mentioned above. And the matches have been pretty good as well. Oh, and pick up a small dog for Roger's bag. Hope Mirka likes small dogs.

David Nalbandian hasn't played a five setter yet. Just when fans had gotten used to his matches really taking off after he'd managed to lose the first two sets he pulls this. Wonder if that means he's changed his diet?
Speaking of diet Marion Bartoli beat Shahar Pe'er in what to me is an upset. I wonder if it's occurred to Marion and her team that she's there on semi final day of she drops about twenty pounds. We're not saying she has to become a stick insect but if she's lighter the better her movement and all that goes with better movement.

Martina Hingis lost her match on Court 2. Unless Martina has morphed into another human being I doubt her post match attitude is one the public would want to see. Some are speculating she may re retire. I was one of those who said from the beginning she shouldn't come back because the game had changed so much from when she was dominating. The women are bigger, smarter, and just as mean if not more so. Her delicate shots and finesse are quaint reminders of what the women's game was during the transition from the Evert/Navratilova era and the modern era which was ushered in by Monica Seles. Martina never could handle raw power. At least she's got someone to share her misery with now.

Thefts Continue

Whodunnit? Sneak thief strikes in the Wimbledon locker room

Last updated at 22:41pm on 29th June 2007

The thief who has plagued the men's tennis tour all year has finally struck in the men's locker room at Wimbledon.

Players and coaches are watching each other with heightened suspicion after two incidents in the last two days, one of them involving the coach of the man who knocked out Tim Henman.

Former French Open champion Albert Costa, who works with Henman's conqueror Feliciano Lopez, had a bag stolen containing 1,700 euros and $1,000 in cash — a total of around £1,650. That followed the disappearance of a wallet belonging to French player Michael Llodra, who was away from his locker for only 30 seconds when the theft took place.

The issue is kicking up a storm in the locker room, especially as the players and coaches feel one of their own must be responsible.

There has been a spate of incidents this year, despite strict checks on admission to locker rooms around the tour.

The players want the All England Club to step up security in time for next year, while a meeting of the Association of Tennis Professionals players' council is likely to be held before the next Grand Slam, the U.S. Open, to discuss the matter.

In the meantime, a Wimbledon spokesman said: "We are aware of the incident and we have told our staff in the locker room to be extra vigilant, but it is difficult with so many people in the area. It is up to the player concerned to inform the police."

By some estimates the number of thefts in the men's locker room this year is around 20. The incidents go as far back as January at the Australian Open but these are the first at Wimbledon.

Daily Mail



Has Juan Carlos Ferrero had enough? He didn't just beat Blake yesterday he BEAT him. Is he poised to make a serious run in London? And is Blake about to be replaced on the Davis Cup team? PMac's commentary was brutally frank yesterday (June 29). I want to see how he calls an Andy Roddick match before I think he's decided to be a real commentator and not a cheerleader.

Will Jo-Wilfried Tsonga be the biggest surprise of this tournament?

I lost some respect for Darren Cahill after the Venus Williams shoe comments in Paris but his pre match comments about Marat proved prophetic. I was hoping Marat would show up but when I read what he said about his confidence I thought he was already looking for the exits. Cahill just confirmed my suspicions.
Cahill has also been the one beacon of hope for fans wanting to hear an expert discuss what is going on during a match. I hope he never drinks the ESPN water and starts thinking all we fans want to hear are the IMG talking points.

About Brad Gilbert. Rafael Nadal is back to being Rafael Nadal and not Ralph Nadle. It's now Dickie Gasket.

Nice to see Laura Granville being interviewed on ESPN by Cahill and Fowler.

Note to womens tour:


Venus and Serena are playing doubles and they're unseeded. Pass it on.


The Shallow End of the Pool

Roger looks like this walking on court.



Anna Wintour does this


By the way there is no truth to the rumor posted by one fan that she purses her lips to make sure all the nasties stay inside. That movie was fictitious no?

Janko Tipsarevic has writing on his arms. Was he in "The 300" too?


And maybe it's because I'm old. Do these piercings mean anything anymore or are they simply a fashion statement?

He also uses a racquet with red strings. You have been served.

I want to take a minute and give props to Danai Udomchoke of Thailand. He could've come into his match against Andy Roddick with slumped shoulders and the attitude that Milagros Sequera seemed to bring to her match against Serena but he didn't. He is a good player and it showed. He went out in straights but he didn't roll over and play dead. His play deserved more commentary than his name which is foreign to American ears but I take it not in Thailand. Good for you Danai.






























Am I the only one who hates the David Ortiz "Big Papi" ESPN commercial?

Marcos Baghdatis for those who haven't seen his new look.


Note to self: When watching ESPN don't forget to hit the mute button when either Sharapova/Roddick/Federer is playing.

UPDATE:

I didn't want to go public with this but MV and HFPY have had a falling out. As m8 over on TAT noted this could be the only reason The Captain showed up inappropriately attired. As any fashionista knows the large man purse does require the proper environment in which to be shown off to full effect.
As all tennis fans know MV has been occupied of late firing coaches, uh, making sure The Captain has the proper environment in which to ponder his greatness and hone his formidable skills. I think she sent Tommy Haas a bouquet of flowers in thanks for his unswerving dedication to the Captains cause. It is not true that she and the Captain did the Popcorn upon hearing of Tommy's injury which did plague him through his match against Tursunov.
As someone who is neutral in the MV vs HFPY wars I present this picture to MV and hope that she makes sure her captain doesn't make a fashion faux pas like this again. I think a little "F" on the sailor hat would be divine don't you?
And MV, I'm sure Mr. Gaulthier will be happy to assist.