There Can Only Be Two...

by Savannah

We're down to the Final Four - the four women who will compete to make the Roland Garros Women's Final.


All eyes will be on defending women's champion Maria Sharapova. I don't think she had the most difficult draw on her way to the semi finals but Jelena Jankovic took the first set 6-0, a score that had to shock Sharapova and her fans. One commentator said he couldn't remember the last time Sharapova had been bageled. That's funny I can and I don't get paid to know things like that.
I'm sure she's going to come out swinging and screaming. It's funny how sometimes you can barely hear her and at other times it's like the hounds of hell are on her tail.



Sharapova will play Victoria Azarenka, a woman who's blood curdling war cry bothers me more that Sharapova's. Azarenka played Maria Kirilenko to make the semi finals. Kirilenko had a nice run in Paris but at this stage in a tournament the cream is rising to the top and while Kirilenko will step into the top ten she's not at the top, in the top four or five however you want to look at the top women players. Who will win? Don't ask me. I'm always wrong about things like that.



What can you say about Serena Williams that hasn't already been said? Sure we could remind that guy in Germany that she was the last one to serve a bagel to Sharapova but I'm sure someone has already told him that. Serena caught a lot of grief for saying the only person who can beat her is herself but more and more comms from varying nations are echoing those words.

That she is vulnerable was proven by her match against a resurgent Svetlana Kuznetsova who seemed to go back to the future and play the kind of tennis that led to her winning two Grand Slams. Serena literally stopped moving her feet, hell stopped moving period, and lost the second set in spectacular style. It looked as if Sveta was going to take her out but Serena, as only she can, twisted up her hair and got to work winning the third set and the match going away.



Serena will not be able to have such a lapse against Sara Errani. I watched Sara beat Aga Radwanska at her own game with a tenacity and focus worthy of her top five ranking. Most people think this match is a gimme. I won't go that far. Serena will have to win it.

Roland Garros Miscellany

There have been two huge complaints about this years Roland Garros, neither of which fans can affect.

One was the broadcast schedule. I'm in the United States and coverage was spread between Tennis Channel, ESPN2/ESPN3 and NBC. If you live in the States and were happy with the coverage I'd have my medication levels rebalanced. To say it has been horrid is putting it mildly.

I don't have Tennis Channel but I did download the APP and attempt to watch the streaming it provided on its website. For some reason Tennis Channel online or mobile and I don't get along. The service worked well for many people BUT when it was time to go it was time to go.

The same with ESPN's coverage. They have their format and they stick to it but I have to say I heard much more analysis this year. I think that comes from hashtags that expressed frustration about the gossipy chit chat that used to pass for analysis. I didn't see any of those hashtags on Twitter this go around. Good work guys.

Unfortunately NBC's coverage doesn't seem to be aware it's analysts have a problem. It's painfully obvious that John McEnroe watches very little tennis and has no use for the modern game. He, along with Mats Wilander, want to go back to their halcyon days and pretend the bigger more physically fit players haven't changed the game permanently. Mary Carillo is a parody of herself. And yet NBC is the network that will carry the Finals. I plan to do what I've been doing for the last week and a half. And that is watch live streams from British Eurosport. I can avoid Wilander easily. And NBC can't stop them from providing their coverage to whoever can get access to it.

The other issue was the court assignments. During the rainy first week it seemed that WTA matches, always scheduled to occur fourth/last, were the ones being cancelled and rescheduled. Television courts? They were the provenance of the ATP unless your name was Williams, Sharapova or Azarenka. Oh yeah, and that other top player Ana Ivanovic. Or you were French. While fan pressure seems to have set EXPN2 on a better course when it comes to commentary the FFT has signed a long term contract with NBC which means we'll be subjected to the inanity and outright stupidity of NBC commentators no matter how we fans feel.

I should mention in passing the the Roland Garros APP for non French fans was awful. It seems that if you were in France you got a better product.

A Return to Form, A Surprise, And Davis Cup

by Savannah


Maria Kirilenko is one of those players who, when she is on, you ask yourself how she hasn't won more titles. It's part of what makes tennis such a fascinating sport to watch in my opinion. You need grit and guts in order to get the glory. It's never good when a tennis player becomes known for being a "babe" and not for her game.

Kirilenko always fights though. She doesn't scream and yell, yowl or go through the histrionics some players use to get on fans radar. It's good to see her back in the winners circle.


A couple of years ago Mona Barthel of Germany was being talked about as the woman who would help resurrect women's tennis in Germany. Maybe it was too much too soon for her and she seemed lost on court.

Leave it to the WTA to hold a Premier event after a Slam. Did anyone seriously expect Venus Williams to play? Francesca Schiavone was given a wild card into Qualifying and crashed out in the first round. As for Petra Kvitova I think it's time for concern. She also needed a wild card and was seeded second in the Main Draw. She lost to Stefanie Voegele in her first match. She's holding onto the Top Ten at #8 but is she circling the bowl? It's hard being the hunted instead of the hunter as the French Wise Woman Marion Bartoli said.


Back in Thailand the ageless one Kimiko Date-Krumm teamed up with Casey Dellacqua to take the doubles title.

In Paris the team of Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci romped to a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Andrea Hlavackova and Liezel Huber.

Davis Cup

Despite the US Davis Cup team's installation of the tennis equivalent of an ice skating rink it took dogged play by Sam Querrey to defeat Tiago Alves of Brazil in the fifth rubber of their tie played in Jacksonville, Florida.

Usually there is some drama over where the next tie will be played but the decision had already been made. The US Team will face Serbia in Boise, Idaho.
There was already some grumbling about the sparse crowds in Jacksonville. I hope the ITF knows that the spring thaw comes late to the Rocky Mountains. I'm just saying. Oh, and that the Serbian team will not be bothered by a super fast court.

With no real drama coming out of Jacksonville there was a lot of interest in the tie between Canada and defending champions Spain. None of Spain's top players would be there and yet there was still a chance that the Spanish team would find a way to win. The Canadians were determined to prove that against the C team from Spain they could pull off what would still be an upset. When the smoke cleared they had.



Canada will face Italy in the next round.

Davis Cup Results

WORLD GROUP FIRST ROUND

CANADA defeated SPAIN 3-2

Venue: Thunderbird Sports Centre, Vancouver, CAN (hard – indoor)

Milos Raonic (CAN) d. Albert Ramos (ESP) 67(5) 64 64 64

Frank Dancevic (CAN) d. Marcel Granollers (ESP) 61 62 62

Marcel Granollers/Marc Lopez (ESP) d. Daniel Nestor/Vasek Pospisil (CAN) 46 64 67(4) 63 62

Milos Raonic (CAN) d. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP) 63 64 62

Albert Ramos (ESP) d. Frank Dancevic (CAN) 75 64

ITALY defeated CROATIA 3-2

Venue: Palavela, Turin, ITA (clay – indoor)

Marin Cilic (CRO) d. Paolo Lorenzi (ITA) 61 67(6) 46 63 62

Andreas Seppi (ITA) d. Ivan Dodig (CRO) 62 67(2) 64 64

Simone Bolelli/Fabio Fognini (ITA) d. Marin Cilic/Ivan Dodig (CRO) 36 61 63 76(11)

Marin Cilic (CRO) d. Andreas Seppi (ITA) 63 63 75

Fabio Fognini (ITA) d. Ivan Dodig (CRO) 46 64 64 64

SERBIA defeated BELGIUM 3-2

Venue: Spiroudome de Charleroi, Charleroi, BEL (clay – indoor)

Viktor Troicki (SRB) d. David Goffin (BEL) 16 36 76(5) 64 64

Novak Djokovic (SRB) d. Olivier Rochus (BEL) 63 62 62

Viktor Troicki/Nenad Zimonjic (SRB) d. Ruben Bemelmans/Steve Darcis (BEL) 64 64 57 64

David Goffin (BEL) d. Boris Pashanski (SRB) 64 26 62

Steve Darcis (BEL) d. Nenad Zimonjic (SRB) 62 64

USA defeated BRAZIL 3-2

Venue: Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville, FL, USA (hard – indoor)

Sam Querrey (USA) d. Thomaz Bellucci (BRA) 63 64 64

John Isner (USA) d. Thiago Alves (BRA) 63 76(4) 63

Marcelo Melo/Bruno Soares (BRA) d. Mike Bryan/Bob Bryan (USA) 76(6) 67(7) 64 36 63

Thomaz Bellucci (BRA) d. John Isner (USA) 26 64 67(7) 64 63

Sam Querrey (USA) d. Thiago Alves (BRA) 46 63 64 76(3)

FRANCE defeated ISRAEL 5-0

Venue: Kindarena, Rouen, FRA (hard – indoor)

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) d. Amir Weintraub (ISR) 63 63 46 75

Richard Gasquet (FRA) d. Dudi Sela (ISR) 63 62 62

Julien Benneteau/Michael Llodra (FRA) d. Jonathan Erlich/Dudi Sela (ISR) 76(3) 61 60

Michael Llodra (FRA) d. Noam Okun (ISR) 63 76(5)

Richard Gasquet (FRA) d. Amir Weintraub (ISR) 64 63

ARGENTINA defeated GERMANY 5-0

Venue: Parque Roca, Buenos Aires, ARG (clay – outdoor)

Carlos Berlocq (ARG) d. Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) 36 75 62 46 4-5 ret. (left hamstring)

Juan Monaco (ARG) d. Florian Mayer (GER) 67(4) 63 63 64

David Nalbandian/Horacio Zeballos (ARG) d. Tobias Kamke/Christopher Kas (GER) 61 64 57 62

Juan Monaco (ARG) d. Tobias Kamke (GER) 64 76(2)

Carlos Berlocq (ARG) d. Christopher Kas (GER) 62 64

KAZAKHSTAN defeated AUSTRIA 3-1

Venue: National Tennis Centre, Astana, KAZ (clay – indoor)

Andrey Golubev (KAZ) d. Andreas Haider-Maurer (AUT) 76(2) 63 76(5)

Evgeny Korolev (KAZ) d. Jurgen Melzer (AUT) 76(4) 63 62

Julian Knowle/Alexander Peya (AUT) d. Andrey Golubev/Yuriy Schukin (KAZ) 76(5) 63 76(3)

Andrey Golubev (KAZ) d. Jurgen Melzer (AUT) 46 63 64 62

Evgeny Korolev (KAZ) v Andreas Haider-Maurer (AUT) not played

CZECH REPUBLIC defeated SWITZERLAND 3-2

Venue: Palexpo, Geneva, SUI (hard – indoor)

Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) d. Lukas Rosol (CZE) 64 63 64

Tomas Berdych (CZE) d. Henri Laaksonen (SUI) 63 62 67(5) 61

Tomas Berdych/ Lukas Rosol (CZE) d. Marco Chiudinelli/Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) 64 57 64 67(3) 2422

Tomas Berdych (CZE) d. Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) 63 64 36 76(5)

Henri Laaksonen (SUI) d. Jiri Vesely (CZE) 06 63 61

AMERICAS ZONE GROUP I FIRST ROUND

URUGUAY defeated DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 3-1

Venue: Carrasco Lawn Tennis Club, Montevideo, URU (clay – outdoor)

Marcel Felder (URU) d. Roberto Cid (DOM) 63 63 62

Jose Hernandez (DOM) d. Martin Cuevas (URU) 64 61 63

Ariel Behar/Marcel Felder (URU) d. Henry Estrella/Jose Hernandez (DOM) 62 64 63

Marcel Felder (URU) d. Jose Hernandez (DOM) 63 36 63 57 62

Martin Cuevas (URU) v Roberto Cid (DOM)

AMERICAS ZONE GROUP II FIRST ROUND

MEXICO defeated PUERTO RICO 4-1

Venue: Palmas Athletic Club, Humacao, PUR (hard – outdoor)

Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela (MEX) d. Alex Llompart (PUR) 76(7) 63 76(4)

Daniel Garza (MEX) d. Christian Garay (PUR) 62 60 63

Daniel Garza/Santiago Gonzalez (MEX) d. Gilberto Alvarez/Alex Llompart (PUR) 64 67(4) 61 36 86

Daniel Garza (MEX) d. Alex Llompart (PUR) 75 63

Christian Garay (PUR) d. Lucas Gomez (MEX) 63 64

EL SALVADOR defeated BARBADOS 4-1

Venue: Maya Country Club, Santa Tecla, ESA (clay – outdoor)

Rafael Arevalo (ESA) d. Darian King (BAR) 63 67(1) 62 64

Marcelo Arevalo (ESA) d. Anthony Marshall (BAR) 61 61 61

Marcelo Arevalo/Rafael Arevalo (ESA) d. Darian King/Russell Moseley (BAR) 26 63 64 62

Darian King (BAR) d. Alejandro Gonzalez (ESA) 61 62

Rafael Arevalo (ESA) d. Seanon Williams (BAR) 62 62

VENEZUELA defeated GUATEMALA 3-1

Venue: Centro Nacional de Tenis, Caracas, VEN (hard – outdoor)

David Souto (VEN) d. Sebastien Vidal (GUA) 62 61 76(5)

Ricardo Rodriguez (VEN) d. Christopher Diaz-Figueroa (GUA) 63 75 36 61

Luis David Martinez/David Souto (VEN) d. Christopher Diaz-Figueroa/Sebastien Vidal (GUA) 75 75 64

Christopher Diaz-Figueroa (GUA) d. Piero Luisi (VEN) 63 76(6)

Ricardo Rodriguez (VEN) v Andres Bucaro (GUA)

PERU defeated HAITI 5-0

Venue: Club Lawn Tennis de la Exposicion, Lima, PER (clay – outdoor)

Duilio Beretta (PER) d. Hillel Rousseau (HAI) 62 62 60

Mauricio Echazu (PER) d. Olivier Sajous (HAI) 64 63 75

Duilio Beretta/Sergio Galdos (PER) d. Joel Allen/Olivier Sajous (HAI) 76(5) 64 64

Sergio Galdos (PER) d. Olivier Sajous (HAI) 62 36 63

Brian Panta (PER) d. Hillel Rousseau (HAI) 61 60

ASIA/OCEANIA ZONE GROUP I FIRST ROUND

AUSTRALIA defeated CHINESE TAIPEI 5-0

Venue: Kaohsiung Yangming Tennis Courts, Kaohsiung City, TPE (hard – outdoor)

Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) d. Yang Tsung-Hua (TPE) 64 64 64

Matthew Ebden (AUS) d. Chen Ti (TPE) 63 64 75

Chris Guccione/Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) d. Lee Hsin-Han/Peng Hsien-Yin (TPE) 76(6) 64 62

Marinko Matosevic (AUS) d. Chen Ti (TPE) 76(5) 63

Matthew Ebden (AUS) d. Yang Tsung-Hua (TPE) 61 62

UZBEKISTAN defeated CHINA, P.R. 4-1

Venue: Sport Complex Pahlavon, Namangan, UZB (clay – indoor)

Denis Istomin (UZB) d. Wu Di (CHN) 46 46 76(4) 75 62

Farrukh Dustov (UZB) d. Zhang Ze (CHN) 46 76(8) 64 36 64

Farrukh Dustov/Denis Istomin (UZB) d. Gong Mao-Xin/Zhang Ze (CHN) 63 76(4) 63

Sarvar Ikramov (UZB) d. Zhang Ze (CHN) 63 75

Wu Di (CHN) d. Temur Ismailov (UZB) 60 62

KOREA, REPUBLIC defeated INDIA 4-1

Venue: R.K. Khanna Tennis Stadium, New Delhi, IND (hard – outdoor)

Cho Min Hyeok (KOR) d. Ranjeet Virali-Murugesan (IND) 61 60 61

Jeong Suk-Young (KOR) d. Vijayant Malik (IND) 64 75 30 ret. (cramping)

Leander Paes/Purav Raja (IND) d. Lim Yong-Kyu/Nam Ji Sung (KOR) 64 76(5) 62

Jeong Suk-Young (KOR) d. Ranjeet Virali-Murugesan (IND) 64 64 62

Nam Ji Sung (KOR) d. Vijayant Malik (IND) 62 64

JAPAN defeated INDONESIA 5-0

Venue: Ariake Coliseum, Tokyo, JPN (hard – indoor)

Tatsuma Ito (JPN) d. Christopher Rungkat (INA) 62 62 64

Go Soeda (JPN) d. Wisnu Adi Nugroho (INA) 60 60 61

Tatsuma Ito/Yasutaka Uchiyama (JPN) d. Christopher Rungkat/Elbert Sie (INA) 64 57 26 75 62

Yuichi Sugita (JPN) d. Christopher Rungkat (INA) 61 63

Yasutaka Uchiyama (JPN) d. Wisnu Adi Nugroho (INA) 61 63

ASIA/OCEANIA ZONE GROUP II FIRST ROUND

NEW ZEALAND defeated LEBANON 5-0

Venue: Albany Tennis Park, Auckland, NZL (hard – indoor)

Daniel King-Turner (NZL) d. Michael Massih (LIB) 61 61 60

Artem Sitak (NZL) d. Karim Alayli (LIB) 62 61 60

Marcus Daniell/Daniel King-Turner (NZL) d. Ibrahim Abou Chahine/Karim Alayli (LIB) 61 61 61

Daniel King-Turner (NZL) d. Ibrahim Abou Chahine (LIB) 60 61

Artem Sitak (NZL) d. Michael Massih (LIB) 60 60

PAKISTAN defeated SRI LANKA 3-2

Venue: Sri Lanka Tennis Association, Colombo, SRI (clay – outdoor)

Aqeel Khan (PAK) d. Dineshkanthan Thangarajah (SRI) 46 61 42 ret. (cramping)

Harshana Godamanna (SRI) d. Aisam Qureshi (PAK) 76(3) 75 76(3)

Aqeel Khan/Aisam Qureshi (PAK) d. Harshana Godamanna/Rajeev Rajapakse (SRI) 62 67(0) 26 63 62

Harshana Godamanna (SRI) d. Aqeel Khan (PAK) 64 63 64

Aisam Qureshi (PAK) d. Dineshkanthan Thangarajah (SRI) 62 36 63 63

THAILAND defeated KUWAIT 4-1

Venue: Kuwait Tennis Federation Centre, Meshref, KUW (hard – outdoor)

Danai Udomchoke (THA) d. Mohammad Ghareeb (KUW) 61 61 46 46 64

Abdullah Maqdas (KUW) d. Kittiphong Wachiramanowong (THA) 64 76(7) 36 36 61

Pruchya Isarow/Nuttanon Kadchapanan (THA) d. Mohammad Ghareeb/Abdullah Maqdas (KUW) 36 63 76(6) 76(4)

Danai Udomchoke (THA) d. Abdullah Maqdas (KUW) 26 30 ret. (left foot)

Pruchya Isaro (THA) d. Nasser Al Obaidly (KUW) 62 61

PHILIPPINES defeated SYRIA 3-2

Venue: Plantation Bay Resort & Spa, Lapu-Lapu, PHI (clay – outdoor)

Johnny Arcilla (PHI) d. Issam Haitham Taweel (SYR) 64 57 61 62

Ruben Gonzales (PHI) d. Marc Abdelnour (SYR) 64 76(1) 62

Ruben Gonzales/Treat Conrad Huey (PHI) d. Marc Abdelnour/Issam Haitham Taweel (SYR) 60 63 26 62

Issam Haitham Taweel (SYR) d. Vicente Elberto Anasta (PHI) 67(8) 61 64

Marc Abdelnour (SYR) d. Treat Huey (PHI) 76(2) 62

EUROPE/AFRICA ZONE GROUP I FIRST ROUND

POLAND defeated SLOVENIA 3-2

Venue: Centennial Hall, Wroclaw, POL (hard – indoor)

Jerzy Janowicz (POL) d. Blaz Kavcic (SLO) 63 63 75

Lukasz Kubot (POL) d. Grega Zemlja (SLO) 63 63 60

Blaz Kavcic/Grega Zemlja (SLO) d. Mariusz Fyrstenberg/Marcin Matkowski (POL) 63 26 62 46 1311

Jerzy Janowicz (POL) d. Grega Zemlja (SLO) 76(4) 63 63

Tomislav Ternar (SLO) d. Mariusz Fyrstenberg (POL) 46 75 75

ROMANIA defeated DENMARK 5-0

Venue: Sala Sporturilor "Horia Demian", Cluj Napoca, ROU (hard – indoor)

Marius Copil (ROU) d. Frederik Nielsen (DEN) 63 76(7) 64

Adrian Ungur (ROU) d. Martin Pedersen (DEN) 62 76(3) 46 46 62

Florin Mergea/Horia Tecau (ROU) d. Thomas Kromann/Frederik Nielsen (DEN) 76(3) 62 64

Adrian Ungur (ROU) d. Thomas Kromann (DEN) 63 64

Marius Copil (ROU) d. Christoffer Konigsfeldt (DEN) 64 63

UKRAINE defeated SLOVAK REPUBLIC 3-2

Venue: TC Premier, Kremenchug, UKR (hard – indoor)

Alexandr Dolgopolov (UKR) d. Andrej Martin (SVK) 62 62 75

Lukas Lacko (SVK) d. Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR) 62 57 76(5) 64

Filip Polasek/Igor Zelenay (SVK) d. Alexandr Dolgopolov/Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR) 76(4) 76(3) 63

Alexandr Dolgopolov (UKR) d. Lukas Lacko (SVK) 36 63 62 61

Illya Marchenko (UKR) d. Andrej Martin (SVK) 75 76(5) 64

EUROPE/AFRICA GROUP II FIRST ROUND

FINLAND defeated BULGARIA 3-2

Venue: Tennis Hall "Sofia'', Sofia, BUL (hard – indoor)

Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) d. Juho Paukku (FIN) 61 61 60

Micke Kontinen (FIN) d. Alexander Lazov (BUL) 76(4) 63 64

Harri Heliovaara/Henri Kontinen (FIN) d. Grigor Dimitrov/Dimitar Kuzmanov (BUL) 75 61 46 26 64

Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) d. Micke Kontinen (FIN) 60 63 61

Harri Heliovaara (FIN) d. Alexander Lazov (BUL) 46 76(4) 64 63

IRELAND defeated ESTONIA 3-2

Venue: David Lloyd Riverview, Dublin, IRL (hard – indoor)

James McGee (IRL) d. Jaan Kononov (EST) 60 61 63

Vladimir Ivanov (EST) d. Sam Barry (IRL) 36 62 63 76(3)

Sam Barry/James McGee (IRL) d. Vladimir Ivanov/Marek Marksoo (EST) 64 63 36 36 97

Vladimir Ivanov (EST) d. James McGee (IRL) 64 63 16 46 61

Sam Barry (IRL) d. Marek Marksoo (EST) 62 61 63

LATVIA defeated TUNISIA 3-0

Venue: Cité Nationale Sportive, El Menzah, TUN (hard – outdoor)

Andis Juska (LAT) d. Mohamed Haythem Abid (TUN) 76(7) 63 60

Ernests Gulbis (LAT) d. Slim Hamza (TUN) 61 62 60

Ernests Gulbis/Andis Juska (LAT) d. Slim Hamza/Mohamed Haythem Abid (TUN) 76(6) 26 63 64

Mohamed Haythem Abid (TUN) v Ernests Gulbis (LAT) not played (rain)

Slim Hamza (TUN) v Andis Juska (LAT) not played (rain)

MONACO defeated BELARUS 3-1

Venue: Monte Carlo Country Club, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, MON (clay – outdoor)

Benjamin Balleret (MON) d. Dzmitry Zhyrmont (BLR) 67(6) 61 63 63

Uladzimir Ignatik (BLR) d. Jean-Rene Lisnard (MON) 64 64 60

Benjamin Balleret/Guillaume Couillard (MON) d. Max Mirnyi/Andrei Vasilevski (BLR) 76(3) 46 46 76(5) 62

Benjamin Balleret (MON) d. Uladzimir Ignatik (BLR) 63 36 76(9) 64

Jean-Rene Lisnard (MON) v Dzmitry Zhyrmont (BLR) not played

MOLDOVA defeated HUNGARY 3-2

Venue: Manejul de Atletica Usoara, Chisinau, MDA (hard – indoor)

Maxim Dubarenco (MDA) d. Marton Fucsovics (HUN) 36 63 64 64

Radu Albot (MDA) d. Viktor Filipenko (HUN) 61 63 63

Marton Fucsovics/Levente Godry (HUN) d. Radu Albot/Andrei Ciumac (MDA) 63 62 62

Marton Fucsovics (HUN) d. Radu Albot (MDA) 16 64 61 61

Maxim Dubarenco (MDA) d. Viktor Filipenko (HUN) 46 63 64 76(4)

BOSNIA/HERZEGOVINA defeated LUXEMBOURG 4-1

Venue: Mojmilo Sports Hall, Sarajevo, BIH (hard – indoor)

Damir Dzumhur (BIH) d. Mike Scheidweiler (LUX) 64 64 60

Aldin Setkic (BIH) d. Ugo Nastasi (LUX) 64 60 63

Tomislav Brkic/Damir Dzumhur (BIH) d. Laurent Bram/Mike Scheidweiler (LUX) 61 63 63

Ugo Nastasi (LUX) d. Nerman Fatic (BIH) 46 64 61

Aldin Setkic (BIH) d. Laurent Bram (LUX) 63 61

LITHUANIA defeated CYPRUS 4-1

Venue: Siauliu Arena, Siauliai, LTU (hard – indoor)

Dovydas Sakinis (LTU) d. Rares Cuzdriorean (CYP) 62 62 16 63

Ricardas Berankis (LTU) d. Petros Chrysochos (CYP) 61 64 60

Petros Chrysochos/Rares Cuzdriorean (CYP) d. Ricardas Berankis/ Lukas Mugevicius (LTU) 75 36 36 64 64

Ricardas Berankis (LTU) d. Soteris Hadjistyllis (CYP) 63 62 61

Lukas Mugevicius (LTU) d. Christos Hadjigeorgiou (CYP) 63 63

PORTUGAL defeated BENIN 5-0

Venue: Club Internacional de Football, Lisbon, POR (clay – indoor)

Joao Sousa (POR) d. Loic Didavi (BEN) 61 63 60

Pedro Sousa (POR) d. Alexis Klegou (BEN) 46 61 64 62

Joao Sousa/Pedro Sousa (POR) d. Loic Didavi/Alexis Klegou (BEN) 62 61 61

Rui Machado (POR) d. Alexis Klegou (BEN) 26 62 60

Andre Gaspar Murta (POR) d. Tunde Segodo (BEN) 61 62

End Notes



This is Jerzy Janowicz. He's the latest sensation on the ATP tour. He made some interesting comments to an Italian magazine.

"Djokovic is fake, he is showing off, acting"
"Federer wants to be above everything. In this context there might be something unnatural in him, hard to feel he is one of us (players)"

Thanks to @Rob_pal for the human translation especially of his comments about Federer. For the original please go HERE

It's going to be interesting to see his draws going forward.

An Update on Janowicz and his comments

There were a lot of issues regarding JJ's comments on the ATP tour and it's stars. It was thought that the the original interview was in Italian. It was actually in Polish so the translation from that language to Italian to English led to the "wtf" moments for many of us.

Fortunately @emmilkaa translated from Polish and sent it to @juanjo_sports.
Here is that translation.

Slightly different no?

Just So We're Clear

by Savannah



The picture of the gif shown above is the only visible proof of what fans felt about the actions of WTA #1 Victoria Azarenka. I watched the match and that banner never appeared once on the feed I was watching. Of course the picture on the side is obviously a photo manipulation. I found it on a WTA fan site.

It seems I wasn't clear enough about reactions to Azarenka's taking advantage of the rules to calm herself down after blowing five match points to close out her match against American Sloane Stephens. I'm going to go a bit off topic here to mention that Stephens should beware of taking victory tours when she hasn't really won a "victory" yet. The USTA is desperate to have someone, especially an African American woman, to point to with pride and say "we did that". The American tennis establishment has never accepted Venus Williams or Serena Williams as one of their own since their parents had the sense to keep them out of the clutches of the people who wanted to claim the Williams success as their own. And let's not forget the media riot surrounding the USTA's treatment of Taylor Townsend this past summer. That the USTA wants to celebrate Stephens victory over an injured Serena Williams speaks volumes about how they feel about Serena.

It's interesting how Azarenka's fans have reacted to the furor. Their defense of their favorite boils down to the following:

1. Victoria misunderstood the question.
2. She was really injured.
3. Sloane wasn't going to win anyway.
4. Everybody does it.

Three and four can be dismissed out of hand. No one expected Stephens to win - she'd played a long hard match against a player who even while injured was playing to win and still had a chance to do so. A day's rest would've made a hell of a lot of difference in Stephens ability to play toe to toe with Azarenka who had struggled all tournament. I'm not saying she would've won but it would've been a more competitive match.

I think this is said to divert attention from Azarenka blowing those five match points which led to the MTO and the controversy.

Everybody does it is pure bull. Usually people drag out references to Rafael Nadal's alleged sketchy MTO's. There is one that I remember and Toni told him to cut the shit. If you want to go into phony MTO's the person who should be cited is Novak Djokovic but ironically the people using this argument never do so. I wonder why.

The first point, the one that was used AFTER the furor arose, is also fiction. Azarenka has lived in the United States for years and speaks English quite well, well enough to understand nuance.

The second point, that she was really injured, is wishful thinking. As Randy Burgess points out in his response to someone making that argument Azarenka herself said that she almost committed the "choke of the century" and that she felt "overwhelmed" and that she "had to win". She understood the question and answered truthfully.



By the time she was interviewed after leaving the court there's no doubt that her PR people had been hard at work. Unfortunately there were lots of people in RLA and millions watching. And lets not forget social media. The bought and paid for tennis media couldn't hide what had happened as they would've done in the past. That is why the four points of view have been floating around trying to explain the unexplainable and indefensible.

Finally I want to address the issue of sexism in both fan and press reaction to Victoria Azarenka as a player.

I watched tennis during the era of John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors. Their antics were met with a wink and nod from the then mostly male sports writers and used to prove how masculine tennis was. They routinely exploded on court causing both cringing and cheering among tennis fans. Even today everyone knows McEnroe's "you can not be serious" line whether you're a tennis fan or not.

It should be pointed out that

Such behavior has never been condoned in a female tennis player. This article in Yahoo Eurosport mentions the long standing antipathy to Azarenka down under.

I guess it gets down to whether the behavior of McEnroe and Connors would be tolerated in any player, male or female, today. I don't think it would. Today's fans want good competition and eruptions of emotion or bad sportsmanship don't sit go over well today. Celebrate a well crafted point, a good rally, argue with the chair but throwing things at on court officials (See THIS ) is not a way to get the fans behind you.



After a run of Slamless #1's women's tennis has a #1 who can win Slams. This doesn't mean that everything she does is protected by The Almighty. Azarenka is deserving of the top ranking at this point. She plays a relatively full schedule and makes Grand Slam semi finals and finals. Her behavior is not what she, or the WTA want for the sport at this time. The era of prim ladies in long white skirts has gone the way of the dinosaur. The fans accept women who play in your face tennis with a side order of grace, and good sportsmanship.


End Notes

Davis Cup play starts today. The only member of the Top 4 playing is Novak Djokovic.

Bernard Tomic was caught going 78 KM/H in a 60 KM/H zone. Driving a bright yellow Ferrari with 'SINCITY' plates. The police officer didn't want his autograph. His license has been suspended. Good thing young Aussies made a good showing in Melbourne.

WTA players are out and about - in pictures


Daniela Hantuchova and Maria Kirilenko


Berry Gordy, Victoria Azarenka and Stefan Gordy



Serena Williams and Patrick Mouratoglou out and about in Melbourne. Loving the Air Jordan trainers and the short red dress.

But for some of us all of the legs shown above don't make us as happy as the sight of these legs do.



Welcome back Rafa!

Bring on the Vuvuzelas

by Savannah

Andy Murray, coachless(if you don't count his mother who was doing a great job imitating a coach), finally showed what he is capable of by winning the ATP Masters 1000/Rogers Cup in Toronto, Ontario, Canada despite the howling of a hostile crowd. They weren't as bad as they were when their fave played Tomas Berdych but the Scottish fans in the audience were no match for the mob determined to "will" their man to victory as the commentators said over and over. Once again Lars Graf was in the chair and if I recall correctly he did mewl out a warning or two to the crowd. Murray kept his personality under wraps and his focus on the match and didn't let the rain delays bother him. Murray, less rusty than the other Europeans who were coming off of long post Wimbledon vacations, played the best tennis this week.

Kim Clijsters managed to pull out a win over a hobbled Maria Sharapova in Cincinnati. From what a frequent contributor here posted there was another mob in Mason, Ohio cheering her on while doing everything to break the spirit of Sharapova. If Maria had not suffered from a foot injury requiring heavy taping she may have done better in the third set. The rain delay didn't help her focus either.

Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan won the doubles crown in Toronto. The top seeds Nenad Zimonjic and Daniel Nestor were defeated in an early round. Nenad Zimonjic, not known as a hot head complained about the scheduling of his teams matches. They played a night match and were first on the next day. I could go into the whole muscle/lactic acid thing but I'm sure you all know about it.

This is my favorite picture from this weekend. Maria Kirilenko and Victoria Azarenka won the doubles at Mason and just looking at this picture I'm thrilled for them. Congratulations ladies!

About the vuvuzela's...

There is a reason I don't go to night matches at the US Open. After this week I may never attend one ever again. It was at a night match that I felt sympathy for Roger Federer who was taunted relentlessly by the J-Block. It was at a night match that I was disgusted by the drunken court level yuppies who shouted obscenities at Rafael Nadal, Venus Williams and Serena Williams. True this wasn't all in the same year but it's disgusting when drunks who know nothing about the sport are the ones within camera range while the real fans are relegated due to ticket prices to the upper reaches of Ashe stadium.

There have been two incidents this summer involving mob think and tennis matches. One was the incident involving Victor Hanescu at Wimbledon and the other one was the match Tomas Berdych played against Roger Federer this past week. In both cases the players who could barely hear themselves think complained to the chair umpires. In both cases the chair umpires ignored them.

Anyone who watched the World Cup knows the controversy that surrounded the use of vuvuzela's by the fans. Wimbledon issued an announcement saying the instruments would be confiscated if brought onto the grounds of the AELTC. If drunken sots are going to affect the outcome of matches why can't vuvuzela's be used by the same fans? I really don't see the difference in some drunk blowing a vuvuzela incessantly and one shouting obscenities and insults at a player trying to serve.

They're Back

by Savannah

David Nalbandian can count himself among the few who have returned to the Main Tour after hip surgery. Showing the form he usually reserves for the indoor season Nalbandian came out like a house on fire and weathered the inevitable challenge from Marcos Baghdatis to win the singels title at Legg Mason in hot and steamy Washington DC. It was a great week of tennis for David.

Mardy Fish and Mark Knowles won the men's doubles crown in Washington. Fish somewhat redeemed himself in my eyes by staying and playing doubles.

Everyone knows that Svetlana Kuznetsova, when on, is one of the best players in women's tennis. It's the when on and brain is fully engaged part that is important. This week Sveta was all systems go and found herself in the San Diego final against Aggie Radwanska, the modern day Martina Hingis. There was that blip in the second set where Sveta lost focus and found herself on the losing end of a 7-6(7) tiebreak but she came back in third set and won it decisively 6-3. Women's tennis is always more fun with Sveta in the mix.

The fairly new doubles team of Maria Kirilenko and Zheng Jie pose with the trophies they received for winning the doubles crown in San Diego.

Caroline Wozniacki, aka Sunshine (Cliff Drysdale and Pam Shriver were affectionately using her nickname yesterday while broadcasting the San Diego final but I digress) won the inaugural Copenhagen event where she was - gasp - the top seed. She defeated Klara Zakopalova in straight sets. She also debuted her new summer do while proudly holding up the tureen, uh, trophy.

The doubles winners in Copenhagen, Julia Goerges and Anna-Lena Gronefeld posed proudly with their trophies. Goerges has had a pretty good summer so far. It's going to be interesting to see her in the States.

The Week Ahead

The women are in the MidWestern United States playing in Cincinnati while the men's tour is north of the border in Toronto, Canada. I haven't checked to see if the cameras are on so that tennis fans will get to see the early round action. It does the reputation of the American tennis authorities no good to make fans in the States have to scramble to see tournaments where the best players are featured. Then again - oh never mind.

An American Free Zone

1 Rafael Nadal 10,745

2 Novak Djokovic 6,905

3 Roger Federer 6,795

4 Andy Murray 5,305

5 Robin Soderling 4,740

6 Nikolay Davydenko 4,285

7 Tomas Berdych 3,780

8 Juan Martin Del Potro 3,770

9 Fernando Verdasco 3,475

10 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 3,455

This is the first time since the modern ranking system went into effect that there is not one American man in the Top Ten. Andy Roddick, who has been American men's tennis is now ranked #11.
11 Roddick, Andy (USA) 3,235

We all knew this day was coming. Andy Roddick should not be blamed for what has happened. He has done all he could to try and get himself into shape mentally and physically to play the modern game. Was it a few years too late? Maybe. Will he be back in the Top Ten? Good runs leading into the US Open can ensure that especially with Tsonga being injured. I'm not going to write one of those posts going into the whys and wherefores of how we got to this place. I've written about it a lot and don't really feel the need to now. Let's just say that we're up that proverbial thick brown creek without a paddle.

1 1 Williams, Serena 26/09/81 USA 8355

2 2 Jankovic, Jelena 28/02/85 SRB 5900

3 3 Wozniacki, Caroline 11/07/90 DEN 5710

4 4 Williams, Venus 17/06/80 USA 5287

5 5 Stosur, Samantha 30/03/84 AUS 4690

6 6 Dementieva, Elena 15/10/81 RUS 4590

7 7 Clijsters, Kim 08/06/83 BEL 4510

8 8 Schiavone, Francesca 23/06/80 ITA 4285

9 10 Radwanska, Agnieszka 06/03/89 POL 4070

10 9 Zvonareva, Vera 07/09/84 RUS 3905

I don't get why the WTA always prints the players birthdays and usually remove them but I left them in now because we need to take a really good look at the women's Top Ten. Caroline Wozniacki and Agnieszka Radwanska are the only babies in the group. Everyone else is "middle aged" when it comes to tennis years. There are Americans, two in fact, in the top ten of women's tennis but of course the establishment spends more time snarking about them than praising them for their accomplishments. We're headed up that same dark brown creek we're mired in on the men's side. We can believe all we want.

Fashion Statement of the Week

A closer look at Caroline Wozniacki's hair. This is a variation on traditional African corn rows where twists are used instead of tightly braiding the hair. The style puts less stress on both the hair and the hair line. Nice summer do for the young woman.

Tennis Talk

by Savannah

As L'il Kim once intoned "It's all about the benjamins."

It used to be taboo for anyone associated with the WTA to discuss appearance fees. Now that that is no longer the case the news out of Malayasia is quite interesting.

Ajitpal Singh reports the following:

AUSTRALIAN Open finalist Justine Henin has decided not to participate in the US$250,000 (RM774,000) Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Malaysian International Open on Feb 22-28.

Justine’s decision comes after the organisers, Carbon Media failed to raise the money for the appearance fee for the Belgian former World No 1.

Maria Kirilenko, the Russian who had earlier confirmed her participation, is now in two minds.

According to a source, the World No 37 is asking for more money to play here and Carbon Media will need to raise the sum if they hope to get her. It is believed the organisers will need to raise between US$100,000 (RM340,000) and US$200,000 for each player.

Carbon Media is not expected to approach any other big names for the tournament.

How do you like them apples? I hope you don't think that WTA tournament officials just started paying appearance fees. If you do I have some prime real estate in Florida you may be interested in.


The other story of interest concerns Jamaican player Dustin Brown. Brown has dual citizenship in both Jamaica and Germany. I first became aware of him when he played a tournament as a German. According to the Jamaica Gleaner
there is a war going on between Brown and Tennis Jamaica. Brown has had a great run and gone from not being a blip on anyone's radar to #144 in the world at the time this article was published.

"Tennis Jamaica only knows me when the Davis Cup comes around, all the other times during the years they don't care how I manage to train and play tournaments. I could have attained a higher ATP ranking much earlier with proper support," Brown told the Gleaner.

Brown's current ranking is a phenomenal achievement as it is no secret that the country has struggled to produce top-class players in the sport of tennis, the last being Richard Russell, who made it to the second round of the Australian Open in 1964.

According to the player, the only way he was able to maintain and eventually improve his ranking was due to the fact that his parents purchased a camper, which enabled the player to travel to various tournaments around Europe.

"To be able to continue my career, my parents bought me a camper in April 2004 in order to travel through Europe and play as many games as possible."

"I would eat and sleep in my camper and I was travelling all over Europe, up and down for seven years to make it in professional tennis, holding the Jamaican flag high week by week, while my parents struggled to pay for the camper.

"I made a name for myself in Europe with my camper, my only chance to make it in tennis. Finally in 2009, I reached 144th in the ATP world ranking as a Jamaican player. I made it."

Brown is now ranked #132 in the world and made the quarterfinals of the South African Tennis Open this year.

Ana Ivanovic reports on her website that she has signed a lifetime contract with Adidas. Keep in mind "lifetime" means length of her career and that the deal probably has incentives related to her ranking built in. I'll just leave that alone.

Idle Chit Chat
For those of you who follow this sort of thing Andy Roddick's wife will be the covergirl for the SI swimsuit issue.

Fernando Verdasco did a photo spread for Calvin Klein recently. I'm not a big fan of Fernando but these pictures sure got my attention.



I'm just sayin'...

Weekend Winners

by Savannah


Francesca Schiavone WTA Kremlin Cup Champion 2009

Mikhail Youzhny ATP Kremlin Cup Champion 2009

Marcel Granollers left, and Pablo Cuevas 2009 ATP Kremlin Cup Doubles Champions

Nadia Petrova and Maria Kirilenko 2009 WTA Kremlin Cup Doubles Champions

The New York Times published the following interview with Stacy Allaster today.

Special Report: W.T.A. Tour Championships, Doha
Tour’s New Chief Aims to Keep Shoring Up Women’s Game

By CHRISTOPHER CLAREY
Published: October 25, 2009

Stacey Allaster, the new chairman and chief executive officer of the Women’s Tennis Association Tour, is well aware that she has a tough act to follow. Larry Scott, her predecessor and former boss, is the tennis administrator who helped convince Wimbledon to offer equal prize money for men and women. Scott also shored up the once-vulnerable W.T.A.’s finances. He signed a lucrative $88 million deal with Sony Ericsson to sponsor the circuit for six years and secured $84 million more from the Doha and Istanbul tournaments over six years to stage the Tour’s year-end championships. Most important to the players, he generated a significant increase in prize money.

In exchange, Scott got the players’ permission to make real changes in the Tour structure this season. He shuffled the calendar and the Tour’s top events, decreased playing requirements and increased the penalties for those who do not respect the new, more reasonable minimums.

The reassuring news for Allaster is that she was part of the act. She had served under Scott as Tour president since 2006. After Scott, 44, left in July to become commissioner of an American college athletics conference, the Pacific-10, Allaster, an articulate 46-year-old Canadian, was named his successor.

Like Kim Clijsters, she is a working mother. Like Scott, who was captain of the tennis team at Harvard and had a brief career as a professional player before joining the sport’s administrative ranks, Allaster has spent a lifetime in the game, first as an amateur player and later as vice president of Tennis Canada and tournament director of the Canadian Open in Toronto.

But in the midst of an economic slump, Allaster must now find a way (and fast) to keep the revenue and the player support flowing. She is in the process of negotiating an extension with Sony Ericsson and is still doing a poor job of containing her delight that she now has the former world No. 1 Justine Henin on the comeback trail along with Clijsters, her fellow Belgian.

Allaster spoke last week with the International Herald Tribune:

Q. How do you view the first year of your restructured calendar, the so-called road map?

A. I really couldn’t be more pleased. I think overall what we tried to achieve was for our players to deliver to fans and sponsors, and they did that. We made player commitment at 80 percent of our events. If we dial it back to 2007, we didn’t make player commitment at one of our commitment events. That was a big part of what we were trying to reform — bringing credibility to the Sony Ericsson W.T.A. Tour — and our players have stepped up and delivered.

I think some of the other metrics relate to the business aspect of the road map. In this economy, there was a 34 percent increase in prize money, which was incredible.

For the first time in many years, all top-10 players who were part of the bonus pool in 2009 will all receive a bonus pool payout. That hasn’t happened since 2004, and that’s all tied to their delivery of commitment. And Jelena Jankovic will receive a million-dollar bonus-pool payout.

Q. Do you have injury numbers for the season?

A. Withdrawals as a whole are down 30 percent. To give you context, the number of first-round retirements in 2009 is 17, compared with 36 in 2008. And total retirements and walkovers are at 58 in 2009, compared to 71 in 2008.

Q. Tennis Magazine in France recently conducted a poll asking women’s players to rank the most important tournaments in the world. The year-end championships came in a distant 10th, after the four Grand Slams, Miami, Indian Wells, Fed Cup, Rome and Dubai. It’s interesting that the Doha event is ranked that low despite the prize money and number of points at stake. Is there work to be done?

We are only 10 months into the most comprehensive set of reforms in the history of the Tour, so it is an ongoing process to educate the players about what are the important events on our Tour. And why are they the important events? Because they really are the financial drivers of the business.

A. I liken where we are right now on the Sony Ericsson Tour to where we were back in 2001 on the men’s tour, when we brought the Masters Series in. It was about making those nine events important in the minds of the athletes after the Grand Slams. And when we look now to the generation of male players competing, you often hear them refer to winning Slams and winning Masters Series and, in many respects, that’s now where we need to get to with our athletes.

Q. Are your players aware of doing more for the business in a tough economy?

A. Many of them talk to me in those terms, even the younger ones. They understand it. Obviously they live in a world where they’re not affected by the economy, but they’re in touch enough to know what is happening around them.

Players like Venus Williams — you could not ask for a better player leader. She’s been incredibly supportive inside the Player Council, and I can tell you she’s been actively engaged with helping with the Sony Ericsson renewal. She recently participated in a meeting in New York with me with Sony Ericsson along with Billie Jean King and Melanie Oudin. I think we know the story there: the past, present and future all understand the importance of our sponsorship partners.

It took literally a nanosecond for all three of them to say, “If my schedule is clear, I’ll be there.”

Q. The situation around Serena Williams’s incident at the U.S. Open is ongoing. It’s still being investigated by the International Tennis Federation, but do you believe a potential one-Slam suspension is too draconian?

A. I don’t want to comment on what decision they might make.

But what I will say is: Look, Serena Williams is a great champion, and she’s been a terrific ambassador and role model for the sport of women’s tennis for her entire career. And the U.S. Open situation is an isolated incident, for which Serena has acknowledged that it was a mistake and she has apologized for it.

I get the following from this:
Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters were recruited, pressed to come back by the tour. Henin's "retirement" was over any way and Clijsters, who had very personal reasons for stepping away from the tour when she did, always seemed that she would come back.

Melanie Oudin as the future of tennis? Really? Let's see where she is this time next year before we start throwing swag and crowns at her.

Why no question about splitting the tour into two parts?

I still say the woman's public statements make her seem delusional.


Marcos Baghdatis 2009 Stockholm Champion

Bruno Soares and Kevin Ullyett 2009 Doubles Champions Stockholm

Timea Bacsinszky 2009 Luxembourg Champion

Iveta Benesova and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova won the doubles at Luxembourg.

The official portrait for Doha 2009 as released by the WTA this morning.

Shining Stars

by Savannah

Rafael Nadal is the first man to win Monte Carlo five years in a row. Some saw his falling to the terre battue in joy as an excessive celebration. Others saw it for what it was - celebrating the red dirt that he's once again taken the measure of. Congratulations to Rafael and his team.

There were American men in Monte Carlo. Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan made the finals of the doubles competition losing to the team of Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic. Congratulations to Nenad and Daniel.


Meanwhile in Barcelona defending champion Maria Kirilenko went down to defeat at the hands of journeywoman Roberta Vinci. Roberta has been playing very well of late. Congratulations to her.

German teenager Sabine Lisicki made some noise on the tour last year but her play was inconsistent and she was looked at as a work in progress by many tennisheads. Long time fans of Venus Williams looked askance at their favorite having to face Lisicki, the type of opponent that has given Venus problems in the past. After Sabine beat Venus some thought she would, like others, promptly lose her next match. Sabine had other plans though and beat Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets. And trust me she beat her. It wouldn't have mattered if Caroline had had sufficient rest. Sabine came to take names and she did.

The competition moves to the red clay of Europe now. Let's see if Sabine delivers on the promise she showed today.

Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Nadia Petrova won the Doubles Championship at the Family Circle Cup in Charleston.

Idle Chit Chat

by Savannah

I was going to take a couple of days off from the blog but as Mick Jagger once said "You can't always get what you want".

Anywho it seems another member of the Thatcher as in Margaret Thatcher family is wreaking havoc in the public domain across the pond some call the Atlantic Ocean.

Carol Thatcher faces being banned from the BBC after she referred to a tennis player as a "golliwog".

Thatcher, the daughter of former prime minister Lady Thatcher, made the remark in a private conversation in the green room of The One Show after the broadcast of the BBC1 programme on Thursday night.

Sources have said that Thatcher will not be used again on the show, where she is a roving reporter, until she formally apologises to those who were offended by the remark.

According to insiders, Thatcher – who won ITV1 reality series I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! in 2005 – was chatting with The One Show host Adrian Chiles and guest Jo Brand about the Australian Open when she described an unnamed player as a "golliwog".

Show insiders said Chiles was "outraged" by the comment and he and Brand challenged Thatcher about it.

The pair also complained to show executives – as did production staff who later heard about the incident – and it is understood that Thatcher was approached the following day by the show's executive producer.

Thatcher's spokeswoman had not responded to a request for comment before publication, but was quoted in The Times today as saying the word was an "off-the-cuff remark made in jest" and that she had apologised to the show's producer.

Sources said Thatcher had also written to the show's executive producer to apologise and that the BBC was currently considering its decision.

However, insiders said this may not be enough.

"Her apology seems to be that it was just a joke, but the BBC feels it is not acceptable under any circumstances to call someone a golliwog," the source said.

"Unless you don't think that is an acceptable joke, how can you be sorry? Until she apologises to the people who were offended her future is in question. There are people working on the show who don't feel they can work with her. Adrian was outraged by what he heard."

Source
I'm not even a Brit and I was offended. The only thing I fault the story for is not naming the player Carol was referring to. As it turns out the player who was not named is said to be Gael Monfils.

The BBC issued the following statement:

"We're no longer going to be working with her on 'The One Show'," a BBC spokesman told AFP. She would, however, continue working on other BBC projects.

He said Thatcher's comments would widely be seen as "unacceptable," and given that her job on the show was to talk to a diverse range of people, "it's very difficult to continue in that capacity."
The spokesman rejected the suggestion that Thatcher's comments were private as "wrong", saying they were made in the presence of members of the public.

The word "golliwog," referring to a black doll-like character, was once widely used including as the emblem of a leading make of British jam, but in recent decades has been dropped after claims it was racist.

Just so we're clear here is Adrian Chiles. You can Google the word "golliwog" yourself.


Bait and Switch?

As sure as night follows day the posts are already found on some fanboards saying that one
Maria Sharapova has to return soon because otherwise Venus Williams and Serena Williams will run amok over women's tennis winning everything in sight. That's interesting because one of the more reliable sources in women's tennis has posted, and not changed his posts, that Ms Sharapova has withdrawn from both Paris and Dubai.

Of course this has thrown the civilized world into a panic and speculation has run the gamut from her being distraught over her galpal Camilla Belle supposedly dating a Jonas brother to her team not knowing when she will be fit enough to play again.

If Maria is not fit to play she's not fit to play. Saner tennisheads have said that she will probably return around Wimbledon since it makes no sense for her to return during the clay season. That said she'll probably show up at some point during the $pring hardcourt $ea$on in the $tate$.

Meanwhile the Belgian press is reporting that Kim Clijsters is testing the waters with her eyes on a return to the tour. She recently played against fellow Belgian Kirsten Flipkens and won the exho 6-4. If Cupcake Kim is coming back can the other Belgian be far behind? When will it be a year since she was allowed to "retire"?

Random News Bites

Russian number 37 Maria Kirilenko will now be coached by her father Yuri.
Nicole Vaidisova, currently in free fall down the WTA rankings, has fired her coach as well. Reports are her stepfather will not be returning as her coach.

Former great Martina Navratilova seems to be on the anyone but a Williams bandwagon. Calling the Australian Open Women's Final "Pathetic" Martina had this to say:

"One has to wonder who is around who might challenge Serena - and her sister Venus - in the other three grand-slam events this year. Maria Sharapova's right shoulder cannot heal quickly enough, Elena Dementieva has to show her pedigree finally at this level and Jelena Jankovic must start to play in these championships as she does in the lesser events. "

Angling for a coaching job Martina or is it all about the Benjamins?

Jelena Dokic has sanely predicted a let down following her triumphant return in Melbourne. She expects to lose a few early.

Meanwhile Ana Ivanovic's Rolex ads are out.


All that from wearing a watch huh?

I don't speak Serbian so I'm not sure if it should be DJOKE-ovic or DJOCK-ovic. I'm not losing any sleep over it but I recall that last year, per PMac and crew, that he preferred Djock-ovic.

If I hear one more time about Fernando Verdasco working with Gil Reyes I'm going to hurl chunks. His sponsor Adidas employs Reyes and that's how Fernando ended up working with him. How pathetic is the state of United States tennis when they have to bathe in the reflected glory of a clothing deal hook up to make try and make the point that United States tennis is still relevant.
What Verdasco needs to do is get that friend who was in his box all through Australia to take a chill pill. Maybe the guy wanted his fifteen minutes but sheesh.

I have to take a minute and give some props to Brad Gilbert. Yeah he talks too much and his Type A is really Type A+ but he gets credit for calling the matches as they occurred not as some suit from a marketing agency wanted. He was not on the CM (trademark pending) bandwagon but managed to make some pretty cogent points about all the players in all the matches he called. Of course he's been lusting to coach
Rafael Nadal for awhile now but since that ain't gonna happen he's making points from the booth.

Tennis.com is reporting unusual betting patterns in the match between Guillermo Canas and Antonio Veic in Zagreb.

Betfair is investigating odd betting patterns during the first-round match between Guillermo Canas and wildcard Antonio Veic in Zagreb. Veic was a heavy underdog before the match, but then became the odds-on favorite despite losing the first set. He went on to win 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.

Betting on the match was not suspended, but Betfair has not released payments on wagers made.