Ladies Day

by Savannah

Agnieszka Radwanska began working towards her first Grand Slam final when she told her father his services were no longer needed. Her first coaching selection was Borna Vikic who had coached Jelena Dokic. That association didn't last long though and she went on to hire Tomasz Wiktorowski, the Polish Fed Cup coach. The rest as they say is history.

I'll say upfront that watching Aga play is akin to watching paint dry for me. Like Martina Hingis before her. an analogy many don't like but that I feel is the only player of the modern era to employ a similar style, is based on "gotcha" tennis. Is she a Caroline Wozniacki style pusher? Yes and no. At her worst she's dull as grass growing. What she's done is add some offense to her game. It's not Big Babe "in your face" smash mouth tennis but it's effective. Her touch is delicate although she can hit with some power. From what I saw of her match against Angelique Kerber, sorry I fell asleep, she quietly turned the tables on her. When Kerber came to she was out of the match.

Aga is sharp enough to not want the be added to the list of "Slamless Wonders" and I'm sure she'll fight as hard as she can in the Final on Saturday.

The thing is she'll be playing the best woman of her generation.

Serena Williams started Wimbledon off on shaky ground. Her devastating first round loss in Paris, while not on everyone's lips, was in everyone's mind. Serena left the Glamazon shit at home in London. She had that glorious hair but she came on court to play tennis. Little or no makeup - she had heavy liner on today - and no candelabra hanging from her ears. In other words she came to play. And play she did.

She hit a bit of a wall in the second set. Serena and her sister Venus Williams, who looked much better playing doubles, had to play two matches yesterday, something that could have hurt her if her match against Victoria Azarenka went three sets. Serena saw to it that it didn't.

As you all know I'm not a big fan of Victoria. People are talking about how her id seems to be in better check these days, but she does play one of the better games among the new jacks coming up. Like most of them though she is most comfortable with hit hard and harder tennis and when faced with an opponent who can throw some variety at her she has trouble. She has won a Slam though, and came into London with the #2 seeding.

It's no secret that Victoria and Aga had a big falling out and some were hoping that they would be the last ones standing anticipating a bitch fest of epic proportions.

But that was not to be.

Who do I think will win? The last time Serena met Aga was in 2008. Serena won 4 & 0.
Aga has changed her game a lot since then. So has Serena. Is it a toss up? I would say no but then I'd have to pick a winner wouldn't I? And I don't do that.

End Notes

It would be wrong of me not to mention the men's semifinals wouldn't it? For some there is one matchup that is highly anticipated. For me the undercard is the one I'm looking forward to. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs Andy Murray in London, in a semi final, is a tennis lovers dream match. Tsonga, coachless, has gotten himself to the 2012 Wimbledon semifinals. He's going to have the crowd against him, and no one to consult but himself. There's no need to go into the Murray situation except to say right now he's British. Will he go back to being a Scotsman? Will Ivan Lendl keep him calm enough to play his best tennis? If both men show up that should be a hell of a match.

Finally I want to praise ESPN. The USA network, when it covered tennis, was the gold standard in my opinion. ESPN has taken it's place. It was sheer genius to have Centre Court coverage on ESPN, and all court coverage on ESPN2. The commentators, except for John McEnroe and in some instances Chris Evert, were informed and focused on the match not on inside jokes and giggling at people's names. I would suggest that JMac and Chrissie look at some tape and use briefing sheets next year. There's no excuse for JMac not knowing Venus had Sjogren's or Chris Evert admitting she'd never seen one of the women players, who's been burning up the courts before. A baseball announcer would be run out of town for less.

And no, I'm not mentioning Hanna. She's a disaster of epic proportions.

I think Mike Tirico, who uses notes and is a keen observer, along with Darren Cahill are the standouts. As for the women we have Pam Shriver and Mary Joe Fernandez. There's no hashtag for shit Pammy or Mary Joe says so that means their job is adequate. Chris has one though. Make of it what you will.

Tennis Talk - SEOpen

by Savannah

Since the folks who run the BNP Paribas Open and the Sony Ericsson Open don't see fit to turn the cameras on for early round play I don't cover their events until they do.

I'm making a slight exception for the one and only Bernard Tomic of Australia. Everyone blames his father for Bernard's shitty attitude but some of his antics have begun to draw the ire of the American tennis establishment.

One of my Twitter faves, "FootFault_" posted the following:

So, get this; in his last three tournaments (Dallas Challenger, Indian Wells and Miami), Bernard Tomic granted wildcards directly into the main draw of the events. Bearing in mind the fact that he isn’t even from the USA, that’s a pretty bold and generous move from the tournaments, and you would expect Tomic to take advantage of those free passes, right?

Right. But apparently Bernard Tomic doesn’t agree, instead choosing to spit in the faces of all three tournament directors. Last month he pulled out of the Dallas Challenger after falling a set down in his first rounder, citing fatigue for his withdrawal, however it was clear that he just couldn’t give a rat’s ass. In Indian Wells, he scraped past a sub top-500 doubles specialist in three audaciously tight sets before getting dusted aside by Viktor Troicki in straights. And finally he completed the set today, losing in the first round of Miami to Pablo Andujar, a claycourt specialist on a 5 match losing streak with only one win in the main draw of a hardcourt ATP or Challenger event in his 7 years on tour.

2011 should prove an interesting year for him. Talented as he may be, it’s always the attitude and mental side that determines how far a player goes in his career, and I think it’s safe to say that his attitude stinks like a decomposing skunk.

The link is HERE

I've said it before - the sense of entitlement some of these juniors have is startling. Tomic is just getting called on his shit. I've heard similar reports about Coco Vandeweghe and Lauren Davis from the United States and these were from people in the States.

I disagree with my Tweeting buddy though. Australia is part of the Axis. They will blame his youth, his will to win, whatever it takes to make young Bernard appear less of a douche.

I know I'm using strong language and I apologize if it offends anyone but sometimes you have to be blunt. Until someone slows this kid's roll he will continue to spit in the faces of those who are providing his meal tickets.

Miscellany

Apparently people have been trying to get Roger Federer to Tweet. He is not about to and I'm not surprised. He just doesn't strike me as that type of guy. Then again there is that Lindt commercial where two "airline stewardesses" want to strip search him. I'm just saying...

As Craig Hickman reported yesterday Kim Clijsters has already announced that she will not play any Asian events this year citing fear of radiation from the Fukushima nuclear plant. Some fans are in the process of ripping her a new one. I side with Kim on this, especially since she has a child. When news reports like this appear randomly online one has every right to err on the side of caution.

Along the same lines the Fed Cup tie between Japan and Argentina has been moved to Kobe, Japan and will take place July 16-17.


I like this outfit for Maria Sharapova.

Dominika Cibulkova proves she's "bootylicious"

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga melting hearts and butter all over the world.

Just a couple of hombre's chilling.

Weekend Update 2/13/2011

by Savannah

"What I know is that I deserved to be the world number on in 2010, obviously, my results clearly show it. I mean, I've been the one who won more matches and more tournmaents on the WTA Tour than anybody else."

"I think that in every slam, I miss a little bit of luck and experience. It's not a big secret to play well seven matches in a row to win the title. And I learnt through my career that it's not that easy at all. But I'll do everything I can this year to work it out"

Caroline Wozniacki in Dubai as reported by French Eurosport. Fan translation by "MiiMo".

The French Open Will Remain in Paris

The USTA made $90 million at the gate for the 2010 US Open. Ninety million smackers just on ticket sales. That's not counting the overpriced and dreadful food, programs and other crap that's on sale during the US Open. What national tennis organization wouldn't see those figures and salivate?

That was the idea behind moving the French Open from it's present site near the Bois de Boulogne in Paris. Bigger site. More modern site. More people. More money.

Today the victory went to the traditionalists as the Fédération Française de Tennis (FFT) voted to keep their Grand Slam in Paris and update the site.

While many of us outside of France see this as a victory many French don't seem to think it is. They look at the money the USTA makes on the US Open and want to cram more people into their tournament.

The French Open and Wimbledon remain the most fan friendly of the Slams in terms of how tickets are sold and providing fans with a venue made for watching tennis. I've ranted about the horrors of the stadium named for the late great Arthur Ashe in the New York City borough of Queens in the past so I won't go into them now. Let's just say that the FFT made the right decision.

The Weekends Winners

I think we can safely say it's time to pay serious attention to Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic. She got on a lot of people's watch lists last year but being as she's part of the WTA that means nothing in the wider scheme of things. Blondes with long braids are a dime a dozen in the WTA and they've mostly turned out to be flashes in the pan.

That all changed today. Playing against a hostile French crowd - I know there's no other kind but it still has to be said - Kvitova held her nerves together and didn't allow the newly anointed WTA #1 Kim Clijsters to get into a rhythm and dominate the pace of the match. Clijsters had no answers for Kvitova's serve and groundstrokes and since Petra was not about to beat herself Kim once again showed that she is not much more than a glorified pusher. As I've said before she's just better at it than Wozniacki.

I watched the match online on Eurosport2 and the British commentary was full of St Kim adulation and pictures of her husband and daughter. I don't know if eating crow is done in Europe but I hope it was cooked to their liking.

Despite all the pomp and ceremony in Paris Clijsters can be passed by the Deserving One (see above) if she reaches the semifinals in Dubai. It's still the WTA kids. But watch out for Ms Petra Kvitova.

Flanked by Bahian priestesses Nicolas Almagro (r) and Aleksandr Dolgopolov pose with their trophies. Almagro won the crown at Costa do Sauipe.

Robin Soderling successfully defended his crown in Rotterdam. He defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

Rotterdam doubles champions Jurgen Melzer and Philipp Petzschner flank Tournament Director Richard Krajicek.

It seemed as if Daniela Hantuchova was tuning up to sing her swan song. After all her game seemed anachronistic and she'd always been considered physically fragile. Besides she hadn't won a title of any kind in four years. That drought has ended as she defeated Sara Errani of Italy in Thailand. Some found fault with her commenting that the semi final against Vera Zvonareva was a "mini final" but truth be told it was. I can't speak for everyone but I didn't expect her to win that match. I understand that Vera got very upset about a call and that was it for her.

That leads me to wonder why there are still tournaments - some majors as we saw in Paris this week and during Fed Cup play last week - being played on courts without HawkEye. It's expensive but it makes for much cleaner matches and less conspiracy theories from people like me. Oh well. Guess I'm shoveling shit against the tide again.

End Note

The highly anticipated match between Milos Raonic and Fernando Verdasco at the SAP Open will be played later today. Raonic got a walkover from an injured Gael Monfils into the final while Verdasco routined Juan Martin del Potro 6-4, 6-4 for the chance to defend his title. Needless to say I hope to be watching and Tweeting about that match and posting about it later. I can't wait for Brad Gilbert to pronounce the young Canadian's name. On second thought I can.

The WTA Has A New Top Dog

by Savannah

The Official WTA Statement

Friday, February 11, 2011

KIM CLIJSTERS BECOMES WTA WORLD NO.1

Four-time Grand Slam Champion regains top ranking for the first time since March 2006

PARIS, FRANCE – By reaching the semifinals at the 2011 Open GDF SUEZ, Kim Clijsters will return to the
top of the WTA Rankings on Monday, February 14, 2011. Clijsters will surpass the current World No.1
Caroline Wozniacki who has held the top spot for 18 consecutive weeks since October 11, 2010. Clijsters
will be ranked WTA World No.1 for the fourth time in her career and will climb to the top of the WTA
Rankings for the first time since March 19, 2006. It has been 256 weeks since the last time Clijsters was
World No.1, the second longest streak between No.1 rankings in men’s or women’s tennis history (S.
Williams, 265 weeks).

“I am happy to regain the No.1 here in Paris as I feel like it’s close to home in Belgium,” Kim Clijsters
stated. “I’m proud that I have achieved this in my second career and as a mom. I hope that I can now go
on and win the tournament.”
“I congratulate Kim on achieving the World No.1 ranking once again in her career. It is incredible that
five years have passed since Kim was No.1, but the fans of women’s tennis are incredibly lucky to have
her back and playing the best tennis of her career. To be able to excel on the tennis court while being a
working mother is truly commendable,” said Stacey Allaster, Chairman and CEO of the WTA.

Clijsters has enjoyed a great beginning to the 2011 season, winning 15 out of 16 matches, highlighted
by capturing the 2011 Australian Open title, her fourth career Grand Slam, and reaching the final at the
Medibank International (Sydney) where she lost to China’s Li Na. In the past 52 weeks, Clijsters has won
five titles, including the 2010 US Open, the year-end WTA Championships (Doha), the Sony Ericsson
Open (Miami) and the Western & Southern Women’s Open (Cincinnati), in addition to the Australian
Open.

Clijsters is the owner of 41 WTA singles titles – 13th all time – and has 495 career match wins. She
boosted her career prize money earnings to more than $23 million at the Australian Open and ranks
third best all-time, behind Serena and Venus Williams, respectively. Since her WTA comeback in August
2009, Clijsters owns the best match winning percentage (.861, 68-11) and has won seven WTA singles
titles, including three of the last five Grand Slams.

TOTAL WEEKS AT WORLD NO.1

PLAYER DATE REACHED No.1 WEEKS*

Steffi Graf (GER) August 17, 1987 377

Martina Navratilova (TCH/USA) July 10, 1978 332

Chris Evert (USA) November 3, 1975 260

Martina Hingis (SUI) March 31, 1997 209

Monica Seles (YUG/USA) March 11, 1991 178

Serena Williams (USA) July 8, 2002 123

Justine Henin (BEL) October 20, 2003 117

Lindsay Davenport (USA) October 12, 1998 98

Amélie Mauresmo (FRA) September 13, 2004 39

Dinara Safina (RUS) April 20, 2009 26

Tracy Austin (USA) April 7, 1980 21

KIM CLIJSTERS (BEL) August 11, 2003 20

Jelena Jankovic (SRB) August 11, 2008 18

Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) October 11, 2010 18

Jennifer Capriati (USA) October 15, 2001 17

Maria Sharapova (RUS) August 22, 2005 17

Ana Ivanovic (SRB) June 9, 2008 12

Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario (ESP) February 6, 1995 12

Venus Williams (USA) February 25, 2002 11

Evonne Goolagong (AUS) April 26, 1976 2

The good news is that a Slam winner sits on top of the WTA heap. I know her fans are happy for what she has accomplished in her second career. As usual the tired phrase "you can only beat who's across the net from you" will be repeated by some. My comment on this is not mine. It comes from a tennishead calling herself "Lilac".

As I have written before. I feel cheated. Clisjters was second tier in her era; never able to beat her rivals, Capriati, Serena, Venus, Henin for a trophy. Each is either retired or on the downside of their careers; and she's returned after a long rest to compete in a women's field with no great champions. Like I told Craig Hickman -- hey, if you can't win in your era, just wait and come back in a less competitive one to pick up slams. I'm no fan of Davenport, but I think it sucks that Clisjters has surpassed her in slam titles. Booo.

Not much more to say is there?

Miscellany

Dmitry Tursunov has learned the perils of social media at severe cost to his reputation as a player and a person. He tweeted today that he was stealing wi-fi from someone riding on the same train he was and then made what in my opinion was a slur aimed at people of Jewish descent. His major defense was that he dogs Russians as well and no one cared about that.

We're all adults here so lets be real. Every group has things that are considered peculiar to their cultural, racial or ethnic group. That said most people in today's world don't repeat those things outside of the group, and certainly not on a platform like Twitter where you never know who is following you and posts can go viral in a matter of minutes. I thought Tursunov would say "sorry" and disappear for awhile. Instead he continued to try and defend his comments. Speaking personally I stopped following a person who made insulting racial comments about Serena Williams.

I hope someone has gotten to Tursunov and his attempts at defending himself stop.

Tennis Talk

I'm sorry I don't remember the names of the commentators who covered the Milos Raonic vs Richard Berankis match in San Jose this afternoon but I applaud their analysis of the current situation in men's tennis especially as it relates to the United States.

Raonic as we know is a young Canadian who has been the story of 2011 so far. He is tall, with a huge serve and mobility similar to Juan Martin del Potro. Long story short the commentators talked about how the USTA would simply love to have a talent like Raonic but that none is forthcoming at this time. They spoke frankly about Andy Roddick having been the standard bearer for men's tennis in the States and that he may not have another Slam in him. They discussed the wisdom of regional vs national centers for up and coming players, and the allure that baseball, football and even hockey have on young American athletes. They talked about Roger Federer and how he seems to think the change in his style of play was his brainchild and that new coach Paul Annacone has not been given the credit he should be in Federer's public comments. They spoke about the Player Development structure in Spain and France and how France, while producing good players has not produced Grand Slam winners while Spain has. Guys, I don't know your names but I hope to hear more from you. I doubt very seriously that ESPN2 will hire you because you speak frankly and honestly. Enjoyed your broadcast.

If Bethanie Mattek-Sands keeps it up she'll become known for more than just her on court attire. I read somewhere today that a lot of the credit for her improved level of play - she defeated Andrea Petkovic today in Paris - goes to Fed Cup Captain Mary Jo Fernandez. If so my hat is off to Mary Jo. She still has no business being a commentator but if she brings out the latent talent Bethanie has always had she deserves her props.

It should be noted that Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is into the semi finals in Rotterdam after Tomas Berdych withdrew from the tournament due to illness.

There is also a flu epidemic sweeping Russia at the present time. As you all know Maria Sharapova withdrew from Paris due to a viral illness.

Both Alexandr Dolgopolov and Janko Tipsarevic have confirmed that the Tennis Integrity Unit has contacted them. The TIU is the sports anti-corruption arm that deals with suspicious betting. Dolgopolov said that he was not the only player contacted. "I wasn't really surprised because I knew some guys, you know, like Russian guys, they got those letters."

Janko Tipsarevic also confirmed that he was contacted over his three-set defeat to Horacio Zeballos in Moscow in October.

"I said to the TIU that I have no problem, they can send me a letter every week if they want," he told ubitennis.com. “All it needed was a phone call to my bank, to my phone company and I gave them everything. Easy, just took seven days, I sent them my account, the telephone list, everything they wanted, what’s the problem?"—

SOURCE

Heard Around

by Savannah

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga says the domination of the men's tour by two players is over

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands: Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Tuesday sauntered into the second round of the ATP Rotterdam Open after a 6-4, 6-4 defeat of Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov and declared the era of domination from Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal is over.

The eighth-seed who lost the 2008 Australian Open final to Novak Djokovic said that the Serb's victory in Melbourne little more than a week ago over Andy Murray marked a gate-crashing of the private party enjoyed by the Swiss and Spaniard for the last half-decade.

"Federer and Nadal are not alone (at the top of the rankings) any more," said Tsonga, who fired 11 aces in his 75-minute win over the 19-year-old Dimitrov.

"Maybe on clay, things (Nadal's victories) are still the same, but not on other surfaces.

"Djokovic and Murray are beating Nadal and Federer very often, all the players are improving their games. It's not just about Nadal and Federer any more."

Tsonga said that his present world ranking of 18 after an injury-marred 2010 season, which saw him fall out of the Top 10, was not a reflection of his present form.

"I've also improved my game but my ranking has gone backwards," he said. "I feel that I'm playing better than two or three years ago.

"I'm in good shape and taking the matches here step by step - but I still feel I have a chance to win the title," said Tsonga, who has won five ATP titles.

American Sam Querrey continues his charm campaign. After losing to Lukas Lacko 7-6(6), 6-3 at San Jose last evening Querry is reported to have "nearly walked from his press conference," by one source and to have blown the press off by others. I'm not sure what his problem is. Well, I do. It's a syndrome often seen in those who feel they're above everyone else due to their social status. Very often these types hate being called for their shit and become whiny babies when it happens. I guess he'll be riding that Porsche more and more if things keep up the way they have for him on the tennis court.

Meanwhile Juan Martin del Potro won his first round match at the SAP Open.

Yanina Wickmayer may be doubtful for Paris after a wall fell on her leg. It seems she was signing autographs after Fed Cup and a fan surge ended up with the wall falling.

The ITF has announced the draws for the Fed Cup World Group Playoffs to be held April 16-17.

WORLD GROUP PLAY-OFFS

Germany v USA

SPAIN v France

SLOVAK REPUBLIC v Serbia

AUSTRALIA v Ukraine

WORLD GROUP II PLAY-OFFS

Belarus (*) v ESTONIA

Japan v ARGENTINA

Slovenia (*) v CANADA

SWITZERLAND v Sweden

Home teams listed first

Seeds in capitals

(*) = choice of ground decided by lot

Gee I wonder what surface Germany will choose?

Staying with the WTA Melanie Oudin got a good win (for her) over Vera Dushevina in Paris yesterday. The indoor surface plays very fast and she has done well in the past at the GDF Suez.

The most talked about person in tennis right now has to be Kim Clijsters. Most of the talk is about her ascension to the WTA #1 spot as preordained and what it means for women's tennis. Everyone is looking forward to Serena Williams return - her form will be closely scrutinized at that March 8 Nike exhibition - but I don't think anyone expects her to storm the ramparts and immediately reclaim her top ranking. Yeah I remember Australia and #81 but the Serena coming back is older and has suffered through a debilitating injury. Yes she's been practicing from her walker/wheelchair but the latest pictures taken at the Super Bowl show she is still wearing the boot on her foot.

Do I detect the whiff of desperation in the frenzied talk about Clijsters? Is that an acknowledgement that the current computer ranked #1 while the type of what the WTA wants in a top player is not a representative of what women's tennis wants to be about? Kim has now won a Slam outside of the United States and some are predicting she may do well at Wimbledon. Looked at in terms of accomplishments Clijsters has now won four slams and it would be good for the WTA to have a Slam winner sitting on top of the heap. I can't argue with that.

Do I like Clijsters game? No. Do I think she's a glorified, more experienced pusher? Yes. But she does have those Slams now. I guess I'll have to get used to turning the volume down when the commentators start worshipping at the altar of Saint Kim, the only woman on the planet ever to give birth.

Li Na just signed big contracts with Rolex and Haagen-Dazs.

Knowing the battles Li has fought in the past does this mean she gets to keep the proceeds or will she have to kick back a percentage to her tennis federation? I haven't seen any discussion about this. Also for clarification the Chinese custom is for the last name to go first. I try to respect that and call her Li Na. Na is her first name.

Paris in the Spring - RG Day 6

by Savannah

I hate to always start out bitchin' but what in the names of all the gods are they thinking over at ESPN?! I don't think they've shown one second of live tennis since they came on the air at 12 noon Eastern US time.

When they started their coverage Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, back injury and all, was battling Thiemo de Bakker who had just beaten him in Barcelona. Did United States viewers get to see any of that match? Not unless their ISP allows ESPN3 or they had access to an online live stream.

And just now, in the Match of the Day, Nadia Petrova and Arazane Rezai split the first two sets and battled to a seven all tie in the third. Both women had match points and lost them. Nadia, more animated than I've ever seen her, was screaming for play to be stopped and Aravane, stubborn woman that she is, refused to give in. Once again unless you had online access you were watching matches played and decided earlier in the day. If all ESPN is going to do is tape all of their coverage as it happens and replay it during the afternoon it should not be implied that they are providing live coverage.

I'm not quite ignorant of the fact that they feel they're going with players who will attract American viewers but way back when it was matches like the one's I've mentioned above that made me a fan. Americans may not have a clue who Aravane Rezai or Nadia Petrova are but their match would have made new tennis fans. The same with the Tsonga vs De Bakker match. Jo was grimacing after every point and didn't even do his celebratory dance when the match was over. It's just very, very frustrating to hear and read the Grand Poobah's of tennis whining about why the fan base of tennis doesn't expand when they do their best to make sure fans see the same players over and over instead of exposing them to the greatness of the game regardless of who is playing.

In Other News...

Maria Kirlenko eliminated last years Women's Champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in three sets 6-3, 2-6, 6-4. Sveta had struggled throughout the tournament coming from behind to win both of her matches leading up to today. Maria will play Francesca Schiavone in the next round.

The dream match up between Justine Henin and Maria Sharapova will take place. Sharapova won her darkness delayed match over Kirsten Flipkens and Henin won her delayed match over Klara Zakopalova. May the best woman win.

John Isner had a very good clay season. He proved that he is more mature than his peer Sam Querrey. He lost today. I for one applaud him for crossing the pond early and getting good results on red dirt. It's going to pay off for him in the long run. Of course I said the same thing about Querrey and he may still show excellent results on clay. It's whether or not he can stand up to the stresses of high level tennis that are in question.

Elena Dementieva won her match today despite the wrapping on her calf.

Alexandra Dulgheru lost her match today.

End Note


Please note the weekend television schedule!
Tennis Channel will have coverage Saturday,May 29
5:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. ET (live) R32
3:00-6:30 p.m. ET French Open Tonight
Sunday, May 30
5:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. ET (live) R16
3:00-6:30 p.m. ET French Open Tonight

NBC Sports will have coverage Saturday, May 29
12:00-3:00 p.m. ET (live) R32

Sunday, May 30
12:00-3:00 p.m. ET (live) R16

ESPN2, ESPN DEPORTES AND ESPN3.COM WILL RESUME COVERAGE ON MONDAY, MAY 31.

Paris In the Spring - RG Day 4

by Savannah

Why is anyone shocked that Taylor Dent served as a door mat for someone who can really play on clay? I'm stunned he even made it to the second round. The United States tennis establishment is determined to shove serve and volley down the throats of the rest of the world where it is rightly seen as a tactic during a match and not the sole strategy.

The announcer on ESPN3 calling the Aravane Rezai vs Angelique Kerber match said that the way Rezai plays reminds him of American trained female players. He's not totally wrong.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga complained bitterly during his post match presser today about his scheduling request not being granted.

Q. So you didn't want to play on Sunday? So you're surprised, I suppose. You're French No. 1, we're in France, this is a French tournament and an important one. Were you surprised? Did it get on your nerves to be imposed to play on a Sunday?

JO WILFRIED TSONGA: I expected this question, to tell you what I think about this. Frankly, I was a bit disappointed because I was playing on a Sunday. I had asked not to play on a Sunday, absolutely, because I had practiced in such a way that I thought I wanted to play on a Monday or Tuesday, to be totally fit.
But they imposed it on me. I had to play on a Sunday. I have to accept the rules. This is the game and this is it.
Now, if you're world No. 80 and you're not that important in the hierarchy, if I can say, loads of things are imposed on you in this case. What really bothered me is that, you know, if you look at Murray, if he decides on a day or hour at Wimbledon, nobody's going to impose anything on him.
For Federer in his country it's the same. In the U.S. I suppose it's the tame thing for the best American players. I think that Lleyton probably plays in the sun during the Australian Open because he loves the sun and other opponents don't like the sun. He wants to play in the sun.
Today we're in France. I'm French. I'm French No. 1. I would have thought it was legitimate for me to be listened to, that I would be given a choice. They should listen to me when I wanted to play or start.
But I accepted the rules, and that's all. I'm disappointed. That's true, because I expected a bit more from the organization and the rest, but this is the way it is. I mean, had I lost on Sunday because I was not feeling good, then many people would have been disappointed. This would have been a bit silly, I think.
But it wasn't the case, so I'm here, and I'm fit. I'm ready to play. This story will continue, and that's the end of the story.

Q. Is it a lesson for you? Will it not change your behavior vis a vis number of top managers to be firmer and to behave like someone who's got nerves?

JO WILFRIED TSONGA: No, no, because I'm quite open, and organizer or not, my job is to play tennis. Sometimes there are unforeseen events, so we have to adapt. But what I expected from them is to listen to me a little.
But, you know, sometimes it's this thing here, that thing there. You know, during Davis Cups you don't necessarily play in the towns you would like to play in. I'm French No. 1. I can't really decide when I'm going to start the tournament, which is at home.
So, you know, all these little details which sometimes can be quite annoying, sometimes we complain because we don't have enough good French players, but sometimes we're not given the best conditions. I think it's a bit of a pity.

I read that one of the Russian women made a similar request to the FFT and her request was granted while Tsonga's, along with that of a tired Richard Gasquet's, were not. Bitch on Jo.

The following exchange happened during Dinara Safina's post match presser yesterday. It's being reported by the Russian press.

Q: For how long do you plan to work with your new coach?
A: When you go out with a girl for a few times do you also ask her for how long she plans to date you?

Q: Your today's opponent left tennis for 10 years and then returned. Now she is winning. Maybe you should do that too?
A: Stupid questions you have today... (and left the room)

I would've left after punching the reporter in the face. At least she didn't cut and run like Viktoria Azarenka.

Cat Fight

Rezai on Bartoli: "Marion is a difficult girl....She attacked me many times in the press. "I don't have the same education as the one she has...I have respect for players."

Matches of the Day

No one expects anything from Svetlana Kuznetsova this French Open. Not only is she not expected to compete she was relegated to Court 1 for her match today. Instead of succumbing to expectations Sveta gutted out a three set win over a game Andrea Petkovic who actually served for the match in the second set. Sveta has played two matches and had to come from behind in both of them. I'm not saying she'll repeat as champion but she's not going down without a fight.

There are matches still being played as I post this. It's now going on 9p in Paris. Tomorrow's schedule will be interesting.

“One of the most amazing sights that I could barely see.”
Patrick McEnroe

In the heat of battle men should not be asked to make a decision about whether to stop and continue at a later time. Too much adrenaline and too much testosterone are flowing in their bodies and the thought process is muddled at best.

This is the decision Gael Monfils and Fabio Fognini were asked to make during the fifth set of their match. Monflls had been up two sets to none and looked to be cruising when Fognini woke up and leveled the match at two sets all. It was already late and as we all know Roland Garros has no lights. Figuring that common sense would prevail I figured they would stop play at 3-all. I was wrong. Instead an argument broke out and that guy named Drama who is always hanging out in the corner sipping scotch got up and took over. Both men wanted to continue. Fognini's camp was telling him to get off the court but he refused. Monfils was already walking back on court as if to say he was finished talking and it was time to play. Fognini got up in chair ump Carlos Bernardes face and next thing you know he penalized Fognini one point for delay. By this time it was pitch black and both players, pros that they are, were playing on instinct, knowing where the lines are and making sure they kept the ball away from them. For the most part that is. The only light was cast by the scoreboard and to say it was eerie was putting it mildly.

In the end, with the score at five all play was suspended. Monfils, who had been gung-ho to continue from the beginning was cramping and yet managed to play well. Fognini cursed his way off the court. Some are saying Carlos is not going to chair the conclusion of the match tomorrow because he gave Fognini the point penalty. The arguing had gone on for six minutes and it was time to crab or carry the basket. If he doesn't chair the conclusion I hope it's because he has another match to work.

If you're thinking this is a back to the future scenario it is. Last year it was Andy Roddick playing against Gael Monfils and the darkness.

It's going to be exciting to see how this all ends. Monfils was cramping at the end of play.

By the way matches featuring John Isner, Marcos Baghdatis and Andy Murray will also resume tomorrow.

In other news...

Husband and wife tennis players looking to be based in Istanbul, Turkey.

Late last year, soon after Australian husband-and-wife team Jarmila and Sam Groth lost their individual $150,000 scholarships at the Australian Institute of Sport, they received an offer they could not refuse. It was from Gavin Hopper, now involved with a new tennis academy in Turkey. Within months, the Groths, too, will be based in Istanbul.
(...)
Hopper is an experienced coach and trainer, whose clients before he served a 27-month jail term for indecently assaulting a 14-year-old student while a teacher at Wesley College in the 1980s, included Mark Philippoussis and Monica Seles. He also founded an academy on the Gold Coast with former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash. More recently, he has been working for the Turkish Tennis Federation and living with his family in Istanbul for several years.

SOURCE

Paul Annacone will not have his contract renewed by the Lawn Tennis Association when it expires in November of this year.

The French Open Day 1

by Savannah

Before I get to the pictures I want to understand something. It was known that Viktoria Azarenka was injured going into the French Open. Well known. So why is it that her loss is being talked about as a major upset while this result - Akgul Amanmuradova (UZB) d. (20) María José Martínez Sánchez (ESP) 62 64 - is being ignored? MJMS was hot coming into Paris and many expected her to go deep in the tournament. Instead she's out to a woman who barely played any tennis during the clay season.
Meanwhile Azarenka left the grounds without granting an interview to the press. That means that in addition to not defending her quarterfinal points from last year she's being fined. Not a good day for Miss Azarenka.

I also need to understand how Chris Fowler could talk about Janko Tipsarevic being a contender when at the time this comment aired Tipsarevic had already lost? When did they record this stuff?

I watched Ernests Gulbis spraying shots all over the court and thought it was nerves. Instead he retired with an injury.

And finally I need to know who the hell told Svetlana Kuznetsova to wear shorts that do nothing but call attention to her derriere and not in a good way. I'm also guessing that Aravane Rezai is wearing that horrid gold thing. The only picture I saw of her was on the RG official site and she was in it.

Glad to see butts in the seats for Venus Williams match against Patty Schnyder.

The Frenchmen rained catcalls on Venus when she revealed the black lace version of her French Maid outfit. The skirt appears to be see through. They liked it. A lot. Especially since the shorts are skin toned. Venus skin tone.

It was a bright sunny day in Paris and the courts needed to be maintained.

The French Tennis Federation turned down Jo-Wilfried Tsonga's request to start later this week. They were consistent and turned down Richard Gasquet's request as well. Gasquet cited the Nice tournament win and Tsonga cited illness. It took Jo five sets but he prevailed over a determined Daniel Brands of Germany.

The Big Yellow Ball Brigades were out in force. When they're on the move you know a match is over.

Despite her loss it's good to see Anne Keothavong competing again.

End Note

I've been spoiled. I lasted an hour listening to the announcers on Tennis Channel/ESPN today. Not one of them seemed to have been watching any of the clay court season and Chris Fowler wasn't the only one who suffered from foot in mouth disease. When one of them commented that a player was sliding into his shot instead of using a more traditional approach I'd had it. I don't remember if this was before or after John McEnroe waxed poetic about how a day like this would play on the hard courts at the BJK Tennis center in New York.

Sure Robbie Koenig , Jason Goodall and their compatriots had their fanboy moments but in the end it was all about the tennis. The thing is when you wake up at five in the morning and are still lying in bed what happens is that you fall asleep. Oh well.

Quotable Quotes

by Savannah

Venus Williams and Andy Murray have made some interesting comments

Venus Williams on the state of women's tennis in the States.

“Thankfully [Serena and I] won't be walking into the sunset too soon,” Venus said. “Hopefully that will give some bumper time. It's just definitely strange because of the unbelievable tradition we've had with tennis for Americans since the beginning. I think that's what makes it so odd.

"But I've got hope. There are a lot of players who are very good, but getting to that level isn't easy for anyone. So hopefully there will be someone coming along soon with the tools and the traits and who will build that in their game to get there."

Andy Murray on his recent play.

Andy Murray said he's frustrated by his recent lack of mental toughness.

“I haven't been tough enough on the court, and that's what's most disappointing,” he said. "You can kind of get away with playing
badly. I don't really mind that. But mentally the last few weeks I've been really poor and unacceptable. It's not been great since
Australia.

"I need to find a way to get round it, and I'm sure I will. I've gone through bad patches before, and I just need to practice hard,
work hard, and get stronger. I'm sure I'll start playing better again. But the last few weeks haven't been the best.”

Yaninia Wickmayer's father Marc Wickmayer has said unless his daughter is a starting Fed Cup singles player she will not play in the tie against Estonia at the end of April.

"It's the beginning of the clay season and Yanina does not want to risk injury in a match without significance," Marc Wickmayer told Le Soir, questioning Henin's motives for volunteering for the tie. "Why does Justine want to play? Because the match is taking place in Belgium? To look after her popularity in Flanders? If she's there again next year to go to Russia or the Czech Republic, then I'll present her with my apologies."

Marc Wickmayer also said Clijsters "doesn't talk to me a lot and is very distant with Yanina."

Yanina, however, has indicated she would be willing to play either way. "If I have to play, I'll play. If not, I'll encourage the others," she said. "The most important thing is that Belgium wins. I don't want to impose myself."

Why Bother?

For the second day in a row in my neck of the woods FSN tennis coverage ended an hour before the posted time. With hockey coverage starting at 6:30p there won't be any tennis on FSN tonight.

I found out late but Tennis Channel did show the Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs Philipp Kohlschreiber match in it's entirety.
On Tuesday Tennis Channel is scheduled to have coverage from 11a - 11p. I can hardly wait.

Seen and Heard Around

by Savannah

It's rare that someone's story touches people to the point that you want to be able to will them to do well in life. When that person is an athlete and their personal tragedy has been played out on the world's stage the dynamic is only slightly changed.
There is no need to go into the story ofJelena Dokic for anyone who has followed tennis for the last few years. After a spectacular reemergence in this years Australian Open she kind of faded into the background again. She reemerged in Paris and stood across the net from Elena Dementieva someone she pretty much owned during her heyday and for awhile it looked as if the old balance of power was unchanged as Jelena absorbed and returned all the power of Elena's groundstrokes putting Dementieva in the now unaccustomed position of a possible early exit from a major.

But where the spirit was willing the flesh proved to be weak. It's very rare that the almost exact moment of an injury is captured but this picture comes close. There isn't much more to report. Jelena tried but she could barely bend her knees to serve and in the end she had to retire handing Elena the victory.
There were no hands raised in victory. Instead Elena went over to comfort a distraught Dokic, something that was also captured by a photographer.

The Men of France

Paul Henri Mathieu

Marc Gicquel

Gael Monfils

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

They seem an inspired lot don't they?

By the way can anyone identify this guy?

Rumor is he's an American but that can't be right can it?

Heard Around

by Savannah

Maria Sharapova has been granted a wild card into next weeks WTA Warsaw tournament. She will be seeded fourth with a protected ranking of 30. Her actual ranking is 125. I can't believe she's coming back on clay.

Vania King blogs about some of the strange goings on at La Caja Magica.

So some of the most amazing things have happened at this tournament (and I'm not talking about the disorganization). There have been three "mini" tornados. One I saw three days ago when we were practicing in the afternoon. Alla and Christian were serving on the far back practice court, and we were on the court practicing in front of them. The wind was blowing a bit but not gusting. Suddenly, the wind switched direction and started gusting heavily, tossing around three large umbrellas (with stands) up high in the air. I was already scared for Alla and Christian (and myself, too, but I was watching this from another court), but then a huge gust of wind started a "mini" tornado on her court, just feet away from her. She and Christian crouched in a fetal position, while the tornado ripped apart the back of the court. And then five seconds later, all was calm. It was the most amazing thing.

These "mini" tornados happened three times already. Today on Center Court, apparently one person had to be hospitalized in intensive care because they were hit in the neck by something that was picked up by the tornado.

OK, so amazing thing No. 2... It was raining off and on today, so the matches were postponed at times, and around 3 or 4 p.m., the matches went back out on court. However, after around 30 minutes, court 4's match had to be suspended. The reason? Hundreds of bees swarmed the court, and firefighters had to be called to clear them out. An hour later, the match hadn't been resumed. Hopefully the bees didn't choose to go to court 5 after.

Just in case you thought Serena was talking out of her, uh, asset when she made her comments about the why of playing when injured in today's WTA here are a couple of pics from her match today.





James Blake had two match points in the second set of his title match at Estoril yesterday. He ended up losing the third set to love. I'm giving James a pass on this one since he had to play two matches yesterday after rain and darkness delayed his semi final. He got a good win over Nikolay Davydenko in the semi final. He has to be feeling good about his chances on the dirt going forward.

Andy Roddick and his team have joined Team Lagardere of France. This actually happened last week but with everything else going on I neglected to report it. Andy seems enamored of all things French. He wears Lacoste instead of Adidas or Nike.


Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was awarded a trophy for Most Promising Young Tennis Player today in Madrid.

I've been watching the matches today on TennisTV, the first ones broadcast from the Magic Box (La Caja Magica) in Madrid. It's a beautiful facility notwithstanding mini tornadoes and swarms of bees. The interesting thing is that even with the roof open the court gives the impression of being indoors. The crowd was almost nonexistent this morning but that's not unusual. Spain is a nocturnal country. The stands are in the process of filling up as I type this since the afternoon break is just about over and people will be out and about.
How is the court playing? More on that tomorrow.

Tennis Talk

by Savannah

So here's one mans summary of and solution forRoger Federer's problems.

OK, so let's play along with this. Federer's back is a mess; the guy can barely get out of bed in the morning. Rafael Nadal is in his head, Novak Djokovic is in his face, and Andy Murray is in his kitchen, stealing the silverware. What's a guy to do? The answer is obvious: take some time off. Go get yourself healthy, clear your head, get rid of that tummy and return with a strong back, fire in your eyes and a good hate on for Nadal, Djokovic and company.

All of this after suggesting that Roger was forced into playing Monte Carlo by Rolex. No proof of course, just a supposition. Here's the Source for the rest of the article.

This and That

Tennis Ticker reports that the ITF has ruled against Australia in it's attempt to move their DC match from Chennai. In a statement regarding the tie set to be played May 8-10 the ITF indicates that their security evaluation shows no pending danger.

Gael Monfils has withdrawn from Barcelona due to tendonitis in his knees. His countryman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has also withdrawn from the event. Richard Gasquet feels his shoulder is well enough for him to play. I read that Gael had tried some non traditional medical approaches to his injuries and may now be the worst for it. Jo-Wilfried has chronic back problems and it's virtually impossible for him to play a full schedule.

In an "oh really" development Belgian Carl Maes stepped down as head of women's tennis for the Lawn Tennis Association citing personal reasons.

China's outspoken Li Na stated the following in an interview that appeared in the China Daily 04/15/2009 page23

"Just give them (young athletes) the right to choose," Li told China Daily before traveling to Germany to prepare for China's Fed Cup tie and the ensuing clay-court season.

"If I had an opportunity to choose what I wanted to do in childhood, I wouldn't go for tennis. It is a sport that I was always pushed to do, first by my parents, then provincial and national sports administrators."

Ms Li has led the fight in China for athletes to keep more of their prize money and appears to have won that right for her peers. Reading this still makes me sad though.

End Notes

Serena Williams and Common at New Years In April: A Fools Fete in New York City 4/16/2009

Monday Tennis Talk

by Savannah

Blame "Slumdog Millionaire". Oh I know! Blame Brangelina! Mickey Rourke? You can blame him for just about anything. I was kind of pulling for him to win but after his nasty remarks about Sean Penn after the nominations were announced I knew he was out of the running.
See? There's a reason I didn't post on Sunday. I have to see the Red Carpet at the big award shows and this time I stuck around to actually watch the award show. Sound plausible? Good.

Tommy Robredo 2009 Champion Buenos Aires

The Controversy Part II
So after all the drama surrounding the UAE and Shahar Pe'er not to mention fines and all that imagine my surprise when I read this on The Ticker this morning.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says he feels Andy Ram should boycott this week's tournament in Dubai. "I was a bit surprised to discover that Andy Ram did intend to go there," Olmert was quoted as saying by Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz. "It would be highly worthwhile for someone to advise him to demonstrate patriotism and solidarity and boycott the tournament."

The UAE government granted Ram a visa in the face of international pressure following its decision to deny one to Shahar Peer for the women's event last week.

If this is how the Israeli government feels why didn't it comment last week before everything went down the way it did?

In other Middle East related tennis news The Ticker also reports that the city of Stockholm has offered to replace Malmo as the host city of the Sweden-Israel Davis Cup tie next week, which would allow the matches to be open to the public.

The city council of Malmo had decided not allow spectators into the arena during the tie, citing security concerns over planned protests against Israel's actions in Gaza.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 2009 Champion Marseilles

This and That
With the changes in how ranking points are doled out it seems paying attention to who is playing where and when is going to be very important this year. Exhibit A is what happened to the ATP 500 event scheduled in Dubai this week. The original draw looked like a who's who of the top ten men. The tournament that is actually being played features a field minus Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Nikolay Davydenko,
Andy Roddick and Fernando Verdasco. As I mentioned before Roger Federer will not play a 500 event before the US Open and will receive "0" points for each event not played. Clarification is needed. All of the men who withdrew will receive a "0" for the missed event with no chance of making it up. If they had come and all lost in the first round they'd still get a "0" but that could be erased by playing in another event. Clear? Here's a look at how the men stand this week.

D = Dallas
DE= Delray Beach
A= Acapulco

Thanks to ""Judio" for putting this information together and updating it every week.

New Old This Project Low
Rank Rank Player Week Points Opt
1 1 Nadal 0 14360
2 2 Federer 0 10910
3 3 Djokovic 0 8920 D
4 4 Murray 0 7310 D
5 5 Davydenko 0 4715
6 6 Roddick 0 4440
7 7 Del Potro 0 4290 220
8 8 Simon 0 3745 D
9 9 Verdasco 0 3330
10 11 Tsonga 0 3300 200
11 10 Monfils 0 3250 A
12 13 Blake 0 2990 150
13 12 Nalbandian 0 2895 A
14 14 Ferrer 0 2725 D
15 17 Wawrinka 0 2660 0
16 18 Gonzalez 0 2650 120
17 15 Robredo 0 2620 A
18 16 Stepanek 0 2530 50
19 19 Cilic 0 2420 D
20 20 Fish 0 2305 50 De
21 23 Berdych 0 2230 100
22 24 Andreev 0 2060 D
23 25 Safin 0 2040 D
24 22 Soderling 0 2015 90
25 27 Lopez F 0 1995 45
26 26 Gasquet 0 1920 D
27 29 Karlovic 0 1880 D
28 28 Tursunov 0 1875 D
29 30 Ancic 0 1795 45
30 21 Almagro 0 1780 A

Mark Knowles and son Graham celebrate Mark and Mardy Fish' Doubles Victory in Memphis

What makes a match must see? Well Marat Safin faces Richard Gasquet tomorrow in Dubai. Train wreck or instant classic? Won't you kick yourself if you miss it?

Victoria Azarenka 2009 Women's Champion Memphis

Andy Roddick overcame the challenge that is Radek Stepanek and eked out a victory over the man known in some circles as Mack Daddy. I saw the Roddick temperament - I mean what's a Roddick match without a racquet throw or two - but I didn't see the maniacal panicked back and forth, the groin picking (well maybe once or twice) and the arguing for arguments sake from Andy. What I did see was a game plan, stuck to and well executed. He obviously still wants it because he's listening to what new coach Larry Stefanki is telling him and seems to have incorporated what his prior coaches were trying to teach him as well. It is true that the field at Memphis didn't feature any of the big boys - they're over in Europe but will be here for the BNP Paribas Indian Wells and Miami - but it was still a good out of town tryout for Andy. The proof of the pudding will be during those back to back Masters events.

Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra 2009 Doubles Champions Marseille

Maria Sharapova is hitting at Nicky B's place in Florida. There's video on YouTube to prove it. Will she come back for Indian Wells? Maybe. She's not a big fan favorite in Florida - many still remember the incident with Tatiana Golovin a few years back - but her fans are beating the bushes everywhere you turn for her to come back and "stop" Venus and Serena Williams.
Why does someone have to "stop" Venus and Serena when they're the biggest draws on the tour? A lot of these screeds are written by American "fans" of women's tennis. Wonder why the Russian's aren't baying for Maria's return since she carries Russian, not American citizenship? Maybe it's because the Russian women - minus Maria - seem to be doing very well on the tour thank you very much? I claim no inside knowledge as to what Maria will do and make no predictions as to when she will come back. I just wish some of these "fans" would get behind the top American women as vociferously as they do a Russian woman.

Marcel Granollers and Albert Martin 2009 Doubles Champions Buenos Aires

By the way they're still writing essays on how Roger can beat Rafael just in case you thought that cottage industry had gone away. Roger has now stated that he will only play when he's totally fit.

Liezel Huber and Cara Black with Princess Princess Haya Bint al-Hussein 2009 Doubles Champions Dubai

Yet another tennis player is making the pilgrimage to Las Vegas. The Times of India" is reporting that Sania Mirza will spend a week with Gil Reyes at his training center. She will also get to work with Sven Groeneveld who has made working for Adidas famous. Sania is hoping for wild cards into both Indian Wells and Miami.

Andy Roddick 2009 Men's Champion Memphis

There was a women's event in Bogota Colombia last week that seemed to be the tournament that time forgot. I'm sure the winner, María José Martínez Sánchez (seen below) will remember it. There was also a women's event in Memphis. If you're a casual fan you can be excused for not being aware of it. Two of the top new generation women, Caroline Woznicaki and Victoria Azarenka duked it out for the championship. Ms Wozniacki also had a go at this years feel good story star Jelena Dokic at the beginning of the tournament. There was a lot of interest in the women's side of the event but I guess the wiz kids of the WTA missed that memo. There was absolutely no coverage of the women's event to be found. Zero. Zip. Nada. The entire world, except for the United States, could see the men's event via TennisTV for a fee. Great marketing there too kids. You could, if you looked hard enough, find coverage of the men's event, including the final, if you looked hard enough.

Some tennis heads reported that the camera's were turned off during the women's events in Memphis. The only reason I didn't think this was a joke was because there was really a media blackout for the women. One would think with the WTA only holding on to die hard fans right now they'd look for every chance to put their product out there not hide it. It's not like people were going to descend on Memphis in droves to see the new kids but the tennisheads really wanted to see the play here. Instead they were reduced to scoreboard watching and wild guesses as to what was taking place on court. For a tour that consistently ignores it's top players in favor of one, for a tour that is more the butt of jokes among tennisheads instead of being known as a bastion of good play I find it amazing that every chance isn't taken to push the new generation. I know they're looking for a "savior" but in the meantime push the good product you've got. For every final where one contestant has thirteen double faults(that's you Gisela) there is play like that seen in the Dubai quarters, semis and Final. I'm just sayin' guys. Come on already.

Serena Williams was in the stands for her sister's win at Dubai but wild horses (and several time zones) wouldn't keep her from an Oscar's event. She may be bleary eyed. She may be dog tired but here she is attending Elton John's party. I remember those days when mere mention of the word "party" revived the spirit and sleep could be made up tomorrow. Good times.

Meanwhile, in the "Caption This" photographs of the week Venus was seen working out with her (unidentified) coach.


End Note
I leave you with this question. Why do people laugh when Richard Williams is mentioned as a potential Davis Cup coach for the United States? To steal a phrase enquiring minds want to know.