Agassi isn't going to play. Ginepri said that P-Mac told them that he and Blake are the options for the second spot. Ginepri would seem to have the better game for clay, but I'm pretty sure Blake has better results. I still think Roddick should step aside and let both of them play (since we know P-Mac would never pick them over Andy). Besides being red hot, they both move better and are better from the baseline. None of them should have a problem with C. Rochus, but O. Rochus would probably destroy Roddick. He'd be the favorite against the other two, but I think they'd have a better shot.

Man, the hotness of that match would be ridiculous. Those boys are fine.

She has a bit of gymnast's build: strong legs and arms and what I'll now call a "tennis torso" being as ripped abs are apparently a no-no in torque sports. She is fast, quick, and strong. Isn't that what tennis players are supposed to be? Frankly I watch tennis for the tennis not comparitive morphology, but hey, that's me.

"Occasionally" is the operative word here. Not only did Venus get snippy about Kim this time, but the last time they played, she used the typical Williams sisters' line: If I'd been playing better & not so tired/injured/fill-in-the-blank, there's no way. Venus not only made the statement about Kim's "weird" shots "throwing her off", but, again, she brought "injuries" into it. Poor Venus. Of course, the press was in her corner. Today on ESPN.com, Greg Garber downplayed Kim's last win in this way:

because no one ever simply beats the Williams girls fair & square. Even the "injury" remark was just an "offhand remark" according to Garber--not lack of class & excuse-making. There's always an excuse...er, reason. Even the caption of the picture of Venus notes that Kim beat an "exhausted" Venus. Not an "out-of-condition" Venus, not an "overmatched" Venus--an "exhausted" Venus. Let that girl get some rest. How dare they make her play every other day like all the rest of the players!
Then, let's talk about the picture they use of Kim on ESPN's tennis page today. Not flattering. It's worse than the ones the press used to run of Martina Navratilova when she was the Evil Dyke beating the All American Chrissy Blue-Eyes. Yuck.

Of course, while we're on ESPN & the way the American press depicts different players, they're still harping on Hingis--what, 4-5 years after she retired? In an article from the 2nd of September about the doubles brouhaha, Patrick Hruby writes:

I'm so tired of the morality play of the tennis media. The "heroes" have their reputations defended at all costs, never get taken to task for lack of class; the "villains" (almost always Europeans) are beaten up for years after they're gone. Jim Courier with his comments about the wins of Agassi & Blake being a case of "the good guys winning" was the worst (of course, Courier is the ultimate arbiter of tennis morals, as listening to any 2-minute commentary would tell you). Apparently, all of their opponents are, by extension, the "bad guys" who deserve to lose. Sick, sick, sick of this garbage. No wonder I watch with the TV muted so often.

Westside in Houston uses the red clay, not the green. In years past they supposedly brought the crew from France to tend to it. This year they didn't and the players complained about the court. Who knows what they'll use next year?

You're seeing what you want to see. It goes both ways. I'm sure you'd agree more with this article. Notice how Venus's comment that "[Kim] played the best [sic]" is set off and ignored. Anyway, I think it was clear to everyone watching that Venus was exhausted. Considering she was (a) in great shape at Wimbledon and (b) had to pull out of tournaments because of the flu, I certainly don't see anything wrong with thinking she might still be feeling some effects. That's not excuse making—it's reasoning. Even when she was in her slump, conditioning was never a problem until last night. "Out-of-condition" would've been weird. "Overmatched" would've been too ridiculous for words.

Fairness has nothing to do with it, because injuries and everything else are part of the game, which makes them fair. I still don't see what's so wrong about Venus (or Serena) thinking she'd have won if she played better. I honestly don't think they're trying to be mean or rude (as someone said, they seem sweet if sheltered). Besides, it's true. That's why you hear so many of the commentators say the match is "on her racquet." With their blend of power and speed, they should win the matches in which they play well. Venus's comments tell me that she realizes she choked.

ETA it was so great to hear from Chanda Rubin. I'm glad she's trying to work her way back.

That pretty much holds true for any player in the top ten, yeah? Frankly, it probably holds true for most pro players. If you play well you win and if you don't you lose. If another player plays better than you, that player will win. This isn't rocket science. If sports broadcasters (note I didn't say journalists) can figure this out, anyone can.

As to ESPN and their obsession with image and looks and the accessories of sport? They lost interest in actual sports broadcasting long ago. It's all about Entertainment! Selling beer! Selling Cialis! The only sports journalism on tv is on HBO with Gumbel and Costas.

By the way, did anyone notice that when USA cut away from the Open to L&O: SVU that they announced. "Law and Order: SVU, brought to you by Cialis."
So very wrong.

So happy for Martina/Groenefeld advancing in doubles! Martina looks like she's really enjoying herself out there and having fun.

I liked Traci's comment about her young coach, and who is really coaching who. After all, how do you coach a 48 year-old legend? Unless you are Bjorn Borg, I'm not really sure how her coach would really know more about tennis than she does.

I have never ever seen a tennis pro whiff on a serve like Groenefeld did towards the very end of the match. But where was the replay? Damn you, USA.

Edited to add: Anyone seen Justin's Gimelstob's blog entry today? It's a list of the ten players with the hottest significant others. Then he has a list of ten "overachievers", of which he lists himself as one. He calls himself "reasonably attractive". BWAH! With those puffy rosacea cheeks and awful hair, he is exaggerating once again. Interesting that Lleyton Hewitt didn't make the top 10. I know a lot of people here don't like his wife, but I find her attractive.

Plus, it's hypothetical. If Venus had raised her level, who's to say Kim wouldn't have responded.

No, I don't think so. Federer has shown he can win without playing well (look no further than almost every match he played in Cincy). Roddick has played well in many of the matches against him, but the matchup problems have rendered that a moot point. As I said before, I thought Davenport and Sharapova both played well in the matches they lost to Venus. OTOH, Lindsay was abysmal and Dechy was red hot in January, but Lindsay still won. Agassi played extremely well in that QF a few years ago and still lost to Sampras. Remember the match between Younes and Andy at the Australian? To bring out an old cliché, the better player on paper can usually get away with poor play.

Despite the loss, I must say it was nice to see Kuznetsova and Molik play well in doubles after flaming out of the first round in singles.

I hate it when they ask players who they think they will meet in the next match. In other words, who do they think will win the match that decides that.

Everything that's wrong with JMac (well, not everything--as a commentator) was represented in that "fight". That tennis is "entertainment" and should thus follow the rules of entertainment. Oh, Johnny. Go fish.

Justin, Justin, Justin. Philippoussis's girlfriend looks 12. That is not hot.


I think there needs to be a balance. The integrity of the game should be protected at all costs, but I do think the game should try to maintain and increase its marketability. He goes overboard, but I think he's learned to respect tennis more in his "old" age.

Justin doesn’t mention Juan Carlos Ferrero’s girlfriend Patrica? I think she is gorgeous and has a unique look.. More striking than Mark P’s child companion in my opinion.

Yeah, that lady is much better looking than the 12 year old.

I feel so bad for Amelie. She seems like such a nice girl. That game she played when Pierce served for the first set was phenomenal. Too bad there wasn't much else to cheer. Oh, well. Congrats, Mary!

Am I the only one who thought the guy sitting next to Rochus's coach the other night was his boyfriend? He was clearly invested and they never said who he was. I'm a little surprised he has a girlfriend/wife.

Don't know who Andy is seing now but between Mandy Moore and this girl he was said to be seeing after Mandy, I'd wager that Andy's doing all right for himself as well.

On topic: I hated Sharapova's screeching last night. It's a total advantage over other players. How can you concentrate when you've got a freakin' banshee on the other side of the net?

I did laugh at the presence of Marat Safin's guestbox. And I agree that Tim Henman's wife is lovely, but I also thought Andy and Juan Carlos' girlfriends are much prettier than Mark's R. Kelly moment.

I think Sharapova's banshee wail is quite amusing. It ranks up there with Monica Sele's ginormous grunts back in the day. I remember when Maria was losing, I think in Wimbledon, where she actually went a game without shreiking/grunting/wailing at all. And Mary Carillo said "I miss the grunts". So it's obvious she can control it if she wants. There really can't be any rule changes for it, so if it's a psychological advantage, then I think she's fine to exploit it.

Actually, it was the first few games of the match. Sharapova and Venus were both totally silent. It was both nice and eerie. Sharapova (and the other grunters like Venus) goes way beyond what Monica used to do.

Mark's girlfriend reminds me of one of the Olsen twins.

Sharapova's screech really annoys me. Between her screaming and her father's ranting it's no wonder she has a psychological edge over the other players.

Oh Goodness, I thought that big galoot Pete Sampras should have made the 'overachievers' list even though he's retired, his wife is gorgeous.

I thought overachievers referred to the fact that although their wives/girlfriends are not supermodel caliber, the women they are with are better than they should be able to get. I didn't think Justin was saying that he felt he is good looking.
What I was asking is if in fact half his face was paralyzed, or merely immobile. There is a difference and it might just be inaccurate word use in the first reports that have been repeated. The virus associated with Bell's Palsy is in the same family as zoster's, and like I said, I had facial immobility, not paralysis.

I read it again, and he says that the overachiever list are players who are involved with a beautiful woman even though there is an obvious gap in physical appearance between them. He's not saying that the man is ugly, just that the girlfriend/wife is far better looking. But then he says he considers himself "reasonably attractive", aside from his "huge noggin" and "invisible calves", but that his girlfriend is far better looking. I think it's his attempt to be humble, but he still comes across as an ass. Mainly because anyone looking at his byline and his rosacea cheeks would say that he is not attractive at all. I think he's obnoxious to put up such a sexist list. It's still not ok even if CNNSI prefaces your entry by calling you "outspoken".

Yay for Mary Pierce again! She seems very content with her life and her tennis right now. I'm hoping she takes it all.

Yeah, he was saying "here's a list of guys who have better-looking women than they should." But he also called himself "reasonably attractive". Heh. That's quite a stretch.
I miss Monica. Still remember the Bud Collins (?) comment when Monica was going to face Gabriela Sabatini in the next round. Something like "For grunt connoiseurs, you have a wonderful selection in the next round. You have Monica Seles (uh-EHH!!!!) versus Gabriela Sabatini (Ahhhhhhh)." Too funny.

Sharapova's banshee wail supposedly broke the decible record for loudest recorded tennis grunting the other night. I don't mind the shrieking either. I think it's kind of amusing as well. And it seems to piss off a lot of opponents, so hey. It's her thing.

Yay for Mary Pierce! And once again, Amelie loses. She just can't get it done. I know Mary is having a great year and a great tournament, but Amelie should have been able to overpower her. What a thoroughly embarassing display by the Queen of Choke. I wonder when Mary and Amelie speak to each other, if they do so in French or English. Mary's French has certainly improved a lot since she first came on the scene. Sounds like she's practically fluent.

And another Yay! for Martina. Still getting it done. I think it was a wise move for her to team up with Groenefeld, a young partner. For some reason, she didn't seem to click with Lisa Raymond or even Lindsay Davenport.

Lindsay has won three grand slams. The last was the Aussie Open in 2000 so yeah it's been a long time but it's not like she's completely fizzed out and gone away. Runner up in Australia and Wimbledon and I think I'm right in saying that the quarters on the clay this year was her best ever result. Speaking of which - why is it that Lindsay - whose movement is clearly slower than the other top players - finds clay such a problem when (I thought) the bounce is slower and hardcourts where the bounce is fast. Surely more time to get to the ball on the slower surface? Or am I just being a tennis fool. If so I may aswell ask my uber dumb question: What surface is the Aussie open played on?

Rebound Ace (hardcourt)

Also, I've heard that Sharapova has literally been working with a coach to tone her screaming down a bit-even she thinks she's going too far with it.

Another funny thing is Mary Pierce's rituals before she serves-apparently she didn't know how she looked or what she was doing until her brother showed her a montage of her tics on court and she was mortified. But obviously she didn't stop doing it.

The Aussie Open is played on Rebound Ace which is a hard court. It's a slower hard court than the U.S. Open and the ball bounces higher.

As for why Lindsay doesn't do better on clay, while the slower surface would allow her, theoretically, to get to more balls, the same holds true for her opponent, thereby pretty much neutralizing Lindsay's strength (her offense, her deep, punishing groundstrokes), robbing her of winners and making her hit more balls/producing more errors. On a grass or hard court, those shots will be winners or produce short responses which will lead to winners. The clay makes it so that the opposing player can usually get to the ball easier and actually do more with it.

The best looking male tennis player, IMO, fittingly has the best looking girlfriend. That would be Marat Safin and his girlfriend Dasha. I remember the camera panning to her during the Australian Open match Marat played against Federer and she is absolutely gorgeous.

Federer and his girlfriend Mirka seem really sweet together but she's not been looking her best lately, IMO. Please, Mirka, I beg thee, get rid of every pair of sunglasses you own and buy some nice normal ones!

From way back:



On the whole Sampras vs. Rafter thing, I remember when that happened and think Pete's comments showed an underlying jealousy of some kind towards Pat Rafter, who will always be one of my favorites. It's nice to say that Andre's your only real equal when you almost always beat him in the Slams, but Rafter could really give him fits. Also, while Sampras obviously the more accomplished of the two, Rafter had a natural grace on the court that Sampras didn't; by that, I mean that while Sampras was a good mover, Rafter was a much more elegant player to watch. Also, Rafter was a better volleyer, hands-down. Sampras had a more complete game and volleyed superbly, but Rafter was such a pure volleyer. I thought watching him serve-and-volley was a thing of beauty. Also, Rafter was so ridiculously hot and such a nice, likable, popular guy, that I'll bet that got under Pete's skin just a bit. He was never as gracious towards Rafter as he should have been, and I think these might be some reasons. Rusedski, though, I agree with him on.



So much word to these. I can't stand JHH because she has never been a good sport, and she ALWAYS has the sourest expression on her face. I'm not the hugest Serena fan, but that was awful. JHH has the prettiest backhand I've maybe ever seen, but I just can't stand her.

And along the lines of poor sports:



I have to agree with this. My main problem with Venus is that she has NEVER been either a gracious winner or a gracious loser, unless she was beating/losing to Serena. A classic example is her Wimbledon win this year. I actually was happy for her because it had been so long since she'd won a major, but I was reminded during her post-match interview of why I will never actively root for her. Sue Barker had to ask her point-blank to say something about Lindsay, and even then Venus said maybe two words about her. That's very classless to me. Serena can be guilty of this, too, but she tends to be a slightly better sport. Venus just never gives her opponents the respect they deserve. Sometimes, Venus, you are just plain beaten. Spin it however you want, Kim out-played you last night. I don't care how "exhausted" you were, Kim out-played you. Go Kim!!

I love Maria Sharapova. I love her intensity and her fight. [small voice]And I think she's hot.[/small voice] Her father, though, I could do without. Still, emotionally, I'd rather see Lindsay or Kim win.

As much as Roger Federer is my favorite player on the men's side, and possibly the best player ever IMHO, and I will always root for him, I would love to see James Blake somehow pull this tournament out.

I know! God, I know it looks unlikely, but I hope she finds a way back.


Seriously? Pierce is a much harder hitter than Mauresmo. Tracy was spot on by saying it was a matchup of power (Mary) versus finesse (Amelie).


Yeah, she had her best success recently with Kuznetsova. The partnership with Groenefeld is similar—a young, talented girl who can still be molded/coached.


Didn't she make the semis once?


We talked about that. I think Venus was just lost in the moment. I have a feeling she would've said something if they had followed the usual protocol and interviewed the runner-up first. I seem to recall her saying very nice things about Lindsay after the 2000 final. Apparently, they've become friends thanks to Fed Cup.

Gimbelstob

ITA. I normally wouldn't get on a soapbox about something like this. It's one thing for us in cyberspace to bag on the players and their significant others, but there is something very obnoxious about a player writing an article doing the same.

ETA: It does seem we're getting some kind of inside look, in a very weird way. I just thought this was a topic another player would never touch so openly and in such detail.

"Queen of Choke"? BWAH! So true, so true. That is why I always hate when she advances to the later rounds of a tournament. She will always choke and she has yet to prove me wrong.



Mirka has also put on a lot of weight recently. It is not attractive.

And on Gimelstob's top ten list, seriously, the boy needs to find other things to do with his time than make a silly list.

I actually think that Pierce should have won more than two. Mary has played some of the most devastating power tennis I've ever seen. In 94' she got to the French finals dropping about 12 games along the way including a complete romp over Graf 6-2 6-2, and Graf did not play badly, she was just overpowered. The year she won the French she played Seles and Sanchez-Vicario in a smaller event and lost about 3 games between them. The problem with Pierce has always been her consistency and injury problems, but the girl has maybe the most powerful shots I've seen when she is able to set up.



The whole grunting thing is overblown. People complained when Seles did it and that was wrong too. Navratilova even said she felt remorse when she complained at Wimbledon in 92'. In Australia this year, when she stopped grunting she played worse and ended up losing the match. I think it helps her play her best, and I don't think that it is intentional gamesmanship on her part. A lot of players do it, not as loudly maybe, but if you are going to harp on her than anyone who does it should get criticized.

I do remember that as a matter of fact, but that's the one and only instance I can recall of her giving her opponent her due. Her post-match comments about Kim last night were much more typical of her poor sportsmanship.

That's why I'm amazed she won two. Her game is so high risk that winning 7 matches in a row seems to be asking a lot. Her movement wasn't what it is now, so getting her on the run basically won you the match. She also seemed to be kind of fragile mentally (although not like Clijsters and Mauresmo). She's not one of my favorites, but I love the way she keeps resurrecting her career after each setback. Way to go, Mary!


It's easy to criticize her because she's the loudest. The shrieking wheel gets the oil as it were. Heh. It doesn't necessarily both me, but it has gotten out of hand. Her match with Venus was off the charts. It was almost like they were trying to outdo each other. I didn't mind because it was such a great match, but I can see why people were upset. I don't expect them to be quiet, but they can and should tone it down.

Robby!

It is so sad when you've been reduced to listening to tennis on the radio and screaming at the computer screen while you're at work.

They're killing me!

Chesty LaRue I wish I'd had the forethought to Tivo this too. I figured I'd be home in time for the Blake-Agassi match and completely forgot this one would be played so early, so here I am, unable to leave the office until the match is over.

Yes!

I can finally go home and with a smile on my face but what a way to end it.

Wow what a match!!!!

I Tivoed extra so I hope USA did not cut away.

zod- I'm screaming and clapping at my work computer too. :)

Edited to add and remove spoilers since the match is over-

Well, I wish it hadn't ended this way. Since I am a lonely Coria fan it breaks my heart that he lost the match on two double faults. He fought so hard to erase 5 or so match points to flub with two double faults. What has been going on with his serve- it sounds like he may have some hip or shoulder problems. Or maybe it is his evil enemy the nerves again. Sigh...

I'm happy for Robbie though even though I wish Guille had won. That stated, as I have said before I really wish that I could become enthusiastic about Robbie but I can’t. I have tried- I want to like him as much as I do the likes of the other youngish Americans like Blake or Dent but meh. I enjoy that Ginepri has a hustle style game and all that but I still can’t take a shining to him. I am sure that he is a nice guy but he just strikes me as bland and not all that bright. I know that I am being mean. I don’t dislike him- I just feel about him like I do about toast or tap water, does the job, nice enough- but doesn’t fire me up at all. And he strikes me as the “All American” type of fellow that I was always told that I should be gaga about his looks when I was younger but that never did anything for me. (I was normally looking at the artsy fellows or the foreign exchange students.)

Oh well, we can’t all like the same players.

Halfway there! Way to go, Robby!


Well, there are many, many more you're forgetting. Here are only a few:

After beating Davenport to win the 2000 US Open: "This was a very nice victory because I feel like I played Lindsay when she was playing some of her best tennis."

After losing to Seles at the 2001 Australian Open: "She went out there and took it to me and she was the better player."

After beating Henin in the 2001 Wimbledon final: "She's a great player and she's going to be back."

After losing a controversial match to Sprem at Wimbledon '04: "I did my best. I just think she played really well and deserved the win."

Since returning from injury, Venus has made a lot of comments that let you know she's still confident in herself (we'll never know whether it's true or merely false bravado), but she is usually classy and respectful following wins and especially losses. She may be confident (even cocky), but she's usually respectful.

A bonus:

Richard Williams, after Venus beat Davenport for her first slam: "I don't have nothing to say at all except that Lindsay is a great player. I love Lindsay. And I think she's a wonderful human being."

You know what I find odd (in a good way) is how well Richard Williams and Yuri Sharipov seemed to get along at Wimbledon. They both scream on-the-crazy-pills to me (in different ways), so perhaps crazy loves company.



I'm thrilled for Ginepri, but I feel this way about him as well.

And add me to the list of those who miss Monica.

They showed Monica! She looks great.

I won $20 today betting on Pierce. I've said it before, when she is on she will beat anyone. Mauresmo overpowering? No way. She plays a classy all court game and always has trouble against the power players: Davenport, Williams(s) and now Pierce.
If Pierce keeps moving well she can stay with Davenport or Dementieva. Lindsay always gets wiggy against Dementieva..should be interesting.

Speaking of recognizing Pete Sampras as a great player who didn't always find his way into fans' hearts (well, not mine anyway): do you guys remember his Open match against Alex Corretja in 1996? It was the 5th set tie-break and Pete got sick repeatedly - and I still rooted for Alex to win. Does that make me heartless?

I'm a Mauresmo fan, but my little black heart was rooting for Mary all the way today; she's a player I've come to enjoy as she's gotten older: I hope she takes it all.

And Martina! Martina La Divina: she might be slower, but there is no one sharper at the net.

Am I the only one who thinks that Tracy Austin is the Peggy Fleming of the tennis talking heads? One incisive comment per day. Maybe.

And here is why I've never been on the Lindsey Train. I hate mopey Lindsey. Buck up and PLAY, BITCH!

USA actually responded to my e-mail about the Ginepri/Gasquet with more than a simple automated thing and with at least some reason for the decision (even though I still disagree)

Here's what the e-mail USA sent said:

Thank you for expressing your concerns about our US Open coverage; all opinions are appreciated, both positive and negative. Regarding Monday night's match between Robby Ginepri and Richard Gasquet, it was determined that the match would continue well past our scheduled end time of 11PM (Eastern time), and so we resumed our scheduled programming at that time. Had the match been closer to its conclusion we would have continued our coverage. CBS aired the end of the match during their late-night US Open highlights show, which was live in the East and on tape-delay in the West.

USA Network

I think what USA meant to say was..."Had the match had two bigger name stars, we would have shown the match regardless of what interesting crime was committed on L&O." I just don't get it. They think they will get a bigger draw showing a Law & Order SVU RERUN than people watching tennis? Do people really set their schedules around Law & Order reruns?

Hoping Lindsey cowboys up and can pull it off. She looked absolutely listless in the first set. Dementieva seems to have a problem with her ball toss on her second serve. It's all over the place. But she hits it anyway.

I wasn't forgetting anything. I don't want to argue about this. I'm glad you're such a vociferous defender of Venus, but I think she's a poor sport. We aren't going to change each other's minds about her, so we'll have to agree to disagree.

They just showed Nicole Kidman watching in the crowd and my first thought was, "Oh, no. Michael Barkan is going to try to interview her. Please, Lord, no!!"

Really. If they knew it wouldn't end soon, they should've showed us as much as they could.


There seem to be a lot of similarities to last night's match. Lindsay needs to keep coming in as soon as she gets the opportunity.


I guess I just don't know what "that's the one and only instance I can recall" means. Consider it dropped.

WTF is up with Kidman's hair?

Hee! I'm yelling that at my TV screen right now.

You just made my day.

Ohhh. That second serve. Such an eyesore.[/restating the obvious]

Dementieva's pony tail is pretty at least.