Tsonga and Aga walk away winners, Venus' game goes retro at the Rogers Cup

"I'm super stoked to win and all but what IS this?!"

I just got back from some time away last week and wouldn’t you know I missed some tremendous matches at the Rogers Cup. I was keeping up with most of it by reading the news and watching some highlights, but I was able to see some of Maria Sharapova’s loss to Carla Suarez Navarro and Novak Djokovic's shockingly easy defeat to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga live on Delta. When I noticed this particular flight had satellite TV and access to ESPN2, I was more than thrilled. Like a kid in a Sugarpova pop-up. THANK YOU GAWDS FOR THE TECHNOLOGIES.

It was a fantastic week for Jo-Willy and Agnieszka Radwanska, who won their first titles of the season at this Masters 1000 and Premier 5 event, respectively. Jo-Willy was already out of the top 10 but he strung together wins over the likes of Nole, Andy Murray, Grigor Dimitrov, and Roger Federer in the final to vault himself back inside. The Frenchie, with his power game and aggressive play, has always been the kind of baller that could beat anyone on any given day or go on a streak like he did in Toronto. This quality is what's separated him from his countrymen. While they have always seemed to prefer to entertain rather than win matches, Jo-Willy went about the business of brutal execution. But, he’s never been able to sustain excellence like Nole, Fed, Muzz, and Rafael Nadal; it’s what separates the “Big Four” from everyone else, including the Frenchman. This week he was focused, determined, and healthy which made all the difference. Let’s see what Cincinnati, which kicks off this week, will bring.

"MWAH"

Aga’s summer was utterly forgettable up until she lifted the Rogers Cup trophy. In fact, she seemed to have hit a plateau after her all-court clinic over Victoria Azarenka at the Australian Open back in January. It’s like she blew her wad so early in the season that the Pole had nothing left to give. But in Montreal she got her game back on track, notching a win over a resurgent Venus Williams in the final, and proving that she still has the game to trouble the elite lady ballers. This hard-court stretch has never been favorable to Aga’s game, so grabbing a title should give her a huge lift. But the question remains – can her old-school finesse game stand strong against the modern power ballers over seven matches?

"I'm taking you back for a minute."

For me, one of the biggest story lines around is the play of Venus. When I saw the score line to the Venus-Serena match, I could only selfishly think of one word: FINALLY. I’ve always been a Venus fanboy. When she first burst her way into the tennis consciousness, it was mesmerizing to watch her cover the court like a gazelle during one point, and then regally walk to the other side, completely self-contained, to serve or return with a steely gaze. If there was a WTA award for the least amount of fuss or pretense on court, V would’ve owned it. Seeing her play in Stanford and then watching the highlights and other videos of her matches in Montreal, including the insta-classic against Angelique Kerber (see V’s reaction after match point if you don’t believe me), was like stepping back into the Venus Era when no one, not even her precocious little sister, could push her back from the eventual win. Those days are, naturally, few and far between; but we have all been given a chance to relive those moments. Perhaps there are a few more in the cards. We should be so lucky.

If you missed the semifinal between the Williams sisters, here you go. It’s the entire match. YOU’RE WELCOME. Oh yeah, one more thing: as I mentioned a while back, we're relocating to LA and the timing of it couldn't have been worse. During the first week of the US Open, we'll be driving cross country to our new digs. Super excited since it's our first time doing the cross-country thing, but sad to miss the tennis. My postings from now until we finally land out west may be somewhat sporadic. I'll try to tweet as much as I can, but the posting here may be slow.



[Photo(s) credit: Getty Images]

WIMBLEDON: Centre Court is calling, ladies

The Wimbledon draws are out for the gentlemen and the ladies. Here are the lady ballers I’ll be keeping an eye on over this fortnight. I’ll post about the boys this weekend.

Maria Sharapova. The newly reminted French Open champ dug deep in her last four matches on the slippery stuff and willed her way to the title. We’re used to seeing her tenacity and determination in the face of adversity, but this time it was even more impressive. Her fitness is clearly at a ridic level, too. While the clay did favors for one of her biggest weaknesses, the serve, the grass won’t be as forgiving. The Russian’s serve, when it’s off, is much more of a liability on the grass. I don’t think the 5-time Grand Slammer will get away with hitting 12 double faults in any match as she did in the RG final. She can play a bit of defense and find a way back into points on the clay, but on grass it’s much harder when the points are quicker. Her best chance is to be on the offense – at ALL times. After completing the Career Slam in Paris in 2012, she made it to the fourth round at the All England Club. It wouldn’t surprise me if she maxed out there again.

Serena Williams. We’ve seen this one before. ReRe loses in the first round of the 2012 French Open and then goes on an absolute, historic tear on the WTA Tour. She hates to lose, nevermind losing at a Slam to an up-and-comer (see Wimbledon 2004), and early at that. Aside from crashing weddings and posing with Usain Bolt, I’m sure the 17-time Grand Slammer has been practicing her legendary serve since she openly berated it during that second round loss to Garbine Muguruza. ReRe will need it if she’s to match Chris Evert’s and Martina Navratilova’s 18 major titles. It’s not clear whether the loss in Australia (sure, she had a back issue) combined with the defeat to the young Spaniard in Paris were anomalies, or a sign of real demise in the legend’s power game. Wimbledon will give us all a better idea, including ReRe herself.

Simona Halep. What a story Simona continues to write. She wasn’t even ranked inside the Top 50 during last year’s French Open, but seven titles later she reached her first Grand Slam final. Can she make it consecutive major final appearances at Wimbledon? You’d be a fool to bet against her at this stage. The Romanian has made steady progress for the last year, culminating in her inspiring play against the bigger hitting Sharapova. It wasn’t quite enough that day, but she’s on the cusp. The big question is how will she recover from being that close to raising the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen? Will she see the positives in her play, or will she feel a mental, and maybe physical, hangover from the Paris fortnight? Here’s how the last four runner-ups did at Wimbledon a few weeks after their runs: Maria Sharapova (2013) – 2nd round; Sara Errani (2012) – 1st round; Francesca Schiavone (2011) – 3rd round; and Sam Stosur (2010) – 1st round. Hope she’s not a history buff.

Eugenie Bouchard. Genie sure does impress. Making consecutive final four appearances at a major is pretty huge, as evidenced by the fact that she’s the only lady baller on the tour to have achieved the feat so far this year. The 20-year old Canadian is gritty, aggressive, and wants it BADLY. And, she’s not afraid to say so even if it adds pressure, which she seems to thrive on. Like Simona, she played lights out tennis against Sharapova in their semifinal for a long stretch. But, like Simona, she couldn’t sustain it and buckled under the unrelenting power of the Russian’s game. Wimbledon 2013 is where I first realized the size of Genie’s talent. When she easily upended Ana Ivanovic in the second round, I took notice and thought she was beginning to come into her own. But she’s moved faster than even I expected (she doesn’t seem surprised by any of this…at all). Genie’s low stance and early, flat hitting will serve her well in a few weeks. If she breaks through to her first Grand Slam final, watch out.

Li Na. I’m never sure what to make of Li Na (and I venture to guess I’m not alone). The 2-time Grand Slammer is an enigma of the highest degree. She can confidently and methodically play a match, gracefully gliding across the court, and hitting winners with a sniper’s precision. Then, without warning, she can become harried and desperate, frantically spraying errors like a water hose gone wild. It seemingly comes down to her belief that, unlike ReRe or Sharapova, isn’t inborn and made of tough stuff. It’s learned, which means it could unravel when the conditions aren’t just right. We saw it happen in her opening round loss at Roland Garros, her semifinal against ReRe at last year’s U.S. Open, etc. Unfortunately, the slick stuff at Wimbledon isn’t where she feels the most comfortable – she’s never been past the quarterfinals in seven tries.

Ana Ivanovic. After being favored to go deep in Paris, the Serb was dumped out early by her left-handed nemesis, Lucie Safarova. But Ana has bounced back nicely, winning her first grass-court title at Birmingham. Although she made the semifinals at Wimbledon back in 2007, it’s a surface she has clearly needed time to work out. The former top lady baller should have a game tailor made for the slick stuff – big serve and return, and massive forehand - but it hasn’t quite worked out that way until last week. Ana will certainly be walking onto the pristine grass of the All England Club with the most confidence she has had since her breakthrough year in 2008.

Agnieszka Radwanska. Going from her least favorite surface to what’s been her best surface in the last two years should make Aga happy. On the clay, big hitters can easily overpower her and hit through her ingenious defenses, as we saw when she fell to young Croat Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round of Paris. But the grass really takes to her slice-and-dice game, giving her shots a bit more oomph and pushing her to a finals appearance in 2012 (taking ReRe to 3 sets) and a semifinal spot last season (losing to Sabine Lisicki). What’s been worrisome to see is her inability to seize the opportunities presented to her, including winnable matches in that semifinal match at Wimby last year and at the same stage in Melbourne this year against Dominika Cibulkova. She’s come out flat and uninspired. Hopefully if Aga gets ANOTHER chance to prove her mettle when it matters, she’ll make good.

Others to eyeball:

Andrea Petkovic. There’s a reason why Petko’s highest winning percentage is on clay (73%) and the lowest is grass (50%): her serve. It’s a glaring weakness because the rest of her game is solid. But who knows? The ladies’ Wimby draw was decimated early last year – and we saw in Paris what the German can do when she’s healthy and confident, and when the draw opens up for her.

Victoria Azarenka. After missing three months with a lingering foot injury, the Belarussian finally made her return to the court at Eastbourne, losing in her first match back to Camila Giorgi. While she’s made the semifinals at Wimbledon, her best efforts have come on hard courts where she enjoys more firm footing. While we shouldn't expect much from her until the North American hard-court season, she's still a two-time major champ and former world number one.

Madison Keys. As I write this post, Maddy has just reached her first WTA final at Eastbourne. The American has massive weapons that could be deadly on the lawns of the All England Club. If she keeps her head on straight and plays with controlled aggression, the 19-year old could do serious damage. Could she be the one hoisting the Venus Rosewater Dish? Sure, why not. And it would be fitting on the 10th anniversary of the last teenager to accomplish the feat - Sharapova.

[Photo(s) credit: Getty Images]

PHOTO OP: The 2013 BNP Paribas Open Player Party

I love a good party. It's a chance to dress up, perhaps in something you wouldn't usually wear, have a few laughs and get totally smashed. On second thought, you never want to be that person at the party who ends up seeing their drunken escapades on YouTube. And, I'm not speaking from experience. Pinky swear. 

Anyway, some of the ballers on the ATP and WTA tours put on their party best (or worst, in some cases) for last night's BNP Paribas Open Player Party held at the IW Club. Let's have a look.

THE BOY BALLERS: 

Novak Djokovic: Dayum. Oh right. I actually love the monochromatic look here. It helps to dress up the casual but very classic look. Great navy suede bucks to break it up.

Click on the headline for more looks from last night's bash!

PHOTO OP: Istanbul eight (well, seven)

These photos crack me. I never have high expectations for the lady ballers' attempts at fashion because it's not their focus - that would be tennis. But I can't help but giggle when I see what they come up with. Well, most of them anyway.

How amazing does Petra Kvitova look here? 'Effortless' would be the word that comes to mind for her in the photo - and 'natural.' Maria Sharapova looks good (and she's got that pose down pat). The girl does love a camera lens. And, no, your eyes aren't buggin' out. That's not Victoria Azarenka or her mom in the middle with the black dress - it's WTA CEO Stacey Allaster. The Belarussian was busy winning Luxembourg this weekend.

Um, I think I'll stop here. It's the end of the year, the last hurrah, the "Final Countdown...da-na-ne-na, da-na-nun-dun-dun" so let the others dress up as awkwardly as they want. Out of all the competitors fighting for the 8 coveted spots at the WTA Championships all year long, these girls made it to Istanbul (and not that other year-end thing going on - what is the point of it anyway?) and deserve to put on their highest heels, weirdest dresses, cakey makeup and celebrate their asses off. So let 'em.

P.S. Why does Sam Stosur look like she's photo bombing this shit? Ok, now I'll stop.

[Photo(s) credit: Getty Images]

PHOTO OP: Now what's wrong with a little love between two girlfriends?

"I wish I knew how to quit you..."

As you guys know I'm a huge proponent of MOMA on the ATP World Tour. There's just something about two boy ballers basking in the afterglow of their intensely physical and heated tennis making. It always brings a big smile to my face and a few other places to see them whispering sweet nothings in each other's ears while embracing in a pool of sweatiness, muscles protruding and eyes firmly locked at the net. Uh *ahem*, where was I?

Oh yes. The girls. Let me be clear: I have no, I repeat NO, problem with LOLA (Exhibit A.) It doesn't make me want to grab my tissue box (I'm a clean freak) but I can see how it would for some. I guess there's some sort of HAWTNESS given off when two lady ballers - that being besties Caroline Wozniacki + Agnieszka Radwanska - get all huggy-huggy and their mammies get all squoosy-squooshy at the net particularly when one is forced to retire from a match with injury (A-Rad) in the quarterfinals of an event like Tokyo.

This LOLA moment should come as no surprise to their fans since these two are very close and do lots together. Now I didn't say they do EVERYTHING together because that would be a complete fabrication on my part. But they have been known to vacay together topless on occasion:

Geez, must be uber-awesome to have a friend, who you'd feel completely comfortable flashing your mammies at, on tour with you for support. Kinda like your fave bra!

You see? That's what friends are really for.

More Woznieszka Tokyo LOLA after the jump (click the headline damnit.)

VIDEO VAULT: In Agnieszka Radwanska's hands, golf is a dangerous thing

Following in the monogrammed footsteps of Roger Federer, Agnieszka Radwanska drove a mack truck into tennis' Hall of Hilarity with this brilliance filmed during a recent WTA promo shoot.

In the background (listen VEWY carefully) the director makes sure to plead for his safety before the Pole takes her version of a golf swing. But did she listen? No. She got sweet, sweet revenge. It's pee-in-your-pants funny - at least that's what A-Rad looked like she was doing afterward. I may have dribbled a bit myself after watching.

P.S. I'm living for the slo-mo replay of the act in question. Charlie Brown's teacher must've been on set. Luckies.

[via Busted Racquet, video courtesy of WTA]

Final four decided in Doha - will the drama never cease?

D-D-D-Drama. Part Deux.

The semifinals of the year-end Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha were decided today and included another injury-plagued match featuring a torrent of tears.

Victoria Azarenka lost her chance to qualify for the final four when she retired from her match with cramps against Agnieszka Radwanska trailing by a scoreline of 4-6 7-5 4-1. The Belarussian was up 6-4, 5-2 and served for the match but a pair of double faults allowed Aggie back into the match as she ran off 5 consecutive games to take the second set. The decider saw Vika call for two medical time outs after struggling with her left leg and she eventually conceded the match in tears.

Caroline Wozniacki, who knows a little something about cramping, was the beneficiary of the Vika defeat and will face an undefeated Serena Williams. In the other semifinal, Jelena Jankovic, who crushed a wobbly Wozzi 6-2, 6-2 earlier in the day, will battle Venus Williams for a shot at her first year-end title.

I guess we still have more opportunities for high-wire drama in the final stages with JJ still in the mix - oh, and ReRe too. So don't despair peeps.

Just make sure to keep the tour trainers close. I mean, REALLY close.

(Photo: Reuters)

PHOTO OP: Ballers gather for Medibank International, hit up Sydney cocktail party

A number of top ballers looking to sharpen their games ahead of the year's first major, the Aussie Open, have gathered in Sydney for the Medibank International.

But before they hit the courts for competition, some of these ballers put on their party-best and hit up a cocktail party celebrating the opening of this long-standing tourney.

Check out both draws here.

Serena Williams: The ladies' top seed, who's back to her match-point saving ways, is working a diamond-studded necklace given to her by Aussie Nic Cerrone. Sorry, but I'm not a fan of chokers, not matter the price. Ick.

Novak Djokovic: Can the boys' top seed get his ass in gear ahead of the defense of his Aussie Open crown?

Agnieszka Radwanska: Pretty in plum

Gilles Simon: I still wonder if this Frenchie baller with the sneakily effective game can keep it up this year.

Vera Zvonareva: A strong end to 2008 - but what will 2009 hold for this Russian? I'm not sure. But I am sure that I like this minimalist, Calvin Klein-esque look on Vera.

David Nalbandian: The Argentinean baller, who shouldn't quit his day job, might need some face block. Just sayin'.

Lucie Safarova: "OMFG hurry up. I so need to use the john."

Mardy Fish: Did they snip off your chin when they cut your hair?

(images via Getty)

THE LOW DOWN: Ana + Aggie speak out on Roadmap 2010, big concerns over mandatory tourneys still linger

Ana Ivanovic + Agnieszka Radwanska have followed Dinara Safina's lead and come out publicly against the scheduling changes in the WTA Tour's Roadmap 2010.

Both lady ballers, who are competing this week in Linz, sounded off against the increase in mandatory events for top ballers. Here are the highlights from the Roadmap:

* 40% increase in prize money from $63.6 million in 2006 to $84.4 million
* 26 Tier I + II tourneys will be combined into 20 Premiere tourneys with a minimum baller commitment of 10 that they will play
* Four $4.5 million tournaments in Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid and Beijing will be mandatory for all players who qualify
* Five $2 million stops in Canada, Dubai, Rome, Cincinnati and Tokyo of which the top-ranked players must play at least four. The WTA must have at least seven of the world's top 10 ballers at each of these events.
* Ballers will complete their schedules by playing in at least one or two $700,000 events
* Zero tolerance for withdrawals from tournaments ballers have committed to playing. If a baller does pull out, even because of injury, she will forfeit bonus money ($5 million available to the top 10 ranked players) and receive zero ranking points for that event

Based on these new rules, each top lady baller must play a minimum of 24 events, which includes the four majors. Ouch.

The French Open champ admitted the lady ballers "probably didn't look deep into it and kind of let it go" because the Roadmap was announced during the height of Grand Slam season and they would "have to talk more between us":

I do believe it's going to be a lot of tournaments we have to commit to and it's maybe going to be a little bit harder in that sense. We don't have much opportunity to choose, and at the end of the day it might be that we play more matches than we did in previous years.

I think it's good that tournaments will have guaranteed players and week after week have top players competing against each other. I think that's good for women's tennis. But on us individually it's tough to say what impact it's going to have.

Aggie was more aggressive in her stance against the changes telling the press,

After the new rules with the WTA I don't want to be top 10 because the rules are so bad and everything is for the WTA. I cannot play the small tournaments and it's quite bad. I hate these rules. I can play just two small tournaments a year.

We're all saying this, but the WTA is doing everything for themselves, for the sponsors, but they don't realise we have to choose where we want to play and not want to play.

Uh-oh. Now that the lady ballers have actually had time to mull over the new schedule they're none too pleased. As I mentioned previously, a meeting of the top ladies is desperately in order here and there's no time like Doha to make that happen.

I agree with Ana that the timing of the Roadmap announcement wasn't ideal and it didn't give the ballers time to digest the changes and make recommendations. Moreover, the decision by the WTA to launch the "2010" Roadmap in 2009 is idiotic and robs these ballers of more time to voice their concerns. But my gut tells me that's what the Tour wanted - to fast forward the launch to force feed the changes before the ladies could do anything about it. Not the best way to build bridges.

I can see why they feel the need to just speak out whenever they can and to whomever is listening because, clearly, the WTA is not.

(images via AP, Getty)

Spoiler alert: Aggie on the rise, makes quarterfinals at Wimbledon

Is Aggie Radwanska going to spoil the Williams Wimbledon party? Maybe so.

Aggie completed the demolition of the top four seeds, the first time the in Open Era history the top four fell before the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam, by defeating headcase Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 in the round of 16 after being down 1-4 in the decider. This win is the Pole's second this year over Sveta in a Grand Slam, having bundled the Russian out of the Aussie Open's third round.

With her crafty + cunning ways on the tennis court and with her confidence on grass at a high after winning in Eastbourne, I'm thinking she may have a shot at taking down Serena Williams.

Am I off my rocker or what?

(image via Getty)

FASHION FIX: Radwanska mixes up game and outfit at Indian Wells

Mix and unmatch: Crafty up-and-comer Agnieszka Radwanska battled Ashley Harkleroad yesterday at Indian Wells and pulled out a tight 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 win over her American opponent. She'll next face Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova in a rematch of their Aussie Open 3rd round encounter which the Polish star won easily 6-3, 6-4.

During her run to the Pattaya Women's Open title in February, I was critical of the unflattering silhouette of Aggie's outfit and wondered why she was wearing a Prokom top, who is listed as her official sponsor, matched with a Nike skirt. She's mixing the two brands again this week though this Nike skirt is a much better fit for her body.

But, I said this about Vania King earlier this week and the same goes for Aggie: can someone get this girl a real clothing sponsorship???

(image via AP Photo/Mark Avery)

FASHION FIX: Aggie Radwanska wins Pattaya, confuses with unflattering style

On the (low) rise: Agnieszka Radwanska won the second title of her career at this weekend's Pattaya Women's Open, saving a match point and squeezing out a 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 (4) win over American veteran Jill Craybas. The Polish giant-killer, who already has wins over Venus Williams and Russians Maria "Shriek"apova and Svetlana Kuznetsova, almost lost the match after leading 5-1 in the deciding set; she'll move into the top-20 for the first time when the rankings are released on Monday.

Now on to the confusing outfit - what's going on here? Aggie's listed on her WTA player page as being sponsored by Prokom, but she's clearly wearing a white frilly Nike skirt, and not a flattering one either. It's strangely asymetrical (dipping in the front) and sits low on her non-existent hips, which unfortunately emphasizes that fact. We think a flirty-skirt that starts higher on the waistband is a better silhouette for the 18-year old's body - it would give Aggie some shape where there isn't any.

We won't even get into that tank-top.

(images via PORNCHAI KITTIWONGSAKUL/AFP/Getty Images)

FASHION FIX: US Open Nike dress brings Maria bad luck, loses at Kremlin Cup

Maybe it was per Nike's request, but we thought this Nike day dress was made especially, and only, for Maria "Shriek"apova to wear at the US Open. She may not want to wear it again, though - it's bringing all sorts of bad luck.


She worked this dress for the first time at the Open as defending champ and lost to 18 year old Agnieszka Radwanska. This week at the Kremlin Cup, the Russian fashionista, looking to reestablish her game, donned the dress again. The result: a loss in the second round (her first match though) to another 18 year old - Belarus's Victoria Azarenka.

We think it's time to retire this dress - for good.

Maria Sharapova loses, sports sneaky red undies

Defending champion Maria "Shriek"apova debuted her Nike day dress...and then proceeded to lose. Her tormentor: 18 year old Agnieszka Radwanska, a former junior World No. 1 from Poland. We are certainly disappointed by the loss and the fact that we won't get to see the dress, or her sneaky red undies a la Tatiana Golovin, in action at the US Open anymore. Nice touch Maria, but bad loss...