Talk about shiny, happy people

Honestly, I don't think I've ever seen Andy Murray as happy/excited/toothy as I did today after he won his first title of the year over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-4 at Queen's Club. He even sounded genuinely happy talking about how actually enjoyed his tennis this week after struggling in the early rounds. Notice the word 'fun':

"It's been one of the most fun weeks for me because the tennis, the last two matches was very good. It was relaxing. I said everyone thinks at this period of the year it's so stressful, you can't play, you can't enjoy yourself, you can't do anything. But I felt like I expressed myself on the court. I felt like I was hitting the ball really good. I enjoyed it."

Fun? Who IS this person? It's like someone shoved a happy pill down his throat or, better yet, something clicked and he now knows his game is right up there with the very best. I saw signs of this new attitude over the clay season especially during that 5-setter against Viktor Troicki at Roland Garros. He didn't seem overcome with frustration about an injury, missed opportunities or errors. Rather, he just dug in his Barricades and went to work. And now the Brit baller is even talking like he actually believes he could win the big ol' Wimbledon thingy:

"I'm going to Wimbledon with the feeling that I'm going to win the tournament. I don't think you can go in with any other attitude. I feel like I'm playing good tennis. I'll need to improve the next week or so and work on some things going into Wimbledon." 

Oh my GAWD. His gonads just dropped and he's already talking like he's ready to kick some baller ass. He's ready for the fight and believes finally his best is good enough to win his first major, even at the All England Club. Fuck. Now wouldn't THAT be something???

Just a quick shout out to Sabine Lisicki who won her first title since 2009 defeating Daniela Hantuchova 6-3, 6-2 at Birmingham. I didn't see the match but apparently she served lights out against the slender Slovak. I mean, talk about someone who's been through it. I still can't get the image of Lissie being carried off on a stretcher at Roland Garros out of mind and here she is winning her first title in two years. Go ahead and drink yourself silly, girl. You earned it.

More celebratory shots of Muzz + Lissie after the jump!

Samurai, Lleyton and Li get their grass-court games in gear for Wimbledon

Sam Querrey became the first baller to win a title on three different surfaces this season after defeating compatriot Mardy Fish 7-6 (3), 7-5 at Queen's Club. He won his first title of the year on hard at Memphis, second on clay in Belgrade and this week on grass. It's a tremendous win for Samurai especially when you consider who was in the draw at the start of the week: World No. 1 Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Andy Roddick to name just a few. He seems primed to do better than his career-best second round appearance at Wimbledon.


Lleyton Hewitt decided 15 straight losses were enough and shocked Roger Federer 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4 at Halle where the Swiss holds a lifetime contract. It was the Aussie's debut at the tourney and, more importantly, his first win over the 16-time Grand Slammer since he beat Fed in five sets at Davis Cup in 2003. As for Fed he lost for only the second time in his last 78 matches on the slick stuff, the only other one being the epic Wimbledon final in 2008 against Rafa.

Lleyton will be, what's the word, RELIEVED to have that monkey off his back and he'll no doubt like his chances to make a good run at Wimby now. But what about Fed, who hasn't won a title since capturing the Aussie Open in January? Well, he's on his best surface entering the tourney he loves the most so he should be feeling good about that. But his confidence isn't living at its usual heights (as evidenced by his recent losses) which might make him vulnerable early on at Wimby. He's an expert at managing his game over the two weeks of a major, though, so if he gets through the first one relatively unscathed he could still go all the way.


Li Na went one further this year in Birmingham but needed to defeat Maria Sharapova again to get there. The Chinese lady baller, who ousted Shrieka last season in the semifinals but lost in the final, once again bested the Russian 7-5, 6-1 to claim the crown. Nice win for Li and a good effort by the former Wimby champ to get to another final. But Shrieka threw down 7 DF's in the match after smacking 12 aces in the semifinals which shows real inconsistency in her serve. She'll be looking at another early round loss at The All England Club if she doesn't get that part of her game under control.

Noticeable Notables:

Dinara Safina lost her fifth straight match going down this time to Magdalena Rybarikova 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-4 in the first round of 's-Hertogenbosch. I'm not feeling too good about her chances to defend the Wimby semifinal appearance from last year or even make it past the first week, and that could mean a big tumble down the rankings. Like out of the Top 30 even.

Novak Djokovic & Jonathan Erlich were REALLY happy about the men's doubles title they won at Queen's Club:


Let's hope they double up s'more.

[Photo(s): Getty Images]

FASHION FIX: Nicole beaten by Bethanie in Birmingham but crushes American with Reebok style

Here are two things I haven't written about in a while: Nicole Vaidisova + Reebok. Why you may ask? Well, Nicole had been on a 6-match losing streak and Reebok hasn't been worth writing about until now.

The Czech finally broke the curse with a 6-1, 6-3 first round win over Frenchie veteran Natalie Dechy at Birmingham and won her next match against Ekaterina Makarovato to make the quarterfinals. But, alas, the good times weren't meant to last as Nicole was blasted today 6-3, 6-0 by fashionably crippled Bethanie Mattek working bebe.

The 19-year looked great, though, in her white Reebok tank dress with a ruffled hem - a classic look with a touch of femininity. A perfect look for the green lawns of Wimbledon (sans the sky blue visor.)

In any case, a tough loss to the American Nicole but at least you won the fashion battle today. Need proof? Check it:

Egads!

(images via Getty)

Marion's got a hairy situation and Pocahontas is its name-o

Yikes Marion Bartoli.

It seems the Frenchie, who was "fed up" recently after her first round Roland Garros loss, has resurfaced as the top seed at the DFS Classic in Birmingham after a number of top ballers withdrew. Unfotunately her stay wasn't long as she was booted by Petra Cetkovska today 5-7, 6-4, 6-0 and later said she may miss Wimbledon after complaining of tendinitis still lingering in her wrist.

Let's not forget the duel-fisted groundstroker has tons of points to defend at Wimby after making last year's final and needs to get herself in gear.

Marion may also want to get her hairy situation in gear too. If you're a 23-year old woman on the world stage of tennis, do you really want to channel Pocahontas a la Tatiana Golovin?

Pretty it's not.

(image via Getty)