SIGHTING: Tennis ballers by the water!

 

Even though there are some smaller tourneys going on, a bunch of ballers are taking this down time between Wimbledon and the start of the North American hard-court season to hit the beach, the pool, or both. Now, none of them went full-on Beyonce/Drunk in Love because that would be weird (good effort, JJ).

After a tough Wimbledon, Rafael Nadal stole some time away in Ibiza and brought along some questionable fashion decisions. Monochromatic pink was very hit or miss with the Rafanatics. I'm not even sure what to call this look.

Ana Ivanovic has been looking relaxed on vacation even though she's currently without a coach. Good sign I guess. It's funny she's trying to be demure here; but there's only so much demureness you can give when you're working a popsicle.

Grigor Dimitrov earned his vacation after his best Grand Slam result at Wimbledon. Not only was he was spotted with Maria Sharapova, but he was also seen coming close to hitting the edge of a pool with his noggin. Coach Rasheed was none too pleased:

@GrigorDimitrov Take a look at that vision, not far from the side wall on landing hey, good judgement or lucky ?? Have fun…..
— roger rasheed (@roger_rasheed) July 9, 2014

Safety first, Grish!

Jelena Jankovic probably needed a long vacay after her first-round loss at SW19. She, of course, brought along her bestie, Lefty. She never goes far without her. Because biology.

Fernando Verdasco, also a first-round loser at Wimbeldon, is in Bastad preparing for next week's Swedish Open. On his downtime, he's soaking in the views and the beach with his doubles partner David Marri.

[Photo(s) credit: Fernando Verdasco FB, JJelicious Instagram, Grigor Dimitrov FB, Ana Ivanovic FB, Xposurephotos.com]

FASHION FIX: adidas for Roland Garros 2012

Andy Murray
Barricade Crew in dark onix and high energy

Caroline Wozniacki 
adidas by Stella McCartney Performance Tank + Skirt in yellow

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
adizero Crew in power green and high energy

Ana Ivanovic
adizero Dress in super green and core energy

Fernando Verdasco
adizero Verdasco Crew in electricity and high energy

A couple of more shots including Jo-Willy and a BODY BONUS courtesy of Fer after the jump - click the headline, y'all.

TASTE OF TENNIS: I asked, they answered

So, yeah. I made it to this year's Taste of Tennis albeit a little late. I had to work so my friend, Erin, covered the Rafael Nadal/Armani event at Macy's earlier in the day for me, where he unveiled his ginormous ballboard to the world, before heading over to the W Hotel in Midtown where we were meeting up.

When I got there I ran into Karen from Tennis Panorama, my annual US Open Party Patrol buddy, who is always up for a good time. I also hung out with Nick from Tennis Served Fresh, @MariyaKTennis and finally got to meet Rachel from OntheGoTennis and Elena from The Slice. The one thing I noticed immediately was the fewer number of media in attendance - it didn't have the same INSANE feel it had last year. But, here was the worst part: no complimentary bottled water. HOW COULD THEY LET US GET THIRSTY??? I wondered if it was on downhill from there. Luckily, I had gum.

The green carpet arrivals began to, er, arrive. Rafa, surprisingly or maybe not so surprisingly, came through first. I compared his appearance to having "the dessert before the main course" over Twitter. It was also like a wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am moment- a quickie but without the guilt. He was literally there for less than a minute before Benito moved him onto the VIP area. For him to do all this publicity for his book and ad campaign must be draining for him - it's soooo not his thing. I guess I'm not surprised he flew through the line.

There were also less lady ballers at this event than last year which meant less opportunity to ask, "Who are you wearing, guuurl???" So I asked the guys. Well, one guy: Marin Cilic. He had on this cool shirt jacket but no idea who designed it. I suppose it wasn't a question he was prepared to answer. Hopefully he will be next time, and in that small way I've helped prepare him for future green carpet questions - or not. Probably not.

A few of us made it upstairs to the big party (we have our ways) where we ate some fabulous food and drank, um, a lot. A fucking blast. But as they say, it's not how you start but how you end and THIS end was awesome. Just awesome. Even an obviously fanatical and possibly drunk person accosting him on the street for a picture couldn't scare him away. HE BE THE BEST.

Thanks to E, who's an amazing graphic designer BTW, for helping me out and DKC for the great event and invite. Until next year Taste of Tennis!!!

Check out my full Q & A with Tommy Haas, Tamira Paszek, Fernando Verdasco, Janko Tipsarevic, Marin Cilic, Gilles Simon, James Blake and Vera Zvonareva from Taste of Tennis after the jump.

US OPEN FASHION PREVIEW: adidas styles for Tsonga, Verdasco, Murray and Ivanovic

Yeah, we're looking at you, Frenchie.

So yesterday I posted about the Nike US Open fashions, and now it's time to check out the duds adidas busted out for some of their ballers.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will be working the Fall adiZero Feather Theme Polo (about $51) in white with solid red and infrared paired with the Fall adiZero Feather Short (not pictured - about $43) in white with subtle striping.

adidas duds for Andy Murray, Fernando Verdasco and Ana Ivanovic after the jump!

PHOTO OP: Poolside play

So, can you guess the identity of the soaking wet chorizo with the chiseled abs? If you can't, don't worry. Here's a clue: He and a few of his shirtless friends took part in a fun and frolicky photoshoot for Glamour España Magazine. Still stumped? Then lick, er, click the head to see the big reveal after the jump. Oops, my bad.

SIGHTING: Night & Day

Last night, Maria Sharapova and fiance Sasha Vujacic (no doubt Ice Rink was there, too) were spotted hand-in-hand leaving a Madrid restaurant. It's rare to see Sasha at her matches (probably 'cause he's kinda busy ballin' himself) but he's been there all week fist pumping and cheering her on. Cuteness. As I type this post Shrieka is battling Dominika Cibulkova in the third round of Madrid. Here's some trivia for your ass: They've never played against each other on any surface besides clay. It's true.

Five more images of Shrieka + Sasha after the jump.

Today, Cristiano Ronaldo joined Fernando Verdasco in the Magic Box to watch Rafael Nadal crush Marco Baghdatis 6-1, 6-3 and Roger Federer save match point and edge out Feliciano Lopez 7-6 (13), 6-7 (1), 7-6 (7) in an absolute second round thrillfest. While Cristiano seemed calm during the Fed-Feli match Fer couldn't help but rise up out of his seat to urge his boy on. In the end, a determined Fed and a shanked overhead by Feli told the tale. That one's going to huuuurt.

Two more pics of Cristiano & Co. after the jump.

(UPDATED) FASHION FIX: Are you "All In" for these adidas tees?

Have you guys seen these new adidas t-shirts their boys have been wearing during their practices in Estoril? How much do you WANT?

These tees are part of the adidas' latest brand marketing campaign called "All Adidas" which features the tagline "All In". It launched last month with a series of commercials that highlights their connections with worlds of sports, music and fashion. David Beckham, Leo Messi, Derrick Rose, B.O.B and Katy Perry all make appearances in these fast-moving, visually exciting spots. The brand has a dedicated YouTube page for the new campaign where you can watch all of the commercials.

So back to these most highly coveted tees. Apparently, they're not being sold to the public which makes absolutely no sense at all. Maybe they thought there wouldn't be a demand, but maybe that's because they haven't made a PR push and no one really knows about them yet. So, let's get the word out. I mean, these tees are like tennis' version of the sports jersey. How awesome would it be to have your fave baller riding your back?? Uh, don't answer that. Focus on the tees, people.

UPDATE: So it's settled. Go here, find your country or region, click the "Contact Us" link and let them know "I WANT A BALLER ON MY BACK!" That is all.

[Photo(s): @AnaTennisGirl TwitPic]

+ NETCORDS: News from around the grounds

- Here come the French Open fashions! Check this adizine by adidas (you CLEVAH) showcasing the duds their ballers will be wearing to Roland Garros this year. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (who just dumped his coach), Ana Ivanovic, Andy Murray, Andrea Petkovic, Flavia Pennetta and Fernando Gonzalez are featured in the digital piece wearing their new kits and answering questions in an embedded video on the page. My fave? Gonzo's super cute multi-striped polo.

- Speaking of Gonzo the Chilean tweeted about his return to full-time action after undergoing hip surgery at the end of last year: "Today i finish my 6 months post-op rehab. I was discharged and ready to go back to game."

- Rolex has released their latest ads featuring NaturAna.

- Kim Clijsters will be out for the next 4 - 6 weeks to rehab her right wrist and shoulder which have been overstressed according to recent tests. She will be forced to miss the FED CUP semifinals and Madrid. The 4-time Grand Slammer made the announcement via her website:

I think this is a great pity. The Fed Cup is something I was really looking forward to. But I felt that something was out of the ordinary: There were too many minor ailments, one after the other, which did not seem to disappear. Something like that gets into your head.

I don't want to force anything, because I want to prevent it from becoming chronic by any means. I really want to be there at this year's. Now there is no other option than to rest and I certainly can't use a tennis racket for the first few weeks. We will continue with lots of physiotherapy and exercises to strengthen the surrounding muscles."

- Maria Sharapova shot this video during her visit to the Cole Haan boutique at The Village of Merrick Park in Coral Gables, FL where the Russian launched her Spring 2011 Collection. Like her outfit? Well, Vogue.com liked it enough to place her on their Best Dressed list at No. 7.

- Bruce Jenkins won't be placing Shrieka on anything but MUTE. In his latest column the SI.com scribe doesn't hold back, blasting Shrieka, Vika and the sound storm they created during the Sony Ericsson Open women's final:

Both players seem to think it's all perfectly fine, that they're at the vanguard of a trend we should all deeply respect. Wow, are they wrong. Viewers are bailing out like passengers on the Titanic. And when it comes to the people in the stands, here's a message to both of you caterwaulers: They are laughing at you. Got it? And they find it so strange when you warm up in silence.

Is this grunting tirade old and tired? Yes. Are people ever going to stop getting annoyed by it? No. Will the lady ballers ever stop? Probably not, unless they start measuring that shit and creating acceptable levels. Or duct taping. That could work. Honestly, I don't see where this discussion ever ends.

- Fernando Verdasco will not be defending his title in Barcelona. And he's not happy about it.

- Mirka Federer, with a bootylicious Roger in tow, celebrated her 33rd birthday at Italian Prime restaurant in Miami last Saturday. Fed fanatic Anna Wintour and Mary Jo Fernandez were on hand. So was a Victoria's Secret gift bag. Just saying. On Sunday, Tommy Haas rang in his 33rd birthday but he was whisked off to the Bahamas by his wife Sara. Lucky for us they took pics and posted them on his FB page. Sadly, no shirtless shots. Drats.

- Nadia Petrova is not taking any of the blame credit for her recent Ellesse fashion moments. In fact, she mentioned she has no voice in the decision of what she wears, is leaving the sports apparel brand after this year and even says they send her whatever sells well in Japan. Really, Nads?? I wouldn't blame the Japanese for this one - THEY'VE BEEN THROUGH ENOUGH ALREADY. Tennis blog A Change of Ends spoke to the Russian during the WTA's All-Access Hour in Charleston and bravely brought back the money quotes. Cheers!

[Photo(s): adidas, Pacific Coast News, Vogue.com]

PHOTO OP: Just because

"How YOU doin'?" asks Nipplet.

I give you Fernando Verdasco shirtless, of course, practicing in Key Biscayne for the Sony Ericsson Open. There really isn't much else to say but ENJOY.

Oh, and YOU'RE WELCOME.

A few more after the jump - click the head. And, remember, keep it clean. Just kidding!

PHOTO OP: Losing my religion

"I pray that tennis becomes a shirtless sport. For my fans, of course."

Is there any better way to start the day than coming face to screen with sweaty, glistening baller flesh in the form of Fernando Verdasco? It's like the Christmas mornings of my youth. Oh Santa, you really shouldn't have but I'm so glad you did.

Here's the Spanish chorizo in his fave get up - shirtless - at the annual Thai boxing exhibition to promote the Thailand Open. He was even joined by former Top Tenner Paradorn Srichaphan.

Word of advice Fer: NEVAH change.

Seriously, how can I get his job? I promise to keep my eyes above the waistline and massage Fer's feet like he's doing. That's what he's doing right??

A few more pics of the shirtless Spaniard after the jump (you know what to do.) 

HE SAID/HE SAID: US Open Day Eleven

Q. I have noticed that you always leave every part of the center court with the right foot first. Why do you do that?

RAFAEL NADAL: No, that's not true. You write that? You heard that?

Q. Every part of the court you put your right foot first.

RAFAEL NADAL: I didn't know that before. (Laughter.)

Q. You do it all the time?

RAFAEL NADAL: Oh, yeah? You know better than myself. (Smiling.)

Q. Can you just speak about your memories of 2006 against Youzhny and then just talk about the match coming up.

RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, I remember it was a painful match for me, 2006, because I think I arrived at the US Open playing better than before, because I had a not easy summer losing, I think, in round of 16 in Toronto, and quarterfinals in Cincinnati maybe. 

So I arrived playing so so, but during the tournament I was playing better and better. I think I lost that match because I was too yeah, I was too anxious for a moments. Remain a little bit of calm, because the match started bad, one set for him. 

But after that I won the second, and I had a set point I think in the third with easy, easy ball, no? So, yeah, was very difficult match. He's a great player, very aggressive, very flat shots. This court I think adapts very well to his game, so he's playing very good tennis. Gonna be very difficult to beat him. That's what I can say. And I have to play aggressive, because if I am losing court against him, gonna be impossible to come back. 

I have to play aggressive, serve well, and try to put him away of his right position with my forehand.

Q. With Rafa playing so well here at the US Open, how does somebody beat him?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, I don't know. Everybody have better days than on others. He's playing good, but I think that he will have a tough if I am not wrong, I think that he will play the final against Roger. It's gonna be a tough match, because I think Roger play really good in these conditions. He gonna be a very tough final for Rafa if he plays against Roger in the final.

Q. So you think Roger's about the only one who has the game to beat Rafa right now?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, Novak is a player that also on fast surface like this one, he already beat Rafa many times, and he have also the game to beat Rafa. But, I don't know. I think if I need to bet here, I will bet for Roger. I think that he won five times here and he like these conditions.

Q. You know that most people, most tennis fans, will want to see Federer and Nadal in the final. Are you going to be a bad person and try and ruin that?

MIKHAIL YOUZHNY: Yeah, I'm ready to be bad person. I love to be bad person in this case. (Laughter.)

Q. You can possibly face Nadal. What do you expect of this matchup?

MIKHAIL YOUZHNY: First of all, for me, it's not so really well if I talk to play now against Nadal and he lost today and I will play against Verdasco.

Q. Let's imagine.

MIKHAIL YOUZHNY: He's No. 1; he won two Grand Slams; he play really, really well; it will be very tough for me.

Q. Is it better for you to play him here on a fast surface?

MIKHAIL YOUZHNY: Of course it's better to play here or on clay. (Laughter.)

[Photo(s): Getty Images]

HE SAID/SHE SAID: US Open Day Nine

Q. I couldn't hear what you said on court about your victory salute. Do you give it a name? What is it?

MIKHAIL YOUZHNY: What kind of name you are waiting? (Smiling.) Just salute for thanks for crowd, you know. Everybody a lot of guys are kiss their hands and say thanks, put racquet up and say thanks. I do like this one.

Q. Do you practice it?

MIKHAIL YOUZHNY: After I winning matches.

Q. You haven't beat her in seven meetings. Coming into this match and considering how well you were playing in the tournament, can you talk about your expectations in terms of facing Venus, and is it that much more disappointing to lose this one?

FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: Yeah. Is a lot of disappointed, because I have the chance and the quality real to beat her because she doesn't like to play with me. I play different ball; I push her in defense; I don't give her the chance to play how she want, so every time I think we have a big fight. I don't know what she thinks, but I can say the true, and that often is the difference between me and other players. I can tell you the true. If I am injured, I tell you I am injured. If I am good, I say I am good and she play better. So this time is for her, but I will find the way to beat her. Yeah, yeah.

Q. Is that the case then tonight, that she was just better? Is that what you're saying?

FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE: Si. I think I lost a little bit more this match than she won. But in the same times, I can say that she serve so good. Is big arm is big part of tennis. And with wind, she has a little bit more chance than me. But for sure she play good in the most important moments. She serve when she had the possibility. She serve an ace. So we are two great athletes. One has to win; one has to lose.

Q. What's the scariest thing about Verdasco to you?

RAFAEL NADAL: Everything. He's a very complete player. He has all the shots and he's playing very well, no? Much better than he did last months, so gonna be very difficult match. I saw him play today, and I saw him play against Nalbandian the other day. He's playing very good tennis, so gonna be a very interesting match. I have to play aggressive, to play well. It not gonna be impossible, I think.

Q. Do you think you've got any edge just because of how long he spent on the court today?

RAFAEL NADAL: Well, I don't know. We don't know yet, no? We will see in one day and a half. I think we are fit enough to resist that. It was four hours?

Q. Four and a half.

RAFAEL NADAL: What? Four hours 23, so, yeah, was long, but I played in Australia five hours 15 minutes in semifinals, and I had to play the final one day later. So I was very tired, but I was ready. I think for sure he gonna be ready.

Q. [Schiavone] said in her press conference that you don't like playing her. I don't know how she garners that, but that's what she said.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah.

Q. She said the reason was she pushes you to the wall; she shows you a lot of things that other girls don't; is that true? Do you not like playing her? Does she present certain challenges to you that, you know, that stand out?

VENUS WILLIAMS: I like seeing my name next to her name. I'm good with that.

Q. You're 7-0 against her.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah. (Laughing.)

Q. I pointed that out, too. You come in, you're 7-0 against her over the years. You come into the match, and she was playing very strong tennis in this tournament and obviously earlier in the summer.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah.

Q. What were your thoughts coming into the match facing her?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, I mean, I've played her for so many years. There have been times when she's had me down, but fortunately I was able to come back. I think, you know, when your record against a player isn't that great you have to keep positive, and, you know, do whatever it takes to get out there and play a good match.

She does that every time. I know when I play her I'm gonna have to play good tennis. I really do enjoy our matchups, obviously, because I usually come out on top. But I enjoy it.

Q. Could you kind of describe match point? That's a shot that is going to go down for a long time.

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Is tough to explain. You are just you are with your sixth sense in the ball, in the point, knowing how important is, and, you know, just trying to run, fight, all the balls. So when I did the backhand along the line passing shot, you know, I was like even surprised that he took the volley. Of course, my reaction was just keeping the point and start running forward. Because normally with these volleys it's a dropshot, no, you gonna make another long volley. So I start running, and I just saw that space. (Smiling.) You know, is tough. Is tough to explain, because is like really short period of time and you are just running and trying to get the ball. When you see there a little bit of space, you just try to put the ball in. It was like unbelievable.

Q. But was the space you were looking at actually between the net and the chair?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: I was just first trying to get the ball; after that, yeah, it was only space. He was in the middle of the court, so I didn't see a space to play crosscourt. I saw a little bit of space just on the top of the net, just in between, like you said, the chair and the net, and I just tried to put the ball inside, inside out no, outside in, and it's good. (Laughing.) So happy when I saw that the ball was going in.


[Photo(s): Getty Images]

(UPDATED) PHOTO OP: Verdasco's hairy situation

"Hair gel. That is all."

Fernando Verdasco fell to his knees after coming back from 2 sets down and 1-4 down in the decider to defeat compatriot David Ferrer 5-7, 6-7(8), 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (4) to reach the US Open quarterfinals. He'll face top seed Rafael Nadal for a spot in the final four.

So there's been a lot of talk on Twitter about the Spanish chorizo's hairy situation and whether he should shear his long locks. After seeing this photo is there really any more discussion needed? I mean, seriously?  

UPDATE: In case you missed it, here's Fer's incredible shot on MP. *gets chills*



[Photo(s): Getty Images]

BREAKING NEWS: Fernando Verdasco has his shirt on (for GQ!)

 

Just a quick note to Down the Line! readers: Posting may be slow to non-existent for the next few days as I prepare for my LP, Kalil's, 4.0 Birthday Bash at our spot in Brooklyn, NY. It's a full-on black + white themed PAWTY with his BFF DJing out back. So, suffice it to say, I have my mitts full with preparations and set up.

I'm totally psyched for next week, though, and should be able to provide you guys some great coverage from a few of the major pre-US Open events as well as some from the qualies (I might pop in mid-week and maybe over the weekend.) So make sure to follow me on Twitter @RawUncutTennis by clicking here and/or follow on Facebook here.

In the meantime I leave you an actually fully-clothed *sad face* Fernando Verdasco who seems more at home in this September GQ spread shot in the Madrid-Barajas' Terminal 4 than Andy Murray does in Vogue. Or maybe I'm just favoring the Spanish chorizo's thigh-busting beauty and then some in these high-fashion shots (no really, check out the total package in the very bottom right photo. Calvin Klein knows what's up.)

Thanks as always to the almighty @julesdc for the tip off!

 

[Photos: GQ via Kenneth in the 212]

PHOTO OP: Fernando Verdasco is shirtless again and we're all better for it

 

"I am chorizo, hear me roar."

Big ups to @julesdc for taking these glorious photos of shirtless brigade senior member Fernando Verdasco practicing for the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington, D.C. You wanna know how sweet she is? @julesdc told me via Twitter that she thought of me, yes ME, while sneaking to his practice court and grabbing these shots of a sweaty, swarthy and unsuspecting Fer getting his hit on. I couldn't have taught her any better myself about fangirl stalking. She's truly a woman after my own heart. *sigh*

Anyway, according to his tweets, the Spanish chorizo and his fam have been taking in the sites around the U.S. capital including the Art Museum of the Americas where they visited the House of the Americas Turns 100: Paul Philippe Cret and the Architecture of Dialogue exhibition and the International Spy Museum. They also paid a visit to Brazilian steakhouse Fogo de Chão where he got my juices going (and a few other things) by announcing to the Twitterverse:

Yes, I'm pervish. And four. He also had dinner with superstar Spanish singer Alejandro Sanz (who's awesome btw) before taking in his concert the following day. I'm thinking he got front row and backstage. Duh.

So enjoy these pics of Fer. But, no worries, there's more where these came from. Oh yeah, @julesdc also shot some other ballers wearing more clothes and playing matches. *yawn*

Check 'em out here.

[Photo(s): @julesdc]