The 40-year old victor

How dare she.

Kimiko Date Krumm, the now 40-year old lady baller (this is based on Tokyo time - Happy Birthday Kimi!), grabbed her fifth Top 20 scalp of the season this time off the multi-million dollar head of defending champ Maria Sharapova who she upset 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 in the first round of Tokyo. It's like she doesn't realize she started playing before some of the WTA pros started breathing. What's more, Kimi isn't phased by all this talk of power in the ladies' game and how it's changed the game for better or worse. Her response seems to be, "Who the hell needs it?"

The ladies can hit powerfully and the game has become more physical but the newbies and oldbies can still hang. That's not a knock on the WTA tour, though, or a reference to the perceived lack of depth or mental toughness amongst the lady ballers. See, what's so awesome about Kimi's recent achievements is she has given old-school tennis a small, but very effective, place in the modern game.

Of course, supreme fitness - which was born during The Age of Williams - has been key to her big wins this year including on the red clay of Roland Garros against Dinara Safina and against Shrieka, who reacted to the loss by saying, "It takes a lot to come back and Kimiko is extremely fit." Take that fitness, then, and mix in a dash of savvy court sense, an ability to close at the net and a big heart and you've got win.

Let's be real, though: Kimi's not winning any Slams. We all know it. But could a development coach or an aspiring mom or dad coach learn a few winning strategies from a 40-year old with the gall to brandish a continental forehand in a world of westerns? Well, duh. Kimi obviously has tons to teach them.

[Photo(s): Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP/Getty Images]

HE SAID/SHE SAID: Roland Garros Day Three

Q. What about the circumstances in general, or the weather conditions, rather? In Madrid it was sometimes warm or cold. What do you prefer?

RAFAEL NADAL: The sun. I love the sun. The sun is like happiness. When it's a bit like a dull‑type of weather like this, I don't really like this type of weather. When I play tennis I'd rather play in the sun.

The ball bounces higher. When it was really sunny, I can tell you the balls are a lot lighter. Today it was a bit heavier, so I didn't play really well.


Q. You remember last time you won against a top 10 player?

KIMIKO DATE KRUMM: Maybe top 10 player? (Through translation.)

He told me 1996. That time, the Championships in Madison Square Garden in New York. I beat Monica Seles in the first round. She retire. (laughter.) And the second round I lost against Martina Hingis.

Q. Just after Miami, you made the decision clearly you needed some time off. You wanted to rest the body. But now thinking back, would it have been a good idea to play Rome, or is it basically you didn't know you were going to get sick in Madrid?

ANDY RODDICK: Well, I didn't know I was going to get sick in Madrid. That was my preparation last year and I had my best ever French Open.

Also I have responsibilities elsewhere, you know. It was my first anniversary and I hadn't seen Brook in a while. I think at that point in the year, that was always gonna take precedence for me. That was a time that we had blocked out for us, and you know, that's necessary.

Q. You obviously have a little bit of history with [fashion] as well. Refresh my memory about what you've been fined and where the line was drawn. As you understand it, what's the line that they've kind of drawn?

BETHANIE MATTEK SANDS: For clothing? It's really hazy, actually. I think the book says, "proper tennis attire." That could be depends who's the supervisor, what tournament you're at. I mean, obviously some are more lenient than others on what you can wear.

But I've pushed the line a few times. It's really a hazy line. So I think it's cool when people push it, though. I like it. I think it brings more interest. I mean, obviously everyone is talking about it, so it's great. Tennis is getting in the news. It's on the front page when I open up my browsers and everything just because she's we are something different.

So I think it's great.

Q. How many times have you been fined and how much and when?

BETHANIE MATTEK SANDS: Um, I was fined ten grand for wearing a hat at US Open like five years ago. I was fined I think for a shirt that was like sheer, two grand. I think that's it.

For a while I actually had to bring my clothes in and get them approved. That's how they prevented me from actually, like, wearing something that I shouldn't on the court.
Since this last year I've been a little more conservative as far as the clothing goes.

Q. Sam, you've had some good results on clay. You won Belgrade, won Houston. Are you fighting sort of a Jeckyll/Hyde part of yourself here?

SAM QUERREY: A little bit. Those are 250s, and they're great. I love you know, a tournament win is a tournament win. A final is great. It builds my confidence, but I won Belgrade and my ranking didn't move. I'm kind of past that point right now. Those 250s do nothing for me ranking wise. It's all about the Masters Series and the Grand Slams.

That's where I just have not been playing well. You know, I just need to mentally get it together in my head. I need to enjoy myself out there. I need to enjoy playing. You know, if a guy has a breakpoint against me, I should know, Hey, I've got one of the biggest serves out there. Let's see you win this point off me.

But like I said, I just tank some points. (UGH, Samurai.)

Q. You looked very happy at the end of your match. It must be great to be back at the place you've had success in the past.

JUSTINE HENIN: Yeah, I was feeling very happy just to be back on center court, and it's something that I never expected in the past anymore.

It was the case again today. I really, this morning, when I woke up and before walking on the court, I didn't know really what to expect and how I was going to deal with my emotions. At that time I felt like, well, I've never played on this court, you know. I've played so many times on that court.

But as soon as I walked in and I was into my match, I felt a lot of things were coming back. It was just fantastic to share this again with the crowd as they gave me one more time great support. So it was very good to be back. It was an honor for me to be scheduled on the center court. It was very nice from the organization, also.

Q. And your immediate goals for this year are what?
DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: Media goals?

Q. Immediate goals.
DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: I thought, media goals, wow, I would never set those goals. (Laughter.) Yeah, I want to be the most famous.

Just improving my game. You know, obviously getting back to top 10 would be great, but I understand that's a long process. I just have to give my best in every match.

Q. If I recall correctly, you recently expressed some interest in getting involved in politics. What was that about?

DANIELA HANTUCHOVA: I never ever said that. Never. I'm the farthest thing away from that. (Laughing.)

[Photo(s): Getty Images, AP]

Date Krumm stuns Safina in first round of Roland Garros

Seniors Tour her ass.

Thirty-nine year old Kimiko Date Krumm made it seem like the 1990's all over again - complete with a continental FH - when she shocked last year's finalist Dinara Safina in the first round of Roland Garros today. The Japanese lady baller hobbled back on one good leg (she had her right calf heavily taped) from 1-4 down in the decider to earn the big win. She became the second-oldest woman to win a match at Roland Garros in the Open Era after Virginia Wade in 1985. Awesome.

Kimi will face Aussie Jarmila Groth for a spot in the third round.


She knew, as we all did watching, that her Russian foe was feeling the moment:

"I didn't want to stop," Date Krumm said. "My condition was very bad, but she was getting a little nervous, and she started making mistakes. So I tried many things, like drop shots and hitting wider, slower... and she kept making mistakes. I tried everything."

As for Dinara it was a disastrous performance particularly by PUTA!, her nasty wayward serve that gave up 17 double faults. She'll most likely fall back into the 20's when the rankings are released after RG. Add to this her split from coach Zeljko Krajan prior to the start of the tourney and her recent injury woes and you have one scattered lady baller on your racquet.

P.S. Loving the adidas duds Kimi!

[Photo(s): Getty Images]

(UPDATED) Kimiko has Seoul while mental midgets pave the WTA way

LOVE IT.

A big congrats to Kimiko Date-Krumm who became the oldest lady baller to win a WTA tour title since Billie Jean King in 1983 when she captured the Korea Open in Seoul this weekend. She won the title, her first since 1996, a day before turning 39. Her embarrassed victims this week included Alisa Kleybanova, Daniela Hantuchova, Maria Kirilenko, and Anabel Medina Garrigues in the final.

And, to throw more salt in the WTA's wounds, the tour's mental midgets are continuing their fine form in Tokyo already this week including opening round losers Ana Ivanovic, who lost her third straight match and second consecutive to Lucie Safarova; Svetlana Kuznetsova who crashed out to Andrea Petkovic; and top lady baller and defending champ Dinara Safina who fell to 132nd ranked 18-year old Chang Kai-Chen, her second straight loss since her third round exit at the US Open.

Okay, I think it's time for me to dust off (one of my) wigs, don my best Nike day dress and hit hit the WTA tour. There's money and ranking points up for grabs and no one's interested in playing - so why the hell not?

We'll see who's laughing their way to the bank (hint: it won't be an -ova but an -ich.)

UPDATE: And Venus goes down. Now where is that afro puff wig of mine? *scratches head*

(Photo: AFP)