FREAKS

Rick James meets Down the Line! I don't know about you but I think it's about damn time.

It really is the only descriptor left for Novak Djokovic: SUPER FREAK. How else do you explain what he has done during the first half of the 2011 season? After his grueling three set bout against Andy Murray in the semifinals he came back the next day and defeated Rafael Nadal 6-4, 6-4 for a fourth straight time to grab the Rome Masters crown; he raised his opening season winning streak to 37 matches (39 counting last season) in the process. As a bonus, he's the only baller to defeat Rafael Nadal + Roger Federer three straight times in a single season.

After doing my RAFOLE PREP before the match I thought about Nole's chances for pulling off the win yesterday. I knew mentally he would be around but how would he fare physically after the Muzz match? It's a lot to ask of any baller to play an epic battle the night before and come back and win the final, particularly when faced with Rafa on dirt. But as he's done all year the Serb came with full game face on and went to work, cracking his cross court backhand with murderous intent and defending like, er, Rafa 2.0 or something. He always seemed one step ahead in the points and, even if he wasn't, he fought his way to the fore. Nole may have been done up like a baller going to the beach with his technicolor Tacchini (much prefer the white over that black version BTW) but he wasn't there to relax. The World No. 2 was there to win. And he did, falling to the dirt in ecstatic victory.

Nole now brings this winning streak and shit load of confidence to Roland Garros. Rafa, in typical style, is already handing over the title of FAVORITE and all that comes with the role (read: pressure) to Nole. We all know what a mind game tennis can become so this news comes as no surprise. All I know is when you're dealing with a SUPER FREAK you never know what you're gonna get. So buckle up bitches. It's about to get interesting.

If you took Maria Sharapova out of the tennis court, or the world of sports for that matter, and plopped her into a college classroom or cubicle she might just stand out. Oh, something about being a freakishly tall blonde bomber who has an affinity for heels and high fashion. Not your typical 24-year old. But in between the lines she puts these qualities to use exacting precision and power over opponents all while looking like she might hit the brunch buffet at the club afterward. And in Rome it was no different.

Shrieka won her first title since Strasbourg last season dismantling Sam Stosur 6-2, 6-4 in the final. The 3-time Grand Slammer found vintage form (and I'm not talking the "cow on ice" eating dirt) during her semifinal defeat of top seed Caroline Wozniacki and brought it to her match against the Aussie hitting with the pace, depth and consistency we haven't seen in years. Her cross court forehand, in particular the running kind, was used to devastating effect. Her serve held steady in the tight moments and her returns were also on point negating any advantage Sammy usually gets on her potent kick serve. She walked to the trophy stage without having surrendered a single set all week.

So does this win, her biggest on the slippery stuff, mean she's a favorite heading into Roland Garros? Fuck yeah. I mean, Shrieka's not the top choice but she's certainly in the mix especially when you consider the current field. She even managed wins over Wozzi + Sammy in Rome, two lady ballers who most certainly are in the running as potential winners, and kept her groundies under control while still going for her shots. It's a potent mix that has won her majors in the past. And now Shrieka believes she's back and can play against these other lady ballers on clay and win big. "This is just the beginning of many things to come. This is just the start of everything," said the Rome winner. ZOIKS!

Besides, she has the best fist-pumping cheerleader ever seen in a baller box:

With all that going for her I, for one, would not count her out. Would you?

[Photo(s): Clive Brunskill/Getty Images, AFP PHOTO / ANDREAS SOLARO]

PHOTO OP: Tennis in technicolor

Hey Nole! Joseph called and he wants the fabric from his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat back. Here's a pic if you don't remember him. I think you do, though.

Sorry guys, there really isn't much to say about Novak Djokovic's tennis since he's playing in some other stratosphere at the moment. He just bullied Robin Soderling 6-3, 6-0 and pretty much toyed with the towering Swede throwing in drop shots and ridic lobs during the bagel set. And now he gets Andy Murray.

I'd say 'GOOD LUCK!' to you Muzz but you're going to need a lot more than luck to break his 35 match win streak. Frightening indeed.

[Photo(s): AFP PHOTO / ANDREAS SOLARO]

PHOTO OP: ZOOM-A-ZOOM-ZOOM

(Due to a major BLOGGER fail this week, this post which I published on May 11th was erased. I'm now adding it back so apologies for re-publishing it.)

"My eyes. Up here."

Someone was enjoying the second round match between Yanina Wickmayer + Ana Ivanovic in Rome today (won by the Wicky) but it wasn't for the tennis.

Enjoy boys. And girls.

[Photo(s): AFP PHOTO / ALBERTO PIZZOLI] ]

RICHARD'S RANKINGS: Breaking down Rome

Internazionali BNL d'Italia

ATP World Tour: Rome Masters 1000

WTA: Premier

Defending champions: Rafael Nadal, Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez

Lots of exciting chances on the women's side of the rankings with this last 1000 point week before the French Open. For starters, no matter what happens Caroline Wozniaki will remain the No. 1 women's player in the world. She only has 80 points to defend so she could make a big move even higher up this week.

The biggest movers can be the players currently ranked No. 5, 6 and 7 - Francesca Schiavone, Li Na and Sam Stosur, respectively. Reigning French Open champion Schiavone has 140 points to defend this week in Rome. If she wins or is a finalist, Schiavone will move up ahead of No. 4 Victoria Azarenka who is not playing Rome. Additionally, if Li runs the table and Schiavone doesn't go further than the semifinals, Li will take Schivone's place. If Stosur at least makes the final and Li fails to reach the semifinals, then the Aussie will take Li's place. The women are bound for some shakeups heading into the French. Two things are certain: Wozniacki is No. 1 and Clijsters is No. 2.

The men's side has the chance for a lot of point changes, but not as much movement. First, this Rafael Nadal/Novak Djokovic story is shaping up to be quite the battle - and it's great for men's tennis to have a new rivalry. Here is the biggest piece of news: Djokovic CAN become No. 1. But, in order for that to happen, Nadal would have to win only one match and Djokovic would have to win the title. That said, the French Open will definitely be a major factor in where these two go the rest of the season.

Roger Federer is not going anywhere, so he'll keep the No. 3 ranking. The No. 4 - 7 players could all see movement. For instance, Andy Murray (4) can't go up, but can go down if Robin Soderling (5) becomes a finalist in Rome and Murray loses before third round. Similarly, David Ferrer (6) can't move up, but can move down if Tomas Berdych (7) makes it to the finals and Ferrer loses before the quarterfinals.

Should be a fun week!

About Richard: A life-long tennis fan, Richard offers thoughts on rankings for both the ATP and WTA. He runs a tennis blog, The Let Tennis, and is the author of two books, including his latest, Anything is Possible. You can visit his website at http://richarddedor.com.

[Photo(s): Getty Images]

VIDEO VAULT: Latest scenes from "WTA Girls Behaving Badly" leaked!

Here are some leaked scenes from the tour's recurring drama-filled reality show "WTA Girls Behaving Badly" both starring - SHOCKER - Jelena Jankovic with appearances by Serena Williams + Ana Ivanovic.

Well don't just sit there - WATCH:



SCENE 1: The third set tie-break of their Rome semifinal. JJ goes to serve, ReRe raises her hand up to signal she wasn't ready to receive it. JJ wins the tie-break and the match. At their post-match handshake ReRe apologizes for stopping the Serb mid-serve and allegedly says in her defense, "I'm not Justine" referring to the infamous "Henin Handgate" that occurred during their contentious match at Roland Garros in 2003. Click here for a reminder of THAT one.


Original Video- More videos at TinyPic

SCENE 2: JJ defeats NaturAna in second round of Madrid for her first win on clay over her countrywoman. After the victory she's shown courtside grinning and performing fist-pumps and an uppercut that's supposedly in mockery of NaturAna's penchant for ridiculous amounts of that motion (causing fans to suffer what's now commonly known in tennis circles as FPF or "Fist Pump Fatigue." Thanks AI.) To the victor go the spoiled sportsmanships.

LOVE this show! That JJ is some kind of scene-whore, huh?

In any case, stay tuned for more scenes from "WTA Girls Behaving Badly." I mean, we still have half a season left. There's bound to be more drama 'round the corner. At least we can hope so.

*sets DVR*

QUOTE OF THE DAY: NaturAna

I'm very happy with this victory. I knew I had it in me, I've been improving a lot over these past few weeks, playing really well in practice and this time I was able to take something like that kind of play into a match.

- Ana Ivanovic on defeating ninth seed Victoria Azarenka in the second round in Rome, her first Top 10 win since 2008 (Linz, d. Zvonareva) and first back-to-back wins since the Australian Open

Those are some serious monkeys to kick off your back. But let's put the facts on the table before we get our panties all twisted either way shall we? First off, Vika was clearly hampered by the leg injury she sustained in Marbella last month so she wasn't fully fit. But who is fit right now? Tell me. Check.

Secondly, NaturAna still had to win. Yes, she still had to close out match point and that wasn't a sure bet even with a one-legged Belarussian hopping around the other side of the net. And as we tennis fans all know, dealing with an injured opponent is a big mental test never mind having to deal with your own injured psyche. Double check.

Regardless of the circumstances this win will be confidence-boosting. No doubt about it. So I'm happy to see NaturAna string together a pair of nice wins. Next up: Elena Dementieva. Will she win three-in-a-row? Who knows. I mean it's the WTA we're talking about, right?

[Photo(s): Getty]

Rafa takes Rome, ties Agassi for all-time Masters Series 1000 titles

A big "FUCK YEAH!" goes out to Rafael Nadal who defeated compatriot David Ferrer 7-5, 6-2 to win his fifth Rome Masters title and tie Andre Agassi with the most ATP Masters 1000 shields with 17 total championships.

The 6-time Grand Slammer was asked about reaching the milestone and tying the tennis legend who won his last shield at the tender age of 34 in Cincinnati:

"I am 23 and sure 17 is a very important number for me. There are some tournaments coming up – Madrid is coming up soon – and so I'm going to try to keep winning, but these tournaments are very difficult and some of the best players in the world are there."

After going 11 months without a single title Rafa hit his fave surface and never looked back winning two consecutive Masters 1000s while being oh so smart about adjusting his schedule this year and adding in some much needed time off in between the tourneys i.e. skipping Barcelona. And according to Uncle Toni, the trend will most definitely continue.

Now onto Madrid in a week's time where the he'll will have the chance to break Agassi's record on his home turf in front of his people and take a nibble out of another trophy. Although if he breaks the record I think he should just swallow the whole damn thing. He deserves it, no?

Check out some highlights from the final:



[Photo(s): Reuters]

PHOTO OP: Southpaw pugilist

"I'd like to plant one on ya. Pucker up."

Rafael Nadal continued to show the dominant form he displayed in winning Monte Carlo crushing Philipp Kohlshreiber 6-1, 6-3 in his opening match in Rome today. All in all the defending champ has lost 18 total games in the six consecutive matches he's won to date. That's straight up SICK y'all.

Rafa looks like a uber-confident prize fighter in this photo, ready to take down all pretenders in his court. Now all we need is the shirt to be off and the high beams to be on full display. That's PERFECTION.

[Photo(s): AFP]

QUOTE OF THE DAY: CURLBIS

Well, I shit my pants a little bit, excuse my language.

- Ernests Gulbis on needing seven match points to put away Roger Federer 2-6, 6-1, 7-5 in the second round of the Rome Masters 1000

Oh Curlbis. You and your lovely locks have been on everyone's radar for a while but now it seems you've gotten all serious about your career. You've got a HUGE game and Hernan Gumy sure knows what to do with it.

We like. Lots.

[Photo(s): Reuters]

(UPDATED) PHOTO OP: JJ visits GF Ferre boutique, unleashes Righty on the world

Jelena Jankovic, who advanced to the Rome quaterfinals today when Kateryna Bondarenko withdrew from their match with a viral illness with the score at 6-1, 1-0, spent some of that extra time visting and shopping at the GF Ferre boutique.

And guess who FINALLY decided to make an appearance? Yup, it's Righty! I find it very interesting her results of late have made a dramatic turnaround at the same time Righty appears. I guess being lopsided does have its drawbacks.

Two more images of JJ + Righty from the shop-a-thon below.



UPDATE: Here's video of JJ's Spanish tour and visit to the boutique. Damn, that Lefty is an attention WHORE.


(image via getty)

PHOTO OP: Big girls don't cry but "real" No.1's seemingly do

Well, well.

Patty Schnyder caused a huge upset today knocking out Serena Williams from Rome's second round (her opening rounder) 6-2, 2-6, 6-1 in a match that ended a little after 1AM. The World No.2 has now entered a 3-match losing streak dating back to her final loss in Miami to Victoria Azarenka, followed by an opening round loss in Marbella and now this loss to the Swiss.

So the good news? At least it's not Roland Garros - phew. The bad news? Well, it's a third consecutive loss going into a major on her least favorite surface with no clay wins to speak of at the moment. Plus, ReRe's smacking comments about being the "real" top lady baller couldn't have come at a more perfect time. Good work.

I'm thinking she may want to cancel any more scheduled appearances pimping out her Signature Statement on the Home Shopping Network.

Oh, and about that Nike outfit: It's cursed. Drop it.

(image via getty)

PHOTO OP: Dinara's a dirty girl - who knew?

Dinara Safina bit it hard in Rome.

The world's top lady baller fought through a tough first set against Virginie Razzano but gathered steam in the second and pulled out a 7-6 (1), 6-1 win over the Frenchie. She'll face China's Jie Zheng for a spot in the quarterfinals.

Now this is what I'm talking about: gritty, down + dirty ballin'. That's what it's going to take to win a major, keep the keys to the WTA Penthouse, and make ReRe eat crow.

Got it D?

(image via getty)

PHOTO OP: Breasts? What breasts??

Juan Monaco, two lovely ladies, and their boobs took time out to grab a photograph together outside the Enel.Si booth after he defeated Marin Cilic 6-4, 6-4 in Rome today. He'll next face Fernando Gonzalez for a spot in the tourney's final four.

The Argentine seems a bit nervous around these ladies. Go on Juan, you know you want to touch them. I mean, they are calling out for attention.

(image via getty)

VANtage Point: FED CUP follow-up, Rome rules

(Hey readers! I'm sure you've noticed a significant slow down in DtL posts. Well, you AREN'T insane, at least not right now. Life has decided I need to focus on some other things in my personal world like, oh, work that actually pays me something. I will PWP - post when possible. In the meantime, enjoy another edition of VANtage Point!)


Hey everyone and welcome back to VANtage Point, your weekly dose of up-close glances at tennis tournaments around the world. When last we left off, VP predicted the U.S. could put on a decent showing against the Czech Republic, but little did we know the squad had bigger goals than that! What will happen this week? Stay tuned! (You’re supposed to read that with an announcer’s voice for added effect!)

Anyway, let’s get on with the Point, shall we?

A Look Back: The Fed Cup finals are set now as both Italy and a surprising U.S. team both pulled off upsets this past weekend over Russia and the Czech Republic, respectively. Both squads really pulled together with big performances at crucial moments. And I have to tell you this: Admittedly, I’ve been kind of lukewarm about Fed Cup in the past, but if you get action and clutch play like what was on display this weekend, then sign me up as a full-fledged fan!

This Week’s Spotlight: Ever since I was a wee VANtage Pointer, the ATP Masters 1000 Internazionali BNL D’Italia has been one of my favorite tournaments on tour. I became a fan of it waaay back when, in 1989, watching Andre Agassi and former Argentine Davis Cup captain Alberto Mancini duke it out in the finals, with Mancini winning. Novak Djokovic is the defending champ. What? A clay tournament without Rafael Nadal holding the title? He lost early last year and Roger Federer lost in the quarterfinals. They’re back, with all the usual suspects. And what’s this? Sightings of Americans in a clay-court tournament draw? Well, one of them is already gone as James Blake has already lost. To a qualifier, no less.

Players to Watch: You know who I think is rounding into decent form and could make a good run here? Nikolay Davydenko. I think he’s gradually getting his legs under him after missing so much time this year. Also, I think Tommy Robredo can make a good run at the event. Andy Murray has a pretty tough draw, and I’m anxious to see what he does in the second round against Juan Monaco.


The Final Four: Shock of shocks, I’m picking Nadal to get that far and take out Davydenko. On the other side of the draw, I think it’ll be Robredo versus David Ferrer, with Ferrer winning that all-Spanish matchup.

And the Winner Is: It’s déjà vu all over again as Rafa takes out Ferrer for the second week in a row.

Van Sias writes the blog Tennis Talk, Anyone?

WEEKEND WINNERS: Rafa, Jelena

Hamburg - Rafael Nadal

So Rafa defeats Roger Federer 7-5, 6-7 (3), 6-3 in an epic Hamburg final to win the only major clay-court title he had yet to own and improves his head-to-head with the world no. 1 to 10-6. Oh yeah, he also beat the best baller this year in Novak Djokovic to keep the no. 2 ranking. Not that he needed much more confidence on the dirt, but do you think he's feeling a fourth Roland Garros title now?

Rome - Jelena Jankovic

Jelena defended her Rome title and solidified her chances for Roland Garros by demolishing Frenchwoman Alize Cornet 6-2, 6-2. With nemesis Justine Henin out of the way (she never defeated the Belgian in 9 tries), don't be surprised to see the Serb in the final weekend of next week's Grand Slam.

(images via Getty)

VIDEO VAULT: Has Serena lost her mind? You be the judge.

Serena Williams sent a video message from Rome - more evidence, clearly, that ReRe has lost her marbles:



(via serenawilliams.com)

THE LOW DOWN: Sharapova opens Pandora's Box, but WTA Tour reaches compromise anyway

Maria "Shriek"apova and the thugs of the WTA Tour are finally playing nice after the Russian publicly blasted the Tour and its executives through her website, reaching a compromise that both sides can feel happy about...well, mostly Maria that is.

The photo shoot in question was reduced to 90 minutes from 5 to 6 hours, with Maria talking on the phone while taking a ride around Rome:

I was riding around in a car for an hour talking—pretending like I’m talking on the phone. The timing compromise was still pretty difficult since it’s before a very big event for all of us. Considering the time reduction, it definitely makes that a lot easier than going into a four- or five-hour shoot with hair and makeup, which adds another hour.

And did the new world no. 2 find her bullying tactics to be a success? "I’ve obviously made my point," said the 21-year old. "I wanted to let my fans know that I didn’t feel like people were listening to me. I think it’s in the best interest of the tour.”

Yes, the tour must be thrilled that you opened a Pandora's Box - good times!

(image via AP)

WEEKEND WINNERS: Nole, Dinara

Rome - Novak Djokovic

It seems Nole was on a mission to silence the criticism surrounding his withdrawal in Monte Carlo and it may have worked. The 20-year old earned his fourth Master Series shield defeating new top-10 resident Stanislas Wawrinka 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 and giving his Roland Garros prospects a huge boost. And with 310 points now separating the Serb from Rafael Nadal in the rankings and only a quarterfinal showing in last year's Hamburg tourney, could we be looking at the soon-to-be world no. 2?

Berlin - Dinara Safina

Color me impressed. Dinara kept the "Safin syndrome" at bay all week in Berlin earning the biggest title of her career and defeating three top -10 ballers along the way, including Justine Henin, Serena Williams, and Elena Dementieva 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 in the final. Though she's probably not on anyone's long list to take home the French Open crown, I'd put her into the dark horse category after this impressive week of tennis.

(images via AP)

Victorious Stepanek shows off his worm while Vaidisova watches

As usual, Radek Stepanek saved his best move for last.

"The Worm" caused another huge upset in Rome defeating Roger Federer in the quarterfinals 7-6(4), 7-6(7) and denying the Swiss his first title here. And guess who was there to cheer on the Czech?

Why none other than girlfriend Nicole Vaidisova who had time to watch her beloved compete since she was a first-round loser in Berlin. I hope she picked up some helpful hints on how to play elite-level tennis again.

(images via Getty)

THE LOW DOWN: A-Rod + Blake make Rome quarters - could American's red tide be turning?

Clay-court tennis is always chalk-full of surprises (remember hearing "French Open champion Iva Majoli or Gaston Gaudio"? INSANITY.) So this week's no different with the biggest surprise, of course, being Rafael Nadal's defeat yesterday at the hands of Juan Carlos Ferrero. But another one (or two?) is lurking in the dusty, clay-covered centre court in Rome: Andy Roddick and James Blake making the quarterfinals.

American ballers fears and, frankly, disinterest in the terra bateau have been well documented. But no one could've predicted that one let alone two of them would advance this far. Today A-Rod defeated Simone Bolelli 7-6, 6-3 and James took a big clay scalp in Fernando Verdasco 6-2, 5-7, 6-2.

Could the red tide be turning? Some would say yes, with DtL! reader Kai even giving A-Rod the title:

Rome will be in roddick's hands =P

Perhaps they gained confidence from buddy Sam Querrey's impressive stomping of Richard Gasquet in Monte Carlo? Perhaps. But one thing is clear: the Americans have decided to step up their challenge and give the dirt its well-deserved respect.

Whether it leads to a title is anyone's guess.

(images via Getty)