THE LOW DOWN: R.I.P. TennisWeek.com?

TennisWeek.com is apparently no more.

The IMG-owned website is down today and word has it the company shut it down permanently though no official statement has been released.

Earlier this year the sports marketing giant closed the print version after 35 years and it seems the tough economic climate made the kill complete.

I have to say it's sad to see another staple in the tennis media go down, even though their material wasn't always original. But no hard feelings TW.com - you'll be missed. 

[Photo(s): tennisservedfresh.com]

THE LOW DOWN: Will IMG shut down Tennis Week magazine?

Is Tennis Week magazine down in the dumps?

According to Tennisreporters.net, publisher Randy Master has left the pub to return to Tennis Channel and IMG, who bought Tennis Week two years ago, is considering its viability.

Full disclosure: I've only seen one hard copy of Tennis Week and it was pretty awful. The articles weren't interesting or in-depth, the images were either out-dated or stock photography, and the paper quality was low. In these tough economic times, media of all kinds are struggling for ad dollars and subscribers which is causing many to shutter their print editions. Frankly, I'm surprised Tennis Week mag is still around.

I think they'd be better off shutting down the print edition only and focusing completely on the web where they can be more current with news and give a broader perspective on the sport.

Besides, what would we do without Carrie Milbank's perky tennis roundups? Perish the thought.

(via tennis-x.com)

Tennis Week's Carrie Milbank making the rounds - so what if it's in a bikini?

Tennis Week's own Carrie Milbank has a secret sexy side - well, not so secret anymore based on these photos making the rounds today.


The Texas-born commentator recently sat down with The Love of Sports to discuss her growing brand and how she made her way into the conversations involving the biggest tennis ballers in the world:

It was the 2006 U.S. Open and Roger Federer had just defeated Andy Roddick for his three-peat win. He was exhausted, stuck in a tiny little room, his trophy on his lap, dozens of interviews lined down the hallway, mine being one of the very last of the evening. When it was finally my turn to sit down with Roger I was sure he would be dishing out one-word answers if anything more than just a nod. But instead, he was one of the most gracious, humble and patient interviews I ever had, and at that moment I truly became a tennis fan.

My gig with TennisWeek.com didn’t come along until a year later, so you can imagine how quickly I jumped at the opportunity to host a weekly show about one of the greatest sports and some of the most gifted athletes of our time.

But you probably wouldn't want to ask her to hit a few balls with you:

Personally, I’m a total spaz attack out on the court. I can’t even get anyone to play with me ... I am that bad.

I'm sure the (straight) guys wouldn't mind Carrie.


But she isn't just a one-sport kinda girl. The former Houston Texans' cheerleader also dabbles in hockey ("Just give me a gritty, action-packed game and I’m a happy girl") auto-racing and sports cars ("Is it too much to ask for my car to turn into a Transformer at the end of the day and cuddle?”), and power-drinking apparently:

I usually go straight for the hard stuff ... Ketel One Vodka. [Though] on a beer night, it’s all about Blue Moon straight from the tap with a fresh orange slice, but at home it’s my boy Sam Adams Light.

Oh Carrie - you're like every guy's (and some girl's, btw) wet dream: a drinking, car-loving, sports fanatic who likes to lie on rocks while posing in a bikini. You're, like, SO hired for anything.

What was I saying about some girls having all the luck?

(The Love of Sports via Deadspin)

THE LOW DOWN: Tennis has a dirty, little secret - or so it thinks

Steve Murray wonders aloud in his recent article for TennisWeek.com whether the tennis world is harboring what he calls a "Sexist Secret"?

Essentially he argues that as much as the sport wants to view everything in terms of athletic ability and wins, it's struggling with TV viewership, sponsorship dollars and a dwindling fan base. And, who better to PR the sport than many of the top lovely lady ballers (and those floating somewhere below.) Sex sells, of course, but is that okay in tennis?

Hell yeah. C'mon, most other sports play up the sexy celebrity status of their top female AND male athletes with no issue. Think soccer's David Beckham + Christiano Ronaldo, baseball's Madonna-loving Alex Rodriguez + Derrick Jeter, racing's Danica Patrick or swimming's Amanda Beard for instance. These sports understand that "personalities" sell and build interest and awareness and, as a result, their very loyal fan bases continue to grow - something tennis sorely lacks.

WTA CEO Larry Scott hit the mark when he told The London Financial Times,

All sports are trying to distinguish themselves through their athletes and the glamorous nature of what they do. That’s what sponsors are after.

Sports marketing 101, people.

But why is tennis so stuck in the mud? My guess is the sport has been lost in its long, stodgy history of crisp whites and politeness. Purists continue to argue that tennis media concentrates too much on the ballers' personalities, fashion, gossip, etc. and doesn't focus enough on the simple yellow ball.

But think about it - some of our sport's best rivalries were great not only because of the matches played but also because of the contrasting personalities involved and how they were played up. McEnroe vs. Borg, Evert vs. Navratilova, Graf vs. Seles, Federer vs. Nadal. Personalities sell the sport, and the sport is a business at the end of the day.

The irony here is the ballers themselves are pushing the envelope and building their own brands through forays into the worlds of entertainment, fashion, music, etc. Ana knows her FHM cover builds a certain image that can be sold to her sponsors and fans. Same goes for Roger Federer walking onto Centre Court in his Gatsby-esque cardigan moment. Besides, how do you think we get a lot of the stories we write about on a daily basis? Ballers' websites.

There's no denying anymore that tennis needs to fast forward into the 21st century. No secret there.

(image via FHM magazine)

VIDEO VAULT: Carrie Milbank's job in danger by ambitious sales associate, fashion can kill

Tennis Week is upping their fashion ante by doing a Women's Spring Fashion video for your home-viewing pleasure (wait - didn't I already do that here + here? Back off Tennis Week!)

Hostess with the mostest Carrie Milbank visits a tight + cramped New York City store called Masons Tennis Mart (which looks to be located in the blackhole called the Manhattan Mall) to preview what the ladies-who-lunch might want to wear to their next country club meet-up.

Carrie is assisted by an obviously knowledgeable sales associate (the video description calls her an 'expert') who clearly would like nothing better than to steal her precious commentating job away (see said associates practiced camera stare):



Watch your back Carrie - she's coming for you.

Tennis Week now hiring obscure, but pretty, former tennis ballers for writing gigs

Beautiful former top-30 tennis baller and apparent renaissance woman Angelica Gavaldon has recently been pulled from the depths of obscurity by Tennis Week to pen some musings about ballers and the superstitions they keep safe in their racquet bags. But Angelica, who included the large-scale glamour shot above with her in-depth piece, makes sure we know it's all about her.

We get to read Angelica wax poetic about her superstitious early days - loaning a "lucky" shirt to then unknown junior baller Monica Seles at a tournament actually called Sport Goofy, getting high marks from Anna Kournikova for warming up the Russian beauty before a match that she actually won, and her own superstitious doodlings from her old playing days:

"I had a different routine at the Grand Slams:

• At the Australian Open, I would eat a chocolate chip cookie everyday.
• At Wimbledon, I made sure to eat corn on the cob.
• At Roland Garros, I really didn’t have any kind of a ritual or superstition, but maybe I should have, since the furthest I advanced in the tournament was the second round.
• At the U.S. Open, I ate plain pasta before every match."

Eating a chocolate chip cookie everyday? Now there's a fool-proof method of winning!

Angelica even attempts to explain superstitions by speaking with Marc Sagal, a psychologist and managing partner at a company that helps overachievers strive for their personal best. Sagal gave his insight into superstitious behavior saying, "We all make connections between what we do and what happens — and, we often believe that because something has happened before, it will happen again." Very logical, indeed.

Nevertheless, the article regains focus on our 2-time Aussie Open quarterfinalist and ends with a link to her sports apparel line called, of course, Angalo (play on her name maybe?) We immediately jumped on over to her website and were greeted by these images:


Wow - she models too! Is there anything this woman can't do? Smart choice, Tennis Week...smart choice.

(images via tennisweek.com + angalo.com)