PHOTO OP: FED CUP's best fist pumps

Maria Kirilenko

FED CUP kicked off this weekend. And, even though Fist Pumping Lifetime Achievement Award winner Ana Ivanovic pulled out of Serbia's tie against the Slovak Republic after injuring her shoulder at the Australian Open, there were still plenty of lady ballers willing to take her place and throw up a fist in her honor (that part is TOTALLY made up). See the results here and click the headline to see the best of this weekend's FED CUP fist pumping.

VIDEO VAULT: (Wo)man or machine?

Boy. Not only does Beyoncé have ridic moves (seriously, how do her arms not snap off that body?) but she's got great timing to boot. She may not be human.

Anyway, here are a few things I learned today: 1) Andy Roddick pulled out today with the recurring shoulder injury along with former champ Juan Carlos Ferrero 2) Yanina Wickmayer may be dealing with a serious back injury after retiring in tears from her match in Brussels 3) Novak Djokovic is fucking everywhere.

And tomorrow we finally arrive at the official draw ceremony for Roland Garros! I don't know about you but I'm starting to feel those familiar jitters building in the pit of my stomach. Like butterflies on crack or Beyoncé dancing. SOMEBODY HOLD ME.

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] ]

Djokovic, Perello and Petrova keep it HAWT (or not) at the US Open

What a great day at the US Open yesterday!

It's always so much fun walking around the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows during the first few days - a must for any tennis fan. There's a certain electricity in the air with every court showcasing a match and fans meandering from court to court to check out the fate of their fave ballers. You can even catch a glimpse of the ballers practicing and sometimes walking and/or running through the grounds to get from their practice to the locker rooms. Granted, it was, how do you say, 'sultry' yesterday (at least that's what I would tell myself every time I wanted to crawl under an air conditioned rock) but you just deal - it's the US Open for fuck sake!

For the ballers, however, dealing with conditions becomes a severe test of their fitness and stamina. Novak Djokovic, working a cute new black + white Sergio Tacchini kit (sans hat PLEASE), has a well-documented history of retiring from Grand Slams matches due to breathing issues caused by soaring heat so no one would've been surprised if he pulled the plug at some point during his opening round battle against compatriot Viktor Troicki yesterday. BUT! The third seed prevailed gutting out a 6-3, 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-3 win, a good sign for his chances this year.

And what was Nole's response when asked what it was like when he was finally able to grab some much needed relief from the sun in the late afternoon on-court shadows? "Ahhhh. It was like sleeping with my girlfriend." Ahhhh, it was like tossing rock salt in my open wounds when I read that quote. Thanks Nole.

Speaking of WAGS it was awesome to see the beautiful and stylish Xisca Perello make an appearance at Rafael Nadal's opening round match where he grabbed a tough win against Russia's Teymuraz Gabashvilli. Normally she shows up later in a tourney to give her support, at least in the baller box, so this appearance seems telling about Rafa's focus and desire to win his first title at Flushing Meadows and complete the Career Slam. He's got his girl there - one of the three greatest loves of his life.

Now, one lady baller who always strives to be stylish is Nadia Petrova. I'm not sure if she meant to wear this outfit or just fell into a Crayola crayon box that was left out in yesterday's heat but, honestly, it fits Nads - for better or for HELLA worse. In any case she got booted by Andrea Petkovic in the opening round match so we'll be spared. For now.

Finally I've added a few shots below from the matches I got to see including David Nalbandian, Yanina Wickmayer and Na Li. Nalby (barely) + Wicky (easily) made it out but Li, who was sporting support tape on her right knee and seemed hampered towards the end, was not so lucky. I'll upload the full sets to the Down the Line! Facebook page.

 

[Photo(s): Getty Images, DtL]

(UPDATED) + WEDNESDAY NETCORDS: Quick hits from around the grounds

- Novak Djokovic + Gael Monfils guest star in DJ Martin Solveig's new video for his single 'Hello' which was partly shot in Court Philippe Chatrier at Roland Garros. Fantastic Frenchie record producer and DJ Bob Sinclar also makes an appearance as Solveig's opponent.

- “Now I have to run around and be nice to everybody," said Marat Safin about his current role as a Russian tennis official. He also had some words for his sister, Dinara, who's been troubled by a herniated disc in her back. "I think she needs to rest six months and think about the future," SexGawd says of his sister. “Don’t play two weeks here and two weeks there and get [re-]injured.”

- Steve Tignor offer his thoughts on the Fedal dominance at the Slams and wonders aloud how many more each baller will win - and who will end up with the most when all is said and done. 

- Janko Tipsarevic and the very posey Biljana Šešević were married late last week and Serbian mag Story got the exclusive photos. I wonder if she forgot this photoshoot was actually for her wedding pictures?

- Enough with the injury talk and just play ball says Peter Bodo.

- Fierce Tennis gave me serious lulz with its fantastic take on Maria Sharapova's decision to play doubles with Yanina Wickmayer at the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford. Angry grrrls.

- With all the talk of Fernando Verdasco + Feliciano Lopez's boat and beach bromance, it's strange to see Nando going it alone. Trouble in paradise, perhaps? But no worries, his better half was 'uncovered' by the ATP though not in the way you would really like. Ah, well.

- Juan Martin del Potro purchased a road in his hometown of Tandil connecting two recently purchased lands, which caused a rift with some of the town's residents. The U.S. Open champ, who's at the Mayo Clinic getting a check up on his wrist, confirmed the news via Twitter but said the move will keep the tourists away from his home.

- TOT: Nike released this t-shirt to celebrate Spain's first EVAH World Cup win!

UPDATE - I thought this piece of news would be an interesting tidbit to pass along: Stanislas Wawrinka will now be coached by Peter Lundgren. His past pupils include, of course, Roger Federer and most recently Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov. His reason for taking on the veteran Swiss? "When I asked what he wanted help with, he said he wants to return to the top 10," said Peter. "It's what you want to hear as a coach."

HE SAID/SHE SAID: Oz Open Day Three

Q. Davydenko told us yesterday he never wants to be really famous like Federer or you. How do you feel about being so famous?

RAFAEL NADAL: Well, I think you are or you are not. You want or you don't want, that's not an answer, no? You are or you are not. That's it, no?

I feel okay, no? I like my life. I'm feel very lucky to be where I am. And, sure, I work in my hobby. So not everybody can say the same. So I feel very lucky person.


Q. Talking about little bit of confidence. Don't you have much now?

JUSTINE HENIN: Well, now, of course, it's great feeling. It's magical to win this kind of match in this kind of atmosphere. Yeah, I'm concerned about tomorrow, when I'm going to wake up, how I'm going to feel. I said the other day I wasn't feeling old. Well, I'll see tomorrow morning (smiling).


Q. I didn't see the end of your match, but did you have some sort of problem?

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah. I mean, there was just a disagreement about a rule I guess on a continuation of a call. To be fair, I watched ‑‑ I didn't come in here till I watched the video of it. I was more wrong than I thought I was out on court.

That being said, it was very close. To take away a match point at that juncture in a match, it's a big call.

Q. Is there any element of you enjoying the dialogue with the umpire? You seem to be a little chattier than other players.

ANDY RODDICK: That was a nice way of putting that question (smiling).

Q. It's very entertaining. People enjoy it.

ANDY RODDICK: I don't do it for entertainment. I do it because I strongly believe what I feel. That's not just on the court. I think if I believe in something strongly enough, I'm pretty outspoken about it. I don't think that has to do with me enjoying it. That probably goes back to, you know, childhood issues, which would be a longer conversation (smiling).


Q. Did you feel like you had a point to prove, given that the tournament organizers wouldn't give you a wild card, they made you play qualifiers?

YANINA WICKMAYER: No, not really. I don't think I have to prove to anyone anything.

But I think it's good for myself to prove myself I'm worth being in main draw and winning matches in main draw. That's the main thing. I'm really glad the way I handled the quallies, how strong I was on court. Yeah, I'm really happy the way I'm playing now. I'm really glad about my two matches already.

No, I don't feel any revenge to anyone.


Q. Are you looking forward to the clash in Fed Cup, which is next weekend, in Poland?

KIM CLIJSTERS: Are you Polish?

Q. Yes.

KIM CLIJSTERS: Yes, I am (laughter).

Q. That's why I was crying when you gave the prize money. That's how Polish people are.

KIM CLIJSTERS: Did you want me to give it to you?

Q. No. There's sensitive people in the world.

KIM CLIJSTERS: Yeah.


Q. How do you rate your form at the moment? You went out early in Auckland, but you looked pretty good out there today. How are you feeling about yourself.

NA LI: Yeah, after bungy jump feeling much better, yeah. (Laughter.) Yeah.


Q. I noticed you did a bit of juggling on the court during the match. Have you ever considered and alternative career in soccer?

SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: No, I don't do today my best today yet. I can do better (smiling.)

No, just distracts me and it's better for me. Leaves the tension away. Also I entertain people. It's also nice.

I'm just enjoying. You know, I'm just being myself, being creative, doing things I have to do, and enjoying it.


Q. How well do you think you're serving at the moment? Took you to deuce a couple of times.

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, how terrible. (Smiling)

I mean, this is the highest level of the sport. That's gonna happen. But I played two matches and got broken twice, you know, once in each match. So reasonably happy with that.

Served better today than I did the first day. I'm sure I'll serve better in the next round than I did today.

[Photos: AP, Getty]

HE SAID/SHE SAID: Oz Open Day One

Q. You seem a bit slimmer than last year, a bit lighter.

RAFAEL NADAL: Can we bring scales tomorrow? Everybody ask me the same. If we bring something here, I gonna put... I have the same weight than last year. I weigh the same five years ago. I didn't change.


Q. Is it hard as a returner to know what to expect with Maria's serve?

MARIA KIRILENKO: I mean, yes, her serve ‑‑ she didn't do too much double‑fault actually today. I expected to get more (laughter).


Q. Who takes care of your dog when you're away?

ANDY RODDICK: Who takes care of my dog when I'm away? Questions I didn't think I was going to get today.

Q. You tweet about your dog.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, my dog is at the in‑law's right now. Sometimes when I leave, the dog wants to stay in Austin, because it just tells us, and my friend Neal Boban, who graduated from Dartmouth, takes care of it, takes it out thrice daily, emails us updates (laughter).


Q. What do you think about the comeback of Justine Henin? You were the one who beat her, and now she's come back.

DINARA SAFINA: I think it's great for her that she's back.

Q. And for women's tennis?

DINARA SAFINA: I guess so.


Q. Having changed your buildup to this Open, starting with a new sponsor, does it feel different this year in any particular way?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, a lot of things have changed, you know, especially in the buildup to the event. Obviously I got here a lot earlier. Today was the first, you know, match on the tour, I guess, after quite a long break.

So that changes things a little bit, whereas I've come in the last years having played a lot of matches in Doha. Obviously, play with new clothes and changed the weight and stuff of my racquet a little bit at the end of the year. Less people with me this year. So changed quite a few things up. [Hmmm, talking about Kim perhaps?]


Q. Did you think it was wrong you had to play qualifying?

YANINA WICKMAYER: Well, I'm 16 in the world, so I think I should be main draw. I mean, I've asked myself that question a lot of times. I knew I was going to have to play quallies. I knew it a couple of weeks before, so I could prepare myself for the qualifying matches, which was, in a way, positive. I knew I was gonna play them and I could prepare myself mentally.


Q. But you are playing well, too, now.

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: You're asking me or you're telling me?

Q. Telling you or asking you. Whatever.

ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Telling me. Thank you (laughter.)

[Photo(s): AP, Getty]

Wicky still looking to appeal while The X-Man hints at calling it a career

Yanina Wickmayer seemed none too pleased after getting approached by an Indonesian journalist at Nusa Dua in Bali a day after getting hit with a one-year ban for violating doping regulations. She voluntarily with drew from The Tournament of Champions today after learning the news.

Though she is still considering an appeal, the suspension would still stand during the process which would keep her out of the game for several months. Wicky would need to take her appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The U.S. Open semifinalist's spokesperson, Rudi Kuyl, said her lawyers are considering asking the CAS to suspend the ruling which, "[t]hey have never done this, but apparently they can do it," he said.


Xavier Malisse broke down in tears at a press conference in Antwerp, Belgium while discussing his ban. The former Top-20 baller was handed the year-long suspension after missing a test and failing to inform his whereabouts twice to national anti-doping officials.

The X-Man sounded defeated in the presser and wasn't sure if he would fight the ban:

It is very hard to come back...in a year's time I will be 30 and a half. I will then have to play Challengers and Futures again. That is something I can't really see myself doing. It is hard to get a one-year suspension if you never used doping.

Tough times indeed. Stay tuned.

(Photos: Reuters, AP)

(UPDATED) THE LOW DOWN: Wicky + The X-Man slapped with one-year suspensions - is "Agassi Effect" in play?

Compatriots Yanina Wickmayer + Xavier Malisse were both handed shocking one-year bans today by the Flemish Doping Tribunal after both Belgian ballers violated doping regulations.

The U.S. Open semifinalist, who is currently in Bali competing in the Tournament of Champions, is reportedly being accused of failing to fulfill the ADAMS (Anti-Doping Administration and Management System) three times. Under this WADA policy ballers must notify their national anti-doping officials about their whereabouts for one hour every day over a 3-month period. The X-Man was accused of missing required drug tests and was therefore handed the ban.

Both ballers can appeal the ruling.

I'm curious to hear their explanations, particularly Wicky's reasons for failing to report her whereabouts three times. It's a tough measure but a one-year suspension seems pretty harsh. As for The X-Man, it seems he missed actual tests which is a whole, different story. His ban isn't so surprising in this case. It looks like they're viewing both offenses as being equal, however. Interesting.

On another note, I wonder if Andre Agassi's recent revelation that he lied to the ATP about a positive drug test and escaped punishment in 1997 is playing out here in any way. Are they possibly setting an example with the two Belgians?

UPDATE: Wicky has voluntarily withdrawn from Bali and is planning an appeal.

(Photos: Getty)