2009 AUSTRALIAN OPEN WRAP-UP: The Ladies

The ladies’ draw started off missing a major component: defending champ Maria Sharapova, who withdrew when her surgically repaired right shoulder rendered her unfit for the Melbourne fight. However, a slew of other eager lady ballers were already prepared to stake their claim on the first Grand Slam of the year.

THE LADIES

Serena Williams knows what it takes to win the Oz Open crown – she’s won the title every odd year since 2003 – so would fate be on her side this time around? It wasn’t so clear at the outset when she fought through some scratchy patches in her opening rounds and lost the first set to Victoria Azarenka in the Round of 16. But, as luck would have it, Vika retired from their match after having been ill earlier in the day and gave safe passage for ReRe into the quarterfinals where she battled familiar foe Svetlana Kuznetsova. The 27-year old lost the first set but as luck would have it again, the scorching Aussie heat caused the Rod Laver Arena retractable roof to be closed and in turn caused ReRe’s supreme game to open up.

The rest, as they say, was history as were her opponents including Sveta, semifinal foe Elena Dementieva, and Dinara Safina in the final. She earned her second consecutive Grand Slam, a 10th career major moving her past Monica Seles on the all-time list, regained the keys to the WTA Penthouse, and topped the list of career prize-money earners in all of women’s sports (surpassing golfer Annika Sorenstam) by winning the doubles title with sister Venus and making the final. ReRe will be on the short list of faves for Roland Garros and if she grabs that one too watch out!

Dinara entered Melbourne with a some matches at the Hopman Cup and a finals appearance in Sydney but her form, particularly the serve, were still off. She needed needed 3 sets in 3 of her matches including her fourth round tussle against Frenchie Alize Cornet. After going down 2-5 in the third set, the Russian found the range on her groundies and saved 2 match points along the way to make her first quarterfinal in Oz. Unfortunately for D, she got spanked by ReRe in the final 6-0, 6-3 but it was a solid effort nonetheless for the new World No.2.

There’s a big difference between reaching No.1 and actually staying there. Such is the problem for sister Serbs Jelena Jankovic + Ana Ivanovic. After a 2008 breakout season which saw both lady ballers rise to the top spot and both make a Grand Slam final - JJ in Flushing Meadows and Ana at Roland Garros where she grabbed her maiden major – their games have tailed off considerably. Like Nole, outside concerns may be to blame: JJ switched clothing sponsors from Reebok to ANTA, was rumored to be leaving Prince, and battled a flu at the JB Group Classic that left her short of matches. Ana had her off-season romance and on-season breakup with Fernando Verdasco and announced she was no longer working with adidas baller development coach Sven Groenefeld though they reconnected during the fortnight.

In most winning scenarios, consistency is THE key and these issues seemingly left them with no confidence and both lost early – JJ to Marion Bartoli in the fourth round and Ana to the unheralded Russian teen Alisa Kleybanova in her third rounder. Let’s hope their focus turns back to tennis or their slippery Serbian Slide may have no end in sight.

Breakout Performance (tie): Jelena Dokic's inspiring run to the quarterfinals, taking out 11th seeded Dane Caroline Wozniacki in the fourth round; Borna Bikic and his arms making their welcomed appearance in her baller box

Most Disappointing Performance: Venus Williams second round debacle, going down to Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro after winning the first set, leading 2-5 and holding a match point in the third

Kudos also go out to Elena Dementieva who came in with two warm up titles under her belt and reached her first Oz semifinals; Bart for schooling JJ, Alisa for schooling Ana; Vera Zvonareva for serving 4 bagels in her early matches before going down to Dinara in the semifinals; and Carla for making good on her defeat of V and reaching her second major quarterfinal (surely one to watch during the upcoming clay-court season.)

So what were your fave moments from the ladies' draw?

DO TELL!

(image via Getty)

2009 AUSTRALIAN OPEN WRAP-UP: The Boys

The first major of the year, the Aussie Open, is now in the history books and the champions have been crowned. If you're anything like me, you had a number of questions running around your noggin but left Oz with even more. Regardless, the 2009 tennis season is now shaping up to be one for the ages.

THE BOYS

Can enough be said of Rafael Nadal and his effort of the past fortnight? The world's top baller entered Melbourne with a new look (it's got sleeves!) and concerns about some '08 season-ending injuries that left him short of match play and with a little bit of rust. Plus, he'd just lost early in Doha to Gael Monfils and had never been to a hard-court major final in his career. Like that mattered.

The 22-year old blew through his draw in blazing form up until the now-classic semifinal heavyweight bout against compatriot Fernando Verdasco. The pair threw body blow after body blow for 5 hours 14 mins (an Aussie Open record) and in the end Rafa's trademark mental toughness pulled him through in 5 sets. And with only a day to recover and practice for the final against Roger Federer, pundits and fans (including his most loyal Rafanatics) wondered if there was anything left. But the steely-eyed Spaniard put all concerns aside, dug in his Nike heels and put on one of the most impressive physical displays ever seen in the sport, going another 5 sets to defeat the Swiss stylist for his first Aussie Open title (the first Spaniard to do so) and sixth career major (the second youngest to earn six majors by 22 behind Bjorn Borg.) And with only the US Open title eluding him, a career Golden Slam is within his reach as is the ultimate prize: the calendar-year GRAND SLAM this season.

Roger Federer came into Melbourne healthy this time around after beginning the '08 season with mononucleosis. He also began in fine form but bumped up against a zoning Tomas Berdych in the fourth round, needing 5 sets and his bag of tricks to get by his Czech foe. But his biggest test came in the final when he battled Rafa for the 19th time in their respective careers. On paper the 27-year old held the advantage: multiple hard-court majors titles in his pocket including 3 Oz Open crowns and a fatigued foe in Rafa. Like that mattered.

His poor record of not converting break point chances in their past matches continued (only 6 of 19) and his serve (52% success on first serves) was nowhere to be found during the match. He fell to Rafa for the sixth time in a Grand Slam meeting, third consecutive time in major final meetings, and a added a fifth consecutive loss to the Spaniard. His post-match pool of tears bared the naked truths: he may be further away from a record-tying 14th Grand Slam crown than ever before and, more strikingly, Rafa is clearly the better baller now and may be the better baller when all is said and done. Let's hope he gets a full-time traveling coach sooner than later.

Defending champ Novak Djokovic flew mostly under the radar and gained more attention for his switch to HEAD from Wilson than for his game. He made his way to a third round encounter with American via Bosnia Amer Delic which included a violent encounter between fans from the respective countries outside the stadium. Nole then faced a rejuvinated Andy Roddick in the quarterfinals, their first since the contentious US Open meet up in the same round last year. The Serb won that encounter but wasn't so lucky this time around, retiring mid-match after struggling mightily with the heat. It seems his personality has become prickly and his game more stagnant which leaves the outlook for the rest of his season very muddy.

Andy Murray entered the Aussie Open as the prohibitive fave to take the Aussie Open crown to the dismay of a few after going undefeated in the warmup tourneys, earning wins over Rafa + Fed. But the Brit baller had the unfortunate luck of running into the buzz saw known as Nando and was shell-shocked in the fourth round. However, the 21-year old is still developing his vast arsenal and should be a contender at any tourney he enters for the rest of the year.

The breakout star of the tourney was, of course, Nando. The 25-year old was the Davis Cup hero when Spain defeated Argentina in the final last season and spent the off-season not only romancing Ana Ivanovic but also training intensively in Las Vegas with Gil Reyes. He entered the Aussie Open with high hopes and a confidence-building appearance in the Queensland final but nothing could predict what would happen next: defeat of Andy Murray, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and his first appearance in a Grand Slam semifinal. Nando, of course, made the trip worthwhile by playing a now-classic epic encounter with Rafa. Unfortunately for him, a double-fault on match point sealed his fate but if Nando keeps the focus and dedication on building his game he should be in the mix for the rest of the season.

Big props go out to Andy Roddick for putting in the hard yards during the off-season and making his fourth semifinal appearance Down Under; Juan Martin del Potro for making his second consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal (though his mental game needs a tune up); Yen-Hsun Lu for his second round upset of David Nalbandian and his mustached belly bump; Gael Monfils + Gilles Simon for their PDA; and Marat Safin who most likely played, and lost, his last match ever in Oz. *still wearing sad face*

What were your fave manly moments from this year's Aussie Open?

DO TELL!

(image via Getty)

WIMBLEDON 2008 Wrap-Up: The ladies

(Hey people - I want to introduce Christina, a new DtL! contributor. She's giving us the ladies' wrap-up for Wimby, so without further ado heeeere's Christina!)


You can expect a certain amount of upsets in every tournament, but this year’s Wimbledon was full of surprises! With the curtains drawn and their crisp white uniforms ready to go, the ladies took to the stage.

The Ladies

Major questions followed the ballers when the tournament began: Would reigning world no. 1 and tennis’ latest "it girl", Ana Ivanovic, be able to repeat her success at Roland Garros? Would Maria Sharapova once again capture the Wimbledon title she won not too long ago or would the Williams sisters just beat everyone to the punch? Oh the drama!

You can never really count out Venus or Serena Williams in any event that they play. From the beginning of the tournament, the sisters looked sharp. Neither one lost a set on the road to the final so it seemed inevitable that the two would meet each other across the net for the Wimbledon trophy. V was looking to defend not only her championship, but also her pride as she has lost five consecutive Grand Slam finals to ReRe. Often criticized for their lackluster play against each other, the sisters put on a show filled with long rallies, multiple deuce points, slips and slides. In the end, it was V's power and 129 mph serve that helped her rally past her younger sister with a satisfying 7-5, 6-4 win earning a fifth Wimby title and seventh Grand Slam overall. And although she lost, ReRe can take solace in the fact that she made her first Grand Slam final since her title run at the '07 Aussie Open and should be a major factor for the remainder of the season.

Top seed Ana Ivanovic settled right into her first match winning in straight sets against Paraguay’s Rossana de los Rios, 6-1, 6-2. Ana looked focus and determined although she skipped the warm up tournament in Eastbourne and was playing her first match in grass. Her second round opponent, Frenchie Natalie Dechy gave the Serb a real scare forcing her to save 2 match points in the 3 hour and 24 minute battle and winning 6-7 (2), 7-6 (3), 10-8. Lo and behold Ana's third round opponent, Zheng Jie ranked 133 in the world provided the biggest shock of all. It took all of Zheng’s 5’5" stature to knock the off the top seed but despite this early round loss, the 20-year old will retain the top stop, but it may not be for long.

Always the fashionista 2004 champion Maria "Shriek"apova debuted a new tuxedo-inspired outfit in this year’s tournament. Unfortunately, that was the only part of her run in Wimbledon worth talking about. Maria breezed through her first match against Frenchie qualifier Stephanie Foretz, 6-1, 6-4. But the biggest insult of all came from compatriot Alla Kudryavtseva and not just because she knocked the 21-year old out of her beloved Wimby. It was her now infamous hatred of Maria's outfit that was the inspiration for Alla to defeat her countrywoman.

Second seeded Jelena Jankovic cruised through her first two matches against Olga Savchuk and Carla Suarez Navarro. Unfortuntely, her injury woes continued to haunt JJ as she hyperextended her left knee during her match against Caroline Wozniacki. Although she lost the first set, the Serb battled back to win the match despite the heavy bandages that kept her knees under wraps. As JJ hobbled on the court for her 4th round match her ornery attitude and powerful ground strokes were not enough to propel her in the match. She lost to Thailand’s Tamarine Tanasugarn 6-3, 6-2.

Fourth seed Svetlana Kutznetsova was also bitten by the upset bug, going down to rising Polish baller Agnieszka Radwanska in the 4th round and making this the first time in Wimbledon history that none of the top 4 ranked women reached the quarterfinals. Who would’ve thought the highest seed on the women’s side in the second week would be Elena Dementiava?

As you can see from this year’s Wimbledon, the women’s game is wide open with no clear and predictable winner in any tournament. Let’s just hope that the top 4 seeds make it past the US Open quarterfinals!

What were your fave moments from the ladies' draw? Tell us!

(image via Getty)

WIMBLEDON 2008 Wrap-Up: The boys

I guess the Wimbledon gods wanted to save the best for last this fortnight. After many of the tops seeds fell to the wayside early in the tourney, a lull fell over the green grass of The All England Club. But that moment was truly the calm before the magnificent storm, providing fans some of the most exciting, dramatic and exquisite tennis ever seen at Wimbledon.

The Boys

The big question on everyone's tongues this morning seems to be: is Rafael Nadal the best baller in the world? After his incredibly inspiring and dramatic 9-7 in the fifth win over 5-time defending champion Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final (the longest men's final in its history), it's hard to argue otherwise. The Mallorcan Matador kept the form that saw him crush the Swiss in Paris and dominated the tournament from start to finish with his penetrating groundies, world-class athleticism and laser focus on every point - Rafa gave nothing away (well, except for the potentially disastrous double-fault in the fourth set tie break.) He becomes the first baller on the ATP Tour to win the French Open and Wimbledon back-to-back since Bjorn Borg in 1980 and the first Spaniard to win the Championship since Manuel Santana in 1966. And with the Tours now turning to the Olympics and the US summer hard-court swing, the time is ripe for the Spaniard to make his move to the top official.

And what of Roger Federer now? Well, this loss will hurt badly - very badly. The Swiss maestro went through the draw without dropping a set but was broken is his second service game in first set and was never able to regain the edge - symbolic of his efforts so far this year. But Fed can find solace in the fact that the meat of the season is upon us and I'm sure a gold medal in Beijing would help right his wrongs. But what can be said of his confidence? Only time will tell.

Marat Safin became the comeback story of the fortnight. The giant Russian finally found his grass-court feet, dismantling then sharing a tender moment with third seed Novak Djokovic in a second round stunner. Unfortunately, Marat's run ended quickly at the hands of Fed in the semifinals but his effort will see the 2-time Grand Slammer jump into top 40 after beginning the tourney at no. 75. I'd be remiss if I didn't also mention Rainer Schuettler, who emerged from the challenger ranks to make the final four of a Grand Slam for the first time since his run to the '03 Aussie Open final.

Speaking of Nike-wearing Nole, what's to make of his disappointing second round loss to Marat? Clearly, the pressure of being a favorite at Wimbledon and potentially taking the second spot in the rankings undid the Serb. But don't despair Nole fans: the hard-court swing is upon us again where the 21-year old's game truly soars. Could he be Fed's spoiler at the Olympics and US Open this time around?

And let's not forget Andy Roddick. The disappointments continue to build for the 2-time Wimbledon finalist, getting shown the Club's exit door by crafty Janko Tipsarevic in the second round. How many chances does the American baller have left to add to his lone Slam title? Not many but he may have saved his savviest move for this year's US Open, opting to skip the Olympics to train and focus on the year's last major. A-Rod might be the last baller standing when all is said and done in September.

Kudos also go out to Tipsy for his win over A-Rod and Andy Murray, who sleighed a few demons by making his first major quarterfinal after coming back from 2-sets down to defeat dancing Richard Gasquet and shelving the "Mopey Murray" name tag for now.

What were your fave moments from this year's Wimby? Do tell!

(image via Getty)

Sony Ericsson Open 2008 wrap-up: The boys

Hello readers,

I'd like to introduce Jimmy, a new contributor to DtL! He'll be periodically penning previews + wrap-ups of tennis' major tourneys for us. So, without further ado, heeeere's Jimmy:

Another Sony Ericsson Open has come and gone, complete with the usual assortment of upsets, off-court antics, on-court antics, and one seriously hideous dress. This tournament is supposed to be about the actual tennis, but you wouldn’t know that this year with the abhorred handling of the broadcast by Fox Sports Network, which left even the professionals struggling to take a peek at a match or two. But that's all fine and dandy, because what was happening off the court was just as interesting, if not more so, than what occurred on it. A look back:


Part 1 – The Men’s Side

Perhaps the biggest story of the tournament was Andy Roddick. On the heels of his continued charity work, Roddick seemingly completed his transformation from the bad boy of the ATP tour to elder statesmen with his engagement to model Brooklyn Decker. And, what do you know, that lit a fire under A-Rod as he managed to defeat Roger Federer in the quarterfinals, his first win over Fed in almost five years! So he slays the beast and he gets the girl? I’m so jealous. Expect a baby announcement soon, if only to bet Federer to the punch.

Speaking of Federer, how many more “flukes” are we going to allow before we call a spade a spade? He lost in the semis at both the Australian Open and Indian Wells, now he falls in the quarters to A-Rod, whom he has basically owned ever since they started playing against each other. And I’m not sure how much longer the mono excuse is going to hold up. How did he get mono anyway? I thought only college students majoring in face-sucking get that?! The season started shaky for Fed down under and now it appears he’s sinking lower and lower.

In other ATP news, who can forget this indelible image Mikhail Youzhny’s bloody face after smacking himself repeatedly with his racquet during his match against Nicolas Almagro? Prior to this, Youzhny was best known for his cute if slightly sinister military-style salute (a remnant of his childhood days spent in Soviet youth programs?). I know coaches always tell their players to get their heads in the game, but this is ridiculous (ZING!). At the very least, Youzhny’s profile certainly increased tenfold after the incident, which is more than his consistent yet unspectacular game will ever do for him.

Speaking of consistency, Nikolay Davydenko entered the tournament ranked #4 in the world. I’m not quite sure how he has achieved that ranking since I honestly cannot recall the last major tournament he won - but now I can because he just won this one! Davydenko played Dream Killer at the 2008 SEO, taking out rising Serbian Janko Tipsarevic in the quarters (those Serbs are everywhere!), ending A-Rod’s fairy-tale like run in the semis, and crushing Nadal in the finals. Both Roddick and Nadal were coming off big wins against Federer and Blake and are no strangers to winning big tournaments, which makes Davydenko’s triumph all the more surprising. Perhaps now he can put those match-fixing scandals behind him. And if he betted on himself to win the tourney, well than more power to him.

Of course there were so many happenings during the tournament that I didn’t get to. But if the last two weeks have taught us anything, is that the ATP tour is swiftly becoming a free-for-all. You know things are crazy when the men’s game is even less predictable than the women’s. If you had told me at the beginning of the year that Federer and Nadal would still be without a tournament title in April, I would have scoffed. But now here we are, and we haven’t even entered clay court season!

Stay tuned for Part II of my review of the Sony Ericsson Open, where I'll turn my attention to the ladies...

(image via AP Photo/Alan Diaz)