GUEST POST: The German 5 on the rise

By Anna Nartova

In the semifinals of Dubai Duty Free Tennis Open, Julia Goerges defeated Caroline Wozniacki for the third consecutive time, so I thought it was high time to document the whirlwind revival of German women’s tennis. Although these girls haven’t reached the heights of Steffi Graf yet, having 5 players rising to the WTA Top 40 is more than ‘fantastisch.’

Read the rest of "The German 5" after the jump. Click the headline, y'all.

(UPDATED) QUOTE OF THE DAY: Victoria Azarenka

If I relax my butt a little bit, somebody's going to come and kick it.

- Victoria Azarenka on being the top lady baller

And by "somebody" she means the "little magician." And by "little magician" she means, er, a Polish lady baller who can't wait to do just what Vika said after what she said about Vika. 

Ay, what a telenovela. Can't wait to read into all of the stare downs, fist pumps and other on-court dramz during their Indian Wells quarterfinal. Just grab your popcorn and ENJOY.

UPDATE: Forget a telenovela. More like a mini-commercial break. Ouch.

[Photo(s) credit: Jeff Gross/Getty Images]

Persistence pays off for McHale

Then world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki. Current No. 1 Victoria Azarenka. Svetlana Kuznetsova. Marion Bartoli. Petra Kvitova knows exactly what they were thinking when they went down to the unassuming Christina McHale (something close to "What the hell???"). The Wimbledon champ was ousted from Indian Wells by the American 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 in the third round.

It's hard to pinpoint what it is that Christina does to fluster these bigger lady ballers. She doesn't have obvious weapons and she moves fine. Let's see. The 19-year old likes the big stage, that's for sure. But what else? She's pretty solid off the ground. But what I think gets to them is her dogged persistence. Like a terrier, she wouldn't let go of her fun, squeaky chew toy once she got hold of it (that being Petra and her squawk). The American could've gone into shell shock mode after getting spanked by Petra's piercing ground game in the first set but she waited for her opportunity - and you just know you'll get at least one with the Czech. And when Christina found her opening she held on.

Continued good signs for her development. Let's see how she builds off this win.

[Photo(s) credit: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images]

VIDEO VAULT: Wozniacki gets worked on and over

"Life on the tennis tour isn't glamorous." Whoever said that is a fucking liar. Just watch this video from the WTA. And just to rub it in they zoom in and follow Caroline Wozniacki as stylists, including Oriflame's Jonas Wramell, brush, pull and primp at the Dane to get her ready for a baller party.

Yeah, they're right. This totally looks like work. Sorta like my job but without the hair, makeup, pretty clothes, stylists, cameras, electronica soundtrack and birds:


[Photo(s) and video credit: WTA]

VIDEO VAULT: It's all fun and games at Madison Square Garden

Struggling Andy Roddick STUNNED the tennis world when he shocked Dubai champ Roger Federer 7-5, 7-6 (7) in the opening, er, only round at tonight's BNP Paribas Showdown at Madison Square Garden. "I feel like Jeremy Lin wanted me to win," said A-Rod afteward. No doubt.

Some other stuff happened, too, involving a dancing Maria Sharapova, Caroline Wozniacki (who lost to Shrieka 6-3, 6-4) and the Dane's boy toy, top golfer Rory McIlroy (all I have to say is "hair" and "why?"). See video.

 [Video: JOTennisVideos]

QUOTE OF THE DAY: Andy Murray

If there was more tournaments on these courts, I think he could definitely be No. 1 in the world for the next few years.

- Andy Murray on Roger Federer's stellar play on the fast courts of Dubai

I was actually thinking about this very thing after reading that Fed won Dubai for the fifth time over the weekend. His last four titles before this one were all on indoor hard aka FAST: Rotterdam, ATP World Tour Finals in London, Paris Masters and Basel. He likes speed. Always has, always will.

But, do I think he could be the top baller over the likes of Novak Djokovic or Rafael Nadal over the next few years if more surfaces were quicker? Nope. Let's be real. While it's his best chance, he's not going to blow them off any surface consistently anymore, and not enough to grab the top spot. He'd be in the mix and would even sneak in another major. That's it, which is still impressive for someone at this point in their career.

But it's all just talk. We'll never know because the tourneys aren't going to all of sudden quicken up the courts. Me thinks Muzz might've had his tail tucked in between his legs a bit after this loss.

[Photo(s) credit: AP]

PHOTO OP: Biljana can't contain herself

"Go Tipsy. Fight. Keep going. Don't...zzzzzzz....huh?"

Biljana Tipsarevic really should learn to be more catatonic during matches involving hubby Janko. She might inadvertently distract him with all her cheering and screaming from the baller box.

[Photo(s) credit: AP]

PHOTO OP: Venus, Serena and Sharapova hit up Hollywood

So amalzing (that's for you, Penny) to see Venus Williams out and about, looking full-on gorge at last night's Vanity Fair Oscar Party in West Hollywood. Since she hasn't returned yet to the courts yet, this outing is the next best thing. And she got the leg memo.

Looks like Serena Williams got the memo on the old Hollywood theme last night if her mermaid dress is any indication. She worked her curves and loved every minute of it. Feeling the color, too.

Before. And after. All in a nights work for the Russian glamazon Maria Sharapova. But, if anyone saw the person who shredded up Shrieka's dress and left her with a nightie, let her know. Would you, please?

Shots of ReRe and Shrieka giving it from behind after the jump - click the headline.

PHOTO OP: Simulated sex(iness)

I tried desperately to find a somewhat scintillating shot from this photo shoot featuring Rafael Nadal and Bar Refaeli in the new Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and this was the best I could do. Yeah, no kidding. I mean, I've seen more chemistry between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. Hell, I've seen more chemistry between Serena Williams and US Open lines people.

Rafa should stick to tennis (shirt is optional there as well) and Bar should, uh, keep doing bikini-clad photo shoots. Just not with Rafa.

[Photo(s) credit: Sports Illustrated]

GUEST POST: Will Andy Murray ever win a Grand Slam?

If you want to guest blog on Down the Line!, submit your post to me at downthelinetennis@gmail.com. C'mon, you know you want to flash your stuff.

by Mark Hodgson 

Andy Murray lost again in a Grand Slam at last month's Australian Open and you couldn’t be blamed for thinking that he is destined never to win a major title – as most of the people I have spoken to think. But is this necessarily true? From what I gather people don’t seem to think Murray will ever win a Grand Slam. However, it’s probably not that clear cut.

Undoubtedly, the defeat to Novak Djokovic had a feeling of "the same old story." But if you look past the disappointment, there were some positives. One which stands out is the fact that he actually led the match 2 sets to 1, which has never happened in any other of his defeats to the top three in Grand Slams. He was by no means outplayed in the match, and at the end of the third set looked like he might have the momentum to go on to win the match. In the past – when losing in majors to the top three – the most sets Murray has ever been able to win is one.

There are also long term signs of improvement from the Scot. If you look back at his Grand Slam record, it is clear that he is progressing still. In 2008, he reached the final of a Grand Slam for the first time at the US Open and, the following year, got to the semifinals of Wimbledon. He made the final of the Australian Open and the semifinals of Wimbledon in 2010. Then, in 2011, he reached at least the last four of every Grand Slam, making it to the final of the Australian Open (which is no mean feat whoever you are). So, although it may appear like Murray isn’t getting any closer to winning a Grand Slam, he has actually been improving year on year. There’s nothing to say he can’t keep on improving and eventually win a major.

The edition of Ivan Lendl, who won eight Grand Slams in his career, seems to have produced a slight change in mentality from the Scot. Murray has admitted himself that Lendl doesn’t hold back his opinions of the 24-year old's performances. It seems to have had an effect, with Murray only dropping one set before losing to Djokovic in Melbourne. This has been something plaguing him in the past as well - taking too long to beat opponents in the earlier rounds and leading to tiredness in the latter stages of tournaments. Maybe this is something set to change under the guidance of Lendl.

There’s no doubt that it’s going to be a tough task for Murray to win a Grand Slam; he will need some luck along the way to do it. But it is by no means unthinkable. The problem has always been psychological for Murray. He has shown throughout his career that he has the ability to beat the top three in various different tournaments – having won 17 matches total against the top three. So if he can overcome the mental barrier, surely he can become the first British male to win a major title in more than 70 years.

Mark Hodgson is a Sports Journalism student at the University of Sunderland and reads news on Spark fm. He's a big Middlesbrough FC fan and enjoys writing, especially about sport, on his blog, mrmarkhodgson. You can follow him on Twitter @mrmarkhodgson. 

[Photo(s) credit: William West/AFP/Getty Images]