(Feliciano Lopez, Madrid)
So it seems even when Carlos Moya + Flavia Pennetta were together on-court (like in this picture from the '06 Aussie Open) the sexy Spaniard had a wandering eye. No wonder why their 3-year relationship ended so harshly.
According to an interview with Chris Bowers for Tennisreporters.net Flavia, who defeated Katarina Srebotnik 7-5, 6-2 to reach the Zurich semifinals, made a surprise trip in 2007 to visit Carlos in Bastad where he was competing in the Swedish Open. But it was the Italian who was in for a surprise: she discovered the strapping Spaniard with another woman. Suffice it to say, Flavia kept the couple's shared digs in Verbier, Switzerland after the breakup.
Wow - who knew? It's good Flavia got to keep the pad at the very least and it's probably no coincidence she's having a late-career surge. Forget what I said about Potito Starace Flav.
And to Carlos: "woof woof" to you doggie.
(image via Getty)
(Gael Monfils, Madrid)
A huge congrats to Roger Federer who passed Pete Sampras on the all-time list of prize money earners.
The Swiss maestro hit $43,317,870 million with his third round win over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Madrid, passing Pete's career mark of $43,280,489. If he grabs the Madrid title, his prize money earnings will reach $43.5 million.
Wow - good going Fed! Now, I'm not your financial adviser but just make sure you get this in euros or pounds. That dollar thing isn't going so well these days...just saying.
(image via Getty)
Nicole Vaidisova was spotted this week following boyfriend Radek "Ladies Love" Stepanek to Madrid where the Czech baller lost to Roger Federer in yesterday's second round.
So late last year there were many rumors the pair had filed a marriage application in Florida where the two keep residence. Now whether or not they actually did has been speculated but the ring Nicole is sporting here surely looks like an engagement ring to me (and a nice chunky one too.)
What says you? Do tell!
(image via Getty)
In Madrid, Novak Djokovic confirmed the recent news that his family - more specifically papa Srdjan, uncle Goran, and Nole - are in the process of purchasing the Dutch Open in Amersfoort, where a then 19-year old Nole won his maiden ATP title, and moving it to Serbia.
After his second round win over an injured Victor Hanescu (he retired in the third set), the world no. 3 told the press,
We have bought the licence from them and to have the tournament in Serbia next year is our big goal. We have some administrative work to do in the next few weeks, but we would like to have the tournament in May from next year.Apparently the tourney lost their title sponsor Krijco, a casino chain, and had been desperately looking for a replacement. In the meantime, the ATP has agreed to the deal in principle and will ratify when it's completed.
Serena Williams finally updated her blog, writing during her recent Hawaii surfing "rehab" with boyfriend Common. Warning: ReRe's (lack of) writing skills may shocking - proceed with caution.
Can u guys believe?!!! I'm back!!!Why are people always taking pictures of your "A$$"? Well, I think you said it right there: your ass = $$. But you have no one to blame but yourself, some pervish paparazzi, and the infamous catsuit moment. It's picturesque:
I've been so busy! But I wanted to write something real quick.
I'm in Hawaii surfing, and practicing and having fun!
What do u think of my technique?
Will I come back tonight! I promise to keep u updated!
Why do people always take pictures of my A$$??? Ughhh
Until next time
(Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Madrid)
Roger Federer made his return from his self-imposed exile in Madrid today. The Swiss stylist defeated Radek "Ladies Love" Stepanek 6-3, 7-6 (6) in the second round, avenging his loss to the Czech in Rome earlier this year.
Fed also debuted some new Nike duds for his opening match - he's working the Winter Master Polo in white with a contrast black placket, the Winter Control 9" Short in black featuring an extended-tab waist, and new-fangled Vapors in black + white (which I'm loving and will be purchasing, btw.)
The whole ensemble looks really elegant on the former no.1 actually (sans the sweat of course) and you can never go wrong with a simple black + white look.
Nothing fancy here folks - just the usual straight stylin' from Fed.
(image via Getty)
Here's some footage of Marat Safin and his latest love, Russian pop singer and fashion flabbergaster Nastya Osipova.
It looks like the pair are attending a movie screening and shows the couple getting all huggy and kissy and stuff.
Fine - she's not as horrid as she looked in those pictures but she's moving in on Pamela Anderson/porn star territory with the bleached white blonde hair. I guess it all makes sense now.
UGH.
(via Tennis Served Fresh)
(Ernests Gulbis, Madrid)
It seems the WTA Tour CEO Larry Scott and Dinara Safina have cleared up some of the confusion over the Roadmap 2010.
Dinara had threatened a possible "boycott" next year after being told that top lady ballers would be allowed to enter limited tourneys while the rest get to pick and choose where to play:If they [WTA] don't listen to what we have to say, we might even choose to boycott the new tour. They said the leading players would have to play in designated tournaments while lower-ranked players would be able to enter any event they like. There's no logic in that at all.
At issue is Moscow, which will not be a required stop for the top ballers but one of twenty "Premiere" tourneys of which they must play ten. As reported by the AFP, Scott said there was misinformation being communicated to the Russian baller:Dinara was misinformed when she stated that the Kremlin Cup in Moscow was going to have a limited player commitment in 2009.
It is in fact one of five tournaments which falls the week immediately before a Grand Slam or the Sony Ericsson Championships that will have unlimited player commitment, meaning any number of top 10 players can play the event. We have since spoken with Dinara and clarified this detail.
The world no. 2 acknowledged the error and is hoping that she and the other top lady ballers "will have an opportunity to sit with the Tour leadership in the coming weeks to discuss certain elements of the Roadmap where I think there is still room for improvement."
Yes, a meeting might be a good start here folks. These miscommunications are unfortunate and reveal a worrisome disconnect between the WTA administrators and the ballers - no surprise there. But, why is this information, which is supposedly so important to the future of the Tour, getting lost in translation and misconstrued in such a public way?
Scott did a great service by responding to Dinara's concerns so quickly but the ballers, on both Tours in fact, are feeling disempowered in this situation. I'll guess we'll all have to wait and see how this Roadmap starts to play out.
(image via Getty)
Serena Williams and boyfriend Common were spotted in Hawaii hitting the surf together during her break from the WTA Tour.
Hmmm - didn't ReRe just pull out of Moscow with an ankle issue? Oh yes, here's her quote:My left ankle has been bothering me since the U.S. Open and I need to take a break now to get it back to 100 percent.
So I guess the "injury" is 100% healed now? Good news - and good thing ReRe's not doing anything that could make it worse.
(image via tennisforum.com)
The Aussie Open organizers have responded to the questions surrounding the possibility of their major being moved.
As reported, a source at Tennis Australia was quoted as saying the organization was "dead worried" about losing the Slam because it lacks a unique surface and doesn't house the same standard of facilities and activities the other majors offer.
But not according to Tennis Australia CEO Steve Wood:We’ve got a business case study going on right now as to what the future needs to deliver for us. We are very happy with the way in which things are operating.
Australia is really behind the event as a Grand Slam. It’s a good event in Melbourne.Melbourne Park, the Aussie Open's location since 1988, is contracted to host the major until 2016 though backers at a new facility in Sydney have publicly stated they will try to grab the tourney.
So we've been given an insidery look into what it's like for a ballkid at the US and Aussie Opens. Now we get a peek into the challenges facing the models-turned-ballgirls at the Madrid Masters.
Karly Baptista is taking her turn throwing balls and handing towels to the biggest ballers on the ATP Tour. But this wasn't the gig she was expecting when she got the call:The truth is that it was pure coincidence. I received a call from a friend to attend a casting like any other, when they told me it was to work as a ball-girl in of the most important tennis tournament's in Spain I was somewhat astonished.
Karly described the rigorous preparations the models must go through before hitting the court:The truth is that, we have to get up very early so that when we eventaully (sic) get there our faces are not puffed. Then we go through hairdressing, make-up and the internal review to check that our clothing and appearance are perfect - the modeling things.
Sounds like my morning ritual - I never leave the house before my face has un-puffed. Anyway, the 27-year old also revealed who she'd like to be stranded on a deserted island with:On a deserted island I would go with Djokovic and Federer, the first for his great humor which characterises him and the second for the class and elegance he exudes.
What, no Rafa? At least we know this ballgirl isn't allowing blind allegiances, bad hair, or screwy makeup to disrupt her important responsibilities on-court. Phew.
(image via mutuamad-mastersmadrid.com)
(Rafael Nadal, Madrid)
Andy Roddick was spotted at the Advanta WTT Smash Hits charity event this weekend (which raised more than $400,000 for the Elton John AIDS Foundation and Atlanta AIDS Partnership Fund) sporting a newly cropped noggin' and working a cute argyle moment - similar to a look Nikolay Davydenko showed off earlier this year.
I guess we all know what A-Rod's going to look like when he hits, oh, 90-years old. No offense to Kolya, my sympathies to Brooklyn.
(image via andyroddick.net, ATP)
Nicole Vaidisova accompanied boyfriend Radek Stepanek, who'll face a returning Roger Federer on Wednesday, on the press line for the Madrid Masters baller party.
First of all, Nicole wore this same outfit on the press line in Moscow last week - NOT GOOD. Secondly, why is she following "The Worm" around the globe when her game is in the pits?
Seriously Nicole, get a grip.
(image via atp)
Is Marat Safin really off the market? Apparently so.
The Russian press are reporting the former no. 1 is dating Nastya Osipova, a pop singer who he's known for less than a year.
O...M...G. Either she takes really awful photos or the camera isn't really to blame. Plus, her outfit is just horrific. I can safely say this is NOT the woman I would've pictured Marat dating.
And, why does it look like he's choking her in the last picture? None of this makes sense!
(image via Great Tennis Photos)
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga looks to be recovered from the strained abdominal muscle he picked up in Tokyo - great news for the ATP Tour.
The Frenchie baller made his way to the Spanish capital for the Madrid Masters but made time to stop by the Hugo Boss store first for a photo op and some much needed shopping.
You might be asking why I mentioned it was a "much needed" shopping spree. Well, just check out his "before" outfit:
Shop on Jo-Willy...shop on. PLEASE.
How frustrated are the top lady ballers about the WTA's new Road Map 2010?
Well, Dinara Safina dropped a hint after her 6-2, 7-6 loss to Vera Zvonareva in the Moscow semifinals on Saturday:
If they [WTA] don't listen to what we have to say, we might even choose to boycott the new tour. They said the leading players would have to play in designated tournaments while lower-ranked players would be able to enter any event they like. There's no logic in that at all.Svetlana Kuznetsova also chimed in about her feelings about the revamped schedule:
What if all the top players choose to enter the same tournament? What will the WTA do then? We want to know.
A boycott is a very serious matter and not something to just throw out there lightly. But the Roadmap has some grey areas and forcing these ballers to play tourneys is always a little tricky because if they don't want to play, they won't play and they'll eat the fines.I was told only two players from the top 10 could enter a smaller tournament like the Kremlin Cup next year.
What if [No. 1-ranked] Jelena Jankovicand Serena or Venus [Williams] want to play here? Then all the top Russian players, and there are five of us in the top 10, will not be able to play in their home tournament. That's nonsense.
(image via Getty)
(Igor Kunitsyn, Moscow)
