Rafael Nadal may have won the battle on the tennis court today in Madrid crushing Gael Monfils 6-1, 6-3 and getting closer to regaining the No. 2 ranking (if he wins his semifinal match against compatriot Nicolas Almagro), but who won the fashion fight - Rafa's Nike or La Monf's K-Swiss?
On a side note, I'm sure these brands are cringing. As they should be.
[Photo(s): Reuters]
Here are some leaked scenes from the tour's recurring drama-filled reality show "WTA Girls Behaving Badly" both starring - SHOCKER - Jelena Jankovic with appearances by Serena Williams + Ana Ivanovic.
Well don't just sit there - WATCH:
SCENE 1: The third set tie-break of their Rome semifinal. JJ goes to serve, ReRe raises her hand up to signal she wasn't ready to receive it. JJ wins the tie-break and the match. At their post-match handshake ReRe apologizes for stopping the Serb mid-serve and allegedly says in her defense, "I'm not Justine" referring to the infamous "Henin Handgate" that occurred during their contentious match at Roland Garros in 2003. Click here for a reminder of THAT one.
Original Video- More videos at TinyPic
SCENE 2: JJ defeats NaturAna in second round of Madrid for her first win on clay over her countrywoman. After the victory she's shown courtside grinning and performing fist-pumps and an uppercut that's supposedly in mockery of NaturAna's penchant for ridiculous amounts of that motion (causing fans to suffer what's now commonly known in tennis circles as FPF or "Fist Pump Fatigue." Thanks AI.) To the victor go the spoiled sportsmanships.
LOVE this show! That JJ is some kind of scene-whore, huh?
In any case, stay tuned for more scenes from "WTA Girls Behaving Badly." I mean, we still have half a season left. There's bound to be more drama 'round the corner. At least we can hope so.
*sets DVR*
Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo + Raul paid a locker room visit to Rafael Nadal after he defeated Ukrainian qualifier Oleksandr Dolgopolov Jr. 6-4, 6-3 in the second round of Madrid Masters.
But forget this meet up. Here's hoping Cristiano didn't run into Feliciano Lopez around the Magic Box because, well, it could get all sticky stuff. And not in the good way.
[Photo(s): Getty]
"Cluck, cluck y'all."
Gael Monfils played and won his first match in two months when he defeated compatriot Stephane Robert 6-2, 7-5 in the first round of Madrid today. The Frenchie baller has been dealing with a hand injury which has kept him off the ATP World Tour since Indian Wells in March. He'll face either Fabio Fognini or Philipp Petzschner in the next round.
La Monf also debuted his brand-spanking new K-Swiss gear during the match. The 23-year old, who will represent both apparel and footwear, had been with Nike for years before making the switch. The company made the formal announcement today in a press release.
"I am thrilled to join such an iconic tennis brand with a great reputation for athlete collaboration," said Monfils. "I am looking forward to working with K-Swiss on developing my own line of clothes to launch next year and growing our relationship in the years to come."
Maria Sharapova played her first match in almost two months falling 6-4, 6-3 to Lucie Safarova in the first round of Madrid. After going down 0-4 in the opening set the former top lady baller fought back to 4-all but her Czech foe clinched the next 8 out of 10 games for the win.
Shrieka will have another chance to find her clay-court feet before Roland Garros when she travels to Strasbourg next week for the Internationaux de Strasbourg.
The 23-year old also debuted some new stylings from the Nike Maria Sharapova Collection including the Golden Set Tank in fennel with deep burgundy (underneath the fennel 3/4 sleeved cover up - $55) and the Golden Set Skirt in ($60) fennel w/lilac + deep burgundy.
I think the fennel colorway is pretty against the crushed red brick but the skort design with its multi-colored asymmetrical mesh overlay is a bit jarring. I mean you'd think Shrieka would've given up on the overlay concept after failed with this dud, but give her credit for being persistent. I'm all for the use of color but the execution here is a bit off for my tastes.
So my overall reaction to this outfit? MEH.
UPDATE: So an anonymous commenter tipped me off to discussions in some forums about a possible racquet sponsor switch that may be in the works for the Russian. Notice the missing branding and stencil in the photo? If you have any info, 'fess up. Pretty please.
[Photo(s): TennisWarehouse.com, Getty Images]
