PHOTO OP: The 2014 China Open Player Party

The China Open Player Party has come a long way. So long traditional garb, hello sometimes questionable fashion choices. But I have to say, for the most part [SPOILER ALERT] these looks aren't screaming, "Wait, what the hell were you, or your stylist, thinking?!"

It's safe to say our ballers have come a long way, too.

THE GUYS

Novak Djokovic. The Serb usually goes for relatively safe, classic looks for these events and this outfit is no exception. First of all, I love the blue, but Nole's bordering ever so slightly on game show host here.

Rafael Nadal. I wasn't kidding when I said they've come a long way, especially Rafa. Back in the day, he would never show up wearing anything that actually fit him well. That's no longer the case. Aside from the slicked back hair, I think he looks quite good here.

Tomas Berdych. I'm not a huge fan of denim made to be distressed. I much prefer either raw denim or denim that has been distressed naturally and over time. In this case, Big Berd's jeans give his look some edge and make it less conservative than Rafa's. As we've seen on-court with his H&M kits, the Czech isn't afraid to be bold.

THE LADIES

 

Serena Williams. She dares to be different and this striking dress is no exception. It's certainly in the theme of the evening. But if ReRe's trying to out-Milos Milos Raonic with her one-sleeve number, SHE WINS.

Ana Ivanovic. I'll keep it short here and say she looks lovely. It feels like, on-court and off, she's coming into her own this year.

 

Caroline Wozniacki. What I just wrote for Ana? Ditto for Woz. Great look.

Simona Halep. If this haircut is a new one, it's fantastic. Plus, the pops of yellow against the simple black dress are just right.

Genie Bouchard. You really can't go wrong with a great pair of jeans, a simple white blouse and black heels, and easy flowing hair. Smart, classic look.

Andrea Petkovic. Head-to-toe black is easy and always looks chic. Petko gives the outfit a little kick with these fantastic shoes.

Heather Watson. Fine, she's still very young as this outfit shows. It's a little casual for this event, in my opinion, but at least she's not trying to look older.

[Photo(s) credit: Getty Images]

WIMBLEDON: Czech ladies flying high, shot clock watch, and Stan the Man

"Fist pumping? It's a Czech thang!" (No. It's not.)

Soggy and wet - my least favorite kind of day, especially at Wimbledon. But what was exciting to see were the lady ballers of the Czech Republic taking a stand in their fourth round matches. Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, Petra Kvitova, and Lucie Safarova all reached the quarterfinals - an historic feat for their country. Now if only the three of them could do something else exactly the same - what could it be...

Does tennis need a shot clock? If we’re being completely honest, then, HELL YES, tennis needs one. There are some high-profile offenders (yeah, I’m looking at you, Rafa and Maria) who push the limits with all of their tics and uber-deliberate prep, and often don’t get called for going over the amount of time allotted between points (20 seconds at the majors and 25 at other tourneys). Roger Federer and Caroline Wozniacki were both asked about it in their post-match pressers and they’re into the idea. Certainly, it would make it absolutely clear to the ballers how much time they had to serve and it would speed up play for us, the viewing public. Win-win. Now, if we could only do something about the amount of service tosses ballers are allowed to catch in a match. GAWD, that’s annoying (my eye is still on you, Shrieka). Oh yeah, and on-court coaching. What else?

Yeah Stan. We know...we know. You went for the monochromatic look. Got it.

Other notables: There are still a bunch of Round of 16 matches to be completed, and that means some ballers will need to play 3 consecutive days. Not the best scenario, but it is what it is. Stupid rain.

[Photo(s) credit: Getty Images, AFP]

FASHION FIX: adidas for Roland Garros 2012

Andy Murray
Barricade Crew in dark onix and high energy

Caroline Wozniacki 
adidas by Stella McCartney Performance Tank + Skirt in yellow

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
adizero Crew in power green and high energy

Ana Ivanovic
adizero Dress in super green and core energy

Fernando Verdasco
adizero Verdasco Crew in electricity and high energy

A couple of more shots including Jo-Willy and a BODY BONUS courtesy of Fer after the jump - click the headline, y'all.

PHOTO OP: Serena Williams is aghast

"The purple thing with the white lines...put the ball there!"

Serena Williams couldn't find her game and Caroline Wozniacki took full advantage, ousting the 5-time Sony Ericsson champ 6-4, 6-4 in the quarterfinals and earning her first win over ReRe. The Dane will face off against Maria Sharapova, who finally beat Li Na 6-3, 6-0 after losing the last four, in the semifinals.

Yeah, Wozzi did her usual counter-puncher-thingy but with a little bit more...er...aggression? It's true. She hit her first serve with some pop at times and her forehand held up against ReRe's which found the net more than anything else. Maybe being knocked from the WTA Penthouse will end up being the best thing that could've happened to Wozzi. Maybe.

[Photo(s) credit: Michael Regan/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]

PHOTO OP: Istanbul eight (well, seven)

These photos crack me. I never have high expectations for the lady ballers' attempts at fashion because it's not their focus - that would be tennis. But I can't help but giggle when I see what they come up with. Well, most of them anyway.

How amazing does Petra Kvitova look here? 'Effortless' would be the word that comes to mind for her in the photo - and 'natural.' Maria Sharapova looks good (and she's got that pose down pat). The girl does love a camera lens. And, no, your eyes aren't buggin' out. That's not Victoria Azarenka or her mom in the middle with the black dress - it's WTA CEO Stacey Allaster. The Belarussian was busy winning Luxembourg this weekend.

Um, I think I'll stop here. It's the end of the year, the last hurrah, the "Final Countdown...da-na-ne-na, da-na-nun-dun-dun" so let the others dress up as awkwardly as they want. Out of all the competitors fighting for the 8 coveted spots at the WTA Championships all year long, these girls made it to Istanbul (and not that other year-end thing going on - what is the point of it anyway?) and deserve to put on their highest heels, weirdest dresses, cakey makeup and celebrate their asses off. So let 'em.

P.S. Why does Sam Stosur look like she's photo bombing this shit? Ok, now I'll stop.

[Photo(s) credit: Getty Images]

PHOTO OP: Wozzilreally?

Check out what Rory McIlroy gifted girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki. She tweeted the pic saying, "Here is my new club @McilroyRory made for me." Wozzilroy???

Everyone keeps comparing it to "Brangelina" and "Bennifer" which makes sense because it's a mashup of their names. Duh. Here's the big difference: I don't remember either of those couples actually coming up with the mashup themselves and celebrating it by putting it on shit. They own that Velveeta.

I suppose it's better than those "I'm with him--->/<---I'm with her" t-shirts. Uh-oh. I better not give them any ideas.

[Photo(s) credit: Caroline Wozniacki's tweet]

VIDEO VAULT: She who laughs last has the last laugh (duh)

I was reading all day about this supposedly awful, tasteless, no good, desperate attempt by Caroline Wozniacki to grab more attention during her post-match presser last night. She made fun of Rafael Nadal's recent cramping conference by imitating his now-infamous slide down his chair all the while giggling and showing off her full set of teeth and gums (more gum than teeth actually).

Boy, what a dumb fucking move. I don't say that because I think what she did was awful, tasteless, no good or desperate. In fact, I may have snickered a little a bit with her (besides who am I to talk after what I posted - we should all be relieved she didn't imitate THAT). No, it's dumb because she just incurred the wrath of the Rafanatics. They are a fiercely loyal group who take offense when anyone dare poke fun at their boy. Doesn't she know they'll burn her in effigy and sacrifice her first born son to the tennis gods? I guess she does now:

Sorry, sweets. Ain't nothin' gonna get you back in their good graces. Save it for someone who cares. 

You know, Wozzi's usual attempts at humor (think: rooooo) are awkward at best and her make out sessions border on the bizarre. But this one made me chuckle. Well, more like chuck. Get it? That's, like, half-a-laug...ah, nevermind.

HE SAID/SHE SAID: US Open Day 4

Q. Caroline Wozniacki has a high profile relationship with a golfer. You've kind of been there. Any advice for her on how to deal in the public eye in that way in that kind of a relationship?

ANA IVANOVIC: I think it's different for every person, because some people like to be in the middle of attention or public eye and others don't. It's just very personal how you like to deal with it. I think, you know, once you decide how you want to handle it you should go about it. Of course if you want to be more private, that's harder. If you want to be out there it's a little bit easier. It's, you know, about to find the balance and to accept these things.

Check out more 'HE SAID/SHE SAID' from the US Open Day 4 after the jump - click the header!

PHOTO OP: Frat parties are fun, huh Woz?

It's just...yeah. Exactly.

[Photo(s) credit: @laurarobson5]

Gotta love those growing pains

As you may or may not have noticed, I didn't post about Caroline Wozniacki's opening round loss in Toronto to Roberta Vinci nor did I write about her opening round defeat to American teen Christina McHale in Cincinnati yesterday. Why? Because it's just not that shocking.

I mean, how fucked is it to say it's not a surprise to see a reigning World No. 1 go down to someone ranked 76th? And it has nothing to do with the "depth" in women's tennis. She hasn't been playing like a top lady baller since March when she won at Indian Wells. Yeah, she also won a few weeks later on the clay in Charleston, but if you compare the draws she fought through in each one you'll see which one was more impressive (don't even get me started on Copenhagen). Each tourney Wozzi played after Indian Wells she looked a little less confident and little more unsure, leading us to what we witnessed the last two weeks.

It's also not a surprise to see her finally can Papa Woz as her coach (which, apparently, happened after losing early at Wimbledon). We've seen this story played out before - the child star grows up, becomes more independent, demands more control of their career, dumps parent as coach. And Wozzi should if she feels like it's not working anymore and she'd like a new voice. After all, it's her career. But how many top ballers in the history of tennis have made a coaching switch-a-roo while sitting in the Penthouse? I'm not sure but I don't think it's happened too many times. That's not to say it won't work, but if the last two weeks are any indication she may need to fall down so she can get back up. On her own.

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

SIGHTING: Caroline Wozniacki + Rory McIlroy get all smiley in Cincinnati

Caroline Wozniacki and golfer Rory McIlroy are finally coming out with their whatever-you-want-to-call-it (some might call it a PR stunt).

In any case, you know it's getting serious when you bring your man-piece to a practice session. Although, in this photo, 'boy-piece' might be more fitting. She looks like she could bench press him. Seriously.

[Photo(s) credit: AP]

FASHION FIX: You reach No. 1 and all you get is this lousy, recycled outfit

Maybe it's the tough economy. Or maybe they ran out of ideas. Or MAYBE it's Kate Middleton's sartorial influence.

Whatever the reason, Sergio Tacchini deserves a major red card for recycling this outfit for Novak Djokovic's first match as the top baller in the world. And it's not the first time they recycled it. He debuted it during the spring clay-court season and then, shockingly, showed up wearing it at Roland Garros. But even if the outfit was AMAZING (and it's not) it still wouldn't be okay to have him wear it again. You're lucky he won his match, ST.

The same could be said for adidas by Stella McCartney and Caroline Wozniacki. They recycled the much-maligned blue ruffle dress she debuted at Indian Wells at Roland Garros and today she appeared in Toronto for her opening round match (which she lost) in a similar outfit to the one she wore starting at Charleston in the spring. The skirt is the same but the tank top was the orange of her sports bra, not white. Same diff to me.

These companies have the opportunity to outfit the top-ranked ballers in tennis and this is the best they can do. I mean, REALLY. These spots are kinda high visibility. Get it together.

[Photo(s) credit: Getty Images]

Surprise?

Geez. Where do I even start?

So Venus Williams was defeated by her Wimbledon nemesis Tsvetana Pironkova 6-2, 6-3; Serena Williams was beaten by Marion Bartoli with a more respectable 6-3, 7-6 (8); and Caroline Wozniacki fell to Dominika Cibulkova 1-6, 7-6 (5), 7-5.

The result that I'm least surprised about is actually Bart's win over ReRe. The Frenchie's been in stellar form ever since Paris and her win in Eastbourne gave her the confidence she needed on the slick stuff. Her serving was uber-impressive, though, so it's fitting she won on another unreturnable that the 4-time champ could barely get her racket on. As for ReRe the rust really showed today in her movement, shot selection and groundies. We really shouldn't be surprised since she's been out for a year but it's ReRe we're talking about here; she's like the tour's Wonder Woman. She can make anything happen on-court, right? But, if this tourney showed us one thing about her it's that she's human.

Woz's loss to Domi was somewhat surprising to me. No, I'm not surprised she ended up on the losing side because she's been susceptible to the big hitters in Slams these days. But she started off well playing pretty aggressively in the first set. Once the Slovak started feeling the forehand, though, Woz reverted back to her natural form: defense. And as we all know, once you're on defense on the grass it's hard to find your back on the front foot. In the end, Domi was the braver of the two and she won. Simple.

For me V's second consecutive loss by the same scoreline to Tsveta on Centre Court is mind boggling. The Bulgarian couldn't buy any match wins since last year's Championships but found the right formula to fuck up the 5-time champ once again. It almost seems like V can't even believe she's falling victim to Tsveta's peculiar mix of pace and spin and, when she does, it all starts to unravel. And to lose so meekly and not even push it to a third set? MIND BOGGLING.

But in the end I give kudos to the ladies who stood up to the big stars of the tour on a huge occasion and earned the win. Seriously, who wants this thing?

[Photo(s) credit: Getty Images]

HE SAID/SHE SAID: Wimbledon Day 5

Q. Do you realize your nickname here is actually Deliciano. What do you say to that nickname?

FELICIANO LOPEZ: It's coming from Andy's mother. She's so funny. It's just something that everybody knows now because somebody post it on Twitter.

Q. Do you like that nickname?

FELICIANO LOPEZ: I have to like it. It's kind of funny. I mean, it's okay.

Q. Do you get a lot of attention from female fans when you're walking around?

FELICIANO LOPEZ: Not really. Like another place, I think.

Q. You talked about learning. Could you talk about how your mental toughness has evolved over the years since you were a younger player? Is that something you've worked on?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Uhm, I think, you know, experience is a big thing. I think it's really priceless. But I don't think, you know, that calmness and that mental toughness is something that you can just go to someone and someone can teach you about it.

I think it's just how you see certain situations instead of just being too negative, even though it's something that you want to do. And of course it's so easy to get down on yourself, want to throw your racquet, complain about things. But I think positive thoughts and things just lead you to much better results.

I mean, it's something that you can definitely work on, absolutely. Yeah, it's challenging. But I think experience has really helped me.

Q. As the years go by, do you let thoughts creep in that it might never happen for you here?

ANDY RODDICK: Well, sure. You're human. I mean, of course it does. You know, you may never get your favourite job either. No offence to your current employer.

Q. I'm quite happy.

ANDY RODDICK: That's good. Me, too.

Q. My question was, it must be harder as the year goes on to think of this dream of yours.

ANDY RODDICK: It's similar to the question just asked. What do you do? You keep moving forward until you decide to stop. At this point I've not decided to stop so I'll keep moving forward.

Q. When did you first dream of being a Wimbledon champion and what were those images, if you can remember?

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Well, I remember when I was a little girl, maybe nine years old, I said that I want to be No. 1 in the world and I want to win the Grand Slams. That's always been my goal since then.

You know, to reach one of my goals, it's incredible, especially in such a young age that I have, that it came so quickly. It's just a positive thing for me.

Q. Did you grow up watching this tournament on the TV at home?

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: Yes. I think this is actually the first tournament I watched on TV. Definitely a special tournament for me. I enjoy playing here and being here.

Q. Do you remember which players you watched then?

CAROLINE WOZNIACKI: I remember I watched Martina Hingis. She was my idol growing up. I watched so many of her matches.

Q. Do you still have ambitions of winning Grand Slams yourself?

RICHARD GASQUET: It's tough. It's tough, because when I was second week in Roland Garros I had to win Djokovic, then Federer, then Nadal. Even here in 2007 I won in semi-final I had to win the same: Federer and Nadal.

So even if I'm not far, you are far because you need to win the best after. So I don't know if I can, but I'll try to go farther as I can.

Q. Why don't you use Hawk Eye more? Do you forget to use it?

VENUS WILLIAMS: No, I only use it if I think I need it. If I feel like I hit the ball out, most times you can feel on your racquet. I think usually when I'm challenging, I'm pretty right on.

Q. You use it a lot less than a lot of players.

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, I don't think Hawk Eye is there for like a chance kind of thing. I think you have to use it strategically.

If it's like the second point in a match, possibly maybe not a good time to use it. Hopefully the confidence is there that you can get the next point, some kind of thing like that.

Hawk Eye, for me, I'm confident I can win the next point. I don't need that call, per se.

Q. Unless you think it's way, way out, definitively the wrong call is made, you're going to move on?

VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah. I think it's important to have the Hawk Eye when it really counts. If it's 5 All and you have no challenges left, that's a problem. So it's just I think important to use it more strategically than I need it and it's there.

Q. If you get through on Monday and López keeps winning, I'm curious who you think your mum might be supporting if you meet Deliciano?

ANDY MURRAY: I think it's about time she stopped with that nonsense. Makes me want to throw up. It's disgusting. Yeah, it's disgusting.

I was practising with him before the tournament. It's quite funny because she'd been writing about it on, you know, Twitter like all the time. And I was practising with him before the tournament and my mom was on the side.

I said, when we were warming up, I shouted across the net, I said, Feli, if we sit down for a drink, if you could take a picture with my mom, because she thinks you're beautiful.

She went bright red. I'm not doing it. I'm not doing it. Refused to take the picture. Quite funny. Not like her.

Yeah, I hope she'll still be supporting me.

[Photo(s) credit: Getty Imagess]

PHOTO OP: Locked and loaded

Now THIS was shocking.

All credit to Daniela Hantuchova who gave a clay court clinic to top seed Caroline Wozniacki during her 6-1, 6-3 drubbing in the Roland Garros third round today. The slender Slovak cut up the court with lovely angles and brilliant blasts down-the-line that kept the top seed from ever finding firm footing. It was her first win EVAH over a reigning World No. 1.

And while it's true Dani played impeccably well Wozzi never put up much of a fight. Okay, she put up her version of a fight which is waiting until her opponent misses. But, unfortunately for the her, Dani rarely did today. It sucks when that happens, huh?

Since there really isn't much else to say about the match I'll leave you with a piece of brilliance offered by Jon Wertheim from earlier today: "The Wozniasterisk just got bigger."

[Photo(s): AFP PHOTO / MIGUEL MEDINA]

QUOTE OF THE DAY: Aleksandra Wozniak

The No. 1 players in the world play games some times. It’s obvious that for her it was to try to distract me or whatever. There are all kinds of tricks that the players use to take more time, maybe to get their concentration back again.

- Aleksandra Wozniak on Caroline Wozniacki's drawn out conversation with the chair umpire over a line call in the second set tiebreak of their second round match

Sounds like another episode of "WTA Girls Behaving Badly" or just plain gamesmanship. Wouldn't you say?

[Photo(s): Clive Brunskill/Getty Images]

+ NETCORDS: Roland Garros Edition

If you are what you say you are

A superstar

Then have no fear

The camera's here

and the microphones and they wanna know 

 - Lupe Fiasco, Superstar

So it was another busy day at Roland Garros which means, aside from the big news like the grounding of Tomas Berdych, there were a bunch of small but still interesting tidbits floating around:

- Three American teens had a rough go of it today - all lost their matches - but it made from some money quotes: Christina McHale "I just panicked and didn't take my time."; Melanie Oudin "...I feel like where my ranking is now is where I should be."; Coco Vandeweghe "[The argument] put me over the edge. It's my own fault for letting it carry over." Tennis can have a brutal learning curve, huh?

- Aravane Rezai talked about her struggle to find peace of mind amidst the issues with her father: "Every single day, it’s a fight against myself."

- Ryan Harrison will fill the role of lucky loser after Benjamin Becker withdrew last minute with an injury late Monday. He'll face Robin Soderling.

- A petulant Michael Llodra throws a tennis ball at a security guard in the stands then argues with chair ump Mohamed El Jennati telling him, "We are not in a souq, we are not selling carpets in a market." Yuck.

- Roger Federer is feeling frustrated by the balls. No comment.

- Caroline Wozniacki was working the same Tennis Ruffle Dress from Indian Wells + Miami. What gives Stella??

[Photo(s): Getty Images]

How Goergous

The talk of German women's tennis has been centered on Andrea Petkovic this year and with good reason. She has an unstoppable charisma, possesses a big personality to match her game, loves interacting with the media and fans and earned some impressive wins this year over Caroline Wozniacki, Jelena Jankovic and Maria Sharapova. That's all well and good but when it comes down to tennis Julia Goerges just might be better.

Jules beat Wozzi in a competitive Stuttgart final today upsetting the world's top lady baller 7-6 (3), 6-3 and earning the second and biggest title of her career. The 22-year old just kept serving huge (her kicker espesh) and backing it up with power groundies keeping the Dane pinned back and on defense for most of the match. She also took advantage of her opportunities earning the only break of the match in the second set and making good when coming forward (15 of 22 net points won).

In women's tennis it's all about who can hold serve and Jules uses her smooth, powerful delivery to open up the court for her equally big forehand. That's the major difference between Petko and Jules but one that could mean the difference at the business end of a tourney, particularly at majors. Petko's serve is mediocre at best and has hitches that can cause it to break down under pressure. I have a feeling she and her new advisory coach, Heinz Gunthhardt, will be spending some time at that stroke.

Jules also showcased some serious mental toughness outplaying the World No. 1 and earning the career win in front of an uber-supportive home crowd (and a father who looked on the verge of a heart attack at every turn of this match.) She hadn't won a match against Woz in two tries so to pull off the upset under these circumstances is impressive.

A quick note about Wozzi: She has yet to win a title on the red clay and this loss gave some clues as to why it's going to be a challenge. Her movement isn't as natural on the clay as it is on the hard court and can't seem to generate enough pace when she doesn't have firm footing. Moreover, she's still susceptible on the clay when a big hitting baller gets on a streak. Without the offensive tools on the slippery stuff she'll need to force her opponents into errors to get the wins. She's the best in the world at doing that consistently, but over two weeks and seven matches at Roland Garros? BIG question mark.

But it's Jules with the title. Enjoy driving that new Porsche, girl. And better luck getting it started next time.

[Photo: Alex Grimm/Bongarts/Getty Images]