EXCLUSIVE: Video interviews from the Taste of Tennis green carpet

So I couldn't end this great week of pre-US Open celebrations without showing you guys my green carpet interviews from Thursday's Taste of Tennis event!

I got a chance to talk tennis and food with many of the ballers who were in attendance that night including Kim Clijsters, Victoria Azarenka and Vera Zvonareva as well as musician John Legend, chef Katie Lee and TV host Kelly Choi. Tennis Channel commentator Justin Gimelstob broke down his US Open draw for the camera.

A HUGE thanks to the awesome Sam Zalutsky and his SaZam Productions for taking loads of footage and making sense of it all. Glad someone could.

Enjoy!


[Video: DtL]

Quote of the Day: Gimelstob on Kournikova controversy

It was a very painful time of my life. To see people who don’t know you or don’t understand all the information publicly malign you is a very hurtful process. Those sound bites [from the radio talk show] aren’t representative of the person that I am, and the people who know me, know that. Players that rushed to my defense (Andy Roddick and Lindsay Davenport among others) weren’t given the opportunity or the voice to be heard. It was a better story to tell it the other way.

What hurt me the most are the people in the media who I generally have such a good relationship with because I give so much. But the second I took it too far, those same people who would call me for the sound bite, destroyed me.

- Justin Gimelstob on the controversy surrounding his offensive comments about Anna Kournikova and a few other lady ballers

Hard lesson to learn, Justin, but one you clearly needed to take in if you're going to be in the media. In this day and age of quick sound bites and blogs, anything can be taken out of context or lost in translation and repeated a gazillion times. Proceed with caution.

Now, do I think that happened in this situation? No. Terms like "douchebag", "sexpot", and "scumbag" directed towards these women on-air are really hard to confuse, don't ya think?

PHOTO OP: Anna K. bites her tongue, avoids Gimelstob's prying eyes

Can somebody say A-W-K-W-A-R-D?!

St. Louis Ace's Anna Kournikova and the Washington Kastles' Justin Gimelstob finally faced each other (well, Gimel faced Anna - she's not even trying to sniff in his stanky direction) in DC at their World Team Tennis match last night. It was their first interaction since he made degrading and rude comments directed at the original Russian glamourpuss.


A couple of observations here:

- Isn't it creepy that Gimel has a wry smile on his face while he eyeballs Anna's goods? I thought he said he had "no attraction to her"? Douchebag.

- What the hell is Anna chewing on? Could she be biting her tongue?? She really should've laid into him - like a backhand to the head or somewhere less empty.

Who knew the WTT was where all the gritty action is these days? Billie Jean's always ahead of the curve...

(images via AP)

+ THURSDAY NETCORDS: Fed, Nole, Alona, Martina the black widow...Rafa's injuries worry, Lleyton is ready and more

- Pulling a fast one: Is the hardcourt surface at the US Open faster than the Wimbledon grass? The debate rages on...

- Far and Wide, an AP news blog, reports on the gender-biased fashion news coverage from the AP's reporting on the US Open. Mentions: Women -1077, Men - 0. Clearly they need to start tracking Down the Line's! consistent coverage of the Open...we LOVE the men over here.

- Is Rafa's playing style catching up to him? Bonnie D.(esimone) Ford of ESPN opens up the conversation.

- Ready to go: Darren "Killer" Cahill, part-time ESPN broadcaster and Lleyton Hewitt's fill-in coach at the US Open, says the Aussie's game is in good form and he's up to challenging the top players - namely Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer. "...his game at the moment is in terrific form. His practice sessions have been great leading into the US Open. He's been working hard the last six or seven months and obviously his form in the last three months is getting back to where he's challenging the top players in the world."

- Notorious NY gossiper Page Six has called out TENNIS magazine for labeling Martina Hingis a "black widow" after injuries plagued past boyfriends including Radek Stepanek, Magnus Norman, and Justin Gimelstob. Conspiracy or coincidence???

- Get to know Alona Bondarenko

- More Borg-inspired trainers: check out these kicks from Diadora

+ TUESDAY NETCORDS: Justin vs. Roger, Serena pimps HP...Maria's fat head, the latest betting news and more

(image courtesy of nycwanderer)

- No, duh: The NY Sun documents the increasing importance of fashion & style in tennis gear.

- Madison Ave. is loving Serena "ReRe" Williams these days. We posted about her latest Nike ad campaign over the weekend and now she's pimping HP computers. Haven't seen the ReRe/HP spot yet? Click here!

- Soon-to-be-retired American Justin Gimelstob (which will come after his inevitable loss to Andy Roddick tonight) gives some interesting insight into Roger Federer's need to improve his already ethereal game. We agree...

- OTB continues their popular Fact File series with the US Open, including event history and insider tips for enjoying the final Grand Slam.

- And the bet goes on: Veteran American player Paul Goldstein says he was contacted about fixing a match in the last 18 - 24 months. Earlier this month, Frenchie Michael Llodra also admitted to being contacted about match fixing.

- We always knew Maria "Shriek"apova had a fat head...

- PHOTO OP: Can Anna Wintour's hair be MORE like a helmet? Pretty.