Serves them right: Serena Williams, Marin Cilic, and their US Open titles

It’s great to finally be settling into our new digs in LA! The cross-country road trip to get here was spectacular. If you ever get the chance to do it, I highly recommend taking the trip. There are some really mind-numbing spots along the way (I MEAN ALL THAT CORN THOUGH), but overall it's an unforgettable experience.

The varied landscapes that make up America are truly breathtaking. From lush forests and the Great Plains, to high deserts and bustling metropolises, you really get a new appreciation for the US after a trip like this one. The sunrises and sunsets in the Midwest and Southwest truly left us speechless at times.

While on the road I followed along with the scores as best I could (we didn’t always have great reception) and watched some bits of matches, but not much, when we were able to sit still in front of a TV. I did catch the entirety of both finals, which were, if we’re all being completely honest, DUDS. What stood out to me was how the matches were similar in many ways but with one big difference – Serena Williams was going for her 18th major while Marin Cilic was looking for his first. They even played out the same; both ballers started off nervously, making errors and coming under pressure immediately in their first service games. But the one shot that never left them was the serve. As their serve went, so did their games. Once they found their footing and relaxed, they powered past their stunned opponents and straight to the titles.

ReRe, playing against good friend, Caroline Wozniacki, had all the pressure in the world on her shoulders. It had been a terrible season by her standards, not getting past the quarterfinals at any Slam. Plus, she was trying to tie Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova with her 18th major championship. ReRe came in with confidence having lost only once since Wimbledon, and she proceeded to plow her way through the draw. She never lost more than three games in any set and that trend continued in the final where she overwhelmed Woz from the start to reach another milestone in her career. With this type of form, it's hard not to see her reaching number 19 and then some.

Even though ReRe never gave her a chance in the final, Woz will leave New York knowing her game is better now than when she first made the finals and moved into the WTA Penthouse. Her serve is bigger and she has a more aggressive mindset on her returns. I’m still not convinced she’ll win a major in her career, but at least her game is continuing to evolve. It wouldn’t bother me at all if she proved me wrong.

Marin looked every bit the part of a multi-Slam champ. He was self-possessed and in complete control of his mind and game. After pushing aside Roger Federer in the semifinals, he came out for single-minded and extremely focused for the final. Not a hint of frustration betrayed his steely look. This match, tournament, and history were his for the taking – and he took it out on Kei Nishikori with ruthless abandon.

Whether it was the fatigue from his previous battles, the weight of the occasion, or both, the Japanese was a shadow of the baller who knocked out three top 10 seeds, including world number one Novak Djokovic. Even thought he didn’t walk away with the men’s title, Kei at least proved his body could sustain a few epic matches in succession without falling apart. He will need to figure out how to save some energy by shortening early round matches if he wants to compete for major titles.

[Photo(s) credit: Getty Images]

TASTE OF TENNIS: I asked, they answered

So, yeah. I made it to this year's Taste of Tennis albeit a little late. I had to work so my friend, Erin, covered the Rafael Nadal/Armani event at Macy's earlier in the day for me, where he unveiled his ginormous ballboard to the world, before heading over to the W Hotel in Midtown where we were meeting up.

When I got there I ran into Karen from Tennis Panorama, my annual US Open Party Patrol buddy, who is always up for a good time. I also hung out with Nick from Tennis Served Fresh, @MariyaKTennis and finally got to meet Rachel from OntheGoTennis and Elena from The Slice. The one thing I noticed immediately was the fewer number of media in attendance - it didn't have the same INSANE feel it had last year. But, here was the worst part: no complimentary bottled water. HOW COULD THEY LET US GET THIRSTY??? I wondered if it was on downhill from there. Luckily, I had gum.

The green carpet arrivals began to, er, arrive. Rafa, surprisingly or maybe not so surprisingly, came through first. I compared his appearance to having "the dessert before the main course" over Twitter. It was also like a wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am moment- a quickie but without the guilt. He was literally there for less than a minute before Benito moved him onto the VIP area. For him to do all this publicity for his book and ad campaign must be draining for him - it's soooo not his thing. I guess I'm not surprised he flew through the line.

There were also less lady ballers at this event than last year which meant less opportunity to ask, "Who are you wearing, guuurl???" So I asked the guys. Well, one guy: Marin Cilic. He had on this cool shirt jacket but no idea who designed it. I suppose it wasn't a question he was prepared to answer. Hopefully he will be next time, and in that small way I've helped prepare him for future green carpet questions - or not. Probably not.

A few of us made it upstairs to the big party (we have our ways) where we ate some fabulous food and drank, um, a lot. A fucking blast. But as they say, it's not how you start but how you end and THIS end was awesome. Just awesome. Even an obviously fanatical and possibly drunk person accosting him on the street for a picture couldn't scare him away. HE BE THE BEST.

Thanks to E, who's an amazing graphic designer BTW, for helping me out and DKC for the great event and invite. Until next year Taste of Tennis!!!

Check out my full Q & A with Tommy Haas, Tamira Paszek, Fernando Verdasco, Janko Tipsarevic, Marin Cilic, Gilles Simon, James Blake and Vera Zvonareva from Taste of Tennis after the jump.

Big boys take a beating at Queen's Club

"Look Ma! I can fly!"

Many of the top ballers have been struggling this week as the tour's moved from the long clay-court season to the short-as-all-hell grass tour. Just ask Andy Roddick, Novak Djokovic and Marin Cilic.

Fourth seed A-Rod made his earliest exit from Queen's Club since his first round exit in 2001 when he was shocked 6-4, 7-6 (8) by Israel's Dudi Sela in the third round today. To his credit Dude played exceptionally well mixing up his backhand and blocking back the American's booming serve to neutralize his advantage. But A-Rod seemed like he left his aggressive stance in his Babolat bag, playing too much from the back court and not imposing his bigger game on Dude.

Afterward, he told the press he won't take a WC into Eastbourne next week:

I'm not gonna go into a panic mode and start doing that stuff. I'll try to get some practice in. I'll probably get more time on the track or in the gym. Maybe I'll figure out if there's some shows or a concert to kind of get away and take my mind off the fact that I'm not playing here.

Since winning the Sony Ericsson Open back in March A-Rod has played five matches and won three (2 - Roland Garros, 1- QC.) Let's hope he gets some really, I mean REALLY good practice sessions in with all the points he needs to defend as last year's Wimby finalist. An early round loss could mean a big drop in the rankings for the World No. 7.


Second seed Novak Djokovic was booted by Xavier Malisse 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 and complained that the playing conditions were dangerous:

The whole match you can feel the rain and the court was extremely slippery. A couple of times I could have injured myself, to stretch the muscle or something like that.

Let's hope his loss has more to do with the conditions than with his game, particularly any lingering effects from his quarterfinal loss to Jurgen Melzer at Roland Garros. I thought he might take that loss hard which, if true, would put a second week appearance at Wimby in serious jeopardy.


And fifth seed Marin Cilic went down 7-6 (2), 6-2 to Michael Llodra who is consulting with Amelie Mauresmo this grass season. Nice win for this newly formed team. I'd say Momo has given him some good advice based on this result. Good on ya Frenchies.

Plus, did you hear about the drama between Andy Murray + Mardy Fish during their match? Check it here, if you're into that kinda thing.

[Photo(s): Getty Images]

THE LOW DOWN: Croatian fan gets on court, shakes hands with Marin - so when will this end?

A Croatian fan managed to get onto the tennis court last night after Andy Murray's 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 win over Marin Cilic in the Aussie Open semifinals.

He was eventually carted away by security but not before he was able to get close enough to shake hands with his compatriot, recalling last year's U.S. Open when an excited fan ran onto the court and planted a smooch on Rafael Nadal before security took him away and Roland Garros when a man tried to put a flag on Roger Federer during the final.


As you can see in this photo below the security in yellow (is being bald a prerequisite for this job?) seemed a bit frozen in their tracks even after he got what the 21-year old called a "present":

Q. Did you have somebody come up to you out of the stands and shake your hand?

MARIN CILIC: I think the fan got excited and he wanted to shake my hand, so... I gave him a present.

Q. What did you give him?

MARIN CILIC: Nothing. I shook his hand.

Q. He had a Croatian jumper on.

MARIN CILIC: Right, he was happy.

Okay these incidents are driving me fucking bonkers. I mean, it's good to see Marin taking it in stride but this is a big issue that needs to be addressed. Even if the ballers don't react negatively in the moment it must be a little worrisome at some level to see how easy it is for anyone in the stands to reach them. It's one thing for someone in the stands to get on court but a whole other thing to get on court and make contact with a baller. The security must have had an opportunity to stop him before he got to Marin but they failed.

How many times does this need to happen before the ITF takes a hard look at their security procedures at matches and makes real improvements? Does someone need to be harmed again before they make a concerted effort to protect the ballers? After incidents at three of the four majors you'd think they'd realize there's a big problem.

This particular fan is not even sprinting or even jogging around the court - he's moving around with ease. This is not acceptable. At all.



[Photo(s): Getty, AP]

HE SAID/SHE SAID: Oz Open Day Seven

Q. You were whirling dervish after you hit that last [backhand winner] shot.

ANDY MURRAY: A what?

Q. You hit that magnificent backhand, and then you were spinning like a whirling dervish.

ANDY MURRAY: Was I?

Q. Yes.

ANDY MURRAY: I didn't realize. I was just excited. (Smiling.)

It was obviously to get the break in the third set. I'd had chances the first two service games to break him and didn't quite take them. So, yeah, happy with that.

Q. Have you met Prince William here?

ANDY MURRAY: No.

Q. Would you have liked to?

ANDY MURRAY: Sure, yeah. I would have done. But I don't think he was here for very long.

Q. What sort of feedback had you had from the rapping with the Bryan brothers?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, well, I don't know. (Laughter.) From the people I've spoken to about it, everyone did find it amusing. I don't think it was particularly good. I don't enjoy listening to it, that's for sure.

But if it helped them out, then I'm happy.

Q. Can you give us a bit of a rendition of it.

ANDY MURRAY: No, no. (Smiling.)

Q. You were talking movies with Jim Courier. Would you consider a career in film yourself?

ANDY MURRAY: No, no. I don't think I'd be very good at that.

Q. You sound a bit like Sean Connery.

ANDY MURRAY: I am Scottish, so I sound a little bit like him.


Q. Your thoughts on Yanina?

JUSTINE HENIN: I was impressed the way she went for everything. You know, she didn't give me a lot. She has been very solid, very consistent, real fighter on the court.

She put a lot of intensity in the ball. I had to play a good game to win. So I was ready to fight. But I was impressed the way she played, yeah.


Q. Did seeing [Delpo] win the Open provide you with any extra motivation or self‑belief because you are so close in age?

MARIN CILIC: I mean, not really. I mean, he did that on his own. And for me, well, it's tough sometimes to judge myself with other guys or the other guys with me. Everybody has its own way.

But I think since that tournament, since US Open, I think I started to play much better. To win against better guys more often. Of course, here I had some tough matches in the first few rounds, and also that gave me a little more in one way that I was hitting a lot of balls. But also physically‑wise I was maybe a little bit skeptic what it was going to be. But today I felt really good physically, and that in the end was the main difference.


Q. Did you see Kim Clijsters's comments after the match and do you feel she didn't give you enough credit that you deserved?

NADIA PETROVA: Honestly, I wasn't really paying much of attention. I thought to myself after that win that I have to stay focused for the next one. I didn't really go through the newspapers. Didn't really bothered by that.

But, uhm, what I must say, yes, it was a very good match from my side, and it would be really nice to get a good feedback from the person that I defeated.


Q. What do you think of your record against top‑10 players over the last eight months?

RAFAEL NADAL: Let me know what do you think?

Q. You tell us.

RAFAEL NADAL: The numbers are the numbers. So probably is not the best moment in my career against the top 10, no? But two weeks ago I was one point away, no?

Q. Is it an issue with confidence at all?

RAFAEL NADAL: You know, you have some up and downs in your career. And probably the last eight months or six months, I had more problem than usual with my knees, later with the abdominal. And I don't know what's gonna happen after tomorrow.

But, you know, I am here to fight. Nobody can ask me more when I try all my best all the time, no? So, you know, if I lose another time in two days, I gonna try in next tournament. If not, next. And if not, next.

So the important thing is don't have loses against the players that you have to win. So I did very well that last eight months, too. I didn't had bad loses outside of top‑10 players. So when you are there all the time, finally you win.


Q. I believe it's your birthday in an hour. [HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KIRI!]

MARIA KIRILENKO: That's true.

Q. What are you going to do?

MARIA KIRILENKO: I mean, I don't know. When I was a kid, I had a dream, you know, to be in a Grand Slam main draw in Australia when I have a birthday. I think my dream comes true.

Q. Do you get to have champagne or do you not have that because you're still in the tournament?

MARIA KIRILENKO: No, I don't want to get drunk before my next match (laughter). It's going to be difficult for me to play then. But, yeah, maybe after when I finish with my tournament I will celebrate with the girls from the locker room, with all my friends.

Q. Can you afford to get excited and happy at this point or do you have to focus and be very serious?

MARIA KIRILENKO: Yeah, I can say only that I'm focused, you know, and I'm still in the tournament. Yeah, I'm just need to be ready for my next match because the tournament not finished. Yeah, I need to keep going.

[Photo(s): AP, Getty]

(UPDATED) Marin stuns Muzz, makes first major quarterfinal at UpSet Open

Marin Cilic caused one of the biggest shockers at this year's US Open upending a mopey-looking Andy Murray 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 in the fourth round. He hit 35 winners against 41 errors in the win and will next face Juan Martin del Potro for a spot in the final four.

Congrats to Marin for making his first major quarterfinal and stepping up against the world's second best baller and many pundit's picks for winning the whole tourney.


As for Muzz, well, it was a very disappointing effort and gave me flashbacks of his lackluster effort in the final last year against Roger Federer. Pressure is the name of the game and I think it took hold of Muzz today, like it did last year, and didn't let go. And, to make matters worse, he could lose the second spot in the rankings to Rafael Nadal if the Spaniard wins his match against Gael Monfils tonight.

Is it possible the Brit baller is a mental midget in disguise?


UPDATE: Muzz was asked about a left wrist issue in his post-match presser but the 22-year old refused to discuss it in detail or blame it for the loss.

Q. You seemed to be having trouble with your left wrist. Is there a problem? And if so, has it arisen today or has it been ongoing?
ANDY MURRAY: I had a problem with it for a week or so. But regardless, I mean, you know, I just struggled today. I played poorly. You know, I'm obviously very disappointed. I mean, after, you know, the way that the last three Slams went I felt like I had actually played well and lost.
And today, you know, it didn't feel like didn't feel like I played well. I had my chance in the first set, and then, you know, struggled after that. You know, energy was I mean, I guess the momentum went with him, and I didn't manage to get it back. So, you know, I wasn't able to return well.

Q. The hand was bothering you on the return, is that what you're saying?
ANDY MURRAY: No, regardless of my wrist, it has you know, I lost the match. I returned poorly and he served well, and, you know, that was really the difference, guess.
I felt like in the first set, you know, when I was getting into the rallies I was able to move him around and have my chances. And then, you know, once he got the first set, he started serving well and started playing really aggressive. He was shanking a lot of forehands in the first set.
Then in the second he started dropping in, and then he started hitting the ball very clean after that and dictated all of the points.

Q. Do you know what the wrist problem is exactly?
ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, but I will try not to discuss injuries, as, you know, I leave it to my doctors and physio to let me know, you know, what I should be doing with it and how much I should be playing and how much time I need to take off.
You know, but I'm not going to give out any details.

(Photos: Getty, AP)

PHOTO OP: Ballers take part in Fila/Trina Turk runway show, fashion be damned

Fila sponsored an Indian Wells fashion show at the Garden Club Courtyard last night and pulled in some ballers including Agnes Szavay, Anna Chakvetadze, Caroline Wozniacki, Taylor Dent, Andreas Seppi and Marin Cilic to help model some of their latest looks and also the styles of LA designer Trina Turk.

Okay - I don't know where all the "fashion" is in this "fashion show" (these look like my weekend duds - dresses and leggings included) but, nevertheless, it's always good to see the ballers having fun off-court.

Caroline Wozniacki

Anna Chakvetadze

Andreas Seppi

Agnes Szavay

Taylor Dent + his sock shadows

BONUS: Here are some behind-the-scenes images of the ladies getting ready...

(images via getty)

WEEKEND WINNERS: Jo-Willy, Gonzo, Marin

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - Johannesburg

As Van predicted, Jo-Willy defeated his compatriot and first-time finalist Jeremy Chardy 6-4, 7-6 (5) to win in Johannesburg and earn his third ATP World Tour title (Bangkok, Paris Masters). He also raced through the draw without dropping a set all week - nice.

Fernando Gonzalez - Vina del Mar

Gonzo grabbed his fourth title at his home tourney, crushing good friend Jose Acasuso 6-1, 6-3 to win at Vina del Mar. The Chilean baller earned his 11th career ATP World Tour title and, like Jo-Willy, blew through his draw without dropping a single set.

Marin Cilic - Zagreb

In a battle of Croats, rising start Marin Cilic beat Mario Ancic 6-3, 6-4 at their home tourney in Zagreb earning his third ATP World Tour title (New Haven, Chennai).

(image via Getty)

AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2009 PREVIEW: The Boys

The 2009 tennis season has barely begun but here we are at the first Grand Slam of the season: the Aussie Open!

*clap, clap, fizz, fizz*

This major is a true test of fitness and endurance and those ballers who spent their off-seasons honing their games and strengthening their bodies are duly rewarded. Those who primped, posed and partied, well, good luck to you.

So who are the faves to take home the boys' title? Let's take a look!

In tennis, you’re only as good as your last win and Rafael Nadal knows that better than anyone. After one of the best seasons in tennis history, Rafa enters Melbourne with some questions: His ’08 season was cut short due to injury forcing the 22-year old to miss both the Masters Cup and his country’s Davis Cup final and leaving him short of match play (his early loss in Doha last week to Gael Monfils exposed some rust.) Moreover, he’s yet to even reach a hard-court major final, the closest moments coming last season when the Mallorcan Matador made the semifinals here and in Flushing Meadow. But let’s not forget the 22-year old did win gold at the Beijing Olympics last summer which had a similar surface to the US Open and has hoisted trophies at a number of other hard-court tourneys. Big-hitting ballers can be a nightmare for Rafa on this stuff but if he finds the right mix of aggression and defense he can add a sixth career major to his resume.

Roger Federer isn’t used to playing second fiddle to anyone (see quotes) but ever since he lost his Wimbledon crown and top-ranking to Rafa last season, life hasn’t been the same for Regal Rog. Even now, the 13-time Grand Slammer enters Melbourne as second helpings to a streaking Andy Murray as the bookies’ fave to take home the crown. But unlike last year when his preparation was hindered by mononucleosis, he arrives in Melbourne fit + fresh. Plus, who can argue with the facts: in the last five years Fed has gone 3-0 when reaching the final and has made the semifinals twice, including the classic battle against Marat Safin in 2005 when he lost 7-9 in the fifth. Will a Pete Sampras-tying 14th major be awaiting him in two weeks?

Talk about someone entering Melbourne with some questions (no seriously, discuss!). The defending champ, Novak Djokovic, went full-circle last season capturing his maiden major in Melbourne and then capped off the year with his first Masters Cup title. But some funny stuff happened in between (like some bad losses and a more questionable attitude) that left fans wondering what was going on with the usually affable Serb. Fast forward to 2009: The 21-year old makes the jump from Wilson to HEAD (more funny stuff, right Tim?) and consequently falls in his opening round match in Queensland to Ernests Gulbis. Clearly he knows what it takes to win big but Nole will need to get his mind out of these money-making moves and back onto the court where it belongs. Otherwise, his reign as the Aussie Open king will be very short-lived (and his loss to the Flying Finn in Sydney today won't help.)

Is anyone on the planet playing better ball than this Brit? Me thinks not. Andy Murray has been tearing up the ATP World Tour since his bicep-busting victory at Wimbledon last season when he came back from 2-sets to love down against Frenchie Richard Gasquet. Since then the 21-year old reached his first major final at the US Open (losing to Fed) and has collected 4 titles including 2 Masters Series shields (Cincinnati, Madrid). He's beaten Fed four times in a row since that loss in New York (including an exo in Abu Dhabi earlier this month), and has wins over Rafa + Nole. Now comes the tough part: can he shoulder the expectations and prove his champion’s mettle?

Here are a few darkhorses to peel your eyeballs for:

Marin Cilic – The towering 20-year old Croat just won his second career title in Chennai last week and will be entering Melbourne with confidence.

Juan Martin del Potro – Another towering 20-year old by way of Argentina, this baller made history last season by winning his first four tourneys in a row on two different surfaces (clay, hard). J. Martin’s already reached the final in Auckland, his first tourney of the year.

Andy Roddick – I even surprised myself with this one. A-Rod is all about change right now opting for a new coach in the much-heralded Larry Stefanki and an impressively leaned down but still muscular build. He reached the final in Doha falling to Andy Murray (but who hasn’t lately) so he’ll be feeling good about his chances (especially since he's in Nole's quarter of the draw.) And as a former US Open champ and World No.1, why wouldn’t he?

So who are your faves + darkhorses in the boy's draw?

DO TELL!

(images via Getty)