THE LOW DOWN: Will Dave Rineberg become Ana's new coach?

Speaking of Ana Ivanovic, The Tennis Times is reporting DH Management, who represent the Serb, has been in talks with Dave Rineberg as a potential coach.

Ana most recently worked with Sven Groenefeld through adidas' baller development program but this set up prevented him from traveling with her full-time or coaching her if she competed against another adidas-sponsored baller. The 21-year old announced the split prior to the Aussie Open but the pair were spotted working together during some Melbourne practice sessions.

Rineberg previously coached Venus + Serena Williams and penned the book Venus & Serena, My Seven Years as Hitting Coach in 2005.

The Boca Raton-based coach was quoted as saying about the potential partnership,

I’d be honored and thrilled to coach Ms Ivanovic back to #1 on the WTA, I think there are only a few coaches who have coached a player to the #1 spot and for me well, I’ve coached the best girls in the world and I think Ms Ivanovic could out do them all.

Well Rineberg certainly has the right credentials so it could be a great move. But in any case, it's good to hear her management is moving quickly to get this coaching issue settled before Ana suffers any more bad losses.

(image via Getty)

PHOTO OP: Murray gets frosty in Roehampton, frolics in surprise snow

Andy Murray was spotted at the National Tennis Center in Roehampton frolicking in the snow, building snowmen and throwing snow balls during the recent surprise snow storm that swept through England and handcuffed the parts of the country.

Believe you me Andy, it may be all fun and games now but I'd like to see you after the 10th snow storm like here in New York.

Egads! Here it comes again....



(image via andymurray.com)

More images from Ana's Rolex ad campaign, discusses rumored Melbourne moves

Team Ana have released more images of Ana Ivanovic doing her modeling, sex kitten thing in an ad campaign for sponsor Rolex.

I have to say the above image is the best one out of the bunch - she looks stunning and she seems relaxed and comfortable. The bottom two? Meh - trying too hard for sure.

Could it be she's not comfortable showing a bit of skin? Or maybe she feels better having a big stick near her face (not that I know ANYTHING about that)??


Anyway the Serb, who slipped to World No.8 this week after falling in the Oz Open third round, also discussed the rumors that the year's first major might move it's location from Melbourne saying:

I’ve made no secret of my love for Melbourne or this tournament. I was therefore concerned when I heard reports that its long-term future is not entirely safe.

For me, it simply isn’t even a question: the Australian Open should remain in Melbourne. I am very young and admit I am no expert on the history of the game, but for me as a player I feel that this tournament belongs here as much as any of the other three Grand Slams belong in their current locations. To move any of them would be unthinkable.

The fact that Ana's publicly discussing the possibility of a move makes me think it's definitely a concern for Tennis Australia and the rumors aren't unfounded. Very interesting indeed.


And how does the Roland Garros champ feel about the idea of moving the Slam back in the calendar?

I would not move this tournament from its current calendar position either. I always spend up to a month training in Australia beforehand, and I can feel the public’s holiday spirit during the summer months. It also ensures that we get great crowds.

It makes sense to keep it in January, when so many people are on holiday. Moving it to February, to allow players more warm-up tournaments, is an interesting idea, but I don’t think it’s necessary. Looking at the matches this year, it’s clear that the players are already in great form, because they prepared well.

Eh, did you forget you just got embarrassed by Alisa Kleybanova and lost early in Melbourne, Ana? I certainly wouldn't say you were in "great form" and "prepared well". You may want to rethink that last part of your blog because you def looked like you could've used a bit more prep time.

Just sayin'.

(images via anaivanovic.com)

2009 AUSTRALIAN OPEN WRAP-UP: The Ladies

The ladies’ draw started off missing a major component: defending champ Maria Sharapova, who withdrew when her surgically repaired right shoulder rendered her unfit for the Melbourne fight. However, a slew of other eager lady ballers were already prepared to stake their claim on the first Grand Slam of the year.

THE LADIES

Serena Williams knows what it takes to win the Oz Open crown – she’s won the title every odd year since 2003 – so would fate be on her side this time around? It wasn’t so clear at the outset when she fought through some scratchy patches in her opening rounds and lost the first set to Victoria Azarenka in the Round of 16. But, as luck would have it, Vika retired from their match after having been ill earlier in the day and gave safe passage for ReRe into the quarterfinals where she battled familiar foe Svetlana Kuznetsova. The 27-year old lost the first set but as luck would have it again, the scorching Aussie heat caused the Rod Laver Arena retractable roof to be closed and in turn caused ReRe’s supreme game to open up.

The rest, as they say, was history as were her opponents including Sveta, semifinal foe Elena Dementieva, and Dinara Safina in the final. She earned her second consecutive Grand Slam, a 10th career major moving her past Monica Seles on the all-time list, regained the keys to the WTA Penthouse, and topped the list of career prize-money earners in all of women’s sports (surpassing golfer Annika Sorenstam) by winning the doubles title with sister Venus and making the final. ReRe will be on the short list of faves for Roland Garros and if she grabs that one too watch out!

Dinara entered Melbourne with a some matches at the Hopman Cup and a finals appearance in Sydney but her form, particularly the serve, were still off. She needed needed 3 sets in 3 of her matches including her fourth round tussle against Frenchie Alize Cornet. After going down 2-5 in the third set, the Russian found the range on her groundies and saved 2 match points along the way to make her first quarterfinal in Oz. Unfortunately for D, she got spanked by ReRe in the final 6-0, 6-3 but it was a solid effort nonetheless for the new World No.2.

There’s a big difference between reaching No.1 and actually staying there. Such is the problem for sister Serbs Jelena Jankovic + Ana Ivanovic. After a 2008 breakout season which saw both lady ballers rise to the top spot and both make a Grand Slam final - JJ in Flushing Meadows and Ana at Roland Garros where she grabbed her maiden major – their games have tailed off considerably. Like Nole, outside concerns may be to blame: JJ switched clothing sponsors from Reebok to ANTA, was rumored to be leaving Prince, and battled a flu at the JB Group Classic that left her short of matches. Ana had her off-season romance and on-season breakup with Fernando Verdasco and announced she was no longer working with adidas baller development coach Sven Groenefeld though they reconnected during the fortnight.

In most winning scenarios, consistency is THE key and these issues seemingly left them with no confidence and both lost early – JJ to Marion Bartoli in the fourth round and Ana to the unheralded Russian teen Alisa Kleybanova in her third rounder. Let’s hope their focus turns back to tennis or their slippery Serbian Slide may have no end in sight.

Breakout Performance (tie): Jelena Dokic's inspiring run to the quarterfinals, taking out 11th seeded Dane Caroline Wozniacki in the fourth round; Borna Bikic and his arms making their welcomed appearance in her baller box

Most Disappointing Performance: Venus Williams second round debacle, going down to Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro after winning the first set, leading 2-5 and holding a match point in the third

Kudos also go out to Elena Dementieva who came in with two warm up titles under her belt and reached her first Oz semifinals; Bart for schooling JJ, Alisa for schooling Ana; Vera Zvonareva for serving 4 bagels in her early matches before going down to Dinara in the semifinals; and Carla for making good on her defeat of V and reaching her second major quarterfinal (surely one to watch during the upcoming clay-court season.)

So what were your fave moments from the ladies' draw?

DO TELL!

(image via Getty)

2009 AUSTRALIAN OPEN WRAP-UP: The Boys

The first major of the year, the Aussie Open, is now in the history books and the champions have been crowned. If you're anything like me, you had a number of questions running around your noggin but left Oz with even more. Regardless, the 2009 tennis season is now shaping up to be one for the ages.

THE BOYS

Can enough be said of Rafael Nadal and his effort of the past fortnight? The world's top baller entered Melbourne with a new look (it's got sleeves!) and concerns about some '08 season-ending injuries that left him short of match play and with a little bit of rust. Plus, he'd just lost early in Doha to Gael Monfils and had never been to a hard-court major final in his career. Like that mattered.

The 22-year old blew through his draw in blazing form up until the now-classic semifinal heavyweight bout against compatriot Fernando Verdasco. The pair threw body blow after body blow for 5 hours 14 mins (an Aussie Open record) and in the end Rafa's trademark mental toughness pulled him through in 5 sets. And with only a day to recover and practice for the final against Roger Federer, pundits and fans (including his most loyal Rafanatics) wondered if there was anything left. But the steely-eyed Spaniard put all concerns aside, dug in his Nike heels and put on one of the most impressive physical displays ever seen in the sport, going another 5 sets to defeat the Swiss stylist for his first Aussie Open title (the first Spaniard to do so) and sixth career major (the second youngest to earn six majors by 22 behind Bjorn Borg.) And with only the US Open title eluding him, a career Golden Slam is within his reach as is the ultimate prize: the calendar-year GRAND SLAM this season.

Roger Federer came into Melbourne healthy this time around after beginning the '08 season with mononucleosis. He also began in fine form but bumped up against a zoning Tomas Berdych in the fourth round, needing 5 sets and his bag of tricks to get by his Czech foe. But his biggest test came in the final when he battled Rafa for the 19th time in their respective careers. On paper the 27-year old held the advantage: multiple hard-court majors titles in his pocket including 3 Oz Open crowns and a fatigued foe in Rafa. Like that mattered.

His poor record of not converting break point chances in their past matches continued (only 6 of 19) and his serve (52% success on first serves) was nowhere to be found during the match. He fell to Rafa for the sixth time in a Grand Slam meeting, third consecutive time in major final meetings, and a added a fifth consecutive loss to the Spaniard. His post-match pool of tears bared the naked truths: he may be further away from a record-tying 14th Grand Slam crown than ever before and, more strikingly, Rafa is clearly the better baller now and may be the better baller when all is said and done. Let's hope he gets a full-time traveling coach sooner than later.

Defending champ Novak Djokovic flew mostly under the radar and gained more attention for his switch to HEAD from Wilson than for his game. He made his way to a third round encounter with American via Bosnia Amer Delic which included a violent encounter between fans from the respective countries outside the stadium. Nole then faced a rejuvinated Andy Roddick in the quarterfinals, their first since the contentious US Open meet up in the same round last year. The Serb won that encounter but wasn't so lucky this time around, retiring mid-match after struggling mightily with the heat. It seems his personality has become prickly and his game more stagnant which leaves the outlook for the rest of his season very muddy.

Andy Murray entered the Aussie Open as the prohibitive fave to take the Aussie Open crown to the dismay of a few after going undefeated in the warmup tourneys, earning wins over Rafa + Fed. But the Brit baller had the unfortunate luck of running into the buzz saw known as Nando and was shell-shocked in the fourth round. However, the 21-year old is still developing his vast arsenal and should be a contender at any tourney he enters for the rest of the year.

The breakout star of the tourney was, of course, Nando. The 25-year old was the Davis Cup hero when Spain defeated Argentina in the final last season and spent the off-season not only romancing Ana Ivanovic but also training intensively in Las Vegas with Gil Reyes. He entered the Aussie Open with high hopes and a confidence-building appearance in the Queensland final but nothing could predict what would happen next: defeat of Andy Murray, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and his first appearance in a Grand Slam semifinal. Nando, of course, made the trip worthwhile by playing a now-classic epic encounter with Rafa. Unfortunately for him, a double-fault on match point sealed his fate but if Nando keeps the focus and dedication on building his game he should be in the mix for the rest of the season.

Big props go out to Andy Roddick for putting in the hard yards during the off-season and making his fourth semifinal appearance Down Under; Juan Martin del Potro for making his second consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal (though his mental game needs a tune up); Yen-Hsun Lu for his second round upset of David Nalbandian and his mustached belly bump; Gael Monfils + Gilles Simon for their PDA; and Marat Safin who most likely played, and lost, his last match ever in Oz. *still wearing sad face*

What were your fave manly moments from this year's Aussie Open?

DO TELL!

(image via Getty)

(UPDATED) PHOTO OP: Rafa raises his chances for calendar-year GRAND SLAM

Rafael Nadal was spotted at a photo call for the Aussie Open sporting the new silver hardware he won after defeating a teary Roger Federer in the Sunday final.

I'm thinking this win and momentum bodes well for Rafa and his first attempt at the calendar-year GRAND SLAM especially since Regal Rog may be reeling from this loss for a while. But no pressure, really.

My eye would be on Andy Murray, though, to be his biggest obstacle this year. Anyway, congrats again on the big win Rafa!



UPDATE: After the big win, Rafa repeated his plea directed at the tennis officials to reconsider the number of hard-court tourneys on the large-scale calendar to help prevent injury and lengthen careers on both Tours:

This calendar I am playing with this surface—hard court surface—is tougher than grass or clay for the body, and all the time we are playing more on this surface.

In my humble opinion, we have to change that a bit more. I can say that because I won a grand slam on hard (courts).

Before if I say that, a lot of people think `He wants to change because he’s a clay player.’ But believe me, I don’t think anything about if I am a clay court player or not.

When I say this, I think about the best for the players and for the future. It’s not possible to have a lot of injuries on tour like this. So we have to try to change something.

...To play with this aggression and with this rhythm all the time from the 1st of January to 31st of December is impossible.

He also deemed winning the Davis Cup this year his main goal now. I guess he'll be standing in Roger Federer's way here too!

(image via WILLIAM WEST/AFP/Getty Images)

VANtage Point: Welcome to Van, a look at Johannesburg

(Hey readers! Meet Van Sias, writer of the blog Tennis Talk, Anyone? and a new contributor to DtL. He'll be taking a weekly look at one of the upcoming tourneys and giving his picks on who'll come out on top. Welcome Van!)


Now that the Australian Open is out of the way, we can get on with other things, such as the launch of VANtage Point!

What’s up? My name is Van Sias and I publish a blog called Tennis Talk, Anyone? In a whole cross-marketing, cross-over, cross-pollinating thing going on, I’m going to write something for Down the Line! each week where I spotlight one of the many tournaments on the ATP and WTA tours — even taking into consideration the Challenger and ITF tournaments, too.

In case you’re wondering why you’d want to check this out, just know this: There’s almost nothing I’d rather do than break down draw sheets and make predictions on tournaments, and I’ve been that way for 20 years now. (Well, there are other things I like to do, but this stuff is near the top!)

Anyway, here’s how it goes: First , I’ll comment on an event last week or the one I spotlighted, then I’ll mention this week’s pick. I’ll give you a “Player to Watch” and make my predictions for the semifinals.

So without further ado, here’s the first VANtage Point!

A Look Back: The first major of 2009 has come and gone with Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams taking the crowns. My favorite moment of the tournament? The trophy presentation after the men’s final. Not many guys will admit this, but I’m a pretty emotional dude and I think I was bawling right along with Rog Federer! Good luck to him and hats off to the winners.

This Week’s Spotlight: To me, this is when the season really starts. You have months before another major, so it’s just players getting out there doing the work to set themselves up for the remaining Grand Slams. That being said, there’s a lot of action going on this week and the first tournament I’ve got my eye on is the ATP 250 stop in Johannesburg, South Africa.

This is the first time in a long time the Tour’s been in SA with a regular tour event and there’s a few big names sprinkled in the draw. The top two seeds are my boy Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (yeah, he is: Dude is the real deal) and David Ferrer. Check out the draw here.

Player to Watch: Now this is who I really have my eyes on there, and I’m saying it here first at the Point to look out for him the rest of the year: Marcos Baghdatis. I think if he’s healthy, he’s going to do some damage this season. Plus, he seems pretty dedicated: I mean, anytime someone gets a haircut that means they’re focused, right?

The Final Four: Jo-Willy over Bjorn Phau; the Bagh Man over Benjamin Becker.

And the Winner Is: Tsonga in a tough one.

There you have it: the first VANtage Point! It won’t be so long next time, but check back to see how I made out.

(image via Getty)

Quote of the Day: Rafa on Fed

It was an emotional moment, and I think this also lifts up sport, to see a great champion like Federer expressing his emotions. It shows his human side. But in these moments, when you see a rival, who is also a comrade, feeling like this, you enjoy the victory a little bit less.

- Newly crowned Aussie Open champ Rafael Nadal on Roger Federer's post-match pool of tears

True enough Rafa, though I doubt all champions feel this way about their rivals - friends or not. But maybe that's why this particular rivalry has such a special quality and transcends even the sport.

I guess we tennis fans can consider ourselves very lucky.

(image via Getty, via GOTOTENNIS)

VIDEO VAULT: Emotional Fed drowns in pool of tears during Aussie Open trophy presentation

"This is SO awkward..."

In case you missed it, here's video of the Aussie Open men's final trophy presentation which featured the usual happenings - tons of "thanks", some trophy lifting, praise, consolatory words - and something very unusual: Roger Federer completely shattered.

The usually serene Swiss was left in a pool of tears and unable to address the crowd, the pain of the loss written all over his face. He eventually makes his way back to the mic after some coaxing from Rafa but continues to sob uncontrollably throughout the rest of the presentation.

This one REALLY hurt.

CHECK IT:



(image via Getty)

(UPDATED) PHOTO OP: Rafa tops Fed, earns first Aussie Open title and sixth career major

Rafael Nadal may have felt the after effects of his Friday night spectacular but you wouldn't know it.

The world's top baller, who only had a day to recover from his 5+ hour semifinal versus Fernando Verdasco and needed treatment in today's third set, left everything he had on the court and defeated Roger Federer 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-2 in the Aussie Open final for his sixth career major title and first on hard-court. He becomes the first Spanish baller to win the title in Oz and ties Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg on the all-time list with six Grand Slams each.

The 22-year old has now beaten his rival 5 consecutive times, leads their head-to-head 13-6 (6-2 in Grand Slam meet ups) and currently holds three of the four major championships with only the US Open missing from his resume.


In his post-match presser, Rafa was asked about grabbing his sixth Grand Slam:

Well, very special, no, for me. Is a dream win here, one Grand Slam on hard court. I worked very hard the last ‑‑ well, all my life for improve the tennis outside courts, well, outside of clay.

Very happy, no? Very happy for the title. Today was really lot of emotions on court. I was there with the best player I ever saw, like is Roger.

My uncle always told me Rod Laver was the best because he win two times the Grand Slam, the whole Grand Slam, the four in a row, and for like six or seven years he didn't play. So for that reason he can be.

Everything was very special. Sorry was tough moment for Rog today. I know how tough must be there in important situation from him. But, you know, no, he's a great champion. He's the best. And he's, for sure, very important person for our sport, no?

So sorry for him, but at the same time congratulate him for everything.

And what does he think was the key to winning the match in the end?

I think he had more mistakes than me in the fifth. I was more solid than Roger on the fifth. For that reason I won the match, no?

In the game when I had the first break, he has one mistake with the important ‑‑ important mistake with the backhand on the breakpoint. That was very important for me.

Kudos go out to the Mallorcan Matador for showing real grit and determination and, above all, the mental strength to come back a day after the grueling semifinal 5-setter and take the title. I wasn't sure if he would have any legs left to fight the battle against Fed but he proved me wrong.

CONGRATS!

UPDATE: Thanks to DtL reader Johanne for tipping me off to Rafa's updated blog celebrating today's Aussie Open win...

Hello Everyone!

Where should I begin….!I’VE WON THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN! YES!

When I finally celebrated my last point I felt something I’ve never felt before, it was a more peaceful victory compared to the one in Roland Garros and Wimbledon but at the same time, it was come completed. And I know why it was that way.

I grew up as a clay-courter and my style of game adapted to that: I learned to push my opponents out of the court and that made me wear out my physic with some much running around and long rallies.

But my uncle Tony and I knew that my game had to have more dimensions to it so that I could have the same kind of results on other surfaces. I had to change my game radically, more direct and aggressive. I had to improve my service as well and control my game when going up to the net. Make my shots flatter and my volley more accurate.

We had lots of work ahead of us for sure.

Every year we’ve had improve my game on hard courts and even though I bit Djoko in the final of the Olympic games, this final against Roger Federer, (who has recuperated his form) was going to be a test of fire for me.

But we made it!

All the hard work, the dedication I put into it was well worth it. And that is what sport is really about. A victory tastes amazing only if it is the result of hard work.

THANK YOU ALL OF ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT!

Rafa

UPDATE #2: Here's Rafa being interviewed by ESPN's Chris Fowler after the huge win...




(images via Getty)