Roland Garros 2011: Women's Semifinals Preview

by Mad Professah, contributing writer

Here are my predictions for the women's semifinals at the 2011 French Open. Last year I was correct in 2 of 2 2010 French Open women's semifinal predictions.

Marion Bartoli FRA (11) vs. Francesca Schiavone ITA (5). The 2010 French Open defending champion made an astonishing escape to win her quarterfinal match with hard-hitting Anastasia Pavlyunchenkova. The Italian was down 1-6 1-4 but came back to lead 5-2 in the final set and gutted out the win 7-5 in the 3rd after the youngster stormed back to even the match at 5-all in the 3rd. Bartoli is in the semifinal of her country's major, a significant feat that 2-time major champion and former World #1 Amelie Mauresmo was unable to accomplish. Bartoli's dream is to play in and win the final in Roland Garros, but that will not be happening this year.

The Frenchwoman did well while Svetlana Kuznetsova committed one of her patented meltdowns to ruin my potential 100% accuracy rate in quarterfinal predictions.

Bartoli hits two-handed on both wings with impressive power and has increased her fitness level so that she can survive long rallies but her movement is suspect and Schiavone has the shot variety to expose the gaping weaknesses in Bartoli's unorthodox game.

The two have never met on clay, which is Schiavone's best surface, but the Italian still leads the career head-to-head 6-1, including a win on Bartoli's best surface, grass. Even though the two have not played each other in over two years I suspect even the new and improved Bartoli will be no match for the new and improved Schiavone who truly believes "nothing is impossible." PREDICTION: Schiavone in 2 sets.

Maria Sharapova RUS (7) vs. Na Li CHN (6). This should be an excellent match, with the winner most likely going on to win the title. Who would have thought the only woman on the tour to be in two major semifinals this year would be Li Na from China? Head-to-head Sharapova leads 5-2 but Li has won the last two times the two have played (which were both on the relatively slow grass of Birmingham in 2009 and 2010). The one time they played on clay was in Paris two years ago and Sharapova eked out a truly bizarre 6-4 0-6 6-4 victory. Sharapova is playing the clay as if it is a hard court, blasting serves and hitting groundstrokes even harder. She demolished Andrea Petkovic 6-0 6-3, a player who took her out in the year's first major tournament to reach this point. Li was able to dismiss heavy favorite World #4 Viktoria Azarenka 7-5 6-2 to reach her first major semifinal in Paris.

However, clay rewards great movement and there's no question Li is the superior mover between the two. Sharapova does hit the ball hard, but Li also has her own firepower, with one of the best backhands in the women's game. Sharapova, however, has 3 major titles and has been in 10 major semifinals. Li has been in one major semifinal, but it was this year--Sharapova's last major semifinal was 3 years ago in Australia when she won the entire tournament in 2008. Sharapova is on a clay court winning streak, having won the Rome title two weeks before Paris over 2010 Roland Garros finalist Samantha Stosur. If Sharapova serves well and is accurate off the ground she should win the match, but if Li is able to withstand the onslaught Sharapova's penchant for painting the lines will become a liability as those shots slowly turn into errors and Li will be in her second major final. The mental edge should favor Sharapova since she is undefeated against both Schiavone and Bartoli. For Sharapova, this match is the final, and she would desperately love to be in the panoply of great women players who have completed the career slam (like Navratilova, Evert, Graf, S.Williams, King and Court) . For Li, she makes history every time she steps on the court and may be satisfied by being the most successful Chinese player ever. PREDICTION: Sharapova in 2 sets OR Li in 3 sets.

Face Of The Day

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Jean Gachassin, president of the French tennis federation (FFT) gives a press conference to announce that French Open will remain at Roland Garros on the outskirts of Paris on February 13, 2011 in Paris. Roland Garros, built in 1928, is bursting at the seams and three alternative sites were proposed so that the country's claycourt Grand Slam tournament can grow and expand.

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And so it is. Roland Garros will remain Roland Garros.

Former world No. 1 and Wimbledon champion Amélie Mauresmo isn't so sure that's a good thing:

"I hope they (the French Federation of Tennis) won't get in trouble by taking this decision," Mauresmo said. "I don't know if the tennis aspect prevailed in that decision. I have some doubts. I clearly said that I was more in favor of a development, of an ambition, that is, to move."

"If you can keep the history of the tournament in a place that is big enough to have the crowd happy, the players happy, night matches perhaps, matches when it's raining, then that's the perfect situation," she said. "If you can keep tradition in these conditions, then it's great. I'm not sure that's the case with Roland Garros."

Me either.

Best (Women's) Tennis Matches of 2010

BY MAD PROFESSAH

Here are my picks for the "best" (most memorable) tennis matches by women in 2010. These are basically the matches that had the most impact on me while they were occurring, feature some of the best play, had the most impact on the rest of the year or would be ones that I would most likely to watch again in the future. You can see my previous lists: Best Women's Tennis Matches of 2009 ,Best Women's Tennis Matches of 2007, and  Best Women's Tennis Matches of 2006.

1. S. Williams USA d. J. Henin BEL, 6-4 3-6 6-2, 2010 Australian Open final, Melbourne.

The finals of the 2010 Grand Slam tournaments (Australian, French, Wimbledon, U.S.) are often contenders for the most memorable matches of the year, due to the historic and reputational stakes at play depending on the result which sometimes (but not often) leads to high-quality tennis. The set up for this match was Justine Henin's return to professional tennis after a "retirement" of just over 18 months. The two had never been friendly and Henin had beaten Serena Williams in three consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinals the last year they had met in 2007. Williams had won this tournament 4 times before (always in an odd year) and had never been able to successfully defend an Australian Open title. She had also had a near-death experience on her way to the final against Vika Azarenka; it was unclear if this would strengthen or weaken her confidence. What resulted was a match for the ages; Henin (inexplicably) decided to radically modify her game and go for broke on her return-of-serve and basically hit the ball as hard as she could whenever she had the opportunity. She also repeatedly rushed the net. Williams was placed into the unusual position for her of facing someone who was being even more aggressive on court. It was a high-stakes gamble for Henin which in one 10 minute period towards the end of the second set appeared to be paying dividends when the Belgian was able to win 4 games in a row (barely losing a point). However, in the third set Williams steadied her game and Henin's match inexperience with her own new service motion led to her downfall as the double faults and missed serves began to pile up, allowing Serena to win her 5th Australian Open title and 12th major title overall.

2. S. Stosur AUS d. S. Williams USA, 6-2 6-7(2) 8-6, 2010 French Open quarterfinal, Paris.

This was the match that decided the 2010 Roland Garros title. I am absolutely convinced that if Serena Williams had won this match she would have gone on to win her second French Open title. Amazingly, Williams actually possessed a match point late in the third set but hit an attempted winner down-the-line (instead of cross-court!) an inch or two long. Samantha Stosur had been widely regarded as a very talented doubles player but not really much of a singles threat at a major prior to this tournament. In fact, Williams had easily beaten Stosur in straight sets in Australia earlier in the year. However, in the 2010 clay court season Stosur had the most match wins of anyone on tour and her universally respected serve had become more of a weapon as her confidence increased in direct proportion to her match-win total. Always an excellent mover and possessing a great top-spin forehand as well as a both a slice and two-handed backhand, Stosur's Achilles heel had been her mental toughness. However, after beating Justine Henin, the 4-time French Open champion in the round before, Stosur showed that she had made significant progress towards erasing those doubts and took the rightful place her talent indicated in the Top 5 of Women's Tennis and a perennial threat to win major titles in the future.

3. K. Clijsters BEL d. V. Williams, 4-6 7-6(2) 6-4, 2010 U.S. Open semifinal, New York City.

A major tournament is always diminished by the absence of the #1 player in the world, even if they are not the defending champion. Serena Williams' absence at the 2010 US Open loomed over the tournament like the very dark stormclouds which disturbed play in the later rounds. Serena's absence led to speculation that it could help her sister Venus Williams to her best performance at a non-Wimbledon major tournament since 2003. Venus was not at her best physically but had a dream draw until she ran into defending champion Kim Clijsters after winning 5 matches relatively easily. The result was another curious showdown between Venus and Kim (but not as curious as 2009's 6-0 0-6 6-4 quarterfinal result) where the Belgian was able to come out on top by simply playing the big points better even though Venus basically dictated play for most of the match. Venus failed to respond to the call of history when the big moments showed up (2nd set tiebreak and 4-all in the third). Clijsters went on to win her 3rd US Open title in three tries and has a remarkable winning streak in New York dating back to 2005. Hopefully she can broaden her success to the other majors before she leaves the tour again in 2012.

4. K. Clijsters BEL d. J. Henin BEL, 6-3 4-6 7-6(6), Brisbane International final, Brisbane.

This was the first match that I saw in 2010 that I knew would end up on this list of the most memorable of the year. Despite their public protestations to the contrary, it is clear the "Belgian sisters" Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin do not like each other and that became blindingly clear in as this match progressed. Henin was playing in one of her first matches back on the tour, and Clijsters was coming off her 2009 US Open win. Clijsters easily won the first set and was cruising up 4-1 in the second when suddenly the wheels fell off and she couldn't buy a first serve or keep the ball in play. Henin, always one to take advantage when seeing an opponent in distress, easily won the 2nd set and was up a break in the third when Kim woke up from her "walkabout" and resumed playing high-quality tennis. In fact, the third set contained some of the best tennis played by any two women on tour all year. Clijsters came back from down a break (twice!) at 3-1 and 5-3 but fought back to take the match to a third-set tie-break. Henin was not done, saving 3 match points in the tie-break before finally succumbing. The length of the rallies, brilliant shot-making, and impossible defense were breathtaking and made this tennis fan very happy that both of these great champions had un-retired and returned to the Tour.

5. F. Schiavone ITA d. S. Stosur AUS, 6-4 7-6(2), 2010 French Open final, Paris.

No Italian woman had ever been in the Top 10 of the women's tour and certainly never in the final of a major championship. At nearly 30 years old, who would have expected Francesca Schiavone to lose the first set she played at the 2010 Roland Garros tournament and then never lose another, eventually holding the Coupe de Suzanne Lenglen after outplaying a stronger, bigger (and arguably more talented) player in the final? But that's exactly what happened and the tennis world was the better for it. By winning Schiavone again demonstrated why we watch sports: you never know what could happen; impossible dreams can come true. Schiavone ended the year at World #7.

6. V. Zvonareva RUS d. K. Clijsters BEL, 3-6 6-4 6-2, 2010 Wimbledon quarterfinal, London.

This year's Wimbledon was an odd tournament for me because I was actually in London for the final 5 days of the tournament (but only had tickets to the men's final). Anyway, because of this I actually saw much less of the latter round matches than usual (but still predicted the winners with better than average accuracy). Vera Zvonareva had her great breakthrough in 2010 at last, when her other, more famous Russian contemporaries (Dinara Safina, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Maria Sharapova, Elena Dementieva) either flamed out, wimped out or limped away from the court. That Zvonareva was talented was never in doubt; she's an excellent mover, has a world-class two-handed backhand and great hands at the net. Similar to Samantha Stosur, it was her emotional fortitude that had been tested and found wanting (her 2009 meltdown to Flavia Pennetta is legendary). Somehow, this year, on the grass of Wimbledon, trading backhand after backhand with Kim Clijsters, Vera found a way to play through the mental tumult by realizing the game of tennis is actually quite simple: just hit the ball into the court more times than your opponent. Surprisingly, it was the 2-time major champion who wilted first, handing the Russian just her second major semifinal berth of her career. Vera did not squander this opportunity and made it all the way to her first major final where she ran into an unstoppable force named Serena Williams. It's not clear that this tournament's winner was ever in doubt when both Williams sisters were in the draw, but this match at Wimbledon was a crucial turning point for women's tennis for 2010 when Zvonareva proved that she had reached the very pinnacle of women's tennis, ending the year at World #2.

7. S. Williams USA d. V. Azarenka BLR, 4-6 7-6(4) 6-2, Australian Open quarterfinal, Melbourne.

Serena Williams was down 6-4, 4-0 against the hard-hitting Victoria Azarenka when suddenly both players realized that Serena Williams, the 4-time defending Australian Open champion could lose this match. This realization had immediate and opposite impacts on both players. Azarenka started playing more tentatively (and was probably impacted by the fact that it was almost exactly a year before that she had had Serena in a similar position on this same court after easily winning the first set when Vika was forced to retire from the match due to the extreme heat). Serena on the other hand was enraged with herself and basically willed herself not to lose, slowly but surely making up the huge deficit against Azarenka point by point and game by game. Everyone watching the match was pretty convinced that the 2nd set tie-breaker would be determinative. If Vika won, the match would be over (obviously) but if Serena could come back to even the match score the mental and physical advantage would be hers. The tie-break was a taught, nervy affair but Serena was the more aggressive player and won the tie-break and went on to win the match. She was never really in much danger of not defending her title after that moment.

8. S. Stosur AUS d. E. Dementieva RUS, 6-3 2-6 7-6(2), 2010 US Open 4th Round, New York City.

The latest finish of any professional women's match of all time was an incredible slugfest between two great players who have never won a major title. This match was what Pam Shriver calls a "barn burner." On both sides of the net one saw world-class ground-strokes, excellent net play, incredible movement and mental anguish. Both players became tentative on their serve and both players blew leads which should have been insurmountable. This was really Dementieva's match to win. She broke Stosur impressive serve four consecutive times in the second set and in the third had a match point at 5-3 on her own serve as well as three more on Stosur's serve in the next game. Amazingly, almost all of these match points were decided by winners by Stosur who kept on going for her shots, despite being pummeled by powerful ground-strokes from the Russian. After that excitement it was only fitting that it came down to a 3rd set tiebreak, where surprisingly, it Dementieva's game which broke down first and she lost the match on a series of forehand errors at 1:36am.

9. E. Dementieva RUS d. L. Safarova CZE, 6-7(5) 6-1 6-4, Open Gaz de France Suez final.

In a curious twist of fate, Elena Dementieva won what was her last career tour title in front of Amelie Mauresmo, who had won this final hometown title the year prior to retiring at the end of 2009. This year it was Dementieva's turn for one last hurrah as she faced a determined Lucia Safarova who played "out of her head," aiming for the corners and regularly connecting to send winners screaming to the baseline out of reach of the Russian. There were some incredible, hard-hitting baseline rallies until finally Safarova's inconsistency caught up with her and she succumbed to the greatest player never to have won a major championship. I wonder who Dementieva will be watching win this title from the stands in 2011?

10. S. Williams USA d. V. Zvonareva, 6-3 6-2, 2010 Wimbledon final, London.

It's not very often that the Wimbledon final is not one of the top 5 most memorable matches in the final but that's exactly what happened this year. The reason why this match is even on this list because it was the very last match Serena Williams played in 2010, and it demonstrated how dismissive she could be of the player who ended the year ranked World #2 and had an envious second half of the year, with two consecutive Grand Slam final appearances, something no woman has done since Serena in 2008. There was never really any doubt who would win this match, or the 2010 Wimbledon title. Hopefully, Serena will return early enough in 2011 to make another impressive mark on the majors next year.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

S. Williams USA d N. Li CHN, 7-6(4) 7-6(1), 2010 Australian Open semifinal, Melbourne.

K. Clijsters BEL d. C. Wozniacki DEN, 6-3 5-7 6-3, WTA Championships final.

S. Kuznetsova RUS d. A. Radwanska POL, 6-4 6-7(7) 6-3, Southern California Open final.

V. Zvonareva RUS d. C. Wozniacki DEN, 6-4 6-3, 2010 U.S. Open semifinal.

C. Wozniacki  DEN d. M. Sharapova RUS, 6-3 6-4, 2010 U.S. Open 4th Round.

K. Clijsters BEL d. S. Stosur AUS, 6-4 5-7 6-3, 2010 U.S. Open quarterfinal.

J. Jankovic SRB d. S. Williams USA, 4-6 6-3 7-6(5), Rome semifinal.

J. Jankovic SRB d. V. Williams USA, 6-0 6-1, Rome quarterfinal.

K. Clijsters BEL d. J. Henin BEL, 2-6 6-2 6-3, 2010 Wimbledon Championships 4th round.

S. Stosur AUS d. J. Henin BEL, 2-6 6-1 6-4, 2010 Roland Garros 4th Round.

K. Clijsters BEL d. V. Williams USA, 6-1 6-2, Sony Ericsson Championship final.

P. Kvitova CZE d. K. Kanepi EST 4-6 7-6(8) 8-6, 2010 Wimbledon Championships quarterfinal.

J. Henin BEL d. E. Dementieva RUS, 7-5 7-6(6), 2010 Australian Open 2nd Round.

Serbia Wins Davis Cup, Makes History

by Craig Hickman


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Serbia's team captain Bogdan Obradovic and members Nenad Zimonjic, Novak Djokovic, Janko Tipsarevic and Viktor Troicki (L-R) raise up the Davis Cup trophy in Belgrade December 5, 2010.

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Relative to other tennis powerhouses, Serbian tennis remains underfunded. Still, the nation just won its first Davis Cup on the strings of unheralded Viktor Troicki.

It can thank Guy Forget, the coach of France's team, for a bit assist. Not that I didn't think Michael Llodra wouldn't make an intriguing choice in the final rubber. But his 30-year-old body didn't recover from yesterday's doubles marathon, and that was clear from the first point.

As someone tweeted, this tie was ultimately decided in the locker room this morning.

Amélie Mauresmo was not pleased.


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But make no mistake. Troicki earned his nation's victory with remarkable returns of serve, and viciously dipping passing shots that simply defied logic.

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He got the chance to secure victory on the strength of Novak Djokovic's play against Gael Monfils in the day's first match. (Monfils needs to rein in himself. He has zero on-court discipline. And I mean zero.)


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In the end, it was too easy. I had hoped for a more competitive final match of 2010, and perhaps with Gilles Simon, a counterpuncher who fights to the finish, the match may have featured a more compelling scoreline even if the result remained the same.

We'll never know.

What we do know is that Serbia becomes the 13th nation to win the Davis Cup and only the second in history to prevail in its final debut. Interestingly, Croatia was the first back in 2005.

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Serbian President Boris Tadic gestures.


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Face Of The Day

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Retired French tennis player Amélie Mauresmo turned coach watches the match between Mardy Fish of U.S and Michael Llodra of France, during their quarterfinal singles match on the fifth day of the AEGON Championships tennis tournament at Queen's Club, in west London on June 11, 2010.

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Singles - Quarterfinals
[8] F Lopez (ESP) d [1] R Nadal (ESP) 76(5) 64
[7] S Querrey (USA) d X Malisse (BEL) 63 75
M Fish (USA) d [12] M Llodra (FRA) 64 64
R Schuettler (GER) d [14] D Sela (ISR) 75 64

Singles - Third Round
M Fish (USA) d [3] A Murray (GBR) 64 16 76(2)

Doubles - Quarterfinals
[1] D Nestor (CAN) / N Zimonjic (SRB) d [5] M Fish (USA) / M Knowles (BAH) 64 62
N Djokovic (SRB) / J Erlich (ISR) d [2] W Moodie (RSA) / D Norman (BEL) 46 76(6) 10-3
K Beck (SVK) / D Skoch (CZE) d [6] R Lindstedt (SWE) / H Tecau (ROU) 63 76(3)
[8] J Benneteau (FRA) / M Llodra (FRA) d A Golubev (KAZ) / D Istomin (UZB) 64 61

Doubles - Second Round
[6] R Lindstedt (SWE) / H Tecau (ROU) d M Lopez (ESP) / R Nadal (ESP) W/O (Nadal - right hamstring)

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Halle

Singles - Quarterfinals
[1] R Federer (SUI) d P Kohlschreiber (GER) 75 63
[8] L Hewitt (AUS) d [WC] A Beck (GER) 76(0) 61
P Petzschner (GER) d L Lacko (SVK) 64 63
B Becker (GER) d [WC] M Zverev (GER) 76(4) 60

Doubles - Semifinals
S Stakhovsky (UKR) / M Youzhny (RUS) d [1] F Cermak (CZE) / M Mertinak (SVK) 36 63 11-9

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Birmingham

Singles - Quarterfinals
(1/WC) Li Na (CHN) d. (Q) Kaia Kanepi (EST) 64 62
(2) Maria Sharapova (RUS) d. (Q) Sesil Karatantcheva (KAZ) 62 64
(Q) Alison Riske (USA) d. (3) Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) 67(5) 64 63
(4) Aravane Rezai (FRA) d. (5) Sara Errani (ITA) 76(2) 75

Singles - Third Round
(1) Li Na (CHN) d. (13) Angelique Kerber (GER) 46 63 75
(5) Sara Errani (ITA) d. Marina Erakovic (NZL) 76(5) 64
(Q) Kaia Kanepi (EST) d. Michelle Larcher de Brito (POR) 62 62

Doubles - Quarterfinals
(1) Huber/Mattek-Sands (USA/USA) d. Pelletier/Senoglu (CAN/TUR) 61 61
(2) Black/Raymond (ZIM/USA) d. Rodionova/Rodionova (AUS/RUS) 63 62
Grandin/Spears (RSA/USA) d. (4) Chuang/Govortsova (TPE/BLR) 75 36 10-6

Doubles - First Round
(1) Huber/Mattek-Sands (USA/USA) d. (WC) Robson/Watson (GBR/GBR) 64 64
(2) Black/Raymond (ZIM/USA) d. Erakovic/Tanasugarn (NZL/THA) 67(3) 75 10-5
(3) Hsieh/Kudryavtseva (TPE/RUS) d. Dzehalevich/Poutchek (BLR/BLR) 61 64
(4) Chuang/Govortsova (TPE/BLR) d. Ditty/Savchuk (USA/UKR) 63 63
Pelletier/Senoglu (CAN/TUR) d. (WC) Keothavong/South (GBR/GBR) 76(3) 63
King/Shvedova (USA/KAZ) d. Czink/Errani (HUN/ITA) 76(1) 63
Rodionova/Rodionova (AUS/RUS) d. Borwell/Kops-Jones (GBR/USA) 16 64 10-6

Day 4: Delays and Drama

by KarenFed

Match points saved, match points wasted, head shaking moments, cramping, bad light, raucous crowds, rain delays and to top it all off awesome press conference moments. This summed up Day 4 of the French Open at Roland Garros.

The day started off well enough with veterans Venus Williams opening up against Arantxa Parra Santonja. Venus won in a match that had little or no drama. She won in straight sets 6-2, 6-4.

The second match up on Centre Court pit the defending Champion Roger Federer against Alejandro Falla from Colombia. This match went on serve until 5-5 all in the first set. During the first 10 games, not only was Federer struggling to hold serve, but Falla was holding with ease and seemed quite relaxed and ready to take this to the defending champion. I was nervous. At 5-5 all Federer serving, Falla finally broke and led 6-5 with the opportunity to serve after the changeover. This was not to be. After holding serve comfortably during the first 10 games of the match, Falla not only opened his account by making some shaking your head plays but ended up being broken at 15 to get the first set to a tie-break. Federer got the early mini break which Falla was able to get back and they changed ends at 3-3. Falla, ,who had been serving very well, standing up on the baseline and taking time away from Federer, all of a sudden started playing as if he remembered where he was and who he was playing. Federer took the first set 7-6 (4) and then from there barring the 2 rain delays seemed to find his groove and finished off the match 6-2, 6-4.

Out on court Suzanne Lenglen, the other gentleman from last year's final, Robin Soderling took poor Taylor Dent to the woodshed. He won the first set in 17 minutes. His serve was huge, forehand even bigger and backhand was on song. Poor Dent had no idea what hit him. Luckily for Dent, Soderling took his foot off the gas somewhat and Dent was able to win 2 games. The final score in a little over 1.5 hours was 6-0, 6-1, 6-1 and it was not even that close.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga played compatriot Josselin Ouanna. Ouanna lit up my life a few years ago when I saw him play for the first time at the French Open. I thought then that his career would have been zooming and he would have been in the top 20 or 30. Now I know why he has been getting wild cards. Big Jo beat Little Jo like he stole something. It wasn't pretty. Big Jo served big, hit big and moved exceptionally well on the clay. The final score was 6-0, 6-1, and 6-4.

Aravane Rezai hits the ball hard on every single point. I think she probably hits her drop shots hard. I saw her hit one today but I think that was more due to luck than an attempted drop shot. She won in 3 today over Angelique Kerber of Germany. The French crowd are really pulling for this young woman and unlike Amélie Mauresmo she is loving the attention. I am yet to see her press conference on the Roland Garros website but from what I understand, it would seem that there is no love lost between her and Marion Bartoli, the French No. 2. The French really feel that Rezai can win the French this year and it will be interesting to see if she gets to the final against the people’s champion, for whom will they cheer loudest. Final score was 6-2, 2-6, 6-3.

Julien Benneteau who played the match of his life against Ernest Gulbis succumbs as he usually does in the very next round to Leonardo Mayer of Argentina. It was a dull, lifeless match. The final score was 6-7, 6-3, 6-4 and 6-4.

Match of the Day


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This is the match of the day not because it was good, but because of all the head scratching moments that occurred. Andrea Petkovic came to play today against Svetlana Kuznetsova who finally seemed to have found her game when facing 3 match points and seeing her ranking drop like the Titanic. Sveta started hitting hard and deep, pushing Petkovic all over the court and forcing errors. Petkovic needs to know how to hold her nerve in these pressure situations. No way do you serve for a match, have 4 match points on your own serve and lose the match. No way. I have been following Petkovic since Paris indoors and I have seen this apple stuck in my throat moment too many times from her. I thought when I saw her serving for the match and hold 3 match points on the first go round that she had conquered those demons. Clearly she has not. She lost in 3 sets to Sveta 4-6, 7-5 and 6-4. Sveta will either build on this victory or get dumped in the next round. She has not won 4 matches in succession all season so perhaps the chance to defend a title will motivate to find whatever it is that ails her.

Drama of the Day

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The most intriguing match that was called due to bad light involved drama queen Gael Monfils and Fabio Fognini. I am not sure why the officials felt the need to ask the players whether they wished to continue. It was 9:30 pm local time, the only lights that were available were the exit signs and it was clear that neither player could see where to hit the ball hence we saw quite a lot of off-pace shots in the middle of the court. This is a Major not some two-bit tournament. Either the officials install lights or they fast track plans to relocate the current venue.

Tomorrow, Day 5 has some very intriguing match ups. Cannot wait.

Face Of The Day

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Amélie Mauresmo, French tennis champion, weeps during a tribute to her career during Paris Open tennis tournament at the Coubertin stadium in Paris, February 10, 2010.


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Smiling as she is surrounded by her mother and friends after a tribute to her career during Paris Open tennis tournament at the Coubertin stadium in Paris, February 10, 2010.

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Open GDP Suez

Singles - Second Round
Lucie Safarova (CZE) d. (4) Francesca Schiavone (ITA) 75 62
Andrea Petkovic (GER) d. (5) Aravane Rezai (FRA) 63 36 63
(6) Shahar Peer (ISR) d. (Q) Karolina Sprem (CRO) 64 63
Agnes Szavay (HUN) d. (WC) Petra Martic (CRO) 62 64
Melanie Oudin (USA) d. Patty Schnyder (SUI) 61 63

Doubles - Quarterfinals
(1) Black/Huber (ZIM/USA) d. Peschke/Srebotnik (CZE/SLO) 76(6) 63
(2) Benesova/Zahlavova Strycova (CZE/CZE) d. Dekmeijere/Grandin (LAT/RSA) 64 36 10-7
(3) Jans/Rosolska (POL/POL) d. Bacsinszky/Sfar (SUI/TUN) 63 63

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ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament

Singles - Second Round
[1] N Djokovic (SRB) d M Chiudinelli (SUI) 64 62
[2] N Davydenko (RUS) d M Baghdatis (CYP) 63 62
[4] G Monfils (FRA) d [WC] T de Bakker (NED) 63 62
[6] M Youzhny (RUS) d [Q] M Ilhan (TUR) 64 64
J Benneteau (FRA) d M Berrer (GER) 64 64
J Melzer (AUT) d A Seppi (ITA) 62 62

Singles - Quarterfinals
[1] N Djokovic (SRB) d F Mayer (GER) w/o (left leg)

Doubles - Quarterfinals
[1] D Nestor (CAN) / N Zimonjic (SRB) d F Lopez (ESP) / T Robredo (ESP) 63 64
S Aspelin (SWE) / P Hanley (AUS) d [4] C Kas (GER) / D Norman (BEL) 62 76(4)

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SAP Open

Singles - Second Round
[1] A Roddick (USA) d L Mayer (ARG) 63 62
[2] F Verdasco (ESP) d B Becker (GER) 75 62
[7] S Querrey (USA) d T Dent (USA) 64 64
M Russell (USA) d X Malisse (BEL) 64 75
[Q] R Berankis (LTU) d B Phau (GER) 76(5) 63

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Fourth Annual Gonad Awards

2009 will go down as the most surreal year of tennis in recent memory. For most of the year, WTA had to bear a world No. 1 in Dinara Safina who played chicken on the biggest stages in the game; Rafael Nadal lost in the first week of Roland Garros; Serena Williams lost her mind; Andy Roddick fared better in Paris than in New York and only won one title; Ana Ivanovic won none; Roger Federer got everything back he lost last year and then some; Maria Sharapova's best Slam showing was on her worst surface; Richard Gasquet kissed a girl; Svetlana Kuznetsova won another Slam and immediately fell away; Andre Agassi dropped a bombshell; the International Tennis Federation couldn't make up its mind on what to do with two Belgian players, one rising, one fading, both treated like the stars they aren't; and Novak Djokovic remembered how to play tennis.

Players Of The Year: Serena Williams and Roger Federer

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Switzerland's Roger Federer, the Men's Singles Champion 2009, poses with the Wimbledon Trophy and US tennis player and Ladies Singles Champion 2009 Serena Williams during the Champions dinner at the Intercontinental Hotel Park Lane, in central London, on July 5, 2009.

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Aldo Liguori, head of global public relations for Sony Ericsson and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour CEO Stacey Allaster pose with Serena Williams after she was presented a trophy to commerate finishing the year as number 1 in the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour rankings after the final of the Sony Ericsson WTA Championships at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex on November 1, 2009 in Doha, Qatar.

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Two Slam titles in 2009; the year-end No. 1 ranking; record-breaking prize money earned; AP Female Athlete of the Year; Sports Illustrated Female Athlete of the Decade. The accolades are all deserved for an athlete who stood out this year for once again elevating individual athletic competition to an art form.


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Roger Federer of Switzerland poses with the ATP World Tour Champion Trophy next to The ATP Executive Charmiman and President Adam Helfant during the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals at the O2 Arena on November 25, 2009 in London, England. Federer was crowned ATP World Tour Champion for the fifth time, after becoming just the second player in the history of the ATP Rankings to regain the year-end No. 1 ranking. Federer clinched the 2009 ATP World Tour Champion title by beating Andy Murray at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals on November 24.

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He seemed to have lost his way in 2008, but with his chief rival nursing an injury, he got it all back and then some. He completed the career Slam in Paris and the Channel Double with his historic win in Wimbledon. He got married and gave birth to twin girls. He didn't finish the year as strongly as he might have liked, but in his own words, winning Roland Garros and getting back his Wimbledon crown were the only things truly worthy of getting up and going to work. Mission accomplished.

Greatest Performances: Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams


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Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates defeating Roger Federer of Switzerland during the men's tennis final on day 14 of the Australian Open in Melbourne on early February 2, 2009. Nadal won a classic Australian Open final against Federer 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-2 to secure his first hard-court Grand Slam and stop the Swiss equlling the all-time Majors record.

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He was never supposed to be able to win a major on a hard court. He wasn't supposed to have anything left in the tank after his grueling 5-plus hour semifinal over Fernando Verdasco that a few have named best match of the year. The stars were aligned for the Monogrammed Maestro to earn his record-tying 14th Slam title and the tennis stars of old were lined up to witness the history.

They would have to wait a few more months.

Melbourne belonged to the Superman from Mallorca who tamed the field but perhaps gave his best performance when he offered up a shoulder for his defeated victim to cry upon. It was a bizarre trophy ceremony and one of the most surreal moments of the year for this tennis fan. How could Raja steal Rafa's night? many of the Spaniard's fans asked. Was Raja on the verge of a nervous breakdown? After producing glorious tennis over the fortnight and becoming the first player since Mats Wilander to hold Slam titles on three different surfaces and extending his ranking-points lead over the world No. 2, Rafa's generosity of spirit proved his greatest performance of the year. I'll leave you with the words of dylan, a self-professed Federer idolater.

There seems to me to be something in Roger that makes you hope for something perfect. Maybe this is childish, maybe Roger is a little big childish still. Maybe it is just that for a couple years, he did seem perfect, like the game had been solved. This was inspirational.

Regardless, Nadal is the truth, and there is no denying it.

And yet, it is hard not to feel bad for Roger. What a tragic development for his expectations, and mine.

Instead of perfection, or achievement, I'm now humbled by Nadal's superhuman generosity and real human warmth. It's easy to see larger the implications that these two men represent.

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Serena Williams of the U.S. reacts to her win over her sister Venus Williams during their WTA Championships final tennis match in Doha November 1, 2009.

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She had so many great performances this year it was difficult to pick one. From her final two matches in Melbourne to her semifinal victory over Venus in Miami or her back-from-the-brink-of-defeat victory over Elena Dementieva in the Wimbledon semifinals and total control over her sister in the Wimbledon final to make history, it was a show-off year for the Athlete of the Decade. But it was her gutsy, determined sweep of the field on one leg at the season ending championships in Dubai that earns Serena this award.

After her USO misstep and all the conflama surrounding it, Serena gritted her teeth and set out to do something she'd never done before: win a round-robin format year-end event. Though she won her first season-ending championship in 2001, it was a single elimination event. Serena isn't fond of the round-robin format and wasn't sure she'd be able to get over the mental block she'd need to get over in order to win one of these inventions of modern tennis. She came close in 2004, but an acute abdominal injury kept her from closing out that final despite being up 4-0 in the final set. In Dubai, no leg injury would keep her from victory. She emerged from the tougher of the two groups battled and bruised, got a virtual walkover in the semifinals when the overplayed and overhyped Caroline Wozniacki decided she had had enough and sat down, and then gave her sister no quarter in another straight-set final victory. Serena the Great delivered.

Best ATP Match: Roger Federer d. Andy Roddick, 5-7, 7-6(8), 7-6(3), 3-6, 16-14, Wimbledon Final

Runner up: Rafael Nadal d. Fernando Verdasco, Australian Open Semifinal

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What I wrote after the match: 5 Ending In 3

Best WTA Match: Serena Williams d. Elena Dementieva, 6-7(4), 7-5, 8-6, Wimbledon Semifinal

Runner up: Jelena Dokic d. Alisa Kleybanova, 7-5, 5-7, 8-6, Australian Open Round Of 16

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It was the longest Grand Slam semifinal in the Open Era and from the first point, you knew it would be special. As it turned out, it was outrageous.

Worst ATP Match: Andy Murray d. Fabio Fognini 7-6(11), 6-4, Monte-Carlo Second Round

If I recall correctly, the Italian raced out to a 5-0 lead over the Scot and then commenced to choke in gears. By the time he reached the fifth gear, the match had lost all semblance of watchability and the tiebreak had only just begun. I don't remember how many set points he wasted in the tiebreak but given the score, there were a-plenty. Murray simply hung around and pumped his fists, flared his fangs, and barked whenever Fognini missed a sitter. It was enough to score a victory in one of the worst matches I've ever witnessed.

Worst WTA Match: Svetlana Kuznetsova d. Dinara Safina, 6-4, 6-2, Roland Garros Final

How is it even possible for the world No. 1 to ask aloud "Why am I such a chicken?" in the middle of a Grand Slam final on her favorite surface? Surreal and bizarre don't even being to describe it. Pitiful is more like it. For her part, Kuzzy wasn't exactly stellar. When a Grand Slam final wins this award, you know it was a crazy year.

Biggest Performance Breakdown ATP: Tommy Haas to Roger Federer, 7-6(4), 7-5, 4-6, 0-6, 2-6, Roland Garros Round Of 16

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He was up two sets to love, 4-3 with a break point to go up 5-3 and serve for the match. Many of the year-end summaries point to Raja's forehand winner to save break point as the shot of the year. It was a routine inside-out forehand passing shot winner that was pretty easy to execute, even under pressure, because Haas' approach lacked depth and bite and he covered the net so half-heartedly. The resurgent German lost his nerve, his serve, his return, his forehand and backhand, and the next 11 games, only winning another two in the match.

Biggest Performance Breakdown WTA: Vera Zvonareva to Flavia Pennetta, 3-6, 7-6 (6), 6-0, US Open Round Of 16


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Six match points. That's what she had. But Pennetta wasn't going down and I have to say, she saved every single one of them with a winner. It was enough gutsy tennis to drive the fragile one batty. David Waldstein sums it up best:

She tore at the bandage wrapping her left knee and implored the umpire Lynn Welch to allow her to grab a pair of scissors during the first-game changeover and cut the tape off. She was denied because it was a pre-existing injury and it was not a full changeover.

Zvonareva kept pulling off swaths of tape and when she lost her serve and did a split trying to reach a ball, she sat on the court and pounded her right leg four times, imploring the limb to do better. When a piece of the bandage flew onto the court and a ball girl hesitated in retrieving it, Zvonareva scolded her.

And after she fell behind, 0-3, she smacked the net cord with her racket and issued an expletive in perfect English; something about the “rule,” which earned her a code violation.

“She’s always like this,” Pennetta said. “I know her. She can cry on the court and the next point she fights and play good tennis.”

Biggest Upset, ATP: Robin Söderling d. Rafael Nadal, 6-2, 6-7(2), 6-4, 7-6(2), Roland Garros Third Round


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This choice was a no-brainer. I called it an earthquake. One writer (I can't remember which right now) opined that now that we know Rafa was injured, it put the upset in perspective and it's no longer quite as stunning. Bullshit. Rafa had never lost at Roland Garros and as far as I was concerned, he could defeat the field on his favorite surface at his "home" court on one leg if need be. But it wasn't to be and the Swede, who had only won a few games against the Spaniard just weeks before, deserves more credit that he's gotten then or since. After all, he dismissed David Ferrer in the previous round, which could have won this award in its own right.

Biggest Upset, WTA: Gisela Dulko d. Maria Sharapova, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, Wimbledon Second Round


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Had to think about this one a bit. Melanie Oudin got the best of Jelena Jankovic in the third round of Wimbledon (not to mention Elena Dementieva in the second round of the US Open) and Carla Suarez Navarro (what happened to her in 2009?) took out Venus Williams who had served for the match in the second round of Melbourne. But Jankovic was having a crappy year and Venus hasn't performed well Down Under since 2003, so I let those fall away as honorable mentions. Instead, the battle of the beauties that ended with the Argentinean dismantling the Russian and former Wimbledon champion in a third set after being down a break stands above the rest as the biggest upset of the year. South American Surprise indeed.

In her comeback, Sharapova had made it to the quarterfinals at her worst Slam and claimed to be 100% heading into her favorite. The propagandists, astonishingly, had made her a front-runner for the title. It was as though they didn't notice her serve was nowhere to be found in Paris, despite her guts taking her about as far as they could take her against a field of chokers. I expected Dulko to follow suit but she held her nerve and her serve enough to send Sharapova back to the practice courts and the propagandists back to shoulder excuse after shoulder excuse after shoulder excuse after....

Most Surprising Slam Runs: Melanie Oudin and Robin Soderling

The upstart American took out Russia with victories over Dementieva, Sharapova, and Nadia Petrova to advance to the US Open quarterfinals before falling to the "Great Dane."

Yes, the big Swede can boast the biggest upset of the year (the decade? the Open Era?), but surely he would have had a letdown in his next match, no? No. He played stupendous tennis all the way to the final, blitzing former semifinalist Nikolay Davydenko in straights in the quarters and Fernando Gonzalez in five sets in the semis before falling to the "Greatest Of All Time" in the final. His run almost qualified for Greatest Performance as well, but that award requires a victory on Sunday.

Best Mid-Career Makeovers: Andy Roddick, Robin Söderling, Elena Dementieva and Svetlana Kuznetsova

I still can't believe it took Kuzzy this long to win another Slam, still can't believe Andy almost did but didn't, though his victories over Lleyton Hewitt in five sets and Andy Murray in four tight sets were most impressive and not at all expected. It was great to see Robin's power tennis work so well on clay among the men and Dementieva perform the best she's ever performed in two Slam semifinals before being edged out by the eventual champion both times.

Worst Luck: Jelena Dokic and Andy Roddick

Acute injuries broke their momentum just as they were on the verge of great things. If it wasn't for bad luck, no luck at all.

Most Surreal Moment: Serena's US Open Tirade

Nothing more to say about it except to give it a proper award here.

Most Unbecoming Scene Stealer: Roger Federer's Australian Open Trophy Ceremony Breakdown


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Most Spoiled Brat: Victoria Azarenka

She's going nowhere fast.

Biggest Drama Queen: Caroline Wozniacki

She snatches the wig off Jelena Jankovic what with all that acting on display at the year-ending championships.

Biggest Disappointments: Ana Ivanovic and Ernests Gulbis

Nuff said.

Most Improved Gonads: Juan Martín del Potro and Flavia Pennetta

The Tower of Tandil improved so quickly he went from enduring one of the most humiliating performances of the year to raising the US Open trophy after defeating the guy who humiliated him 8 months prior.

Flavia earned her place in history as the first female player from Italy to make the Top 10 after an outstanding summer. And then there were all those gonads on full display to save all those match points against Bepa at the US Open.

Both players ended the year strong with del Potro backing up his US Open defeat of Raja with another and finishing runner-up in London and Pennetta raising the Fed Cup with Team Italy.

Outstanding Newcomers: Melanie Oudin and Sergiy Stakhovsky

More on Miss Melanie later but Stakhovsky, not exactly a newcomer but I couldn't think of anyone else, will be most famous for ending Marat Safin's tennis career in Russia.

Best Comebacks: Kimiko Date-Krumm and Taylor Dent


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Kimiko Date-Krumm of Japan holds winner's trophy after she defeated Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain in the women's singles final, during a ceremony at the Hansol Korea Open Tennis Championships in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009.

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Jelena Dokic began the year as the front runner for this award but ended up taking Worst Luck. Kim Clijsters would seem a shoo-in for her US Open victory, but she's won this before and this category calls for winners without repeats. But for me, the 39-year-old Japanese player who was off the tour longer than I've been following tennis this go around came back and actually won a title.

As Matt informed us, she is the second oldest player (Billie Jean King was the oldest) to ever win a title on the WTA. Nice work if you can get it. And she got it after being off the tour for 12 years. 12 years.

“Yeah, of course, very happy. I realized one more time after this game that we don’t know about tennis unless we actually play it.

“Above all, my husband’s love was a big help for my win.

“I think I won’t have any problem in my physical strength over the next five years. But I’m married … have to have kids and have a lot of things to do. I think I can play tennis for the next two years.”

Go on with your bad self.

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Basically, he had his back ripped apart and rebuilt twice over two years and he wasn't sure he'd ever play tennis again. But he returned to the tour and participated in one of the best matches of the year, striking 121 winners to defeat Ivan Navarro 6-4, 5-7, 6-7(1), 7-5, 7-6(9) in the second round of the US Open. His grabbing the microphone from the chair umpire at the end of the match and telling the crowd how much he loved them was one of the most poignant moments of the year.

When he defeated Feliciano Lopez in four sets in the previous match, Dent howled as though expelling all his disappointment in one sound. It had been four years since he won a main draw match at the US Open.

Where does he go from here? He told tennis.com:

"I'm not looking too far ahead. But I've had a lot of small highs and a lot of silver linings to some of the losses, and my progress in general. It all culminated at the U.S. Open. I didn't feel I was playing that well going into the event, but I was able to compete at a pretty high level thanks to my fitness and a lot of hard work. That win over Navarro was great for me, even though Murray beat me in the next round. I followed up that tournament with wins in Tulsa and Knoxville (Challenger events), and a final in Champaign (Ill.). That was gratifying."

Best Farewell: Marat Safin


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Marat Safin of Russia holds the key of the Bercy stadium, a farewell trophy to mark the end of his career, during BNP Masters indoor tennis tournament in Paris, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009. Safin ended his career with style with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 defeat by Juan Martín del Potro in the second round of the Paris Masters. The 29-year-old Safin, a two-time Grand Slam title winner, put on a great performance on center court Wednesday against the U.S. Open champion but was unable to extend his career for at least one more day.

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Tennis champions and former champions pose together for a picture on November 11, 2009 in Paris during a ceremony to mark the last professional match of Safin at the ATP Paris Indoor Master tournament. LtoR, top: Spanish Albert Costa and Tommy Robredo, Portugese Federico Gil, Swiss Marc Rosset, Russian Marat Safin, Moroccan Younes El Aynaoui, Croatian Ivo Karlovic, bottom : Argentinian Juan Martín del Potro, Serbian Novak Djokovic and Frenchman Gilles Simon.


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Signing balls and autographs to fans after an homage marking his last professional match, during the ATP Paris Indoor Master tournament, on November 11, 2009 in Paris.

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The Mercurial One hung up his racquet this year. He announced his departure early enough so that he could receive proper accolades from the fans at each of his final performances at events throughout the year. As I wrote, it was pure poetry for him to bow out to a man who considered him a childhood idol.

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Worst Farewell: Amélie Mauresmo


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She announced her retirement in a press conference long after she played her last match of the season and while no one was surprised, it was anti-climactic and didn't allow fans and organizers to pay their proper respect to a career worthy of much.

Best Spouses: Irina Davydenko and Brooklyn Roddick





Nikolay credits his wife with his recent successes and Roddick credits his for bringing him back from the brink of retirement between the 2008 and 2009 seasons. When the camera manages to find these two beautiful women in the stands watching their husbands battle before them, they always appear strong and calm. Obvious is their impact on their husbands' tennis and on-court demeanor.

Coaches Of The Year: Magnus Norman, Larry Stefanki, and Kim Clijsters

The men are credited with two of the best Mid-Career Makeovers of the year and Clijsters took out the sisters back-to-back en route to her second US Open title to become the first unranked woman to win a Slam in the Open Era.

Best Dressed: Tommy Robredo and Flavia Pennetta


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Tommy Robredo of Spain returns a ball to Fernando Verdasco of Spain during their Valencia Open tennis match in Valencia November 6, 2009.

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Flavia Pennetta of Italy celebrates a victory with her flag after the Final of the Fed Cup World Group between Italy and the USA at Circolo Tennis Rocco Polimeni on November 8, 2009 in Reggio Calabria, Italy.

Best Tribute: Pancho Gonzalez US Open

Tennis player Richard Alonzo "Pancho" Gonzalez resting in chair courtside between matches during a tournament in Los Angeles on November 17, 1949. Photo by Allan Grant.

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The US Open knows how to do a tribute. If you didn't catch it on your local broadcast, too bad. Here's how the USTA promoted it:

On Saturday night, Sept. 5, special guests, including actor Benjamin Bratt, will host a tribute to former U.S. National Champion Pancho Gonzalez on-court in Arthur Ashe Stadium. The tribute will celebrate Gonzalez on the 60th anniversary of his second consecutive victory at the U.S. Championships and will include a video presentation highlighting Gonzalez’ life and tennis career. Gonzalez family members, as well as a number of former players and Hispanic community leaders, will be in attendance.

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With actors Jimmy Smits, right, and Benjamin Bratt at the side, Danny Gonzales, son of tennis great Pancho Gonzales, speaks at a tribute to his father at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009.

Biggest Controversies: Richard Gasquet kisses a girl, Andre Agassi spits on the ATP, and the International Tennis Federation exhibits impotence

Each one deserves a long essay that I won't take the time to write. What they have in common is doping, favoritism, incompetence and hubris.

Most Egregious Decision: Doha Denies Visa To Shahar Pe'er


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A picture taken on February 20, 2008 shows Israel's Shahar Pe'er during her tennis match against France's Virginie Razzano on the third day of the Qatar Open WTA tournament in Doha. The future of the Dubai Open may be at risk after Peer was prevented from competing in the event which started on February 15, 2009. The world number 48 from Israel has been denied a visa into the Gulf state, bringing a strongly worded statement from the Women's Tennis Association. The blocking is a surprise because Pe'er was given a visa to play in the Qatar Open last year, a visit which was a considerable success both in tennis and diplomatic terms.

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Raise your hand if the aforementioned controversies almost made you forget about this international insult? In several threads, this readership discussed the drama with an intelligence and civility here, here, here, here, and here that left me humbled. Yes, it got hot sometimes. We were discussing religion, politics, and tennis, after all. But at the end of the day, it was one of the best discussions of the controversy I'd read anywhere. And I have no bias, of course. Give yourselves a big round of applause.

Biggest Tennis Powerhouse: Spain Still Reigns


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Nuria Llagostera Vives and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez of Spain pose for a photo with their winners trophies and Spanish musicians after their three set victory against Cara Black of Zimbabwe and Liezel Huber of the USA in the Womens doubles final during the Sony Ericsson Championships at the Khalifa Tennis and Squash Complex on November 1, 2009 in Doha, Qatar.

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Team Spain attended a cocktail party celebrating their Davis Cup victory on December 6, 2009 in Barcelona, Spain.

Strongest Ovaries: Melanie Oudin


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US tennis player Melanie Oudin celebrates after winning against Russia's Nadia Petrova during day eight of the 2009 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, in New York, September 7, 2009. Oudin qualified for the quarterfinals winning 1-6, 7-6, 6-3.

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It may seem like overkill, but the little woman who could went all out on all surfaces at all events to show the bigger and better players that guts should never be underestimated.

She played clutch tennis to get Team USA into the Fed Cup semifinals. Her run through qualifying and past Jelena Jankovic into the second week of Wimbledon feels like a lifetime ago already. The hype around her remarkable US Open run was hard to resist. She did the best she could in the Fed Cup final and though she lost both her rubbers, she made the Italians put out to take the title. Whatever her future holds, 2009 was a year she'll never forget.

Biggest Balls: Juan Martín del Potro

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Juan Martín Del Potro from Argentina after defeating Roger Federer from Switzerland during the Men's Final US Open match at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center September 14, 2009 in New York.

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He gets more glory as well. After all, he defeated the "Greatest Of All Time" in a Grand Slam final in a fifth set to win his first major title. It don't get no ballsier than that.

Comment Of The Year

Leslie said...

Right now, for me, Federer is one of the greats. But he's going through a rough patch right now and this will define whether people argue him as just another great or THE greatest.

He had everything. A loving, dedicated girlfriend; he would go weeks, nay, months not losing a match; he was adored the world over, unlike his predecessors; Sampras, Borg, McEnroe, all of them had their "haters".

And the media loved him. He was never the most handsome fellow, but on becoming a major winner and potential great, he cut his hair, controlled his temper, redefined his image and became - in most person's eyes - not only the perfect tennis player, but the perfect gentlemen.

He was the combination of Andre Agassi and Sampras, the success and the fan base all in one.

And now, his empire is crumbling. Do I feel sorry for him? Of course I do. I felt sorry when Jordan embarrassed himself with the Wizards, I felt sorry when Zidane made an ass of himself in the World Cup finals of all places. I feel sorry for everyone, which is tough, because someone has to lose, so obviously I feel sorry a lot.

But I feel no more sorry for Roger Federer than I do for Rafael Nadal when he lost his first Wimbledon final and I saw the tears in his eyes and the desolation in his body language.

Champions will always rise to the top. But the truest champions are capable of rising from the ashes. If Roger Federer rises again and goes on to win another 3, 4 majors, then in my mind, he's the greatest. He limps out of the sport and breaks down, then he's just another great player in the conversation.

It's up to him to prove himself.

Mon Apr 06, 02:15:00 PM

Post: Quote For The Day II (Updated)

Quote For The Year

"From what I have been looking at and reading, it doesn't seem like Venus and Serena are in any hurry to go anywhere. Everyone is always looking for the next big thing. Well, the present, as far as the women's game goes, is pretty good. It feels like [people] will only really appreciate that once they are gone."--Andy Roddick, responding with sarcasm when asked about how everyone is waiting for the "American girl" to come along

Face Of The Year

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French player Mathieu Montcourt rests during a break of his French Open tennis second round match against Czech player Radek Stepanek on May 27, 2009 at Roland Garros stadium in Paris.

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Mathieu Montcourt (March 4, 1985 - July 6, 2009)

Rest in peace.