Women's Tennis Shows That Women Are Beautiful And Relevant Beyond 30 :)

Witnessing Venus play Kimiko Date-Krumm in a 3 set thriller on Wednesday was soooo inspiring. Best women's match of the year :).  The 31 and 40 year old proved that it is all about being young at heart: having the drive, the belief and the gumption to reach and fufill your potential is not about being young. Both women don't look over 30 and are as fit, if not fitter, than the 20 years olds out there! Both women looked seriously scrumptious. (I am ignoring the little boo boo that stops Venus' outfit from being a hit due to the funky zip at the front causing problems in the boob area.  Thankfully, Serena has redeemed the sisters with a classic, simple fit and lovely purple nails with a silver flourish.) Not only that, they are playing better too. Look at the last few number ones. Only Ivanovic was able to get a Grand Slam while at the top before fading away fast and Safina and Wozniacki have not been able to keep it together under the pressure of playing on centre court. It is the "old" who are still winning as the William sisters and the return of Clijsters has shown, as well as those believing that it is never too late to reach the heights as shown by Schiavone last year and by Li Na this year at the French Open (both were 29 when they won and both popped their Grand Slam cherries too, with Li being inspired after being beaten by Schiavone in the 3rd round only to see her win in 2010).

This display of hotness and vitality  at the cusp and beyond 30 is especially pertinent in the world we live in today where the international media keep telling us that by the time you are 30 you are well past your sell-by-date or at the very least hanging on by a very thin thread. If these two are anything to go by, a correction is in order and the umpire has to overrule and state that actually 30 is when life truly begins :)!  I plan to help prove this point when I enter the imminent flirty and dirty 30s meself he he he ;}

Keep growing and never grow up!

Darkness While In The Sunshine

Even though I am finally feeling warmth from the bright African sun after freezing most of the summer in California, darkness has fallen on my blog. It pains me to know it is in indefinite umbra and it seems the only way to be able to blog via mobile is to do the final setup from a computer. So I have to get out of my hazy malaise that I have been enjoying. Life has slowed considerably and I think I have indulged that too much. It is time to create waves in my now placid waters.

I do have to say that I have been active in spurts by reconnecting with friends and fighting with a very fiesty mosquito for the 1st couple of days. It used to have a posse but I sent them to sleep with th fishes. However this mozi refuses to be laid to rest and has retaliated by biting me a few times. I am not amused by its petulance. I will win this battle, I will not be taken down by some upstart insect with ridiculously long legs ;}!

I am going to go back to being useless and watch the us open that is turning out to be very interesting and with murray out, Nadal's half of the draw is opening up nicely so he really could make it to the final this year and complete his career slam. I have also learnt from my couch potato tennis watching that it is not wise to watch football in Germany. Poor Serena got injured by glass severing a tendon in her foot after they lost in the World Cup semis! She now has to have surgery to fix her now droopy big toe! I think that however sad this is for the women's game, I think it helps Venus. At least she doesn't have to worry about the possibility of having to play her sister and maybe she can win a title other than Wimbledon, which she hasn't been able to do since 2001!

Nadal And Serena Sitting In a Tree...

Ok they aren't sitting in a tree, but they are the 2010 Wimbledon Champions! Yay!!! That's all I have to say really.  Both Finals weren't the most riveting, but all that matters is who won.  I am glad Nadal has bounced back, and I'm glad a Williams sister kept the dish in the family.

All the upsets will make for a great US hard court season.  I always thought Berdych had the chops and he is finally coming through.  Will Gulbis and Del Potro be back? Del Potro came through last year by winning the US but Gulbis has yet to prove whether he can stand the pressure.  Enough of the Djokovics and Murrays who lead us to believe that they are more than what they are.  Don't even get me started on the women's game - Jankovic, Ivanovic, Safina, Sharapova...

Now maybe I can reenter the world and think about things other than sport for a while ;}

Nadal and Serena

So the Men's Semi Finals are on tomorrow.  Was I surprised that Fed was Exed? Yes and No.  Not for the same reason as Venus's, but I am not too shocked that he bowed out.  He did so at the French.  He has not won a tournament since the Australian.  He says he has back and leg injuries that stopped him from playing his best.  If that is the case he should rest and get better.  It is a pity that he will drop out of the Top 2 for the first time since the dark ages. Once again we ask if he has the motivation to play through injuries and setbacks...Only time will tell.

Nadal has been under the radar, despite having won the French and being No. 1 in the world.  Being seeded 2 has not affected him. Early round 5 set matches were just what he needed I think.  I am glad he was able to beat Soderling.  He has finally gotten his number.  Nadal's interview afterwards shows that he is not really bothered by what he is going on about him - all the speculation and rediscovery of his talent.  I always find it funny how they keep talking about how aggressive he is on grass and how his game changes like it is something new.  He's done this for years and that is how he was able to win the French-Wimbledon double in 2008 and has appeared in the Wimbledon Final multiple times.  I wonder why people still underestimate him?!  Thank god he has a good head on his shoulders.  Great interview after the match.  I hope he wins and shuts up all the people who keep talking nonsense about him.

His match tomorrow is big, playing against Murray who now cannot escape the media by hiding behind the World Cup.  I don't think Murray is  mentally fit enough to handle the pressure personally if he cannot handle the expectation that comes with greatness.  Murray has had ample chances to move up to the next level of tennis and hasn't done so. I think it will be a great match but Nadal has more passion and motivation.  Nadal wants to defend the title he couldn't last year.
And he is less likely to buy into the hype too I think.

Congrats to Tsonga for making it to the Quarter Finals.  Hopefully he will take this success through to the US hard courts and position himself as a real threat.

Serena is through to the final and is to play the woman who ended Venus's run.  As it should be so she can avenge her sister. I am very into avenging at the moment...

Wimbledon Focus: Women Quarter Finals

The women's draw has been pretty predictable.  Once again Jankovic lives up to expectation of falling short.  I do not know whether she is prone to injury or she's just not mentally fit, as athletes are never 100% and sometimes need to fight through the pain to cross that thin line between the potential of greatness and the achievement of it. Reminds me of Djokovic! It still amazes me that in Women's tennis you can have a No. 1 that has not won a Grand Slam or at least achieved one on the way to the top, as we have had with Jankovic and Safina, whereas in the men's that doesn't happen.

Sharapova gives the impression that she can improve on the fine start she had in her career.  I have always thought she was at the right place at the right time and benefited from the flux in the game with the Williams Sisters in and out and Henin being a small player when she came in.  A true champion is always able to fight back, as the Williams Sisters, Federer and of course most recently, Nadal, have shown. I am not surprised that Serena got the better of her, even though she struggled.  Sharapova has no creativity.  She has not been able to find a way around her injuries to improve her game and stay competitive either.  I do have to hand it to her though, she could have been another Kournikova.  Sharapova reminds me of the dude Ed Norton plays in The Italian Job.  He's told by Mark Wahlberg's character he has "no imagination", as he know that he gives a great false impression of possessing more talent than he does.

Am I surprised about Venus's untimely exit? Yes and no.  Her last game against Groth in the 4th round showed signs of vulnerability, but I did not expect her to go out in straight sets!!! She herself admits to not bringing her game.  She is No. 2 in the world, only her sister can beat her regularly and she is a 5 time Wimbledon Champion. She has been able to come in and out the game and dominate at will. Recently it has been reported that she is thinking more about her ranking, but really I think Venus plays for the love of the game, and that might be her flaw.  She has tweaked her forehand which was said to be her big weakness, but I think it is the fact that she doesn't necessarily play to win that is fascinating but also confusing.  If Borg ever had a twin, it was Venus.  She is as transparent as ice, you can see right through her and yet gain nothing at all.  This enigmatic quality is where the answer lies.  Something was not right within today, that is certain.

I don't really care much for the Clijsters-Henin comeback hype.  One went out yesterday, the other today.  End of story.  I don't think either of them has the game to dominate again, even in their prime it was hard work to stay at the top, especially for Henin. I do respect Henin for doing the work, unlike Hingis who found loopholes.  What I do care about - seeing Serena doing what she does best - winning.  She will fight to the death.  It is important to her.  She does not hide it.  That is her reason for being on court.  She loves to win and she loves the pomp and show that comes with it.  That is why she is never amused when she is bumped off the show courts.  I really felt for her after watching her talking about playing in front of the Queen and showing us her curtsy, only to be moved from Centre! So long as the Venus Rose Water Dish stays in the Williams family, I'm good!

WIMBLEDON HAS STARTED!!!!!! :)

MY FAVOURITE TOURNAMENT OF THE YEAR HAS BEGUN!!!!!

Love that Centre Court has the roof on it.  Was great to see Djokovic duke it out till 11pm! The roof looks amazing! Need to get used to how bright the court looked and the echo.  Weirded me out a little ;}. It wasn't used much last year...





Federer got off to a shaky start...almost wasn't going to be able to defend his title! This is not good for the aura of invincibility he has created around this tournament.  Is it true what they say about marriage and babies affecting the drive of tennis players?  Interestingly, he is the No.1 seed due to his exemplary play, having won 6 times at Wimbledon.  I have always thought that should have been so - if you are the defending champion you should be seeded first, especially if you have won the tournament multiple times in a row...I hope the French Open follows suit next year.

Venus is on the way to getting back her namesake Dish.  She went straight to business, annihilating her opponent in straight sets.  And her outfit is very lovely, 20s Flapper inspired it seems. And she is wearing white biker shorts underneath thank God!

Monfils has also gotten to a good start. How long will his form last? And Gulbis has withdrawn from this tournament too! Very sad, he has soo much potential...

Revenge On The Cards?

So it will be a Nadal  vs. Soderling final!!! Nadal played his best match yet, even with the little wobble in the third set.  Nice to see that he is not complacent about winning and that he is happily human, admitting to nerves and  how it still means a lot to him to reach the final.  I wonder if he is playing within his limits so as not get any body niggles.  I hope he will let it all out come Sunday though. Soderling had to take Berdych to five but got through.  We shall see if this will be a factor, he does have a whole day to rest though.

Venus and Serena claimed the doubles and are now also ranked number 1 and 2 in the world.  As happy as I am about their accomplishments, they also show what is wrong with the Womens' game.  The Williams sisters can come in and out as they please and no matter what can find their way to the top in the singles and doubles.  Everyone else just scrambles for what they can get which creates ebbs and flows of good play and bad matches :(. Is it a drought or are the younger ones either physically and/ or mentally just not as strong these days?!

Nadal Wins :) Serena Loses :(

Great tennis today.  First the shocker with Serena losing to Stosur, mirroring yesterday's events with Federer and Soderling!  Another number on trampled on by a dark horse.  I now have no real interest in the women's game.  I don't think that Jankovic has lived up to her potential and don't really follow the rest so I'm rather disappointed.  Nadal thankfully did not turn my angina into a full blown heart attack and played a very smart game against someone he really doesn't like playing against. Almagro brought his A+ game today, which made for a interesting Quarter-Final.

He may have started off slow going down 0-3 in the first set but I was not worried.  Nadal is notoriously slow at the start and can get bogged down in taking his time between points (he got a warning for it), but once he gets going he is able to break back and get on with it.  You need at least 2 breaks on clay to make sure you have a fighting chance against him because he always finds a way to bounce back.  He however only needs one, the others I think are just to break the opponents spirit.  The first two sets were decided by tie-breaks and that is where we were able to witness the Nadal of old that we love and know.  The King of Clay displayed beautiful shots, and his favourite play with the serve out wide and the inside-out forehand to the opposite corner came out  to party.  I hope that he gets used to the new strings that commentators have been saying give him less spin but more depth.  He is clearly having problems adjusting to the way his game matches up to his modified equipment.  But tweaking his game is what he does best, I'm sure he'll figure it out. :) You can read his thoughts on the match here.

Women's Semi's up tomorrow, and Nadal will be facing Meltzer, who was able to beat Djokovic to make it to the Semi's on Friday.  It seems the men's game is not done with surprises!

Good News And Bad News

The good news is that the bull has been awakened, Nadal played a good and competitive match.  I know I was talking about him lassoing his opponents into submission with his forehand but I forget how good he is on the run with his backhand passing shot when opponents are up at net.  He showed this strength a coupla times throughout his match with Bellucci.  He made up for not closing the second set out the first time at 5-4 by breaking in the next game to go up 6-5 with a backhand passing shot that gave us not only a "Vamos!", but some serious fist-pumping.  You can tell he wants to regain his title as the King of Clay badly! :)  Check out the highlights here. Choose Highlights > May 31, 2010 > Highlights - Day 9 Part. 3.  He is set to play his countryman Nicolas Almagro in the Quarter Finals.

It also seems that the watch thing is not an anomaly, he wore it again throughout the match...

Serena is back to killer form and wasted no time with a straight sets win 6-2, 6-2, breezing into the Quarter Finals to face Samantha Stosur, the woman who cut Henin's bid to regain this title, post-retirement, short. It will be interesting to see if she will continue to upset top players - Stosur did this at the Aussie Open too.

I was wondering where Gulbis was, after his match in Rome against Nadal, I thought he would be a real contender and could cause a few upsets, spicing up the mix.  However, he pulled out in the first round due to injury, which is why there has been nothing on him. I wonder if he played out of his skin against Nadal and this setback is a repercussion.  He notched around 50 winners in that semi-final and still lost.  It always amazes me how people continuously play out of their skins and still lose on the clay to Nadal.

The bad news is that Essien is not going to play at the World Cup.  However the team is optimistic.  They were able to go to the Africa Cup Finals without their best players and were runners-up, so there are people to step up to the challenge.

Balls And Genethlia

Very eventful day today on  Court Philip Chatrier. Fed had no mercy for his countryman Wawrinka and has set up a quarterfinal with Soderling, and hopefully will get the better of him as he did in last year's final.  Soderling has never beaten him and I'm sure Federer would like to keep it that way. I also really don't like Soderling, he had always rubbed me the wrong way - his history with Nadal is long, and I'm still not recovered from him being Nadal last year and if Nadal can't avenge himself, I'm quite happy to have him Fed-Exed instead! Tsonga unfortunately had to retire, clearly the pain was too much to bear poor guy, hope he is able to recover in time for Wimbledon :(.  Doctors think it's his thigh, he has to go in tomorrow for tests to figure out exactly what he has done to it. Venus continues her bad luck at the French and went out in straight sets and Henin ended Sharapova's hopes.  I think it is time to spend less time thinking about outfits and more about tennis girls.  Venus seems more focused in the doubles, and her outfit is better there too!

Here is a transcript of Nadal's interview after his match yesterday.   He dismisses people talking about him being the kryptonite to Federer's Superman.  He has a great perspective, a good head on his shoulders. A champion already and set to be one of the greats in years to come, just like Federer.  He also excited about the World Cup and is of course supporting Spain (who I will be following as their play impressed me when they won Euro 2008). However I am all for an African country holding the trophy come July 11th. More to come on that later :)

Tomorrow we have Serena and Nadal up on Philip Chatrier.  I expect everything to go according to plan, today was enough craziness, my heart can't take it.

And here is something to ponder: If Marcos Baghdatis were a song he would be called Genethlia. Do with that what you will...It means birthday in Greek people! ;}  He also would be Wayne Rooney if he were a football player. Again do with that what you will....

A Little Rain, Lots Of Fire

Serena started off well, then seemed to have a brain fart in the second set and then came back to fighting form to make it through to the fourth round and Nadal had to battle "Never Say Die" Hewitt, wind and a little rain to make it through in straight sets.  I think this match was a good one for Nadal, the elements, Hewitt included, seemed to awaken the sleeping bull.  Even though he conceded more games, he definitely improved on his previous performances, despite the conditions.

The Lakers are the Western Conference Champions, after coming close to being scorched by the Suns.  This game reminded me why football and tennis are top on my list and I can only watch basketball during the play-offs.  This was a particularly dirty game. The Lakers had the upper hand from the start scoring the first point and by the 3rd quarter had a 15 point lead.  And then the dirtiness came.  Playing on rivalries with the Slovenians caused a flagrant foul against the Lakers' Slovenian dude that was then the catalyst that turned the game into a lot of fumbling on the Lakers part and a lot of bravado on the Suns' part. The Suns' Slovenian went on a scoring frenzy (which eventually made him too big for his britches and he started going for really ridiculous shots) and Lopez, an awkwardly tall dude, was being all "in your face" from the bench every time more points were added to the Sun's tally, lessening their deficit.  Kobe did not appreciate this chain of events, as he expressed in his interview on-court post-game.  If you hear he has been arrested for murder, there is evidence to show it was premeditated.

Steven Nash however was all class, trying to rally his team and Frye was awesome with his 3-pointers throughout the game.   Kobe may be an awesome player but when he scored that ridiculous 3 while being double-teamed, smacked Gentry on the butt and then put out his hands and glided towards the Lakers huddle after the timeout was called was just so crass.  Really! Really! I don't find that sort of conduct sportmanly.  And it got worse, especially at the end when it really got down to poor Grant Hill having to do the whole "yes  I know I'm pulling on your arm but I have to foul you Kobe" dance,  Gentry calling a timeout  to gain ground, Steve Nash hauling to the other end to try score a 3 or Kobe going up to foul line.  Such play just chops up the game, although not as badly as in American football (and don't get me started on that).  That last minute was really stretched into what felt like forever - it was excruciatingly painful to watch, not nail-biting like in game 5. The whole" in your face" things is a huge part of strategy but I think it takes away from the talent and fun of the sport. And timeouts really just break up the flow of the game - let them hash it out!  Like when Stoudemire scrambled for the ball and ended up on the floor, Gentry called a time out to save him from a travelling call -that seems like messing with fate man. It just puts a bad taste in my mouth. But I'm sure all the Lakers' care about is they had enough water to put out the fire the Suns' tried to start towards the end.

I am curious to see what the next chapter of the Celtics and the Lakers rivalry holds.  I just hope there will be less of all the bravado and more of just playing the game.  To get ready for the first game on Thursday, keep up-to-date here.

Which reminds me, I didn't really appreciate Hewitt in the game today - throwing out expletives, throwing his racquet and basically throwing tantrums.  Nadal was having to deal with the same conditions - get it together, just play the game man, just play the game. To make it worse Hewitt didn't get a warning, but Nadal did for time violation. Not a happy puppy about that.

This is completely unrelated but it really bothered me that Nadal was wearing his watch today while playing.  He never does that.  What does it mean?  As an admirer of his little quirks on-court I was quite perturbed by the whole thing - silly I know :}.  He usually puts it on after the game just before he signs the camera when he wins. But he had it on, and he didn't sign the camera until he was almost off the court.  At least it didn't affect his play.

Sharapova and Henin finish up tomorrow, followed by Federer and Tsonga, all on Court Philip Chatrier! YAY!

Tennis, Tennis And More Tennis :)

Nadal and Serena are through to the third round and Venus, Federer and Tsonga to the fourth! :)

Nadal played another solid game with moments of flair but it is clear he has not calmed those nerves yet. I am waiting to see him lasso his opponents into submission  with his forehand as he did in 2007-8, before the little blip that was 2009. As he said last year he was considered a fav and ended up losing so you never know- but he was injured last year and as he also said conditions were different you can't compare. It always amazes me how humble and human he is even though he has superhuman muscles, i mean talents he he he ;}  

Federer is not worried about the World Cup interfering with Tennis or Wimbledon, which I think is perfectly valid - that is what TiVO/ PVR or however you may refer to the device you use to tape tv while watching something else, is for.  Also I think they are scheduled at different times in the day. Federer is also confident he can win a second title, which is true to his style - cool and confident. I personally feel he needs to win against Nadal to really win the French Open in this era, because if Nadal makes it to the final and wins he will have never lost a final at the French and that's really saying something.  And it will remove any doubts that people have in Federer's win last year, which some attribute to him not having to play Nadal seeing he was trounced in the 2008 final - there was no contest, it was quite beautiful to watch.

A bit worried about Tsonga, most of his press conference was focused on pain. He had a back injury that had him pull out of Madrid and he had to fight through pain to get this win.  But I can't remember which sports player said this but they were like you are never 100%, you will always have a little niggle here and there so you need to know how to play through those to be a champion. And it seems he found a way to get to the next round, I hope he continues to progress, without pain prefereably...

I don't know what was going on with Venus's hair in her press conference but it is nice to see her relaxed and focused. At least she is not being distracted by the lack of focus on her game at the beginning of the tournament. I am glad Serena seems to have both her on and off-court game on because that is what I admire the Williams Sisters for - being able to be stylishly brilliant at tennis and life in general.  

Saturday is going to be a great day.  Serena followed by Nadal playing for a second day in a row due to the rain delay, as well as Henin going up against Sharapova! 

And the 6th game in the Western conference :)

French Open Update...

Rain caused delay, so Nadal didn't play today :( but that means that tomorrow is going to be great with him up first on Philip Chatrier and Tsonga to follow sometime in the afternoon, as well as Federer up second on Suzanne Lenglen, so it will be a great tennis day!!! :) So pray for NO RAIN!

Unfortunately true to form Monfils is out, I still hope that he fulfills his potential and then he lets me down :(.  Justine Henin and Serena Williams are also up too.

You can read a lovely article about Nadal's resurgence here. And here is a completely useless video of Tsonga.

Roland Garros - Roger Federer And Venus' Outfit

Unlike Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who had a horrible 5-set win in the first round :(, Roger Federer has started off the French Open in true defending champion style, breezing through his first round match.  He Fed-Exed his opponent back to Australia in straight sets: 6-4, 6-1, 6-2.

Federer is both a Swiss and South African citizen and it is quite clear that his je ne sais quoi is directly linked to his mother's South African blood ha ha ha ha! He has been active in promoting tennis in South Africa and his foundation currently has projects in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Ethiopia as well as in Switzerland. I wonder if it is a coincidence that South African Airways is an official Sponsor of the ATP World Tour?

The Williams sisters are both off to a great start, with Venus causing a bit of a stir with her outfit. She seems to have raided Sharapova's wardrobe, she is usually bang on with her designs.  I don't understand the lace and why did she have to wear nude underwear, if she wore black she wouldn't have been looking like she was flashing everyone! I'm all about fashion, style as well as comfort on the court but this time you went too far, and being in France, the fashion capital of the world does not excuse your silliness Venus I'm afraid...