Too Adorable

I'm a sucker for a cute dog. Turns out tennis players love their dogs just as much as everyone else and lots of players even tweet photos of their pups. Andy Murray has taken things to a whole new level, creating a whole new twitter account just for his dog Maggie. It kills me to be away from my own dog for so much of the year so I can't even imagine how the players feel since they're rarely ever home.

I thought it would be fun to take a look at the players and the dogs they own because a dog says a lot about the owner.



I'm usually not a big fan of the Williams sisters, but they like dogs, so they can't be all that bad. This photo of Venus and her dog Harold is actually her twitter icon. I wonder if she brings Harold to tournaments. If I had to assign the Williams' a dog breed, it would certainly be something larger than Harold, so I'm a little surprised that both sisters have purse pooches. Although, I guess that means you can't take them on the road. No way you can travel with a Golden Retriever.


This next one is probably my second favorite on the list. Well, we know Sabine Lisicki likes to bring her dog Happy to tournaments. He even got his own guest badge at this year's US Open. Was security expecting an impostor? I highly doubt Happy was walking around by himself. Someone had to carry that badge. He is awfully cute though.



Next up is Andy Roddick. I really see Roddick as the all American guy, so every time he talked about his dog, I always imagined something like a Labrador, although I guess this little girl works too. Brooklyn and Andy both seem to love little Billie Jean (adorable name) tons. Plus, she looks like a great TV companion and seems to enjoy a good nap and tummy rub, much like my own puppy.





I think we all know this next dog. Who could forget Dulce upstaging Maria in those camera commercials?



Alright, this one is 100% my favorite. I nearly melted right into the floor when I saw this photo. Here's John Isner, shirtless, playing with his dog Magill. Does it really get better than that? I think not. John looks adorable. Magill looks super adorable. Everything about this picture is just right.



Do you recognize this cutie? This giant named Davis belongs to Fernando Verdasco. I'm a little surprised we don't have a photo of a shirtless Fernando with Davis. Fer rarely bothers to wear a shirt anyway. Why no cute puppy photo?





I don't think there's any player on tour who's quite so attached to their dog as Andy Murray. If I had to come up with a list of players who would be all gushy about their dogs, Andy would not have been on it. I didn't think Andy gushed about anything. However, he actually got little Maggie her very own twitter (which I assume is run by Kim) and often tweets about missing her. Today Andy told us that Maggie came to pick him up at the airport and provided us with this photo.



This last photo came from Devin Britton's twitter. He and his dog Caroline were taking a nice walk in the park.

Davis Cup Roundup

So, I haven’t written in a few days. It’s tough to write about tennis when the season starts to slow down. This week, there are tournaments in Metz and Bucharest and a few even smaller tournaments in all kinds of places. However, there has been some exciting tennis since the end of the US Open. It’s come to us in the form of Davis Cup.

There’s been a lot of debate recently about the Davis Cup format. Personally, I love the idea of having a national tournament for tennis. But, I also think it’s kind of silly to interrupt the regular tennis season four times a year for just a weekend and ship everyone off to countries around the world. The reason I like the national approach is because it brings a team aspect to our individual sport. We so often watch the triumphs of a few select players. In the case of Davis Cup, we actually get to see players supporting each other instead of competing against each other (within the teams at least.) It’s also great to see the pride that players take in playing for their country.

In 2007, DC stalwarts Andy Roddick, James Blake, and the Bryan Brothers led the US team to victory on home turf for the first time since 1995. This year, my team wasn’t playing for the title, but for the chance to try again next year. The US was in real danger of losing its place in the World Group this weekend. The 2010 squad included only one member of the victorious 2007 team, Mardy Fish, who didn’t even get to play that year. This weekend was all about Fish, who almost single handedly helped us keep our spot in the world group, winning two five set singles matches as well as a doubles match with John Isner. The guy practically won the whole tie for us, considering he won 3 of the 4 rubbers they actually played and Colombia won the other won. Due to rain, the organizers opted to skip the 5^th, dead rubber. So we know Fishy saved the day, he was briefly helped out by John Isner, poor Sam Querrey lost his only rubber, but who got left out of our four man team? 18 year old Ryan Harrison, who was making his Davis Cup debut. Had the dead rubber been played, I’m fairly certain Patrick McEnroe would’ve given Harrison the chance to play because there would’ve been no consequences. I can’t predict the future, but hopefully Harrison gets his shot at DC glory one day. While the squad may no longer consist of the successful DC players we’re used to, the US team looks strong (and really really tall.) I can’t wait for next year’s draw.

I have to talk about the US at least a little, but let’s move on to the teams that actually matter, the semifinalists. Argentina met France (in France) and the Czech Republic faced Serbia (in Serbia.) In the case of the French, it seemed like they could do no wrong and the Argentines could do nothing right. Even missing their main man, Jo Wilfried Tsonga, the squad, consisting of Gael Monfils, Michael Llodra, Gilles Simon, and Arnaud Clement, crushed Argentina, winning all five rubbers. The US had Mardy Fish, well France had Michael Llodra, a generally unsung hero. Llodra won the first singles match to give the French a 1-0 lead as well as the decisive third rubber doubles with Arnaud Clement. Monfils somehow managed to reign in the theatrics (at least a little) and defeat David Nalbandian. Simon and Clement continued the rout by winning both dead rubbers. France’s team looks incredibly strong and has an excellent chance of taking home the trophy for the first time since 2001. Poor Argentina has never won Davis Cup and they’ll have to wait until next year for their next chance.

On the other side of Europe, Serbia was hosting the Czech Republic in their Davis Cup semifinal tie. Novak Djokovic, the number 2 player in the world, is clearly a huge asset to the Serbian team. However, because of the rain in New York, Djokovic had to stay in NYC to play the US Open final on Monday, which meant he returned to Serbia just in time to play in this crucial tie. Djokovic was sick on the first day of Davis Cup play and the captain opted to substitute Troicki against Stepanek. Troicki lost in four sets, putting the Serbs one rubber behind the Czechs. Every tie had its hero this week and Serbia’s was surprisingly not Novak Djokovic. It was Janko Tipsarevic, who often surprises me with his brilliance. Tisparevic evened the tie on the first day by taking out Tomas Berdych, pretty impressive. You would think having the number 1 doubles player in the world and the number 2 singles player in the world team up for a doubles match would yield impressive results. It failed almost as miserably as the world 1 and 2 singles players teaming up in Toronto. Djokovic and Zimonjic lost pretty convincingly in four sets. Now Serbia was down 2-1. They would have to win both of Sundays singles matches to salvage the tie. First up, Djokovic managed to take down Tomas Berdych in four sets, tying everything up at 2-2. It all came down to Tipsarevic to beat Radek Stepanek in the final rubber. Tipsarevic came through with flying colors, winning in three sets and bageling Stepanek in the first. The Serbs went wild after making it to their very first Davis Cup final.

I’ll probably write an extensive preview in December before the final, but I’m tipping the French to win.

In the World Group playoffs, Austria edged out Israel, Germany demolished South Africa, Sweden won over Italy, India came back to defeat Brazil (really impressive play by the Indians,) Belgium beat Australia (which was missing Lleyton Hewitt after he injured his wrist in doubles,) Kazakhstan won 5-0 over a Federerless Switzerland (still confused,) and Romania beat Ecuador.

Everyone Loves a Cinderella Story

Last year we had Melanie Oudin. She was 17, kind of green and beating some of the best players on tour to make it to the quarterfinals of the US Open. America fell in love. This year, she crashed out in the second round and is now ranked below Bethanie Mattek Sands, not exactly what we were all hoping for.

When the Williams sisters retire, there will be a huge void of American women in tennis. We're all waiting for some fresh faced junior to be the next Serena, just as we've been waiting for the new Andy Roddick for quite some time. For Americans, there's no better time to peek then at the US Open, and this year we've already had a couple could-be Cinderella stories.

It's the women's third round and the only American women left in the draw are Venus Williams and Beatrice 'Trice' Capra. I'm guessing pre-USO you hadn't ever heard the name Beatrice Capra. Don't worry, neither had I, but sure enough she's through to the third round. Will she be this year's Melanie Oudin (I hate that everyone's comparing them, btw)? Oudin beat Maria Sharapova in her dream run last year, and that's exactly what Trice will have to do to continue on to round number 4. Do I think she can do it? short answer, no. I don't know much about Trice, but I do know that Maria Sharapova is not the same player she was this time last year. Last year, Maria could barely get a first serve in to save her life (or career as it were.) This year, she's one of, if not the favorite to win the title. Oh, how times change. I watched Maria's match on TV on Thursday night and she looked great (and I don't just mean the dress.) If you've read my USO preview, you know Maria is my pick to go all the way. Take that for what you will, I also said Andy Roddick would make it to the semifinals, but maybe that was just my wishful thinking. Look for Capra to make a statement sometime next year. For now, she'll fall to Sharapova in two and fade back into oblivion.

18 year old Ryan Harrison beat Ivan Ljubicic in the first round. The media had a field day. Could he be America's great hope for the future of men's tennis? What about Sam Querrey? John Isner? Mardy Fish even? Not to mention that we still have a top 10 player named Andy Roddick. Nope, America's big thing is the 200 something ranked Ryan Harrison (who has only won one match in a Grand Slam, this one) instead of the rest of these players floating around the top 20. Did ESPN really think Ryan had a better shot than the rest of these guys? Come on. I actually wrote this post before his match, so here was how the rest went...

The kid's cute, I'll give him that, but I'm going to need to see some more results before I stick him on my list of future contenders. He plays his second round match against Sergiy Stakhovsky, who's fresh off his Pilot Pen title. I'm going to have to take Sergiy in this one, sorry Ryan.

Alright, so I was right, Sergiy won. What I did not predict was some awesome fight from Ryan Harrison, playing a tie-breaker in the fifth. For a guy who's only won one Grand Slam match in his life, that's pretty good. Maybe he is the next big thing. Who knows.

If you're looking for American men with a shot of making it to week 2, keep an eye on Sam Querrey, Mardy Fish, and surprisingly John Isner. Sam hasn't been able to do much at the Masters and Slams, but the guy's a beast at the smaller events. He's got a killer forehand and is due to make a run sometime soon. Unfortunately, he'll face Murray in the fourth round, a repeat of this year's Wimbledon. There's always next year, Sam.

So, let's talk Mardy Fish for a sec. We all know he's lost weight. Was it 30 lbs? Seriously, the tennis media can't get enough of this story and I kind of don't blame them. Talk about a Cinderella story. This aging underachiever does a 180 when he realizes he's running out of time and becomes a real threat. I think this is a much better story than the youngsters. Everyone wants to believe it's never too late to live your dream. Mardy's been dealt a dream draw, and if he can make if past an ailing Djokovic (let's hope they get a steamy day match), I like his chances of making the semifinals at Flushing Meadows for the first time. He would probably get Federer in the semis. You'll remember that these guys played a tight final in Cincinnati just a couple of weeks ago. Could Mardy Fish actually make the final of a Grand Slam? Could he win? Far fetched, but nothing's impossible. Yes, I know I'm getting way ahead of myself here, but I'm a tennis writer. It's what we do.

Finally, John Isner rounds out this talented trio. Everyone was convinced Isner would pull out of the draw due to the serious ankle injury he suffered in Cincinnati. Apparently we all forgot that this is the marathon man. He is not a mere human. Somehow he rehabbed the ankle in time to play his first round on Wednesday. I expected him to come up lame, but he actually looks really good. Best of luck to John this week. I just hope he doesn't push it too hard and end up with a more severe injury.

So Close, Yet So Very Very Far

Good evening everyone. I apologize for my lack of posting recently. I have finally arrived in St. Louis after 17 hours on the road. I spent a couple of hours yesterday desperately seeking a way to spend the night in Cincinnati and thus give myself the opportunity of visiting the Masters tournament that is currently underway. No dice. I wouldn't have arrived in Cincy until 11pm and would've had to hit the road around 11am.

So, I may not have been able to make it in person, but I've been keeping a pretty close eye on the Western Southern Financial Masters event this week. Let's talk Roger Federer. He's into the quarterfinals of Cincy after a finals showing last week in Toronto. I guess this is a little misleading. Roger has played a total of 7 games all week. He had a bye in the first round, Istomin retired, and Philipp Kohlschreiber pulled out of their match before it even started. Pretty good week in my book, but not great practice. He'll be up against Davydenko next, who hasn't had the best results lately and Roger has a very heavy winning percentage against Kolya, but it could be tricky. I still think Fed will come through.

Andy Murray is fresh off a Masters 1000 win in Toronto, but faces tough competition in his QF. Murray has also played a lot of tennis lately and in some pretty exhausting conditions, the poor guy has drawn mostly day matches. Anyway, Mardy Fish is ridiculously in form and has a great shot here. Murray's likely to be tired and Fish is on a roll. I'm looking for the upset here. Also, Andy played a three set match today against Ernests Gulbis and is looking a little vulnerable.

If Andy Roddick is feeling better, and that's a big if, he should be able to power past Novak Djokovic. Nole seems to have been having some serious issues with the heat lately. I haven't seen the order of play yet but my money's on Andy in a day match.

Poor Julien Benneteau had all the chances in the world today against Rafael Nadal, including match point, but couldn't convert. Nadal eeked out the win, but he's going to have to do a lot better if he plans on winning the US Open for the first time this year.

On a side note, John Isner was forced to retire from his match against David Nalbandian yesterday, after rolling his ankle. All signs were good last night when John posted on his twitter that his ankle should be fine with some rest and ice. However, Patrick McEnroe tweeted this evening that Johnny is now in doubt for US Open. This would be a big loss for the Americans. I'm not sure he was on his way to winning the title this year, but I was expecting an impressive performance and a run into the second week. My warmest recovery wishes are going out to John this week. Clearly this should do the trick.

I'm very excited for this year's US Open. No one looks invincible and it could be anyone's title. I'm doing my best to make travel reservations for Labor Day weekend, so hopefully I'll be able to give you guys some live insight.

My apologies if you find mistakes in this mess. I think I'm still delirious from the drive ;)

An Unlucky Night for Americans in the Capital City

At the beginning of last night, there were sixteen men still in contention for the DC title. Four of them were American. Three of our guys had excellent chances of not only winning their matches, but going all the way at the tournament. Andy Roddick was the second seed and has wont he tournament 3 times before. John Isner recently made the final of the Atlanta tournament and was vaulted into stardom after winning the longest match in history at Wimbledon earlier this year. He lost the Atlanta final to man-of-the-moment, Mardy Fish, who was on an 11 match winning streak after taking home the title at both Newport and Atlanta and beating Viktor Troicki in his first match at Legg Mason. I think you all know where this is going. Today there are eight guys left and not a single one is American. Roddick lost to Gilles Simon, John Isner to Xavier Malisse, Mardy Fish to Marin Cilic, and qualifier Ryan Sweeting lost to Fernando Verdasco. This was all compounded by the second round loss of LA champion, Sam Querrey, who fell to Janko Tipsarevic.

Isner lost to Malisse in a third set tie breaker. This result was surprising considering Isner's consistency with breakers. Although it seems John may be facing some concerns over a shoulder injury, which caused him to pull out of doubles with Sam Querrey. Sweeting's defeat was no surprise. In terms of Mardy Fish, there's been a lot of hype lately. I saw him win the title in Newport a few weeks ago and the guy is clearly in the best shape of his life. He may have been ousted by Marin Cilic last night, but no matter, he's already won two title this summer alone. He deserves a little break anyway.

The big surprise of the night was Any Roddick's loss to Gilles Simon. I think Andy Roddick's always a bit of a favorite at Legg Mason. He's won the tournament 3 times and made the final last year before losing to Juan Martin del Potro, the eventual US Open champ. So, it's surprising that he lost, period, particularly in just his second match. The even bigger surprise was the winner, Gilles Simon, who has recently returned to the tour after battling a knee injury that kept him out for most of the clay season. Had this been early 2009, this defeat would not have been all that shocking. Gilles Simon was ranked 6th in the world and Andy Roddick hadn't yet reached the most heartbreaking Wimbledon final I've seen. For Gilles, I think a solid performane in Washington would help bring some of the old confidence back into his game. He's only 25, so he could clearly get back up there with the top players. I'm thinking probably the top 20. He's not a huge guy, only 5'11", so I'm not sure I'm convinced we'll be seeing him back in the top 10 real soon. Tennis has a whole has recently shifted to a new species of giants and I think it's going to keep getting more difficult for the normal sized players to compete at the highest level. I really like Gilles so hopefully his comeback goes as planned and we'll see some good results at the US Open.

My big concern out of this mass exodus of Americans is for Andy Roddick. According to Brad Gilbert's twitter, Andy will fall out of the top 10 after this loss. this will be a big blow to Andy's confidence going into the rest of the hardcourt warm ups for the US Open. Roddick will be 28 in a few weeks and is fast approaching a time where he will need a miracle to win another Grand Slam. If you've read the archives, you'll know that this is not a critique of Roddick. I am a huge fan of Andy and want nothing more than to see him win one of the big four. Andy did win the Miami Masters this year and made the final at Indian Wells so hopefully the rest of the return to hardcourts will go well for him, starting this week in Toronto.

Speaking of Andy Roddick, whoever is sending him nasty tweets needs to stop. I'm tired of hearing players are quitting twitter because people are being mean to them. I understand not everyone is a fan, but it is just stupid to tell a celebrity you don't like them. No one cares. Again, you can follow me on twitter by clicking the "Follow Me" button on the right hand side of the page. I'll try to keep it updated this weekend while watching the quallies in Toronto, but no guarantees as roaming charges on my blackberry may be a bit pricey from Canada.

In Other News...

So, by now you all know that I spent the weekend in Washington DC checking out the quallies and a lot of practice sessions at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic. There were a few players I didn't get to see this weekend because they were in the finals and semi-finals of other tournaments.

Sam Querrey successfully defended his title in LA in a final against Andy Murray that I was fairly sure he was going to lose. This gives Querrey some excellent momentum going into Washington and the rest of the US Open Series. Sam hasn't posted stellar results at majors so far, but he is pretty amazing at the smaller tournaments. Like I said, Sam is scheduled to play in Washington this week and should post a decent result. I don't see him winning it though. I'll discuss the draw a little later. Quisner (Sam and John) are also scheduled to play doubles this week in search of their second title. They're still a long way off the Bryan brothers' record breaking 62nd title this weekend at the Farmer's Classic in LA. Bob and Mike may have broken the Woodies title record, but they still have to win four more slams to become the all-time men's doubles Slam title holders. All in, LA proved to be a great weekend for Americans. The Bryans are also in action this week at the Legg Mason Classic and will be looking to pick up title number 63.

Speaking of Americans, Andy Roddick is seed number 2 in Washington this year. He was won this tournament several times and was denied the title last year by Juan Martin del Potro. Andy needs some wins this summer if he has any hope at the US Open. He arrived in DC yesterday and took in some early morning practice. I was pretty devastated that I missed him. If you've read the rest of my posts, you probably know that I'm a big Roddick fan, so I say this in the nicest possible way. Andy isn't getting any younger, and the competition isn't getting any easier. If he plans on winning another Grand Slam, it's going to have to happen soon. Other Americans in the DC field include Kevin Kim, Ryan Sweeting, Mardy Fish, James Blake, and Rajeev Ram.

In terms of the draw, things shouldn't get interesting until around Wednesday when most of the seeded players will be on display. The top 16 players at the DC tournament are given byes through the first round. In Quarter number 1, it looks like we'll be seeing Tomas Berdych and John Isner. A possible upset could come from Richard Gasquet, who's coming off a final in Umag. However, I would take Berdych and Isner in this quarter.

In Quarter number 2, we've got Fernando Verdasco and Marcos Baghdatis. I don't have a lot of confidence in Baghdatis and this Ernests Gulbis could pose a serious threat. That kid can work some magic. Michael Llodra is in Verdasco's half of the quarter and he's had a pretty good year as well. I would say Verdasco/Gulbis for the quarters.

In Quarter number 3, the draw shows Sam Querrey and Marin Cilic. I've discussed Cilic before and I think he's in a bit of a slump. He's so young and has so much talent. I wish he'd just believe a little more. Mardy Fish is in Cilic's piece of the draw and he's had a pretty spectacular summer to date. He could be tired out, or he could be just getting started, but I've got to say that Fish looks to be in great shape so I like his chances. Querrey will have to deal with Lleyton Hewitt, but I this Querrey should make it through.

Finally, Quarter number 4 includes Andy Roddick and Stan Wawrinka. David Nalbandian would face Wawrinka in the second round assuming he makes it through Rajeev Ram in the first round. Nalbandian hasn't played a Grand Slam since the 2009 Australian Open, but posted some awesome results in Davis Cup this year. Andy Roddick should make it through Gilles Simon, who hasn't been really good for a while now. Coming back from injury has not been easy for Gilles and from what I saw at two of his practice sessions, his confidence just isn't there. He's missing the easy shots and it's making him angry. Radek Stepanek is the other seed in this quarter, but this is one of his first tournaments back from injury and getting married. I doubt practice has been at the top of his to-do list, so I think it will take him a while to get back into the tour groove.

Update: If you'd like to see my photos from the event, please follow the link below.

http://s966.photobucket.com/albums/ae146/lubinskya/Legg%20Mason%20Tennis%20Classic/

More Fun Facts: 7/31 + 8/1

I'll be posting a more serious entry about my weekend at Legg Mason later today, but I wanted to share some of the little things I learned this weekend.

Tomas Berdych and coach checked out the view from the POV rooftop bar before dinner. The three women standing next to them held out a camera and asked Tomas to take their photo. They clearly had no idea who he was. He happily obliged.

David Nalbandian took in the late night view from the bar with a considerable entourage and a fairly ugly shirt. FYI David, I'd be happy to join your team as a fashion consultant.

Kristof Vliegen mostly enjoyed the view of the women instead of DC, but seemed content to chat with a few visiting businessmen. I never would have recognized him if he didn't say that his name was Kristof and he was from Belgium, even then I had to check the draw to see if he was Christophe Rochus or Kristof Vliegen.

Fernando Verdasco was sleepy Sunday morning, or at least that's what he told me.

Radek Stepanek is feeling good after coming back from injury, according to a conversation with his buddy on his way to the gym.

John Isner is really hard to miss, but you probably already knew that. He was taking in some time at the gym late yesterday afternoon after a morning practice session with his coach.

Nenad Zimonjic wears True Religion jeans.

One of the guys traveling with Marcos Baghdatis wore a Roger Federer shirt to practice today. You would think Marcos would be a little offended by this.

Everyone loves Dmitry Tursunov. He practiced for a long time Sunday afternoon and thus ran into several other players on the courts. Before practice, he threw water at a shirtless Michael Llodra, who didn't seem to mind one bit, but did try to retaliate. Dmitry and Ernests Gulbis shared a few laughs before Gulbis' practice with Baghdatis. He even got Alejandro Falla to crack a smile, ribbing him about a flirtatious spectator. Overall, Dmitry just seemed to have a great rapport with the other players on tour. Plus, I kind of love him too.

Andrey Golubev had his girlfriend playing ball girl during serving practice.

Radek Stepanek likes dogs, or at least the one that was in the elevator with us.

Like I said, more on the actual tennis to come later, plus photos.

Will It Ever End???

I’m so glad that I didn’t sleep in this morning. I started the morning off watching the USA vs. Algeria football match. I’ve been following the World Cup pretty closely, so I didn’t mind that it preempted Wimbledon considering the position of the US team. As a quick side note, congratulations are due to team USA for finishing first in their group for the World Cup. World Cup matches may not be available on the big screens at Wimbledon, but the players are certainly following along in the locker room.

Unfortunately, I don’t subscribe the television sports package, so I couldn’t switch over to the channel showing Wimbledon. However, at noon I got to start watching some tennis. What I didn’t know was exactly how much tennis I was getting myself into. After checking out the Wimbledon website, I was expecting to watch Roger Federer’s match. I barely believed my eyes when I began watching the Isner/Mahut match and saw the scoreline. I’m sure that most people had the same reaction I did. I believe it was somewhere around 28-28 when I tuned in. I was hoping to get some things done today after I finished watching this match, but somehow, what I assumed would be at most 30 more minutes turned into a grueling battle that I’m not sure is ever going to end. At 9:10, tournament officials decided to call the match for a second night because of darkness. The score stands at 59 all in the fifth set. This match has shattered all previous records of match length, set length, and number of aces. My guess is this match will end fairly quickly in the morning as one of the players will probably recover slightly better overnight than the other. I’m not going to venture a guess as to who will win though. The big question at this point is what happens to the second round match for the champion of this epic. Since this match started on Tuesday and ended on Thursday, the winner will be scheduled to play the second round on Thursday as well. Maybe the Wimbledon directors will have a heart and give the guy and extra night, but I wouldn’t count on it, depending on how long tomorrow’s continuance goes on. Anyway, Thiemo de Bakker should be pleased after winning his five setter (although significantly less epic) because no matter who wins tomorrow, de Bakker will go into the second round much better rested than his opponent.

I think I’ve explained that this match is incredible, but I would really like to pay tribute to the effort that John Isner and Nicolas Mahut have put in to this battle. The last 30 or 40 games may not have been the prettiest tennis in the world, but playing seven hours of tennis in one day is a feat by itself. In seven hours, neither man faltered, neither succumbed to injury or exhaustion. By the end of the day, John Isner looked like a man who wanted to die, lumbering onto the court after the change over and stretching out a ridiculously long arm (he is 6’9”) and hitting a clean return. I guess he was saving any extra energy for when it counted. On the other hand, Mahut looked relatively un-fatigued, although at times both men seemed to be stunned by what was happening. Well into the night, Mahut was still launching himself into the air to hit the ball and picking himself up off the grass to start the next point. Ironically, in the end, it was Mahut who refused to continue play while Isner proposed they finish out the match under the lights of Centre Court. Like I said, the rallies may not have been the most exciting we’ve ever seen, but somehow these guys tired at nearly the same rate, neither having enough energy to finish off the other or yielding to the exhaustion and giving up the next game. I for one cannot wait to see the end of this match tomorrow, provided that ESPN actually shows the end of the match. I did not appreciate the Australia/Serbia World Cup match being show instead of the tennis match I had already invested several hours in just because it ran over its allotted time. I hope they get a lot of angry letters from tennis fans who feared they would miss the end of this match.

You may not recognize it, but the photo above is actually Court 18, where this match has been taking place, during the off season for Wimbledon. The courts look a little different when there are fans, a net, and the court has been outlined. In case you were wondering, all of the photos I use of the blog (unless otherwise stated) are my own photos from visits to various tournaments and locations (which is why they may not always match quite perfectly.)

It may not seem like it, but there was actually other news at Wimbledon today. Roger Federer was pushed to four sets by a qualifier. If you read my previous post, I’m not going to change my predictions just yet. Federer hasn’t lost yet and each match is a new start. Wimbledon sometimes has magic effects on people. However, that magic didn’t show up for Nikolay Davydenko, who was dismissed in straight sets by Daniel Brands of Germany. Well, that’s a name I don’t think we’ll be hearing much longer.

Centre Court should be extra exciting tomorrow. The Queen will pay her first visit to Wimbledon in over 30 years. For her viewing pleasure, the tournament directors have set up a star studded lineup: Andy Murray vs. Jarkko Nieminen, Caroline Wozniacki vs. Kai-Chen Chang, and finally Rafael Nadal vs. Robin Hasse. The three stars should have no trouble putting away these relatively unknown opponents and the queen should be home in time for an early dinner.