Speedboat tennis - ace or fault?

POSTED BY BESS: If you haven't yet seen the video of Roger Federer and Lleyton Hewitt playing tennis on speedboats in Sydney Harbor last week, you're missing out. 

For the uninitiated:

I am of mixed feelings about this event publicity stunt (let's call a spade a spade.)

On the one hand, genius! On the eve of the Australian Open, you've got one of Australia's most well-known tennis stars and one of the universe's most well-known tennis stars (perhaps the GOAT), doing something crazy and just a tad ridiculous... framed by the gorgeous Sydney Harbor... and seemingly having a great time. 

What self-respecting tennis fan *isn't* going to watch this video?

On the other hand, so. many. questions.

• What was the longest rally? I mean, even seasoned pros must have found this difficult - the wind, the timing (the physics of it all!), the balance issues. You'll notice very few shots of actual rallies in this video - lots of each player hitting one shot that may or may not have been returnable. Color me curious.
• How long did they have to film just to get the few actual rallies they did show?
• How ticked was Lleyton that Roger got the bigger boat?
• Please explain the sudden transition to the Fast4 court on dry land. What is Fast4*? Why do we care? And since you're showing it and discussing the weird rules, uh... what *are* the rules? I don't get it. Nor do I care. Back to the boats!
• Finally, the biggest unanswered question of all... Who was up in the sky gathering all that aerial footage? Personally, I like to think it was Mirka Federer in the Federers' weekday chopper, nonchalantly watching the action while periodically gazing at her expensive wristwatch and noting that, frankly, this was taking a hell of a lot longer than she expected, and don't they know Roger has a koala bear to pose with, not to mention four kids to get ready for bed? #ilovemirka

But that's just me. Dave... what's your take?

DAVE REPLIES: Honestly, all I can think is, "Where are your life jackets?!" Former pro athlete Rob Konrad just days ago fell off his boat miles from the Florida coast -- and swam for 16 hours to save his own life. He wasn't wearing a life jacket, either.

I'm going to have to call this a fault. Sorry, guys.

But, there was a stunt -- er, event -- from earlier this month that I loved. That's when dogs served as ball kids for a practice match between Venus Williams and Svetlana Kuznetsova, during the ASB Classic in New Zealand. 

What does this have to do with tennis? Or the tournament? Or the sponsor? No clue at all. But, who cares? You will not be able to watch this video without laughing. Or at least smiling. Enjoy!

TENNIS FANS: Speedboat tennis, pro or con? Cute dogs as ball kids, pro or con? These are the pressing issues of our times. Feel free to weigh in!

* A quick Web search indicates that Fast4 tennis is also known as "disco tennis." I am suddenly more interested.

It's all over Down Under

Posted by BESS: Several days, by which I mean nights, have passed, and the 2013 Aussie Open is now complete.  I missed talking about a lot of matches, and I also missed a lot of matches.

I did, however, see a good portion of the Murray/Federer five-set semi-final. Was really rooting for Fed in that one. But, alas.

I did NOT see the MTO heard 'round the world... Azarenka's questionable medical time out right after choking away five match points in her semi-final against Sloane Stephens.  After leaving the court and seemingly regrouping, Aza went on to win the match and lose just about any support she might have had. The fans, the media, commentators, other players, the Twitterverse... everyone was in an uproar.

By all accounts it was a rough two days for Azarenka, preparing for the final while dealing with the fallout of that questionable sportsmanship. So tension was high as she and Li Na took the court for the women's championship. What then transpired was riveting TV. 

Three sets complete with a heavily partisan crowd (seemingly all supporting Li), strong play, two medical time outs (unquestionably legit) by Li for rolling her ankle--one combined with slamming her head on the court and being assessed for a concussion, a 10-minute break for Australia Day fireworks outside the stadium, and frequent shots of Aza's box where LMFAO's Redfoo, her friend/perhaps boyfriend, wore a neon, leopard print ensemble with a T-shirt proclaiming "Get your grunt on."

In a word (or three), it was bizarre and unexpected and entertaining, and I enjoyed every moment of it. Until the very end, when Azarenka won.

It marked one of the oddest winning moments I can remember in a grand slam final. She won, and the crowd barely reacted. Here she is, your women's champion, and... tepid applause at best. Reluctant.

Her celebration was, to her credit, muted. She sobbed heavily into her towel, then jogged over to celebrate with her team--getting reassurance from them more than anything else.

So Aza leaves Melbourne with another trophy, and Li Na leaves with a kabillion more fans (conservative estimate.) She's a clearly improved player, and her unending popularity stems as much from her impressive play as for her humorous candor during every single interview. Simply charming.

Well done, Li Na. Hoping the rest of 2013 is just a little bit better than this tournament ended up for you.
 
As for the men's final. Well, I was frankly bored by Murray/Djokovic. And tired. So I took a break after the first two sets (which they split) and then just couldn't be bothered. Something like 28 straight games without a break of serve? Oy.

It was a final between two players I don't really care for, so I wasn't so much rooting for someone as I was rooting against the Djoker. And when it seemed he had taken control of the match, my heart wasn't in it. Especially at 5 a.m.

I'll just say that it wasn't the best match from either of them. And had Murray not played a tough five-set semi just the day before, the result might have been much different.

I did see the end and the trophy presentation (had to wake up for Andre!). The upside: Djokovic didn't rip his shirt off while staggering around court screaming like the Hulk. So there's that.

Also, perhaps my second-favorite tweet from the tournament: SI/CNN/Tennis Channel's Jon Wertheim's random observation and stellar verb usage last night:  "Murray really sausaged his body into his clothes this event."  Hahaha. Nice. (And true.)

Housekeeping
So... it's been fun. But I've missed Dave arguing with me over my dislike of Djokovic or Venus's fashion choices. Perhaps when the French Open rolls around Dave won't find himself quite so busy/sick/out of the country (a bad combination as far as blogging goes.)

I look forward to putting the "mixed" and the "doubles" back into Mixed Doubles.

For those keeping score, both Dave and I picked DelPotro and Sharapova as singles' champions. So clearly, we failed.  Better luck next time, Juan Martin and Maria. Also, Dave and me.

Until Paris... (and, God willing, Rafa...) A bientot!

A collective gasp from the tennis world

Posted by Bess: So last night (American time), Sloane Stephens cemented her place in the Top 20 and in the collective conscience of the tennis world, beating the de facto world number one and the odds-on favorite to win the tournament... the one... the only... Serena Williams.

The first time Serena had lost to a lower ranked American... or something like that.

Now, Serena was dealing with one or more injuries which really hampered her play for a short while toward the end of the second and beginning of the third sets.  But I really felt like she was going to will herself to win, as she's done so many times before.  Especially after Sloane clearly tightened up at the end of the second set.

But I'll be gosh darned.  Sloane pulled it off! She remained calm, stuck to her game plan and--in the end--did not allow herself to be intimidated by the situation. 

Good on you, Sloane Ranger!

Can we pause for a moment to discuss how fun Twitter makes live sporting events... especially when you're watching at home alone? If you're following the right people, it can greatly enhance your viewing experience.

My favorite exchange from last night:
They flashed back to a recent match between Sloane and Serena, in which Sloane was complaining to her coach that Serena aggressively yelling "COME ON" after winning points was getting to her. She deemed the continued outbursts, "so disrespectful."

At one point in last night's match, a frustrated Serena slammed her racquet on the court, rendering it a mangled mess.  Sports Illustrated's Courtney Nguyen tweeted: Sloane holds to 2-1 and Serena vaporizes her racket. Said the racket, "So disrespectful."

After LOLing at that, I responded, "If only Sloane had yelled COME ON after Serena smashed her racquet."

No clue if Courtney even saw my tweeted response, but I managed to crack myself up, which was all that really mattered.

If you're keeping score at home, I'm having a one-way blogging conversation and a one-way Twitter conversation related to this tournament.  Unclear if this can get any more pathetic. But it's still fun.

Oh. And for the record... there was another barn-burner this morning, which I was happy to see the end of as I was getting ready for work. Federer/Tsonga going five sets in an entertaining, thoroughly enjoyable match.

Fed pulled it out in the end, and offered another pseudo-stand-up routine in lieu of a post-match interview. Dude seems unusually punchy this tournament. To quote my friend Debbie, I very like it.

Will Maria rue the day?

Posted by BESS: Early Friday morning I made a point to get up and watch the highly anticipated third round show-down between Maria Sharapova and Venus Williams.  In the end it wasn't nearly as close as we had all hoped, with Maria winning handily.  But there were flashes of brilliance between them--glimpses of what we were all hoping the entire match would be like.

I am just so happy to see them both playing up to their abilities. I mean, Venus could have played better, but she didn't seem hampered by her Sjogren's Syndrome like she has been at past tournaments. And it's nice to see Maria continuing to play well after those years of struggling to come back from shoulder surgery.  Both of them deserve strong play like this.

I hated that one of them would have to leave the tournament so early, but since I picked Maria to win the whole thing, I cheered her victory.

Let's talk about her winning scream, though. Described on Twitter as a "primal scream," it did seem odd. And somewhat unnecessary. And potentially a bit offensive. 

Some commentators questioned how appropriate it was; others said it showed how much it means to Maria to beat either Williams sister. I'm going with the former. If it had been a close match, I could have understood it. But it wasn't that close. At all. And I found it disrespectful.

As others have noted online, Serena surely took note. If you read between the lines of her post-match quote, she is indeed peeved. Someone asked her what she said to Venus after it ended. Serena said something like, "What I said had nothing to do with tennis. I was complaining about someone who annoyed me."

Hee hee.  YIKES.  She'll be sure to exact her revenge should she and Maria make the final. And I, for one, would not want to be on the receiving end of Serena's wrath.

We've seen that play out on a tennis court before. It wutn't pretty.

Godspeed, Maria.

Surgery count: Six

Posted by Bess: Make that six surgeries for Brian Baker. Torn lateral meniscus, it seems.  Out for about four months. You could say, "So. Not. Fair!" Or you could say, "Better plotline for the eventual biopic."

Key question: Is your glass half empty or is it rose-colored?

In other news, Ferrer and Baghdatis are through. And Tipsarevic won a tight five-setter in the wee hours of the morning.

And my new favorite is 17-year-old American Madison Keys. Not only is she from the Quad Cities (rock on, east coast of Iowa), but she's talented, fun to watch and gives an effortless interview. Oh, and she's heating up the courts with her impressive play. All while being a teenager. Good heavens. 

I can't wait to see her play again. And I'll have to look back at my bracket to see how far I took her. I hope I had faith.

I'm also predisposed to liking this Jerzy Janowicz character. If only because his name looks like it should be pronounced Jersey. (Sadly, it's not.) And without Jersey Girl Christina McHale to cheer on or Jersey Girl-by-marriage Kim Clijsters, I need someone to root for who makes me feel closer to my roots!  So, Jerzy it is. 

Although, he might be a tad, uh, argumentative for my taste. Evidently his outburst from last night is going viral.

One final note from last night's action: Brad Gilbert was completely right. Is Big Bird the presenting sponsor this year? Why all the yellow? Do the sportswear companies only have three bolts of fabric to choose from between them? I find it odd that they all manufacture the same color at the same time and so many players choose to wear it at once.

Do they not have back-ups?

It's beyond me.

Back in the saddle again (minus Rafa)

Posted by BESS: Holy crap. Have we seriously not blogged since last May? Such slackers! Understand that this has not gone unnoticed. Dave's students have accused him of being a hypocrite... preaching about the proper way to maintain a blog and then letting his own blog languish. 

Luckily, I have no students. And none of my friends really care about tennis. So I've been flying under the radar.  But for Dave's professional credibility alone, it's time we get back to it.

Let's be honest. My lack of interest in blogging may perhaps have coincided with the six-month absence of my perennial fave, Rafa Nadal. Injured for months, he was set to return at the 2013 Australian Open, but here we are again... up all night watching the action down under... and... no Rafa.

I should get credit for the amount of "soldiering on" it takes for me to even care without him involved. ;-)

But soldier on I must.

SPOILER ALERT: At the moment, I'm watching American Brian Baker withdrawing from a match due to a knee injury.  He's a great 2012 story, finally making it back into the ATP tour after five surgeries and a stint volunteer coaching for a college team in his hometown. Man, it just doesn't seem fair. The wheelchair has arrived to take him off court.  With Roddick retired and Mardy Fish still unwell, he was my pick for an American man to root for. Darn the luck.

Speaking of players we're rooting for, Dave and I completed our brackets independently and without any previous discussion.  For the first time ever, we both selected the same men's and women's champions!  Especially impressive since neither of them is the odds-on favorite to win. Mind you, they're no slackers, but conventional wisom doesn't really show Juan Martin Del Potro and Maria Sharapova raising the trophies overhead two weeks from now.

Let's hope they do, just for the novelty of Dave and I both being right; with no trash-talking upon which to stake our friendship.

A few miscellaneous notes about the tournament so far:

• Brad Gilbert reports much too much yellow in the 2013AO tennis garb. I guess if you're going to wear bright yellow at a major, the AO is the place to do it.  But I agree with Brad that it's generally not a great look. Also not a great look? Brad Gilbert's lack of correct spelling, punctuation and grammar on Twitter. But he's a font of knowledge, so I stay tuned.
• Andre's scheduled to make an appearance at the tournament, and I for one, can't wait. Andre and I got much closer over the holidays with the surprise arrival of his autograph--a gift from a truly generous friend. (Thanks, J-Rad!)
• Serena's a bit questionable for today's practice and perhaps the overall tournament after rolling her ankle yesterday.  Although she managed a 6-0, 6-0 win, so I'm not yet convinced I should be concerned. And by concerned, I mean marginally interested.
• After a long stretch of not watching tennis, it's nice to be back among my good friends: Li Na, Aggie Rad, Venus, Mary Joe, Killer Cahill, the inimiatble Jon Wertheim, Tipsy, Baghdatis, Sugarpova, Monfils, Ferrer, Woz, and the amiable Aussie crowd. Ahhh.... it's like old home week. Let me soak it in as if I'm there basking in the bright, sunny, 100 degree day! 

Hello, 2013 tennis season. Hello again, dear readers. Despite Rafa's absence, this sentiment holds true... vamos!

It made my day

Posted by Bess: In the category of "Best Facebook post from yesterday," we have this...

My friend Yana, posting a picture of her TV, on which we see a young Pete
Sampras serving.

It’s captioned, “1994 Australian Open marathon. What more can a girl ask for?”

I love finding out that my friends are as crazy about tennis as I am!