A Quad Citian, Down Under

I wonder if Keys grew up on
Happy Joe's taco pizza like I did. 

POSTED BY BESS: There's a Quad-Citian in the quarterfinals of a major, you guys! Has this ever happened in the history of the Open Era of ever? 

Last night I got to watch the Quad Cities' own Madison Keys cream Madison Brengle in what someone more clever than I dubbed the "Madison Squared" Garden match-up. 

I'm thrilled with Madison's win. It's almost like she's becoming a top contender right before our eyes. With Lindsay Davenport on board, as Dave pointed out, all the pieces of her immense talent appear to be falling into place. 

ZOMG! - I just realized... Madison is from the Quad Cities, and she is now being coached by Davenport... which is the name of one of the Quad Cities! It's like it was MEANT TO BE. 

I may need to take a moment. I've just rocked my own world with this realization.

OK. Channeling some of Madison's new focus and control... Let's calmly move on.

Venus is on a roll...

Also last night/this morning, I woke up just in time to see Venus beat Aggie Radwanska. What more can we say about Venus? Dave and I both love rooting for her, and to see her get this far is really more than I had hoped for/predicted. 

I did have Venus playing Aggie in my bracket, but I had Aggie winning. I'm thrilled to be wrong. 

For the record, Andy Roddick is on board with the Venus resurgence as well: 

Love it when Andy chimes in on the tennis action.  Doesn't happen often enough, IMHO.

Now for the inner turmoil... 

In tomorrow night's quarterfinals, Madison and Venus face off against each other. What is this Sophie's Choice of mine!? I have no idea who I'll root for during that match, all I know is I hope it lives up to its potential... I plan to be on the edge of my seat. 

Tonight's action promises to be eventful as well. Already:

• Simona Halep (my pick to win it all) went out with barely a whimper to Ekaterina Makarova. So there ends any discussion of my bracket-picking prowess. It was fun being in the top 1 percent while it lasted...
• Genie Bouchard just simply didn't show up for her match against Maria Sharapova. So disappointing. What's worse, I mistakenly told Dave he wouldn't miss this match while teaching his night class.  I hope our friendship withstands this [latest] infraction! 

Gratuitous Rafa photo

Still to come tonight:

• Murray/Kyrgios is sure to have the Aussies in a tizzy. 
• And Rafa/Berdych is sure to have me in a tizzy. 

Hopefully by then Dave and I will be on speaking terms again. 

Oi, oi, oi.

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!

A rough start

Posted by DAVE: So, did you know the French Open started today? I didn't. Guess that makes you a better person -- and tennis fan -- than me. (Zip it, Bess.)

I'm trying to dust off the blog after four months of neglect. Bess and I are thinking we may need to re-brand this as a Slams-only blog. Then again, the Summer Olympics are approaching. Maybe a Golden Slams blog, for this year and subsequent Olympic years? Hmm. So much to ponder, so many reasons to procrastinate.

Anyway ...

If you haven't heard, Roddick lost. In the first round. (sigh)

(c) 2012 Getty Images

I've literally just finished filling out my brackets. Nothing like doing that while you're watching 1R matches and trying not to peek at the scrolling match updates. Pathetic! A rough start to the French this year, indeed.

Don't believe me? Just ask Mardy Fish.

Loving the drama Down Under

Posted by Bess: One of my favorite aspects of tennis is the narratives that emerge from match, to match, tournament to tournament, year to year and even over the course of a player's career. And, perhaps because tennis is such an individual sport, these narratives seem very personal.

You're not rooting for (or against) a team of people cloaked in matching uniforms, helmets and pads. You're rooting for the guy out there alone in a T-shirt and shorts, with only an occasional towel to hide the expressions on his face. Or the girl in the press conference, staring down a room of reporters who all want a piece of her, mere minutes after a crushing defeat.

The ultra-personal glimpse into these narratives is one of the best things about tennis. And following them is one of the most rewarding parts of being a tennis fan.

The past two nights have offered a wealth of drama. I won't be able to chronicle it all here because, truthfully, I wasn't awake to see it all. But a few of the story lines I did see play out include these:

• Two nights ago Hewitt took on Raonic. The Aussie fighter in the twilight of his career vs. the up-and-comer from Canada with his whole career seemingly ahead of him. The 5'11" Hewitt vs. the 6'5" Raonic (I swear he looked much taller on court).
  
  After Roddick gifted Hewitt with a shot at the next round, I mentioned that Hewitt/Raonic held little interest for me. However, it clearly held a lot of interest for Hewitt who rose to the occasion, toughing out a four-set win to reach the second week of the tournament for the seventh time. (Was I mistaken, or did Jim Courier say that was a record for an Aussie?)
  
  It's no secret I don't much care for Hewitt. But to see how much that win meant to him--he fell to the court as if he'd won a final, with tears in his eyes and disbelief on his face--I have to admit I appreciated his emotion. (Sorry, Deb and Whitney!)
  
  So... good on him. And good luck to him. He'll need it. Next up? Djokovic.
  

Last night offered a great dose of drama, as well.

• First, Kim Clisters vs. Li Na. The rematch of last year's final. I find them both to be immensely likable players. But for the sake of this possibly being Kim's last year playing, I was definitely rooting for her. I'll admit I had dozed off at the start of the match, but was rudely awakened to the slow-mo replay of her rolling her ankle. It seemed the injuries that plagued her all last season had come calling again.
  
  Despite scrambling up to finish the point, she quickly called for the trainer and got the ankle tightly wrapped. She lost the first set, however. And it took her winning a tiebreak in the second set... saving FOUR match points along the way... to take the match to the decisive third set which she won relatively easily.
  
  It's a moment worth cheering. What grit and determination!
  
  It's also a moment worth lamenting. One woman's magnificent win is the other's magnificent defeat.
  
  Take a gander at Li Na's press conference immediately following the event. (I'll post a clip as soon as I can find one.) You'll see the weight of squandering four match points come to bear on her. She couldn't even respond to the questions from a Chinese journalist and had to leave the room in tears.
  
  Heartbreaking! The triumph and the tragedy of one match.
  

• Finally, we have Berdych v. Almagro. I didn't see a whole lot of this match, but what I did see seemed highly competitive and entertaining. And the scoreline, Berdych winning 4-6, 7-6, 7-6, 7-6, indicates it was a great, close match. But what was so dramatic was the body-shot heard round the world.
  
  Late in the fourth set, Almagro and Berdych are both close to the net. Almagro has to decide where to aim the ball and aims it right at Berdych. It seemed a fair shot, and all the commentators I heard talk about it backed up Almagro's choice saying it was fair and not at all done with ill-intent.
  
  The shot hit Berdych's bicep and he fell to the ground. Almagro immediately stopped and walked to the net, raising his racquet in apology and checking to make sure Berdych was OK.
  
  Berdych was OK. But he was pissed! Cut to the end of the match, with Berdych the victor. They head to the net for the traditional handshake. Berdych refuses to shake Almagro's hand.
  
  It's tennis's version of the ultimate snub. Just about the rudest thing you can do to show your disdain.
  
  Well, the crowd started booing, loudly. And they kept it up. They wouldn't even let Berdych be heard during the on-court interview--they kept up with the booing throughout, especially loud during Berdych's answers.
  
  Check it all out here.
  
  Kind of loving the Aussie crowd for that one!
  
  Want the narrative to get even more interesting? Next up for Berdych is Nadal, Almagro's countryman and a stickler for proper etiquette. (Can you imagine what Uncle Toni would do to Nadal if he EVER refused to shake an opponent's hand? Yeesh.) Those Spaniards are a tight-knit bunch. I have a feeling Nadal's going to be pumped up to put Berdych in his place.
  
  And I'm instantly more excited about the next round.
  

Those are just three instances of drama. Three stories out of many written over the last two days. I'm sure I've left out other compelling narratives. Let me know what I missed!

Roddick/Hewitt

Posted by Bess: I was really looking forward to last night's Roddick/Hewitt match-up. It recalled the days of yore, when these two seemingly locked horns at every turn. Their similar on-court personalities, intensity and fight made for some compelling matches. And it didn't hurt that they seemed to (at least mildly) dislike each other.

Those matches also afforded me the rare opportunity to root 100 percent, without reservation, for Roddick.

Did I mention I'm not a Hewitt fan? I rarely root against players, but for some reason he's the exception. That doesn't mean I don't feel for what he's been through to try to extend a career long past its prime and suffering numerous injuries and surgeries in an attempt to put the pieces back together. I can't even imagine how frustrating it must be to not be able to perform to your potential for (ostensibly) no fault of your own.

But on court, I'm completely fine with him losing.

I think a lot of people were excited for this match. It was last up on Rod Laver Arena, meaning it began at about 3:45 a.m. my time. I was awake and alert. Ready for the action. It was a mildly entertaining and quick first set, which Andy won with relative ease.

At that point I started to get sleepy. Turns out I dozed through the part where Andy got injured. I woke up to hear the commentators saying Andy was off court having an injury treated. I saw him come back out, and saw Hewitt go up 2-0 in the second set. Andy seemed tentative, but not terribly affected by his injury.

Annnnd... then I fell asleep.

Imagine my surprise when I woke up to hear the commentators saying, "If you're Hewitt, you don't want to have to win a match this way." and "What a disappointment for Andy." I got to see Andy walking off the court, with the score reflecting Hewitt up, 2 sets to 1. Andy had retired.

Evidently after he lost the third set he knew he'd have to grind out two more sets in order to win the match and with the injury he just wasn't up for it.

I feel bad for Andy. Not at all the way you want to start the season. I also feel a little let down since I was hoping for a next round match-up between Roddick and Raonic. I think that could have been great! With Roddick out of that match, Raonic is the clear favorite over Hewitt in a match that suddenly holds much less interest for me.

And while I'm not exactly sure how I felt about the mixed doubles pairing of Serena and Roddick, I'm bummed we most likely won't get to witness that in Melbourne. At the very least I bet the press conferences would have been entertaining!

Godspeed, Andy. I hope you're on the mend soon.

Updates and whatnot

Posted by Bess: Last night offered some uncomfortable viewing at the AO. Did Mardy Fish and Marcos Baghdatis make a negativity pact? I'm not used to seeing them in such prolonged states of anger, frustration and grousing, showing such negative emotions and emitting such clear profanities (ahem, Mardy).

Those matches aren't fun to watch (especially when they're the guys you're rooting for), which is why I've never really enjoyed watching Andy Murray (although he was much less negative in his first round match, which the commentators attribute to having Ivan Lendl as his coach/in his box.)

But I'm guessing those matches are even less fun if you're one of Marcos's racquets, which took quite a beating! I believe he was down to just two racquets toward the end; the other four lying mangled, still in their plastic wraps from the stringer. They never even had a chance to fulfill their destiny.

All that negativity paid off for their opponents. Alejandro Falla and Stan Wawrinka rode it all the way to the third round.

In other news:

• Way to go, Christina McHale!


• Nadal's freak knee injury happened while he was sitting in a chair!? Okaaaay. This seems like something that happens to me now that I'm 40. Not to a professional athlete in the prime of his life! Regardless, he seemed great out there last night and won in straight sets.


• I read somewhere that Ryan Harrison admitted to faking exhaustion in the third set of his match with Verdasco, betting that Verdasco would feel he had the match in the bag and let up. Which is exactly what happened. Harrison came from two sets down to beat Verdasco.
  
  Sort of colors Harrison's win in my mind. And I'm sure Verdasco is none too pleased to hear that, as well. I mean, gamesmanship is a part of many matches, but... rarely does it seem to be so openly admitted. Odd.


• On opening day I witnessed an exchange by many of the ESPN2 commentators, killing time before the tournament began by making bold predictions for the year. I enjoyed their exchange and was hoping to find a clip online. There may be a video clip, but I was also happy to see the exchange appear in Bruce Jenkins's column.
  
  Fun stuff. We can add those to the lists of predictions Dave and I made and tally up the winners at the end of the year.

That's it for now. But we MUST discuss tonight's match up between Lleyton Hewitt and Andy Roddick. That's a four alarm match, for sure! (Meaning, of course, that I will have to set four alarms to make sure I wake up for it at whatever late hour it will be on.)

Best shots for 2012 (according to Bess)

Posted by Bess: I'm overdue making my predictions for 2012. And some of you may find it sketchy that I'm making my predictions with the 2012 tennis season underway. Rest assured that I have avoided reading any other bloggers' or writers' tennis predictions (even Dave's!). And while I've seen some tennis news through Twitter, I have yet to actually watch any of the action.

Thank goodness I'll be able to read about and watch tennis now without any guilt!

Prediction #1: 2012 men's grand slam winners. I predict we will see a more even distribution of the grand slam "wealth" this year (and for the sake of the argument, I'm viewing the Olympics as a fifth slam).

My rationale: 2010 was the year of Nadal. 2011 was Nole's year. And many of the years before that were Federer's. But I don't think Djokovic can maintain the same level of play throughout 2012 as he did in 2011. I don't think Nadal can be as consistently great as we've seen him, either. I *do* think Roger has at least another win in him (this was reinforced when I saw him play in London in November--more on that in my next post.)

But there are also a number of talented players waiting to pounce. And with the Olympics thrown into the mix, I think different players are going to try to peak at different times, and preparations during the relatively short window that will encompass the French Open, Wimbledon, the Olympics and the U.S. Open will be mighty interesting.

Prediction #2: 2012 women's grand slam winners. Much tougher category, this. I'll only say that, much as we saw in 2011, I expect a number of players in the mix. Who? Sheesh. I don't know. I'd love to see Clijsters, Sharapova, Zvonareva, Li Na and Wozniacki have great seasons. I'd like to see Ivanovic cobble together a string of wins. I'd kind of like to see Azarenka do well just to drum up all the debate about screeching again. Because that didn't get old. And I'd really like Sam Stosur to get a win she can savor just a little bit more (i.e. not tainted by the shenanigans of her opponent.) This feels like a prediction-less prediction. But so be it.

Prediction #3: Olympic champions. I'm going to go out on a huge, ridiculous limb here and pick two Olympic gold medalists. Although it's most likely to only cause me grief later when my picks are woefully mistaken and Dave won't let me forget it.

Men's Olympic gold medalist: Roger Federer. I know. But this has got to be TOPS on Roger's list this year. It's just about the only thing in tennis he hasn't won. (Yes, he has an Olympic doubles title, but let's get real--he wants a gold in singles badly.) He's expressed interest for several years. And the Olympic tennis matches will be played on the grass at Wimbledon where Roger is more than comfortable. ... Many things working in his favor. Plus, I would just like to see him cap off his remarkable career in that way. It would be one Roger win that wouldn't feel simply like "another win."

Women's Olympic gold medalist: And this? This is the "ridiculous limb" part of the prediction. Who can really say?! Yes, it could be Serena, but I'm feeling a little iffy about her 2012 season for some reason. And if she's indeed playing mixed doubles with Roddick, perhaps she'll be a bit distracted? (Unless it just means she's in even better shape. Yikes!) Hmmm... For no really strategic reason other than I'd like to see it happen, I'll pick Sharapova. I believe she deserves some kind of medal for the long, slow battle she's waged to come back from her shoulder injury. Might as well be Olympic gold.

Prediction #4: Agassi in the mix. Likely just wishful thinking on my part, but I predict Andre Agassi will offer some sort of surprise this year, putting him more in the mix again. Not as a player (talk about ridiculous limbs...) but... somehow. Just hopefully not a second Tell-All. ;-) (Don't get me wrong, it was a fantastic book. But I don't think we need any more shocking revelations or swipes at Sampras.) Is it so wrong to want more Agassi!?

Prediction #5: The year of Dave. Here's a self-involved prediction if I ever saw one. But I predict Dave will be the grand slam (+Olympics) overall winner when it comes to our 2012 bracket challenges. I can only hope he picks good places for me to buy his victory meals.

Prediction #6: Retirements. Might James Blake bow out? Might Venus Williams be forced to retire due to her medical issues? Will Clijsters call it quits after the Olympics or one final U.S. Open? Time will tell. But I predict we'll see a few retirements this year that will tug at my heartstrings and add to the ever-increasing amount of evidence that I am old.

There you have it. Let's reconvene here in December and break down my prediction-making skillz.

Best shots for 2012 (according to Dave)

Posted by Dave: Nothing in life is guaranteed, of course. But as the 2012 tennis season gets underway, I'm willing to bet on some predictions. Here are my best shots for the year ahead:

Wozniacki wins her first major. Yes, Wozniacki will likely lose her number one ranking in 2012, and presumably to Kvitova. But Woz has the determination and skills to win a Slam. Plus, if she loses the number one ranking, there will be fewer expectations of her. Look for Woz to shine through just as the naysayers have written her off, once and for all.


Jankovic finishes the year top-five. I know, I know. It's been four years since Jankovic made it to the US Open final, and so many strong players have emerged since then. Jankovic's not been near her glory days for some time. However, I saw patches of brilliance in the second half of 2011. Something tells me Jankovic will roar back to life in 2012.

(c) 2011 Robert Gray/Getty Images AsiaPac



Venus talks -- coyly, of course -- about retirement. Venus being Venus, she will not flat out announce in 2012 that she's retiring. Yet, I think she'll give some indications to that effect. She may simply fade away without fanfare over the next year or two or three. But I think 2012 is the beginning of the end for the elder Williams. A shame. She's matured into a graceful, and grateful, champion over the years.

Djokovic hangs on to the top spot. The man has more than 13,000 points to defend in 2012. Yikes. But, I'm as confident about Djokovic as he is about himself. He'll finish the year, once again, as world number one.

Federer wins big. It may be another Slam. It may be an Olympic gold medal. Or it may be both -- or more. Federer pulled up short at all the majors in 2011, yet his guns were blazing at the year-end tournament in London. We'll see more of that fire and intensity in 2012. He'll emerge as champion, perhaps even twice in London -- i.e. Wimbledon then the Olympics. Now, how would THAT be for a summer to remember?

Roddick gives Americans a thrill ride. Roddick surely won't win a Slam in 2012, or ever again, if we're being truly honest. However, look for Roddick to make it deep into a Slam this year, or maybe even to the medal stand at the Olympics. So many are ready to put him out to pasture. I refuse to believe he's at that point. At least not yet.

(c) 2011 Susan Mullane/US PRESSWIRE

Well, what do you think? Are these predictions inside the baseline ... or clearly out?

If only the match had been this fun

Posted by DAVE: Bess invited me to join her and fellow tennis junkie, Jeff W, at Buffalo Wild Wings this afternoon to watch the remaining men's quarterfinal match-ups. I (gratefully) missed Murray beating Isner, but did catch nearly all of Nadal v. Roddick. What a snooze-fest! This headline says it all.

One stat that caught my attention (and certainly Bess', as well)? Rafa has changed shirts 24 times so far during this tournament. There was so little drama during today's match that I wondered if they would also start counting the number of times Rafa dug his underwear out of his shorts.

Andy, you were out-muscled again. I think it's time we accept that you will very likely never win another major. It's sad. It's disappointing. But what else is there to say?

Oh, there is one more thing to say. I failed to convince Bess to don a "WINGING BEAUTY" paper crown at the restaurant and sit for a portrait. That would have made a fun blog post tonight, don't you think? (We're reaching for excitement, folks.)

On to the women's semis tomorrow. Let's hope Woz holds her own against Serena. And that CBS will show at least a few minutes of Stosur's match.

What a crazy day!

Posted by BESS: I was just asked (by Dave) if I had lost interest in blogging. :-( That is not the case. However, yesterday was not only a crazy day in tennis... it was a crazy day at home with my computer acting like I had killed its mother in the midst of me trying to get something done for work. So I was running between tennis, working and trying to convince my computer that I don't hate it... while simultaneously hating my computer's guts.

I still blame James Blake.

However, I seem to have nursed my computer back to its old self (not saying much) now, so I'll take advantage and try to get caught up on blogging.

Hi. Lots to discuss! Yesterday was just a nutty day in tennis. After nearly two days of washouts, the U.S. Open had some catching up to do. It was a packed schedule--so packed that some of the match-ups really got very little airtime. On court yesterday: Nadal, Federer, Roddick, Isner, Murray, Serena, Wozniacki and more! Oh my. Not often the world's top four men + two dangerous Americans plus the women's statistical #1 and true #1 all take the court on the same day. It was a sight to behold. Oh, and Kim Kardashian was in the house. So you know it was major. (But I refuse to boldface her name.)

I feel for the tournament officials. They have no control over the weather. And without a roof over any of the courts, they have no alternatives. They also have oodles of people they're trying to keep happy--players, ticket holders, networks, sponsors, etc. What a headache this has been for them.

In the midst of trying to get all the matches played yesterday, and based on strong opinions from Roddick, Murray and Nadal, they made the decision to move the men's final to Monday (for the fourth straight year!). This gives the schedule a little breathing room which means the men won't have to play four straight days in a row. And there's a little wiggle room in case it rains again. Which it very well may do.

It's a smart move. But a Monday final is no one's idea of fun. I well remember last year's debacle... racing home early from work only to discover that my local CBS affiliate (which hadn't planned to air tennis that day, I know) was opting to show Dr. Phil during the first hour of the match. DR. PHIL!!! I'm sorry, but WTF? They then cut over to tennis, only to cut away again when Monday night football coverage had to start. Leaving us all to finish watching online.

It was, uh, not good.

Hopefully, with as much advance notice as they've had about this year's Monday final, the networks can get a plan in place so these things don't happen again. But I'm already bracing for Dr. Phil 2.0. It's times like these I really should just buck up and fork out the money for the Tennis Channel.

Also complicating matters yesterday? Louis Armstrong stadium (the second largest on the grounds) was deemed unusable due to water seeping up from underneath the court in one spot. So they had to scramble to find suitable courts for the Roddick/Ferrer and Wozniacki/Petkovic matches. But so many other matches were being played that it wasn't easy.

They both ended up playing on Court 13--with just shy of 600 seats for fans and no permanent cameras. Numerous people have said it's like seeing [insert major rock star here] in your local bar. A great opportunity for fans with grounds passes that day. While the fans raced to get seats, ESPN2 had to scramble to get camers out there to show some of the action.

Mind you, Roddick hadn't played outside of Arthur Ashe stadium in nine years! So Armstrong stadium was already going to seem like a novelty for him. Court 13? Just funny. Here's a great article about how it all went down, which paints an almost nostalgic feel about the whole thing.

It's a fun read, but it really skims over the drama of the water on Armstrong, which is just fine by me. But since loyal reader Vernon brought it up, I'll discuss here and will await Dave's chastising, pro-Roddick words...

So they're finally starting play after two delayed days. And out on Armstrong they're two games into the Roddick/Ferrer match. That's when Roddick noticed water behind the baseline and called the chair umpire over to look. They in turn called the tournament director. And they all stood there trying to figure out what could be done. With another delay in the offing, the players were justifiably frustrated. At first, Roddick and Ferrer seemed resigned to waiting and left the court.

Thinking they had the problem fixed (after using towels, vacuums and blowers on the spot), the tournament officials called the players back out. Alas, while the players were re-emerging, more water appeared. That's when Roddick started to get pissed. You can see it here.

And there's another clip somewhere of them back in the tunnel again, awaiting a solution. To his credit, Roddick's plea was just to let them play--wherever they had to. But his demeanor says, "You guys are all idiots, just let us play." Vintage Roddick.

I understand this must have been hugely frustrating. I just still maintain that Roddick doesn't have to be quite such a **** about things. And my feelings about that were affirmed much later in the day, watching Federer's on court interview after winning his match. His response to repeated questions about the weather and the scheduling changes and the court issues was calm and professional. He didn't take the bait the reporter was clearly offering. He was reasoned and diplomatic and dignified, all while making his points. Vintage Federer.

I've said it before and I'll say it again... Roddick can be completely entertaining, and he keeps things interesting. But it's often at the price of looking like a jerk. I'll take Fed's way any day. [Cue Dave's impassioned response.]

But enough about that. Let's talk about the tennis! Stay tuned for more on that...

For now, a palate cleanser of sorts. Check out this clip of Novak Djokovic having a dance-off with a fan who's been entertaining the crowds by dancing in the upper deck of Arthur Ashe stadium during changeovers. His performance last night earned a big smile from Federer when it was shown on the jumbotron.

Looking ahead to Week Two

Posted by Dave: The weather's friggin' awesome this afternoon, and the Open's continuing to bore me to tears. So I'll go ahead and make my predictions for next weekend so that I can get out and hit some balls. Champions-to-be: Djokovic and Serena.

Djok was on fire this morning. And last time I bothered to watch Serena (something I find less enjoyable than cleaning toilets), she looked rock-solid, too.

The New York Post says, "She's playing with confidence and competitiveness again." No, not Serena, but Ivanovic. It's a nice thought to think she'll beat Serena in the next round, but I'm not that much of an optimist or a dreamer. There's just not a bold fearlessness to Ivanovic's game like there was a few years ago, before success went (literally) to her head. I hope she can shut off her brain, stop analyzing while she's playing, and just take it to Serena. But, again, that's wishful thinking.

I'd also like to dream a little dream for Sam Stosur, who I've long admired. (She's got a nice blend of power and finesse, sort of like Mauresmo or Navratilova.) But I used up all my U.S. Open hope on Sharapova, and I can't take any more disappointment this year. Stosur, you're on your own.

As far as Djok, nothing's going to stop him. I mean, seriously. Look at the guy. He's cranking the serve, killing every shot and taking names along the way.

The only drama we might see on the men's side is Federer vs. Tsonga and Roddick vs. Nadal, if these guys all make it to the quarters. Tsonga's had flashes of brilliance, and you have to like his fighting spirit. Roddick seems determined (I think) to fight, too. But, Tsonga can get streaky and Roddick can get, well, Roddicky. So, I'm feeling like it will be Djok taking care of Nadal in the final -- which, for the record, was my original prediction.

Donald Young might survive another round or two. That would be pretty great. But not as great as this sunny-and-70 weather here in Des Moines today.

Gotta run, y'all. The court's calling me.

Maria, I know exactly how you feel

Posted by DAVE: Last night, I was down for the count with a massive headache. Tonight, it's Sharapova's turn. Knocked out, 4-6 in the third, by Pennetta. Such a disappointment, once again. But I will not give up hope! Maria will win at least one more Slam before she retires. You heard it here first. (Does that make me a tennis analyst, Roddick?! LOL)

So, yeah, I'm left with Stosur on the bottom half of the women's. (shrug) As for the men, the only head-to-head match-up left in my draw is Tsonga/Fish. I guess that's interesting. Sort of. Maybe?

One thing is for certain. I need my friend, Stace, to stop texting me results during the day. That's how I heard about Maria. And about Young taking out Wawrinka. Who needs DVR?! Actually, I would be happy with cable tonight. Mine's out, so I'm watching Roddick/Sock via live stream. It's like watching with a strobe light on. I might turn off the commentators (who needs analysts anyway, right, Roddick?!) and switch on some dance tracks from my iTunes library. Anything to make this Open more exciting.

(c) Joe Klamar / Getty Images

He's at it again

Posted by BESS: If you don't know what or who I'm referring to:

• First, check out this post I did during Wimbledon to help set the stage
  

• Second, check out this info about what went down last night

I agree with the author that it's nice to have someone speak their mind and offer honest and interesting quotes. I also agree that this prevents me from having warm and fuzzy feelings toward Roddick. Not that he cares. Clearly!

For the record, Chris Fowler seems to be A-OK with what Roddick said. Fowler Tweeted as much later. But evidently Pam Shriver and Mary Joe Fernandez (who were calling the Sharapova match after this interview occurred) were offended.

Say what you want about Roddick. He keeps it interesting!

USA! USA! USA!

Posted by DAVE: Looking ahead in the men's draw, the only two matches that interest me are Ginepri v. Isner and Roddick vs. Sock. All four Americans. Woot!

Used to dig Ginepri and his game. Isner reminds me of early-career Davenport; tall and powerful, but sort of awkward and with questionable body language. Roddick is, well, Roddick; what's not to like? (Rhetorical question.) And Sock? Don't know a thing about him, other than he's 18 y/o, last year's junior U.S. Open champ and a Nebraska native, like Roddick. But what kind of player has the last name Sock? Why not Shoe? Or Racket? Or even Wristband? I'm intrigued.

Go USA!

Top 10 reasons Bess should stop whining

Posted by DAVE: So, I texted Bess about how good Roddick looks tonight. And she texts back, rather flatly, "I'm bored." (Miss Thang is never one to mince words.)

Here are the top 10 reasons nobody should be bored by the Open tonight:

10) Roddick isn't wearing ankle braces or high socks tonight. It's a sporty, raw, new look for him. Perhaps turning 29 means he's having a third-life crisis? Discuss.

9) Venus has withdrawn due to an autoimmune disease called Sjogren's Syndrome. Bess suspects Venus is actually pregnant (you saw the "maternity" dress she wore in her first-round match, right?), and this is a cover. Again, discuss.

8) Sharapova will be on court. Soon.




7) There's a cute ad (can I use the word cute, even though I'm a 42 y/o man?) in rotation, starring Agassi and Graf. It's on behalf of 10 AND UNDER TENNIS, a program that helps introduce the sport to young boys and girls. (The ad is about how tennis scares children because of the large court size, large rackets, etc. Well, personally, I say, "Suck it up, kids." I learned to play at age seven, and the only courts in my town at the time were concrete with a chain-link net. There were skinned knees and bruises but never any tears. Not once.)

6) Gratefully, Evert hasn't been on much. Perhaps she's trying to find her personality.

5) They haven't done any crowd shots yet to show what celebrities are in attendance. We got to see Alec Baldwin the other night. Surely they can do better tonight.

4) If you set your DVR, go back and look for the clip of Rihanna from the 2005 Arthur Ashe Kids' Day. Hilarious! She looks to be about 15 y/o, and she's wearing overalls. (Overalls!) I'm pretty sure she'd like to have that footage burned.

3) Stay up tonight, and you'll be able to update your brackets before going to bed. (Why are we still on first-round matches, btw?)

2) There is nothing else on TV tonight. I mean, seriously. Re-runs of CSI and Modern Family? Unless you think "America's Got Talent" is entertaining. And, if you do, then you have bigger problems than will ever be solved by reading this blog.

1) It's the Open. We've waited all summer for this. Savor every minute.

We love you, James! And Andy, too.

Posted by DAVE: Second night of the Open. Nadal? Meh. (Sorry, Bess.) Serena? Ugh. James Blake? Now we're talking! So fun seeing him close out his first round match and grinning ear-to-ear during the post-match interview. Wouldn't you love to see him make a surprise run, like Jimmy Connors did back in 1991?

If you've lost track of Blake lately (and frankly, who hasn't, with his plummeting ranking and all), here's a great interview with him, courtesy of ESPN. He's a class act. Sort of the American answer to Federer, minus Grand Slam hardware. But, who knows? Maybe this year. (A guy can dream.)

By the way, I know that Blake is bald (and handsome) like me and Agassi. And, yes, that factors into my great admiration for him. So be it.

On a parting note, happy 29th birthday to one of my other favorite American men, Andy Roddick. (Note: He's NOT bald.) Best of luck this fortnight!

Goodbye, Irene. Hello, U.S. Open fans!

Posted by DAVE: Spent most of yesterday moping because Arthur Ashe Kids Day got canceled. But, Irene's gone now, and I'm thrilled that the Open is underway. Let the sleep deprivation begin!

Bess and I traded messages last night while filling out our draws. For the record, she was trying to watch the VMAs at the time. (Am I the only person who missed the Britney tribute?) And I was coming off the high of playing two hours of table tennis (the real deal, not this Wii crap) and consuming far too much Diet Coke. Maybe it was the distractions, but she and I both struggled to complete our brackets. Like Isner-Baghdatis. How do you possibly pick a winner in that one? Or how far should you take Roddick, a sentimental favorite who's headed out to pasture? And, honestly, wouldn't it be nice to see Federer pick up another crown, before his luster begins to fade, too? (Or maybe it's already fading?)

The women's draw was even worse. Why couldn't Wozniacki take it all this time? And someone like Dushevina could easily make a run, too. Of course, there's Venus and Serena. (groan) And wouldn't we all like to see Ivanovic or Jankovic pull it together for once?

In the end, I went with Djokovic and Sharapova. Bum shoulders or not, these two have shown true determination this year. Djok's results have far outpaced Maria's, obviously, but they're both great champions. Wishing the best to both of them, as well as whomever you picked to win it all. On with the Open!

Pressing on

So Roddick lost today. Straight sets to "Deliciano" Lopez, as some of the women (including Andy Murray's mom!?) are calling him. Yes, Lopez is somewhat dreamy. And he's also good pals with Nadal. And he played a great match today. So I guess I should start rooting for him.

But first I'll feel a little sad for Roddick. Although it was somewhat heartening to hear in his post-match press conference that he felt this loss was easier to take than last year's because, as he said, "I got beat." Roddick didn't give up or play poorly; he felt Lopez was simply the better player today.

Here's the thing about Roddick press conferences: They make me jumpy. Roddick can be funny, and he's usually pretty honest--which is refreshing. But he can also be blunt. And he takes NO crap from the journalists there, and at times dishes some out. He's not afraid to call out a journalist for asking a stupid question. And he doesn't like questions that make assumptions or are designed to take him somewhere he doesn't want to go.

I have a certain amount of respect for all that. But the way he handles it doesn't always put me at ease. I find just about every Roddick press conference at least partly cringe-worthy.

Today I thought he did a good job. A little testy at times, but given the circumstances, I expected to cringe more than I did.

However, my favorite exchanges was this (paraphrased because I'm too lazy to find it online and transcribe it...)

• Journalist: As you get older, do you ever think that maybe this dream of yours--winning Wimbledon--might not happen?

• Andy: Of course! I'm human. [pauses, looks directly at the reporter] And you may never get your dream job. No offense to your current employer.

His delivery was priceless. I actually laughed out loud, as did many of the journalists in the room.

And that is what can make the cringing worth it.

On a sidenote, one of my favorite Roddick interview moments is from the 2008 U.S. Open, when asked about Djokovic's injuries. (Djokovic used to have a LOT of medical issues during matches; it seemed somewhat suspect.) Asked about whether it was a left ankle or right ankle injury, Roddick starts riffing on all possible maladies Djokovic is suffering from, including "a back and a hip... a cramp... bird flu... anthrax... SARS... common cough and cold." I think it was the use of the phrase "common cough and cold" that won me over. Funny!

You can see it here.

Back to today's loss... Lots of debate in the studio about what it may take for Roddick to make a true run at another major title before he retires. Here's hoping he can do it. After winning the U.S. Open in 2003, he's made it to four major finals (impressive) losing ALL FOUR TIMES to Federer. That's got to sting.

For now, we wait and see.

Meanwhile, Venus Williams won her match handily today. And then visited with Hannah Storm and Chris Evert in the studio for a great interview. Perhaps the Williams' sisters' time away has served as a palate cleanser of sorts, but I really appreciated everything she had to say and enjoyed the interview more than I expected. Who'd a thunk it?

And she and Roddick both handled the Serena/Court Two issue well, when asked.

On a final note, many of today's matches ended up canceled due to rain, which begs the question... is it raining more in England these days, or in Iowa? It could be a toss-up.

Such beautiful people ...

...playing such beautiful tennis today! Exhibit A: the British upstart, Laura Robson, against mi amour Maria Sharapova. (You may recall Robson as the teenager who got in trouble last year for calling her WTA competitors 'sluts'; she's been back in the news lately as part of the 'planking' craze.) Both players are such beautiful people who also happen to strike the ball beautifully. Truly a joy to watch!

Before you call me sexist, the equally beautiful (and long-maned, just like Robson and Sharapova) Feliciano Lopez is playing my other 'mi amour' Andy Roddick. I would post photos of all of these peeps, for your convenience, but Bess and I are still working out how we can post images without breaking copyright law. In the meantime, enjoy the links provided to their official tour profiles.

Speaking of beautiful people, have you seen Rabbit Hole starring Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart? I was caught up on matches last night, so I took a break to watch this movie. It's a powerful film about grief with some subtle, yet superb, acting. Plus, Eckhart's character, Howie, plays squash. (Squash!!!) Who plays squash anymore?! Or ever, for that matter? I so want to try playing squash now. And preferably against Eckhart. Or, better yet, Roddick. His shoulder should be wearing out soon, so maybe I'd stand a chance. Maybe?

Uh oh, A-Rod

No, not that A-Rod. Tennis's version... Andy Roddick.

As I prepare to leave for a day of volunteering at the Des Moines Arts Festival, Roddick is now down 2 sets to 0 against Feliciano Lopez. Admittedly I don't know much about Lopez's game, but I didn't see this one coming.

I'm not the world's hugest Roddick fan, but I do cheer for him to do well, and he's been looking pretty good until today. Here's hoping he can find a way to pull this one out and continue his journey toward the second week.

On a funnier note--earlier they were showing side-by-side coverage of Roddick's match on Centre Court and Maria Sharapova's match on Court One. I thought, "Oh, look at that--two Americans battling to come from behind to win the first set." It wasn't until about half an hour later that I remembered Sharapova's not an American. Ha! But, really, at this point she sort of qualifies, right? ;-)

Here's to a good day of tennis for all my favorite players... American or not.