10 Lessons from 'Getting a Grip'

POSTED BY DAVE: Did you know Monica Seles released a memoir six years ago, in which she writes candidly about her decade-long battle with binge eating? Of course you did. Me? I had no clue, and I'm not entirely sure how that is possible. Oh, wait. I had been working on my Ph.D. during those years. Neither watching nor playing tennis due to lack of time. Spending hundreds of hours in front of a computer. Struggling to meet oppressive deadlines. And, binge eating to deal with the stress.

Oh, the irony.

Last week, I bought a copy of Monica's memoir, Getting a Grip: On My Mind, My Body, My Self. The book has been gaining renewed attention due to Monica becoming more visible in the fight against eating disorders. (See footnote below.)

I read one book per month, and Getting a Grip was my selection for March. Well, the first day of March isn't over, and I have already finished Monica's book. The memoir was that good. Or, at least that meaningful for me.

Here are 10 lessons I learned that, I promise, won't ruin the book for you, if you haven't by chance read it yet:

1. Monica must be pretty awesome.
2. Mary Joe Fernandez must be pretty awesome. (I already believed that.)
3. Martina Navratilova must be pretty awesome. (I had figured as much, but now that's confirmed.)
4. I really need to visit Italy someday.
5. Steffi Graf did, in fact, visit Monica shortly after the stabbing. (I'd always read or was led to believe that she hadn't. Steffi must be pretty awesome.)
6. A stabbing, insensitive boyfriends, lost tennis matches and even the end of a career shouldn't define your life or your self-worth.
7. Professional tennis is a business.
8. The WTA ranking system and tour demands are intense and unforgiving. The longevity of Serena and Venus Williams is kind of amazing, really. They must be pretty awesome, too.
9. Monica has shopped at a Hy-Vee grocery store. (Notable simply because the company is headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa. Bess lives there, and I used to, as well.)
10. Losing your dad too early in life sucks.

And, yes, that's the other part of the book that really got me. I lost my dad too early, too. Monica writes about how hard it was to go on with her career and her life while her dad was battling chemo, and then especially after he was gone. I won't share more than that, but his advice to her brought tears to my eyes. I recall Mom sharing similar advice with me after Dad's funeral, in order to help me get through the remaining few weeks of my junior year in college.

If you have struggled at all in life -- and really, who hasn't? -- then treat yourself. You'll no doubt find some powerful lessons and compelling tales in Getting a Grip. The book is really pretty awesome, just like I had always imagined Seles to be. (Thank you, Monica, for such an inspiring read.)

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FOOTNOTE: Here's a link to a recent article in People discussing Monica's advocacy work with the Binge Eating Disorder Association and National Eating Disorders Association, and in partnership with the pharmaceutical company Shire. We have not received any promotional consideration whatsoever from Seles, Avery (publisher of Getting a Grip), People magazine or the other organizations mentioned here; we are simply providing the links and information for your convenience, in case you or someone you know is struggling with binge eating or any other form of eating disorder.
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Is tennis too "nice?"

POSTED BY BESS: Last month, a friend of mine mentioned that John McEnroe had recently appeared on Alec Baldwin's podcast called Here's the Thing.  I'm not an Alec Baldwin fan, so perhaps that's why I totally forgot to listen. 

That is, until last week when tennis writer extraordinaire Jon Wertheim linked to the podcast on Twitter, calling it a "rollicking" interview. Wertheim clearly understands how social media works, because how can you resist a rollicking interview? The answer: You can't.

So I listened. If you haven't listened, it's a good interview. McEnroe is forthcoming, Baldwin asks good questions--interjecting at appropriate times to ask for clarification. Plus, he's a tennis fan, so he's informed and interested.

• The "juiciest" part: Likely McEnroe's take on Jimmy Conners, not exactly news, but he offered several stories I had never heard that backed up his dislike of the guy. Intrigue!
• The "things that make you go hmmm..." part: McEnroe saying American tennis is in a state of disarray with no good players in the top 20. Baldwin and I were both almost sputtering in tandem, "But what about Serena and Venus?" McEnroe, "Oh, I was talking about the men." But you weren't. You were talking about American tennis. And you leapt immediately and only to a discussion about the men. An interesting juxtaposition with the pride he conveyed later in the interview about tennis offering equal prize money. (I contend he was slower to come around to that idea than he claims, but not sure I have proof to back that up.)
• The most eye-brow raising part: When McEnroe refers to himself at some point in the past as the greatest player in the world, and then seems to backtrack immediately, saying (and I paraphrase) "I mean, that's what people were saying [pause], I was certainly one of the best..." Yikes. Revealing glimpse at the McEnroe ego?

But the part that stood out for me is when they were discussing how tennis seems to be losing popularity and what we might do to change that trend. McEnroe had several ideas, including that players should no longer warm each other up before matches. Really? That one tiny thing is going to make tennis more popular and mainstream?

McEnroe's theory is that warming each other up is too gentlemanly (or gentlewomanly). You have these two players who come out with blaring music, to cheering crowds, they're on opposite sides of the net bouncing around like prizefighters (referencing Nadal, no doubt), and then you take all the air out of the big build-up by having the players warm each other up--essentially helping each other out for 5-10 minutes. 

I also think McEnroe's take was that this is an unneeded time-suck, as well. Players have been warming up for hours, you're killing the momentum of them walking out and the crowd getting hyped up, etc.

I get it. But to me, eliminating the warm-up is not going to revolutionize tennis. In fact, I kind of like it. 

The "gentlemanly" spirit of the game is one of the most attractive things to me. 

• You come out from the same locker room--or at least the same tunnel. 
• You shake hands at net. 
• You warm each other up. 
• You apologize when you have to catch a toss while serving. 
• You apologize when you win a point due to the good graces of the net cord. 
• You might applaud a great shot by your opponent. 
• You shake hands with your opponent at the end. 
• You shake hands with the chair umpire. 
• And if you just played a final, even if you lose you stay on court. You give an interview, no less - the very concession-est of concession speeches--mere moments after heartbreak. And the standards for those interviews are high - you might need to speak another language; you undoubtedly need to be gracious; self-deprecation and humor score big points.

There's no other sport like it!

And that's one of the reasons, I'm more drawn to tennis than just about any other professional sport. 

There's a foundation of sportsmanship woven into the [Nike-logo-adorned] fabric of tennis. And it's juxtaposed against such incredible athleticism, brute force, artistic shot-making and amazing endurance. It's that fabulous contrast that makes tennis "sing" for me.

While it's no surprise that McEnroe, tennis's biggest "brat," would argue that the game is too gentlemanly, I, for one, disagree.

DAVE CHIMES IN: Yes. Yes. Yes! These are many of the same reasons I love tennis, too. The word "genteel" comes to mind when reading Bess' description. Then again, tennis can also be anything but genteel, at least when the ball is in motion. Where else is there a sport with such raw power and athleticism, coupled with traditional manners, basic decency, cherished protocol, storied tradition and mutual respect? Simple answer: There's not.

This gracious spirit is also why I get so upset when someone like Serena lashes out physically, verbally and emotionally at a line judge, shouting that she will "shove this #$*-ing ball down your throat." (If you're new to tennis, that was 2009, in a semifinal loss to Kim Clijsters that ultimately also cost Serena some $82,500 in fines.)

There's enough anger, egoism and disrespect in our world. Why I love tennis more and more, with each passing year, is that the sport is a haven from all of that madness. For a few hours, at least, two players compete aggressively, but do so civilly. (Well, at least they usually do.) Bravo to the great sportsmen and sportswomen of the ATP and WTA tours, respectively! If I were a parent, I would be more than proud to have my kids look to you as heroes and heroines.

Our favorite moments from AO2015

As a parting gift to our legions of readers, we've been keeping a running list of our favorite moments from the 2015 Australian Open. Here they are, in no particular order. 

Please do enjoy...

DAVE'S FAVORITE MOMENTS:

I'll start with snark. My favorite moment of the Australian Open? The last time I had to see the Forever Melbourne ad. You know, the one that goes, "Like (inaudible) leads into another world, like an oyster holds a secret, holds a pearl..." How many hundreds of times did this same spot air in a two-week span? Seriously?! If ever there was a reason to produce a SERIES of ads, rather than a standalone spot, this was it. Take note, advertisers.

On to tennis. Unfortunately, Google has failed me. I've searched several dozen variations of the following phrase, to no avail:

"serena williams getting knocked over by madison keys forehand" 

Not the moment, but same expression.

If you missed the moment, toward the end of the Keys-Serena semifinal, Madison hit a forehand directly at Serena, which knocked the champion backward and nearly to the ground. My joy in this moment was more about Madison generating such incredible power, not Serena getting embarrassed. It's just fun to see another woman hit as hard -- or even harder -- than Serena. Amazing stuff to watch.

Absolutely loved Sharapova's gracious concession speech, following her loss in the women's final. Read my post, and watch the video here.

Hingis is a Grand Slam champion once again, winning the mixed doubles title with Leander Paes. Didn't get to see any of the action, which is annoying. But, I'm happy for both of them.

This is silly, I suppose, but I loved Wawrinka's photo shoot with the puppies -- puppies! -- of Guide Dogs Victoria. (This was right before his semifinal loss to Djokovic.) Stan seems like such an affable guy. I just wish I found his brand of tennis as charming. Maybe his game will grow on me?

Honestly, I have very little to say about the men's draw, and certainly few, if any moments, that stand out as spectacular. I honestly found most of the matches to be incredibly dull and uninspiring. And, of course, my heart sank when Nadal and Federer both lost early. I'm not sure what the men's game needs. But, at least for me, I'm currently bored by the ATP.  

Drying the court with towels? What?!

My absolute favorite moment of the Australian Open? There's just no doubt about this one. How about the army of ball kids drying the court with towels? Right?! If you missed this moment during the women's final, you missed a classic. The whole absurdity and antiquity of this situation still makes me laugh. Invest in some drying equipment, already!

Let's see what Bess found to be memorable...



BESS'S FAVORITE MOMENTS: 

That pre-tournament interview with Hewitt/Federer, after a Fast4 exhibition match. The whole thing is pretty entertaining, but it's 14+ minutes long. For the highlight, FF to the 9:52 mark and hear Roger pause as he's asked to think of a loss that really hurt him. Love how Lleyton interjects, "You couldn't come up with one! That is a real problem! That's what happens if you have 1,000 wins!" Great fun.

Tim Smyczek's sportsmanship, and Rafa's reaction. I blogged about it here, but this brief video shows what went down...

The crowd and Rafa laughing during his match against Kevin Anderson as the ball kid is instructed to pick up Rafa's toppled water bottle. Everyone knows how finicky Rafa is about the placement of the water bottles. I love how careful the ballkid is... and the crowd's reaction... and Rafa's genuine smile and laugh--rare to see on court!: 

 
The clip of Chris Evert looking askance at something one of her co-commentators said. This is me half the time when I read Dave's blog posts.  ;-) Kidding, D!

Hat tip to Courtney Nguyen who linked to this hilarious Vine video featuring Maria Sharapova. Painful!

One of my favorite writers, Anne Lamott, frequently tweets about grand slam tennis. While her Aussie Open tweets were too few and far between this year, they still make me laugh. And I just like knowing she and I share this common interest:

I get that there are different dynamics in the Serena/Keys relationship compared to the Maria/Bouchard relationship (especially because Serena and Keys are both Americans and therefore likely more familiar with one another) but... this image contrasting the warm Serena/Keys hug at net and the icy Sharapova/Bouchard barely-a-handshake at net was striking. After all, Keys and Bouchard are up-and-comers who were both playing (and losing to) their former idols. Sheesh. Lighten up, Genie!

(As I was Googling for the Sharapova/Bouchard image below, I came across this short piece on the topic.)

After being caught on camera cursing during the Murray/Berdych match (and subsequently Gif'd and Vine'd to death--see Dave's post on the matter), Murray's fiancee Kim Sears showed up to the men's final wearing this shirt. Sears for the win!

We could go on, but... it's time to wrap this up. Admittedly, we see a fraction of the coverage, so likely have missed some key highlights!

TENNIS FANS: Are some of our favorite moments also yours? What did we miss that stands out for you?

Djok prevails; is anyone surprised?

POSTED BY DAVE: Novak (and Andy, too, I suppose)... my apologies. I didn't stay up overnight (like Bess did) to watch your final live. Nor did I watch the replay in its entirety this morning. Actually, I only watched the first two sets, and then most of the final set. And all of that while making chili and baking brownies for the Super Bowl later today. Worst fan ever?

Maybe next year, Andy. (Photo: IBI Times)

The truth is that I knew exactly how this match would go. Djokovic would win in less than five sets, and Murray would fade after a strong start. I'm not being critical, just realistic. Djok has won two-thirds of their head-to-head matches, most of which have been on hard courts. So, the outcome was easy to predict, and not surprising to see when I fast-forwarded to the end this morning.

I'm a big Novak fan for many reasons, including his cockiness, charisma and bravado (all of which Bess can't stand). I'm not as into Murray, mostly because he reminds me of an early-day Lindsay Davenport -- schlumping around the court when the chips are down, and having too much of a negative, self-defeating attitude. Lindsay turned this around eventually, and maybe Andy will, too. For now, give me Novak and his larger-than-life confidence.

That said, I do admire Murray, and for three specific reasons: (1) he boldly hired a female coach, in Amelie Mauresmo, who I have always thought to be terrific, anyway; (2) he has recovered from back surgery, which is not easy at all to do, and something with which I still struggle; and, (3) he publicly treats his mom with such great respect and love, far more than any other player, man or woman. I get the sense that Andy is a pretty innovative, resilient and good-hearted bloke. Now, if he could just consistently display more of these qualities on court, and all the way through to the finish of these big events.

Before I close, let me share my favorite tweet from this weekend, which happens to be from my friend and former colleague, Lori. No explanation or caption needed. Enjoy!

BESS REPLIES: I guess you'd have to color me surprised at the outcome of the match. To back up a sec, I didn't have either Djok or Murray in my bracket picks for the finals! And after watching the semis, I was pretty sure Murray was going to win the championship. He looked really impressive, while Djok appeared to struggle physically in his win over Wawrinka. 

So I was surprised, and I was not delighted. As Dave mentioned, I'm not a Novak fan.  I try to edit my comments to take out that personal bias, but it's hard! Just as I admire Serena's ability to win in almost any scenario, I have to admire that in Djokovic. But since i don't want either of them to win, I simultaneously admire that skill and am ridiculously annoyed by it. 

I'm not a huge Murray fan, but - like Dave - I'm coming around a bit, which I'll get to in a minute. But first, I found it somewhat entertaining that Murray was thrown off by Djokovic's really odd and inexplicable "wounded bird" routine, when Murray has been accused of doing just that in many previous matches--acting like he's struggling to catch his breath and like one or both of his legs are in terrible pain--only to go sprinting full-out toward an unreturnable shot and returning it for a winner. Like, Andy is KNOWN for this.

So when Djokovic started stumbling around after every point, seemingly unable to get his balance - think Serena at that infamous Wimbledon doubles match - yet he continued to hit winners at a moment's notice, well, Andy should have recognized that routine. Instead, he allowed himself to get truly distracted by it (reportedly with the help of his camp who apparently fell for it.) So I just can't feel that sorry for Andy. Beaten at his own dubious game.

Murray and Mauresmo, putting in the work

But what I would like to address is what Dave mentioned above - something I'd been thinking we should blog about, which is Andy Murray's subtle and not so subtle appreciation of women in sport. 

Andy comes by this honestly. Raised by a single mom who is also a tennis coach (current captain of the British Fed Cup Team) and who acted in that capacity for Andy to some extent in the early years, Andy is clearly comfortable with strong female role models. 

His choice of Amelie Mauresmo as his latest coach has been met with a lot of raised eyebrows in multiple circles--players (I'm sure), the press, the public. So I give him much credit for making that decision and sticking with it. While the end of 2014 was nothing to write home about, Murray has looked great so far in 2015. Credit to Mauresmo, Murray and the whole team.

After his drama-filled, testosterone-laden semi-final clash with Berdych, people remarked how funny it was that Andy's post-match, on-court interview was essentially a commercial for feminism. Take a gander:

But one more subtle way Andy has impressed me lately is how often he Tweets about women players and/or coaches in a very genuine way. The first couple of times I saw those tweets I was surprised--sad, isn't it? But it's just rare among the top men. 

This was his Tweet after the semi-final referenced above:

And here are some other Tweets:

Among the male players I follow on Twitter, Andy remains the most vocal male player in support of the women's game. I hope he influences others on the ATP tour to more vocally support their female counterparts (or, you know, to even pay attention to the WTA.) It would be a welcome change.

TENNIS FANS: Were you team Murray or team Djokovic? What stood out for you in this final? Let us know...

Serena d. Maria, again (aka early Groundhog Day)

POSTED BY BESS: Going into last night's women's final, here was my thinking: "Serena will most likely win. I just hope it's a respectable showing for Maria and a good match." I certainly nailed the Serena call, and I got what I hoped for with Maria's performance.

As you'll see below, Dave and I texted throughout the match. Let the record show that Dave, professed Sharapova superfan that he is, was ready to throw in the towel after the first set. I, however, mere mortal Sharapova fan that I am, was holding out hope.

That's kind of how it went, match-wise and texting-wise. One would never know that Dave and I are professional communicators with exchanges like this:

It seems odd to watch the world #1 and the world #2 face off and just simply hope it's not a bloodbath, but that's the essence of the Maria/Serena match-up. So one-sided, for so many years. As Dave said, and I quote, "This is where you realize Serena is the better athlete, technically. And player, mentally." 

And so it came to pass, that Dave begrudgingly acknowledged Serena's superiority.

Thankfully, the second set turned out to be a great display of what makes Maria and Serena respectively great. Maria refuses to give up. Serena can summon greatness at will--especially when the trophy is in sight. 

All credit to Maria for staying in this one--serving well, taking risks and keeping Serena on her toes as long as she did. I'm sure Maria's frustrated with the loss, but I also believe her when she says she wants to play the best, and Serena is it. So she'll take the loss (again) and hopefully learn from it.

Does Maria desperately want to beat Serena one of these times? No doubt about it. Hopefully last night proved she has more of a shot than most people (myself included) gave her credit for. And maybe one of these days she can give the classiest of victory speeches against Serena, instead of the classiest of runner-up speeches. 

As for Serena, she is now second only to Steffi Graf for major titles in the Open Era, prompting Dave to text this, post-match:

Barring injury, I feel it's somewhat inevitable. You know, 23 is not that far away from 19--when you're Serena.

One more note from the final: that 12-minute rain delay while they closed the roof. What is with the army of ballkids with towels, on their hands and knees madly "drying" the court while it's still raining? So bizarre.

Dave and I had a funny exchange about it. (See left.) But Chrissie Evert's comment was the best, "It looks like the movie Annie out there." Someone else chimed in, "It's a hard court life." Brilliant.

My sleep deprivation is beginning to show. I should wrap this up. 




DAVE ADDS: This is absolutely a nightmare, stoked by my getting up at midnight to watch the women's final, and then trying to go back to sleep after such a sad defeat. (There may have been some noshing on pizza in there, too.) Slowly waking up here on the West Coast, and to Bess' public declaration, no less, that I have "acknowledged Serena's superiority" once and for all.

Ouch.

I'm so sorry, Maria. Please don't hate.

The second half of the second set was fun to watch. THAT'S the kind of final which I had hoped for Maria, and selfishly, for me. Something highly competitive, and also truly reflective of both athletes' great talent, physically and mentally. They are both such fighters! I'm grateful that Maria's fight and intensity finally came through, even though it was too little, too late. So, I truly can't complain or criticize. At least the match didn't go as quickly as I had originally feared.

My prediction, shortly after the start.

Props to Serena. She's got the eye of the tiger, as they say. And the mad skills to deliver on that intense focus. She truly is a powerhouse. You know, Chrissie remarked that Serena should be concerned about Keys and "all of the other power players rising to the top of women's tennis now." Like who? Personally, I don't see that kind of depth. If Serena stays healthy and motivated, which she certainly should with Graf's and even Court's records in sight, then I see no reason why she won't remain #1 for this year, and likely beyond.

Are you still with me? Good.

Listen to this short video clip, please, of Maria's post-match speech. Such gracious and sincere remarks about Serena. And you'll love what she says about "the life of a tennis player." (Let's just say that we can all relate, whether you're a tennis player or not.) Perhaps what I most admire about Maria is that graciousness and honesty, in victory but especially in defeat. She's a true class act. Bravo, Maria!

On a closing note, I'd like to remark on how amazing Navratilova looks in this video clip. She's 58 years old, people! To be honest, I was always Team Chrissie, rather than Team Martina. (Sorry, Martina.) It's a bit like I'm Team Maria, not Team Serena, I suppose. One is clearly more powerful than the other, and I'm repeatedly for the underdog.

I have long admired Martina's physicality and intensity, though, just like I do Serena's. As the years have passed, I've grown to admire Martina even more for all that she's done for the LGBT community, true underdogs in our society. Likewise, I was encouraged last night to hear Serena mention she donated $200 for each of her aces to motor-neuron disease research. Maybe Serena is growing into that true champion status, where she realizes that it's not about the trophies and the twirling, but rather the sportsmanship, the role modeling, and the leveraging of one's star status for the greater good.

On to the men's final tonight. Can't wait!

TENNIS FANS: Will Serena go on to break Steffi's Open era record of 22 Grand Slam singles titles? And what's next for Maria? Weigh in, please!

Announcing her arrival

POSTED BY BESS: Madison Keys, dear readers. She came... she thumped her serves... and, ultimately, she lost.

But in the process she impressed. She gained fans. And she went toe-to-toe with the world #1... something we have rarely seen in recent memory. 

She leaves Melbourne a hotter commodity than when she arrived, that's for sure. Nearly everyone is predicting a great future on the greatest of tennis stages. I'm already bemoaning the vacuum months of February through May while we await the next slam. 

But first, let's revel a bit in last night's match. Sports Illustrated noted these crazy stats:

• Another notable stat: Keys won 21 of 28 rallies that lasted five shots or more.

And that's why Madison should hold her head high. All that, and the eight match points she saved, seven of which came in a marathon, 10-minute game on her serve, down 5-1 in the second set. 

She just wasn't intimidated. At all. By Serena or the occasion. I loved it!

Even Dave agreed:

And so the final is set... 

Serena vs. Maria. World #1 vs. World #2. Their head-to-head is terribly one-sided, in Serena's favor, so I'm dubious about the quality of the match. I'm hoping to be proven wrong, especially since I will be getting up at 2:30 a.m. to watch it!

As it is, sweet dreams for me tonight. And I hope for Keys, as well. She's earned them. 

DAVE CHIMES IN: Madison has arrived. Who can doubt that? And if her final service game against Serena was any indication (i.e. holding off more than a half-dozen match points!), the future looks very bright for Madison, indeed.


I'm as big a fan of Maria. Always have been. But, like Bess, I doubt she can or will prevail in the final. Serena is so close to claiming her 19th Grand Slam title. It's hard to fathom someone as focused as Serena letting this moment slip past.

TENNIS FANS: Are you still out there? Watching tennis? Cheering on your favorites? Reading our blog? Let us know what's keeping you engaged in the latter stages of this slam.

Who are these people?!

POSTED BY DAVE: Earlier, I was talking with a good friend on the phone, while keeping an eye on the muted television set. The SAG Awards were underway. He and I joked about getting older, and no longer knowing who some of the award nominees are -- or even the performances in which they were involved. Has this happened to you yet? It's truly sobering.

Tennis never used to be like this. I would plant myself in front of the screen for hours, watching every player and every point. When I was really young, I would even mimic the players' movements. This is, I believe, how I learned my version of Graf's slice backhand. It's not quite as lethal, but it's pretty darn good. Me and Steffi? We won quite a few Slams together; she actually doing all of the sweating and competitive work, me just floating along at home, her adoring shadow. Oh, how I miss you, Steffi.

Nick Kyrgios, #53 in the world. (Photo: Ludbey/NCA)

So, I'll admit that until his surprising win over Seppi, I had never heard of Nick Kyrgios. You, either? Well, here's what I know now. He's 19 years old. Currently ranked #53 in the world. Has played pro tennis for two years. And, until now, had never made it farther than the third round of a major. His next opponent? Murray.

And then there's Halep. She's #3 in the world, yet if you showed me a picture of her off-court, I would never recognize her in a million years. You, either? Then you should swallow your pride, and realize that she's currently ranked #3 in the world. She's a 23 year-old Romanian who has played professional tennis for nine years. In 2013, she won the first of her six WTA titles. Since then, she has made the French Open final and the WTA year-end final. Her next opponent in Australia? Makarova.

Simona Halep, #3 in the world. (Photo: Zee News)

You'd think with smartphones and the Internet and social media that it would be easier to keep up with the changing faces of our sport. Then again, maybe all of that information flying around makes player recognition even more difficult for cheer-from-home fans like me.

Forgive me. I need to go now. Muguruza (another player I don't know) has been battling Serena. I like this gal's serve. I'm going to rewind the DVR, stand up and play along for a game or two, much like a poor man's version of Wii. I hope to add some much-needed snap to my own serve. Somewhere, Steffi is smiling.

BESS REPLIES: The image of Dave playing along with Steffi is priceless! How had I not heard that story? No wonder he's so enamored with her... to this day. They've been through so much together! Love it.

I'm going to go on record as saying all three of the players Dave mentioned above were, indeed, on my radar. I've been (incorrectly) picking Halep to win majors since mid-2014 at least (ages ago at this point!) and, in fact, picked her to win this one. I would have recognized her off court for sure. 

While I still would have trouble recognizing Muguruza off court, I do remember her impressive win over Serena from last year. And was rooting for the same today. (Alas.)

Perhaps that's why my WTA Racquet Bracket picks are currently ranked 48th out of 5,573? Sorry, Dave... trying not to gloat (about my scores or the fact that I filled out my picks online and can therefore check such interesting stats). But... I'm a tad bit proud. 

Let's just agree not to ask about my men's picks anymore.

Oh and speaking of the men, Kyrgios was well on my radar (by both name and face) thanks to his defeat of Rafa last year at Wimbledon. I still haven't quite forgiven him. If there were a MOST WANTED poster on my bedroom wall, featuring the mugs of young upstarts who have unceremoniously knocked Rafa out of majors, Kyrgios's photo would be front and center, right alongside Lukas Rosol. #neverforget

Apparently this is Madison Brengle

If I'm being completely honest, though, I will admit that of the American women who made it to the third round, there were two I still couldn't pick out of a line-up: 

• Madison Brengle (who is playing Madison Keys momentarily) 
• And Varvara Lepchenko (who lost to Aggie Radwanska) 

I think it says something about the state of American women's tennis when I can't pick the 4th ranked American woman (Lepchenko) out of a line-up. Or it says something about me. Likely the latter. 

Varvara Lepchenko, ladies and gentlemen,
our 4th ranked American woman

Brengle, however, is currently 11th in the list of U.S. women, so I'm guessing I'm not so alone there. But she's making a name for herself as we speak.

And with that, I'm off to cheer for the Madisons! 

TENNIS FANS: Are you willing to admit you don't recognize some WTA or ATP players? If so, who?

Fasion Police, Melbourne edition

POSTED BY BESS: And now for the perennial discussion of the most pressing tennis matter at hand... the fashion.

I know it's the Aussie Open, but I'm not sure I've ever seen so many day-glo brights at one time. It's like an '80s party, but with 2015 "shoe technology." 

Serena's backless Nike kit

Serena was interviewed by Mary Joe the other night, and she said all the Nike athletes are in bright colors. That explains a lot, since there are a swoosh of Nike athletes in the field. (See what I did there?) 

Here's what I don't get. The sportswear companies know the top 128 men and 128 women are all converging on the same tourney. If you're Nike, you must know players wearing your gear are going to be playing back to back to back matches on TV--and often playing each other. So why are so many of them wearing the same exact same kits? 

I get that there's cost effectiveness in producing just a few styles. So come up with a few for the season but then make those limited styles in a gang of colors. Maybe add a stripe here, change a fabric there. Allow for a little individuality in this individual sport. No? But why not?

It doesn't seem that hard to help the players avoid feeling like they just showed up to prom and all of their closest friends *and* worst enemies are wearing the same damn thing. 

To the uninitiated viewer, those early rounds must have looked like the same two players out there for 12 hours straight. I did witness two back-to-back matches featuring one player wearing the Adidas purple outfit and the other wearing the Nike pink/white get-up. It just seems odd and unnecessary. 

Clearly there's a whole lot about outfitting tennis players that I don't understand. 

Getting down to the specifics, this is not my favorite look:

But it was *everywhere* the first two nights. When paired with pink shoes and pink sweat bands, as I witnessed one player doing, it was like an ad for Love's Baby Soft. {shudder} Certainly we can do better than this.

Now, Serena's Nike dress is completely distinctive, being backless, and all (see photo at top of post.) As is Sharapova's (one of my faves, see photo at bottom of post.) They are premier athletes, so it seems to make sense that they have very distinctive looks. But must the rest of the players be left looking like an army of neon Garanimals?

Interestingly, after I had drafted this post, Maria tweeted photos of three women wearing her MS Nike line. Confusing, since they're all wearing the same outfit (is the line just one kit?) and the kit looks nothing like Maria's signature look for this tournament... but it does somewhat resemble Serena's look. Agree? So bizarre.

Oh - and, thoughts on Caro's Adidas number, dubbed "The Barricade?" (First, it has a name?) Her looks are typically a bit edgier, so this one has thrown me for a loop in all its muted glory. I don't hate it. But I don't love it.  

Woziacki's yawner of a dress

Finally, the men. Their fashion matters, too! It's just typically not as fun to discuss. 

I feel like there was more variety in the men's kits, especially in the early rounds, but maybe that's just me being distracted by all the five set matches they played! 

I'm not a big fan of Federer's lemonade ensemble (my name, not his.) He's typically hard to fault but this one just doesn't do it for me. Rafa's bright pink is fun, but all the neon yellow accessories are a bit much. Pretty sure Stacy and Clinton would have told him to "edit" his look before hitting the court. (Not that Rafa would have listened.) 

And then there's Kei Nishikori, in what might aptly be described as the UPS Power Pro Series:

No one else is really standing out for me at this point, but I can't say that I've seen everyone play, so I'm likely missing a few obvious Fashion Police candidates. 

I'm sure Dave has some thoughts.

DAVE WEIGHS IN: First things first. Bess, you stole my reference to the 80s!

Secondly, I haven't paid as much attention to fashion this tournament, as in past Slams. That may be because, as Bess (and Serena) noted, all of the Nike-sponsored female athletes have been wearing the same dress. YAWN. 

Pretty much everyone agrees this is an A+ look.

But, hold it, is that really true? I've only caught one of Sharapova's matches, but she was wearing this flawless Nike dress. Still in the pink family, but not the standard-issue Nike dress I have seen Serena and the others wear. Maybe I'm missing something? Or losing my mind due to the sleep deprivation that comes with trying to hold down a full-time job plus watch live tennis that's on at such ungodly hours back here in the States.  

Regardless, I don't mind all of the pink dresses, nor the sense of unity. Maybe it's subconsciously helped me focus more on the action than the fashion, at least in the case of Nike-sponsored women.

As for the men, do we really consider what they wear fashion? That's a stretch, in my opinion. I'll comment solely on Fed's outfit, solely because it was so bright and distracting. And roughly in the same color family as tennis balls, no doubt making it, at times, difficult for the opposing player to follow the ball's path. All of that strikes me as being a bit much, especially for a soft-spoken, gracious champion like Fed.

Then again, this isn't Wimbledon! Let them wear all the crazy colors they want Down Under. Just please, All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, don't ever bend your rules. I love Wimbledon's strict dress code, and the sense of tradition and honor.  

TENNIS FANS: Anybody want to talk fashion aces and faults from the 2015 Aussie Open? Opinions run the gamut, for sure. Feel free to put us in our place.