GUYS.
GUYS.
GUYS.

My mind went into some really weird fight. There’s this side, the good side, who was all: “Dear boy, Rafa! I remember when you were a baby in your sleeveless shirts, upsetting the likes of Coria and stuff. Now suddenly you’re being straddled by a popstar and liking it? I get it, Shakira is hot, but you shouldn’t be touching girls that way. You should be happy playing Winning Eleven with the big boys. Not wanting some nippleless woman to play with your big boy.*”

The other side of my brain, the bad side, is just going: “OH MY GOD, CAN I PLEASE BE SHAKIRA? CAN WE GET MORE RAFA SHOTS? CAN WE GET A SLOW MOTION CLIP OF HIM BENDING NOW TO PICK SOMETHING-” I’ll stop before it goes to far.

Anyway, here’s the video.

Keep in mind this is art, not glorified fapping material.**

*I don’t know what I was thinking when I typed that. Apologies.

** LOLOLOLOLLLL.

(caps via iheartrafa)

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I’m enjoying my last days of freedom. Soon, I’ll be back at uni, whining “Why do I need a journalism diploma anyway?” like I always do. I had very big plans for this afternoon: I’d wake up in a reasonable hour, watch some curling on TV, warm up and try out my new strings. It rained. In fact, it’s still pouring out there. So, instead, here I am, surfing the web, listening to some music (Ellie Goulding’s album leaked last night), drinking tea and being a very boring person overall.

Somehow, on this surfing the web thing, I stumbled upon American player Nancy Ritcher wiki page. (I know, guys, it’s shocking I’m single. I’m such a catch.) What amused about Ritcher’s career was her Australian Open record. Richer had a lasting career, she played 18 U.S. Open, from 1958 to 1978. Unfortunately, she only played the Australian Open twice, in 66 and 67. Back in the pre-Open Era days, it was common for players from America not to play the tournaments overseas and, also, the other way around. Tennis wasn’t professional, there were no 70-million-dollar Nike contracts, it was very expensive to go all the way Down Under just for a tournament.

”It was tough,” said Richey to the Boston Globe in 2003, ”You stayed in fleabag hotels and just scraped by. Like at Forest Hills, even in 1969 when it was open, you were fighting the subway. That made it really tough. After being all day on a court, you were tired and it was hot.”

So why was her Australian Open history eye catching to me? While she took the title in 67, the year before, she lost to Margaret Court — by a walkover. Looking at the past champions of the tournament, that was the only time a walkover happened in a Women’s Singles AO final. Since the ladies were incorporated in the championships, back in 1922, the closest thing we got to a walkover in a final were two retirements. The most recent one being when Frenchwoman Amélie Mauresmo won her first Slam title after Justine Henin retired at 6-1 2-0 due to stomach cramps.

I did my job. I googled and researched what led Ritcher to not show up for her first Australian Open final. I came up empty handed. And was, whatever happened at the 1966 final, a push that made her eager to come back in the following year to take the title? Indulge me, folks. If anyone knows something that could help me satisfy my schoolgirl curiosity for random tennis tidbits, I’d love it. Really, please.

Also, apparently Ritcher wore shorts to play matches. This was back in the 60’s — where frilly white dresses were the norm for all tennis playing ladies. Knowing how much I love a fashion revolution: Cheers, Ritcher.

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My thoughts can be summed by one picture:

Carry on.

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Twilight star Robert Pattinson told Details magazine he’s allergic to vaginas. “How original” you may think. Well, you couldn’t be more mistaken, sir. Like in every other thing in the whole wide universe, tennis players have done it before. I’d like to enlighten this dusty blog with some vintage top notch journalism. Here, let me dazzle you with an Ana Ivanovic interview for British newspaper The Guardian.

Q: Are women attracted to you?

A: Oh my God, I’ve had a few uncomfortable experiences but I’m so allergic to that. I just can’t… even now when I see my friends and they just want to kiss the cheek. I prefer men.

Serious journalism. You find it at Fierce Tennis. ©

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Ahem, as you wish.

(picture via fuckyeahfernandoverdasco)

ETA: MOAR, MOAR, MOAR.

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TEAM UKRAINE (= The Bonds + their adorable puppies + some people I do not care about)

TEAM ROMANIA (= LOLWUT?)

TEAM GB (= twitter addicts)

TEAM SERBIA (= Ana + Serbian journalists + MAYBE Serbian Warrior Princess JJ)

TEAM RUSSIA (= the unattractive rssns the greatest people you’ll ever meet)

TEAM POLAND (= I-like-to-think-I’m-fashionable!Aga + men-love-me!Marta +  more people I don’t care about)

Summing up, my feelings on this:

1) I can’t be arsed to post the pictures of all teams.

2) I would really appreciate more pics of FAB RSSNS in action and pictures from TEAM GB that don’t come from twitter. Get on it, Fed Cup website.

3) Vika and Caro seem to use to Fed Cup as an opportunity to flirt on twitter. Like every other thing in the world. (NEVAH STOP, LADEES.)

4) I wish Fed Cup lasted all year long. Literally. Fed Cup all weekends!

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I really wish I was there right now.

Four days of exciting Fed Cup tennis, the chance to watch some of the new kids up close (Michelle Larcher de Britto, Elle Allgurin), players coming back from injuries (Anne Keothavong, Patty Schnyder) and some of the brightest young talents on the circuit at the moment (#3 Caroline Wozniacki, #6 Victoria Azarenka). The cherry on the top is that the pass to all 4 days costs just 40€ (can be bought here) and the seats aren’t numbered.

Take me to Lisbon, please. I promise I’ll behave.

On the weekend, we’ll have the first round of the World Group.

I REALLY WANT TO RUSSIA TO TAKE THE TITLE THIS YEAR. I’d lie if I said I wasn’t still gutted about that loss to Italy last year. What can I say? I’m very attached to that team. Caro cheers for Liverpool, I cheer for the Russian Fed Cup team. We’ve all got our quirks.

(The pink matches my layout. ♥)

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I suppose that, as a “tennis blogger”, it is my job to write about the final. Fucking hell.

Before Sunday, I would have said Murray was the favourite. The quality of the tennis he had been playing up until the final was higher than Federer’s. He was moving well (Rafa well, The Flash well) and playing very consistently. He was even coming up with some magical passing shots that we counterpunching fans love so much. But what was really making Andy clutch his wins has the ability to transit from defense to attack. It’s what made him dominate Rafa Nadal. He was coming to the net at unexpected moments, making his opponent feel at a constant unease.

In the final match, Murray had a few (understatement, oy) problems. We could start by the serve. In the first set, he had a first serve percentage as low as 45% and no aces at all. Not only he wasn’t being able to do damage with his first serve, but he could hardly get it in. In that same set he did 11 unforced errors, which in the Mandy scale of UEs, is enough for a whole match. He was playing solely on the defense and made only 5 winners. “It’s ok, it’s the nerves, he’ll wake up in the second set.”

Well, he didn’t. But it did get better. He made the same number of UEs and winners — which, for a player with Mandy’s playing style, is a quite shitty stat.

Third set, the serve improved. 60% in and 8 aces. With that, he managed to get a lead. He served for the set at 5-3 but was broken at love. The set went to the tiebreak: game, set and match, Mr. Federer.

I’d like to show the stat that, for me, defined the match. No, it wasn’t Mandy’s awful serving.

The crazy netplay that Mandy had showed us in his previous match wasn’t present in the final. And don’t let the stat trick you, he didn’t even go to the net “that much”.  Most of them were due to Federer’s dropshots. It seems like, in the final, Mandy forgot what the word attacking meant.

Now, I’ll do something that I love to do: blame the British media. Dear British journalists, how about you guys think why such a rich country like yours haven’t won a slam in 73 years? Did Henman really not have what it takes to win a slam? I mean, even Andy Roddick won one. Was Henman worse on grass than Ferrero, Moya or Gaudio on clay? They all won Slams. It’s pointless to hype up players*. It’s even more pointless to dump a country’s expectations on just one person. I realize the money they invested on this boy is ridiculous — but he’s only human. This is tennis, a sport where the mental part is as important as the physical. If not more.

I hate the idea that all that talent might be waste due to media pressure. Federer himself said these two weeks were perhaps the best of his career. Why? He played loose. Now that he has won all four Slams and already surpassed Sampras‘ record, he says he’s playing without pressure on himself. Let’s recall something here. Federer, last year, didn’t manage to win his 14th Slam at the Australian Open and, in front of Rod Laver and other Slam champions, cracked. This year, Mandy failed to win his maiden title. What happened? Boy crying in the microphone, excusing himself for not being able to win the title for his people.

A lesson learned, ladies and gents: pressure can work as motivation. Or it can do the exact opposite. Cheers.

*PLS LEAVE LAURA ROBSON ALONE.

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Let me start by saying the last thing I wish to do is take off Andy’s merit. The first two sets were played brilliantly by the Brit. He showed not only the amazing counter-punching we all know he’s capable of, but also some high quality aggressive tennis. He would slice, hit it deep, flat, serve and volley — completely dominating the match. Amazing tennis and a well deserved semifinal spot for Murray.

Now, can I just come here and worry? Rafa retired, it’s the knee again. Hear me whine for all eternity.

He says it happened in the middle of the second set. Now, would that just happen? And how would he know that thanks to the sting of pain, it was for the best to retire? Was the knee pain that strong? Or considering it hurt, he thought it wasn’t worth to continue playing — after all, he would hardly be able to come back from two sets and one break down. Specially by the way Andy was calling all the shots. But would Rafael Nadal really just give up of a match (in a Slam he was defending, even) like that, if the problem wasn’t serious? I can’t help but think the knee still hasn’t healed and that the whole “I’m all better, it doesn’t hurt at all” talk was bullshit from the Spaniard.

His injuries are a subject that Rafa really doesn’t like to talk about during his interviews. It’s not like you want to warn to your opponent: “Hey, look at me, I’m crippled, just slice all the balls — bending my knees hurts too much.” But Rafa really doesn’t like to talk about it. Enough to refuse to answer over and over.

As a fan, the last thing I’ll be caring right now are the rankings (he’ll lose the #2 position). Maybe he came back too soon. If missing the American spring hardcourt season is what it takes to heal the knee, let it be.

Dear Rafael, if you’re reading this, 1) omg, stop pls, this is really embarrassing, 2) If you continued reading, let me warn you that tennis fans do not want to see an early retirement from you, Sir. How are we supposed to watch clay tennis when you’re injured? IT WILL BE PAAAAIIIIIINFUUUUUUL. (see what I meant when I said “embarrassing”?) Get better soon, we love you.

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And an oldie but a goodie featuring, only the greatest player of all time, Steffi Graf:

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