Night match preview: Carlos Rodriguez believes Henin can’t defeat Dementieva
January 19th, 2010 • Uncategorized • 1 comment
From a translation over here:
“Practice with Tuesday’s hitting partner is going to be very important,” says Rodriguez. “I want many long rallies. After all, Dementieva can turn the match into a demolition job.”
“The final against Kim gave a wrong idea of the level that Justine can reach at the moment. Justine had to wait for Kim to lapse to get into that match.”
“But you don’t get a chance like that every match. I would like to see Justine get the victory herself against Dementieva. But I think it’s too early for that. Give us another two months.”
“The expectations are too high. No, I don’t think it will end well against Dementieva. Except for Kim, no one can currently reach her level of play.”
If I were to bet on this match, I’d say whoever takes it, will win 2-0. I think it all depends on Elena’s head. If she (or them, her + her special lil’ head) shows up to play, she can easily win, just like she did with Serena last week at Sydney. If she’s in one of her, let’s say, “inspired” days, I think this match could easily go to a rusty Henin.
The match will take place at Rod Laver Arena at 7pm Melbourne time. Should be a good one.
BOMBSHELL: Nikolay Davydenko is NOT Paris Hilton
January 19th, 2010 • kolya • 1 comment
Q. Do you enjoy scaring people?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Enjoy which people?
Q. Has Del Potro taught you to play PlayStation?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: Yes. Like in London, everyone just start to talking about me like I’m like PlayStation player. Like if you play against me in PlayStation, the same level. I’m moving fast, play fast.
That’s what is good. Everybody thinking I am very fast on the court. And I want to practicing like this. I want to keep this level, like PlayStation.
Q. Since you won the Masters, are you more recognized in the street? Do you sign more autographs?
NIKOLAY DAVYDENKO: I hope not. Then is not so many like say celebrity guys. I am not Paris Hilton. I don’t want to be like this. I don’t want to be like Nadal, Federer. These guys I never see by breakfast. They stay in the room and take room service.
For me better go downstairs, you know, take breakfast, or dinner to go somewhere, not to be so much famous.
What a rockstar.
Upset of the day: Andreev wins a set off Federer.
January 19th, 2010 • kiri's bf, roger failderer • No comments
Q. Your boyfriend plays Federer. Have you had a word about how to take down the big guns?
MARIA KIRILENKO: Yeah, he had Federer and I have Sharapova. I think before the matches he said that we can start the year like loud, you know (laughter). And I already start the year loud, I think. So now his turn. Of course is going to be tough, but, you know, in the first round, you know, never know what’s gonna happen.
Q. Yesterday your friend Miss Kirilenko said you had urged her to make a loud noise to enter the year. She said she did that and now it was your turn.
IGOR ANDREEV: She put too much pressure on me. (Laughter.) Like after she win the match she said, Okay, now it’s your turn. No, I was happy she won yesterday. She won because ‑‑ not only because she won, but she played very good match. Very good tennis.
The last time Federer and Andreev played before yesterday’s match, it was the 2008 U.S. Open. To say it was similar would be an understatement. It was the same thing, one set less. They played in an equal level during the first sets but, in the end, Federer mentally prevailed 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
In Melbourne, Igor had three set points to take the third set and lead 2-1, he wasted in such ways I still find unbelievable. I’m sure he had nightmares about one of these forehands.
That being said, I congratulate Igor. By the way he was playing Hopman Cup, I didn’t imagine him putting a fight here. It was a brave effort, let this show him how he can play tennis and inspire him to FUCKING DEFEAT FEDERER NEXT TIME. All right, Iggy? Awesome.
Oh yeah, and also Sodermort was ousted in the first roud. What a pity. SEE YOU AROUND, DUDE.
A few quick links!
January 18th, 2010 • ace ace andy, holy rafa, off-topic, squeaky shoes ivanovic, the radwanskas, wags • No comments
- Australian Open’s website in their mobile version. Very good for checking scores when you’re in the movies or simply away from the computer.
- Free AO livestreams: ATDHE.net, FromSport, LiveScoreHunter.
And “news”:
- Andy Roddick’s wife Brookly Decker in a suit for Elle Magazine. Oh, oh-kay.
- Rafa Nadal om nom nom. I have a feeling he’ll be stripping more to tone down the ridiculousness of his outfit.
- Doesn’t Aga Radwanska clean up nicely? Gracing the cover of magazines and rocking some great hair.
- Ana’s blogging from Melbourne.
- The Guardian’s “Australian Open Day 1 in Pictures“.
28-year-old? Amazing how fast time goes by when you’re having fun.
Upset of the day: Battle of the Marias
January 18th, 2010 • kiri is 2 hot 4 u, maria shutupova • 2 comments
Q. How would you describe your sense of confidence right now?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Uhm, well, I’m leaving on Monday of the first week, so that explains a lot.
On the first Rod Laver Arena match of the tournament, Maria Kirilenko defeated former champion Maria Sharapova in 3 hours and 22 minutes. It was hardly what one would call a quality match: Sharapova alone had 77 unforced errors and 11 double faults. In the end, it was exciting, it was an upset, everyone likes seeing seeds falling, but, most importantly, it was nice to Kiri (who had a terrible season last year) start this one with such a good kick. Kuddos, tiny Kiri.
Now, there’s something I need to talk before I go in the match (do I ever do that?): Sharapova’s dress. I’ll miss it. It’s a shame it’s leaving so early. I do agree with most of you that think it’s over the top — it is. But the thing is, in the last few seasons, “tennis fashion” should have been stripped of the word “fashion”. It was stuck in the commonplace so badly that all we had was revamped colours for athletic outfits. Now, this? (Whatever this is.) Is a proper design. With multilayers (maybe a little less colour would have been ace) and work. Kiri seems to agree it’s a good dress.
Q. What did you think of Maria’s outfit or costume? Do you ever pay attention to things like that?
MARIA KIRILENKO: It was blue, I think, like POWERade. I mean, yeah, what can I say? Was good dress. She always have a nice dresses. I think I always have a nice dresses, as well.
Was good dress. Just what I said. Shame she’s colourblind.
Q. Is it possible I read on your lips vamos sometimes when you do a point, or not?
MARIA KIRILENKO: Yes, because I’m practicing in Spain, in Valencia, and all the guys, coaches, they always saying vamos. That’s why I think say instead of say, Come on, I said, Vamos.
Bless. (Now this is the part where someone throws rocks me at me for being so biased — when Sharapova screams ‘Vamos’, it’s annoying. When Kiri does it, it’s ‘Look how cute bb Kiri! *pat pat* Here, Kiri, have a cookie!’)
Q. You put your fingers to your lips late in the match. Was that to get the crowd to quieten down?
MARIA KIRILENKO: It’s unbelievable. I got so many questions in the locker room, in the players’ lounge. What did you do? What does it mean? I don’t know. Everyone can think what does that mean.
Normally, it was for me actually, that everything is calm, you know. Because, you know, of course it’s a great win, but it’s only the first round I pass. It’s nothing big happens actually.
What?
Q. Do you know that usually Arshavin does the same when he kicks the goal?
MARIA KIRILENKO: Yeah, that’s true. That’s what Kuznetsova just told me. Because she thinking that I was watching Arshavin before the match.
But that’s not it. I said, No, I didn’t watch.
Is Kuznetsova an Arsenal fan? Does she love Arshavin as much as I do? Maybe we should be friends.
And to finish this off. How did that feel, Kiri?
Yup, thought so. Get it! She will now play Austrian Yvonne Meusburger that defeated Swiss Timea Bacsinszky in the first round.
EXCITED??????????????????? (the capslock and multiple question marks say ‘yes’)
January 16th, 2010 • off-topic • No comments
LET THE FUN BEGIN! @fiercetennis will be spamming tweeting about the matches live. Whee.
Justine Henin takes the “rockstar” thing a little too seriously
January 6th, 2010 • allez bitch is back, tennis players are rockstars too • 2 comments
This year’s comeback baby, Justine Henin, appeared in this amazing music video of Belgian popstar Lara Fabian back in June.
When I say amazing, I really mean a-m-a-z-i-n-g. You can watch such revolutionary music video HERE. (Spoiler: Lara Fabian makes the world colourful. :’) Beautiful.)
That’s a….. very interesting tune there. My favourite part of the video is when “Lara” draws a rainbow for Justine. How’s your ex-husband, Juju?
P.S. I’M SO GLAD I HAVE A “TENNIS PLAYERS ARE ROCKSTARS TOO” TAG.
Rafa Nadal is a free bitch
January 6th, 2010 • holy rafa, the radwanskas • No comments
I believe tennis players have chosen their anthem, am I right, am I right?
Thanks to marmiaumiau at VB for the video and loltennis for the gif. ♥
Love is in the air
January 5th, 2010 • caro the danish cutie, vika azarenka • 2 comments
I JUST WANT THEM TO GET GAY MARRIED ALREADY.
Who needs girls?
January 3rd, 2010 • off-topic • No comments
Very cute commercial for the Australian Open
Thanks to aussie reader @Kiristea for the tip!
Answer: I have tried and failed several times to keep blogs up. Why? Because I don’t like doing serious journalism unless there’s money showing up in my bank account — and there wasn’t. This blog will have no interest in being impartial or, you know, actually talking about the sport (ok, maybe from time to time). There are tons of other blogs (and news websites) that do this job pretty well already. Here we will discuss the shallow part: the outfits, the gossip, the outrages and who Fernando Verdasco is currently dating.
