It all started quite innocently. I went to the pro shop to buy some stuff. Because I had paid for the weekend of tennis, I was entitled to a sweet discount at the pro shop. So I’m there minding my own business, picking out tops, skorts and other pretty but practical outfits (not made of black lace, ha ha), when an Indian instructor came in and asked one of the instructors I…
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Added by tennischick on May 31, 2010 at 5:57pm —
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I’ve just come from a party that involved copious amounts of meat and alcohol, so yeah … hopefully I don’t pass out while I write this.
I didn’t see Rafa play his first match at Roland Garros and have been wanting to see the fast rising lefty from
Argentina, Horacio Zeballos play for a while, so sitting down and watching them play a couple of sets in the second…
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Added by Mark Carruthers on May 28, 2010 at 9:30pm —
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...Venus Williams seems to have a proclivity for exhibitionism on the tennis court. It’s a character feature that seems inconsistent with the otherwise conservative, buttoned-down, lips-sealed, Jehovah-praising demeanor for which she is characteristically known. Venus’ private life does not show up in the gossip magazines. She normally comes as across as so…
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Added by tennischick on May 27, 2010 at 8:00pm —
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The contrast between efficient and inefficient tennis couldn’t have been much starker than in consecutive ATP matches on Court Philippe Chatrier. While Federer never opened a window of opportunity for Alejandro Falla, Gael Monfils opened windows and doors aplenty for Fabio Fognini, nearly jumping out of a window himself before the setting sun conspired with the Frenchman to deny the Italian three match points. We checked out on this match when Monfils led by two sets and a break, then…
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Added by Sharapovanovic on May 26, 2010 at 11:19pm —
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Since I'm tired from the sun, work, trying to figure out where Al Qaeda is holding Lee from 'American Idol' hostage and various other things, I'm handing today's post over to the immortal Sou Sylvester off 'Glee'.
Dianna…
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Added by Mark Carruthers on May 26, 2010 at 10:00pm —
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“Ladies and gentlemen, can I please have your attention. I’ve just been handed an urgent and horrifying news story. I need all of you to stop what you’re doing and listen.”
"Andy Roddick won a match at the French Open. And not just any match, he beat an extremely capable exponent of claycourt tennis…
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Added by Mark Carruthers on May 26, 2010 at 12:00am —
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Is anyone interested in starting a book club for Andre Agassi's book "Open"? Blog me.
Added by Becky on May 25, 2010 at 10:25pm —
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A rather painful episode of déjà vu occurred today for the star-crossed Richard Gasquet, who watched a two-set-and-break lead evaporate against Murray for the second time. Probably better suited for the compressed best-of-three format, the Frenchman’s electrifying shotmaking fails to compensate for his lack of physical (and mental) fitness at majors. With relatively little at stake, Murray deserves credit for staying focused until Gasquet faded once again; this instinctive will to compete…
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Added by Sharapovanovic on May 24, 2010 at 10:01pm —
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Sure, Federer, Serena and Djokovic all made appearances, but day two at Roland Garros is all about one match – Richard Gasquet v Andy Murray.
Before we kick things off, I’d just like to thank Novak Djokovic for screwing around for a set and winning in four and not straight. If he hadn’t gone walkabout…
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Added by Mark Carruthers on May 24, 2010 at 6:03pm —
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Welcome to the first edition of my 2010 French Open running diary.
You could also call it, how many cynical comments, pointless observations and utter dribble can I write in 2 weeks.
You’d be…
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Added by Mark Carruthers on May 23, 2010 at 9:29pm —
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...Now to Serena. Of the sisters, she is by far the more prolific tweeter. She also wins any popularity contest hands down, with almost three times the followers to her sister Venus. But of the 40 tweets posted by Serena between May 16th @ 4:32pm and May 23rd @ 10:15am (my time), not a single one references tennis. She talks a lot about her spread for Harper’s Bazaar, about…
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Added by tennischick on May 23, 2010 at 10:00am —
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In 1997 the unknown Gustavo Kuerten won the French Open.…
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Added by Mark Carruthers on May 22, 2010 at 2:51am —
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We all know that, as much as it is a physical game, tennis is really a mental game. And if you are not in the best mental place possible during a match, most likely you are going down. So when everything's going wrong on the court, how go you get positive? Oh, and since it's the middle of a match, how go you get positive
fast? Here are 3 easy steps to follow that will get your head back in the game:
1. Be aware. The biggest part of gaining a positive…
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Added by Kim on May 21, 2010 at 6:00am —
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While the king of clay has emphatically reaffirmed his dominance over the competition on this surface, the queen of clay hasn’t quite followed suit. As a result, the WTA field at the French Open promises to be vastly more unpredictable and possibly more engaging than its ATP counterpart. We apply the same matrix of contenders, pretenders, and dark horses that we used in the men’s preview: contenders are tournament favorites, pretenders are potential underperformers, and dark horses are…
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Added by Sharapovanovic on May 21, 2010 at 12:29am —
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As most players enjoy a well-merited respite before the French Open fortnight, we cast our minds towards the first Slam that will be covered by this blog. Based largely upon the events of Monte Carlo, Stuttgart, Rome, and Madrid, our preview will identify contenders, pretenders, and dark horses at the event that starts in less than a week, as Tennis Channel’s “Countdown to Roland Garros” chronically reminds us. Under “contenders” are the tournament favorites, while “pretenders” feature…
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Added by Sharapovanovic on May 18, 2010 at 10:20pm —
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It’s time for a game of French Open true or false with the ladies.
Here’s a hint, only one of the following is false.
With the cream of the crop all present, someone named Maria Jose Martinez…
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Added by Mark Carruthers on May 18, 2010 at 6:00pm —
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Simply put, the 2010 French Open is the most eagerly awaited grand slam tournament since Wimbledon 2008.
Try all…
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Added by Mark Carruthers on May 18, 2010 at 12:24am —
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You know that tennis is great exercise. That's part of the reason you're playing, right? But did you know that tennis is good for your brain too? Tennis makes you smarter!
In general, exercise is great for your brain. Experts have found that: "When you exercise, muscles begin to use oxygen at a higher rate, and the heart pumps more oxygenated blood through the carotid artery to the brain. In fact, the brain uses about 25 percent of the oxygen that you take in. Because exercise…
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Added by Kim on May 17, 2010 at 7:00am —
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Rewinding to the 2009 Madrid final, one is immediately struck by the vastly different situations in which both gladiators find themselves now compared to where they found themselves before the match a year ago. Then, Nadal stood at the peak of his powers and the pinnacle of the tennis hierarchy, having vanquished…
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Added by Sharapovanovic on May 16, 2010 at 2:42am —
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There's no mistaking the fact that when we're winded during a match our opponents have a slight advantage for the next 2-3 points at least.
And if they notice we're winded, chances are they may try to run us even more as soon as the ball is back in play.
That is, if they're smart.
But what can we do?
As my friend over at
http://FatsosTennis.com suggests, there are a few immediate actions we can take to slow
down…
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Added by Todd Scott on May 12, 2010 at 3:30pm —
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