Tennischick's Articles (103)
Serena vs. Andre: A tale of dueling memoirs
...Like Serena, Andre has been doing the rounds promoting this book. Like Serena he has been hopping from one continent to another, submitting to interviews and fan-filled book signings. Except that unlike Serena, Andre is a thoughtful and self-revelatory interview subject. Here is a report written by Elaine “Lainey” Lui, a Special Correspondent for Canadian TV who… Continue
Added by tennischick on November 16, 2009 at 8:21pm — No Comments
The Super-Sebian versus the French Clown
...Monfils’ passive and lame-brained approach to tennis will not work against Djokovic tomorrow. In fact, I did not expect it to work today against Stepanek. I am still stunned that it did. Indeed, after watching Djokovic blow Nadal off the court, I left home and went to play tennis myself, confident that I would come home to the news of a Djokovic vs. Stepanek finals. I have… Continue
Added by tennischick on November 14, 2009 at 5:30pm — No Comments
Can Philippoussis find happiness with a Cougar?
...When Mark Philippoussis embarrassed himself and all of tennis by appearing on a reality show looking for a woman, I could barely watch for shame. He had the choice of “Cougars” or “Kittens”. Most of the women had that sheen of desperation one comes to expect of women who go on reality shows to find fame, I mean a mate. Mark seemed wooden, lost, vapid. Even Flava Flav… Continue
Added by tennischick on November 10, 2009 at 8:58pm — No Comments
Who does Oudin mean by “some people”?
The US just lost the Fed Cup title to Italy. The US would more than likely have won the Fed Cup title if either of the Williams sisters had played. The US would definitely have won the Fed Cup title if both of the sisters had played. The US needs the Williams sisters. That is the plain truth.
Go… Continue
Added by tennischick on November 8, 2009 at 1:47pm — 2 Comments
What’s behind Serena’s Fed Cup withdrawal?
Barely a week ago, The International Tennis Federation (ITF) confirmed Serena as part of the team representing the US in the upcoming Federation Cup finals match. I was more than a bit surprised because Serena has not played Fed Cup all year. But the decision seemed in keeping with her thrust to close out 2009 in a spectacular fashion. (She must still be pissed over losing at… Continue
Added by tennischick on November 1, 2009 at 7:33pm — No Comments
So Safina bailed on her beat down
...Safina has bailed on the entire event. She flew to Doha, posed for pictures (wearing some of the most garish makeup and the most god-awful black outfit I have ever seen), went out on court, posed with Jankovic, warmed up, played two games, and then bailed. She said that her back was hurting. To quote her, “My body just gave up, and I couldn't handle the pain anymore”.… Continue
Added by tennischick on October 29, 2009 at 7:30pm — No Comments
Well at least Andre didn’t sleep with his mother
...And now comes word that Andre Agassi is about to share his deepest darkest with us all. Thus, in keeping with the way celebrity memoirs are peddled, Andre has admitted to using crystal meth during the period in 1997 when his career sank in the toilet.
This is how you sell a memoir, Hollywood style. He did not spend years promoting appearance as everything,… Continue
Added by tennischick on October 27, 2009 at 6:50pm — 1 Comment
While the cats are away, the mice will play
It’s been kind of interesting to look at which small fry have emerged to positions of success over the past two weeks while the big guns have been preparing for the year-end tournaments. Mainly, this has turned out to be an exercise in confirmation of why the best players are the best, and why the remainder are the also-ran.
Go… Continue
Added by tennischick on October 26, 2009 at 6:16pm — No Comments
Can we finally get rid of courtside coaching?
I’ve always maintained that courtside coaching in tennis was a spectacularly bad idea. It has offended me at a lot of levels. For a start, I do not believe that all sports are created equal. An idea that may work well in one sport (such as mid-game coaching during a basketball match), simply may not translate well into another. Can you imagine a pair of figure skaters… Continue
Added by tennischick on October 23, 2009 at 8:19pm — No Comments
Davydenko was smarter than Nadal
I had mixed feelings when I read recent news reports quoting Andre Agassi as saying that both Federer and Nadal are on the decline. Of course I gave Agassi the benefit of the doubt of assuming that he was only responding to questions asked by the media. But still I found his statement to be in slightly poor taste.
Although he was a member of the previous generation of… Continue
Added by tennischick on October 19, 2009 at 8:18pm — 6 Comments
Marge Simpson is hotter than Serena
When ESPN decided to run a bunch of nude covers including one of Serena Williams, I really thought that this would become the immediate topic of rampant conversation. After all, it’s not everyday that you see Serena strategically positioned to hide all her female parts while wearing not a stitch of clothing.
But to my surprise, the ‘Body Issue’ seems to have sunk… Continue
Added by tennischick on October 9, 2009 at 5:00pm — No Comments
Ask.com says Usain is better than Federer
Actually seven men plus one fictional TV character came in ahead of Federer on ask.com’s poll of the most influential men of 2009. And the fictional character was deemed the most influential of all.
I still can’t wrap my mind around the idea that a pretend character on a TV show is considered more influential than all of the living breathing men on this list. How… Continue
Added by tennischick on October 6, 2009 at 7:55pm — 1 Comment
Early musings: Family Circle Cup 2010
...But the reason I have the Family Circle Cup on my mind is because I read recently that Melanie Oudin has already committed to enter. That and the fact the Family Circle folks called this week to ask me if I wanted to renew my seats. I have to admit that I am kind of torn.
On the one hand you know how committed I am to supporting tennis. And… Continue
Added by tennischick on October 4, 2009 at 5:00pm — 1 Comment
Creating the ideal mental conditions
More and more, coaches seem to be buying into the idea that success in any sport involves far more than physical fitness and technical mastery. This is not to say that both of these aspects of preparation are not important. On the contrary, it is only by being superbly fit that you can have a chance of hanging with the top players. And physical fitness is certainly one… Continue
Added by tennischick on September 27, 2009 at 6:00am — No Comments
Beyond the Barriers (Part 2 of 3)
Psychological Skills Training (PST) is the process by which the conditions that produce optimal performance are broken down into requisite skills. These can be taught to players like Vera Zvonareva and Dinara Safina who have the potential to succeed but whose heads keep getting in the way.
But in order for PST to work, players have to first be able to… Continue
Added by tennischick on September 24, 2009 at 8:10pm — No Comments
How PST could help Vera and Dinara
I sat next to a crying woman in church last Sunday. She was unkempt, her face blotchy and pimpled, her eyes blindly staring. Huge tears rolled down her cheeks. She seemed lost in her own world, her sadness painful and acute. It was all a bit unseemly. There was about her a sense of not caring that she was on display, gripped as she was by the kind of unmuted grieving that makes people uncomfortable, that makes them want to hug and shake you at… Continue
Added by tennischick on September 23, 2009 at 5:30pm — No Comments
USTA is having a terrible, horrible, very bad day
I almost feel badly for the USTA. Yes I know that that sounds unbelievable given my own relatively frequent tirades against their incompetence. But the last thing I would have wanted the organization that represents tennis to face was an allegation of racism. That is an ugly accusation. It’s the kind of accusation that even when you win, as Zina Garrison apparently has,… Continue
Added by tennischick on September 20, 2009 at 8:00pm — 1 Comment
The promise of Heather Watson
I wish I could say that I saw Heather Watson play at the 2009 US Open. But the truth is that I did not. Having had my heart repeatedly broken by supposedly promising Juniors who somehow never seemed to deliver, I no longer invest as emotionally in the Juniors as I once did.
And lest you think that I am being just a fair-weather fan, let me assure you… Continue
Added by tennischick on September 17, 2009 at 7:18pm — No Comments
So it’s OK for Federer to cuss the umpire?
I have to tell you that I enjoyed every moment of Federer’s angry outburst during the third set of his match against Juan Martin Del Potro. It could not have been better timed. Really, I was so thrilled to see it that it didn’t bother me for a second that Federer got so rattled that he went on to lose the match. Sure I wanted him to win 16 Slams, but it’s OK with me that he… Continue
Added by tennischick on September 15, 2009 at 6:30pm — 2 Comments
You can take the woman out of Compton
You know the expression. I don’t have to complete it for you. And it will be one of the ways in which the manner in which Serena Williams lost the 2009 US Open semi-finals will always be understood. Some will say that Serena behaved like a thug when she raised her racket in a threatening manner towards the diminutive Asian lineswoman and was possibly overheard… Continue
Added by tennischick on September 13, 2009 at 7:30am — 8 Comments
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