Tennis Chatter: End of the Weekend

It's always tough to watch the weekend wrap-up like it was never here. I even have three-day weekends this quarter, but the days still fly by like they weren't even there in the first place.

I haven't felt this removed from the tennis scene in a long while, but alas, tennis was still being played all around the world as Davis Cup completed round one and the women were at two separate sights for smaller tourneys.

I'm still a little baffled by the in-and-out (and out-and-in) performance of Novak Djokovic this weekend. He doesn't play Friday, but then appears Saturday on the doubles court and gets a two-set-to-one lead (including 3-0 in the third!) over Nicolay Davydenko only to pull out again? Aye dios mio! Make up your mind, Djoko! I just feel like he showed so much guts and guile in Melbourne... and then, this?

If you haven't discovered Nole's web site yet, it's a treat.

The Princess of Boring won at Paris this weekend, beating up-and-comer Agnes Szavay in the finals. I would've really loved to have seen Szavay win this one, but we certainly can continue to expect great things from the Austrian. I think she might be a top ten player by the end of the year, especially if she continues to learn from experiences like this one. (If you're wondering who the Queen of Boring is, click here. But really, did you not know?)

The American men made quick work of the Austrians and their horrific clay court this weekend. Andy Roddick, James Blake and the Bryan brothers beat Austria - bad bounces and all - in three matches. Roddick struggled the most, needing five sets to win the opening rubber against Jurgen Melzer.

On the Baseline news discusses the popularity of tennis and how it can be improved while Erwin over at TSF gives us a run-down of Davis Cup attire, including the Frenchmen, who the U.S. takes on in North Carolina in April.