tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44063500587741098762012-02-09T14:31:55.487-08:00Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.comBlogger4451100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-51378836822062842052009-06-21T16:08:00.000-07:002009-06-21T16:27:32.374-07:00

London called and I have arrived! I'm in SW 15 for the beginning of The Championships tomorrow and can hardly contain my excitement. Over the next four days, I'll be putting up lots of content in a variety of places; here's where you can find me:TennisServedFresh | If you like your tennis served hot and fresh, check out my posts (and all the other steaming - and streaming - content on Erwin Ong's

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-38972084055364324732009-06-14T09:07:00.000-07:002009-06-14T09:56:11.680-07:00

Just a week before Wimbledon and I find myself on the correct side of the pond for the start of the game's greatest Grand Slam. I touched down yesterday morning in Dublin, and have joined my two brothers, dad, uncle and a cousin for 10 days of site-seeing, golf playing and Guinness drinking. So far, so good in Ireland, as we managed to drive cross country in just about three hours and find a nice

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-21390652284059147152009-06-08T15:32:00.000-07:002009-06-08T15:35:27.588-07:00

I've held out over the last six months from joining Twitter, something plenty of my friends were bent on getting me to join. Today, however, I finally broke down and got an account. I did so for various reasons, but one important one is so I can share my exciting experience at Wimbledon come later this month!Follow me at twitter.com/nmccarves :)

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-90319568997232332102009-06-04T08:07:00.000-07:002009-06-04T08:51:29.138-07:00

For the past year, I've been pretty dormant in the tennis blogosphere. I've made brief appearances on this blog (via video) and others (see: "Billie Jean King Cup"), but my blogging energy has more been focused on the personal since starting The McColumn.But in a couple weeks, I'll re-enter the tennis blogging world with a frenzy as I attend my first-ever Grand Slam event at The Championships,

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com76tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-88138790362708716282009-03-02T14:27:00.000-08:002009-03-02T14:30:09.170-08:00

I'm headed outside in scary conditions to brave a night of (indoor) tennis at the Billie Jean King Cup at the Madison Square Garden.I'll have a post up later this week about my experience there!

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-13969551824385679102009-02-26T12:23:00.000-08:002009-02-26T12:35:00.146-08:00

Just in case you're wondering, I'm still alive. I'm working on a few new projects while I make it day-to-day as a barista in the Big Apple.The first of those is my personal blog, which I launched just over a month ago and am calling The McColumn. I'm trying my best to take each post as a column that might appear in an actual newspaper (remember those?) while trudging through each day as

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-5707548545575985952009-01-01T19:52:00.000-08:002009-01-01T20:06:59.252-08:00

Christmas in Montana is always magical. There's the gathering of my family, the small-town charm, the home cooked meals. It all comes together and feels like magic - which I realize I'm lucky to have. Many people fear and dread the holidays like they're the plague.Over the last two weeks, I've spent time in Montana driving through the snow, eating too much and writing. Usually my Christmas-time

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-40150428901606663982008-11-19T09:33:00.000-08:002008-11-19T14:52:50.443-08:00

Growing up, I regularly attended high school basketball games. My four older siblings all played the winter sport, and it was a great distraction from the frighteningly cold winter weather in Montana. My sisters' teams were consistently bad - real bad. Year after year I would watch them have losing seasons, winning just a handful of games in each. I wondered what the problem was: the coaching?

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-24838610112615629732008-11-15T11:09:00.000-08:002008-11-15T13:56:39.426-08:00

Lately, I've felt like a Williams sister. No, I'm not taking New York by storm with incredible fashion, participating in photo shoots, starting my own design line, starring on TV and having paparazzi follow me all over the city (a boy can dream though, right?). Instead, I've been exploring my various interests in this new and different city, dipping my toes into a new cafe, playing volleyball,

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-74040356792649064242008-11-02T16:53:00.001-08:002008-11-02T17:16:27.739-08:00

(WTA Tour photo screen grab.)As the top women on the WTA Tour converge on Doha for the Season Ending Championships this week, there are a few things that still need to be worked on for some of the girls: their wardrobes.Let's make this simple:Jelena Jankovic: Let's bring back the 70s, baby!Dinara Safina: Wait, this isn't the Wimbledon ball? Serena Williams: As usual, I look waaaaaaaaay better

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-27394747066247186692008-11-02T12:34:00.001-08:002008-11-02T15:11:28.952-08:00

A few years ago, when Serena was making her way through the Serena Slam, Jennifer Capriati was still re-surging, the Belgium duo was just making their way up while the likes of Venus, Lindsay and Mary Pierce were a weekly tour of Big Babe tennis and a Swiss Miss named Martina was still a Top 5 power, women's tennis was riding high.2008 has painted quite a different picture for the WTA: Capriati,

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-62424684020994993572008-10-30T10:04:00.000-07:002008-11-01T19:25:20.516-07:00

There have been plenty of tennis players that I've wished, dreamed and predicted big things of and for. There was the resilient Mexican Melissa Torres who made noise at her home tournament over 18 months ago. Then there was Michelle Larcher de Brito, the young Portuguese star who was Jennifer Capriati, reincarnated at the Sony Ericcson Open last March.Or more recently, Marina Erakovic, Laura

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-67597164994751359862008-10-22T20:05:00.000-07:002008-10-22T20:15:41.939-07:00

I started to write a post yesterday about two girls that I'm really excited about on the WTA Tour: Laura Robson and Marina Erakovic.Each of these two young women have showed great promise and poise in the last six months as they've made their own inroads on the pro tour, but I can't help but think of them as part of a club that I feel is growing and growing: The Almost Club.The Almost Club grows

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-50640279222422033542008-10-18T08:09:00.001-07:002008-10-18T08:28:12.235-07:00

Jelena Jankovic needed to lose this week, while Ana Ivanovic needed to win and Roger Federer just needed to play. This week was one of a myriad of different needs for the top players in the world, but it marked the first week since the US Open that the world's best were on stage - this time at two different events, in Madrid and Zurich.It has been a dismal run for Ivanovic since winning the

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-48302874117795692162008-10-12T12:24:00.001-07:002008-10-12T12:30:22.059-07:00

For those of you who have been doubting Jelena Jankovic all this time, you may want to give that doubt a second thought.Jankovic won her third tournament in a row (following a finals appearance at the US Open). It was the first time such a feat has been accomplished on the WTA Tour since 2005.In that time, Jankovic lost just two sets while beating eight Top 20 players and six Top 10 players.The

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-43201081642675137502008-10-11T14:40:00.000-07:002008-10-11T15:01:22.975-07:00

You all remember Jennifer Potter, don't you? Or Justine Spears?Well, this week, no tennis players were morphing into pop icons (or vice versa), but one pop icon was channeling a tennis player - or two - in a big way, so much that I had to do a double, no, triple take.It's Ashton Kutcher as Roger Federer. Or does he look more like Andy Roddick? I can't decide which is which or who is who... but

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-44461397806016069432008-10-11T13:44:00.000-07:002008-10-11T14:17:00.999-07:00

I had a busy first week at my new job with Seena Hamilton & Associates, but I'm learning a ton while helping plan a great event - The Easter Bowl. This tournament is a stronghold in junior tennis - some (including Seena), call it the 'blockbuster of junior tennis' - and attracts players from all over the country to the Indian Wells area for an incredible week of springtime tennis. Needless to say

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-54526917550289219292008-10-07T19:31:00.000-07:002008-10-07T19:41:50.477-07:00

I'm feeling like Friday on this Tuesday because my email to Peter Bodo, Senior Editor at TENNIS Magazine and blogger for the TennisWorld blog on Tennis.com, was published today.I had wrote Pete about how I thought Jelena Jankovic was breaking out of her shell as the Gril Who Might Have Been and is becoming the girl who can (and eventually, will). Click here to read my letter and read Pete's savvy

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-59667712158142966142008-10-06T05:26:00.000-07:002008-10-06T05:51:52.826-07:00

I officially hate my camera. One of my favorite parts of this past summer was getting the chance to do video posts for the blog about the goings on around tennis. It was fun, fresh and something that I truly enjoyed. And, beyond that, it was something that no one else in the (tennis) blogosphere was doing... therefore I was a total trendsetter, right?But as I've started to re-boot the blog (and

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-42058421711126424792008-09-30T17:03:00.000-07:002008-09-30T19:46:53.833-07:00

You may be surprised to learn that one of the ATP's hottest up-and-comers, Ernests Gulbis, has a losing career record. At 34-36 (and 20-18 this season), Gulbis' record wouldn't necessarily impress anyone, but the just-turned 20-year-old from Latvia is turning plenty of heads in the world of tennis as of late, and impressing plenty.After making noise at this year's French by flying into the

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-63342715940621525942008-09-27T10:51:00.000-07:002008-09-28T15:47:55.216-07:00

Who would've have thought, just four short months ago in the French Open final that Dinara Safina and Ana Ivanovic would be in the places they are today? In this week's WTA Tour rankings, Safina sits sweetly at number three in the world, while Ivanovic, so briefly the world's number one, is now at number four. It's the story of two completely different paths.Since Ivanovic's maiden slam win over

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-87727390633078373752008-09-26T23:01:00.000-07:002008-09-26T23:10:44.978-07:00

There are those people in life that are inspiring when you hear their stories. They inspire you with their hard work, or their triumph over tragedy, or simply because you've connected with them and they are impossible to not be inspired by.Then there are those people who are inspiring just by being present. They have an air about them; an aura that can't really be explained; an energy that is

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-64203670198081744072008-08-07T19:46:00.000-07:002008-08-07T20:38:57.622-07:00

It has been so great getting back into the blogging world this summer. From the French to Wimbledon to the US Open Series, all of it has been so much fun!More than anything, I've enjoyed starting up my video posts, complete with off-color commentary and my attempt to sound smart on screen.But, separate from the blogging (and vlogging) world, there's this thing called my life out there that I have

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-17241811967372217212008-08-04T16:04:00.000-07:002008-08-04T16:11:41.085-07:00

Seems as though Roger Federer isn't the only one experiencing technical difficulties these days. I did a video for you guys last night and have tried several times to put it up today, but my camera just won't cooperate! Boo :(In the meanwhile, here's the surprisingly competitive draw for the men's tourney down in L.A. this week, in which those non-Olympians are playing in.More soon... I hope!

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-90696422246031034142008-08-03T03:45:00.000-07:002008-08-03T06:24:55.123-07:00

I went to the rodeo this weekend. There, I said it. The rodeo. And me. Together, in one place.I'd never been to a rodeo before. Although I was raised in Montana, we were a sports family growing up, so our nights and weekends were taken up by YMCA soccer and basketball games and every other sport imaginable. So on Friday night, when I ventured to the Broadway County Fair in Townsend, Montana, it

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-76485483257356653592008-08-01T05:30:00.000-07:002008-08-01T05:52:05.837-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, after my first of several articles ran in my local paper, I had a family friend tell my in utter surprise how impressed he was with my writing. He meant it as a compliment and I took it as so, but I told him that the last four years of my life had been spent working on my writing, so hopefully I'm pretty good at it, right?It was more of a joke than anything else, but as I

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-21420693121050874672008-07-30T11:39:00.001-07:002008-07-30T12:32:22.318-07:00

What a difference 10 days makes.10 days ago Andy Roddick had seemingly already proclaimed himself US Open champion, Roger Federer was about to vault his "comeback" and everyone wanted to see how Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic would play after their polar opposite experiences at the All England Club.But now:--Roddick is out with injury... and questionable for the USO? He's also 8-4 in his last

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-43828170669563810152008-07-27T21:21:00.000-07:002008-07-28T09:35:18.391-07:00

Enjoy the video post, everyone. I'll be back with more stuff later in the week from Montreal and Cincy. Can Rafa keep rolling?DRAWSMen | CincinnatiWomen | Montreal

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-16774735151959111022008-07-26T19:24:00.000-07:002008-07-26T19:41:44.042-07:00

Well, I did stay up last night pretty late to preview my articles, neither of which ended up on the front page. But, I did land on B1 and C1, so I can't really complain, can I? The feature I wrote (much more interesting), can be found here. The other article was for the game I'm covering right now, a simple preview.Playing journalist for the weekend has been extremely fun, and it feels pretty

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-39507028519218931982008-07-25T21:39:00.001-07:002008-07-25T22:35:14.778-07:00

Well, I'm sitting here at my computer waiting for the clock to strike midnight (it's 10:40) to see what my first ever front-page article will look like. Last week both stories I did got B1 (Sports) billing, but I have a hunch that the piece I did might make section A... so I'm waiting for the web site to re-boot at midnight so I can check it out!Meanwhile, I thought it might be good to get in

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-37285605013766177902008-07-24T12:30:00.001-07:002008-07-24T13:15:50.871-07:00

Now I can say it: I told you so. The Elect Andy TOOTB campaign train came to a screeching halt Thursday at the Rogers Cup when he lost in three sets to Marin Cilic (yes, Marin Cilic) 6-4 4-6 6-4.A couple of days ago I wrote about how Andy was doing his best to convince everyone (including himself) that he's one of the top three players in the world. With Roger Federer bowing out yesterday, you

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-48092724675852731782008-07-23T20:00:00.001-07:002008-07-23T20:03:43.921-07:00

Gilles Simon did Andy Roddick a huge favor today at the Rogers Cup in Toronto.Simon beat top-seed Roger Federer in the opening round to pave the way for Roddick to the semifinals, if the American can keep his TOOTB campaign on the right track.Now, I won't say "I told you so," because I didn't. But I did say, and I quote: "[Federer v. Simon] could be quite an interesting match..." on my last video

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-76806266389096575562008-07-22T19:57:00.000-07:002008-07-22T20:18:46.502-07:00

Andy Roddick began his campaign for 2008 US Open champion with quite the advertising campaign. There's the Canadian commercial where Roddick is plastered on a billboard, his I'm-as-confident-as-ever interview for the hardcourt season and a press corps that's eating it all up.Sound familiar?Roddick is doing his best to campaign for a slot that he lost at this tournament last year: The Office of

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-73207619215553304462008-07-21T11:53:00.000-07:002008-07-22T07:40:28.744-07:00

A year ago Virginie Razzano had the week of her career in LA. This week, she won just six games in a first-round drubbing against lucky loser Melinda Czink.What is it that makes tennis so mental? So stringy? Players are hot for a few points, or games, or weeks or months, and then they disappear into the oblivion? I know that's a rather general statement, and that every sport has its ups and downs

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-47617604582045589242008-07-20T22:31:00.000-07:002008-07-20T22:44:47.400-07:00

The men are in Toronto for the Rogers Cup, the first ATP Masters Series event of the summer.Though Novak Djokovic is the defending champion, the last time this event was held in Toronto, it was Roger Federer who took the title. Federer won four straight three-set matches to win the tournament, beating Richard Gasquet in the final.Is it his year again? There are a few guys standing in his way.(

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-6679167496803392902008-07-20T05:47:00.001-07:002008-07-20T08:38:09.797-07:00

I feel as though I have a lot of catching up to do on here and in the tennis world in general, but as I surfed the web this morning checking out the latest scores and story lines, I realized that I really didn't miss that much over the last ten days. As I promised, here is the second feature story I've done for our local paper, The Independent Record. It's been quite the learning experience for

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-64534982622898021002008-07-19T20:22:00.000-07:002008-07-19T20:33:30.166-07:00

(WNBA.com photo screen grab.)Recognize this scene? Well, it's mostly familiar to us, but instead of Serena or Roger hitting on Ashe Stadium, the women of the WNBA played an outdoor game tonight. Pretty cool stuff here, so check out the photo blog on their site.I'm just finishing up my second of two articles that I've done for the local paper here this past week. I'll post the link to that one

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-49514901846328261042008-07-19T10:11:00.000-07:002008-07-19T10:15:46.056-07:00

It's one thing to get published on the internet, but quite different in these days to see your work in print. Over the last couple of years I've been lucky enough to do a lot of publishing through this blog, and even nab a couple freelance jobs on "real" web sites.But this morning, I had my first-ever I'm-a-professional story printed in my local paper. As some of you know, I'm home for the summer

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-19956983175692508342008-07-17T22:11:00.000-07:002008-07-17T22:31:49.577-07:00

Well, as I said in my last post, things have been more than hectic around here. I've been working 30-plus hours a week at the cafe that always is gracious enough to let me put in a few hours when I'm back in Montana on top of writing two feature stories for this weekend's local paper and entertaining a rather pesky guest, Mr. Matt Murphy.Matt and I always have a blast together, so we've spent the

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-23385119160394263852008-07-16T11:03:00.000-07:002008-07-16T11:05:49.008-07:00

Who knew summer could be so busy?!?I'm working hard on two articles for my local paper (yes, I'll link when they're up!) and have a visitor in town! My friend Matt has journeyed to Montana from The Big City (NYC, of course) and is hanging out for a few days before he heads over to Missoula to see his family.Check out the terrific post he put up this morning, and we'll be sure to have a video post

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-4723068966191868112008-07-13T05:15:00.000-07:002008-07-13T05:27:14.845-07:00

Well, we're just now a week removed from that epic final that had all of us stirring for days and that we will no doubt be thinking about and re-analyzing for weeks, months and perhaps years to come! I've spent this last week working and hanging out with family, and also had the pleasure of playing my first USTA tournament in over three years. All in all, it was a good weekend (and I'll just

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-2030514173882411302008-07-09T01:43:00.000-07:002008-07-09T00:39:53.629-07:00

Random musings from a Wimbledon we won't soon forget:As I mentioned in the video post, Alexandra Stevenson has a new blog up on ESPN.com. Is this finally her time to come back? Or was she ever really a legitimate player to begin with? It'll be interesting to see just how far she goes (and how healthy she stays).Laura Robson is the FairyTale Princess of The Championships 2008. This is a story I

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-41740969800198954352008-07-07T06:44:00.000-07:002008-07-07T06:49:08.950-07:00

Rafael Nadal was already talking about the paparazzi hounding him the night before his Wimbledon win, so how do you think the guy feels now?"One thing that did surprise me yesterday was the eight paparazzi waiting for me at a restaurant. I didn't tell anyone I was going out and when I arrived they sort of attacked me. I don't know if this is the right word, but believe me it was strange. Too much

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-19073883013944192612008-07-07T05:34:00.000-07:002008-07-07T06:18:54.044-07:00

This is a sampling of art packages used by some of the internet's most visited web sites after Rafael Nadal's Wimbledon win yesterday. (The ATP tour's official web site.)(The New York Times featured the match on its front page for much of Sunday and early Monday morning. It can now be found in the sports section, along with an archive of Wimbledon articles from Times writer Christopher Clarey.)(

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-29946023935521437862008-07-06T13:36:00.000-07:002008-07-07T05:29:21.577-07:00

Wow. That was incredible.Tonight and tomorrow from Tennis Chatter:-Video post -Match analysisWell, it's hard to break down a match like this and place its outcome on a few points, or just one factor or another. If there is one thing to say, it would be that Rafael Nadal was just better, and more consistent. In this match, that translates to: "Rafael Nadal didn't miss a freaking shot in five hours

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-58620336123766286792008-07-05T21:44:00.000-07:002008-07-05T23:10:15.596-07:00

Here's a summary of Venus' "W" at the W over little sis, Serena, along with talk about the men's finals and the surprisingly arrival of Miss Laura Robson.Oh, and you can see Laura's post-match interview here.

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-47210067782319239452008-07-05T08:35:00.000-07:002008-07-05T09:48:04.778-07:00

Watching Venus take out Serena this morning was quite enjoyable. It was tennis' ultimate stage hosting the game's ultimate women competitors of the last decade in a battle that may have only been two sets, but was all the makings of a Wimbledon classic.When I wrote yesterday about being plain excited for this weekend, my focus was on the personalities featured over these two days, but this

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-23499484358770539652008-07-04T22:58:00.000-07:002008-07-04T23:06:59.539-07:00

Well, I'm just a few miles from the Canada border this weekend spending time with family celebrating the 4th. Meanwhile, I was all excited to get out of the hot weather and do a video for you guys in some AC this afternoon when I realized the cord I use to hook up my camera to my laptop somehow didn't make the trip to Northeastern Montana. Therefore, no video post tonight.But, I would like to

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-51865286245342004912008-07-04T09:54:00.002-07:002008-07-04T10:37:10.484-07:00

It's hard to imagine that tournament referree Andrew Jarrett could be more happy than to enforce the rules upon these four finalists at this year's Championships.As wacky as week one was in London, the tournament mostly followed form in week two, and we're into the final weekend with four storied champions looking to add a Wimbledon title to his or her resume.I'll have a video post up later today

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-54503709970169874332008-07-01T22:33:00.001-07:002008-07-01T23:02:31.085-07:00

Really, I mean Wimbledon is so exciting this year that I'm actually into the men's draw - that never happens!Here are my thoughts on yesterday, today, tomorrow and nothing more:

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-21828987285324964542008-07-01T06:14:00.000-07:002008-07-01T07:34:05.939-07:00

8:30 AM - Well, folks, my ESPN2 coverage has cut out and NBC will run tape delay starting in 90 minutes. Dementieva and Petrova are still fighting each other on who can lose to whom. I'll be back later tonight with a video post on all today's action!7:48 AM - Williams defeats Tanasugarn 6-4, 6-3. I really wanted to see Venus serve it out, but she's through to the semifinals without facing a Top

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-13523398179008964962008-06-30T21:45:00.000-07:002008-06-30T21:49:50.504-07:00

I'm ringing in the new month and celebrating Ladies' Day (all four women's quarters will be played Tuesday) by doing a LIVE blog from 6 AM to 9 AM Mountain Time. Yes, my friends, I'm in the metropolitan known as Helena, Montana watching lots and lots of tennis.You know you are jealous.Swing by on your lunch break (East Coast), or breakfast (West), or perhaps dinner (London)!Oh, and I'll have a

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-6003375057510736612008-06-30T07:34:00.000-07:002008-06-30T21:51:11.159-07:00

Jelena Jankovic has just crashed out of Wimbledon in dismal fashion.Now, it's all up to the Williams sisters.More tonight - let the driving begin!

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-4105709813259671552008-06-29T18:53:00.000-07:002008-06-29T19:01:52.774-07:00

I'm taking the day off to finish up what has been an epic run of cleaning and packing the house the myself and four others lived in in Seattle for over two years. When that many people are in one place for that amount of time, you accumulate stuff. And, being the ignorant one in the house, I didn't realize that if you leave last, you're most likely to end up taking care of all the extra

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-82056503518641225992008-06-28T13:11:00.001-07:002008-06-29T19:04:14.221-07:00

Well, getting up at 6:30 AM and not watching or listening to any tennis certainly wasn't in my day's plan, but I ended getting a lot of cleaning and packing done, and also took in a lot of reading and poking around the web. Not a bad morning at all.What a first week we've had at Wimbledon. Some champions have risen to the occasion, while others have exposed gaping holes in their tennis armor that

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-44746032919688864892008-06-28T06:36:00.001-07:002008-06-28T06:50:10.257-07:00

It's a little past 6:30 AM in Seattle and for some reason I'm already awake. I wasn't happy to hear construction going on outside my window this morning so early, but I didn't mind that much because today was the day I was splurging a little and watching LIVE Wimbledon coverage on the tournament's web site!I was as giddy and anxious as a young child on Christmas morning, so I pawed at my computer

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-88247663302908327912008-06-27T19:28:00.000-07:002008-06-27T19:32:56.659-07:00

It's Breakfast at Wimbledon without all that cheesy NBC music and camera pans of strawberries and cream! I'm doing a live blog tomorrow, Saturday, of third-round matches from the All England Club.No, no, my friends, I won't actually be there, but I will be buying a one-day pass off of Wimbledon's web site to watch any and all matches I please. Stop on by to check out what middle Saturday will

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-57999222607150670512008-06-26T22:48:00.000-07:002008-06-27T13:35:31.029-07:00

Watching the last game of Ana Ivanovic's implosion today against Jie Zheng was rather painful. Ivanovic ended the match with four mis-hit forehands, much like Maria Sharapova opened up her dismal performance yesterday with three double faults. Women's tennis is have a miniature identity crisis currently, with two of its foremost stars plummeting out of the tournament in incredibly bad form. There

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-24487242460506693382008-06-26T16:58:00.000-07:002008-06-26T17:46:27.284-07:00

The first-quarter grades for the students of Wimbledon University have been posted:

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-90595565822164653382008-06-26T12:12:00.000-07:002008-06-26T12:58:16.828-07:00

The grades coming across the Atlantic are rather mixed after four days of play at The Championships. I'll have the full report card later today in a video post, but for now, here are a few thoughts from the professors of Wimbledon U (aka journalists):Chris Clarey | Sharapova Exits at WimbledonJon Wertheim | Wimbledon Tennis MailbagSteve Tignor | On Mauresmo and Pavlyuchenkova

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-63872798339607100242008-06-25T21:08:00.000-07:002008-06-25T21:26:05.745-07:00

Yes, I just called Marat Safin a dragon, but why not? I mean, the guy totally breathed tennis fire on the court today. So much, actually, that Novak Djokovic was still smoldering as he walked off the court, chin against chest.The question now is, will Safin continue his run at SW19?

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-68825815517838040032008-06-24T18:40:00.000-07:002008-06-24T18:40:36.710-07:00

OK, enough nakedness for now, at least until a streaker makes an appearance on Centre Court.Here are my thoughts from Day 2 at The Championships: In other news, the new "Looking for a Hero?" advertising campaign put out by the WTA Tour has made its debut and is so terribly bad that instead of having 23 people in the stands for the Tour Championships in Doha this fall, there will probably be

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-63760657324965553272008-06-24T07:05:00.000-07:002008-06-24T08:14:52.918-07:00

Professional tennis players are increasingly utilizing a new dress code on tour: the no-clothes dress code, that is. Yup, Wimbledon White may be in style for the next two weeks, but players are making headlines for their bare bodies almost as much as their blazing backhands over the last couple of months.This month, ATP resident hottie Fernando Verdasco bared it all for UK Cosmopolitan to help

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-17718268838112334752008-06-22T11:51:00.000-07:002008-06-23T19:45:42.601-07:00

As Tennis Week Magazine has done its best to re-vamp its coverage of the tennis tours both in print and on its recently re-done web site, you might think that IMG (who owns the publication) would be making sure that glossy look came with a competent copy editor, too. Can you tell what's wrong with the picture below? Let's just Jelena wouldn't be too impressed. (Tennis Chatter photo.)A few WTA

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-12800838931595238492008-06-22T11:45:00.000-07:002008-06-22T11:45:10.961-07:00

At Wimbledon this year, Jelena Jankovic will walk onto the grounds of the All England Lawn and Tennis Club with scrubbed-clean finger nails, rid of the royal, bright blue she sported just a few weeks ago at Roland Garros.She won’t be writing any love letters to British fans on her taped-up arm, as she did in Paris, or mimicking countrywoman Ana Ivanovic’s fist pump (at least until a possible

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-72126518276021736472008-06-21T18:00:00.000-07:002008-06-21T18:13:34.148-07:00

I'm wearing my lucky Irish green and wishing that Kelly Liggan was in the draw...Alas, here are my predictions (and hopes) for the AELTC 2008.In case you forgot these two matches:

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-23239032242641754202008-06-21T00:00:00.000-07:002008-06-21T01:35:15.179-07:00

Well, folks, I've finally graduated from college. Nearly two years after I started this blog, I'm returning to it for coverage of Wimbledon and to see what sort of stuff I'd like to do for the year's greatest slam.I've been toying with doing some video posts, delving into other women's sports and giving my tennis coverage a little bit of a different angle than any other site. Here's what you'll

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-44555001262052445692008-04-18T14:35:00.000-07:002008-04-18T14:50:31.258-07:00

A few weeks ago, when I was in New York, I took the Chinatown bus from New York to Boston and back again for the weekend. It was a fun adventure to be out on the East Coast traveling by myself, and along the way I met several fun characters on and off the bus.One of those characters was a girl whose name I forget, but whose personality is unforgettable. She sat next to me on the ride back to New

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-45380447126912701012008-04-01T07:15:00.000-07:002008-04-01T07:36:16.403-07:00

For those of you who are checking in every now and then, I wanted to get a post up to let you know I'm still alive (incredible!) and making my way toward graduation in June. Yesterday was my first last day of school for a while... if not ever. I started spring quarter of my senior year, which has come alarmingly fast.I've still been actively doing posts for GreenforGood.com on a variety of

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-90819434516767140982008-03-13T22:27:00.000-07:002008-03-14T10:37:55.857-07:00

Another post over at Green for Good - this one on bottled water.UPDATE: Looks like the City of Seattle has caught on too! Mayor Nickels is banning all bottled water purchases for city use. AWESOME!

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-69414415639001422092008-03-07T08:57:00.000-08:002008-03-14T10:36:42.237-07:00

So for a few of you that might be still checking in here, or have stumbled upon the blog accidently, I thought I'd share the little amount of (non-academic, of course) writing I've been doing lately. A couple weeks ago I went to an alumni panel for communication and journalism majors at Seattle U, and quite a few interesting SU alum showed up to share their wisdom. One of them was Teresa Wippel,

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-51139700078403549562008-02-24T19:01:00.000-08:002008-02-24T19:10:10.485-08:00

For the past three months, I've battled this blog on a daily basis. We've become bickering siblings; me wanting to play with others, Tennis Chatter wanting me all to herself.I love the game of tennis. In many ways, it helped me along my path of adolescence, and has been an integral part of my developing writing career.As I begin to make my final strides toward graduating from college, however,

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-13371610741864729992008-02-20T17:29:00.000-08:002008-02-24T19:11:11.981-08:00

Well, this post has been a long time coming... as has the retirement of Monica Seles.The delay of my post is many tiered: the retreat I work on for Campus Ministry happened this last weekend (it was a big success) while I had three midterms in the last eight days not to mention helping Conscious Choice (where I'm interning) getting ready to go to print for their March issue.Seles' delay, however,

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-17165653262545089622008-02-14T11:58:00.000-08:002008-02-14T12:23:51.442-08:00

I've been totes MIA lately (totally missing in action, if you were wondering).Midterms have overtaken my life (one down, two to go) as has Search, the retreat that I help plan on campus. The retreat itself this weekend, which is both scary and exciting in one! We have lots to do, but I know it'll all get done.If anyone's feeling a bit overwhelmed (other than me) it's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. The

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-2344345865509218262008-02-12T15:14:00.000-08:002008-02-12T15:15:57.628-08:00

Love this. TENNIS.com has updated you on all the players you were wondering about on the men's side of the game.Thursday they're running on women's special. Love, love, love it!Now... I have a midterm to take :)

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-80822630347186238022008-02-10T17:39:00.000-08:002008-02-10T19:17:31.537-08:00

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

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-53927903113086745872008-02-10T00:08:00.000-08:002008-02-10T00:43:13.343-08:00

I've been rather busy the last few days with all the different things that make up my life. Today was rather a big day here in the dreary state of Washington, as Washingtonians went to their caucuses to choose the state's delegates for the Democratic presidential race.I was rather inspired to caucus today and participate in what many are calling one of the most pivotal elections of our time. What

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-25392590523361945482008-02-06T17:24:00.000-08:002008-02-06T17:46:53.290-08:00

I would hate be the TV broadcaster reading out the results from Pattaya City today. Just another example of how the game of tennis is globalizing and the surge of Eastern European and South Asian players is apparent here:(1) Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) d. Vania King (USA) 75 76(5)(2) Casey Dellacqua (AUS) d. (Q) Akiko Yonemura (JPN) 62 63(4) Chan Yung-Jan (TPE) d. (Q) Zhou Yi-Miao (CHN) 64 62(9)

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-64287784228870807842008-02-06T12:46:00.001-08:002008-02-06T14:01:21.803-08:00

It's Wednesday in Seattle, which means rain, wind and gray skies all come together for one day of inspiring weather! Needless to say winter is in full force here, but we're lucky not to be in the South, where I can't imagine the devastation the tornado victims are going through right now.It's been a wacky week in the neighborhood that I live in: last week there was a shooting at a burger joint,

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-11801822582617757452008-02-05T19:12:00.001-08:002008-02-05T19:26:44.458-08:00

Is this the springboard Ashley Harkleroad needed to get back inside the top 40?Harkleroad become the poster girl for the U.S. Fed Cup win over Germany this past weekend, taking the spotlight away from Lindsay Davenport's comeback and perhaps announcing that she may be ready to lead the next generation of American tennis players.I think it's too soon to say, and if history is any indication,

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-49935508597438860452008-02-04T08:41:00.000-08:002008-02-04T09:16:05.998-08:00

Lindsay Davenport and the U.S. women's Federation Cup team are feeling a little damp after two days of their tie against Germany in which just two matches have been complete due to persistent rain.This was to be the new mom's triumphant return to the Fed Cup circuit, but she faltered on Saturday against unheralded German Sabine Lisicki in the tie's opening match before Ashley Harkleroad was able

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-58915889279688548472008-02-02T09:39:00.000-08:002008-02-02T09:48:03.723-08:00

Joachim Johansson handed over the reigns of Most Misspelled ATP Name to Philipp Kohlschreiber this week as he officially retired at the tender age of 25.Johansson had been struggling with shoulder injuries for the last couple of years and couldn't string more of a few weeks together on the tennis court. Johansson is most famous for this match win over Andy Roddick at the 2004 US Open. Roddick was

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-60428017029684355762008-02-01T08:43:00.000-08:002008-02-01T10:10:51.075-08:00

If anyone missed Maria Sharapova's speech on Saturday after her Australian Open win, I thought I would post it here. If you thought Maria's play was the shining point of this tournament, you might want to look at this clip and see what she has to say. It's apparent that Sharapova is deeply impacted by Michael Joyce and has chosen to surround herself with an incredible camp of people that are not

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-80582215768054826062008-01-31T11:13:00.001-08:002008-02-01T08:42:59.646-08:00

Four years ago Guillermo Coria was poised to take the French Open after a steady rise up the ranks. So this week, as Coria returned to the ATP Tour with a protected ranking just out of the top 100, you can't blame the Argentine for setting his hopes high. Though the former world no. 3 had once claimed tennis' best backhand, he'd fallen fast - and hard - with injuries, and, later a fight for his

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-7963146738337253182008-01-30T13:38:00.000-08:002008-01-30T13:59:30.317-08:00

It seems like it always takes a couple weeks to get fully re-oriented after the fervor a grand slam brings. I call this the "hangover." There have, although, been some developing stories this week along with the much-anticipated first round of Federation Cup play on the women's side while the men open play next week for Davis Cup.The United States women are without the Williams sisters but have

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-67210682294838692982008-01-28T11:49:00.000-08:002008-01-28T12:00:03.311-08:00

The tennis season has just begun with the Aussie Open, not ended. I hope to be posting some of my post-tournament thoughts sometime this week, but here's a few nuggets.To me, this Aussie was one of the best grand slams in recent history. There were plenty of entertaining matches, lots of dramatic ones, and a cast of characters that displayed a will to win through 14 days of tennis. There was

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-86759981596267640652008-01-27T11:18:00.000-08:002008-01-27T11:25:14.029-08:00

Tennis is looking a little more crowded at the top after the year's opening grand slam ran its course over the last two weeks.Novak Djokovic continued his brilliant run with a four-set win over surprise finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to win his first grand slam title.His elation following the win was apparent, as he played in a major final for the second straight time. This time, it was his

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-44808078082944078662008-01-26T13:14:00.000-08:002008-01-26T15:16:03.157-08:00

Ana Ivanovic didn't win in Australia yesterday, but don't think that's the last you'll see of the 20-year-old Serbian on the grand stage of major finals. Ivanovic, who honed her game during the cold Eastern European winters in a pool-turned-tennis court, is just getting started as a mature WTA contender.There was obviously no love lost between Ivanovic and her defeater, Maria Sharapova. The two

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-83111280773614834622008-01-26T00:47:00.000-08:002008-01-26T00:51:00.918-08:00

She's three for four in grand slam finals.Maria Sharapova outclassed Ana Ivanovic in the finals of the Australian Open on Saturday afternoon in Melbourne.

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-33435139842710099392008-01-25T13:29:00.001-08:002008-01-25T13:55:52.396-08:00

We're two matches away from a Serbian slam. Could it really happen?Ana Ivanovic takes on Maria Sharapova while Novak Djokovic faces the unknown power of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in what promises to be a tremendous final weekend of what has already been an entertaining Australian Open.Djokovic stunned us all with his decisive three-set win over tennis god Roger Federer and now takes on seed-killer

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-20216944450509037922008-01-24T11:14:00.000-08:002008-01-24T11:24:32.944-08:00

I promised myself that if Jo-Wilfried Tsonga did the unthinkable (beat Rafael Nadal in the semifinals of the Australian Open) that I would give the 38th-ranked Frenchman a tag on the blog.Well, he's earned his due.Tsonga literally couldn't miss in his three-set trump of Nadal, and that's just what he'll have to achieve on Sunday against Roger Federer or Novak DJokovic to walk away with the upset

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-52559049415032023302008-01-23T12:53:00.000-08:002008-01-23T14:59:49.295-08:00

Well, the three things consuming most of my time right now in life are listed in the title of this post, but sadly I'll get to them in that order. School comes first (as usual), while the sickness just lingers in all that I do, making it nearly impossible to find any time for those precious semifinals.But, alas, this is a tennis blog - so let's talk semis! As my good friend Troy pointed out,

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-72215527414905266092008-01-22T07:15:00.000-08:002008-01-22T08:34:18.283-08:00

Maria Sharapova put an emphatic end to Justine Henin's 33-match winning streak with a 6-4 6-0 overwhelming of the top seed in the women's quarterfinals.Notice how uncomfortable, annoyed and frustrated Henin looks in this clip. Embarrassment was something Henin probably felt in her first straight-set loss at a grand slam since the same player beat her in the 2006 US Open final.Earlier in the day,

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-29679672542154886302008-01-21T12:56:00.000-08:002008-01-21T13:16:20.754-08:00

Am I the last in the world to realize that Karolina Sprem hasn't played a match since May?The former Wimbledon quarterfinalist (you remember, "The Call") had fallen out of the top 50 in the last couple years, but still maintained her groundstrokes and guile. Even her web site is out of order.Is her career over? Thoughts, news and opinions are welcome! I'm as curious as you!She certainly looks

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-64473242992104790132008-01-21T10:41:00.001-08:002008-01-21T10:47:45.823-08:00

In case you've missed the last couple days of tennis, here are some videos of the quality tennis that has been occurring.Novak Djokovic spoils Lleyton Hewitt's run with a 7-5 6-3 6-3 fourth round win.Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga keeps on rolling with a win over countryman Richard Gasquet to make his first-ever grand slam quarterfinal with a 6-2 6-7(5) 7-6(6) 6-3 win.And Ms. Boring herself,

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-59817389651292594482008-01-20T19:52:00.000-08:002008-01-20T23:54:30.874-08:00

Are we halfway done with the best grand slam in recent history? Ever?It may seem so.On the women's side, 37 of the completed 120 matches have gone to three sets (30.83%). Of those 37 three-setters, six of them have gone extra innings, including Jelena Jankovic's gripping 12-10 first round win over Tamira Paszek.A quick glance at those matches that have gone the distance:1. Su-Wei Hsieh def. Klara

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-14584769264847071172008-01-19T11:55:00.000-08:002008-01-19T12:56:55.016-08:00

It's Saturday. And it's very gray in Seattle. And I'm still in bed... with a terrible head ache and a sore throat (no, I didn't go out last night... I have a cold!). I am going to be a man of few words tonight, but I would like to say that my prediction for the Tipsarevic-Federer affair wasn't too far off, right? Okay, that's enough horn-tooting for now.James Blake saves the American flag with a

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-22416703834992271292008-01-18T16:09:00.001-08:002008-01-18T16:12:29.955-08:00

Andy Roddick got mad last night at the Australian Open. Real mad.During his five-set loss to German Philipp Kohlschreiber, Roddick accused chair umpire Emmanuel Joseph of being an "idiot."Pardon the poor video quality, but I think you'll enjoy this little clip of madness:

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-6467456865470376832008-01-17T08:45:00.000-08:002008-01-17T13:36:41.291-08:00

Things couldn't have been easier yesterday for Roger Federer as he rolled past junk-master Fabrice Santoro in three quick and painfully lopsided sets in the second round of the Australian Open 6-1 6-2 6-0.It was an especially daunting win by Federer, the world no. 1, after Santoro had much hoopla about his chances to beat the Swiss to the press. But the game of slice, dice and a little bit of

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4406350058774109876.post-27040621402114269342008-01-16T11:32:00.001-08:002008-01-16T11:35:48.996-08:00

Maria Sharapova was firing on all cylinders last night in her 6-1 6-3 win over a resurgent Lindsay Davenport.See the last two games here:

Nick McCarvelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11235576270284751376noreply@blogger.com0