Tennis Chatter: Mid-Week Report

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 twelve matches. Has Andy REALLY lost his mo-jo?

--Federer shocked us all with his implosion again Gilles Simon in Toronto, then almost did the same against American Robby Ginepri in his opener at Cincy. Is the two-points-from-defeat win over Ginepri a sign that he's back in form. Maybe. Or maybe not.

--Novak has been mediocre to say the least, with his departure to Murray in Toronto and he's currently entangled in a first-set breaker with Italian Simone Bolleli.

--And Rafa, well, Rafa is the bomb. He continues to prove us all wrong by winning everything in sight. Is this kid more of a craftsman than we think?

While the women's tour might (emphasis on might) heat up in Montreal this week, one player who has taken to the summer hardcourt season with a fury is up-and-comer Michelle Larcher de Brito. She flew to the second round at the Bank of the West (through qualifying) and gave Serena quite a scare, and now in Montreal has again come through qualifying and won two main draw matches.

Watch out for this girl, she's living up to her (commercial) billing:

Video Post: The Inconsistent Dragon

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?

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.

Tennis Chatter: The Hangover

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 Lindsay Davenport leading the charge this weekend against Germany in a tie played in California. Barring a disastrous showing from Davenport and company (Granville, Harkleroad and Raymond), the Americans should move on from here. Check out the link above for a complete first-round preview.

There's been much abuzz about Novak Djokovic's major win at the Aussie on Sunday, and not just about the Serb himself. Tennis experts across the globe are declaring a three-way race for number one has begun featuring Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. If you remember, however, Fed has few points to defend at the Pacific Life and the Nasdaq (the "Canas weeks") while Nadal and Djokovic are the respective defenders of said titles.

Much excitement has occurred for me in the channel of fellow bloggers this week. My friend Erwin received some ink in Australia's Daily Telegraph for his coverage on everyone's favorite new eye candy, Novak Djokovic. Meanwhile, my fellow Montanan Matt debuted his brand-new line of Ranting Details t-shirts that are hot off the press. If you're looking for something stylish and simple, grab one for yourself!

The always-thoughtful Jon Wertheim gave us his thoughts through week one, but now I'm just waiting on the tournament wrap. If you haven't seen the "Mailbag" halftime version, check it out.

And finally, Christopher Clarey completed his refreshing coverage of the Australian Open with a piece on Djokovic and Maria Sharapova's hardships in reach the top of the tennis game.

Djoko Wins AO

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 tournament to win. I'm guessing we're going to see lots, lots more from this enjoyable youngster.

A Serbian Slam?

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 Tsonga in the final. The two have never met on the pro tour or at the junior level.

Ivanovic escaped Daniela Hantuchova in the semifinals after a dismal start, winning the match 0-6 6-3 6-4. Hantuchova, true to form, literally crumbled before our eyes in the final set, reminiscent of her performance against an injured Serena at Wimbledon last year. Poor Dani. Poor, miserable Dani.

Watch here as Hantuchova misses one of the easiest volleys you'll ever see a pro tennis player miss:


My favorite of favorites, Mary Carillo, gives her take on Djoko's win over Federer:


Christopher Clarey writes a great preview for tomorrow (today's?) final between Ana and Maria.

Predictions: Sharapova defeats Ivanovic 6-3 7-6(2).
Djokovic defeats Tsonga 2-6 6-4 6-1 7-5.

School and Semis and Sickness! Oh My!

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, Serbia is SO the new Belgium. With the Serbian sweep of the Williams sisters, we have an interesting three matches remaining to determine who will walk away the women's title.

Semifinal one:
(5) Maria Sharapova versus (3) Jelena Jankovic Head-to-head: Sharapova leads 3-1.

Though Maria holds a 3-1 edge in their head-to-head record, the two have played just once in the last 30 months. That affair was won by Jankovic on grass 7-5 in the third. Needless to say, Maria has been rather on fire as of late. She brushed off Davenport in the second round like she was some desperate housewife, not a comeback player on a tear. From there on out it's been sheer brilliance, highlighted by her straight-set drubbing of Justine Henin.

If there was ever a model for tournament progression, however, Jelena Jankovic would be it. She struggled early, including her epic win over Tamira Paszek and then a rough-tumble-affair with Virginie Razzano. But the last three rounds have looked good from Janky, and her win over Serena will boost her confidence to new-found levels.

Prediction: I'm still sticking with Maria here, who will win her third slam and first Aussie after dispatching Jankovic 3-6 6-2 6-4 in the semifinals.

Semifinal two:
(4) Ana Ivanovic versus (9) Daniela Hantuchova Head to head: Ivanovic leads 2-1.

Could Daniela Hantuchova really make a grand slam final?

It's certainly a possibility, but the way Ivanovic is playing, it's a small one. I give Hantuchova a miniature chance for these two reasons: Ivanovic's nerves and Hantuchova's grit. Dani might be one of my least favorite players, but she can play out when she needs to. Therefore, if nerves sneak into Ivanovic's repertoire and she starts to spray, watch out for the Slovak.

Check out Ivanovic's power and precision (at the net, too!) against Venus in the quarters:


If you haven't noticed yet, I follow the women's tour a little more than the men's. It's nothing against the boys, I just think the girls play a more interesting game.

The semifinal match-up between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic will be beyond interesting, however. Both men have been playing incredibly, with Fed overcoming Janko Tipsarevic in the third round before steam-rolling Tomas Berdych and James Blake on his way to the semis (See Blake clip below).

As much as I'd love to see the Djoker breakthrough here and win his maiden slam, it's extremely difficult to forecast a win for the Serb over the brilliance that is Federer. My prediction: Federer in four.



As far as Rafael Nadal is concerned, he has a hard-hitting Frenchman awaiting him in the semifinals. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga started this tournament with a bang and really hasn't stopped his drumbeat, beating three seeds in five matches while dropping just two sets while doing so.

Fairytale runs often see reality once again once the semifinals are set, and for Tsonga, his story ends here, against Nadal. Here's looking forward to a Fed-Nadal final and four great semifinal matches to come!

The Latest Videos

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, Daniela Hantuchova played some quality tennis to oust Maria Kirilenko in her breakthrough slam performance. The Slovak won this one 1-6 6-4 6-4.

The Djoker Doesn't Stop

Novak Djokovic loves doing impersonations. And the fans love watching. Check out his latest (this one of Maria Sharapova) from after his first-round win yesterday at the Aussie.

Week One Wrap; Videos

Believe it or not, the first week of the 2008 tennis season is over. It always shocks me how fast time can move, and the tennis world is always a prime example of that. The season's end turns into exhibition season which turns into the holidays and before we know it, the Australian Open is just a week away.

No one has made more of the last three months in tennis than Lindsay Davenport. The American has stormed back onto the tour and has looked better than ever. Her victory in Auckland this week may go unnoticed by the big shots in tennis, but Davenport has made on thing clear: she's back compete, not just to play. Davenport beat up-and-comer Tamira Paszek in the semifinals before dismissing Frenchwoman Aravane Rezai for her 54th career title. Video to come.

Meanwhile, China's top woman, Li Na, made her comeback to the tennis tour with a win in Gold Coast. Na is China's only hope for an Olympic run. The 25-year-old is China's highest ranked player, and with a lethal baseline game - including a massive forehand - Na can only improve before Shanghai. Video to come.

Rafael Nadal won a Spanish battle in India, saving four match points to beat Carlos Moya in the semifinals at Chennai. Can Moya have another stellar year? It's certainly possible. If you want to be wowed, watch the highlights below.



And for your enjoyment, the always-entertaining Novak Djokovic with countrywoman Jelena Jankovic at the Hopman Cup. Can anyone see these two playing mixed in the majors? I would love that!

The Men: A 2008 Preview (Top Ten)

I just finished reading an incredible article by James Martin about tennis players becoming less and less political. As Martin suggests, tennis is a political sport, a game that stretches around the globe and includes dozens (if not hundreds) of nations. Yet, without pioneers like Arthur Ashe to push the envelope, tennis players today are more likely to take cash for play.

Martin points out Amelie Mauresmo, the two-time slam winner. Mauresmo has been vocal about her support for tournaments in the Middle East, where the society is openly homophobic. It disappoints me that Mauresmo, as a strong-hearted lesbian, doesn't speak up more about issues like this. And where are the other gay tennis players? We all know that they're out there, both men and women. Why aren't these contemporary athletes speaking their minds and being true to who they are?

The point is, has cash continued its dominance over conscience in the world of tennis?

In any case, 2008 will prove to be a delicious year of tennis. Now that my predictions are in for the women, let's talk about the men:

Roger Federer
World rank: 1 '07 record: 68-9 Highlight: Capturing his fifth-straight Wimbledon in a hard-fought match over Rafael Nadal.
It's hard not to say a lot of good things about Roger Federer. The man is arguably the Greatest Of All Time and has his way with every opponent on the ATP when he's on his game. So after another banner year in 2007, I'm expecting more of the same from the man from Switzerland.

Prediction: Another three-peat for Roger. He'll take the cake at the Aussie, Wimbledon and the US Open, but still won't be able to break the clay-court spell of Rafael Nadal.

Rafael Nadal
World rank: 2 '07 record: 70-15 Highlight: Continuing his clay-court supremacy.
I can't help but love the speedster from Spain. Nadal has all the charisma you could want from a young tennis champion, and his style of play is something I tried (emphasis on tried) to emulate when I was playing competitive tennis. Nadal, however, has continued to struggle in proving himself as a versatile tennis player. Yes, he had a triumphant run at Wimbledon, where he battled rain, opponents and everything in between to make a run at Roger Federer and the All England title. But his record on hardcourts was 31-12 compared to 31-1 on clay, keeping his confidence at bay while continue to be the prince to King Federer.

Prediction: Another title in Paris, but won't repeat his All England magic.

Novak Djokovic
World rank: 3 '07 record: 68-19 Highlight: Establishing his place with the game's elite.
What a year 2007 was for Novak Djokovic. Like Jankovic, Djokovic has garnered my "Favorite" player title on the men's side. Like his personality, Djokovic's game grew in '07, and it will only continue to blossom in 2008.

Prediction: Djokovic will continue to win titles, just not slams...yet.

Nicolay Davydenko
World rank: 4 '07 record: 53-31 Lowlight: Will he ever give us the straight story on this scandal?
Cheater. Cheater. Cheater.

Prediction: I'm so fed up with Davydenko that I'm not even going to grant him the right to a prediction.

David Ferrer
World rank: 5 '07 record: 61-23 Highlight: Making the USO semifinals and compiling a 9-7 record against top 10 players.
Ferrer was simply fun to watch this season, especially during his run at the US Open. He lacks the weapons we all love to watch: the big gun that ends point with a bang. But Ferrer's grind, his speed and his tenacity certainly make him an enjoyable player to watch and a threat to any man opposite the net from him.

Prediction: I'm not quite sure if Ferrer can continue such a hot streak in 2008. The 25 year old has been a late bloomer, however, and has only improved each year on the tour since turning pro in 2001. Another top 10 finish certainly isn't out of the picture.

Andy Roddick
World rank: 6 '07 record: 54-16 Highlight: Leading the U.S. Davis Cup team to its first title since '95.
I'm not sure if there's a harder player to pinpoint than Andy Roddick right now. After achieving what he's worked so hard for this past month in winning the Davis Cup, it will be interesting to see whether Roddick can come out of the winter with the same work ethic he usually does.

Prediction: I can't help but think that 2008 will be much the same as '07. Roddick will linger with the likes of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, but won't be a threat at the majors like he once was.

Fernando Gonzalez
World rank: 7 '07 record: 37-24 Highlight: His awe-inspiring run to the Aussie final.
After the Aussie, Gonzalez went 31-23 on the year, and without Beijing and Rome, he would've been 23-21.

Prediction: Will slip out of the top 10, most likely back to the 20s or 30s.

Richard Gasquet
World rank: 8 '07 rank: 49-24 Highlight: His 8-6 in-the-fifth win over Andy Roddick in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon.
Gasquet had an up and down year, culminating at Wimbledon. After Wimbledon and through the USO, Gasquet went 3-4 before salvaging his year with a strong fall (including qualifying for Shanghai). Gasquet battled an injury, and still seems to be growing into his game - both mentally and physically.

Prediction: It's always hard to tell with Gasquet. But like Djokovic, I think this will be another year of maturation for the Frenchman. Perhaps he will go far for the first time at his home slam (perhaps the quarters or semis) and make a final at Wimbledon or the US Open.

David Nalbandian
World rank: 9 '07 record: 31-18 Highlight: A triumphant return to the upper echelon of tennis with two wins over Federer this fall (and two TMS titles to go along).
Is back. And seems poised to stay.

Prediction: If he's healthy, Nalbandian can play with the best. But if that gut re-appears, he'll once again slip into the oblivian of the 30s to 80s.

Tommy Robredo
World rank: 10 '07 record: 49-26 Highlight: Being consistent.
I have to admit that I didn't pay much attention to Tommy Robredo this last season. He's a seasoned player and has continued to be consistent, landing him inside the top ten for the second straight season.

Prediction: If he continues to do what he did this last year, including capturing two titles, I think Robredo might be a top 20 staple for a few years to come.

Tennis Chatter: Serbian Slump and More

Novak Djokovic is pulling a Jelena Jankovic in Shanghai this week. Jankovic tanked at the WTA Championships, losing every one of her matches and pulling out due to illness. The Djoker might being feeling a bit of the same fatigue after such an active year for him, as well.

Justine Henin beats Maria Sharapova in a long final at Madrid. Highlights are below.


Meanwhile, the men's No. 1 couldn't quite pull it off against his challenger.


Martina Hingis is waiting to see if the WTA will get involved in her drug case. Miss Hingis is most interested in clearing her name, and hopes that the WTA can help her do so.

If the WTA does clear Hingis' name, I have a question: will she un-retire? After realizing that she won't be remembered with the all-time greats, Hingis looks to have set her eyes on a new prize: the player who retired the most times. Current count is two, and I'm hoping that she retires at least four times!

Thought band-aids were out? You were so wrong.

Exclusive: Day at the Masters Pt. 2

Troy is at it again on semifinal day at the Madrid Masters (or as he calls it, "Quadruple M"). Check out his latest post, complete with pictures:

Things are wrapping up quickly at the Quadruple M this weekend. Nalbandian's run continues as he takes yet another Top 3 victim in Novak Djokovic. Ironically enough, Nalbandian's run is looking more and more like Novak's at this summer's Masters Montreal. Djokovic's game seemed intact all around excluding his serve which disappointed on several key points. It seems he is also suffering something common among the elite Serbian tennis players: burnout. Novak admitted that he felt "really exhausted" during the match and smiled at the prospect of a week off.


Mirka, no stranger to R & R herself, continued her courtside reign this weekend. Last night she spent most of her time on her new pink cellphone and chatting with her friend. Today was no different, although, judging by other's reactions, she seems to have picked up a strange odor today. Too much arroz con habicheula's?


Meanwhile, Mirka's unidentified boyfriend continued to live up to his reputation and seemingly permanent number one seeding during a semifinal routing of Nicholas Kiefer. Kiefer, the only man to play Federer in all four Grand Slams (as recalled by Fed himself), took a respectable eight games off the Swiss. The 6-4, 6-4 victory kept
Federer's straight set record intact at this year's MMMM. People have started to run out of things to ask Roger, as the latter part of his press conference was dedicated to his F1 Racing predictions and the whereabouts of Juliette the cow (which he received as a gift for winning the Swiss Open at Gstaad in 2003). Federer admitted the cow was slaughtered.


The Bryan Brothers kept their slaughter of the doubles game alive with a win over the resurgent Argentine team of Nalbandian and Guillermo Canas. There was plenty of belly-bumping and Argentine ball abuse to be had during the entertaining match-up.


Tomorrow's finals should be interesting. Although the number one seeds in both singles and doubles are through (again) this time, it seems like they will all have their hands full. Anyone else smell an upset? Or is that just Mirka?


All photos by Troy Venechanos.

Madrid Exclusive: A Day at the Masters

Troy's live in Madrid giving us the play-by-play with his always-witty commentary:

Tennis balls in Madrid are big. So big that they need large Sony Ericsson WTA Tour labels and their own velvet ropes.


Madrid is wrapping up the first of its two big tennis 'balls,' and today its host left the party early. In fact, today was a day of grand exits and entrances. Let's review:

Novak Djokovic entered the semifinals with a convincing win over Mario Ancic. He rarely seemed threatened and despite an awkward landing on his foot that resulted in medical timeout, he closed out the match with ease. As he moves forward, we can wave goodbye to any clear idea of the world's second best player.


As we know, Rafa exited the Mutua Madrilena Masters Madrid earlier than anyone (here) expected. The MMMM's pride and joy didn't leave them without a few words on his regrets and overall disappointment with his performance. Surprisingly he was in good spirits during the press conference. He cracked jokes and seemed at home and at ease with the Spanish press. Although its so hard to tell - emotional subtly is definitely his strong suit.


Good-bye Rafa. Hello to the Nalbandian we once knew. It's hard to argue with David's performance today. You may think the match was closer than the score indicated, but it wasn't. The slimmed-down Argentine played flawless tennis when he had to and even when he didn't, too. I had never seen him smile until today during his post-match comments. He should enjoy it while it lasts; I'm sure he has Federer at the back of his mind. (Nalbandian next plays Djokovic in the semis, but could face Federer - whom he beat at the Masters Cup in '05 - in the final.)


Federer made his way to the semis with a straight-set win over Spain's last hope, Feliciano Lopez. In typical Federer style, he has cut himself an easy path through the draw. He steamrolled who everyone thought would be his biggest pre-final hurdle, Guillermo Canas. Although for some reason Willy seems less than intimidating
lately...


All photos by Troy Venechanos.

Clip of the Week: Ouch!

I'm not sure which is more embarrassing: that the Madrid Masters still insists using female models as ball girls or the fact that Novak Djokovic hit one of them with a misfired return.

The crowd (and Djokovic and Fernando Verdasco) were all a little scared for the victim for a second before she assured everyone that she was okay with the wave of a hand.



Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal was shocked by David Nalbandian in the quarters, winning just three games in a straight-set loss. A disappointing exit for Rafa in his comeback tournament, especially because he's the hometown boy.

TGIF: Tennis Chatter

The keyword "tennis" brings up 86,200 videos on YouTube. It's incredible to think of all those videos added by users that include pro tennis matches, commercials, player appearances, etc., along with homemade videos of individuals playing tennis, watching tennis or whatever. A lot of the videos are table tennis related, as well, and some have nothing to do with tennis at all! ...They just happen to have a "tennis" tag.

The top few videos (most watched) fall under the table tennis category. So I wanted to find out what was the most watched pro tennis video. After a little digging I found that this video, featuring Mr. Novak Djokovic, is the top tennis vid with over 1.3 million views. Check it out:



Defending Bangkok champion Vania King won a nail-biter over Dominika Cibulkova 6-7, 7-6, 7-6. If King wants to salvage her mediocre season, getting to the semis or finals of the tournament she won last year (featuring a much tougher draw this year) would be quite the accomplishment.

Sybille Bammer isn't the WTA's favorite mama anymore. Lindsay Davenport has stolen that title, and, it seems, #1 Mama as well. Bonnie Ford writes about Davenport's success since her comeback.

Scroll to the bottom of this news brief to see what Venus had to say after her loss to Virginie Razzano last week in Tokyo.

Paul Henri-Mathieu and Janko Tipsarevic continued their successful seasons with wins in Moscow on Friday to advance to the semifinals.

Vote on TENNIS.com on whether you think Sharapova will win a major next year or not. You might be surprised by the results once you vote.

Clip of the Week: It's Raining (DC) Men!

In my last post, I talked about how my love for the fall tennis season was rekindled with the flurry of action around the world this past weekend. With three competitive women's tournaments taking place and a handful of Davis Cup ties taking place, I felt (for the first time in years) that the tennis season continued following the annual trip to Flushing Meadows.

I thought I would put some of that tennis on display for you all, seeing that I talk about tennis more than I watch it these days. Here are several clips from Davis Cup ties around the world.

Clip One: Semifinal Wrap
Highlights of the USA vs. Sweden and Germany vs. Russia ties


Clip Two: Djokovic and Tipsarevic thank their fans
Novak and Janko lay a Serbian flag in a heart-shaped clay tribute to their Serbian fans after their 4-1 defeat of Australian. Short, but sweet clip.


Clip Three: Israel stuns Chile
Dudi Sela, ranked 105th in the world, knocks out Fernando Gonzalez in the fifth set to give Israel a shocking 3-1, insurmountable lead over Chile.


Clip Four: Pero beats Belarus
Luis Horna does the trick over Max Mirnyi for the Peruvian win.


Clip Five: Szavay is Comeback Queen (of the week) in Beijing
One clip of the ladies! Agnes the Great pulls out a title win in Beijing after being down a set and 1-5. Jelena will be thinking about this one for a while.

And Then the Picks Got Tough...

Sometimes being a blogger is painful. You'll sit there staring at the screen hoping and wishing that something your readers would eat up would just pop into your head. I think that's what the problem is with a lot of literature out there today - none of it is worth our time. And sure, I may write some stuff that is useless to many every now and then, but I promise you that there's always a thought process behind what shows up on the page, or screen for that matter.

This weekend has been a rather blessed one in the world of tennis content. Over the past two weeks I felt like I was dragging my heals along with the rest of the tennis kingdom. The US Open was done and over, and though Lindsay Davenport was making her inspired return in Bali, I felt more like throwing mud on the screen and calling it a post than actually putting up stuff people might enjoy.

With the Davis Cup weekend done and over, I find myself extremely thankful for this Cup that many have come to forget. Perhaps it's because the Americans are in the title match for the first time since 2004, or maybe it's just because good tennis was happening all over the world, not just in one place. Roger Federer was being proved human in Prague while Tim Henman had a true champions farewell at Wimbledon.

While those were just two of many Davis Cup stories, the flurry of news surrounding the weekend gives me the same feeling I had when reading Jon McEnroe's "You Cannot Be Serious" when he spoke about playing for your country and the swelling of pride and competitive drive players felt. And if players are getting this pumped up about doubles, I'm all about making the ATP schedule more conducive for top players to represent their home countries.

Andy Roddick has repeatedly said how important winning a Davis Cup title is to him, and though for a while I thought that was Roddick copping out of talk of him winning another Major, I do understand how much he wants such an honor, especially after he (and the Bryan Bros.) carried the American team on their shoulders this past weekend.

While the global reach of tennis was being flexed by the men, a few new faces popped up on the women's scene this weekend, giving us more evidence that this game can be played people other than the white and the privileged.

Agnes Szavay continued her incredible late-summer/early-fall run on the WTA Tour. Following her appearance in the Pilot Pen final prior to the US Open, Szavay marched her way to the quarterfinals of the final Major of the year before many tennis fans took notice of Hungarian. This week her raw talent was on full display as she marched through the Beijing field, including a set-and-1-5-down comeback against Jelena Jankovic in the final.

Joining Szavay in the win column this week were Maria Kirilenko and Tatiana Golovin, two mid-major youngsters who have proven themselves capable of - but not consistent in - beating Top 20 players. Another virtual unknown, Mariya Koryttseva was Kirilenko's challenger in the finals of Kolkata.

If the entire fall is this interesting, I might turn into a proponent for keeping a year-long schedule...

Tennis Chatter

Radek Stepanek is wearing the single most disgusting tennis outfit of all time for the Czech's Davis Cup tie against Switzerland. It's reported that they used Bethanie Mattek as a fashion consultant. Surprise, surprise!

Erwin's on fire today with these Davis Cup pictures. Here's a classy one of Novak Djokovic semi-shirtless and completely headless. Djoko is always good for a laugh, especially off the court.

Corina Morariu calls it quits from the WTA Tour on her own terms. What an inspirational story to all of us. And with the company she kept on tour (Davenport, etc.) you know Morariu will be an incredible mother and do-gooder for the rest of her life. Good luck, Corina!

Wertheim has a great mailbag up at SI right now. Check it out. Who knew we would be adding Helga Masthoff to the list of Comeback Queens for this fall?!

My friend Matt has been exploding with good content over at Ranting Details lately. And though that doesn't fall under the category of 'Tennis Chatter', this is, after all, my blog!

Another good friend of mine, Troy, has been blogging up a storm from across the pond in France. Troy and I interned at TENNIS together this summer, and along with being a diehard Daniela Hantuchova fan, he's a pretty dang good tennis player himself, too.

After Igor Andreev (looking quite good, I might add) embarrassed Tommy Haas in the Germany-Russia tie, Philipp Kohlschreiber somehow beat Nicolay Davydenko to draw even after day one. There's a reason to love Davis Cup.

King Fed

Roger Federer is the King of Tennis.

Undisputed. King. Of. Tennis.

Can the rest of the court ever match the Mighty Fed?