Photoblog: Finally, An Intern

Disclaimer: the photoblog idea totally came from the brilliant mind of Matt Murphy. I always give credit where credit is due. So Matt, where'd you get the idea?

Though my real camera stopped working a few months ago (that's what I get for buying it at Costco), I still try to take (poor quality) pictures with my camera phone as often as possible.

This week, Troy and I were sent off on a task that only interns could complete: pick up the manikin legs. Yes, that's right, the manikin legs were done with their photo shoot and they needed us to move them. You see, manikin legs might be legs, but they don't necessarily move - hence us getting them.

So we set off to pick them up from Rainier, the German photographer (not the beer). And from here on out, I'll let the photos do (most) the talking:

(Troy and I lugged the manikins in body bags downstairs. Glares from passersby were numerous. AIPT photo.)

(Then the cab dropped us off almost a block away from our destination - the Land of Manikins. Troy did the carrying. I played paparazzi. AIPT photo.)

(We heard crying from inside of a building and what did we find? The Land of Manikins. Our legs were finally home. AIPT photo.)

(Once we returned the legs, we hit the streets again but were pulled into a dark alley by this mysterious du: Federelf and Mirkadeer. "Take this," they told us. Troy Venechanos illustration.)

(They handed us a minute piece of paper, and, alas! It was page 66 of the October issue of TENNIS Magazine. With me, a stamp-sized boy, rolling on a foam tube. AIPT photo.)

Our mission was complete. Our work as interns - done.

Serbian Sundae: Served with a Double Scoop

Four years ago, in June of 2003, Nadia Petrova played Kim Clijsters in a tightly-contested match at the French Open semifinals. That same week, Ana Ivanovic was an unseeded junior, playing in the girls singles draw and losing in the third round to top seed Vera Douchevina.

A month later, Roger Federer hoisted his first of ten majors at Wimbledon. That same week, Novak Djokovic beat Cesar Ferrer-Victoria, ranked 973, in the finals of a Futures Three event in his home country of Serbia. Until that week, he didn't have an ATP Tour ranking - it was his third tournament ever.

Just four short years later, the four paths of those mentioned above crossed on two grand stages of professional tennis: Ivanovic claiming her fourth career title and Djokovic winning his second ATP Masters event and beating Federer for the first time in five tries. They've come a long way.

It's not that any of this is a surprise to us - Djokovic and Ivanovic have been on the rise for some time now. Yet the arrival of two such formidable players that breathe new life into a tennis game (especially in America) that has suffered in recent years is reason to celebrate.

Djokovic has fast become one of the most well-known and well-liked stars of the ATP Tour. And after beating Rafael Nadal for the second time in six tries this year (not to mention his win over Roddick in their first-ever meeting), Djokovic has established himself as a real threat not only for the US Open, but for Federer's crown as well.

His steady ground game, quick feet and all-court play make Djokovic the sort of player that can give the Mighty Fed a few problems. And his confidence both on and off the court shows that the youngster isn't afraid to step up and play with the big boys. Yet it's Djokovic's continued learning curve that has kept him on the move in the rankings: he has kept his hunger to get better, and with that, has seen formidable results. So now with two slam semifinals under his belt, the Serbian looks poised to take the next big step: a grand slam victory.

Meanwhile, across the continent on Sunday, Ana Ivanovic played with guts and guile to beat a steady Petrova. The new world #4 won her fourth title by winning the final points with authority: knocking a cross-court forehand past Petrova to open the game, then sending a serve out wide in the ad court to seal the victory for the title.

If Ivanovic's hiccup at the French taught us anything about the teen, it's that she isn't afraid to make mistakes. She followed her Paris performance up by belting her way to the semifinals of Wimbledon and now with a title in L.A. This week in Toronto, she is the defending champion at a tournament depleted of top-tier players; but to her, that is of no matter, she would gladly accept the title challenge with all of them there.

And that's what she'll do a few weeks from now in New York, when she attempts to climb up the final step on the ladder and win her first grand slam title. Much like Djokovic, Ivanovic will take on a field of hungry (and much more experienced) players for the a shot at the title. But if their upswings continue, both will find their place on top of the game very soon.

Serena Sizzling

There's something very 2005 about Serena Williams' 2007 Australian Open campaign. Ten days into the tournament, the 81st-ranked American finds herself in the semifinals against a European teen, much like her path from two years ago.

A week ago, Serena had set up a third-round encounter with Russian Nadia Petrova, the same player she beat here in '05 in the fourth round. Her 6-3 in-the-third victory last week was, well, almost identical to her 6-3 in-the-third over Petrova last time they met here. Just wait, it gets weirder.

In '05, Williams won her semifinal against Maria Sharapova, an up-and-coming teen with big groundstrokes in '05 8-6 in the third. Yesterday, Williams beat Shahar Peer, an up-and-coming teen with big groundstrokes 8-6 in the third to set up yet another encounter with, you guessed it, an up-and-coming teen with big groundstrokes, Nicole Vaidasova.

And while it was Williams who took out Camille Pin in the opening round of the '05 AO, Sharapova did that dirty work this year, winning 9-7 in the third. Speaking of number one seed - a potential Williams-Sharapova final still looms - she has the chance to beat a fellow Russian in the quarterfinals (Chakvetadze) as she successfully did in '05 (when she beat Svetlana Kuznetsova) to take on a former grand slam champion (Hingis or Clijsters) just like two years ago when she lost to Williams in the semis.

While the similarities run rampant, the play of Williams has been superb over her five won mathces in Melbourne this year. Her needle-and-thread second set against Petrova in the third round was the catalyst that pushed her into champion gear, one she hasn't come out of since. Her drubbing of Jankovic in the fourth round shows her confidence and the 2-6 6-3 8-6 nail-biter over Peer reveals what we all knew about Williams in the first place: she has guts.