Career Battle

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, exploring the arts and getting lost on the subway.

So, as the season has come to an end and Venus captured her first-ever WTA Championships title, I haven't felt like blogging much. I'm wondering if I seek a career like the Williams sisters, where I blog now and then and save the good stuff for meaty, Grand Slam-like posts or that of Jelena Jankovic, where I'm blogging everyday, often times at a lower quality level, stretching my mind and imagination and failing to deliver when it matters most (like during the 5th biggest tournament of the year).

But like tennis, the nature of the blogging world is demanding. If you don't churn out consistent, good stuff, the critics will come calling - or, in this case - the readers will stop reading. It's a Catch 22 if there ever was one, and as much as I think I have good writing skills that can only get better, I'm no Venus or Serena.

In any case, as winter approaches and the tennis tour takes its short vacation, I see myself joining them for the most part. There are certainly a few topics I would like to write on over the next 6 weeks before 2009 begins, and I would like to resurrect the ever-popular video blogging.

I'll try to make that all happen soon, but for now I'm off to a photo shoot... oops, there I go thinking I'm a Williams sister again. Ah, the life!

Some of These Don't Belong

(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 than everyone else here.
Ana Ivanovic: I love that episode of Seinfeld where Jerry wears the Pirate shirt!
Elena Dementieva: Damn Ana and Serena, their black pants are shinier than mine!
Svetlana Kuznetsova: I'm ready for my first day of 9th grade!
Venus Williams: I save my fashion for the court, ladies.
Vera Zvonareva: I just used my hotel room curtains as an outfit, that's OK right?

The Difference of Needs

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 French. She had just been 5-6 on tour, losing early at both Wimbledon and the USO and looking like a player who was scared to hit a tennis ball instead of the number one player in the world. But this week in Zurich proved to be the reprieve she needed, winning two matches* and fighting hard against Venus Williams in the semifinals.

Jankovic, on the other hand, had been on a hot streak since the Olympics, losing just one match in that time - to Serena in the Open finals - and winning three straight titles in the fall season. But with the Season Ending Championships lingering in the near future, Jankovic's win streak would have presented more of a liability than anything else going into Doha. Her back-to-earth loss to Flavia Pennetta this week in Zurich let's her re-charge her batteries and find some hunger for a SEC title.

Everyone was relieved to simply see Federer playing, and he looked good in his opening two matches. But his semifinal rematch with Andy Murray didn't go as planned, and the Brit put Federer out much to many people's surprise after the drubbing that occurred in New York just over a month ago. It again showed Federer is human, but more than that, showed that Murray is a force to be reckoned with to end the season strong.

While all three of these needy players have been part of the tennis gossip lately, they each have different needs on court as the fall comes to a close. It's up to each of them to make sure their number one need, come two weeks from now, is to win the last tournament of the year, and that's something you can be sure each of them want to do.

*This blog was published while the Ivanovic-Williams semifinal was still in progress.

Tennis Chatter

There are plenty of advantages waiting up north for Jesse Levine, but the question is: will he go for it? There's no doubt that a 'notable' athlete in the States would be considered a super star in Canadian sports. Example: Frank Dancevic. (via ZooTennis)

Which was the better SEC? The men or the women? Justine and Maria put on an epic show to cap off the year, but Roger Federer is epic every time he steps on the court. Women's wrap. Men's wrap. Let us know which tour went out with a bigger bang.

Is there really competition between Roger Federer, the most genius and athletically sound tennis player on the earth right now and Pete Sampras, the former great who hasn't played a pro match in over two years? Koreans will decide that this week when the two go head-to-head in an exhibtion.

Oh yeah, and for winning the Masters Cup, Fed got another trophy. I wonder where he puts those things?

You do have to love Andy Roddick and the stuff he says in the interview room, even if his tennis is less-than-exciting sometimes.

And no matter who wins the battle of the GOATs, Rog and Pete will still be friends.

If you thought Novak Djokovic played bad last week, look how terrible the Shanghai crowd is in attempting to play some 'giant tennis'. Yikes.

Flawless Federer

Well, Roger Federer won today in Shanghai. No surprise that the Mighty Fed ended his year the way he started (and continued through) it. The question now is, who had the better year: Justine Henin or Roger Federer?

While Federer has been much more of a fan and media favorite, there is no denying that Henin has been as or more dominant than her No. 1 counterpart.

Federer took the title in Australia while Henin settled personal issues after divorcing husband Pierre Yves. Henin caught up at one slam a piece when she won at the French. The Fed would win the next two of the year, while Justine ran into a large-and-in-charge Marion Bartoli to fall short of her maiden title at Wimbledon.

While that one hiccup may have robbed Henin of claiming a better season, the petite Belgium did go 25-0 following that loss, while Federer went a decent 30-4 in the same span.

For me, the verdict is still out. If Henin remains healthy, she may become one of the most dominant player in the sport - male or female - ever. Federer, too, is etching himself into the stone of history with each passing year, as he will be sure to do in 2008, as well.

So, who do you think is better? I'm still undecided.

Kelly Concert Review; A-Train Rolls

Today, my good friend Matt Murphy over at Ranting Details put up my Kelly Clarkson concert review. One of the topics I discuss in the review is the diverse fan base that Clarkson has supporting her at concerts. I would argue that point for tennis, as well. Though long known as a "country club" sport, I think tennis has really internationalized and, over time, become more of a people's sport.

While the popular reach of tennis may be minute compared to the American past time of baseball and the global of phenomenon of soccer, the rise of non-American stars has no doubt helped the game go global and be available for a larger fan base, which I think we are all thankful for.

While Kelly was great on her third time around, Andy Roddick was just as good on his second. The American, who beat Nicolay Davydenko in three sets in his opening round robin match dispatched Fernando "Federer Beater" Gonzalez 6-1 6-4 to secure the first semifinal spot at the season ending championships in Shanghai.

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.

Clip of the Week: See It, Believe It

Anna Chakvetadze somehow pulled out a three-set win over Jelena Jankovic to be the fourth semifinalist at the YEC in Madrid today.

Chakvetadze joins Maria Sharapova, Justine Henin and Ana Ivanovic in the semis. Doesn't it seem like this tournament just started? Crazy!

If you can see through your I-can't-believe-Serena-withdrew tears (Troy!), then here's a little tidbit of info you might enjoy: tennis on the internet.

I love the blogosphere for many reasons, but one of them is that information can be passed around so easily. Now, sometimes that might be a negative thing, but in the case of enabling those of us who do not own TVs to watch some high-quality tennis on the web, I'm all for it.

I did, finally, find some YEC videos on YouTube.


Oh, and in case you didn't see this score, be ready to feel really, really bad for Marion Bartoli. At least the holidays are coming up for Mari, she loves feasting with Mirka!

To rant for a minute, what a disappointing end to the season for Jelena Jankovic. I really feel that Jankovic didn't live up to her billing this year. Maybe that's unfair to say, but the Serb didn't win any big matches that proved to me she truly is a top-tier player. She still hasn't solved the Henin riddle (though few have), and her inability to win key matches (such as the one against Chakvetadze today) shows me that she isn't among the best in the game.

Now don't get me wrong, Jankovic is my favorite player on tour right now, and I admire so much of her game. But for her to be a threat in 2008, she needs to pull her game - and her head - together to make a run at some major titles.

The Ghost of Madrid

So this post is part Tennis Chatter, part gossip, part rant and part promotion.

First off, the whole "Ghost of Madrid" title is because of this: I can't find ANY videos on YouTube. I've put in every player's name, including Madrid, tennis and every possible tagging word I can think of. So, are they really playing tennis across the Atlantic? Or is it all just a ploy?

A few weeks ago, I purchased a T-shirt from an adorable online clothing company called Stick It Wear. I had discovered the company from Erwin, and had decided to check out the site for myself. Upon browsing their awesome tennis-inspired tees, I just had to have one. After ordering the "Clay Warrior" a few weeks ago, I was curious to why I hadn't received a package wrapping my stick-figured goodness yet. After a few email exchanges, a kind SIW employee named Joe informed that they had run out of the Warrior and were a little back logged. He promised me that the shirt was on its way, and that a second, complimentary shirt was included for my patience. So, in part, this is to tell you about an awesome T-shirt company...but it's also a bit of a pay-it-forward gesture. So check them out.

Jelena Jankovic is blogging this week from Madrid, while Serena Williams has just announced her withdrawal from the tournament.

No doubt Serena is hugely disappointed for having to leave the YEC without a title in her hand. I do, however, believe that this will be extremely motivating for Serena to make 2008 her year. 2007 was the year we saw Serena return to her championship form, but her "rivalry" with Justine Henin has taken a Federer-Roddick turn. JH owns Serena, winning their last three matches (all at majors) and losing just one set along the way. Sure, this is a sad departure for Serena, but I have no doubt that she'll be back to prove her "critics" wrong and make a charge for the No. 1 ranking in the world.

Meanwhile, looking ahead to next week, the groups have been laid out for the ATP Championships. Check them out.