Snacking on My First Bit of Crow

Sooooo, Björkman/Mirnyi did NOT close out their tie-breaker with Julien Benneteau and Richard Gasquet to march forward in Monte Carlo.  I’ll take my crow fried with a side of gravy.  I should have seen it coming.  I know that French players often take out higher-ups in any clay tournament even though they have such difficulty with their own country’s Slam.  Not only did they give the boot to heavy favorites, they have since moved into the finals to face the Bryan Brothers after dismissing Swedish/Austrian team Simon Aspelin and Julian Knowle, 6-1, 6-4. 

In the singles event, Roger Federer swept by Former Monte Carlo Juan Carlos Ferrero, 6-3,  6-4.  And The Clay Machine gave Thomas Berdych a bagel with his win of 6-0, 7-5.  The second match is a very impressive number for Berdych as anyone coming off first round thumping, rarely keeps up with someone so very much in his element as Rafael Nadal.  I’m seeing another gracious and humble consolation speech from The Gentleman of Tennis.  In the doubles arena, I’m willing to back off my claim of a Bryan victory as Benneteau/Gasquet but only if I read about the brothers playing jam band all night instead of getting a decent night’s rest.  The French should win with a semi-home court advantage and a nothing-to-lose approach, but the Bryan’s are going to win by will.

Over in Fed Cup action, Venus has just started playing Belgium’s Kirsten Flipkens.  They’re staying on serve through the first set.  Venus so very much likes to do that as opposed to Serena’s knock-em-down-before-they-start approach.  So far, my weak and unfounded predictions could still come true.  Eerily, Peng Shuai has bowed out of her match.  I don’t believe that China can take but maybe one rubber.  Not that they don’t have plenty to offer, it’s the lack of experience and the shock from losing their best player on the team, who happens to have been eclipsing herself of late.

Semi-Monte Carlo, About a Half a Day from Fed Cup

Before my daily opine, for some fun off the courts, check out what the players did to entertain themselves in Monte Carlo. It all sounded like a great time, though I question a tennis writer impersonating a female player. Not that I’m against cross-dressing for a laugh, but the girls aren’t there. It’s never nice to poke fun at someone if they’re not in the room. Still, it sounded funny.

Rafael Nadal has just dismissed Philip Kohlschreiber in the Monte Carlo Masters Series event to land the final spot in the semis. He’ll most likely expand his winning streak when he plays Thomas Berdych next. Hats off to Berdych who made an excellent run to this point. In the other semi, it’ll be Federer going for win #501 against José Ferrero, and now that he’s gotten over his uncharacterisic recent losses, it shouldn’t take too long. Oh, I’d love to see some new names in the finals — I love cheering for underdogs – but the scores of Nadal and Federer through the week are showing that they will likely repeat last year’s final, and the results of that last match will probably be the same, too.  Look forward to more of the obligatory pictures of Nadal making out with his latest clay championship trophy.  I was going to predict that Federer has figured out Nadal for the clay season, as he wants that French Open title so very, very much, but I don’t think he’s there yet.  Though the Gentleman of Tennis always has a slick trick up his fashioned sleeve, he’s not ready to stop The Clay Machine.

In doubles action, there’ve been surprises in the early rounds, but it’s the final four I was expecting from the beginning. Well, that is if Björkman/Mirnyi make it through the tie-break they’re in right now. They typically don’t give up the “important points.”

On to the ladies. They seem to be all smiles getting ready for Fed Cup as the publicity increases there. Notably, Petrova and Kuznetsova looked rather bored with the press in their pic. Maybe they’re thinking the win is going to be easy or they simply would rather be somewhere else. I know they’re not always comfy with the reporters, and I don’t blame them. 

Now, a short detour. I have never understood why Maria Sharapova gets so many endorsements other than the blonde hair. Her public speaking is about as exciting as watching a snail crawl across Death Valley, and quite frankly, she looks a bit … well, trashy. There are far more attractive girls on the circuit. To prove that, Jelena Jankovic (I’m so proud of her resurgence this year!), just landed a Hyundai endorsement deal in her home country – and she looks GREAT. It’s up right now at the WTA site. If I find other pics, I’ll share later. Finally, someone is proving you don’t have to be blonde and speak as if you’re bored and unimpressed to be sexy.

Fed Cup Home Team Advantage

Since I spend far too much time studying tournament brackets, reading player bios and figuring out (with fairly decent accuracy) who’s going to win each match, I thought I’d start blogging about it. 

There are no tournaments this week for the women as it’s Fed Cup time once more.  After Italy’s surprise (not to me!) win over Belgium last year, I am sure every team has been given a bit of a pick-me-up.  Anything’s possible – as the Fed Cup often reiterates.  The thrill is this:  The Sisters are back to represent.  Venus and Serena’s recent performances have shined the light once more.  Love ‘em or hate ‘em, you cannot deny that when they step into the arena, women’s tennis is suddenly thrust back into mainstream media and the fans, in general, become more engaged. 

Ah, but the men are having their first big clay court tournament in Monte Carlo – an ATP Masters Series event.  Roger Federer has been showing some signs of human-ness after the double-thumping of two early-round losses to the once ousted Guillermo Cañas (I never quite understood how it that drug was “performance enhancing”).  His first round in Monte Carlo was far too close for comfort, but in the following rounds, he’s already back to being the graceful killer.  His bracket has been swept a bit since rising star Novak Djokovic was bundled away.  But isn’t that the joy of the clay courts?  Other than knowing that Justine Henin and Rafa will be difficult to beat, there are few “sure bets.” 

Speaking of Nadal, he’s on the other half of the Monte Carlo draw and it’s looking like he and Roger will march through to the end once more.  But again, it’s clay.  I’ll keep my finger’s crossed for some surprises. 

As for the ladies of the WTA representing their respective countries, I wish them well and expect the following to happen:

• America over Belgium
• Russia over Spain
• France over Japan
• Italy over China

I hope and pray they aren’t all shut-outs.  I’m the type of spectator who rarely wants to see a competitor not win a single point.  Usually, after getting to the 3-0 mark, captains will rotate their players and let a lower-ranked player have some action. 

The only close call should be Italy v. China.  China wants it more and could take advantage of the pressure on Italy to get through the opening round.  If Peng Shuai stays, it’s a toss up.  If she’s out on a continued injury, it’s Italy all the way. 

So there’s my first predictions of many to come.  Though I’ll state now that my Davis Cup and Fed Cup predictions are my worst.  I don’t mind.  I like surprises.  Besides, it’s easier to predict, really, when following a week-long (or more) tournament to see how each individual plays.  Add in the fact that patriotism is a huge Fed Cup factor, as is fan support (or lack of it for the visiting teams), and then there’s surface, the red herring that keeps foreshadowing for these events out of reach.