May 13th, 2013
Poll: Which Swiss Will Go Further At The French Open, Roger Federer Or Stanislas Wawrinka?
Unfortunately it’s coming to this. The mighty Roger Federer may soon be passed by his countryman and second fiddle Stanislas Wawrinka. The younger Wawrinka is already well ahead of the 17-time Slam champion in terms of 2013 points and this season Stan has reached three finals winning in Portugal and recently finishing runner-up in Madrid yesterday.
The 31-year-old Federer has yet to even reach a final this year. And his last title came in August at Cincinnati. Roger’s Grand Slam record …
Posted by Staff @ 11:43 am in Polls | 21 Comments »
May 12th, 2013
American Men Fail in Rome; Venus v Serena 2nd Round?
American men made a statement on Sunday at the Italian Open — a bad one — when both exited in first round play.
Sadder news for U.S. men’s tennis? They were the Top 2 ranked players for the U.S. Sadder still? Both were unseeded in the 16-seeded field. Sadder still? Never mind, this can go on and on.
On the slow red dirt in Rome on Sunday Sam Querrey exited 6-2, 7-6(8) against No. 9 seed Richard Gasquet, and John Isner was …
Posted by Staff @ 9:46 pm in Rome, Tennis | 16 Comments »
May 12th, 2013
Nadal, Serena Flick Away Opponents for Madrid Titles
Two claycourt champions put down minimal opposition on Sunday to claim titles at the Mutua Madrid Open in Spain as Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams again raised trophies.
Nadal claimed his third career Madrid crown when the No. 5 seed defeated No. 15 Stan Wawrinka 6-2, 6-4. After losing the first set, Wawrinka’s go-for-broke tactics held until 3-3 in the second until the Spaniard broke and rode out the win.
“I think he started really well,” Wawrinka said. “Even if I’m playing …
Posted by Staff @ 9:19 pm in Madrid, Tennis | 14 Comments »
May 12th, 2013
Roger Federer Says He Hasn’t Heard Of Any Gays Currently In Men’s Tennis
A hot button topic in the U.S. this month has been the gay athlete. Since NBA journeyman Jason Collins came out in a recent issue of Sports Illustrated, many sporting stars have been asked about the possibility of gays in their sport. Roger Federer today said gay players are not an issue in tennis and in fact he doesn’t know if there even are any playing on the tour at the moment.
“I don’t think problem to be honest,” Federer said …
Posted by Tom Gainey @ 2:20 pm in Rome | 13 Comments »
May 12th, 2013
Novak Djokovic: My Ankle Is Not Bothering Me, I’m Confident Of Playing Well The Next Few Weeks
Novak Djokovic met the press today at the Italian Open in Rome. Just a few days after suffering a shock loss to Grigor Dimitrov during which he turned his bad ankle, the World No. 1 updated the press on the state of the injury and on how he feels heading into this final event before the French Open.
“I feel better and the ankle is not bothering me,” Djokovic said. “I try not to think about it as I know that …
Posted by Tom Gainey @ 2:12 pm in Rome | 13 Comments »
May 11th, 2013
Rome Preview: Djokovic, Federer Look To Get Back On Track On Rafa’s Turf
After a disappointing Madrid event, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer will look to get their games back to form in the final tune-up before the French Open. With the addition of Juan Martin Del Potro, the Rome field is fully loaded but we know who the man to beat is: Rafael Nadal.
And for the second straight week the Tennis Gods have smiled upon Nadal, and frowned on poor David Ferrer. Arguably the third best claycourt on the planet, Ferrer will …
Posted by Sean Randall @ 7:58 pm in Tennis | 43 Comments »
May 11th, 2013
Nadal Reaches Seventh ATP Final Of Year, Meets The Other Swiss For Madrid Title; Serena v. Sharapova
Rafael Nadal is remarkably now a perfect seven-for-seven this year in reaching ATP finals. After seven months off to rehab a bum left knee, Nadal has stormed back to the circuit and to this point may be playing the best, most consistent tennis of anyone. Tomorrow the Spaniard seeks a fifth title of 2013 against surprise finalist Stan Wawrinka in the Madrid final.
“Five months ago I could not have dreamed of everything that has happened during these past few months,” …
Posted by Sean Randall @ 7:24 pm in Madrid | 105 Comments »
May 10th, 2013
Serena, Sharapova One Step From No. 1 Battle in Madrid; Nadal Wins
World No. 1 Serena Williams and No. 2 Maria Sharapova are each one win away from a blockbuster meeting to determine the No. 1 ranking next Monday after both won quarterfinals matches on Friday at the Mutua Madrid Open in Spain.
Williams had a difficult time against Spanish wildcard Anabel Medina Garrigues, losing the second set 6-0 in a 6-3, 0-6, 7-5 eventual triumph.
“I obviously didn’t do much in the second set, which gave her a lot of confidence to play …
Posted by Staff @ 10:05 pm in Madrid, Tennis | 37 Comments »
May 10th, 2013
In Midst Of 8-Month Title Drought, Roger Federer Says He’s Going To Hit The Practice Courts
A tough season just got tougher for Roger Federer yesterday. The defending champion Federer was sent out of the tournament in the third round by Kei Nishikori 64, 16, 62 at the Mutua Madrid Masters.
At 31, Federer’s cut back on his schedule but his results aren’t showing any improvement. In fact they are getting worse. He hasn’t reached a final this season and he hasn’t won a title since Cincinnati last summer. Despite this 8-month title drought Federer isn’t …
Posted by Tom Gainey @ 10:30 am in Madrid | 11 Comments »
May 10th, 2013
Maria Sharapova Looks Hot In This Latin Esquire Photo Shoot [Video]
Maria Sharapova is not just doing it on the court, but off it as well. The Russian mega-star is complementing her sizzling play on the WTA tour of late with this red-hot photo shoot for the cover of June’s Esquire Latin America Magazine.
With John Russo behind the lens, the shoot took place last month at Hermosa Beach, California.
Here’s the behind the scenes:
Here’s the cover:
Posted by Tom Gainey @ 10:05 am in Videos | 3 Comments »