I’ve noted that the Belgian, Clijsters, was getting $1.04 odds against the Swiss Patty Schnyder, yesterday, in Luxembourg. Checking the results for games to bet on today, I’ve noticed that Schnyder passed through to the next round, beating Clijsters, in 3 sets. This is a $1.04 bet that has lost.

There was no indication that this could happen. The last time they played, Clijsters had a convincing win. It’s just one of those things – on the day, Clijsters wasn’t the better player. From the second set onward, she only got 53% of her first serves in.

Had we been looking for $1.04 bets, and betting 100% of our bankroll on them, I’d be out at this point – very early in the game.

From memory, Schnyder was getting $13.00 odds. I’d be interested to know how much money was won on her, and whether the upset was predicted by anyone that knows more about tennis than I do.

Last couple of tournaments (Moscow and Luxembourg) before end of season. Still there is Doha and Bali to play. If you have intention to watch indoor tournament in Moscow just follow this post as i will update livestreams. If you can’t see the video please download Microsoft Silverlight. All those matches on the list are in archive so you can watch them re-live if you want.

Monday:
Kiefer – Sitak
Petrova – Buchina (starts at 11:00 CET)
Makarova – Safarova

Edit: ATP matches are available to watch re-live while WTA ones are visable to people in Russian region only.

Starace – Donskoy
Youzhny – Zeballos
Chakvetadze – A.Bondarenko

Tuesday:
Stakhovsky – Biryukov
Shvedova – Jankovic
Pavlyuchenkova – Pironkova
Andreev – Ginepri

Ya sé que la noticia viene con mucho retraso, ya sé que los amantes del tenis ya lo saben, pero no podía quedarme sin expresar mi alegría por saber que la verdadera número 1 del tenis está de vuelta.

Así es, Justine Henin regresa a las pistas para replantear su rivalidad contra su compatriota y amiga Kim Clijster, recién ganadora del US Open y contra las odiadas, temidas, pero aplastantes hermanas Williams ante un circuito que se presentaba como decadente, además de las nuevas y jóvenes promesas que aunque tratan de ser la nueva ola de “héroes” como las ha descrito la WTA, se han quedado muchas de ellas en pañales y no han podido suplir la gran competencia que se había presentado desde los 80 con el surgimiento de tenistas como Steffi Graf, Martina Hingis, Mónica Seles, Jennifer Capriati y en épocas recientes Henin, las Williams, Clijsters, Sharapova y la pobre rivalidad que representó Sáfina para la última y las hermanas norteamericanas.

Ese 14 de mayo en la que Henin se retiró, el puesto de número 1 quedo vacío. Muchas trataron, se sentaron en el trono pero rápidamente tuvieron que abdicar, es hora de que la verdadera reina se posicione en el lugar que dejó abandonado y conquiste nuevos territorios, aún la vida le debe a Justine un Grand Slam, Wimbledon, y si Roger Federer tuvo su oportunidad en Roland Garros, es justo que una jugadora tal versátil y talentosa tenga esa recompensa.

Mucho se ha dicho sobre Justine también en la parte negativa, que si su coach la ayudaba durante los partidos de Grand Slam con señales, con consejos desde las gradas. Eso nunca fue a ciencia cierta comprobado, y por muy poco que le pudiera decir Carlos las ejecuciones perfectas eran puro sello de Henin.

Finalmente, mi esperanza es ver un tour de la WTA renovado con viejas pero jóvenes esperanzas como Clijsters y Henin, y en el fondo de mi corazón y como fan de Sáfina espero que ahora sin la presión del número 1 conquiste Slams como fue el caso de Mauresmo y de Clijsters misma. En pocas palabras espero ver buen tenis, y larga vida a la reina, Allez Justine!

Finalement ces Belges sont comme nous.

Le retour à la compet’ de Justine Henin provoque chez nos amis d’outre-Quiévrain un beau tollé.

 ”Oh, qu’est-ce qu’elle nous emm… !” ont semble-t-il voulu dire les 70% de Flamands et Wallons qui ont répondu “non” au sondage de la RTBF leur demandant si le come back de l’ex-numéro 1 mondiale était  ”réjouissant”.

Alors que Kim Clijsters, la maman sympa, fait l’unanimité en Belgique depuis qu’elle est revenue -victorieusement – sur le circuit, la pauvre Justine, dont le palmarès tennistique est nettement plus fourni que sa copine, se fait démolir par le “populo” et par la presse. Bon, “Juju” et son côté lisse et merchandisé peut énerver. Mais, honnêtement, et même si c’était mimi comme tout, du côté de Clijsters, le soulevé de la Coupe à New-York avec la petite bout de chou, c’était aussi un peu too much!

Comme au temps d’Anquetil et de Poulidor, le peuple fait toujours son choix. Ce n’est pas forcément le vainqueur qui touche les coeurs.

Philippe Verneaux.

1. Serena Williams - The most dominant player in the Women’s game.  She maybe is the most dominant player ever and this year she showed why she is the best.
2. Venus Williams - She is second to her kid sis.  Although grass is her game, Serena took her out denying Venus her only chance to win a major this year.  Venus’s suspect for this year although could be blamed on a few nagging injuries
3. Dinara Safina - She has the game and the talent.  But she just doesn’t have the composure.  Safina made it to the finals of the first two Grand Slam events, only to lose both of them.  She was also knocked out prematurely at the US Open.  She wins most of the other tournaments she enters, but when is she going to win that major???
4. Kim Clijsters - She’s back and she’s kicking butt.  It might not look like she had just had a child over a year ago as she showed the dominant player that she is in the US Open.  Clijsters also showed that she was a force in the way she played in the lead up tournaments as well.  What most people forget about her match with Serena is that she outplayed Serena before Serena accosted the line umpire.  But that’s a different story. 
5. Elena Dementieva - Here is another player who has yet to win a major.  She played great tennis all year at all year and she could have been the Wimbledon champion is Serena didn’t pull out that three setter against her.
6. Svetlana Kuznetsova - She won her second major this year with the French Open and looked great throughout the whole year.  A lot of her problems, like some other top players in this game, might be in her head.  Could it be a Russian thing?
7. Caroline Wozniacki - This was Caroline’s breakthrough year as she made it to the finals of the US Open.  She had played and won the most matches during the year which had really helped her WTA ranking.  But she had shown that she can play with mostly anyone on the tour.
8. Victoria Azarenka - I believed that this would be the year that the Belarussian would have her break through in a major, but it didnt come to fruition.  Nonetheless, she played great reaching the quarters in two of the four majors.
9. Jelena Jankovic - Jankovic had an unbelievable 2008.  Then over the winter she tried to fix her flaws and worked hard to win a major in 2009.  She trained really hard but she had a considerable drop off from her 2008 campaign.  Still possesses a lot of talent, just needs to fix her serve.
10. Vera Zvonareva - Vera had a very good Australian Open making it to the semis but an injury derailed most of her summer season.  She made it back for a respectable showing in the US Open losing to Flavia Pennetta in the fourth round.

BThomps

She wasn’t the biggest, but during her time in the sport, she was one of the best.  Justine Henin has made the announcement that she is making her return to professional tennis.  Henin is only 27 years old and has been retired for a year and a half already, but the game has truly missed her.  She is the holder of seven grand slams and one of the sweetest one-handed backhand shots in the women’s game.  This announcement comes just a week after countrywoman Kim Clijsters beat Caroline Wozniacki to win the US Open after she came out of retirement earlier this year.

She will compete in a couple tune up tournaments including Charleroi, Belgium and Dubai and then she is slated to make her Grand Slam return down under at the Australian Open.  After her early retirement, she had sworn off coming back, but she admitted now that “The fire burns within”.  This is great news for women’s tennis as apart from Serena and Venus Williams, the WTA has been quite lackluster.

The former number one will not be ranked for the upcoming Australian Open, but still, look for Henin to advance pretty far, that is depending on her draw.  Right now, Justine is probably a top 10 player right now even though she has taken a year and a half off.  Before her retirement, the diminutive Henin had increase the speed on her serve to go along with her already deadly placement on her groundstrokes making her a credible #1.  Safina, who is the number 1 right now, has all the tools to win a major, but just lacks the mental make up to go over the hump.

At this time next year, look for Henin to make that assault on the rankings like Clijsters has done.  Now in women’s tennis with Henin and Clijsters added into the mix of Venus and Serena Williams, this should make women’s tennis more interesting for the next calender year and definitely more exciting.

source: tennis.com

BThomps

Va ser la història més comentada al darrer US Open: la de na Serena Williams quan, en el partit de semifinals contra Clijsters, és sancionada amb un punt (que li costa el partit) per haver esbravat la frustració amb una de les jutgesses de línia. Mirau el video:

La jutgessa –menuda, sigil·losa, reflexiva, prudent– és l’epítom de la civilització. La tennista –immensa, patent, impulsiva, directa– ho és de la força i del candor, és a dir, del primitivisme original. Naturalment guanya el primer, com no pot ser altrament, i un es queda amb el sentiment desassossegador de què, pel camí, hem deixat bona part del coratge, de la franquesa, i de la pròpia responsabilitat.

Tennis Eyebrow launches on the Super Mega Happy Review Squad with a full review of the US Open Tournament 2009. For the review click the link here. Hope you have an interesting time reading it.

MDA

As Kim Clijsters finished her match with Caroline Wozniacki with an overhead on match point, she also finished what would soon be considered one of the most impressive comebacks in recent memory. Two years removed from a retirement that included a pregnancy, Clijsters came into this tournament on a winning streak, but unseeded. After knocking off a hurting Venus Williams in the fourth round, Clijsters went on to meet little sister Serena Williams, the clear favorite in the semifinals. Clijsters, however, won all of the big points as Serena lost the match, and her temper. Outburst or not, the Belgian clearly outplayed Serena as she cruised to win the tournament against Danish teenager Caroline Wozniacki. Looking forward, Clijsters has a nice chance to make another run next year for her third major championship, considering the inconsistency of the women’s game at the moment. Her rank shot up to 19 after the victory, and her big hitting will definitely increase that ranking as we move on to the fall season and next year’s Australian Open.

The other big story of this year’s Open was American 17-year-old Melanie Oudin. The Georgian was a crowd favorite with her energy and poise on the court, along with a forehand that gave trouble to some of the best in the women’s game. She defeated three ranked women in a row starting with No. 4 Elena Dementieva in the second round, one of the hottest players throughout the summer season, in three sets. She also defeated No. 29 Maria Sharapova and No. 13 Nadia Petrova in three sets as well before losing 2-6, 2-6 to eventual finalist Wozniacki. This is certainly a nice addition to her young career, one that also includes a win over Serbia’s Jelena Jankovic at Wimbledon earlier this year. With her passion and poise on the court, the American Oudin has a bright future and is a nice relief for American tennis, which has been dominated by the Williams sisters for so long.

Thumbs Up:

Caroline Wozniacki – The 19-year-old Dane took advantage of a watered-down draw and her steady hitting to cruise into the finals with big wins over former champ No. 6 Svetlana Kuznetsova and teen favorite Melanie Oudin. Wozniacki had won the most matches during the year coming into the tournament, and her progression showed during the month.

Yanina Wickmayer – The ‘other’ Belgian was also helped by an easy draw as she made it to the semifinals where she lost to Wozniacki. Her athleticism was on display against quarterfinal opponent Kateryna Bondarenko. Trailing in the second set, she used her big forehand to calm her anger after several unforced errors. She eventually won, 7-5, 6-4 to make it to her first grand slam semifinal. Oh yeah, she’s 19 years old also.

Thumbs Down:

Russian Women – Whether they were plagued by inconsistency (Dementieva, Sharapova), or temperament (No. 1 Dinara Safina, Kuznetsova, No. 7 Vera Zvonareva, Petrova), the Russians did not have a tournament to remember. Maybe the biggest example was Safina, who retained her #1 ranking after a third round exit. Safina had trouble in all three rounds, until she finally got knocked off by unseeded Czech Petra Kvitova. Safina is not having too much fun on the tennis courts right, and it was blatantly obvious by her play. The world’s number 1 has to learn to keep her head if she wants to win a grand slam.

The USTA – We all know what Serena Williams did, but a $10,000 fine? This is a woman who makes millions a year and they really think a measly 10 grand will stop her from acting this way again? Way to set an example there. If there is nothing added to this punishment it would be very disrespectful to the sport.

Looking Forward:

The possible return of another Belgian, former number 1 Justine Henin, has been on the radar for some time now. If she returns to the sport, it would set the stage for another Belgian comeback story to go along with Clijsters’ win here. Between the young rising stars and the veterans, this coming Australian Open is sure to showcase more parity in the women’s game (and a retractable roof!). Right now, confidence is the big thing for these athletes. As long as they keep their head, they all have shots at making a run. Just look at Clijsters.

paz

Source: www.usopen.org

O ranking dessa semana saiu, e tem alguém que não está feliz com isso.

Acho que essa foto dá uma dica de quem é.

Andy Murray: não mais o 2º melhor do mundo, ainda a maior esperança da Grã-Betanha, ainda sem Grand Slam.
No Top10, Rafa voltou pro número 2, Delpo ganhou uma posição e Gilles Simon continua entre os 10 mais, o que sempre foi um grande mistério pra mim. COMO ELE FAZ ISSO? Não que ele jogue mal, mas sério, faz um tempão que ele tá lá.

Já no lado das gurias, adivinha quem (ainda) é a número 1?
Um dica pra Serena: quando tiver uma chance de ser a “verdadeiro-número-1″, não sai por aí dizendo que vai enfiar bolas de tênis na goela de juízes de linha. Não vai te fazer ganhar uma partida, mas também não vai te fazer perder uma.
E a Kim, que não tinha nem ranking antes de ganhar o US Open, agora já é número 19. Sharapova quem?

Todo mundo sabe que na verdade a Jada foi a verdadeira estrela desse torneio. Kim Clijsters foi só uma mera coadjuvante.

Grand Slam number 1 for Del Potro

Mens draw - First things first and hats off to Juan Martin Del Potro for claiming his first Grand Slam title in the most impressive way possible. Taking out Rafa Nadal for the loss of only six games in the semis, and then dethroning Roger Federer in an epic final, is a stellar achievement.

- What kind of a season has it been for the aforementioned Federer? Well you’d have to think that on balance he’s got to be a happy camper. The elusive French Open title was secured in the summer as was the landmark 15th Grand Slam at Wimbledon. Ok so he lost at Flushing Meadows for the first time since 2003 and disintegrated into a shrivelling mess after losing to Nadal at the Aussie Open, but Fed’s back on top and the weight of history no longer rests heavily on his shoulders.

- Nadal is an interesting one too. After all the fear that his fragile knees were going to be his undoing it turns out that they’re actually in good shape but the rest of him may not be doing as well. Losing to Del Potro was no disgrace but losing in the manner he did really shocked me. Nadal needs to regain his famed sharpness and physical superiority as soon as possible because they were as significant a part of his armoury as his famed top spin returns.

- The comedian on tour, Novak Djokovic, appears to have toned down his antics and chosen to rebuild his image. That was a vital step for the Serb to take as he was beginning to ruffle more than a few feathers amongst his contemporaries. Nadal and Roddick for sure found him less than amusing at times. Losing to Federer in the semis was fairly predictable but the Djoker has made great strides in his game and as a former champ in Melbourne he will head there in January in confident mood.

- Andy Murray came into the US Open as many peoples favourite but made it only as far as the 4th round when Marin Cilic sent him packing. Murray has made great strides this season but the more time that passes before he wins a Grand Slam title the more the pressure will mount. Especially in the British media. With another productive off season on the horizon look for the Scotsman to be another to turn up in Melbourne with all guns blazing.

- Another under performer was Andy Roddick, who lost to the pretty one dimensional John Isner in round three. Roddick probably left his best tennis behind him at the Wimbledon final but his hard court season wasn’t what it might have been. With just one Grand Slam title in his locker, the 2003 US Open, it would be a shame if Roddick failed to add to his collection. But his future prospects don’t exactly look too bright. Fed has a couple of years left, Nadal will reign again once fully fit, Djokovic is on the way back, Murray will breakthrough and Del Potro will play a different kind of game now that he’s a major champion. A more confident, controlled game. When you add all of that up Roddick has a hell of a lot to overcome in future slams.

Supermom

Ladies draw – Many will say that the Serena Williams incident overshadowed a memorable win for the returning Kim Clijsters. They may have a point but I’m not giving Ms Williams any more coverage than she deserves. Kim’s win is the main story and is rightly given prominence as I begin my run down of the ladies draw.

- Now I’m not sure it says a whole lot for the strength of depth of ladies tennis that Clijsters can come back after 27 months out and win a Grand Slam but thats an argument for another day. Clijsters plays as well as anyone on tour and motherhood has perhaps given her a perspective on the game that adds to her composure levels. After all, how stressed can you get at break point down when you’ve had to deal with guiding a crying baby through its infancy. The trick for Kim will be to keep the run going and I wouldn’t be surprised to see her add to her Grand Slam collection in 2010.

- Kudos also must go to the runner-up Caroline Wozniacki from Denmark. This young lady has more wins on tour than any other player this year and got the rewards for her consistency with a storming run to the final. With proper ground strokes and a serve that can be improved upon Wozniacki is going to be a fixture in the Top 10 for years to come.

- Onto Serena. If you’ve not seen her outburst yet here you go. She’s always been a bad loser, and all too often a none too gracious winner, so I find it hard to have any sympathy for her. Getting foot faulted at 30 all with the match on the line is unfortunate but there’s still no excuse for her behaviour. She still left Flushing Meadows with the doubles title to her name so it wasn’t an entirely pointless fortnight. But she has a lot of work to do to repair her reputation in my eyes and in the minds of many others.

- Her sister Venus accompanied her in the double triumph, the 10th Grand Slam title the sisters have won together. Venus just doesn’t seem to have it for long these days. She’s always going to be a factor at Wimbledon, as she’s still the best mover on tour, but it’s hard to see where another Grand Slam is going to come from if not at SW19. She’s never won an Australian or a French Open so thats unlikely to change and her last win in New York came in 2001. After losing to Clijsters this time around the only conclusion you can come to with Venus is that time is running out for her major ambitions.

- Another major, and more disappointments for the likes of Elena Dementieva, Jelena Jankovic, Dianara Safina and Ana Ivanovic. Safina, as world number 1 might have been expected to go deeper in the draw but bowed out in round 3 to unheralded Petra Kvitova. All the talk of the merit of her top ranking has really gotten to the young Russian and it was no surprise to see her run at the last Slam of the season cut short. Maybe 2010, and Serena Williams in particular, will be kinder to her.

- Dementieva played a round less in Queens as she became one of the giants slayed by new American hope Melanie Oudin. Hard to fathom Dementieva at times. One week she looks unbeatable and then the next, more often than not in the Slams, she looks lost. She has all the shots, her much improved serve excepted, but lacks the bottle. And that is one skill that hours on the practice courts are unlikely to help.

- Jankovic is going through a hard time personally following a death in the family so I’ll give her a pass this time around. She’ll need to step it up next year though. Whether stepping it up is something Ana Ivanovic is capable of doing in future is shrouded in mystery at the moment, such is her dramatic slump in form. Spookily as bad as her boyfriend Adam Scott’s fall from grace in the golfing world. Winner of the French Open only last year she lost in the first round to Kateryna Bondarenko to add to her dismal run. Ivanovic has announced she is taking some time away from the game so lets hope that she returns in the form of her life.

Proud to be a Belgium citizen again! After some weak soccerplays by our national team, Kim puts us on the map again, and how! She wrote history this weekend in New York. Never did anybody got a wildcard and won a grandslam. Even better, never did any player win without being in the top 10. She’s earned some rest and I hope to see her back on the court soon for more exciting tennis.

FUENTE | abc.es

La belga Kim Clijsters, que ha disfrutado de una invitación directa del Abierto de Estados Unidos tras retornar a las pistas hace dos meses después de una retirada de dos años, se reencontró con el éxito al superar a la danesa Caroline Wozniacki (7-5 y 6-3) en la final del último Grand Slam de la temporada.
La tenista de Bilzen, de veinticinco años, logra el segundo ‘major’ de su carrera y derriba los tintes frustrantes que se ganó en su primera época en activo, cuando sólo fue capaz de triunfar en una de las cinco finales que disputó. Precisamente, la del Abierto de Estados Unidos, en el 2005.
Nunca después volvió a Flushing Meadows. Hasta ahora. Lo que ha supuesto su decimocuarta victoria seguida en el Arthur Ashe Stadium, alentada, desde la grada, por Bryan Lynch y su hija Jada, de año y medio, argumentos de su retiro de la competición.

FUENTE | elpais.com

Juan Martín Del Potro ha ganado por 3-6, 7-6(5), 4-6, 7-6(4) y 6-2 el Abierto de Estados Unidos contra Roger Federer, el número uno del mundo, invicto en Nueva York desde 2003. Hay pocas cosas más parecidas a un cataclismo en el mundo del tenis: aparte del suizo, de Rafael Nadal (sus dos víctimas) y de Novak Djokovic, ningún otro tenista había ganado un grande desde 2004. Ha sido el premio a un partido luchado de tú a tú, en el que el argentino de 20 años tuvo todas las excusas para sentirse derrotado antes de tiempo: Federer ha comandado el marcador desde el principio (6-3 y 5-4); le ha recuperado dos breaks de desventaja en la tercera y la cuarta manga; ha forzado dos dobles faltas suyas para ganar el tercer set; y sólo le ha perdido la cara al encuentro en la quinta manga, cuando pareció frustrado por las oportunidades perdidas. Del Potro es el futuro conjugado en presente: pega como lo que es, un tipo de 1,98; se mueve con la facilidad de un hombre de menos estatura; y saca y golpea con la fuerza de los destinados a las cimas más altas.

Da La gazzetta dello sport di lunedì 14 settembre 2009

NEW YORK, 14 settembre 2009 – Quasi sempre si vince davanti ai genitori, ai parenti stretti, qualche volta davanti al marito o alla moglie, quasi mai con il figlio o la figlia in tribuna. L’eccezione che conferma questa regola si chiama Kim Clijsters che ha trionfato all’Us Open battendo in finale la danese Caroline Wozniacki per 7-5 6-3. Mamma Kim ha vinto sotto gli occhi entusiasti della bellissima e biondissima figlia Jada Ellie, nata il 27 febbraio 2008, e sotto lo sguardo premuroso dei marito Bryan Lynch, giocatore di basket statunitense con trascorsi anche nel campionato italiano.

Wozniacki (sin), 19 anni, e Clijsters, 26. Ansa

il match — La finale tuttavia non è stata esaltante sebbene ci siano state situazioni di punteggio molto altalenanti. La belga è stata avanti 2-0, poi si è fatta riprendere per due volte dalla danese che, dopo aver mancato due palle consecutive del 5-2, è arrivata a servire per il set sul 5-4. Qui però la tensione l’ha un po’ bloccata e Kim ha infilato gli ultimi tre giochi del set chiudendolo per 7-5. Nel secondo la Clijsters ha giocato più sciolta, è volata avanti fino al 5-2, poi ha perso il servizio, ma ha chiuso per 6-3 strappando per la quinta volta il servizio alla giovane danese. La Clijsters ha chiuso con 36 vincenti e 34 errori gratuiti, la Wozniacki invece con appena 10 vincenti e 21 errori.

“Clijsters: Non avrei mai pensato di poter tornare e vincere un torneo importante come questo”

parola di kim — “Per me è incredibile – ha raccontato Kim – perchè non avrei mai pensato di poter tornare e vincere un torneo importante come questo. E’ fantastico, provo sensazioni indescrivibili”. “Sono contenta – ha dichiarato la danese – per il ritorno di Kim. Se non vinceva oggi era senza dubbio meglio per me, ma ha giocato bene e si merita tutto questo”. Kim è la prima mamma a vincere un torneo dello Slam da quando Evonne Goolagong trionfò a Wimbledon nel 1980.

cifre — Il parellelo con l’aborigena australiana ritorna anche per il fatto che Kim, al ritorno nel circuito dopo oltre due anni dal ritiro, è la seconda giocatrice di sempre senza classifica Wta a vincere uno slam. Ci riuscì proprio la Goolagong nell’Open d’Australia del dicembre del 1977. Per la belga si tratta del 35° torneo della carriera, il secondo dello slam e il secondo consecutivo all’Open degli Stati Uniti dopo la vittoria del 2005 su Mary Pierce. Da allora non aveva più giocato a New York, ma ora la campionessa è ritornata ed è tornata alla grande (due set ceduti in tutto il torneo, uno alla francese Marion Bartoli e uno a Venus Williams). E dal nulla piomba direttamente tra le prime 20 del mondo.

Luca Marianantoni

Men’s Singles

Congratulations to the 2009 champion, Juan Martin del Potro, the tallest Open winner ever. Hopefully the anchors on ESPN Sports Center finally learn how to say his name. Juan Martin played an excellent tournament. His forehand was massive, his serving was impressive, and he was deceptively quick on the court. He’s only 20 years-old, so a bright future is ahead of him.

Roger Federer played very well until the final. Throughout most of the tournament Roger made highly skilled players look bad, even when they were playing solid tennis. In the final he struggled on serve and made an uncharacteristic number of errors. Despite not playing his best in the final he still came within two points of winning the championship. Roger’s second-to-last point in the semifinal will be a highlight for many years.

His opponent in that semifinal, Novak Djokovic, played very well. I like Novak, so I was happy to see him play well and get a good reception from the crowd. Last year he was viciously booed at the US Open after his win over Andy Roddick. This year the crowd was on his side again and it looked like he enjoyed the tournament (last year it looked painful at times). When he was eliminated on Sunday I gave him a standing ovation as he walked off the court. In my living room. Which is approximately 211 miles from Arthur Ashe Stadium. It was the right thing to do.

Rafael Nadal played well, but had lingering health problems. Hopefully he is able to get healthy for next season. Things are getting crowded at the top of the Men’s rankings, so if he doesn’t get off to a good start he could plummet.

The Men’s field is as strong as ever right now. The top 20 is filled with dynamic players. It’s a good time to be a tennis fan.

Womens’s Singles

Congratulations to the 2009 champion, Kim Clijsters. In just her third tournament after a nearly two year retirement she won the title as an unranked player. I suspect I will never see that happen again in my lifetime. Kim played very well. Her march to the final went through both Williams sisters, a feat worthy of a trophy itself. Her court movement was as good as it was in her prime and she was very consistent, avoiding the hot and cold streaks that plagued her in the past.

The runner-up, Caroline Wozniacki, is the first Danish woman to play in an Open final. Caroline had a soft draw and took full advantage of it. She plays a defensive game with minimal errors. She’s only 19, so her game has time to evolve.

Melanie Oudin became the big story here in the US by beating several players with solid pedigrees. Maybe the Williams sisters will finally be joined by another American woman in the top 20. Women’s tennis in the US, aside from Venus and Serena, has not been good recently. I did not root for Oudin in this tournament, but maybe I will over time.

Serena Williams provided the most memorable moment of the tournament in her semifinal loss to Clijsters (for all the wrong reasons). Her foot fault and meltdown shocked me. I’m glad she issued an apology today, for her statement yesterday was very unapologetic. I realize the apology probably came at the urging of lawyers and not from the heart, but maybe it was genuine. The way she treated the lineswoman was completely unacceptable. I don’t think she should be suspended. The fine, even though it doesn’t amount to much to her, was sufficient. If anything like that happens again the repercussions should be stronger (i.e. suspension, larger fine, etc).

The current #1 player (a ranking which has been a hot potato), Dinara Safina, was not a factor in the tournament. She played poorly in her early round wins and it was evident she was not going far. If she doesn’t get her serve figured out she might never win a major.

Women’s tennis is very unpredictable right now. So many of the top players are streaky or struggle with their serves. It’s time for someone to step up establish herself as the legitimate #1 player in the world.

After watching many hours of tennis over the past couple of weeks I now walk around hitting imaginary forehands and backhands. For my health, and the health of others, I think I need to get to a tennis court this week.

Ce coup, messieurs dames…

Entre les guiboles, dos au filet, au risque de se les briser menues… Federer est passé bien près de chanter la traviata en demi-finale de l’US Open !

Mais le dieu du tennis ne risque plus rien depuis qu’il a recréé ce sport en sept ans, c’est à dire depuis qu’il fait joujou avec ses adversaires et ses raquettes et qu’il trône sur son nuage de seigneur de la balle jaune.

Djokovic a vu passer la balle de Roger sous son nez et la foule de Flushing s’est pâmée de joie et a acclamé le King. En fait, on venait d’apercevoir le père (Federer), le fils (Djokovic) et le saint-esprit (le génie de Roger)… Amen !

La même nuit, “Mother” Clijsters a remporté le titre. En battant Serena, mauvaise joueuse, teigneuse et insulteuse d’arbitres. Houuuuuu !

Morale de tout ça: pas grand chose…

Philippe Verneaux.

PR: wait… I: wait… L: wait… LD: wait… I: wait… wait… Rank: wait… Traffic: wait… Price: wait… C: wait…

Warning: Long post and lots of pictures and opinions.

Over the weekend a new audio tape was released that has been linked to Osama bin Laden.  The Al Qaeda leader called the President vulnerable, I think bin Laden is the one who is vulnerable, in a little over 100 days in office the new President is closer to finding you and finally bringing some meaning to this long fought war than the former President was in 8 years.  You are vulnerable because now more than ever you are trying to reach out to the American people, Mr. Bin Laden you are right to shake in your boots. Oh, and that “new” picture of you— good photoshop work!

What are everyone’s thoughts on the Serena incident? I know she’s toned but the way that woman ran away from her was hilarious. She showed class at the end by shaking Clijsters’ hand, she has good sportsmanship— sort of.

The VMA’s: I love GaGa and her fashion choices, although they may not work outside the celeb realm she works it like no other! Diddy’s pause while trying to figure out who was the runner-up and award them the best rap video of the year- hilarious. Beyonce’s and LG’s performances- amazing. Beyonce showing class such class and letting Taylor Swift have her moment— TV gold. JAy-Z’s and Alicia’s performance was amazing but what the hell was Lil’ Mama doing running up there??? Trying to steal Kanye’s thunder? She should be slapping herself for it.

Now for the moment that everyone is talking about:

—best I could find, a lot have been pulled by Viacom.
I didn’t see this moment live because I changed the channel as soon as I heard she won- Drop Dead Diva was on and for me it was between Lady Gaga and Beyonce, don’t get me wrong I love TS. Well then my twitter feed started blowing up with all this feed about the incident so I youtube’d it and my mouth dropped, the look on Taylor’s face is heart-breaking. She couldn’t manage to finish and it was her first VMA I believe. He later apologized on his blog, which was overwhelmed by people trying to view it, I hope he pays his PR’s extra for this. At first I was think that he and Joe Wilson should hang out, but now I’m starting to think it was fixed.
Everyone knows that Kanye is known to blow up at award shows, it’s no secret he is a cry baby, and later on at the end of the show B wins “Video of the Year”. So, I’m thinking, how could the “video of the year” not win all other categories it was in??? But, it could also be wishful thinking because I do enjoy Kanye’s music a lot and that was such a career-killing move! What an idiot!

Friday’s eats:

Green Monster

Breakfast 2: Ezek w almond butter and honey, strawbs, and a gardenburger patty

Lunch: Boca w SunChips

I wanted something sweet so I had ezek w Almond Butter and honey w strawbs

Dinner: Macadamian crusted mahi-mahi w quinoa and summer squash

Saturday’s eats:

Cliff

GM

Cliff Kid's bar

Mahi-mahi, quinoa, and asparagus

Sunday’s eat’s:

GM

scrambled tofu

Mixed greens w strawbs and Annie's lite Raspberry vinaigrette

Salmon, quinoa, and asparagus

Happy birthday Isaac!

Okay dolls I’m off to class boo Algebra aka Business Math aka most boring class ever!

Leg still hurting. No training of substance. Ran some measly miles here and there. Feeling pretty down about that.

Here are just some random thoughts I have had today.

Congrats to Kim Clijsters on winning US Open 2009. What a comeback. Her young daughter was there too.

Kim Clijsters US Open 2009

NFL season has started. I’m excited about that, mostly due to fantasy football.

Still without my phone. I miss playing sudoku.

In EPL, Man City beat Arsenal 4-2 and looked like a real deal. Should be a good match against Man United next week.

Barcelona and Real Madrid are both looking good in La Liga this season. Barca has a big match coming up against Eto’o and Inter Milan.

Also from US Open last night, in Mens semifinal, an amazing shot by Federer: