Swimming Championships at the Australian Open

The 2007 World Swimming Championships will be held at Rod Laver Arena at the Australian Open tennis site.  Now that is going to be an architectural feat. 

Coria Headline

This BBC headline caught my eye: Croatian crown for classy Coria  I've heard Coria called a lot of things before, but classy?  That's a first for me and particularly funny after the Hewitt-Coria Davis Cup dustup.  And the article never even mentions why he's supposed to be so classy, although I did learn for the first time that his wife is Croatian.  "My wife is Croatian and from this region, so I felt like (I was) home," the second-seeded Coria said.

Men's vs. Women's Tennis

Interesting article in the San Diego Union-Tribune today comparing the men's and women's games today: Women's game lacks the flash of a Federer

This one takes the point of view that Roger Federer's dominance makes the men's game slightly more appealing that the women's game right now.  Which is pretty funny of course because how many times have  you heard people complain that men's tennis is boring because Federer wins everything?  Six of one, half-dozen of another I guess.

The best quote comes from former U.S. Davis Cup player Ted Schroeder though. "The women dress, look and act like ladies," Schroeder said. "The men dress like bums, act like bums and are bums, with rare exceptions. Federer is one of them." Now you just can't get away with saying that sort of thing when you're young!

Sunday Finals Wrap-up

Generali Open

Gaston Gaudio d. Fernando Verdasco 2-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-4

It took nine match points, but Gaudio got the job done and he sounds genuinely thrilled to have won his fifth title of the season (all on clay of course): “It’s an unbelievable moment.  I am so, so happy. I was already in the final last year, but failed to win. I wanted to make up for it this time and it worked."

But somehow it all feels different without the French Open title this year. 

And does anyone else think it's strange that this final was best-of-five but all the other men's tournaments today were best-of-three?

Budapest Grand Prix

Anna Smashnova d. Catalina Castano 6-2, 6-2

Smashnova continues to do a remarkable job of cleaning up at these lower tier tournaments.  She won the Tier IV in Modena, Italy a couple of weeks ago as well and she now sports the positively Federer-like gaudy stat of being 11-0 in tournament singles finals.  Of course it's not the same as when you do it in good tournaments, but still a nice record to have in your back pocket.  And this season has been a nice comeback for Smashnova who at the end of last year was making noises about giving up and retiring after her breakup with her husband/coach.  So the moral of the story I guess is...don't marry your coach.

Croatia Open

Guillermo Coria d. Carlos Moya 6-2, 4-6, 6-2

At long last, Coria gets his first title of the season (with an assist from Nadal for pulling out).  Much different from the last two years when Coria cleaned up on clay.  So maybe we can declare him all the way back from the shoulder surgery that caused him to miss the end of last season and move on from here. 

And Moya can't be that disappointed.  Considering how badly he's been playing this year and his recent shoulder troubles, getting to the final  here and stretching Coria to three sets is a great result for him.

Bank of the West

Kim Clijsters d. Venus Williams 7-5, 6-2

This one I saw on TV.  Very strange first set with neither player able to hold serve much, but that happens in women's tennis sometimes unfortunately.  But it was pretty clear that Kim wanted to win this one really badly while Venus could have lived with either a win or a loss.  Once the first set was gone, Venus checked out. 

Kim's still having a little denial about her Grand Slam final history: "I think I've played very good in the past when I've made Grand Slam finals," Clijsters said. "I'm working hard to give myself another chance of hopefully reaching another Grand Slam final. We'll see."

If she doesn't make it to the U.S. Open final, she won't be using any injury excuses.  "My knee's history, my wrist is history, and the hip is good," she said.  To which I can only ask, what hip injury?  I must have missed that one.

Mercedes-Benz Cup

Andre Agassi d. Gilles Muller 6-4, 7-5

If I had had tickets to this final, I would've been thinking unhappily that Andre Agassi vs. Gilles Muller didn't sound like that appetizing a final matchup, but Muller did his part to entertain the crowd and make a match of it.

And Agassi sure looked like he'd won more than a small tournament afterwards.  He must have been worried about making it through the first round when he got here.  We'll all have to put that retirement talk to rest for a while.

"It feels amazing," said Agassi.  "These moments don't happen very often any more and I'm taking it in.  It's great to let my game fly and to be eager to scamper after shots you're not even sure you're going to get."

Davenport Officially Out of San Diego

We all knew this was coming, but today Lindsay Davenport made it official and pulled out of the Acura Classic in San Diego.

Serena to Make Her Comeback in LA (Probably)

According to Venus Williams, who should know, Serena Williams is planning to make her latest comeback from her ankle injury at the JP Morgan Chase Open which begins on August 8 in Los Angeles.

"Last week she was trying to do some fitness and this week she's practicing and trying to pick it up," Venus said. "But you can't go from zero to 100 because the body breaks down. But she's going step by step. I think it's definitely in her heart that she wants to play LA," said Venus Williams.

As for Venus, it doesn't sound like she's going to give in to pleading by the San Diego tournament organizers who desperately want her to take a wildcard to make up for the pullouts of Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams and the likely pullout of Lindsay Davenport:

"I feel tired," Venus said. "I want to play San Diego and get my ranking up, but I need a break. I wanted to help the tournament out but I have to be realistic. I need to be ready for the U.S. Open."

Maria Sharapova Fitness

With the timing only a monthly magazine can achieve, Tennis Magazine has a featured article on Maria Sharapova's workout regime, to which it credits her ability to avoid the injury bug that has hit so many top players on tour, the same week she pulls out of San Diego with a back injury.  Good article though: Maria Sharapova: Making the Right Moves

There are three reasons Maria Sharapova shot to the top of the game as an 18-year-old: her shot-making skills, mental toughness, and ability to remain injury-free. Here's the workout that got her there, and how you can adapt it to improve your own game.

Donald Young Article

Tennis Magazine has a lengthy excerpt of an article on Donald Young from their August edition posted online: Donald Young: The Throwback

But even a skeptical fan will notice a few other things about the kid. Once a point starts, his movements make sense. He's never off-balance. He hits his looping lefty forehand cleanly every time. His two-handed backhand is effortlessly effective. His kick serve features a gymnastic backbend. Those little quick-steps? They come in handy when he's tracking down a drop shot

The earlier frustration turns out to be the flip side of a stubborn competitive drive. As points wear on, he begins to subtly sucker-punch his bigger-hitting opponent, yanking him across the baseline with spins and angles. He may pull the match out with an unexpected ace or foray to net. He may not, but either way, a fan can't help but wonder: Who is this kid?

An Interview With Jimmy Connors

There's a new interview with Jimmy Connors in the August Inside Tennis.  The author includes an interesting description of Connors' late-career bitterness, although he doesn't address that in the interview: Connors Confidential

New Maria Sharapova Article

From the August issue of Tennis Magazine: Maria Sharapova: Shooting Star

"Her life is boring," says Max Eisenbud, her agent at IMG. "She doesn't have a boyfriend. She doesn't drink. She just wants to be a great champion and make a lot of money."

Sharapova is also not the natural athlete that Williams, Clijsters, and Justine Henin-Hardenne are. "She's pretty one-dimensional," says former world No. 1 and tennis analyst Tracy Austin. "Anything she can add to her game, mixing in a slice, throwing in a drop shot, coming to net behind those ground strokes, the better off she'll be."

Sharapova's coach, Robert Lansdorp, agrees that she needs to round out a few edges. But he thinks that if she refines the skills she already possesses, the rest will take care of itself. "People make a big deal of her needing to come to net more," he says. "She's trying to do that, which is good, but it's really not her style. Conditioning, getting stronger, and getting better at her game--these things are important. I'd rather she perfect her down-the-line backhand than worry about attacking the net."