Star Players Losing it at the US Open!

It seems that no one was in the mood to lose. I tweeted Serena before her match against Kim and to my surprise she responded. It seemed like she was ready to get on the court and play her best game. However, just like the rain Kim had other plans. I understand having disappointment with yourself especially with Kim beating Venus 3 rounds earlier, but don't take all that frustration out on someone who was trying to do her job. Yes, it was a bad call, but would that have seriously turned things around for you..um yea no. Then today Mr Roger decides to give a few choice words to the chair umpire, now he did not say he would stick a tennis ball down his throat, but these are players that usually are very professional and have good sportsmanship through wins and losses. Maybe it was the rain or maybe PMS and twins crying all night was involved, but either way both were inexcusable.

It's on Down Under!!!

" Down Under" has been downright crazy! Every prediction that commentators and I had are thrown out the window. On the ladies side, Serena and Venus have been so inconsistent lately that I never had them in the finals, like the Williams showdown of years previous. Although, I had higher expectations from Serena, because she was the defending champion of the grand slam. Venus on the other hand has been battling injuries for the last couple of seasons, so it was awesome just to see her past the third round. My pick for the final was Justine Henin and Jankovic, but fiery sexy Serbian player, Ivanovic was determined to make all those theories crumble. Sharapova, the Canon girl stepped her game up to overcome Henin and finds herself in a showdown with Ivanovic. The men on the circuit are certainly drooling for that one!

Now to the men! Nadal and Federer are out of the running for the grand slam title. I wasn't so much surprised at the Nadal loss, because he tends to have trouble on the hard courts. Djokovic beat Roddick, Nadal, and Federer in the Rogers Master Series last season, so he was clearly the favorite to beat him again. I've been watching Tsonga for awhile and until the injuries, I had him in the top 20. He beat Nadal and will climb into the top 20 today. So that's it, Tsonga vs Djokovic and Sharapova vs Ivanovic! I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that Tsonga will beat Djokovic and Ivanovic will shock Sharapova with a bad ass performance and win the Aussie Slam.

Update:

Well, I'm eating my words right now. Tsonga put up a good fight in the 4th set, but lost in the tiebreak to make Novak Djokovic the youngest player to win the Open and the 1st Serbian to win the title as well. The less glamorous outcome occurred on the women's side, Sharapova grunted and screamed her way to the title, winning her first Australian Open. Congrats to all the runner-ups and the winners!

5th Straight!

The best tennis rivalry in years blossomed a little more in the Wimbledon final, and even Roger Federer was happy about it. He answered the latest challenge from nemesis Rafael Nadal beautifully.

I've never been a Federer fan, but it's nice to have a rivalry again! Do you remember Pete Sampras and Agassi? Congrats to both and trust me, Nadal will be back! Next up, The U.S. Open in August.

Venus Williams is now champion for a 4th time. She will be amongst the greatest women players ever! She joins Billie Jean King, Martina Navritola, and Steffie Graf. You talk about legends and to be African-American, wow what an accomplishment ma. Hopefully, Serena can get healthy and be right there next year. There's still one Grand Slam left, The U.S. Open. In the second set up 3-0, Venus called over the trainer and I thought please don't let this girl retire. I wanted her to fight just like Serena and she did! She faced French woman Bartoli, who was also suffering from a bad blister on the bottom of her feet. So it was impressive that both players fought hard to make it a competitive match. I mean don't let the scores fool you 6-4, 6-1. In one rally, they exchanged 21 strokes! New York, here she comes!!!

Breaking News!

Venus Williams came back from a two-hour rain delay, just how she started. She beat Canon vixen, Maria Sharapova in straight sets 6-1, 6-3. She will face 2004 U.S. Open champ, Kutznesova in the quarterfinals. Good Luck Venus, it's been a long time coming ma!

Finally!

Rafael Nadal celebrated like he won the Wimbledon title Wednesday, falling to his knees in relief after finally beating Robin Soderling 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (7), 4-6, 7-5 in a rain-interrupted third-round match that finished four days after they first stepped on court.

Now, I love Wimbledon and I know it's a great tradition, but seriously build a roof for Centre Court. It makes no sense for a match to last four days. These players train everyday, get their bodies in shape, and expect to put it all out there. I'm not the only one that feels this way, the general consensus from players, media, fans over the years, is build a roof! The fans need something to take their mind off of the terrorism that's occurring right down the road. The rain delay did help one player, Serena Williams. She suffered an acute calf muscle strain that left her in pain throughout the 3 set match against Hantchucova. She won in dramatic fashion like she does every Grand slam. The question now is, can she beat Henin on a bum calf? We shall see later on today, if weather permits! Keep in mind that the All England Club doesn't have tennis on Sunday, so the tournament will extend it's coverage, due to the excessive rain.

Full story here

Too Confident?

Serena Confident In Wimbledon Return, Now That She's Back, Serena Williams Figures U.S. Chances Are Better At Wimbledon - CBS News

In my Wimbledon preview, I praised the Williams sisters. I still give them praise and hope that they come out on top, but Serena sounds a little to cocky. It's not like in the NBA, when Jordan trashed talked everybody and got into the psyche of all the players. Tennis is a mental and strategic game, yes athleticism is a definite plus, but saying that everybody who plays you, will not go home and shout for joy. Ok, but how do you know they're going home? I don't know, maybe it's me tripping, but the women that face are not that intimidated and they know that if your serve is not on, then it's not them going home, it will be you! I'll give daily updates on the major players on both sides.

June 25-July 8

It's that time of year folks! Wimbledon is finally here and I can't wait for the late night and early morning excitement. If you are a fan, then you know that this Grand Slam has it all. Roger Federer (1), the four- time defending champ has pulled a fairly easy draw. Now, he's definitely king on the grass, but clay not so much. He's coming to England after loosing to Nadal (2) in the French Open. So expect him to come out with a bang! Roddick (2) won the ATP Tour Stella Artois Championship in London, England. His last two visits to the All England Club haven't been in his favor, lets hope he can use his win as motivation to go further than the 1st round. I expect Rafael Nadal (2) and James Blake (9) to be in the thick of things. Although, Nadal tends to struggle on grass, his confidence should help him to move forward. James Blake (9) is a total inspiration, everything he's gone through over the last 2 years has just been horrible and I couldn't imagine having to compete and focus on your goals on winning. So, I'm definitely pulling for him.

The Williams sisters are back! Serena (7), is definitely a force to be reckoned with, but don't forget about sis Venus (23). She seems healthy again, so I look for her to go deep in to the championships as well. Ms. Canon (2), if she can hold serve will go deep as the rounds go on. The new number 1, Justin Henin will be very confident in her pursuit to the major.

My hands are killing me, so I guess that ends my review. I just hope to see a lot of upsets and great long matches, where it comes down to tiebreakers. I'm so excited and you know the rest...

Rankings here