Papa-To-Be

Well, Indian Wells might have started, but the news is all Roger Federer!

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News Item #1: Roger Federer and Darren Cahill, a week after getting together, have broken up. Apparently the most long-anticipated coaching partnership in recent memory just couldn't survive the little things - ie. Federer working out of Dubai and Cahill out of Las Vegas. And Cahill has a young family, so it's understandable that he wouldn't want to leave them too much. Something I'm sure Roger will totally understand, because;

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News Item #2: Mirka Vavrinec, Roger's long-time girlfriend, is pregnant! That's right, Mirka's up the duff and she and Roger are going to be parents! I cannot imagine a better set - that lucky kid! Of course, I'm sure it will change Roger's whole schedule, and Mirka might spend more time in Switzerland - but then she might pull a Bec and travel with it all the time. Who knows? By the time US Open rolls out, we might see Mirka and Baby Fed in the players' box. That will just be obscenely cute.

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And think of the tennis DNA that kid will have! And what will they call it? Sure, as tennis fans, people might be scowling and saying, 'oh, but how will this affect his career?' but I don't care! He's clearly over the moon and I think he and Mirka will be totally adorable parents and it's so totally lame but I am so excited for them! And getting excited for celebrities - so not my style. But they'll be beautiful.

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At Wimbledon, I imagine there'll be a heavily pregnant Mirka in the players' box... and who knows? Maybe Roger will find something a little extra special for his kid.

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Here, if you haven't already seen it, is the announcement he posted on his website:

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Dear Fans

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I arrived in Indian Wells earlier this week and I am eager to get back out on court. My back is feeling much better and I am ready to go.

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I also have some really awesome news to share with all of you: Mirka and I are excited to let you know that we will be parents this summer! Mirka is pregnant and we are so happy to be starting a family together. This is a dream come true for us. We love children and we are looking forward to being parents for the first time. Mirka is feeling great and everything is going well.

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Speak soon and thanks for all your continued support!

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Roger

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Congratulations, Roger and Mirka! And who among us can say they aren't looking forward to seeing what Fed Junior brings to the table in years to come...?

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Today's Results

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BNP Paribas Open (Indian Wells)

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Men's Draw

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Albert Montanes def. Florent Serra, 6-3 6-0

Igor Kunitsyn def. Vince Spadea, 6-3 6-4

Philipp Kohlschreiber def. Julien Benneteau, 6-3 6-2

Marc Gicquel def. Simone Bolelli, 7-5 6-3

Michael Llodra def. Feliciano Lopez, 6-4 6-3

Lleyton Hewitt def. Jan Hernych, 7-6 (7-3) 6-3

Jarkko Nieminen def. Nicolas Devilder, 7-6 (8-6) 6-1

Potito Starace def. Denis Gremelmayr, 7-6 (8-6) 6-1

Sergiy Stakhovsky def. Brendan Evans, 2-6 6-3 6-0

Ernests Gulbis def. Kevin Kim, 6-3 6-4

Steve Darcis def. Marcel Granollers, 5-0 retired

Yen-Hsun Lu def. Michael Lammer, 7-5 6-2

Nicolas Lapentti def. Santiago Giraldo, 4-6 6-1 7-5

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Women's Draw

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Samantha Stosur def. Francesca Schiavone, 6-1 6-4

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova def. Marta Domachowska, 6-1 6-3

Vera Dushevina def. Petra Martic, 6-4 6-3

Edina Gallovits def. Maria Kirilenko, 3-6 7-5 7-5

Yanina Wickmayer def. Magdalena Rybarikova, 6-3 6-2

Karin Knapp def. Vania King, 6-2 6-1

Petra Cetkovska def. Stéphanie Foretz, 6-2 7-5

Anastasiya Yakimova def. Varvara Lepchenko, 6-4 6-1

Still Smiling

Let's talk about some slightly older news today - the reports that negotiations are apparently on between my man the Fed and Darren 'Killer' Cahill to set up some kind of coaching arrangement.

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And I have to say that my reaction is wholeheartedly positive. I'm not one of those people who has been all "man, Roger, get a coach, you'll never achieve anything until you do!" though I think I have expressed the occasional wish that he get some advice. I don't think there's anything wrong with the job he's doing on himself. He's clearly a very bright man, he probably has the greatest tennis mind on court (if you look at the Australian Open, you'll notice that Rafa beat him with insane winners that not a single other soul could ever have touched, not by outsmarting him) and if that isn't enough, his girlfriend Mirka has a few ideas of what to do with a tennis racquet.

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And then he has Severin Luthi travelling with him just about full time... though one must imagine Severin is a bit annoyed with him right now, what with the whole Davis Cup incident... anyway, in short, the Fed's current arrangement is pretty sweet.

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So why do I think hiring Killer Cahill is a good idea? Simply because it can never, ever hurt to have fresh blood and fresh ideas, and Killer's got to be one of the top guys out there. He's worked with a whole lot of champions, and he's done a great job with them. Look at what he did with a ridiculously young and inexperienced Aussie Davis Cup team in Chile last year - pushed them to a 3-2 result when by all rights they should have been beaten 5-0. So if Roger makes the announcement that he's hired Darren sometime in the near future, I'll be smiling.

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And if he doesn't? Well, I'll still be smiling.

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Today's Results

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Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships (Dubai)

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Novak Djokovic def. Flavio Cipolla, 6-3 6-2

Gilles Simon def. Mohammed Ghareeb, 5-7 6-4 6-4

Richard Gasquet def. Marat Safin, 6-3 5-7 6-3

Philipp Kohlschreiber def. Michael Lammer, 6-1 6-1

Julien Benneteau def. Jurgen Melzer, 1-6 6-3 6-3

Simone Bolelli def. Viktor Troicki, 6-3 6-4

Jan Hernych def. Mikhail Youzhny, 4-6 6-1 6-4

Igor Andreev def. Rik de Voest, 6-4 6-0

Arnaud Clement def. Rainer Schuettler, 1-6 6-3 6-3

Dmitry Tursunov def. Andreas Seppi, 6-1 6-4

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Abierto Mexicano Telcel (Acapulco)

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Men's Draw

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Albert Montanes def. Bruno Echagaray, 6-1 6-4

Thomaz Bellucci def. Nicolas Devilder, 3-6 6-4 6-4

Leonardo Mayer def. Diego Junqueira, 7-6 (7-1) 6-3

Potito Starace def. Oscar Hernandez, 6-4 6-2

Daniel Gimeno-Traver def. Nicolas Lapentti, 6-4 5-7 6-3

Juan Ignacio Chela def. Pablo Cuevas, 2-6 6-3 6-2

Martin Vassallo Arguello def. Ivan Navarro, 6-3 5-7 7-6 (7-3)

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Women's Draw

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Iveta Benesova def. Olga Savchuk, 6-2 6-0

Roberta Vinci def. Lucie Safarova, 6-4 6-4

Tathiana Garbin def. Jill Craybas, 7-6 (7-4) 4-6 6-3

Petra Cekovska def. Lourdes Domínguez Lino, 6-2 6-2

Pauline Parmentier def. Melissa Torres Sandoval, 6-2 6-3

Klara Zakopalova def. Emilie Loit, 4-6 6-4 7-5

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Delray Beach International Tennis Championships (Delray Beach)

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Dudi Sela def. Philipp Petzschner, 6-3 4-1 retired

Gilles Muller def. Ryan Sweeting, 7-6 (7-5) 6-2

Vince Spadea def. Denis Gremelmayr, 2-6 7-5 6-1

Sam Querrey def. Guillermo Canas, 7-6 (7-3) 6-4

Florent Serra def. Jarkko Nieminen, 6-3 7-6 (7-5)

Stefan Koubek def. Bobby Reynolds, 6-4 6-3

Christophe Rochus def. Roko Karanusic, 6-3 6-4

Robert Kendrick def. Paul Capdeville, 4-6 6-2 6-1

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PS. Just a reminder to check out my other blog, The Black Valentine's Day Manifesto, if you are so inclined. It's growing pretty fast and it's a whole lot of fun - even if it has nothing to with tennis!

http://blackvalentinemanifesto.wordpress.com

Snubbing Mr Milkshake

The Aussie Davis Cup team for the first round this year has just been announced, and we're looking at something pretty different to what we saw last time. Remember Chile, where we had that awesome young team, and we had a good seven people on the squad? Looks like they're not repeating that one this year. Our team is Lleyton Hewitt, Chris Guccione, Carsten Ball and Brydan Klein.

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Not a bad team, as far as they go, but I think there's one major snub in there - the guy that's been forgotten all year, ever since he lost in he play-off at the December Showdown. And it is such a shame, because he has played fabulously in Davis Cup just about every time he played. Where is Peter Luczak? I would have put you in, Mr Milkshake. I don't know if I would have played you, but you'd have been in the squad.

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And Bernard Tomic would have been in the squad as well. He's proven he can pull the upset on the senior scene - Potito Starace, anyone? - so why not give him another shot? Carsten Ball is, in my mind, a bit expendable - he's there for doubles, surely? Actually, that's a thought - where are our doubles specialists? Why is Paul Hanley not on the squad?

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And who is going to be the new coach? Darren 'Killer' Cahill has just stood down. I'm sad. I'm certainly not as impressed as I was with the awesome young squad last time... but then I am not the Davis Cup captain. I am impressed with the decision to put Brydan Klein in, however - with his recent results, he deserves it!

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Today's Results

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Regions Morgan Keenans Championships (Memphis)

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Men's Draw

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Mardy Fish def. Yen-Hsun Lu, 6-1 7-5

Robby Ginepri def. Simon Greul, 6-4 6-4

Philipp Petzschner def. Jarkko Nieminen, 6-3 6-4

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Women's Draw

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Lucie Safarova def. Vania King, 7-6 (7-1) 6-3

Sabine Lisicki def. Stéphanie Foretz, 6-2 6-4

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Copa Telmex (Buenos Aires)

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Juan Carlos Ferrero def. Marcel Granollers, 6-7 (7-8) 6-0 6-3

Franco Ferreiro def. Pablo Cuevas, 6-2 6-4

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Open 13 (Marseilles)

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Feliciano Lopez def. Dmitry Tursunov, 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-1)

Mikhail Youzhny def. Andreas Seppi, 7-6 (7-2) 6-3

Novak Djokovic def. Jeremy Chardy, 7-6 (7-4) 6-4

Paul-Henri Mathieu def. Gael Monfils, 4-6 6-4 7-5

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Andrey Golubev, 7-6 (7-5) 6-2

Michael Llodra def. Rik de Voest, 7-6 (7-2) 6-1

Georg Bastl def. Marc Gicquel, 6-4 6-3

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Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships (Dubai)

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Serena Williams def. Zheng Jie, 6-4 6-2

Kaia Kanepi def. Jelena Jankovic, 6-2 7-5

Elena Dementieva def. Anabel Medina Garrigues, 6-1 6-3

Vera Zvonareva def. Marion Bartoli, 5-2 retired

Venus Williams def. Alizé Cornet, 6-3 6-2

Ana Ivanovic def. Camille Pin, 6-2 7-6 (7-5)

Elena Vesnina def. Dominika Cibulkova, 4-6 6-1 4-0 retired

Virginie Razzano def. Daniela Hantuchova, 6-2 1-6 6-2

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Copa Sony Ericsson Colsanitas (Bogota)

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Edina Gallovits def. Klara Zakopalova, 6-3 6-4

Ioana Raluca Olaru def. Maret Ani, 6-4 6-2

Moaning Murray

So pretty much nothing is going on in the world of tennis today. Tournaments in Beijing and Seoul, with Bangkok starting tomorrow... it's the Asian swing, I suppose. And that's pretty much all I have to say about that.

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Back to Davis Cup - yes, I still have more to say about that, even though it's over. I am not happy with Andy Murray this morning. Yeah, sure Britain got relegated and that's bad, and sure, he did his best and won his ties, but how dare he come out and suggest that his teammates weren't trying? This is what he said:

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"If I make a sacrifice I think every single person in the team should be willing to make those sacrifices and say they will give it all they've got... I want them to say they are physically able to play even if they have to play three days of five-set matches. Then I know everyone on the team wants to play as badly as I do."

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What kind of attitude is that? Look, Andy, just because they didn't win didn't mean they didn't want it? Not everyone is #4 in the world. I hope Alex Bogdanovic and Ross Hutchins and his brother Jamie find him down a dark alley sometime and give him a really serious talking to. There's speculation that this means he won't play in Davis Cup next year. If I were a self-respecting British tennis player, I'd refuse to play with him if he's going to have an attitude like that. He has a lot to learn about being a top echelon tennis player. Can you imagine Roger Federer coming out and saying that Stan Wawrinka, Stephane Bohli and Yves Allegro hadn't been trying, had Switzerland lost to Belgium? I thought Andy Murray was improving - I had previous thought of him as a sort of Scottish Lleyton Hewitt - but obviously I was wrong. Grow up, Andy.

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The Australians, on the other hand, have got exactly the right idea, and have come away with just the right message - we might not have won, but we tried, and we have a lot to be encouraged about. John Fitzgerald said it was the most optimistic he had felt about Australian men's tennis in a long time, and I agree with him. We might not have world-beaters at the moment, but the young Aussie kids we have coming up are damn exciting! You just wait, World Group. You just wait.

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Meanwhile, Darren Cahill is apparently the favourite to become Roger Federer's new coach. I'm not quite sure how I feel about that, but I think it would certainly be an interesting combination... let's see what happens!

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Today's Results

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China Open (Beijing)

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Men's Draw

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Rainer Schuettler def. Ivan Navarro, 2-6 6-3 6-4

Yen-hsun Lu def. Juan-chao Xu, 6-4 6-3

Bjorn Phau def. Hyun-woo Nam, 6-1 6-3

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Women's Draw

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Daniela Hantuchova def. Gisela Dulko, 6-3 6-1

Anabel Medina Garrigues def. Caroline Wozniacki, 7-6 (7-3) 6-4

Dominika Cibulkova def. Amélie Mauresmo, 3-6 6-4 6-3

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Hanson Korea Open (Seoul)

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Shahar Peer def. Petra Cetkovska, 6-3 6-4

Pauline Parmentier def. Han Sung-Hee, 6-1 6-1

Akgul Amanmuradova def. Marta Domachowska, 6-7 (1-7) 6-3 6-3

Sabine Lisicki def. Vera Dushevina, 6-1 6-0

Yanina Wickmayer def. Magdalena Rybarikova, 6-3 7-6 (7-1)

Talking Tomic

Ah, yet another day when I have pretty much nothing to talk about but Davis Cup. In Grand Slams, you get Boring Sunday, where there is no tennis at all, but in Davis Cup that gets stretched out for nearly a whole week. It is very tiresome.

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I suppose I could talk about women's tennis... well done Dinara Safina for making it into the quarter finals of the Tier I event in Tokyo! Wouldn't it be nice to see Dinara add to her swag of Tier I titles? I must say, though, the scheduling is a bit rough - somehow I don't think too many of the men on tour would be too pleased if they had to play a Masters Series event only a week after a Slam. Why should the girls have to do it? Not to mention that in the interim was Fed Cup - if they want to make Fed Cup more prestigious, they are going to have to schedule at a time when all the top players aren't absolutely buggered. Take Safina, for example - she didn't play Fed Cup because of tiredness, and although it didn't hurt her country because there are so many excellent Russian women players, imagine if she'd been playing for Australia. We'd have been screwed.

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...and that leads us back to Davis Cup. Tennis Australia is saying today that Bernard Tomic's form is looking pretty good, which is heartening, because I would dearly love to see him make his debut, as I have probably said about nine hundred times. Mostly I would just love to see him play... it'd probably be his first televised match, albeit at two in the morning. Why must Chile be in such an inconvenient time zone? He is so talented, though, and if he can keep his temper in check, he is going to be something else... and it would be nice if he could, you know, bring that talent forward to now for a bit and win us a rubber or two. He is the youngest player ever to win a junior boys' Slam, and if he plays, he'll be the youngest player ever to represent Australia in Davis Cup... and if he wins, definitely the youngest player ever to win!

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Brydan Klein is apparently looking good too, though I must confess he hasn't really convinced me to jump on his bandwagon... I know he won the boys' Australian Open last year, just like Tomic did this year, and sure he's going to be good, but he hasn't (as yet) shown me the extraordinary ability that Tomic clearly has. Nonetheless, if Klein can make it onto the squad, that will be pretty special... I'd love to see both the young guys make it on!

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Yes, actually, that's my squad pick - Guccione, Luczak, Tomic and Klein. However, I am not in Chile training with them and Smeets, Ball and Groth... Fitzy and Killer know best!

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Today's Results

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Toray Pan Pacific Open (Tokyo)

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Dinara Safina def. Dominika Cibulkova, 6-3 6-4

Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Li Na, 6-2 1-6 6-3

Nadia Petrova def. Aravane Rezai, 7-5 6-2

Virginie Razzano def. Ai Sugiyama, 6-3 6-2

Katarina Srebotnik def. Caroline Wozniacki, 6-1 6-2

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TOE Life Ceramics Guangzhou International Women's Open (Guangzhou)

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Jill Craybas def. Olga Govortsova, 6-2 7-5

Karin Knapp def. Mariya Koryttseva, 6-4 6-4

Vera Zvonareva def. Anastasia Rodionova, 6-1 6-2

Peng Shuai def. Mara Santangelo, 6-4 6-2

Tamira Paszek def. Lee Ye-Ra, 6-0 6-4

Camille Pin def. Chen Yanchong, 6-2 6-3