Something Old, Something New (Something Borrowed, Something Blue)

I got my wish - Juan Carlos Ferrero and Lleyton Hewitt both won titles overnight, in Casablanca and Houston respectively. Good on you, boys! Ferrero hasn't won a title since 2003, so huge kudos to him, and Hewitt hasn't been in a final for a couple of years, so it's a huge victory for them both. It's wonderful to see that there's still some tennis in these guys yet. It is almost ten years since the rise of the New Balls generation, headed up by Federer, Hewitt and Safin - and I am glad that they're not dead yet. (Though with Federer still at the top of his game, whoever would have thought that?)
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I have to devote a little space to our latest married couple of the sport - congratulations Roger and Mirka! I wrote an article about them on my other blog, The Black Valentine's Day Manifesto, and in the rush of people searching for pictures of their wedding, my hits have gone up exponentially. (No, I have no pictures - I don't think anyone does!) I choose to believe that Roger has simply been distracted by flower arrangements and big white meringue dresses of late, and now that that's all out of the way and he and Mirka have had their grand one day honeymoon, he'll kick the marriage off with a solid performance in Monte Carlo.
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(Yes, I realise I am delusional, but it is just so lovely!)*
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Speaking of Monte Carlo, it has started and once again, I'm being disappointed by the young guns. The old guys are going great - but Ernests, Ernests! Was it really necessary to lose in such convincing fashion to Philipp Kohlschreiber? I was hoping that being on clay, where he performed so well last year, would be good. Not yet, I suppose. Good wins for Stan Wawrinka and Tommy Robredo, though - and also to Jelena Jankovic, who won the title in Andalucia, knocking out Carla Suarez Navarro, who I really thought was going to get her. I wouldn't go so far as to say she's back, but maybe there's a smidgeon of hope for Jelena yet.
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Today's Results
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Monte Carlo Rolex Masters (Monte Carlo)
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Tommy Robredo def. Rainer Schuettler, 6-1 6-4
Stanislas Wawrinka def. Viktor Troicki, 6-2 6-3
Simone Bolelli def. Robin Soderling, 6-4 1-6 6-3
Philipp Kohlschreiber def. Ernests Gulbis, 6-1 6-3
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Grand Prix Hassan II (Casablanca)
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Juan Carlos Ferrero def. Florent Serra, 6-4 7-5
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US Men's Clay Court Championships (Houston)
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Lleyton Hewitt def. Wayne Odesnik, 6-2 7-5
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Andalucia Tennis Experience (Marbella)
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Jelena Jankovic def. Carla Suárez Navarro, 6-3 3-6 6-3
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MPS Group Championships (Ponte Vedra Beach)
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Caroline Wozniacki def. Aleksandra Wozniak, 6-1 6-2

Time Capsule

One would be forgiven, looking at the results out of Houston and Casablanca this week, that the tour had gone back in time some four, five years. In each tournament we have a real veteran in the final - Lleyton Hewitt in Houston, in what has to be his first final in a couple of years, and Juan Carlos Ferrero, who is apparently considering pulling a Marat and retiring at the end of the year, in Casablanca.

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Let's start with JC, who for about six months in the earlier part of this decade had a Federesque aura of total invincibility. I would love to see him go out with a bang, if he does intend to retire this year. It was a bit sad when he wasn't able to keep up with the Joneses of the tennis world once the Hispano-Suisse domination machine started to roll, because he is really an awesome player to watch. He has a real elegance to his shots - especially on clay - and he is smart. We mustn't forget that he and Federer are the only two players to beat Rafa on clay in the last five-odd years. Sure, Rafa was injured at the time, but still - quite a feat for JC.

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So now he's in the final of Casablanca against Florent Serra (who is also not exactly a tennis spring chicken, though he hasn't reached the veteran status of JC yet). I would dearly love to see him win it. Wouldn't it be fabulous to see the man who once was so invincible have another great run in the twilight of his tennis years? (Wasn't that a convoluted rhetorical question?)

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Same goes for Lleyton Hewitt, for whom, despite all my best efforts, I have a soft spot. (Yes, even after the Lleyton/Bec/Mia matching outfit fashion disaster at the Logies. I don't know what's wrong with me.) He'll face Wayne Odesnik - who has also been around for quite some years - in the final in Houston, and I think it is safe to say that this is a final no one would have expected! I'm pulling for Lleyton, though I wouldn't be surprised if the home crowd advantage got big Wayne over the line... but it really is lovely to see the old guys (I say old - most of them aren't even in their thirties!) doing so well this week. It is so rare!

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Today's Results

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Grand Prix Hassan II (Casablanca)

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Juan Carlos Ferrero def. Igor Andreev, 7-6 (11-9) 6-3

Florent Serra def. Albert Montanes, 6-4 6-4

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US Men's Clay Court Championships (Houston)

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Wayne Odesnik def. Bjorn Phau, 6-4 6-3

Lleyton Hewitt def. Evgeny Korolev, 7-6 (7-4) 6-4

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Andalucia Tennis Experience (Marbella)

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Jelena Jankovic def. Anabel Medina Garrigues, 7-5 6-2

Carla Suárez Navarro def. Sorana Cirstea, 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 6-2

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MPS Group Championships (Ponte Vedra Beach)

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Aleksandra Wozniak def. Nadia Petrova, 6-4 4-6 6-2

Caroline Wozniacki def. Elena Vesnina, 2-6 6-3 7-6 (7-4)

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ETA: I just read that Roger Federer and Mirka Vavrinec got married over the Easter weekend - how lovely! Congratulations from Tennis From The Backseat!

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

BecnLleyton

I have mixed feelings on Middle Sunday. I like that Wimbledon is so civilised and all - though, when they have a rain-decimated tournament like they did last year, they really do need to be a bit quicker to get over their civilisation and have some play. I also think Middle Sunday is good because it gives you a bit of time to sit back, take stock and assess the field for the second week. Obviously, for the ordinary schlep that only watches tennis very occasionally this isn't an issue, but it's good for crazies like me.

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And I suppose there was the final of Euro to distract us all... because my one criticism of Middle Sunday is this: it's so damn boring!

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Big congratulations to Spain for winning the soccer - I know my brothers will be happy, as they are all soccer nuts who were going for Spain. Moreover, I bet Rafa Nadal is out of his mind happy - I love reading his press conferences, where he's all sensible answering the questions, and then gets all excited whenever someone mentions the soccer. He said he was going to have all the other Spanish guys round to his house to watch it - I can just see it, him and Nando and Fidgiano all sitting round and shrieking and jumping when Torres scored that goal. (My brothers want me to marry Fernando Torres. They chose well, obviously!)

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I like hearing about the friendships on tour. I'm a girl, and I like gossip. So sue me.

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Speaking of gossip, news has just come out in Australia that Bec and Lleyton are up the duff again. I am finding it pretty hard to care. It's really hard to even think about Lleyton as a tennis player here in Australia, because he's just such a public figure. And not in a classy way. In a tabloid way. Sure, he's a wonderful sportsman, and he was #1 in the world for a while, but why has that made him so... tabloid? And it's not just the Bec factor. (His wife Bec, for those of you who haven't experienced the joys of Home and Away, is an ex soap star.) Lleyton was all over Woman's Day and New Idea way before Bec. Actually, do you remember when Bec and Lleyton got engaged? Apparently he proposed just after he lost the final of the Australian Open in 2005 to Marat Safin. Bec was doing some special performance on Dancing With The Stars the next week, and - I remember the ad so clearly! - they actually superimposed this little engagement ring on her finger and made it all sparkly. It is from Lleyton, not Bec, that tabloid stardom comes.

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Bec helps, obviously... what with that deal they did over their wedding over Woman's Day and how Bec has been their spokeswoman for, like, ever. The birth of Mia has had something to do with it as well, I feel. Actually, in many ways, Lleyton and Bec have become this kind of hybrid entity in the Australian press. You can't discuss one (usually Lleyton, because Bec doesn't do anything except be his wife and tote Mia round these days) without the other. They're this one being - BecnLleyton. I only ever read Woman's Day when I go home to Wollongong to visit my family, and there's one issue I remember reading really, really clearly. The front page said Our New Family Joy! and it had a picture of BecnLleyton and Mia, who was then maybe a year old. And was what their new family joy? It was that Mia has learned how to steal stuff out of her mother's handbag. I had trouble understanding why they were so joyful. Surely that would be annoying...?

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Not that joy (or lack thereof) is the issue. The issue is that THIS IS FRONT PAGE NEWS! I know Australia isn't a big country population-wise, but is this really the best we could come up with out of twenty million people? Lleyton Hewitt's kid is a klepto?

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This is a couple of years back now, so obviously I've left my rant a little late over that particular issue of Woman's Day - but now that Bec's pregnant again, I can only imagine what the tabloids are going to be like. I was watching whatever that morning show is that comes after Sunrise on Channel 7 the other day and they were rating the top five most ostentatious sports star weddings. (Yet another indictment on the state of news and entertainment in Australia...) BecnLleyton came second. Only Posh and Becks beat them. I remember when Mia was born... the media was insane, to say the least. And then there was the whole Logies incident...

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Does this happen anywhere else in the world? Do Novak Djokovic and Jelena Jankovic present at whatever the Serbian equivalent of the Logies is? Is Ana Ivanovic on the front cover of Serbian Woman's Day? Actually, maybe the Serbs are a bad example. I know they're massive in their local media, but there's three for them. There's only one of Lleyton. What happens in Latvia with Ernests Gulbis? Is he Celebrity #1? What's going to happen in New Zealand when they realise just how good Marina Erakovic is going to be?

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Or is this a purely Lleyton phenomenon? When Pat Rafter was the king of tennis in Australia, I don't remember anything like this. I mean, sure, he wasn't married to Hayley from Home and Away, but he was as good as Lleyton was, even if he didn't have the run at #1. What about the Swiss players? Martina Hingis and Roger Federer are certainly big figures in Switzerland - I know Roger features in quite a few Swiss ads and stuff, for coffee and insurance and stuff like that - but as far as I know, he's never presented a Swiss Logie. I can't see him and Mirka selling their wedding to a magazine either - and I don't know if news of their firstborn raiding Mirka's handbag would quite be front page news.

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So why Lleyton? Because, as far as I know, people don't even like him that much! He's rude and abrasive, and sure, he has some good qualities as a sportsman, like never giving up, but mostly what we see about him is 'C'mon!' - so much so that it's become part of the vernacular. Does 'vamos!' have the same connotations in Spain? 'Ajde' in Serbia? 'Allez' in France and Belgium? I'm running out of languages now... 'Davai?' 'Hopp?'

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I just don't get it. I don't get it at all. So congratulations, BecnLleyton. I hope you've booked your flight home for tomorrow, because even though the wonderful Monsieur Federer will probably also offer his congratulations, he will show no mercy on the tennis court. And for tennis players, even if they present Logies and sell their lives to Woman's Day, tennis is what ultimately counts in the end.

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Middle Sunday - no results!