The Kitchen Revisited

I don't follow women's tennis anywhere near as closely as I follow men's tennis, but the two matches yesterday were profoundly interesting.

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Firstly, Jelena Jankovic vs. Serena Williams yesterday. That was a weird match. There is really no other way to describe it. It was just... strange. There were about eighty-four breaks of serve, and Serena just wasn't there. I'm not really a Williams fan, but as a tennis fan, it was concerning to see such a major player in the women's game playing so listlessly. I don't know if she was injured or if it was psychological or what, but she clearly wasn't all there. And even though Serena is a great player even when she's off the boil, I don't feel like Jankovic really played that well either. There's nothing I can put my finger on and say, well, obviously, that's where she fell down, but I think that, on the whole, Jelena can play much better than that. It was a weird match in that sense, I suppose... it was a quarter-final, and they were both in it, but it wasn't especially good, I suppose.

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On the contrary, that match between Henin and Sharapova was fabulous. I don't really like either of them, so I wasn't involved in it at all... I couldn't even decide who I was sort of going for. I was totally neutral. And the standard was very, very high! Henin, to tell the truth, probably did not play her best, but Sharapova was on fire. I can't say I was especially pleased with the way she conducted herself in her post-match interview - has anyone else noticed how she gives interviewers the brush off? It's kind of rude - but she played amazing tennis. She's everyone's new tip for the title now that Henin is gone... and I can see why! I'm liking a Sharapova/Ivanovic final this year, with a Sharapova victory. Actually, I'd like to see a Jankovic/Ivanovic final, but I don't think Jankovic will stand up to Sharapova if they both keep playing at their current standards.

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And the contest for this year's Marcos is over. I think it's become pretty clear that it's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. I don't know if he's captured the Australian imagination quite the way Marcos did - though considering Marcos had the entire Greek community on his side that would be pretty difficult - but he's definitely got the giant-killing downpat. Baghdatis, when he came through, knocked off Roddick, Ljubicic and Nalbandian. Tsonga has taken out Murray, Gasquet and Youzhny. Next up is Rafa. Roddick was the 2 seed back in '06 and Rafa is the 2 seed here, so can Tsonga do it?

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Only time will tell. But I think a lot of it is in Tsonga's head. Or his kitchen, as Roger Rasheed would say. (I thought the first time he brought out the kitchen metaphor it was a sort of verbal accident. But he said it again a few days ago, and my jaw dropped in awe at his stupidity.) It's like Ferrer. If he believes he can, he will. Rafa is a big giant to kill, but Tsonga's game is great - his footwork especially. If he comes out firing, then I think he'll do just fine. The first set is the key against Rafa, I feel. He's been down set points in at least two or three of his first sets thus far - including against Nieminen in the quarters - and got out of it every time, and then the opponent has sort of gone away. If Tsonga can get that first set... then we're in for a match, baby!

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Australian Open Results - Day 9

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Men's Draw

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Rafael Nadal def. Jarkko Nieminen, 7-5 6-3 6-1

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Mikhail Youzhny, 7-5 6-0 7-6 (8-6)

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Women's Draw

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Maria Sharapova def. Justine Henin, 6-4 6-0

Jelena Jankovic def. Serena Williams, 6-3 6-4

Lleyton and the Lob

I'll be the first to admit I don't like Lleyton Hewitt. I'm not sure anyone actually does like Lleyton Hewitt. I'd venture to say that the majority of Australians who barrack for him don't actually particularly like him. And I've always found it amusing that he is apparently Argentina's Most Hated International Sportsman. (After the Chela thing, it's unsurprising, I guess!) I don't like him, but I have to admit - he played some fine tennis today.

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I think what was most impressive about his game today was the way he used the defensive topspin lob. He almost overused it. Shot after shot, he sent those things spiralling over Mahut's head - and damn, it was a successful tactic. I've never really paid much attention to the technical aspects of his game before, being too consumed in disliking his personality, but that's something I'm going to keep an eye out for in the future. I can't imagine it would be a very successful clay court technique, but on the faster courts, like grass, I can see how it would really work for him. Mahut's movement wasn't impaired or anything - it wasn't like he was too slow to get there - but the lobs were just too good.

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So, well done, Lleyton. I still don't like you, but you play an all right game of tennis.

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A good win for Dmitry Tursunov today - though sadly it came at the expense of Stan Wawrinka. Tursunov is a favourite of mine (as you might have already been able to tell!) but I like Wawrinka as well, and he had a great run to the Doha final last week. A terrible loss for Tommy Robredo - I have no idea what was going on there! Radek Stepanek is no slouch, but he isn't really in Robredo's league, and so that was a bad loss. Likewise, Ana Ivanovic almost totally lost it there against Virginie Razzano. She ended up winning 7-5 in the third, but Razzano was leading that set 5-2 at one point... she seemed to go on a mental vacation.

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Speaking of that, it was pretty clear that what picked Ivanovic back up again was her coach talking to her. When did that particular innovation begin? I've never even heard of it before. Both Ivanovic and Razzano had their coaches courtside at various points. Now, tell me I'm wrong, but I thought that being coached during a match was very-bad-extremely-banned-if-you-do-it-you-are-cheating? So when did this friendly coach talk start? Because I don't like it. A tennis match is between two individuals. Doesn't everyone say that tennis is this huge mental battle? Because it seems to me that calling your coach down for a pick-me-up and positive affirmation runs kind of counter to that notion? If tennis is a kitchen, picking up Roger Rasheed's extremely intelligent metaphor of a few days ago, Razzano was in Ivanovic's kitchen making a huge mess... which Ivanovic's coach proceeded to neaten up a bit. I mean, Ivanovic still had to do the big tidy, but the coach started it off for her.

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I know they can both call the coach, so it's not unfair, but it seems sort of... not in the spirit of tennis.

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In other news, very sad that Federer and Haas both had to pull out of the AAMI Classic in Kooyong... especially Federer. That makes me very gloomy indeed. I was looking forward to watching him play this week... though I might get to see him in the flesh next week (hopefully healthier!)

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Today's Results

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Medibank International (Sydney)

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Men's Draw

Radek Stepanek def. Tommy Robredo, 6-4 6-2

Carlos Moya def. Stefan Koubek, 1-6 6-4 6-2

Lleyton Hewitt def. Nicolas Mahut, 6-3 6-4

Evgeny Korolev def. Paul-Henri Mathieu, 6-1 ret.

Dmitry Tursunov def. Stanislas Wawrinka, 6-3 6-3

Andreas Seppi def. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 3-6 6-3 6-2

Steve Darcis def. Joseph Sirianni, 6-1 7-6 (7-4)

Chris Guccione def. Alberto Martin, 7-6 (8-6) 6-4

Ivo Minar def. Alun Jones, 6-2 7-5

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Women's Draw

Justine Henin def. Lucie Safarova, walkover

Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Shahar Peer, 6-3 6-4

Ana Ivanovic def. Virginie Razzano, 6-1 2-6 7-5

Nicole Vaidisova def. Daniela Hantuchova, 6-4 6-2

Francesca Schiavone def. Marion Bartoli, 2-6 6-3 6-2

Katarina Srebotnik def. Sybille Bammer, 4-6 6-1 6-2

Kaia Kanepi def. Sofia Arvidsson, 3-6 6-3 6-3

Jelena Jankovic def. Tatiana Golovin, 6-1 2-6 6-3

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Heineken Open (Auckland)

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Philipp Kohlschreiber def. Michael Russell, 7-5 6-2

Sergio Roitman def. Lukas Rosol, 6-2 7-5

Nicolas Massu def. Greg Jones, 6-4 6-2

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Moorilla Hobart International

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Eleni Daniilidou def. Alona Bondarenko, 6-3 6-3

Vera Zvonareva def. Ioana Raluca Olaru, 6-3 6-2

Sania Mirza def. Alla Kudryavtseva, 6-3 6-4

Elena Vesnina def. Nuria Llagostera Vives, 6-3 6-2

Ashley Harkleroad def. Meilen Tu, 7-6 (11-9) 2-6 6-1

Edina Gallovits def. Olga Govortsova, 6-3 6-2

Casey Dellacqua def. Anna Lapushchenkova, 6-4 4-6 6-1

Tennis in the Kitchen

Well, well, how about Michael Llodra at the Adelaide International? And here I (and everyone else) was thinking that Nieminen was a safe bet. He played fantastically today. I think what really won it for him was that he played very clean tennis - I think it was something like 25 winners to 13 unforced errors. That said, Nieminen played clean as well, but he didn't have the winners to match. Nieminen seemed a little inhibited today, playing cautiously, well within what he can do. Perhaps it's because he hasn't been training so much, what with being on military service for Finland...? Llodra, on the other hand, didn't miss much. He saw the ball, lined it up and wham! second career ATP title.

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Though I have to say it. I can't not. Michael Llodra, why do you have that hideous moustache?

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Now, I will be the first to admit that I am not a moustache fan. Don't like them. But this one of Llodra's is particularly hideous. It takes over his entire face, like some kind of ruthless barbarian invader. It's enormous. It's foul. Why, Michael, why? And surely it gets annoying in a sweaty game like tennis? I'm sure he never had it before (though I could be wrong - I don't really follow Llodra.) Why did he decide that the moustachio was the way to go?

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Oh well. Some things we may never know. And, fashion errors aside, for a guy that only made it into the main draw after Richard Gasquet pulled out, Michael Llodra has done pretty well for himself.

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Though there was one other thing I thought was particularly crap about today's final. Nothing to do with the tennis or the players - but the commentators! I know Roger Rasheed is a tennis guy (he used to coach Princess Lleyton, I think) but Bruce McAvaney has irritated me year in, year out. Although, ironically, it was Rasheed who came off as the bigger idiot today, in my opinion. There was one point - I think Nieminen was either trying to get back into it, or maybe he was down and out and Llodra was pressing his advantage, I can't remember - when Brainiac Rasheed comments, (from memory) 'well, that's what tennis is about. It's about getting in the other guy's kitchen, and...'

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Now, I think I understand what Rasheed was getting at - how you have to press your advantage mentally as well as physically, getting in the other guy's head, so to speak - but kitchen? KITCHEN? Where did that one come from? Since when was someone's mind their kitchen? I suppose we can just count ourselves lucky that he didn't press the metaphor. 'It's about getting in the other guy's kitchen, eating all his food, using all his pots and pans and smashing all his dishes after cooking yourself a nice curry, so when he gets home from his long day at tennis practice, his kitchen is a mess and he can't cook anything, although he is tormented by the lingering aroma of delicious curry. THAT's what tennis is all about.'

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Honestly.

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The Medibank International started in Sydney today (I'm going to the men's final, and I'm very excited!) although it doesn't really properly start till tomorrow - mainly qualifiers today, although there was a couple of interesting main draw women's matches. A tight match between Lucie Safarova and Alicia Molik that I wish I could have watched (beckoned away by gainful employment... such are my woes) and a bad loss from Nadia Petrova to Sybille Bammer. I've liked Nadia Petrova a lot since the fun of last year's Hopman Cup, so it's been sad to see her ranking slide. Here's hoping she gets it together at the Australian Open. She was the fifth seed there last year, but I don't think she'll be anything like that this year.

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I was sad to see Carlos Moya lose in a nailbiter to Rafael Nadal in the semis at Chennai (I like Rafa, but I like Carlos more!) and even sadder to see Stan Wawrinka lose in the final of Doha to Andy Murray - though I suppose Murray was always going to be the favourite for that one. Unfortunately, he also comes across as abrasive and obnoxious, and Stan seems like a lovely guy. Oh well. Personality is a big part of tennis, but I guess no one said you have to have a NICE personality.

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Though Federer does, and in the end, he's the real figurehead for men's tennis. So I guess he's all that matters in the end!

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(Unfortunately, the figurehead for women's tennis is probably Maria Sharapova, and the less said there...)

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Today's Results

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Next Generation Adelaide International (Adelaide)

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Michael Llodra def. Jarkko Nieminen, 6-3 6-4

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Qatar Exxonmobil Open (Doha)

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Andy Murray def. Stanislas Wawrinka, 6-4 4-6 6-2

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Chennai Open (Chennai)

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Rafael Nadal def. Carlos Moya, 6-7 (3-7) 7-6 (10-8) 7-6 (7-1)

Mikhail Youzhny def. Marin Cilic, 6-2 6-2

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Medibank International (Sydney)

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Women's Draw

Sybille Bammer def. Nadia Petrova, 7-5 6-3

Lucie Safarova def. Alicia Molik, 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (12-10)

Virginie Razzano def. Nicole Pratt, 6-2 6-1

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Moorilla Hobart International (Hobart)

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Casey Dellacqua def. Anabel Medina Garrigues, 5-4 retired

Eleni Daniilidou def. Pauline Parmentier, 6-3 6-4

Elena Vesnina def. Akiko Morigami, 6-4 7-5