The Daily Forehand: FanPosts

FIOSTV droppedTENNIS CHANNEL

2011-10-08T22:26:54Z

WISH WE COULD WATCH more matches. Verizon FIOSTV STOPPED CARRYING THE TENNIS CHANNEL.

Negotiating the FIOS bundle, when I said we had to have TENNIS CHANNEL Verizon rep said we had to buy their top tier plan, "Ultimate" ?

Had to sign up for 2 years to get the bundle price.

Now, Verizon has CANCELLED THE TENNIS CHANNEL because they do not want to pay for it.

What can we do?

Does anyone else have this problem?

Highlights from the 2011 Atlanta Tennis Championships!

2011-09-07T23:16:57Z

Watch more at http://www.pennietour.com

Atlanta Tennis Championships 2011 - The Pennie Tour (via ThePennietour)

Atlanta Tennis Championships

July 2011 – Norcross, Georgia-

Racquet Club of the South was the premier tennis host for the 2011 Atlanta Tennis Championships held July 18 through the 24th. The change of venue from the Atlanta Athletic Club, kicked off the first tournament of the annual men’s tennis as part of the ATP World Tour and also launch of the Olympus US Open Series Season. Racquet Club of the South is the home club of Georgia’s tennis sweetheart and US top player Melanie Oudin. RCS offers a USTA Regional Training Center, eight indoor courts, 26 outdoor courts and two platform courts. RCS also had an extensive air-conditioned indoor area to escape the sweltering July heat.

2010 ATC singles winner, Mardy Fish, John Isner, James Blake and many other tennis players returned to compete in Atlanta. Isner , a 2010 finalist AND a Georgia Bulldawg, was a local favorite but in the end, Mardy Fish retained his title. It was like dejavu from last year’s 2010 ATC match, as Fish once again defeated Isner, 3-6, 7-6, 6-2 to repeat his championship title. The title was Fish’s first time to successfully defend a championship. Fish is also the first repeat winner since Andy Roddick’s repeat win in 2004. Unfortunately Roddick did not make it to Atlanta this year for the ATC – we miss you Andy!!!

Along with onsite VIP parking and extra practice courts, RCS hosted many vendors and even a fun, family area! Live music was provided by Wesley Cook, and guess what ladies, he’s available and a Jezebel magazine Most Eligible Atlanta Bachelor. An outside bar, concessions and the air-conditioned International Food Court made this event enjoyable for the whole family! Or, for the avid tennis fan – they also served cold beverages like BEER! Who knew beer and tennis went so well together! Hey, it is July in Georgia!

You couldn’t help but notice that Georgia hero John Isner was a bit tall. At 6’9”, Isner towered over many of the attendees. We thought we would have some fun and ask people their thoughts on height requirements….

Thanks for joining us at the Atlanta Tennis Championships. Tennis Balls for everyone!

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2011-09-04T21:34:44Z

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2011-09-03T18:52:11Z

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U.S. Open 2011: The Contenders

2011-08-28T17:38:14Z

I made it up to last year's open and had a great time seeing guys like Nadal, Fed, Djoker, and Murray. You know, guys who are pretty decent at tennis. (Actually, Murray was completely horrendous at last year's Open, but the others were quite good.)

A huge missing ingredient from last year's Open was the absence of Juan Martin Del Potro (delpo), who was the defending champ. Delpo is back in the mix this year, and even though he hasn't had the most impressive hard court season, all it takes is a couple good matches under your belt to get back in top form. And, when in top form, Delpo is arguably the best hardcourt player in tennis. And if it wasn't for the Djoker's obscene current level, I would have removed the "arguably" from the prior sentence. But can he win this tournament? These and other questions will be addressed Right. About. Now.

Contenders:

1. Novak Djokovic: Djokovic is the heavy favorite because he is simply playing better tennis than anybody else right now. And he is the only player in the draw who is immune to the random upset by a player not named Fed, Rafa, Delpo, or Murray. Outside of those players, nobody can beat Djokovic. You may notice that the best players in Djoke's quadrant are Gasquet, Berdych, Tipsy, and Monfils. You may also notice that none of those players are named Fed, Rafa, Delpo, or Murray. It logically follows that Djokovic has been appropriately penciled into the semifinals by yours truly.

To the extent you have convinced yourself that any of Gasquet, Berdych, Tipsy, or Monfils can beat Djoker, allow me to introduce you to my good friend Mr. Reality.

Djoker will meet Mardy Fish in the semi's. More on that in a second.

2. Rafa Nadal:
Many of you may note that something has been off with Rafa since Wimbledon, and that he hasn't looked like himself. I would agree, but I also don't read much into it. I mean, has Rafa ever won a U.S. Open tune-up tournament? Which is to, more specifically, ask: has Rafa ever won Montreal or Cincy? Let me know if I'm wrong, but I don't think he has.

What we also know about Rafa is that he is very much a player that needs to get his reps in. With continued reps muscle memory starts to produce better shots, better shots produce wins, which in turn results in increased confidence and increased opportunities for continued reps. You can rinse, lather, and repeat this cycle with Rafa, and eventually he'll find himself in top form, where he is basically unbeatable. His unbeatableness will end either with an injury or just fatigue from the grind. And he'll have to start the cycle from the beginning. This is just how Rafa is.

The reason the above paragraph is important in assessing his chances at winning this tournament, is that Rafa has a pretty pedestrian draw. Check out his quadrant and find somebody who has a chance of beating him? Youzhny? No. Roddick? No. Ferrer? No.

So what will happen is that Rafa will keep getting better with each match, and then after he beats Ferrer in a 4-set match to get to the semifinals, "emo Rafa" will have been completely replaced by "confident Rafa".

3. Mardy Fish:
Fish and Federer are in the same quadrant. If they end up meeting in the quarters, who do you think wins? If you answered Federer, you are operating on the assumption that his form will have improved by the time that match takes place. Because if Fish had played Federer at any point this summer, the evidence points to the conclusion that he would have won.

I really like the way Fish is playing right now, and so I predict he will make it to the semi's. But once there, he will likely be matched up against a not-so-shabby opponent by the name of Novak. Fish and Novak recently played in the Montreal final, and Fish showed that he can play with the Djoker. By no means was he outclassed, and indeed right up until the very end, Fish was in a position to win the match. If they end up playing again in the Semi’s, I definitely give Fish a decent chance of winning. To be clear, I give Djokovic much better chances of winning, but a Fish victory would not be shocking to me. To put it another way, at present form, Fish would beat Djokovic twice for every 9 matches they played. Djokovic prevails 7-2 in a best of 9 series.

4. Andy Murray:
I know. I know. But he's in good form, and the most dangerous guy in his quadrant is Delpo. I mentioned before how good Delpo is on hard courts when he is in top form, but he is just SO FAR away from top form right now that I think it would be unreasonable to conclude that he is going to be able to get there in 4 matches.

Good form though Murray may be in, think about this for a second. Or, rather, just do a little exercise with me. Close your eyes and then picture in your imagination Andy Murray beating Rafa Nadal in a grand slam semifinal. ::waiting 5 seconds::

You couldn't do it could you? I couldn't. I mean, I could for a second, but the scene looked so not believable that I started giggling. Sorry Andy Murray. That wasn't personal, I promise.

5. Delpo:
See the Andy Murray section above, but assume Delpo was able to pull out a win. He would likely have Rafa in the semifinals, and at that point would be bursting with confidence. He would have a decent -- or maybe even good -- chance of winning that match. From there, we would be able to say that he is indeed at top form, and we would likely be seeing a lot of that punishing punishing Delpo forehand where it appears that the ball has been shot out of a damn cannon.

I'm not picking Delpo, but I can't rule him out because he's got that punchers chance.

6. Roger Federer:
I'm putting him this low, not because I think he is the 6th best player in the world, but because he already upset Djokovic this year by playing his best tennis of the year and it isn't happening again. Nobody's beating Djokovic twice this year. Mark that down.

That covers it. Don't talk yourself into anybody else, and I wouldn't even talk myself into Federer if I were you.

In gambling terms, this tournament is really all about Djokovic vs. The Field. If it were even money, I would take the field over Djokovic, but Djokovic is definitely the heavy favorite.

My unsurprising pick: Novak Djokovic

Atlanta Tennis Championships Preview

2011-07-17T14:38:04Z

The Atlanta Tennis Championships begin Monday and the draw was released on Saturday. As Rick Limpert noted in his article, the draw is not top-heavy but features many young rising players as well as a slew of Americans.

Quarter I

(1)Mardy Fish (USA) bye
Richard Berankis (LTU) vs Nicolas Mahut (FRA)
Michael Berrer (GER) vs Tatsuma Ito (JPN)
Ryan Sweeting (USA) vs (8)Somdev Devvarman (IND)

I think this is a pretty good draw for Fish. Richard Berankis, the talented Lithuanian, who was ranked as high as 71 this year, is coming off a long strech of not playing, but still could give Fish some trouble should he beat marathon man Nicolas Mahut. I also think the winner of the Somdev Devvarman vs Ryan Sweeting match could give Fish a little trouble. Sweeting is coming off his first career win at Wimbledon and has a clay court title from earlier this season in Houston. I like Devvarman and easily advance against Berrer or Ito. Projected Semifinalist- Fish

Quarter II

4)Xavier Malisse (BEL) bye
(q) vs Ryan Harrison (USA)
Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) vs (q)
(q) vs (5)Grigor Dimitrov (BUL)

This is certainly the most interesting quarter, but there is much uncertainty due to the number of qualifiers in this quarter. Two aging veterans and two youngsters on the rise. Assuming Harrison can get by the qualifier, which is not a given, he is known to play up or down to his opponent, I believe he can beat Malisse. Lleyton Hewitt dominated Kei Nishikori in the first round of Wimbledon only to blow a 2 set lead to Robin Soderling in the second round. However, his play surprised me and I think he is a player to watch in this tournament, hoping to get his career back on track after several bouts with injuries. Grigor Dimitrov is a very dangerous player, once nicknamed, "baby Fed," but I think Hewitt can defeat him and set up a battle with American Ryan Harrison. If Dimitrov wins, however, a Dimitrov-Harrison match is very appealing. Projected Semifinalist- Hewitt

Quarter III

(6)Igor Kunitsyn (RUS) vs (q)
Yen-Hsun Lu (TPE) vs Matthias Bachinger (GER)
James Blake (USA) vs Ernests Gulbis (LAT)
(3)John Isner (USA) bye

I don't really believe the top half of this quarter will pose much of a threat to the bottom of this quarter, so lets start with the bottom. James Blake vs Ernests Gulbis. Gulbis is known for his lack of mental toughness, but he is very talented. Blake is working his way back, and is up to 89 in the world. Both players lost tough matches in the first round of Wimbledon. I like/hope Blake can win and set up a duel with Isner. I like Isner in the quarter easily, and he is coming off of a tournament win in Newport last week. Projected Semifinalist- Isner

Quarter IV

7)Alex Bogomolov Jr. (USA) vs Gilles Muller (LUX)
(WC)Tommy Haas (GER) vs (WC)Robby Ginepri (USA)
(WC)Donald Young (USA) vs Michael Russell (USA)
(2)Kevin Anderson (RSA) bye

Gilles Muller, a journeymen Lëtzebuerger with an amazing ace to double fault ratio could make some noise in the quarter. I think he can beat the tempermental Bogomolov Jr and then he will face the winner of Tommy Haas and Robby Ginepri, two former top 20 players ranked outside of 300 because of injuries. I 'll take Ginepri to beat Haas, partially because I'm American and the tournament is in Ginepri's home state of Georgia. But I like Muller to win the next match. He put together an impressive performance in a 3rd round loss to Nadal at Wimbledon this year. Donald Young, another Georgia boy, will take on Michael Russell, a tough guy competitor. I think Young will take it, but you know it won't happen without a fight from Russell. WIth all that being said, I like the hard serving South African to advance to the semis. Projected Semifinalist- Anderson

Those projections would set up Fish vs Hewitt and Isner vs Anderson. I would like world number 8 Fish to advance and the second match would be a rematch of last year's semifinal where Isner won in 3 sets. Isner is 6'9''. Anderson is 6'8". I'll say the extra inch makes the difference.

In a rematch of last year's final, I'll say the result is the opposite with Isner being crowned the 2011 Atlanta Tennis Championships Champion.

Should be a great tournament!

US OPEN SERIES MENS PREDICTION CHALLENGE

2011-07-12T14:53:24Z

Some of you may be familiar with the game, others may not, but it is actually a pretty fun game. For the US Open Series, there are 6 mens tournaments. YOu pick a bracket for each of the tournament, round by round, before each tournament starts. After you make your picks, you email them to drawchallenge@yahoo.com . Here is what a typical entry from last year looks like.

1st round

Kevin Anderson
Robby Ginepri
Ryan Sweeting
Janko Tipsarevic
Mardy Fish
James Blake
Xavier Malisse
Ernests Gulbis
Karol Beck
Temyuraz Gabashvili
Qualifier
Horacio Zeballos

2nd round
Andy Murray
Ernests Gulbis
Feliciano Lopez
Mardy Fish
Janko Tipsarevic
Marcos Baghdatis
Robby Ginepri
Sam Querrey

Quarterfinals

Sam Querrey
Marcos Baghdatis
Feliciano Lopez
Andy Murray

Semifinal

Marcos Baghdatis
Andy Murray

Final Andy Murray

We keep all picks, results, and updates at drawchallenge.webs.com . It is a fun game, but we need at least 2 or 3 more people to play. Right now, we have 3 and last year we had 5-6. (4 of them being from The Daily Forehand.) If you would like to play, please email drawchallenge@yahoo.com so I can have your email address and will be able to know if you are playing. We need at least 2-3 people. Please respond as quickly as you can. Thanks. We also keep track of the overall standings for each tournament to determine a US Open Series Champion. Last year's winner was Big Al.

Poll

Are you going to play?

yes

2 votes

no

0 votes

2 votes | Poll has closed

Federer's Future

2011-06-30T21:43:09Z

If Paul Annacone wants to earn his money, he needs to teach Federer how to better read a match. Against Tsonga in the Wimbledon QFs, Federer played about as good a technical match as anyone who's ever lost. He was hitting balls cleanly throughout. He had a 5-1 winners/UE ratio. I don't think he has a single double fault.

But for all that skill and execution, he played a horrible tactical match. He had his game plan, and he didn't vary. He needed to mix things up. Serve and volley. Chip and charge. Some off-speed junk now and again. Move around on the return of serves. Serve and volley (which he did, I'd wager, no more than 3 times all match). Anything to keep Tsonga off balance and get him out of his rhythm. If he had done that, he likely would have won.

This has been a Federer problem for years now. When Annacone came on, they talked about him getting more aggressive, especially on the return. And he has. But that's not all he needs to do. He needs to recognize when his game plan going in needs to be adjusted and respond on the fly. You simply should not lose a match where you play so well, without more of a fight.

In my view, Federer should have even more majors than he has. He should have won the Nadal AO/Wimbledon 5-set loss finals, where his unwillingness to do anything but chip returns back into play came back to haunt him, and the DelPorto US Open final, where his desire to try and match pace with DelPorto backfired. I'd even bet he could have even pulled off one of the early French finals against Nadal, when Nadal served *exclusively* to his backhand, if he had just tried to give Nadal a reason to mix it up on serve.

Federer still has time to win more Slams...but its running short. DelPorto is almost fully back. Murray/Nadal/Djokovic aren't going anywhere. You've got Soderling, Berdych, and Tsonga capable of pulling the upset. And in a few years, Dmitrov, Tomic, and the next wave are coming.

Second Week of the French Open Preview

2011-05-28T23:33:56Z

The first week has been thrilling one to say the least. Their were upsets (I'm looking at you Berdych and Almagro) and their are qualifiers and unknowns still playing (Falla, Fognini, Chela). Champions got pushed (Rafa and Inser, Djoker and Del Potro) and a streak continues (42 and counting). But the biggest thing to me is that 8 of the top 10 seeds are still playing, which will make this week a great one for tennis fans. After the jump I will preview the fourth round and give my predictions for the rest of the tourney.

Rafael Nadal vs Ivan Ljubicic- Great run for Ljubicic knocking out Querrey and Verdasco however I think Rafa is too good on clay for him. Rafa in 4

Giles Simon vs Robin Soderling- Soderling has quietly been having a great tourney dropping only 1 set to rising american Ryan Harrison. Soderling is facing the crowd favorite Giles Simon. Soderling is playing too well and Simon's run stops here. Soderling in 3

Andy Murray vs Victor Troiki- Murray has the easiest to a semi-final I have seen in recent memory. The only thing that will stop him is an injury and I dont see that happening. Murray in 3

Alejandro Falla vs Juan Ignacio Chela- Both shockers to have went this far. Players very even and I dont know much about either. I giving this to Chela in 5 but this is a coin flip to me.

David Ferrer vs Gael Monfils- The match of the round to me. Monfils is a pleasure to watch and you know the crowd will be completely behind him. Ferrer, on the other hand, is playing some great tennis right now and has been on a tear lately. I think Ferrer will win a terrific 5 setter.

Roger Federer vs Stanislas Wawrinka- Wawrinka showed a lot of heart coming back from 2 sets to love against Tsonga but hasnt had success against his countryman in recent history. I dont see anything changing. Fed in 3

Fabio Fognini vs Albert Montanes- Both of these are clay court specialist and have been playing great. I like Montanes in 5.

Richard Gasquet vs Novak Djokovic- Cmon, is anyone really going pick against Djokovic. He was so impressive against Del Po and while their is some concern about playing a day later I dont see Gasquet having enough talent to pull the upset. Djokovic in 4

Quarters

Nadal vs Soderling- Nadal in 5 (Match of the tourney)

Murray vs Chela- Murray in 3

Ferrer vs Federer- Ferrer in 5 (What a day of tennis this would be)

Montanes vs Djokovic- Djokovic in 3

Semi-Finals

Nadal vs Murray- Nadal in 4 (Murray isnt at his best wouldnt be surprised if he was upset but no one with enough talent IMO)

Ferrer vs Djokovic- Ferrer in 5 (Djokovic streak ends. Ferrer pulls the huge upset and sets up a spanish spanish final)

CHAMPIONSHIP

Nadal vs Ferrer- Nadal in 4 (Ferrer magical run ends as his countryman gets revenge from Australia)

Day 3 Mens Recap

2011-05-25T02:34:45Z

Match of the Day... and Tournament So Far

Rafael Nadal survives a five set thriller at Court Philippe Chatrier against American big guy John Isner. The final score was 6-4 6-7 6-7 6-2 6-4. Nadal got off to the start he needed by winning the first set with a single break. He lead the second set by a break also, but a key Isner breakback was vital in getting the set into a tiebreaker. In teibreakers, Isner took over as he won both the second and third set tiebreaks 7-2. Nadal handily won the fourth set, and an early break in the fifth set gave the victory to world #1 ranked Raphael Nadal. Said Nadal, “Tough, tough moments for me. I played too nervous, in my opinion.”

Sam Wins One for the Americans

Last year, heading into Roland Garros, Sam Querrey was playing well, having won a tournament on clay in the previous weeks. The result: A straight sets loss to Robby Ginepri in the first round. Now Sam had been struggling and faced a difficult opponent in Philip Kohlschrieber. A perennial seed, Kohlschrieber won the first set and it looked like Querrey may be headed down the road of a first round loss. But he turned it around, dominating the second set 6-1. He won the third set 6-2 and the fourth set 6-4. Querrey converted 5 more aces than the German, and only gave up one break of service. It was Querrey's first ever win at Roland Garros.

Soderling, Murray Advance

Andy Murray looked impressive in a straight set win over unheralded Frenchman Eric Prodon. Soderling had a little more trouble however, as he needed 4 sets to dispatch 19 year old American Ryan Harrison. Harrison stole the second set in a tiebreak and gave Soderling, two time runner up, everything he could handle. All in all, a promising day for the future of American tennis.

Almagro Loses

That's all I have to say about that. My final four sleeper Almagro lets me down again in a 5 set loss to Lukasz Kubot in a match where the Spaniard blew a 2 set lead. Au revoir Nicolas.

Best Bet Tomorrow

Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Kei Nishikori(JPN)	vs.	Sergiy Stakhovsky(UKR)[31]

There are top players in action tomorrow, including some Frenchmen, but I think this may be one of the more competative ones. I like Nishikori, who reached a clay final in Houston, to reach the round of 32 and fulfil project-45, a goal set by Nishikori and his crew to get his ranking up to 45, which would make him the highest ever ranked Japanese player.

French Open Qualifiers

2011-05-17T02:53:17Z

So there are 32 seeds, 128 overall players fighting for a mere 16 spots in the main draw at Roland Garros. Win 3 matches and you are in. Here's a brief rundown.

Number 1 seed Alex Bogomolov is an American who has reached a career high ranking of 84. He has not played in the main draw of the French Open since 2004, where he lost in the first round. 26) Steve Darcis could pose a threat in what would be Bogomolov's final qualifying match. However, his toughest test could come in the second round, where he will face the winner of Ivo Klec and Rik de Voest. de Voest is 30 and will look to make the main draw for the first time at Roland Garros. He reached the 3rd round of doubles there as recently as 2009.

Number 2 seed Horacio Zeballos is an interesting case. He came on strong a year or so ago but has struggled lately. He is 5-5 on the year, and he reached the second round of the main draw at Roland Garros last year. His toughest tests figures to come from 23 seed Simone Bolelli, of Italy. He has won a main draw match at the French 3 of the last 4 years. Bolelli could win a match in the main draw this year also.

Number 4 seed Ilya Marchenko could be on a collision course with 31 Stephane Robert. Marchenko has struglled this year at 4-8, but has plenty of talent. Robert will be trying to add to the contingent of French men in the main draw.

American Ryan Harrison is seeded 18 and the only seed he would have to defeat is Number 6 Jaroslav Pospisil, ranked 104 in the world. Hopefully Ryan can advance after a disappointing Aussie Open following a nice run at the US Open.

Alejandro Falla, who had a 2 set lead on Roger Federer at Wimbledon last year, is a 19 seed. Would not be surprised to see him in the main draw come the weekend.

American Bobby Reynolds, seeded 9th, will look to advance to the main draw in Paris for the first time since 2009. He will face German Bjorn Phau in his opening match.

Tatsumo Ita, seeded 10th, from Japan will face some challenges in trying to advance to the main draw. Marsel Ilhan, seeded 21st from Turkey will likely be his toughest match if the two meet.

Lukasz Kubot, seeded 11th, is a player I like a lot. 27th seeded Simon Greulwill providehim with some challenges, but I expect Kubot to advance.

Marco Chiudinelli, is unseeded, but in 2010, he reached the second round of the main draw in 3 of 4 majors. Marc Gicquel, the 24th seeded Frenchman will also look to advance in that section.

Probably the most competitive section contains Lukas Lacko, Frank Dancevic, Eduardo Schwank, American Jesse Witten, and Gilles Muller. Anybody could probably come from that group and provide some competition to their first round opponent in the main draw.

Well that's about it. Main draw Roland-Garros less than a week away. But until then, there is still tennis to be played. Should be interesting.

Djokovic Dethrones Number 1 for the Second Time this Year

2011-04-04T03:41:16Z

In what was a fantastic match to watch Novak Djokovic, currently #2 in the world, beat Rafael Nadal 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4). Djokovic got down early being broken twice to start the match but after that played unbelievable tennis. After getting down 4-1 in the first, Novak completely played differently he was much more aggressive than usual getting to net often and hitting bigger shots than Rafa which is not an easy task to do. Djokovic controlled the tempo with his big forehand and steady backhand. Nadal did not go on without a fight though. He took the first set and took the third set to a tiebreak pushing Novak to the limit. Nadal never gave up and on match point down hit an open stance forehand for a winner that no one else except he could hit. As great a match as Nadal played Novak played at a slightly higher level. Novak is white-hot right now winning 26 straight matches and after beating Rafa twice in a row he is playing the best tennis of his career. The hard court season is now over until the summer and the clay season is about to begin. This season is usually dominated by Nadal but because of Djokovic's recent streak there is no way you could count him out.

Proper Etiquette for Babies at Tennis Matches

2011-04-04T00:47:54Z

During a recent tennis match, David Ferrer was disturbed to find that one of the fans in attendance was so displeased by the show, that said fan started to cry. One must remember that professional tennis players are not merely gym rat athletes, they are entertainers. They fully understand that the people in the stands have bought tickets with their hard earned money in hopes of being engaged and delighted by the players' performances, not bored to the point of tears. Because of his professionalism, Mr. Ferrer knew he had to act. Were he a clown in the circus, he would have quickly shaped a balloon animal for the distressed fan. Were he a rock star, he would have lifted said fan onto the stage to dance with him. As a tennis player, he took his best option and attempted to deliver a plaything, a souvenir, to the unhappy fan. Sadly, he chose to lob the tennis ball to the fan rather than to climb into the stands to present it face to face, and his action was misinterpreted.

The outrage at Mr. Ferrer was exacerbated by the fact that the unhappy fan was a member of a highly volatile, yet venerated minority. The fan was a baby. This writer must admit to being generally in awe of babies, always eager to admire, coo at, cuddle, and knit for, said creatures. Shamefully, this writer must even admit to urging, even pressuring, friends and family members to produce babies simply because she finds them so delightful. That understood, this writer must make a proclamation: Babies Do Not Belong at Tennis Matches.

Of course, there could never be a minimum age requirement on who may attend tennis matches. That would be ageism, and, hence, discriminatory. While that could be worked around by having matches played in the nude so that it could be argued that they weren't appropriate for young eyes, players might object to such a plan as it would make the placement of sponsor logos difficult. Few player/sponsor relationships are considered romantic enough to justify tattoos. Establishing a rule that no one weighing less than 30 pounds may attend a professional tennis match would eliminate attendance by most babies, except those from Mississippi. However, as long as tennis players want to have their supermodel girlfriends in the stands, that rule is unlikely to gain acceptance.

Given that baby attendance at tennis matches cannot be eliminated, we must appeal to these young fans to moderate their behavior to the unique circumstances of tennis matches. Fortunately, babies tend to be quick, receptive learners who are, for the most part, eager to please. Therefore, for the benefit of potential tennis watching babies, I present these guidelines for proper etiquette at tennis matches:

1. Don't go. When your parents announce their intention to bring you to a tennis match, you must explain that you are, in fact, a baby. There are many places where your presence is appreciated: playgrounds; grandparents' homes; You Tube videos. Tennis matches are not baby friendly places. Note that even celebrity tennis babies like Jada Clijsters Lynch limit their appearances to photo ops. You must speak to your parents gently, yet firmly. Simply say: "I am a baby." If they do not understand, you must conclude they don't speak English, try French: "Je suis un bebe."

2. Ignore the grunts. If, despite your best efforts, you find yourself at a tennis match, one of the first things you may notice is that many of the players make familiar sounding grunting noises while hitting the ball. Rest assured that unlike your baby friends and acquaintances, and you for that matter, these noises do not mean they are pooping their diapers. That understood, if you are a "monkey see, monkey do" kind of baby, you may be tempted to join in the grunting thereby produce your own output. This action will not be happily received by those seated near you. If you are a verbal, tattle-tale baby, you will doubtlessly want to point to the court and loudly exclaim "Poopie!" Depending on your timing, your may invoke good natured chuckling by those seated near you; or, you may have a ball lobbed at you.

3. Breastfeeding. Of course, you get hungry, and, as long as you do not make loud slurpy noises, you may certainly nurse. However, be aware that some venues have rules against bringing in your own food and if security finds you have coerced your mother into smuggling your lunch in under her shirt, there could be problems. Security may demand that she hand over the contraband. This would be one of the few instances where it would be appropriate for you to cry loudly during a match. As a well-bred baby, you must remember that Miss Manners would tell you that if you are going to eat in public, it is polite to offer to share your food with those around you. Most people will graciously refuse your offer. If someone accepts, you should expect that you and your mother will be making a hasty exit from the stands.

4. Crying. Do not cry. That's all. Just don't. Even if you are outraged by a bad call. Even if Venus Williams has made a particularly unfortunate fashion choice. Don't do it. Here's a little known not-really-a -fact for you: in Tom Hank's contract for A League of Their Own, there is a clause requiring sports broadcasters to show that clip of him saying "There's no crying in baseball!" several times a year. Every time the clip is shown, the sports broadcasters must act as if they have come up with a completely novel, creative idea in paraphrasing the quote to the circumstances with such gems as "There's no crying in tennis!" or "There's no crying in curling!" Now, Mr. Hanks is a fine actor, arguably the best of his time, and A League of Their Own is a lovely little movie, but that line is getting old, really old. If you cry and are caught on camera, we will all be stuck seeing that tired clip again. We will not be happy.

One might argue that parents have a role in assuring the proper behavior of babies at tennis matches. However, parents tend to be rather sleep deprived and exposure to fumes from baby vomit and poop tends to affect their reasoning skills. Addled as parent brains may be, may I gently suggest to parents that hiring a responsible teenaged sitter to watch over your little one while you attend a tennis match as a couple has two wonderful benefits . First, it provides adult time together during which you may find yourself speaking to each other in full sentences. It will provide you with hope that the day will come when you will once again discuss things other than naps and mashed bananas. It may even give you the courage to produce another baby. Second, forget the public service announcements and the school programs that have students carting around eggs and sacks of flour, there is no greater deterrent to teen pregnancy than a few hours with someone else's whining, stinky bundle of joy. A session with your darling, may inspire the teenager you hire to practice restraint for many years. Consider it a community service.

Ryan's Run At Indian Wells

2011-03-16T03:53:24Z

What do people think about Ryan Harrison's run at Indian Wells? I was lukewarm on the kid for this particular tournament, but today he knocked off red-hot Milos Raonic in 3 close sets. Ryan Harrison is, at this point, the Great American Hope for men's tennis in the foreseeable future, especially since Donald Young is unfortunately pretty much a bust at this point.

Next up for Harrison is Fed. As of yet, the kid has not been consistent enough to merit serious attention as a top ten or even top thirty contender. But, last week he knocked off (1) seed Robert Kendrick en route to a nice little run at the Dallas Challenger and now he's making noise in a big boy Masters Series. Despite his relatively small frame, the kid can bang, and if he continues to show the ability to string together some consistency, he'll BE a top thirty player before long. Now that's a big "if" for anyone, but I need to find hope in the American men's tennis landscape, and Harrison's been delivering as of late.

Regardless of whether he can take down Fed, Ryan's run over the last two weeks have made hay for him in the confidence department. Making a mini-gash through a Masters Series draw, like the one Harrison has made this week, is serious business for an 18 year old. If he can deliver tomorrow (or Thursday?) I'll be a believer that this kid is on the verge of becoming a true contenda'. Remember when Pete Sergio Tachini'd his way through the U.S. Open at age 18? I'm not saying Ryan's the next Pete, but c'mon - work with me here.

Eric Butorac went down early in doubles, but I'm sure everyone was aware of that. Look for him and Rojer to make a nice run at the French like they did in Australia. On clay, Rojer's counter-punching, return focused style works well with Booty's smashing and slashing.

Djokovic wins 2nd Major

2011-01-30T15:50:10Z

Djokovic completed his dominant Australian Open run by dismantling Andy Murray in straight sets. The match started out tight both holding serve until Djokovic broke Murray at 5-4 to take the first set. After that Murray never could recover and make a comeback. Novak jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the second set and after that point it was evident that the match was over. Murray's lack of experience definitely showed during that second set when he never could bounce back. After the jump more stats and quotes from Djokovic's second major win.

One of the biggest reason Djokovic won was Murray's difficulties with his first serve. Murray had to fight off 18 break points compared to Djokovic's 4. Murray tried to beat Novak from the baseline playing 80% of the points from there. Djokovic was able to win the big point when he had to and seemed to be at a different level than Murray.

Lastly here are some quotes from Djokovic's Win:

- Djokovic on Murray: "We have known each other for such a long time,It was difficult tonight."

- Murray on Trying to win a Grand Slam: "I'll try to keep it together this year," Murray said, speaking confidently and talking about "having more chances in the future" as the crowd yelled out "Andy! Andy!"

- Djokovic on Murray Losing: "I understand how he feels, it's his third final and he didn't get the title, As I said on the court, I really have big respect for him and his game, because I think he has everything what it takes to become a Grand Slam champion."

- Murray on the Match: "You always have to try to find a way, to believe," Murray said. "When I got ahead in some games, even in just points, he was sticking up lobs that were landing on the baseline, passing shots that were on the line. I broke his serve twice in the third set and still lost 6-3."

- Djokovic on the 5-4 Game: "Maybe there was a turning point in the whole match, that 5-4 game," Djokovic said. "I was a bit fortunate, I kind of anticipated well and read his intentions and played some great shots and great moments. It is a big advantage mentally when you are a set up and you are getting to the second set and really going for the shots."