Saturday, April 23, 2011

Passing shots

Dinara Safina is ill, and had to withdraw from the semifinals in Fes. Alberta Brianti received a walkover, and will play last year's runner-up, Simona Halep, in the final. Safina had not reached a semifinal since August of 2009.

Irina Falconi has won the USTA French Open wild card playoffs. Falconi defeated Julia Boserup 4-6, 7-6, 6-3 in the final, which was held in Boca Raton, Florida. The other competing players were Beatrice Capra, Lauren Davis, Madison Keys, and Grace Min.

Vikings player Bryant McKinnie, who is trying to drop 20 pounds before returning to the football field, has opted to take tennis lessons from Venus Williams. "She tires you out," the offensive tackle said of his teacher.

Chris Evert expects Caroline Woznaicki to win the 2011 French Open.

Kim Clijsters has been named one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People for 2011. Time's staff apparently discovered that Clijsters had a baby and returned to work. She "juggles" a  career and a family. (Roger Federer is not known to "juggle" his career and family, which makes him, I suppose, a not very extraordinary woman.)

Steve Tignor has begun a series on books about tennis.
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13 comments:

  1. Colette LewisApril 23, 2011 at 1:45 PM

    Hi Diane:
    Lauren Davis and Madison Keys dropped out before play started at the USTA French WC tournament and they redid the draw.

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  2. DianeApril 23, 2011 at 1:52 PM

    Really? Who took their place? I was very preoccupied with other things this time around and missed the whole event.

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  3. migiApril 23, 2011 at 2:01 PM

    Jarka Groth split with Sam and back to maiden name

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  4. DianeApril 23, 2011 at 2:09 PM

    I heard she had split with him, but didn't know she had already changed to her birth (please!) name.

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  5. migiApril 23, 2011 at 2:43 PM

    in Estoril draw is written as Jarmila Gajdosova.
    Also, Vesna Manasieva also took husband surname ...

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  6. DianeApril 23, 2011 at 4:44 PM

    Thanks for that info--I thought maybe she had changed her name, but I hadn't checked on it.

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  7. Colette LewisApril 23, 2011 at 5:06 PM

    No one took Keys and Davis' place. They re-did the draw with four players only: Capra, Min, Boserup and Falconi.

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  8. DianeApril 23, 2011 at 5:32 PM

    Thanks, Colette. Under usual circumstances, I would have read your blog and known that :)

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  9. Overhead SpinApril 23, 2011 at 7:48 PM

    Well, apropos of nothing, Ms. Ivanovic did an interview with the Independent and lets just say that the women's movement went down another notch. Enjoy (or not)

    http://tinyurl.com/3lljdys

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  10. DianeApril 23, 2011 at 10:11 PM

    She didn't think one was enough when she had a female fitness coach, did she? Lately, Ivanovic seems to be the voice for the tour's internalized sexism.

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  11. AnonymousApril 23, 2011 at 10:13 PM

    I wish Ana would shut up sometimes. 'Women are so difficult to coach' 'Easier to coach the guys'.....Just because she can be a basket case on the court, with her fistpumping, adulations and constant coach switching off the court, doesn't mean the rest of the tour follow suit.

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  12. AnonymousApril 25, 2011 at 4:18 PM

    "She didn't think one was enough when she had a female fitness coach, did she?"

    Perhaps it was after that experience when she realized one was enough.

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  13. DianeApril 25, 2011 at 8:04 PM

    Ivanovic fired her fitness coach (who she previously said was the best ever), who was giving her the same advice her coach was. Ivanovic fires everyone who advises her, it seems. And while I appreicate her wanting to control her own career, maybe there's someone to whom she needs to listen?

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