Passing shots

A member of Aravane Rezai's family (one can reasonably assume that this is her father, since he has caused so much trouble throughout her career) has been banned from WTA events. The tour reports that its investigation is of a "serious safety matter" that affects the French player's "health and well being."

Thanks to Jon Wertheim, I came across this slide show, which provides an entertaining look (but not the look you might expect) at women's tennis fashions through the years.

Bethanie Mattek-Sands reports that the courts are so hot at the Australian Open, she had "a second degree burn on my thumb from crouching down in an 'I' formation in doubles!"
 
Here are 10 Burning Questions for Agniesza Radwanska.

Yaroslava Shvedova is back on the court, and reports that she is feeling good.

Time to talk about the outfits

Though what tennis players wear is not very important, the Grand Slam tournaments have become venues for players who like to make fashion statements. Here are my picks for the best outfits among those I have seen:

Jelena Jankovic--The lines of her pink dress are exquisite, and the slim headband is an elegant accessory.

Maria Kirilenko--She always looks great in her latest Stella McCartney, and this one is no exception.

Elena Dementieva--The scalloped skirt and gathered bodice would not look good on too many players, but on Dementieva, they look just right.

Maria Sharapova-I liked the khaki version much better, but the dress is nevertheless quite nice.

Venus Williams--She looks like old-time tennis with a twist in her own design, and the effect is quite smart.

Ana Ivanovic--Ivanovic is elegant in clear blue and a ruffled skirt.

Anna Chakvetadze--Something about this unusual tennis dress appeals to me, and when I think about it, I like most of Chakvetadze's outfits.

"I can beat you silly, and still look hot doing it"

That's what Serena Williams says about a pair of her earrings in her U.S. Open Series television spot, and guess what? She's right. But, as ken points out in After Atalanta, Bruce Jenkins considers such earrings "totally inexcusable." Jenkins writes about female tennis players' "garish dresses," "odd hairstyles" (and I agree with ken: who could he possibly be talking about except Venus Williams and her gorgeous beaded braids?) and "massive earrings." I understand his point that accessories do not add to a player's athletic performance. We all know that. And if they distract, as he suggests they do, you sure wouldn't know it by the Williams sisters and their fourteen Grand Slam singles titles.

Tennis, as ken also points out, is an individual sport, and so we see--and want to see--more expression of individual style than usual during play. I enjoy Maria Sharapova's beautifully cut dresses and Julia Vakulenko's outfits she puts together from items she buys off the rack. The best photograph of Venus Williams I have ever seen is the one of her braids flying in the air as she hits a shot. Bethanie Mattek, though her clothes turn some people off, has a lot of fun wearing unique, sometimes silly, outfits on the court.

Of course, there was no more garish dresser in tennis history than Andre Agassi in his first incarnation. One presumes Jenkins was deeply disturbed by Agassi's mullet, giant sunglasses, shorts-over-tights, and multi-colored headbands. How about James Blake's braids? Or Rafael Nadal's clamdiggers? Carlos Moya's sleeveless shirt that shows off his sizeable tattoo? And of course, Janko Tiparevic's tattoos, tinted shades and chin piercing have to be a real no-no for Jenkins. So much fashion distraction on the men's tour--what's a columnist to do?