Safin vs Seppi vs Ancic vs Ferrer

Rick Rock here -

They are switching back an forth so much I forget exactly who is playing who but who cares, it's great tennis. The four are in there somewhere. Maybe it's Ferrer, Ancic and Seppi playing Canadadian doubles and Safin playing himself? No that doesn't sound right.

Anyway great tennis all around. Although, it's kind of mean to let this big Croatian dude beat up on poor little Ferrer - the furry little ferret/turtle! Not nice. But give Ancic credit - he played great, and dug deep. He doesn't look physically 100%. Or maybe he's just a human being, and gets a little tired after 4 sets of intense tennis.

Now Marat has a match point. In the dark. Let's see what happens... OK second serve... oops, netted it, not yet. OK another chance. Hurry up guys it's getting dark! Damn, second serve again. Oh snap he did it! Nice to see Marat back in form too.

Ok, tat was nice. Tomorrow we are going on vacation, and will have to resort to cruising around looking for random TVs that happen to be showing tennis. Wish us luck.

Signing off - Rick ROck

Alla Kudryavtseva beats Maria Sharapova!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Guest Blogger Rockytoad!

Hi! Rockytoad here! So far, day four in Wimbledon is hectic, and filled with upsets; it's pretty crazy tennis. First off, Nadal lost the first set 7-5, but managed to come back and win the match. Venus Williams beat _____? pretty routinely. I didn't see the score, but I watched the first few games and saw Venus throwing everything that British girl had right back at her, even better. I don't see Venus playing very often, but I could tell she was playing really good tennis at the time. And then James Blake! Losing to Schuettler was a huge upset. You'd think Blake could beat him, but he lost in the fifth set. But the biggest upset of the day, and most suprising, was Sharapova, the number two in the world, losing to Alla Kudryavtseva! Kudryavtseva amazingly beat Sharapova in the first set 6-2, to start out the match. Sharapova was double faulting and making tons of unforced errors, but Alla (I'm just going to call her Alla, since her last name is too crazy) was playing beautifully. Man, that girl has got game! She was smacking winners on deep angles, going left and right, and that kind of playing won her the match.

P.S. It's kind of irrelevant, but Rafa walked up right into the ESPN studio with the commentators due to a miscommunication on an interview time. I thought it was pretty funny.

The Roddick match continues...
Beastin',
Rockytoad

Upsets on Day 3 of Wimbledon 2008

OK, I played four hours of tennis at a tennis "camp" today and now I'm drinking wine and watching tennis -and my back hurts - AND- I was really impressed with how Djokovic handled his loss and spoke about it at that evil thing, the press conference. I would almost say that his impeccable manners here at Wimby 2008 make up for all of his other booboos, but that would perhaps be....an exaggeration. And yet, he was impressive, no? Gave credit to Safin, made no real excuses. Wow. Wow. Regarding the level of upsettedness- Safin is dangerous to anyone when not being the mental retard that he can sometimes be. And, even though he states he hates the grass, never plays well at Wimby, for some reason, he was playing really well and not being the over-emotional Russiany Russian dude and being a world class player instead. By the way, Safin is HOT.

OK, now I am watching the wierder upsettedness of of Dechy v. world's number 1, Ana Ivanovic. My 12 year old loves Ana because she's "hot". Gee, where did he get that word. Oh- not from me. I think I may have gotten it from him. Well, let's be honest, it's not really a strange word to describe the likes of Safin or Ana. But, why is Dechy beating her? Or almost? Or pushing her like this? This is no Safin- and no offense to the lovely Frenchwoman, but no one would have called this upset. (Safin, people could bet on him). But Dechy's serving so well. And Ana's second serve- sitting up high in the middle of the box- and Dechy can do what she likes with it.

All right- I'll watch some more and be back.

WHOAH! Ana pulled it out. Awesome fun second round match. I'm feeling sorry for Dechy. OK, I'm really feeling for her. My heart is broken.

Yours Truly,
Paula

Day 2, Wimbledon, 2008

Well, I watched yesterday and I watched today and....I miss the clay court season. BUT - I do love Wimby, don't I? I love tennis whites. In fact, I sort of fetishize them. Meow. But, the buttoned down atmosphere is getting to me. I just need to adjust.

OK, here's a few things. What happened to David Nalbandian? I didn't cry. I didn't. But my heart was broken. I want to know what is going on with him, and I don't. It's a mystery. I feel out of the loop, the Nalby loop. Now he's watching - David Nalby that is - his buddy Shwank play Roddick. Two bad things are happening while I watch this: one: Mary Carillo is covering this match for ESPN2 and is driving me nuts. She keeps saying "SHWANK!" like it's an insult, or an exclamation for "shank", as in shank a ball. Mary, you reeeeaally bug me. Also- Roddick? Badmouthing at the chair. Making me embarrassed to be an American. And they keep showing his girlfriend, the Sports Illustrated model that - is it true? - he picked out of the magazine and had his agent call her agent. Again, makes me ashamed to be from the US. The word soulless comes to mind. So, this match is bugging me. And it's almost over. There it is. Roddick gave a good handshake. A tiny consolation. Shwank, by the way, has that -Gaudio/Nadal/Djokovic/Santoro and so on and so forth ass thing going on- HUGE. HUGE muscle of an ass. Now, Nalby has muscles in his ass, but not like Gaudio. And not like Shwank. Maybe that is his problem. I'm kidding of course. His real problem his he needs ME. And I'm not there. Sorry David! Sorry I am not there for you. Oh heavy sigh.

So, sorry folks, but I am having a grumpy Wimby day! Because here is another thing that confused me and I don't know what to make of this: Did Lindsay Davenport not shake the chair's hand? I rewound, again and again- why, what?- I mean, I like her. But I don't get it. I watched quite a bit of the match, but I am not there. There is so much that goes on there, that the TV doesn't show. Anyway, even if she's angry and injured- she is injured- she should shake the chair's hand, no?

All right. I'm at the end of my tape here. Confused and not amused, but feeling hopeful for the days to come.

Yours Truly,
Paula

Italian Tennis Players

Rick Rock here -

I have a couple of things to say about Italian tennis players.

First, they are actually French! Bartoli? Razzano? I am so confused. Those girls, if they want to be French, they should be called Bartoleau and Resanne or something like that. I mean, I understand that there can be an American player named Capriati because we are the great melting pot. But France and Italy, they need to try harder than that to be different, they are very close to eachother, it's too confusing.

Second, if they aren't French, Italian players are likely to be German! Or vikings... Visigoths left over from the sack of Rome maybe? Karin Knapp - HELLO?? She is not even TRYING to seem Italian. That name? Being a giant blond girl who looks like her horned helmet jsut fell off accidentally on the way out to the court? Or Seppi? "Seppi" sounds kind of Italian, but whoops! Who's the big blond dude? Oh, Seppi.... the er, Italiam player. THe one who just stepped off the longboat.

Of course, I am generalizing... Penneta and Schiavone are two of my favorites who are blatantly Italian. But still - it had to be said.

Signing off - RR

Why I love Rafa So Intensely (and the other Spaniards and Argentines)

Yes, it's his humility, his manners, his game. His good looks. And I lived in Spain for a year and loved the country and still do and go back when I can. But really, it is a bittersweet love I have for Rafa and his compatriats. You see, when I lived in Spain I was seventeen years old, a tall blond girl, who got a lot of looks. I stuck out. It's a dark haired country, for the most part (just for the most part). Now, I was shy then. And self-conscious of being "American". This was a long ass time ago, and Spain was not the Spain it is now. It was very Catholic and conservative and just coming out of it's Franco years. And as an American girl, I was assumed to be a girl with loose morals, let's say. And it bothered me, that assumption. So, the whole damn time I lived there, I never even KISSED a Spanish guy. And let me tell you, OK, not every Spanish dude looks like Rafa, or Verdasco, or Feli Lopez, or Almagro, or Moya- or- well, you get me point though, right. There are A LOT of hot Spanish men. Like, it's a country FULL of hot dudes. Last time I was there in Madrid I saw this Spanish cop walk by, and like, I nearly fainted he was so fantastic looking. And his image is permanently burned into my brain. And he was just some cop! Cops in New York don't look like that! But anyway, I was a young girl, I could have gotten some serious Spanish lovin', but out of pride and "dignity", I did not.

What the hell was I thinking??!!! If you can't mess around when you're seventeen, when can you? I've been married for fifteen years and love my family- don't get me wrong- but MAN, did I pass up a once in a lifetime opportunity!!!! And I'm mad at my younger fearful self. And I watch all these beautiful specimens of humanity with a pretty intense longing. I wish I could be seventeen again. I'd do things differently. And then- I would still get married to my husband and still have my beautiful sons. And still long for Rafa and Nalbandian and Ferrer, but with more -satisfaction - and less regret.

AND BRAVO RAFA!!!!

Now Nalbandian is playing. I am in heaven. He is so hot in his tennis whites.

And David stunk in that first set. He played BADLY. I'm angry with him. Why, David? Why? Why are you sucking? Perhaps- you need me. David- psychically- I am with you. I am!

Well, I had a pillow over my head for a few minutes. Is it over? God. It is. Barf

Yours Truly,
Paula

Nalbandian v. Gasquet

Rick Rock here -

Mmm this is a good math, two players I really enjoy, but I happen to be a little sleepy and my mind is wandering...

I think they should let the grass grow during the tournament. Add another dimension to the game - grass getting a little long... a dandelion here or there - "oh that shot really skidded of that dandelion..."

It would be like how so many athletes stop shaving during a championship run. Exept, it would be the ground, not their faces. Which is good. Tennis players don't do that, like especially the hockey guys do. Like a bunch of lumbrjacks by the Stanley Cup. If Federer say, decided not to shave till he lost on grass, or Nadal on clay, they would have long, flowing beards. Though neither one is very hairy.

Anyway, just having some thoughts. Great match, fun to be on the grass. TIght in the 3rd set right now, on serve, both guys playing nice tennis. What's gonna happen?

Signing off - RR