Wimbledon 2009 pre-preview

What is more exciting than grass court tennis? Tennis that showcases tradition, craftiness and mastery of the tennis game, British flags, tea time, all white, the Royal family and well...the mental toughness following those long rain delays. Wimbledon is it, the trophy all players want because it means history, it mean so much more than just another tournament or just one of the four grandslams. And this year, is no exception. There is a lot to look forward to following the French in terms of uncertain results and upsets and more history made, but one thing that is for certain, is that technology has allowed us to review our calls and move that retractable roof around so fans and players alike don't go crazy waiting out all the London rain delays.

As a pre-preview, we will review the events of the past week. For starters, #9 ranked teenager, Caroline Wozniacki won her 5th singles title in the final of Eastbourne (AEGON International) that pretty much all the big shots played. On top of that, designer Stella McCartney decided to drop Maria Kirilenko in favor of Wozniacki. McCartney's beautiful designs rarely made it past the first round on the beautiful Kirilenko and her patience came to an end in terms of promoting her brand, so Wozniacki, already sponsored by Adidas, has been relayed the special edition Adidas baton.

Another winner of the week is #42 Tamarine Tanasaguran. At 32, she is a tour veteran and two time champion of the Ordina Open. She defended her title, making it her 3rd career title by beating Safina in the semi's in two sets. A new champion this week is Slovakian Magdalena Rybarikova who won her first title at the AEGON Classic by beating Li Na, who beat Sharapova. Li Na was last year's Wimbledon semifinalist and Rybarikova got a straight entry into the main draw with this win. Jankovic and Ivanovic continue with poor results, both being ousted early in their tournaments.

And now.... to the men's side of things. Dmitry Tursunov, the tour prankster, even while recovering from a May ankle surgery, won Eastbourne defeating Frank Dancevic. "Whether it's winning Wimbledon, Eastbourne, a Challenger of Futures event, or beating your grandmother in checkers, winning is always better than losing - so it's great to get through the week like this," is a straight quote from the guy with the sense of humor. This was Tursunov's first title on grass. Benjamin Becker beat a wild card Raemon Sluiter, to win Ordina Open. His win made him the 1st qualifier to win a tournament this season.

As for Wimbledon, what can be more disappointing than Nadal withdrawing and giving up chance to defend his title. He played two exhibition matches and the pain was too much, so he made the decision to withdraw from Wimbledon. As a silly statistic on the side, he will be the first since Ivanisovich not to defend his title. "I’m here and I'm just not 100%. I'm better than what I was a couple of weeks ago but I don’t feel right," Nadal said in his press conference. "To not play Wimbledon is one of the toughest decisions of my career." Of course the media jumped on this and the Federer Nadal rivalry and asked Fed what he thought. "Well, I mean, it's a little bit similar to Paris. We played the last four years against each other in Paris. We played the last three years against each other here at Wimbledon. So we definitely won't see the same finals again. So that's disappointing for me, of course, because I'd love to play him. He's my main rival. We've had some wonderful matches over the years, and especially the one here last year was the one that obviously stands out. So that we can't potentially maybe repeat that, uhm, is obviously sad. But it gives me it just shows me how lucky I've been, you know, that I haven't been injured over all those years, you know, that I've been able to keep it up. Even though I was No. 1, the one people were going after, I was there, I was not injured very often, and I was able to keep it up. It just shows it goes so quick. So it's unfortunate. I'm sad for him, because it must have been a very difficult decision to make," is what Roger Federer gallantly told the press.

A 6th Wimbledon for Roger and Venus? Perhaps!

Coverage starts Monday June 22cnd-July 5th, but if you work and don't have DVR, there is ESPN360.com. They will be covering 9 courts through the semis, live, thats 650 hours of tennis online!!!! Yay =) WimbledonTV will be broadcasting too, but with a subscription.

CHECK OUT THE DRAWS ON THE OFFICIAL SITE

Indian Wells Recap

On the women's side the title goes to Vera Zvonareva. Its about time she captured a big tournament. Safina's run to number one was slashed by Viktoria Azarenka, who with her performance was able to break into the WTA top 10 of singles and doubles. She went on to lose to Zvonareva in the semis. Zvonareva took down Ivanovic in the finals 7-6(5), 6-2 for the championship. Not only did she shine in singles, but she also captured the doubles title with Azarenka, beating Shahar Peer and Martinez Sanchez in the final. Overall it was a great showing for a lot of the youngsters and signals an exciting season ahead.

On the men's side, all hail Nadal. Once again the champion battled through the draw. Roddick ended up beating Djockovic in a full match, those who remember their meeting at the Australian will appreciate that. Roddick lost in the semis to Nadal. Federer on the other side of the draw beat Gonzales in 3 sets, then beat Verdasco in two for the quarters and lost to Murray 6-1 in the 3rd. In the finals, Nadal destroyed Murray 6-1, 6-2. This was the 3rd consecutive time he took out Murray. Can the guy be stopped? The surprise on the men's side came in doubles, when the 1 seeded Bryan Brothers lost to unseeded Max Mirnyi and Andy Ram in the semis. The Bryan brothers were the only seeds to even make it to the semis as there were a lot of upsets and the title went to childhood friends Mardy Fish and Andy Roddick in what must have been a very exciting final with the score of 3-6, 6-1, 14-12.

Hello! We're the Anti-Doping officials!

Tennis requires monstrous physical strength in this day and age. As a matter of fact, all sports require monstrous physical strength these days, because the level has jumped tremendously in the last decade. When we watch sporting events, there are often history flashbacks to past champions, or similar sport situations from the past that the editing crew comes up with during the airing, and first we may remark about the hairstyles or the clothes from back in the day watching this footage, but when that screen flashes back to present, we can’t help but think how far along this or that given sport has come along, mostly in a super human way. Then of course we think of the issues in sports that propel them to that type of height, mainly doping. It is a spoken or maybe unspoken fact that some Federations force their athletes to take things, some athletes experiment on their own, so many have been caught and denied achievements in their sporting careers because of it. Is it worth it? They don’t make bad players better; they only make great players greater. Sports are no longer sports when people go out of their way, literally. The restrictions and check ups on doping today are pretty stringent too, which is good. In a way, its invasive yes, when officials can show up at your door any day asking you to take a test, and when they force you to disclose your location on a daily basis. At the same time, how else do we control for these types of substances to level the playing field to the natural and the truly talented and hard working, not all of the above and then some. A lot of athletes speak up against this. They compare it to the paparazzi, stalking their lives and questioning their abilities instead of appreciating them. And then the question of doping matters is so interesting in itself. Do the substances evolve like computers; are the doping officials as up to date as possible? Is there a chemistry team somewhere working on new developments and their override-systems like hackers do? Either way, if there is no other way to check up on athletes, then it must be done. After all this is their job and if employees can be subjected to tests by the corporate world, athletes can handle this too, especially since it is something that has the potential to change the face of sports.

Serena Williams claims the new anti-doping restrictions are “over the top” and she is not alone. Rafael Nadal is one of the most outspoken critics claiming it makes players feel like “criminals” and that it is “harassment”. Andy Murray is also against it. The only top player that is ok with it is Federer. He acknowledges that it is not the easiest system but nevertheless says, “I know it's a pain, but I would like it to be a clean sport, and that's why I'm OK with it." Maybe these protesters have something to worry about; they are “monstrously fit”. Maybe they really do feel insulted in a way, that they give it their best and still have to be subjected to this random testing. But hey, if it keeps the sport pure and keeps one of them from turning into the Hulk of tennis, it is worth it. Besides for a sport so concerned with apparel and appearance, that wouldn’t be a very pretty sight, we have enough muscle and grunting out there as it is.

Source: http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/news/story?id=3902886

Nadal vs. Federer

There are so many questions surrounding the two great champion rivals of our time, or ever. Questions like who will be better in the end, will Federer ever break the recent domination by Nadal, will Nadal be able to stay in this insane shape with his knee injuries, will Federer ever win the French Open? We can only wonder for now and hope for a long continuation of these amazing history topping results from both. But being of the human nature that we are, seeking out patterns to predict things, we will always try to make the best guestimates that we can.

This is just a really great breakdown of this amazing rivalry that I came upon on the ESPN website and instead of changing it up and rewording it, I will just paste this link so you can check it out for yourselves.

Prejudice Invades Tennis in Dubai

Discrimination in the tennis world?? Of course, why should that surprise us? Prejudice is present in our daily lives and we cannot ignore it. Israeli tennis player, Shahar Peer was banned from a Women's Tennis Association, sponsored tournament in Dubai,United Arab Emirates, because she is Jewish. The official explanation for this disgraceful action was to protect her from angry Arab fans. This two million dollar tennis tournament was not interested in protecting the player by adding more security, or standing up for freedom of religion, but instead cowered to mass mentality. Where is the outrage from the tennis community and the rest of the free world? More than any other sport, tennis crosses boundaries of race, ethnicity, and religion. These players are welcomed with open arms all over the world. Why has the WTA, ATP and other companies, not withdrawn their sponsorship?? How oblivious or greedy, are the top women players in the world, that they have not immediately withdrawn from this tournament in a show of solidarity. The men should also boycott Dubai. Why has only The Tennis Channel tacitly cancelled its broadcast plans. Why are the other sponsors not pulling out of this tournament? Why would other sports figures succumb to the money in Dubai and design golf courses, and play exhibitions in Dubai? How many matches has Federer,Nadal and Agassi played there? Everyone needs to take notice of this horrific action, and act, before this type of prejudice becomes malignant. There is no place for hate in tennis, or the world we live in. This is not the lesson that our children should learn. We urge everyone to raise their voices and be heard now!

CHAMPION INTERVIEWS

Check out some memorable quotes and links to the interviews from the Australian Open.

Federer FINAL

http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/news/interviews/2009-02-01/200902011233411537875.html

Nadal FINAL

http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/news/interviews/2009-02-01/200902011233415660437.html

Bryan brothers FINAL

http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/news/interviews/2009-02-01/200902011233468139906.htm

Mahesh Bhupathi & Sania Mirza FINAL

http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/news/interviews/2009-02-01/200902011233474903000.html

Serena Williams FINAL

http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/news/interviews/2009-01-31/200901311233404291046.html

Dinara Safina FINAL

http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/news/interviews/2009-01-31/200901311233399228468.html

Recap Australian Open

WOW. Need we say more? The men’s final once again proved to be the most interesting rivalry today of any sport out there. Even if you’re the most dedicated Nadal fan, admit it you cried! Nadal, a super talented all court, all surface fitness machine with now 6 Slams vs. Federer, the all court, 13 Grand Slams behind the belt with every shot in the book, cool factor. Another great final between two masters of the game! The two fierce competitors that always seem to rise to the occasion. Despite Nadal’s record breaking 5 hour semi final with Verdasco that must have spent him of energy vs. Federer’s 3 set breeze past Roddick; despite Nadal’s overall winning record over Federer vs. Federer’s lead on surfaces other than clay over Nadal, we can assume that Nadal probably felt less pressure going into this match. For those who watched the heartbreaking battle that took place during the Wimbledon final, and for those that know how much losses that mean everything to you have the ability to give you a mental block, can probably suppose that Federer may never be the same against Nadal in finals. It may not show on the outside, his shots are still there, but it may be on the inside, breaking down in the biggest moments of the match. Pleasing fans all over the world, what more can we ask of our favorite sport than this high level of tennis from two “fighters” in the tennis sense of the word.

On the women’s side, fans may be a little disappointed. Paying 200 some dollars to attend the final, just to see one end of the see saw hang up in the sky the whole hour or so. Serena proved herself to be the unbeatable force to be reckoned with, a force that has had its presence for a decade now. Back to #1, with no contender in sight. Serena walked out on the court, looked like she had a game plan, played so aggressively it seemed like her baseline was on the service line and broke Dinara Safina into an array of unforced errors and double faults. Experience, confidence, all of the above. Why are women’s finals so lopsided? Why are three set finals so rare? This brings us to another question. Is equal pay for women’s tennis today, really equal play? Maybe that is poorly worded, seeing as play is not equal in the sense that Serena can’t beat the #5 FSU men’s tennis player. But in the sense of competitiveness, it doesn’t live up to equality. Nadal has to play almost ten hours of tennis to get through the semis and the finals and Serena wins the tournament with a total of about 16 hours of play. Fans turn up to see the final and the first set is over in 20 minutes. Maybe women should play three out of five sets. Its not like they have to play against men, but tennis may get a little more competitive in that case, perhaps that’s the way to get it more equal to men and more deserving of the same prize money. This is of course open to discussion and will find a strong opposition, but why not? Tickets cost a lot, the best of women’s tennis are clearly unbeatable on average, female tennis players are more fit than ever for today’s game styles and the WTA could try it out with one tournament at first and see how it goes. I think it would be an interesting idea.

Last but not least, nor less significant is the doubles recap. Siblings on both sides of the draw ended up sweeping doubles crowns. The Williams sisters beat Sugiyama and Hantuchova, while the Bryan Brothers continued to wreck havoc in doubles for yet another Australian Open title. Does this say something about siblings and doubles; can no one cover two sides of the same court better than blood relatives?

The Australian Open 2009

Our new year is in progress, as well as our very first Grand Slam. Don't forget to watch the coverage on Espn2 throughout most of the morning, evening and night, as well as visit the official website for up to date scoring, draws and interviews.

Any guesses? It is a race to the number 1 spot for several players on both sides of the draw. Plenty of inspiration to give it their best as well as a hefty monetary reward and an eternal engraving on a trophy. Hopefully a beautiful semi final of Murray/Djokovic, Murray/Federer or Nadal/Djokovic, Nadal/Federer. On the women's side, my bet is with a Serena Williams/Jankovic final as I am pretty sure they want to add this to their resume pretty badly.

This Weeks Highlights

• Ivanovic has lost to No. 23 Mauresmo in QF of Brisbane 6-3 6-2

• Venus Williams beat Jankovic at the JB Classic in Hong Kong. Venus went undefeated also beating Chakvetadze and Zvonareva.
• It’s the 13^th Hopman Cup title for the Slovaks as Dominika Cibulkova and Dominik Hrbaty edged past the Safin’s. No. 19 Cibulkova beat Safina 6-7(3) 6-1 6-4 for her first time ever, and No. 250 Hrbaty beat Safin 6-7(5) 7-5 7-6(3)
• Viktoria Azarenka captured her first WTA title in a win over Marion Bartoli in Brisbane.
• Dementieva beat Vesnina 6-4 6-1 in Auckland, capturing her 12^th singles title.
• No crisis for Aussi Open champions, the singles finalists will receive $1 million each while the winners will get $2. This is a 12.3 % increase from last year.
• The Spanish wild card duo of Marc Lopez and Rafael Nadal defeat top seeds and 2008 ATP Champions Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic 4-6, 6-4, 10-8, at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha.
  

If you have any questions regarding the charity, or how to donate tennis racquets, visit TennisRacquetsforKids.com

Stories of Interest

- Anne Koethavong, the only British female tennis player to crack into the top 100 in the past 7 years, has launched her own website. Who doesn’t have a website these days. There are even plenty of parents launching sites for their juniors in hopes of attracting attention of sponsors, and mimicking the pros. That is not necessarily bad however.

- "I love my job. I love hitting balls, running, jumping, chasing after that ball. I love what I do, so that's what keeps me motivated," said 28 year old Venus Williams in Hong Kong this week, dissipating all questions about retirement plans. She has yet to win the French Open and the Australian and she is in great shape, why stop now!

- "I can't run and I can't play," said Davydenko. "I know that I may not return to the court soon." He is in a lot of pain due to a left heel injury and has pulled out of several pre-Australian tournaments as well as the first slam of the season. "What's important," he said, "is that I have to be fit as there are still three more Grand Slam tournaments left."


-"I have nothing to do with this," said Peer of the Israeli invasion of Gaza. "I'm Shahar Peer. I came here to play tennis. I know I'm from Israel and I'm proud of my country and that playing tennis is what I'm going to do tomorrow." Already in the quarters and surrounded by security, Peer was asked by the tournament to withdraw and respect the country’s boycott of Israel, but she didn’t secede to their request. "The sports boycott of Israel is a key part of any boycott campaign because it is much more visible than a trade or investment boycott and can have an important psychological impact," said a tournament representative. "Two days ago, I was crying a bit, actually more than a bit, so it was a hard time for me," she said. "I hope as soon as possible it will end and we will all be happy, because no one wants to be in a war." Peer said she had never previously been the focus of protests and had even been the first Israeli to play in the Muslim country of Qatar. She said the protesters had the right to express their views. "It's their choice and they are choosing what they want to do".


- "This could be a very meaningful season for me," Federer said. "I can equal Pete Sampras' record. I can add another Wimbledon title and this is something that is very dear to me. I can also win my first French Open title, so I am looking forward to my season." Federer has reportedly been training harder and feeling better and his fans have a lot to look forward to this season, including more great history in the making. "Rafa is my main rival," Federer said. "We have been doing it for so many years and have had great matches." Of course, both Federer and Nadal were beaten by Murray this week.

-IMG, the leading client management company in tennis represents some of the worlds greatest champions, such as Federer, Nadal, Sharapova, Venus Williams and James Blake. IMG also owns and manages many of the top tournaments like the Sony Ericsson Open and Australian Open and now they will represent Jelena Jankovic, the world number 1. She will be joining their modeling agency as well as giving them responsibility for all her management and promotion. She grew up training at IMG Sports Academy, curious why she hasn’t been offered this opportunity before now. Other changes in Jankovic’s life is her new clothing sponsor. Reebok has expired and the Chinese brand Li Ning didn't hesitate to pick her up. If that is indeed true, it would be a sure bet that this brand paid the most.


-News from the junior side is that Americans John Isner and Christina Mchale have earned wildcards into the Australian Open. They both won a round robin play off hosted by the USTA.

Photos: Nadal and Federer in Qatar
http://crazyworldoftennis.blogspot.com/2009/01/new-hq-pic-of-rafa-and-roger-from-doha.html


If you have any questions regarding the charity, or how to donate tennis racquets, visit TennisRacquetsforKids.com

In with the new, out with the old: good and bad news week 1

All tennis fans know the rules of tennis but few tennis fans know how their role models make up their schedules, earn their points and keep their rankings. The rules, the paychecks and the technology keep changing and this year is no exception. Let’s take a look at the WTA tournament changes for the New Year. If you want to see the official break down, check out http://www.onthebaseline.com/2009/01/02/the-2009-sony-ericsson-wta-tour-roadmap-guide/, or download the 2009 calendar, http://onthebaseline.com/uploads/files2009_WTA_Calendar.pdf.

It is also important to note that the Sony Ericsson Tour has doubled the women’s points in value. This has been in effect since January 5^th, 2009. The new system will count one less tournament towards the player’s ranking (from 17 to 16). Check out the top 10 women’s rankings from the source.


"I couldn’t believe that I have got my own star in the sky. That is something unbelievable and I am so happy," said Jelena Jankovic as she really was awarded her own star bought for her by her sponsor Knjaz Milos and its brand of Aqua Viva water. For Astrology buffs, it is located in the SC2 Hercules constellation of North polar region and it is called JJ. Jankovic seems to be at the top of world with an Olympic athlete water polo player boyfriend, a world number one ranking and now a star to call her own in space.


Marat Safin was seeing stars last week. He arrived in Perth for the Mixed Team Hopman Cup, asked to reschedule the match and went to see a doctor. He then further stunned fans, when he showed up to play an Italian team with his sister Dinara, with two black eyes. In his statement he hesitated to give details about a brawl he had gotten into in Moscow, but didn’t hesitate to say the he had won the fight. He and Dinara also won their match.

Kim Clijsters is the opposite of celebration as she lost her 52 year old father, Leo Clijsters, to a year long battle with lung cancer. He was a former Belgian International soccer player and managed Kim in her tennis career until she retired in 2007. =(

Sven Groenveld is also at a loss this week as Ana Ivanovic has decided to drop her coach. Currently at No. 5 in the world, Ivanovic will likely be coach-less before the Australian Open.

Jelena Dokic, the former No. 4 in the world, had made her big advance for a comeback at the end of 2008 and she is now steadily climbing the rankings in preparation for 2009. Currently ranked at 179, she faced Mauresmo at a warm up tournament in Brisbane this week and lost in two tie-break sets. "If I got blown away maybe it wouldn't hurt so much,” said Dokic about her match. It will be interesting to follow her results this month.

Lindsay Davenport is definitely out with the old and in with the new. She will be making another halt to her career as she is expecting her second child. “Of course this unexpected but exciting surprise now means I will be putting tennis on hold for the foreseeable future,” Davenport said in a statement.

Andy Murray just beat Rafael Nadal 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 in the final of the Abhu Dabi exhibition match. He also defeated Roger Federer in the semis. That’s $183, 000 there. Looks like an exciting start and some possible majors on the way for Murray. Roddick and Monfils are cruising through the draws in Doha right now.

If you have any questions regarding the charity, or how to donate tennis racquets, visit TennisRacquetsforKids.org

#1's in 08

2008 has come to a close and there are a few chart toppers that can't go unnoticed.

Maria Sharapova not #1 on court but #1 on Yahoo

- Maria Sharapova marked 2008 as the most searched for name. Having not played the majority of the year due to her injury, nevertheless she was able to beat out quite a few Olympians to top the list at #1. Its good to be talented, hard working and beautiful.

http://www.womenstennisblog.com/2008/12/28/maria-sharapova-declared-as-the-biggest-hit-on-yahoo-in-2008/

Jelena Jankovic and Rafael Nadal were ITF World Champions in 2008
- Nadal has proved himself to be a Grandslam champion. Jelena has not. This shows that more than one road can lead to glory.


If you have any questions regarding the charity, or how to donate tennis racquets, visit TennisRacquetsforKids.org


http://crazyworldoftennis.blogspot.com/2008/12/2008-itf-world-champions-nadal-jankovic.html

Tennis Fashionistas

Vogue, move over, tennis magazine is here! It is amazing how far fashion has come in sports. Fashion in tennis has always banked on great personalities like Agassi and Chris Evert, but there has never been more freedom of expression through outfits on the court as there has been in this decade. Just this year at the US Open commentators were interviewing Chris Evert and asked her if she regretted the fact that she belonged to a prior generation, given that today’s tennis stars have so much more of everything. Chris Evert said no, but she did say that she couldn’t believe she had to pay a designer to wear a unique dress to the finals of a Grandslam whereas designers today are paying so much for athletes to wear their designs, or to even design their own as is often the case with Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and of course Bethanie Mattek. It is pleasing to see how companies really try to stay fashionable and not only differentiate designs among the brands but even among their own collections. It definitely translates for a bigger fan base and more marketing opportunities when these outfits then hit general retail and the crowd goes wild. Here are a couple links to some of the Women’s fashions we witnessed in 2008.

Bethanie Mattek: http://www.womenstennisblog.com/2008/05/30/bethanie-mattek-gives-a-sneak-peak-into-her-wardrobe/

Amelie Mauresmo: http://www.womenstennisblog.com/2008/12/31/all-amelie-mauresmos-2008-reebok-tennis-outfits/

Jelena Jankovic: http://www.womenstennisblog.com/2008/12/25/what-did-jelena-jankovic-wear-during-2008-tennis-season/

Daniela Hantuchova: http://www.womenstennisblog.com/2008/12/21/retrospection-of-daniela-hantuchovas-2008-nike-tennis-outfits/

Maria Kirilenko: http://www.womenstennisblog.com/2008/12/18/video-overview-of-all-maria-kirilenko%E2%80%99s-2008-stella-mccartney-outfits/

Venus Williams: http://www.womenstennisblog.com/2008/12/17/all-venus-williams%E2%80%99-2008-eleven-outfits/

Ana Ivanovic: http://www.womenstennisblog.com/2008/12/16/video-overview-of-all-ana-ivanovic%E2%80%99s-2008-adidas-outfits/

Here is a sneak preview of the upcoming Australian Open outfits which promise to be colorful and radiant to start the new season off: http://crazyworldoftennis.blogspot.com/2008/12/adidas-australian-open-outfits.html

Men’s Fashion has changed over time as well. When you think Nadal and Federer, there is so much more than a rivalry there, or the talk of their difference in being a lefty or a righty, two hander or one hander, there is an entire persona that is formed, just as in the celebrity world. Look at Nadal’s custom pant style with the sleeveless tight torso hugging shirts and Federers always classy tuxedo look, it is not a coincidence, it is todays necessity for athletes that become so much more to the sport to differentiate themselves. They are brands to the world at the same time that they are at the peak of their athletic careers. Tennis is clearly a highly marketable sport and this great deal of fashion that goes alongside it makes it that much more interesting and jubilant. This dual factor can probably be further explained by the fact that almost every female tennis player wishes to have a parallel career in fashion and modeling, they are so intertwined.

If you have any questions regarding the charity, or how to donate tennis racquets, visit TennisRacquetsforKids.org

Roger Federer & Rafael Nadal: http://www.blackbookmag.com/article/federer-vs-nadal-blazer-vs-pirate-pants/3265