Trophy Watch: the race to the French shapes up

Nole Djokovic was the last man standing after a week of upsets and injuries at the Masters Series Rome. He beat Stanislas Wawrinka 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 on the Italian dirt.

About Wawrinka’s getup at the trophy ceremony, Randy “Sky” Walker wrote, “Ugh!” Those Adi Dassler tributes aren’t exactly for such a grand occasion, I guess.

It’s deep: The clay season is totally up in the air, with the men in the top seven spots having no more than two clay titles a piece: Federer, Estoril; Nadal, Monte Carlo and Barcelona; Djokovic, Australian and Rome; Ferrer, Valencia; Nalbandian, the Copa Telmex. Davydenko (Miami) and Roddick (Dubai, San Jose) have none. So who is going to take Roland Garros?

Insert me here?

Dinara Safina had a crazy week, taking out Justine Henin (Trivia: who was the last woman to beat Justine Henin and possibly forced her retirement from tennis?), Serena Williams and then Russian Elena Dementieva 3-6 6-2, 6-2 in the final.

Elena in Yonex. This is the same pink that she wore during the Australian Open but just in a different cut; this one has pleats. ❤

(photos by Getty Images)

if you prick them (with lawsuits), they will bleed (millions)

Mounting legal expenses add to ATP’s losses
By Daniel Kaplan
SportsBusiness Journal

May 05, 2008 — The ATP World Tour is losing millions of dollars because of steep legal expenses tied to a lawsuit brought by one of its tournaments against the men’s circuit, tennis sources said.

Last year, the sources said, the ATP lost $5 million, and it is projected to lose $6.4 million this year.

In 2005 and 2006, the ATP earned $9.2 million combined, so the losses mark a significant shift in fortunes for the men’s tour. They also come as the ATP has been criticized by top players, the U.S. Tennis Association and representatives of top events on the tour. The ATP is in the midst of a tumultuous remake of its calendar, as well as its image, and the fallout has left bruised feelings and depleted coffers.

The original Anna (with one n) is back

Chat with her online, follow her Twittering, and she might even give you a call

Anna Kournikova and SportsMates, Inc., a sports social network, today announced the relaunch of Kournikova.com, Anna’s official website.

The K-Swiss-sponsored project features Anna’s personal blog (she was in Tijuana recently), videos and photo galleries (including some from her personal collection).

The site also features an About Me section with a list of her current favorites, product recommendations, where she is, and status updates sent from her mobile phone.

“I am so excited to relaunch my new website,” said Kournikova. “I love communicating with my fans and I am looking forward to having a lot more personal interaction with them in the new Ask Anna community section of my site. It’s a great way for me to keep the relationship strong and I hope they enjoy the new site as much as I do!”

She might call you: To celebrate the relaunch of Kournikova.com, lead sponsor K-Swiss is giving fans the chance to win autographed memorabilia and a telephone call from Anna as part of the K-Swiss “Win a Call from AnnaK” Sweepstakes and Contest which begins on May 19, 2008. Click here for more info.

“We are excited to partner with Kournikova.com as Anna is a fantastic brand ambassador for K-Swiss with her tennis background as well as her unique perspective on women’s athletic footwear and apparel,” stated Jennifer Weiderman, Vice President of Marketing for K-Swiss.

Live chats: K-Swiss will be hosting live online chats with Anna for the members of SportsMates. The first will take place on May 31, 2008 at 3 p.m. Eastern.

FYI: Originally launched in 2001, Kournikova.com has consistently ranked as one of the most popular official athlete websites. According to Lycos, Anna was the most searched-for athlete on the Internet in 2007, a title she’s held for the past eight years.

Tennis Channel’s Grand Slam

The network secures broadcast rights for the U.S. slam; joins CBS and ESPN to cover the North American summer hardcourts

NEW YORK — Tennis Channel, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) and ESPN today announced a wide-ranging deal to bring the US Open — the most prestigious annual American tennis event and one of the largest and most important competitions in all of sports — to television audiences via the most on-air hours in history. Under the agreement, which runs through 2014, ESPN and Tennis Channel will share cable and new media tournament rights beginning in 2009, with more than 150 combined live hours and the virtually round-the-clock coverage viewers currently enjoy with the networks’ joint telecasts of other Grand Slams.