dream match 2008

Tennis greats Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf, and Kimiko Date came together for the “Dream Match 2008” exhibition at Tokyo’s Ariake Stadium on Saturday, March 15.

Steffi lost to Date 6-2, 6-3. FYI: In 1996, Date beat Steffi for the first time (at a Fed Cup), and pushed her during a 2-day Wimbledon semi (that’s the match where Steffi got a wedding proposal).

Steffi wore all-white adidas during her match against Martina. Steffi won in a tiebreak. I miss that eastern forehand!

Martina in Under Armour.

One more: A pic of the ladies during their Friday practice session

short balls: aussie open edition

ATP’s AO blogger: For the two weeks in Melbourne, Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis will blog for the ATP website.

A tennis roundtable: IHT’s Christopher Clarey leads a discussion with journalists Lisa Dillman (Los Angeles Times, Philippe Bouin (L’Equipe), Linda Pearce (The Age), and Tom Tebutt (The Globe and Mail). And ESPN’s Bonnie D. Ford, in a separate piece, offers her Aussie Open talking points.

Star watching has begun: Kylie Minogue, Masha, and Roger were all seen dining at Nobu at Crown. (Herald Sun)

On courts and heat: Let’s hope the new courts don’t screw up too many ankles. This new court apparently gets sticky in heat (but Ana Ivanovic thinks it’s fine), so players should take extra care in this hot summer. Fortunately, Andy Murray is ready to face the heat since he’s been doing Bikram yoga in the offseason. (The Age, Guardian, IHT)

Navratilova + TC: Navratilova did such great work for Tennis Channel at last year’s French — “I’m really proud of what we accomplished,” she says — TC has signed her as a primary commentator for all the 2008 Grand Slam tournaments,.

Along with Martina, the network’s on-air team for the Australian will include Bill Macatee (with support from Leif Shiras, the recently retired Justin Gimelstob, and Renee Stubbs).

Mining the archives: Get your juices flowing with this photo blog of last year’s tourney. And TSF’s flashback is here.

pics from the hopman cup new year’s eve ball

New Year’s Day landed smack-dab in the middle of the 2008 Hopman Cup calendar, so there was no doubt that they’d throw a good party to celebrate.

This year’s organizers chose a nautical theme, with 750 guests boarding the “Hopman Princess” for the gala. Tournament Director Paul McNamee surprised everyone with his Love Boat attire (a costume he kept under wraps, even to his wife). To those who came in more formal garb, like French team member Arnaud Clement (above), they provided leis to spice up the crowd.

Of course, no tennis gala would be complete without its charity component. This event’s beneficiaries were the Variety Club and the Kids Tennis Foundation, who’ll split the 35K raised from an auction (items bid on: racquets from Serena Williams and Roger Federer, original artwork from Martina Navratilova and Juraj Kralik, a 2008 Australian Open package, etc.).

Scores: The Serbians (after beating Argentinians Gisela Dulko and Juan Ignacio Chela) will face Mardy Fish and Serena in the final. The Americans won in the semis over Alicia Molik and Peter Luczak. Jelena suffered an upper leg strain in an early match and hasn’t quite recovered. Meanwhile, Nole’s back problems have carried over from last season. Who’s going to take the title?

Take a peek: Player pics from the event (Serena, Tatiana, Lucie and Tomas, Nole and Jelena, Sania and Rohan, etc.)

glaad + martina navratilova: “be an ally”

GLAAD — that’s the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation — has enlisted the help of Martina Navratilova for its “Be an ally and a friend” campaign. With this latest project, GLAAD wants to remind the straight community that their support of LGBT friends, family, peers, and co-workers can go a long way.

(Our hats are off to GLAAD’s Entertainment Media Department for putting these great PSAs together.)

Watch it: You can view Martina’s PSA here, and see others (by Grey’s Anatomy’s Sara Ramirez and TR Knight; Ugly Betty’s Eric Mabius; and Dayanara Torres, etc.) on this YouTube page.

More to come: Rebecca Romijn and Lance Bass will have their own PSAs released in the coming months.

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navratilova teams with aarp

Tennis legend Martina Navratilova has agreed to be AARP’s first Health and Fitness ambassador, and in the process will share tips with AARP members in online chats, conduct Q&As and video segments on the group’s fitness website, and speak at events.

This deal, along with ones from Subaru and Prince, makes Martina’s current endorsement portfolio larger than the one she had while playing on the WTA Tour (as an out lesbian).

While there is a trend towards signing retired professionals (with solid Q Ratings) in the wake of scandals (steroids, or Michael Vick’s dogfighting ring), Navratilova points out that retired female athletes are still getting the short end of the stick. “Once you hit 30, the agents lose interest and the advertisers lose interest — they start looking for the next starlet,” she tells WSJ. “Let’s just say I’m still waiting to get a call from Wheaties.”

(WSJ; photo via Czech Republic)

whatever happened to… monica seles?

Monica Seles played an exhibition match against Martina Navratilova in the final weekend of the ATP BCR Open Romania in Bucharest.

Did anyone else think that 33-year-old Seles looked significantly older than the 51-year-old Navratilova?

Anyone?

UPDATE: According to monica-seles.com, Seles beat Navratilova 3-6, 6-3, 10-7.

The duo had also played an exo in New Orleans three days earlier.

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sightings from the stands: venus d. jelena

Venus Williams, in another new EleVen outfit, upset third seed Reebok-clad Jelena Jankovic 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (4) in last night’s quartefinals at the U.S. Open.

Among those in the stands:

Snezana Jankovic cheers on her daughter.

Jerry Seinfeld flanked by wife Jessica and Larry David.

Natalie Portman with friend.

Martina Navratilova and Tony Bennett.

(photos via Getty Images)

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>> TSF’s u.s. open coverage continues…

I won the French Open women’s title three years in a row…

What Justine Henin must be thinking: “I won the French Open women’s title for the third year in a row, and all I got was this lousy painting.”

martina’s “art grand slam” gets its due

Now that Roland Garros is under way, Martina Navratilova’s Art Grand Slam, which we told you about back in March, is finally getting a boost in traffic.

Like the painting above, most of the artwork involved pressing tennis balls onto canvas. It reminds me of a sweatshirt my friend Alex made not too long ago (below, right). One of my favorite paintings is the one of the green shirt (left).

CHECK IT OUT: You can see some of the paintings at the exhibition’s official website. Which are your favorites? Tell us.

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federer in Time magazine, puma’s french77 sale, tursunov’s blog, etc.

Tennis bits from around the web:

— Time’s list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World came out today, and it includes Roger Federer. (via Rachel Sklar for Eat The Press)

– Get 10% off Puma French 77 gear via the Puma website. (Here are my top picks.) Just make sure to enter the code FR77 when you check out.

– Here’s a little peek from The Independent into the life of the ATP’s most famous blogger, Dmitry Tursunov. His blog turns one this week.

– China finally gets to hang with the big boys. The Xinhua news agency reports on SEWTA CEO Larry Scott’s visit to Beijing. The tour will open a regional office there next year to help with marketing and promoting the sport.

– Equality Forum, a Philadelphia-based LGBT advocacy group, will honor Martina Navratilova at their International Equality Dinner this Saturday.

and p.s. Have you played Wario Ware yet? If not, get yourself to a Wii as soon as you can. You’ll thank me later.

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>> navratilova receives glaad award
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navratilova receives glaad award

Photo from GLAAD

Martina Navratilova received the Stephen F. Kolzak Award at last Saturday’s GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles.

The media nonprofit did a good job getting A-list TV stars to attend (photos via Just Jared here), including castmembers from Grey’s Anatomy, Ugly Betty, Brothers & Sisters, Desperate Housewives (very ABC-centric), plus a smattering of others, including Eva Mendes, Jennifer Aniston, Jake Gyllenhaal, and former Miss Universe Dayana Torres, whose Edward Lucero-designed dress my friends obsessed about — up close and personal — at a WeHo bar later that evening.

A few tidbits from the ceremony, via Planet Gossip:

Lance Bass, on [presenting to Martina]: “When I came out in People magazine, she wrote a letter to the editor calling me courageous.”

[Martina], after watching a video retrospective of her career: “Those hairstyles! Sanjaya has nothing on me—but at least I can play tennis.”

The Stephen Kolzak Award is presented to an openly lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender media professional who has made a significant difference in promoting equal rights for the LGBT community.

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(OT) A step in the right direction

A New York Times article debunks some car owner stereotypes — specifically, the one associating Miatas and Mini Coopers with the gays.

The conclusion? While we can afford two-seaters (no kids) and more expensive monthly payments (again, no kids), at the end of the day, we end up buying the same cars as everyone else.

…which isn’t to say that you won’t see the occasional blue Miata speeding down the main drag of your local Boys’ Town, its presence announced by the Deborah Cox song blaring from the speakers…

…which isn’t to say we aren’t grateful for Subaru: they led the pack of car manufacturers with direct advertising to gay consumers. Martina Navratilova began endorsing the brand in 2000. Other car companies have followed suit.

(via Gay Market News)

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short balls: navratilova kicks, stretches, and kicks

Martina Navratilova’s people are clearly hard at work. First, the fifty-year-old opened a tennis-themed art exhibit, Art Grand Slam, at Roland-Garros (home of the French Open). She teamed up with artist Juraj Kralik, and spawned artwork whose concept lies somewhere between Jackson Pollock and Stephen Murmer.

This and this are two of my favorite pieces.

Martina also just announced plans for a tennis academy in the Czech Republic. She inadvertently criticized the current power hitters — and even the sport’s current magicians — by saying that she wants “to concentrate on a more varied form of tennis, more subtle than the style displayed by Martina Hingis, Justine Henin or Roger Federer.” Wow. Bold statement. Let’s see if she can deliver.

She’s also slated to receive a special award from GLAAD at next month’s Media Awards in Los Angeles.

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short balls: borg underwear model search in London; federer’s girlfriend; martina in philly

Borg’s UK Model Search: Towleroad brings us news of Bjorn Borg’s recent model search in London. From what I’ve seen of models they’ve used in the past, only the guy on the left would make the cut…

The woman behind the man: Mirka Vavrinec, longtime girlfriend of Roger Federer, gets a slight profile in this piece at playfuls.com.

Navratilova + politics: The Philadelphia Daily News makes a brief mention of Martina Navratilova’s stop in the City of Brotherly Love to help endorse the first openly gay man to run for city office in Philadelphia. The candidate, Dan Anders, is also Martina’s first endorsement.

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amaechi nabs endorsement

And so it begins. John Amaechi announced today that HeadBlade, a company that specializes in products for head-shaving men, has made him a spokesman.

This is a step down the right path, a path paved by out sports celebrities, some of whom were stripped of their endorsement deals after coming out (ala Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova), or who have likely suffered a reduced endorsement purse because of being out (ala Amelie Mauresmo); and by those who came out after their careers were over, often citing how the homophobia in the locker rooms kept them in the closet (Greg Louganis, Billy Bean, etc.).

Let’s hope he doesnt’ go the way of Esera Tuaolo, who — while he made great move by coming out in 2003 — made a horrible move by trying to establish Chili’s in the gay culinary landscape. (Really? Chili’s? What was he thinking?)

He might get flack for coming out *after* he was finished with his career, and had already amassed his millions. I don’t blame him for it. At the end of the day, you still need to feed yourself, put a roof over your head. He’s still moving us forward. So many people spoke against how Tim Hardaway handled John’s statements. I don’t care if they disagree with what he said or how he said it. Regardless, people are siding against him. In the end, the message was: gays are alright (or, if you don’t think they are, you just shut your trap and let them be).

We have a ways to go, but I am hopeful for his strategy. I hope that he can soften the hearts of mainstream America. He will convince straight men everywhere to shower side-by-side with their gay teammates in the locker rooms. He’s very eloquent, a good ambassador. And as far as making the most of his endorsement power, he picked a good product. Enough of us shave our heads on a regular basis.

via abcnews.com