Puma has finally released the much anticipated Guillermo Vilas-inspired French 77 line this month, and I’m sad to say that except for a cute few items, it didn’t quite live up to the hype. Why give us something that Stella McCartney‘s pretty much done for adidas? (Read the rest of the entry…)
Save for my mention of Lindsey Nelson‘s win yesterday, I kept to my promise of staying away from the blog this weekend. (But that doesn’t mean I didn’t spend my time away from the computer. I spent all of Saturday watching 30 Rock on nbc.com. The more serious moments of the show reminded me of Sports Night…)
So while I gather my thoughts for the coming week, I leave you with these bits:
— See this number-crunching (hot!) article by Gavin Versi in Tennis magazine. He analyzed data on injured players who retire during matches (especially when they’re close to losing a match). Not earth-shattering behavorial conclusions, but still worth reading to know who the top “offenders” are in each tour. (Hint: It’s a German ATP-er and a Serbian SEWTA member.)
(via fellow WordPresser womenstennis)
— Here’s a photo of the court they’re building for the Nadal – Federer exhibition. While the court looks crazy — it’s half clay, half grass! — I have to agree with Jon Wertheim about the buzz surrounding this event (see the second to last paragraph). I guarantee you that this marketing ploy will have longer staying power than Night Tennis.
— I updated the trophies page with the goodies from this week. Some nice cups, but no striking party favors for the winners (Rafael Nadal, Gisela Dulko, and Paul-Henri Mathieu).
— Kenneth in the 212 points out a few tennis print ads, including Robby Ginepri for Under Armour and one for the K-Swiss SI-18 Rannels (aka the shoe Kournikova‘s been hawking).
RELATED POSTS
>> lindsey nelson wins pac-10 title
>> k-swiss kournikova ad #2
>> nadal and federer: an exhibition
>> kournikova’s k-swiss campaign
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I’ve had a (much-needed) lazy weekend, but I should crawl out of my hole to give a pat on the back to Lindsey Nelson of USC. The Trojan cleaned up in Ojai without dropping a set. Congratulations!
(photo via cstv.com)
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I know Nicole Vaidisova eschews comparisons to Maria Sharapova, but the two are following similiar trajectories with their sponsorships and endorsements (in the form of parties and clothing lines).
First, Reebok threw a swank eighteenth birthday party for the Eastern European bombshell at Stereo in New York City (complete with live act Gym Class Heroes, but without a drop of alcohol in sight, I’m sure).
Second, they’ve designed Reebok clothes especially for her. At the 2007 US Open, Nicole will wear … (Read the rest of the entry…)
Editor’s note: CBHM is hosting former TennisJuicer JNP as a guest blogger. JNP will contribute five posts between now and the end of the 2007 French Open.
Thousands of DirecTV-using tennis fans got their wish on Monday: DirecTV announced that they have reached an agreement with The Tennis Channel and will finally be carrying TTC starting this summer. Part of DirecTV’s plans include an agreement with ESPN to share U.S. cable TV and multimedia rights for the French Open and Australian Open through 2011.
TTC is currently estimated to be in about 10 million homes nationwide, and is projected to be in 6 to 8 million more homes once the channel is available on DirecTV. The growth of this channel will not only help avid tennis fans get their daily fix of coverage, but will hopefully lead to innovative techniques in covering matches and a better perspective of the international feel for the game. After all, doesn’t more match coverage mean more views from around the globe? What’s wrong with that?
This deal is coming at just the right time… Federer vs. Nadal is easily one of the most important and interesting rivalries in sports. TTC’s expansion can potentially lead to these big matches being available to many, many more people. This is a step in the right direction, even if you can’t afford DirecTV or Dish — you will have one more reason to work hard, improve your life, and, get the gift that is The Tennis Channel.
JNP can be reached at tenniscbh AT gmail DOT com.
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>> directv and the french open
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— Colette Lewis at Zoo Tennis points out another tennis phenom.
— Donald Young was welcomed into the Davis Cup family with a hazing ritual.
— The Toyota Celebrity Classic in Rancho Santa Fe, CA, which runs through Sunday, will have a roster including Ivan Lendl and Michael Chang. Here’s a story in the North County Times about his Chang Family Foundation, coaching Shuai Peng, etc.
— This week’s edition of the Tennis Mailbag, from Jon Wertheim.
— And today’s off-topic story comes from the BBC website, a peek into the lives of Russia’s growing list of billionaires. Many have cottages in the forests outside Moscow.
Enjoy!
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Here are press photos from Serena Williams‘ press conference with Vicks for their ‘Vicks Sinus Send-Off’ national sweepstakes.
Serena wearing a Catherine Malandrino graphic print dress:
photo via Cake and Ice Cream.
To the copywriters in charge of this press release: FYI, serenawilliams.com is a dead URL. It’s been inactive for a very long time.
More photos of Serena’s dress after the cut.
Here’s the second TV ad that Anna Kournikova shot for K-Swiss:
Meanwhile, the company’s domestic sales are still down, but they’re banking on Anna to help dig them out of the hole.
RELATED POSTS
>> anna kournikova’s k-swiss campaign
>> more anna
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Sports clothier Airness continues with the pink theme for Nadia Petrova (this time playing on the Russian Fed Cup team vs. Spain):
and they chose to mix up Nikolay Davydenko‘s on-court outfit by moving away from white (see his Indian Wells garb here and here) — and to orange — as the dominant color.
“A” for effort, but the orange doesn’t quite work. CBHM would have preferred him in red, like below: (Take notes!)
Nikolay at the 2007 Australian, and at the Davis Cup Draw Ceremony earlier this month with Paul-Henri Mathieu.
RELATED POSTS
>> amelia island: pretty in pink
>> best of davis cup fashion
>> the russian dolled up
>> davydenko’s endorsement with ‘aimess’
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Andre Agassi, Lance Armstrong, Warrick Dunn, Jeff Gordon, Tony Hawk, Andrea Jaeger, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, and Muhammad Ali all appeared on Good Morning America this morning to announce the formation of Atheletes for Hope. (Video here, article here.)
“Over the years we’ve helped each other with our particular passions … We can accomplish a whole lot more collectively,” Agassi said on GMA. “The thing we want to do is what really matters … One thing hope stands for is for caring.”
Let’s give them props for pooling their celebrity power and their resources. Also, props for opting to start their online merch shop with dog tags. Does that mean the rubber bracelet craze is officially over?
Yessssssssssssss.
RELATED POSTS
>> Agassi to help announce Athletes for Hope on Good Morning America
>> sharapova becomes U.N. ambassador
>> sister andrea jaeger
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For those of you who were disappointed that Serena Williams‘ appearance on Conan turned out to be a rerun: don’t worry. WTA World is abuzz about her segment on The Martha Stewart Show tomorrow (Wednesday). Also appearing: english floral arrangements, and savory chicken potpie.
Update: View the MSS segment — part 1, part 2. (via OTB)
RELATED LINKS
>> Gizmodo: Conan O’Brien Smashes Serena Williams in Wii Tennis
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Teasers for tomorrow’s episode of Good Morning America mention a slew of athletes — including Andre Agassi — coming together for a big announcement. Some quick Googling turned up this, from the April 22 issue of the Las Vegas Sun:
Scheduled for Tuesday morning on ABC’s Good Morning America, Andre Agassi gives “GMA’s” Robin Roberts a tour of Andre Agassi Preparatory Academy. On Wednesday’s broadcast Agassi will join a group of famous jocks to announce the new foundation Athletes for Hope, which will focus on a variety of philanthropic causes. Agassi has long been a prince of such efforts…
Agassi and Graf continue to make their move…
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>> Graf in Glamour, wearing Gaultier
>> agassi whacks steffi: the video”
>> the graf-agassi machine
>> agassi: what will be in his memoir, etc.
RELATED LINKS
>> Andre Agassi College Prep Academy
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As was reported in a few places, Steffi Graf appears in the May issue of Glamour. I haven’t been able to read the article — it seems like every newsstand I go to doesn’t carry the book — but I’ve found the main photo of the article via WTA World.
Photo of Graf, in a white Jean-Paul Gaultier dress, after the cut.
Tennis lost one of its great supporters. The Kremlin has confirmed that Former Russian President Boris Yeltsin died of heart failure today. He was 76.
As the world celebrates his life and his significant role in world politics as the first leader of Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union, we should not forget that he did his part, for better or for worse, to bring tennis into the Russian limelight.
He was there when Russia defeated France in the 2004 Fed Cup final (left), and when Russia beat Argentina for the Davis Cup this past December. He was also around for other matches, like the first all-Russian Grand Slam final at the 2004 French Open.
We’ll miss you, Mr. Yeltsin.
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….but don’t take it for granted, either.
In the middle of a serious post-match interview in Monte Carlo, Roger Federer comments on the upcoming exhibition between him and Nadal, to be played on a court that’s half-grass, half-clay.
We also enjoy playing tennis for fun for a change. It doesn’t always need to be crazy serious out on the match courts… The result is not the most important thing, it’s about having fun out there. And Mallorca, it’s a place I’ve never been to. It’s [Nadal’s] home city… It’s goin to be exciting and a good atmosphere.
At a time when everyone’s filing lawsuits left and right, it’s nice to be reminded of why we were even mired in this mess to begin with. The athletes enjoy playing against each other, and it gives them the opportunity to travel and see the world. There are many things to celebrate about the sport.
Let’s all take a moment and remind ourselves that, eh?
If that’s not enough, then consider yourself lucky that you can at least participate in tennis without harm, unlike in Iraq, where athletes (including three members of the Iraqi Davis Cup team) are being killed without reason; or in Sri Lanka, where Fed Cup team had to withdraw from their tie due to terrorist threats; or in Doha and Dubai, where Shahar Peer had to go it alone simply for being Israeli.
Throw out those lawsuits! We should be content that we can play without the risk of death.
(via todd and in charge; above picture of Akram Mustafa Abdulkarim via Yahoo! Sports)
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Happy birthday to Maria Sharapova. She turns 20 today — middle-aged for a gal in professional tennis.
Sadly, she has been in a slump: she’s injured, with a shaken confidence, and armed with a once-strong serve that has become a liability.
What does this all mean for tennis’ “it” girl (and, more importantly, her fans)? Don’t write her off just quite yet, says Peter Bodo. The tenacity that led her to conquer Madison Avenue and win two Grand Slam titles can likely fuel a few more great Maria moments in the next few years.
Here’s to a nice, relaxing birthday. Let’s hope it’s as fun as last year’s TAG Heuer party at Nobu, or the small gathering Motorola threw for her at Hiro in 2005.
Oh, and speaking of things she (allegedly) did last year, Andy Roddick will be signing autographs at the Lacoste in Austin this coming Monday.
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>> maria sharapova update
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At the beginning of last year’s Fed Cup season, BNP Paribas asked the players to help choose a new brand identity for the event (to mark the beginning of the bank’s role as title sponsor). The players decided on pink. (I would have gone with the black and purple motif, but the TMS tourneys already claimed the purple.)
And they were serious about the pink. This year, they’re launching an ad campaign with these scary fuzzy mutant tennis hearts:
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Here’s a photo of the Fed Cup. Now that’s something you’ll want to put in a trophy case.
Photo from BNP Paribas
And if you’d like to know which players are representing their countries this weekend, the team nominations are here.
RELATED POSTS
>> amelia island: pretty in pink
>> Davis Cup coverage
RELATED PAGES
>> Tennis tournament trophies
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Here’s footage from when Andre Agassi accidentally hit Steffi Graf with his racket. They appeared at a charity event in Houston.
It’s funny how it looks so harmless on film. In the same way that the Jackass stunts seem so harmless. Make no mistake, though: Steffi ended up with three stitches.
This is the reason why I don’t play doubles.
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As you may already know, the latest issue of Men’s Vogue has a great profile of Roger Federer by writer Tim Adams.
Nothing out of the ordinary: Adams talks about Roger’s transformation from tempermental juniors player to zen master (yawn), him being possibly the greatest of all time (double yawn), and his friendship with Tiger Woods (zzZzzzZzz).
What’s interesting is Roger’s relationship with the emirate of Dubai, which — although boo because it perpetuates an unsustainable, lavish desert lifestyle (but really, when God gives you oil, you build islands) — is one of the more interesting and beautiful places in the world, if at least architecturally.
And the story also covers his relationship with girlfriend Mirka Vavrinec, the woman who acts as his personal assistant, fashion guide, companion. How sweet and refreshing to see such a strong bond, especially since womanizing was commonplace the last time tennis players were rock stars.
The photos accompanying the article are here. My favorite:
(He’s wearing Gucci, she’s wearing Dolce & Gabbana. They’re at a bar in this gorgeous hotel.)
Enjoy the article!
(via the fan forum at RogerFederer.com)
RELATED POST
>> Sharapova in April Vogue
RELATED ARTICLE
>> Federer to appear in December 2006 Vogue
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In case you missed the ATP blog Kristof Vliegen wrote while playing the Heineken Open this past January, I should point out that he mentions a newly acquired tattoo:
I got (it) in Brussels when I got back from holidays. I had been looking to get one for six years… Everyone seems to have a small tattoo in Belgium, so I’m now part of a club.
He got the nickname “Fly” from Carl Maes (Kim Clijsters‘ former coach) 12 or so years ago.
p.s. To the Americans out there: Happy Tax Day!
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>> (temporary) tattoo watch: venus
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tennis served fresh 
