…does it make a sound?

If Jim Courier and Pete Sampras play an exhibition but no one sees…

…does it actually happen? Kenneth in the (212) points out the surprisingly bare stands at the recent Match of the Modern Masters sponsored by Talon Air.

Yikes. Why was no one watching? Perhaps fans just couldn’t take a Thursday off, and instead chose to watch this exhibition online? For Sampras’ sake, let’s hope it’s the latter; he’s got a few more matches slated through the end of the year. It’s too early in his retirement to already be overexposed.

guga kuerten styles: women’s s/s ’07

Ok I found some pieces from the s/s ’07 Guga Kuerten women’s collection, including these bikinis below:

Buy: As usual, you can visit the Guga Kuerten website to buy any of the clothing.

Enjoy!

RELATED POSTS
>> guga kuerten styles: camo and mexican cards
>> guga kuerten styles: florianopolis store pics
>> fashion focus: guga kuerten + summer ’07 line
>> Guga Kuerten archive

checking in with stefanie and andre

The power coupling of Andre Agassi and Stefanie Graf — I’ll humor her this one time — continues to make the news:

Posing for Vuitton: I’m so excited that both will appear in the latest Louis Vuitton campaign where “bling is out” and the focus is on LV’s “heritage as a maker of trunks, suitcases and other travel-related items.” The Graf/Agassi ad shows them in a loose embrace in a New York hotel. Other photos show Mikhail Gorbachev riding in a Kruschev-era limousine along the Berlin Wall (photo above) and actress Catherine Deneuve with a Vuitton case in front of a steam locomotive at the Gare d’Austerlitz in Paris. All were shot by Annie Leibovitz. (IHT)

Steffi steps up: I pooped my pants yesterday when I read that Steffi and Justine Henin will be playing in an exhibition match in October to benefit Graf’s charity, Children for Tomorrow. I won’t be going to Mannheim, so someone post it on YouTube, ok?

Their post-tennis business ventures: This Bloomberg story goes over all their major projects, including San Francisco restaurants, furniture lines (with Kreiss), and real estate. The latest? A Fairmont Hotel near their Tamarack Resort in Idaho.

adidas collection – SALE: OTB tips us off about a sale at adidas for its Andre Agassi collection. Check out the goods and tell us what you think.

RELATED POSTS
>> agassi’s memoir, tamarack resort, etc.
>> agassi helps with athletes for hope
>> the graf-agassi machine
>> the agassi-graf team conquers furniture

tattoo watch: stefan koubek

Tattoo Watch: Austrian player Stefan Koubek‘s lower back tattoo spotted at the practice courts of this year’s Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart, Germany.

(via Reiko, red shirt photo via MTF)

RELATED LINKS
>> Koubek’s ATP profile
>> Tennis Served Fresh’s tattoo watch archives

guga kuerten styles: florianopolis store pics

Above is the visual merch layout for Guga Kuerten‘s Florianopolis store. This rollout was for the line’s Summer ’07 collection.

More interior design photos here.

RELATED POSTS
>> more guga: camo and lotería
>> fashion focus: guga kuerten – s/s 2007
>> fashion focus: guga kuerten + summer ’07 line
>> Guga Kuerten archive

short balls: alexandra stevenson should retire, orange county represents, how young is too young?, etc.

First Roger, now Lleyton: Tennis fans Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale get their tennis fix by arranging a playdate between son Kingston and Lleyton Hewitt‘s daughter Mia. (Telegraph)

The train has made its final stop: Columnist Jerry Magee pleads with Alexandra Stevenson to call it a career and hang up her racquet. (San Diego Union Tribune)

The Fed Cup Chronicles: Down the Line! has been following the buzz sourrounding Sharapova and the Russian Fed Cup team, in case you were wondering.

Murray playing smarter: The one-year anniversary of the partnership between Andy Murray and Brad Gilbert is around the corner, and Tim Henman thinks the marriage has done Andy good. (Telegraph)

Irvinian nabbed by IMG, Nike: Along with being the top seed at this week’s USTA Boys’ 18 National Championships, O.C.’s Michael McClune has a deal with Nike and a contract with IMG. Congrats! (Kalamazoo Gazette)

More O.C.: Villa Park’s Lindsey Nelson entered the qualies at last week’s Bank of the West Classic, losing in the second round. I heard she had a quad injury, so I’m glad to see her playing.

Early bird catching worms?: The Postmen doesn’t agree with the decision to send off five-year-old Jan Silva to a French training academy. Is it ever too early to train a kid that intensely? (USA Today)

They can empty your pockets sooner: The self-serve kiosk used by Polo Ralph Lauren at the U.S. Open and Wimbledon received an award at a Vegas trade show. (source)

(OT) In architecture, rise and fall: The Burj Dubai is already the tallest skyscraper in the world and it’s not even completely built. In Johannesburg, Ponte City (above) — the southern hemisphere’s tallest residential skyscraper and an excellent example of brutalism — gets a second wind. Also, the Washington Times mourns the demise of sketching as a trade practice.

(OT) Coke’s subtle makeover: In case you didn’t notice…

(OT) Adding to things my countrymen — and one country..err woman — are known for: Surely you’ve seen these awesome performances from a jail in Cebu.

(Ponte City photo via Archidose)

catching up with MaliVai Washington

Retired American MaliVai Washington returns to competitive tennis at the Gibson Guitar Champions Cup. Since retiring in 1999, he has devoted some time to his MaliVai Kid’s Foundation, which will hold its 11th annual fundraising gala this September. Below he talks about joining the Masters tour, his appearance in the 1996 Wimbledon final, and the Davis Cup injury that ended his professional career.

—

Q: How do you feel about making your Outback Champions Series debut?

MaliVai Washington: Making my debut in the Outback Champions Series will be exciting. It’s a chance to get back out on the court having been away from competitive tennis for several years. The funny thing is that the draw will look just like it did when I was on tour full time. These are the guys I won and lost against my entire career.

Q: You had knee problems at the end of your career stemming from a heroic 1997 (first round) Davis Cup win in Brazil against Gustavo Kuerten. Tell us about that match, what happened to your knee, and how your knee feels now.

MW: Playing Davis Cup for me was always a great honor. Unfortunately, I played just three times in my career. There were a few Hall of Famers named Sampras, Courier, Agassi, and Chang, who where going to be asked to play ahead of me so it wasn’t often that I got the chance to play.

Beating Gustavo in the opening match was one of my top three or four career highlights. A combination of the occasion, being in Brazil in front of a pretty hostile crowd, and playing the opening match, was very special. Finishing the match with a knee injury where I had sheared off a piece of cartilage made it more painful but more satisfying.

Ironically, that was a career highlight but it was also the beginning of the end of my career. I just didn’t know it at the time. Today, my knee feels ok, but I doubt if it will ever be 100 percent. Just the nature of my injury hasn’t allowed me to play as much tennis over the last few years as I’d like and I certainly haven’t competed against guys like this in years so I too am interested to see how my body holds up.

Q: It has been nine years since you retired from the ATP tour. How will it feel to play matches again?

MW: Playing competitive tennis is such an adrenaline rush for me so it will be great to get on the court and compete. I just wish I could do some of the things I use to do on the court well. I can still do those things today, I just can’t do it as often.

Q: You had two great grasscourt achievements in your career: coming back from 1-5 in the fifth to beat Todd Martin in the semis of Wimbledon in ’96 and playing Richard Krajicek in the final. What are your memories of those matches?

MW: At the time, I would have never guessed that (those matches) would be my last ever at Wimbledon; knee injuries and surgeries didn’t allow me to play again. Coming back from 1-5 down in the fifth set against Todd was one of those things you can’t explain. In the course of a year, every player loses a couple matches that they should have probably won, and on the flip side, win a couple matches (they) probably should have lost. The win against Todd was won of those matches. For me it was a great highlight and win against a great player.

Being in the final of a major championship is what you dream about as a kid, but you never dream of getting second place. On that day, the better player won, but those two weeks in London and playing on the final day was the pinnacle of my career.

Q: What are your feelings of Newport and the International Tennis Hall of Fame as a destination?

MW: Newport is such a wonderful city to visit and the Hall of Fame is such a nice venue to have an event. My last trip to Newport was in the summer of 2006 for the Gullikson charity event… I have special memories of the Newport because Mark Stenning, the Newport Tournament Director, gave me my first wild card back in 1989 before I had even turned pro, and he again gave me a wild card into the tournament 10 years later when I was at the end of my career, post-two knee surgeries. Needless to say Newport was very special to my career.

—

Details: The Gibson Guitar Champions Cup, part of the Champions Tennis Series, will be held August 22-26, 2007 at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I. Featured players in the round-robin tournament include John McEnroe, Pat Cash, Mats Wilander, Wayne Ferreira, Jim Courier, Richard Krajicek, Todd Martin, and Mal Washington. For more information, visit www.tennisfame.com

guga kuerten styles: camo and mexican cards

More Guga goods from www.popbr.biz, including a camo line (fun briefs!) and one inspired by lotería (aka Mexican bingo) below.

RELATED POSTS
>> fashion focus: guga kuerten – s/s 2007
>> fashion focus: guga kuerten + summer ’07 line
>> Guga Kuerten archive

trophies: indianapolis, umag, austria, stanford, rio, etc.

The trophy gods worked hard to give us some good ones this week:

In the hotfest over at the Austrian Open in Kitzbuehel, Argentinian Juan Monaco (in adidas) got taken to three sets by Potito Starace (wearing Le Coq Sportif). Bonnie was right: Juan should have been in my top 5. Really, I’ve never noticed a six pack bursting out of a shirt like that…

Pictureless: Italian Francesca Schiavone won her first career title in Bad Gastein, but we are without pictures. Congrats, Francesca!

In Umag, veteran Carlos Moya tells us not to write him off just yet with his 6-4, 6-2 win over Andrei Pavel. Gap-toothed or not, he’s still hot. And kudos to the tourney organizers for coming up with that offbeat blue trophy.

waitaminute: juan monaco

A few notes to start: Vice‘s annual photo issue is out, so make sure to pick up a copy before they disappear. Also, perfect Sunday afternoon = surprisingly potent Chipotle margaritas while window shopping at the Bev Center.

Did anyone else notice how Juan Monaco was BURSTING out of his adidas kit while playing Potito Starace in today’s Austrian Open final? The world is totally unfair.

Fashion: I love the silver trim on these shirts (both in red and white). I’ve been trying to look for it online to no avail, so if you have any tips, please send our way (tennisCBH AT gmail DOT com).

Bonus round: More pics of the white shirt, some Monaco training pics, and a screenshot. Enjoy!

(Austria photos via Getty Images, training photos via sportfiles, and Tenis Pro screen cap via MTF)

RELATED POSTS
>> the shirtless archive
>> juan monaco’s adidas gear
>> learn about le coq sportif

fashion focus: guga kuerten – s/s 2007

Here are some more looks from Guga Kuerten, the eponymous fashion line of the Brazilian tennis star. That’s the spring/summer ’07 collection above (also by Agustina Comas).

Bonus round: This Tenis Pro clip shows Guga getting a massage (and talking about surfing, his Roland Garros titles, etc.). Later he gets dressed in his own designs.

RELATED POSTS
>> fashion focus: guga kuerten + summer ’07 line
>> Guga Kuerten (the collection) archive
>> Guga Kuerten (the player) archive

fashion focus: guga kuerten + summer ’07 line

Oh man I was trying to get information about Gustavo Kuerten‘s clothing sponsor (because what blog covering tennis fashion would ignore this Brazilian’s bright-colored style?) and it turns out he has his own line.

HISTORY: Guga Kuerten launched on November 30, 2005 under the creative direction of top Brazilian designer Jum Nakao. (See a Nakao show.)

Along with tennis clothes, the line has beach wear, surf wear, and polo shirts — with a smaller “Mr. Kuerten” collection featuring jeans and polo shirts. As far as I can tell, the women’s line is all beachwear still. Its first store opened in Florianopolis.

Guga wore Diadora and Olympikus on court prior to the 2006 season and his own line after. You can spot the Guga line by it’s rough spiral logo (seen here on his sleeve).

The photos above are pieces from the High Summer ’07 collection designed by artist Agustina Comas for Nakao. It’s laid back, surfer, and preppy all at once. Very Seth Cohen of The O.C.. What do you think of the line? Tell us.

Buy: Check out Guga’s official website to purchase the clothes.

fashion focus: u.s. open + polo ralph lauren, pt. 2

Now let’s take a peek at the clothes. Polo Ralph Lauren continues as the official clothing sponsor for this year’s U.S. Open.

Official outfits: That’s the official ballboy outfit on the left and the official lineman outfit on the right. I find the yellow/blue scheme hard on the eyes, but the collar on the track jacket is cute. Still, I prefer the RL grass court uniforms over these. (The Wimbledon collection, for both officials and non-, was just better.)

Other picks: I like the Striped Lisle Polo (shown in red) and the Custom Big Pony Polo (in blue). I’m really in love with the Big Pony logo…

Women’s: The linewoman outfit is on the right. Ho hum. The yellow diagonal stripe on the ballgirl skirt (top row, middle pic) is a nice touch.

Other picks: the orange Elena Polo, the Pony tee (with a Big Pony in gold!!) and the sleeveless pleated dress (also with gold pony).

Buy: As usual, all these items are for sale. Here’s the link.

What do you think of the collection? Tell us.

RELATED POSTS
>> RL’s U.S. Open collection: accessories
>> nike fashion: looking towards the U.S. Open
>> RL looks for line officials and ballpersons of Wimbledon
>> RL’s Wimbledon collection

I’m not in this for the money…

(Editor Update: We’re now over at Tennis Now, where we are still pondering who would be in our list of HOATs. Might need to make room for Grigor Dimitrov. Visit us at Tennis Now.)

Forget the GOATs for a sec and let’s talk about the HOATs.

My top 5, in no particular order (to each his own, folks): Hewitt, Haas, Safin, Rafter, and Clement. Runners-up: Davydenko, Andy Murray, and Youzhny.

Who’s on your list? Tell us!

flashback: agassi’s racket

From designer Damian O’Sullivan, after Agassi‘s last match at the 2006 U.S. Open: “This weekend Andre Agassi played his last game of professional tennis, bowing out as he did against the 11 year younger Benjamin Becker. Three years ago, [I] designed a tennis racket for HEAD Sport AG bearing Agassi’s face on the blade of the racket. Although the tennis racket was never produced we would hereby like to show it one more time as a last tribute to the great man of tennis.” (MoCo Loco)

Another Damien: The pickled shark by artist Damien Hirst, entitled The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, heads to the Met later this summer. Owner Steve Cohen, who bought the piece for $8 million, has arranged for it to stay at the museum for at least two years. (FYI: the original shark started disintegrating almost immediately after its initial exhibition in 1999; the replacement should stay intact much longer.) (NYT)

short balls: thursday edition

Guga lives on: Columnist Charles Bricker lets us know that Guga is still months away from recovery, and likely can’t take advantage of a U.S. Open wildcard. In the meantime, you can enjoy this fan art.

Monte Carlos Masters stays put: The organizers of this Masters Series tourney get to keep their mid-April date, their ranking points, and prize money levels. Unfortunately, the ATP won’t enforce player commitments for the event, which could mean a lackluster field. But with plenty of players calling the Principality of Monaco home, perhaps recruiting players won’t be so hard to do… (IHT, DT)

Someone loves you, Andy: Andy Roddick‘s still smarting about his quarterfinal loss to Richard Gasquet at this year’s Wimbledon, but he can take consolation in ranking 59th in AfterElton’s Hot 100 list.

It’s not just ‘tennis elbow’ anymore: Spine injury can rear its ugly head early on, so teens: be careful!

A sports lover’s haven: After the sixth hour on the couch watching Wimbledon coverage, I dream about a house like this, too. (LAT)

(OT) Chanel’s mobile pavilion: Designer Karl Lagerfeld has commissioned architect Zaha Hadid to create a pavilion for Chanel‘s Mobile Art exhibition. (On the Runway)

The U.S. Open Series coverage begins: When something gets a New York Times mention, you know it’s got it made. (Talking Tennis)

Sharapova expands her empire: The Manhattan Beach resident played a WTT match for the Newport Beach Breakers last night. She wore the Summer Sphere Tank from her clothing sponsor, Nike. (via AVP)

Hyuk of the day: Yes, we chuckled when we saw this headline. Did she tie her shoes too tight? Do you hear that frog? (via OTB)

Nike and adidas should watch out: As sneaker companies sense that China will soon become a big-time market, the sponsorship agreements doled out get more and more creative. (Slate)

RELATED POSTS
>> Tennis Served Fresh’s short balls archive

canas shirtless for global warming

Guillermo Canas and his girlfriend, Brazilian Fabiana Semprebon, posed for Argentinian label Ona Saez‘s latest campaign which raises awareness for global warming. Canas was happy to be chosen for the campaign, he says. And although he’s not a “green” expert, he feels that he can do his part by motivating the masses.

Here are looks from the label’s most recent collections (some Star Wars-inspired):

(via Vivi el Tenis)

RELATED POSTS
>> Tennis Served Fresh’s fashion archive
>> pan-am games + tennis can be greener

roitman’s “no brand” clothing

Sergio goes gaucho: The background behind Argentinian Sergio Roitman‘s clothing sponsor, No Brand: Roitman’s buddy runs the line, whose goal is low-key promotion of national icons such as cattle (on his bandana, above), Che Guevara, the bandoneón (pictured on his shirt, above), mate (the country’s favorite drink), and Carlos Gardel. Upcoming designs include Guillermo Vilas and Gabriela Sabatini.

Players like Nicolas Almagro, Filippo Volandri, Nicolas Lapentti, and Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo are all fans of the line. At tournaments, Roitman usually brings extra gear to hand out as gifts.

(ATP Blog via Vivi el Tenis)

RELATED POSTS
>> Tennis Served Fresh’s fashion archive

camille in lacoste

The forgotten Frenchwoman: While Gasquet rolled over Roddick, Golovin orchestrated a peep show, Llodra/Clement cackled their way to the doubles crown, and Bartoli hopped to the final, another member of the armée de gazon at Wimbledon, Camille Pin, bowed out in the first round. She did it wearing an elegant, simple dress from clothing sponsor Lacoste and paired it with a pendant necklace.

And at this week’s W&SFG Open in Cincinnati, her dress had an aqua-striped bust. Tres cute!

Speaking of the French…: Apparently, Golovin and Bartoli are having a tiff, and all the stress might be catching up with the Wimbledon finalist. Or perhaps her dream run is over, and she’s rejoined us from cloud nine.

(Cincy photo via W&SFG Open, Wimby photo via WTNPhotos.com)

RELATED POSTS
>> Tennis Served Fresh’s fashion archive

fashion focus: u.s. open + polo ralph lauren, pt. 1

Those Bangladeshi women are breathing a sigh of relief now that the Polo Ralph Lauren‘s U.S. Open goods have dropped — just in time for the summer hardcourt season.

We’ll start with a look at the accessories section. Keep in mind this is only the Ralph Lauren accessories. There are plenty of non–RL merch at the U.S. Open store; we’ll cover those later.

Top row: Performance Cap (with double-layer, moisture-wicking mesh), Medium Tote, Chino Hat
Bottom row: Sport Visor, Caryall (free with purchase), Crusher Hat

You can check out the rest of the pieces here. Which ones are your faves? Tell us.

RELATED POSTS
>> nike fashion: looking towards the u.s. open
>> our picks from the wimbledon store
>> the french open online store
>> speaking of ralph lauren…
>> my dream u.s. open shop