short balls: who’s next? PINK & football, TOMS goes Maria + more

Who’s next? We’re sort of obsessed with the art and function-ability of Prince‘s “Who’s Next” campaign, which let’s users click through a barrage of up-and-coming Prince-racquet toters. US Open junior champ Oli Golding gets his own profile page and the youngsters are splashed across the racquet-maker’s homepage in a well-made vid. Who’s next? Whoever doing is doing Prince’s graphics, we say. One more shot of Prince’s crowning campaign after the jump.

Serena and Venus approved? We sort of have a love/hate relationships with the whole I’m-a-sexy-chick-wearing-an-NFL-jersey thing. If you’re going to wear a jersey, just wear one, right?! But if honor of all things consumer-tastic, we don’t mind the Victoria’s Secret adventure into sports-timate wear. Just for Serena and Venus, we chose to snapshot the Miami Dolphins page above. Zip-up hoodies run for $68 and “Hipster panties” go for $10.50 or three for $25.50. See a couple more items after the jump.

TOMS, too. Looks like TOMS, the ever-popular shoe among fashionable do-gooders, is taking a lesson from Maria Sharapova.  Following the great success of Maria’s ballet flat for Cole Haan, TOMS announced that on Feb. 15 of next year they’ll begin to sell their own version of the chic shoes (blue suede, picture above). The shoes will retail for $74 to $129. | More: And if you didn’t know already, TOMS is now taking their you-buy-one-we-give-one-away model to eyewear, which has been a popular hit already.

Hey, New Yorkers! TSF East really wishes that we could be at this one: Gelf magazine is hosting a tennis-centric reading night this Thursday, Oct. 6, at Le Poisson Rouge in Greenwich Village. Who will be there? That’d be the Wall Street Journal‘s Tom Perrotta, Sports Illustrated‘s S.L. Price and L. Jon Wertheim (here’s his latest Mailbag, if you want talking points). The chatting starts at 7:30, but we advise to be there around the 7 p.m. doors-open time.

short(er) balls: Tom Ford gets the nod from Out magazine readers as the best-dressed gay. Worst? Boy George takes that honor, according to the mag’s brethren. Who was the most versatile of the crew? TSF fave Johnny Weir was fourth in voting for both best AND worst dressed out of 50 fellas. Double axel! | Staying gay: a list of the all-time best queer TV characters. | Reebok‘s EasyTone shoes? Not so toning, says the US government. | Hope Solo is posing sans clothes for ESPN the Magazine‘s body issue. No tennis players are on the to-pose list, as far as we can see. | Need your tennis betting fix? The new site Tennis Prophet allows for interactive chatting with other fans. | Ticketmaster is giving away a free clinic with the Champions Series Tennis tour (Johnny Mac, Sampras, Agassi + more involved) and other gear. You can’t really beat a free deal anywhere, y’all.

Prince and PINK after the cut (and we don’t mean the artists).

tattoo watch: maria jose martinez sanchez

Tattoo Watch: Spain’s Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez in her first-round match against Ekaterina Makarova at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome. She lost 0-6, 7-5, 4-6. Makarova faces seventh seed Maria Sharapova in the second round; they’re both in the same quarter as Vika and Pavs. (Draws: Internazionali BNL d’Italia)

Archives: Browse through the rest of the TSF Tattoo Watch blotter.

(image by Filippo Monteforte/AFP/Getty Images)

on the 8th day of giftmas: excess baggage

‘Tis the season of choices, no? We give you five (count ’em, 5!) bags to pick from this holiday season. From the super-chic and trendy Soho choice to a bag that couldn’t be more Apple Pie America to another selection (after the cut) that you might want to buy alongside a pair of sunglasses. No, really… at least for the kids. Batter up: LAYERxlayer is catching our eye this year with their trendy, made-to-order approach of bags that you can really take anywhere. The Wayfarer pack, seen below, is $189 online and couldn’t be better for a city dweller that wants a good, sturdy bag that can withstand a daily commute on the 6 Train. 100% denim body.

Say what you will about the simplicity of the Fila (or Ralph Lauren) color palette, sometime tennis (with it’s bright yellow balls, purple courts and god-forsaken plaid shorts) needs a little grounding. That’s why this year, we’re digging this three-racquet bag from Fila, which is the perfect gift for any regular club or competitive player in your life. And serse, for $39.99, there just isn’t anything better than red, white and blue. (Available on Tennis Warehouse.)

And while after the cut we have two somethings for the ladies, we figured we’d throw a bone for our dudes on this next choice. While we were drooling over Roger’s RF bag earlier this fall, Nike has the next best thing in the small, classic duffel bag in black. The bag, just $60 on their web site, is the perfect carry-on, carry-to-the-court or carry-my-stuff-around-all-day selection for a sporty fella in your life.

After the cut: a look at a tennis bag that is (still) on our radar (and a nice surprise).

“love” offering from across the channel

Diplomatic rally? Forget an Andy Murray-Gael Monfils rivalry bubbling up in the near future. How about a Nicolas Sarkozy-David Cameron one? The British prime minister revealed to the public today his gifts from foreign dignitaries, and Sarkozy’s topped this list: tennis rackets. Cameron has been known to be a baller himself, but we’re not so sure of Sarkozy’s skills.

Other gifts on the list included an iPad from NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg and ties from the Italian prime minister.

What kind of rackets did Sarkozy send? It’s hard to say. Cameron has been pictured with Wilson sticks in the past, but now that he’s a British political big wig, should he be switching weapons? He also played with a Prince racket a few years ago when doing a clinic visit with former British no. 1 Andrew Castle.

(photo via the guardian by dan chung)

trophy watch: beijing goes big, orbs in japan, and a little slice of belgium

Frenchie Adrian Mannarino (Troy!) took out Steve Darcis in straight sets to take this little slice of the Ethias Tennis Trophy in Mons, Belgium.

At the Rakuten Japan Open in Tokyo, Rafael Nadal beat Gael Monfils 6-1, 7-5 to grab his first post-US Open title this year. (He lost to Gigi Lopez in the Bangkok semis last week.)

On the doubles side, Eric Butorac and former Bruin Jean-Julien Rojer won the final match against Fila boys Dmitry Tursunov and Andreas Seppi. Two snaps to Prince and Nike for coordinating the colors on the kits of the winning team.

And in Beijing, rain-delayed finals didn’t produce any upsets, with defending champ Djokovic and Wozniacki fending off Ferrer and Zvonareva. Caro takes her second trophy this week (the first for reaching the world No. 1 ranking by overcoming break advantages from Vera in the first set. (The Russian even won the second set.) Both ladies can take this performance as a confidence boost going into the women’s year-end championships, held in Doha.

(images via Getty Images)

irinaaaa

2010 US Open Nikolay Davydenko ran into that gorgeous backhand of Richard Gasquet and fell in straight sets. Nothing to write home about re: his Dunlop kit, and even now that he’s officially a face for that company’s new line of Biomimetic racquet’s, he played through two rounds in Flushing Meadows with an unstenciled Prince.

In that first photo, the crew; in this one, the polo.

His wife, Irina, hanging out on the practice court while Kolya did his thang.

(match images via Getty Images; irina photo by TSF)

dunlop’s baaaaack

Dunlop‘s unwrapped the bandages after a recent facelift of their website, which had been out of commission for a few months starting around Indian Wells time. It’s the usual fare for companies like this: player/product info, press releases, etc. There’s a page of wallpapers on there, too. Sadly, they went with some so-so photos of the usually photogenic Jurgen Melzer, Tommy Robredo, and Ross Hutchins.

And speaking of Dunlop, their most recently acquired mascot, Kolya Davydenko, still appears on rival Prince‘s roster of players. And another one of Dunlop’s sponsorship issues was covered by CNBC’s Darren Rovell, who discussed 2010 Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych‘s racquet ruckus, using Head sticks even though he’s paid to play with Dunlops.

sharapova’s wimbledon

Maria Sharapova has secured her place in the second week of Wimbledon 2010 by beating Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 7-5, 6-3. Her opponent in the Round of 16: Serena. We can’t wait!

With no options for wacko color combos like in Melbourne and at Roland Garros, Nike played with the construction of Masha’s Lawn Women’s tennis dress, pulling the same petal theme that’s worked Maria in past outings up to the bust. To complement her long frame, they threw on a cropped warm-up blazer. Maria rounds everything out with a Cole Haan satchel with the grey snakeskin handles and gold hardware.

Speaking of hardware, Tiffany‘s provided her with the $1,500 sterling silver version of Elsa Peretti’s Diamond by the Yard drop earrings. Detail pic below in the gallery.

Buy: Lawn Women’s Tennis Dress, $120, nike.com; Elsa Peretti Diamonds by the Yard Sterling Silver earrings, $1,500, tiffany.com; Prince Sharapova Collection Racquet bag in Rose/Grey/White, more info at Prince; Cole Haan info not available at posting time.

(Sharapova images via Getty Images; earrings image via tiffany.com)

short balls: the magic of andy

The entire British population is hoping that Andy Murray can bring the kind of magic to Wimbledon that video editors brought to his new, catchy ad for Head.

The nearly-two-minute spot has a sort of Powerade-impossible feel to it, as Murray saunters through the streets of (what seems to be) London and performs trick after trick with racket and ball. Could this thing go viral? A day after I found the link, it gained 9,000 views online. Kudos to the folks at Head, who need to re-think the entry page to their web site using the same brain that made this video, which – no surprise – is on the jump page inside the site.

The World Cup has seemingly captured the world’s attention, though some folks quite disagree with that fact. As Ben Bergman writes on NPR, he’s flat out bored with the soccer, and thinks most of America is, as well. Several sports journalists that TSF follows on Twitter have mentioned how few goals have been scored in this year’s Cup thus far (9 scoreless halves, to note). Maybe that’ll up the chances for folks to turn the tube to another sporting event on grass next week, no? Just in case you’re still interested, the Village Voice has a hilarious guide on how to pretend to know what you’re talking about while watching the world’s game played out in bars across the country. Brush up on your futbol facts!

Prince’s apparel (and footwear) digital catalogue is out, and while we’re not necessarily sure what to think of what’s inside, we do dig the looks of Alina Jidkova and Kveta Peschke. The girls are lookin’ good in ‘P’!

See our favorite new Chinese trend and speed read what has been happening in the two-week sandwich known as the “grass court season”.

davydenko in dunlop: for your eyes only

Wanting what we can’t have: That sleek red Dunlop polo worn by Nikolay Davydenko at the 2010 BNP Paribas Open (last week) is purely for show; while there are other Dunlop tennis clothes available for sale in the U.S., the ones on Nikolay are from the European collection.

And speaking of things that are only for our eyes only, it seems that the optical illusion that is the Dunlop/Prince/Davydenko sponsorship triangle isn’t quite over. To recap:

The top Russian’s sponsorship deal with Dunlop was announced just before the start of Indian Wells. Especially in light of being in limbo with Prince, we were happy that Nikolay had monetized his achievements in some form for 2010.

Now you see it…: The deets of the agreement came in a press release via the Dunlop and ATP sites. Along with endorsing racquets, clothing, and accessories, Kolya would also speak up for the company’s junior talent identification program, called D-Squad.

Two days after the Dunlop announcement, Prince countered with their own releases stating that Kolya had signed a deal to be “an exclusive endorsee of Prince tennis racquets and Prince racquet bags” through 2010. This requires him to have a Prince stencil on his Ozone Tour rackets during the four slams. Off the court, there’s also a clause giving Prince the right to use the Davydenko image for advertising.

So both companies are sticking to their guns, but it doesn’t matter since Davydenko pulled out of Indian Wells. He felt pain in his wrist while playing Rotterdam in February (he lost in the semis to Soderling) but it was misdiagnosed. He continued playing through the injury until he got to the desert; after a hard-fought win over Ernests Gulbis in the second round, Kolya discovered a more serious condition — a broken wrist bone — and pulled out.

Now you don’t…: The Dunlop press release, along with the rest of the Dunlop site, is currently down because of a revamp. The Dunlop release is also no longer available via the ATP website. I wonder if this is any indication of which company successfully courted Kolya?

Blank slate: Nikolay has yet to test out any Dunlop racquets (he was using an unstenciled Prince stick during Indian Wells). And since he’s out for a few months — he’ll likely miss all of the clay season — it’ll be a while before he gets matched up with a Dunlop racquet (if at all).

(Davydenko image via Getty Images; Dunlop screengrabs via dunlopsports.com)

let’s do the masha mash!

(We were working on the blog late one night…)

Here’s what Maria Sharapova will be wearing on the court for the 2010 Australian Open.

The dress: The solid blue slip dress with the printed mesh overlay — a design plucked from Maria’s personal sketchbook a year ago — has some hints of yellow and green to help the outfit pop in the bright blue courts of Melbourne Park. Note the high neckline with the ruffled edging. The Australian dresses are never our faves, and this one is about par. What do you think of it? Tell us!.

This piece is part of a larger campaign, Nike’s Maria Sharapova Collection, which’ll have seven dresses (along with tank/skirt combos) dropping throughout the year. She even helped select the army of tennis players (sorry, models) to help do her bidding on court: Kai-Chen Chang, Julia Goerges, Anastasia Pivovarova, and Madison Keys will all wear pieces from this collection.

Click on to see her shoes, her bag, and her drop earrings — all

jelena’s french open racquet bag

You can never have enough tassels. Case in point: Jelena Jankovic‘s racquet bag, seen here as she gets a left toe blister tended to during her 3-6, 6-0, 9-7 loss to Romanian Sorana Cristea in the fourth round of the French Open. Jelena had reached the semis of Roland Garros in the past two years.

We figured that this would be a Prince bag, but is probably supplied by ANTA now that Jelena’s contract with the racquet company has expired (we have yet to hear about a renewal). Do you know who produced this bag? Tell us!

Looking forward: In the quarters, Sorana will face the winner of the Stosur/Razzano match. TSF didn’t even know that Sam or Virginie were still in the draw.

(image via Getty Images)

fashion focus: royal blue for a royal shirt

TSF normally doesn’t look twice at the offerings over at Prince (sorry), but that’s not the case this year. We’re totally in love with the tops from their Spring Gold Collection. The line’s distinguished by a playful take on plackets — basically, putting one where one needn’t be.

We first saw this shirt on Bjorn Rehnquist at the 2009 Australian Open. The Sweded drew Andy Roddick in the first round and went down in three quick sets, but not before getting photographed (the only perk of playing a top seed early, probably) and letting us see the Prince kit in action.

Austrian Oliver Marach wore the sleeveless version at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells this week, where he was entered in the doubles draw. TSF sat next to him at the Haas/Schuettler match last Saturday, and later spotted him as a hitting partner to the hitchy backhand of quarterfinalist (and compatriot) Sybille Bammer.

Scoreline: Poor Bamma Mamma had to withdraw from the quarters with a shoulder injury, giving Ana Ivanovic one less reason to NOT be hoisting the trophy tomorrow. The Serb will face Pavlyuchenkova (who took out the seventh [!!] seed, Agnieszka Radwanska). Meanwhile, the other semi features Vera Zvonareva — whose groundstrokes were lookin pretty darn good when we saw her practice — and Victoria Azarenka (the lady who downed Dinara).

Buy: Prince Spring Gold Collection, in Cloud/Ocean (blues), Anthracite Grey/Black, Flame/Japan (red), White/Black; Crew, $37.99; Polo, $45.99; Sleeveless, $33.99; Knit Short, $36.99.

(top image via SI.com)

happy holidays from Prince

A greeting from Prince. I don’t know about you, but this makes me want to get a spirograph…

By the way, we’re still awaiting word about their brand-smackin-new will-change-your-tennis-life tennis racquet technology. We’ll post as soon as we hear about it.

La Monf switches to Prince in 2009

Breakdancer Gael Monfils might not be making as much noise as compatriot Jo-Wilfried Tsonga these days, but he’s still being pegged as one of the sport’s future stars. Racquetmaker Prince recently signed the Frenchman to play with the company’s new line of racquets, slated for release in spring 2009.

He first picked up the new sticks prior to the ATP event stop in Vienna and has notched two top 15 scalps and a finals appearance since.

Prince has been mum about what’s behind this new technology, only saying that it “breaks the laws of physics.” Even Monfils didn’t give us much to work with. “I knew as soon as I hit the first ball with it, there was something different, something better,” he said via a press release. “It is hard to explain, but the holes and the technology made a difference. It just felt right.”

We’ll let you know as soon as we hear more about the new racquets.

(photo courtesy of Prince)

A New Custom

Customization and personalization are all the rage in clothing these days, and tennis is not above the fray. From Roger‘s “RF” monogram at Nike to the seal on Sharapova‘s tennis bags to the embroidery on many of the pros’ footwear (lest they get confused about whose shoes are whose — it’s a big locker room out there), everyone’s doing something to make their product unique. Up until now, these services have only been peddled to the pros — tennis is an elite sport, after all. But in time for the US Open, the rest of us get to eat cake.

Read the rest of this post at Men’s Vogue Daily.

momma’s got a brand new bag

Prince plans to release new lines of racquet bags in conjunction with this year’s U.S. Open.

Inspired by Maria Sharapova herself, the new Sharapova Collection will showcase the Russian’s classic elegance through a striking, clean, all-white bag with black Prince logo and accents. Available in a triple and six-pack, both bags in the collection will also feature the iconic Sharapova seal embroidered into the side of the bag.

“The U.S Open is tennis’ biggest stage. The City comes even more alive for those two weeks, with all eyes fixated on Flushing Meadows so it is the perfect place for us to introduce the world to the new collection,” said Maria. “It is always fun to sit with the expert team at Prince and put our heads together to plan, develop and execute new products.”

“Of course my new racquet bag is coordinated with what I will wear on court at the Open, but because of its classic color scheme and clean, simple lines, it looks amazing with nearly every tennis outfit — giving female players a chic looking bag with incredible function.”

The rest of the Prince stable also gets some attention with a new Pro Team 100 line being produced for the Open. Each bag in the line will be made available in two distinct color options — black and green and black and white. While both will have a sleek, classic black base color, one version will feature — for the first time ever — the Prince logo in its updated green colorway accented by silver paneling.

The other version will feature a classic white Prince logo with white accents on the straps and underside. The Pro Team 100 collection comes in a triple, six, and twelve-pack racquet bag; plus a locker bag, wheeled duffle, and a backpack. Both the six and twelve-pack contain a thermal foil lining crucial for increased protection and temperature control.

Who gets what: The racquet each Prince player uses will dictate which version of the bag he or she carries. Those playing the O3 Speedport Black, O3 Speedport White, O3 Speedport Pro White or O3 White will carry the black/white version, while those playing the Ozone Tour, Ozone Pro Tour, O3 Hybrid Tour, and all other O3 models will carry the green/black version.

Players like Nikolay Davydenko, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Sam Querrey, Mike and Bob Bryan, and Jelena Jankovic will all carry their Pro Team 100 bags in events prior to New York.

Jankovic, who plays with the O3 Speedport Pro White, and currently sits at the doorstep of the world’s #1 ranking, will be the first woman on tour to sport the black/white bag.

“My life is pretty much packed into my racquet bag — it is my most valuable piece of luggage,” said Jankovic. “Whether in my hotel room, heading to an early morning workout or in the middle of a night match at the U.S Open, wherever I am, my racquet bag is usually with me so it has to be able to withstand what tennis players put it through, but also look great on court. I love the look and design of this bag line — and am proud and excited to be one of the first to carry the black/white version on tour.”

Buy: Pro Team 100 line and the new Sharapova Collection bags will be in stores starting September 15, 2008; black and white Pro Team version will drop on November 15, 2008. More info about pricing here.

“I don’t like her outfit”

As much as we celebrated all the fashion being paraded at this year’s tournament, there are folks who thought it a little too much for the event.

First, of course, is the grumpster Andy Roddick. Here he is dismissing Roger Federer‘s cardigan after defeating Schwank:

Q. The guy on the BBC as you walked off the court asked you about cardigans, all that stuff. Everybody has been talking about fashion, both men and women. Do you think that’s sort of like, Who cares? Do you enjoy the whole atmosphere here with that?

ANDY RODDICK: I personally don’t care. But, you know, if it gets — you know, I think any attention drawn to tennis for whatever reason is good. If that means wearing the Mr. Rogers’ sweater, whatever else you got, then so be it. I don’t know if it would be a good look for me or any of my friends – or relatives (smiling).

And now 20-year-old Russian Alla Kudryavtseva took her dislike of compatriot Maria Sharapova’s elaborate Nike outfit all the way to the winner’s circle. She upset the 2008 Australian Open champ 6-2, 6-4 in the second round.

“I don’t like her outfit,” Kudryavtseva said. “It was one of the motivations to beat her.” Ouch.

FYI, Alla wore a simple tennis dress (white with red trim) from Prince.

(photos by Getty Images)

RELATED POSTS
>> TSF’s wimbledon coverage continues…

The Wiimbledon Wiinebago stays in Brooklyn

Much to our disappointment, the Wiimbledon Wiinebago has decided to stay in Brooklyn (instead of making a cross-country trip, as they had originally planned). No more San Francisco event. Le sigh.

Good news to Brooklynites, though, because the event set at Barcade for Saturday, June 7, is still on.

What you really want to know about: Brooklyn Brewery will provide a three-hour open bar at Barcade. Prince is providing apparel, racquets (Wii ones, perhaps?), and shoes for winners. Brunswick will shell out Wii Bowling bags. More prizes to come.

Registration: Sign-ups for the 128-player bracket begins Monday, June 2; everything will be done online.

Davydenko’s legacy might not be match-fixing after all…

(By the way, this lighter green is the new color of Prince.)

Two weeks ago, Nikolay Davydenko put together a string of wins at the Sony Ericsson Open beating Andy Roddick and Rafael Nadal en route to capturing the biggest title of his career. His play on court, combined with the romantic story of how he switched from the Ozone Tour to the denser string pattern of the Ozone Pro Tour prior to his first round match, and how he used the same frame to march through the draw, are becoming something of tennis lore. His results and outspoken affinity for his “new” O3 racquet, have not only led to a surge in his popularity but created a noticeable spike in demand for the racquet as well.