Czech it out! Photographer: Paul Zimmer

Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek took care of business on Saturday, pairing up after their epic five setters the day before to beat  Marin Cilic/Lovro Zovko in the doubles: 6-1 6-3 6-4. The Czech team is now 3-0 over the Croatians, and is guaranteed a spot in the Davis Cup finals this December.

Czech mates! Photographer: Paul Zimmer

Though the Czechs were playing in Croatia, they still enjoyed significant support from the stands. Here’s the on-the-ground report via daviscup.com:

The Zatika Arena was reminiscent of a heavy metal rock concert. The cheering, chanting, and jumping up and down courtside would have been more at home at a Pearl Jam performance. An entire section of men with all body shapes removed their shirts and started to swing them in the air while singing. They were celebrating.

In Spain, the Defending Champions also pulled off the 3-0 lead against their semifinal rivals, with Tommy Robredo and Feliciano Lopez taking out the slight favorites, Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram of Israel, in four sets: 7-6(6) 6-7(7) 6-4 6-2.

Team Spain. Photographer: Sergio Carmona

Both Rafael Nadal and Fernando Verdasco were sidelined with injury, but were literally on the sidelines to support the team (they joined in the victory lap, above). The final against the Czech Republic will be played in Spain, and if Rafa and ‘Nando are both healthy, a couple members of the current team will likely be left out (no F-LO? Adios JCF?) Talk about a problem most teams would like to have.

WORLD GROUP PLAYOFFS

Roger is not amused. Photographer: Angelo Tonelli

There’s some drama in Italy, where the Italian team of Bolelli/Starace snagged the crucial doubles point from Wawrinka/Chiudinelli on Satuday, bringing things to 2-1, Switzerland. Roger Federer, who was taken out of the doubles rubber for a  rest, will try to wrap things up in the fourth rubber vs. Seppi on Sunday.

The (Nole-less) Serbs are the only playoff team already guranteed a spot in the World Group. They beat the Uzbeks 3-0.

The dreamy team. Photographer: Virginie Bouyer

Jo Wilfried Tsonga and Michael Llodra pulled France ahead, 2-1, vs. the Netherlands.

Click here for more World Group Playoff results.

In ZONAL TIE news, things are looking bad for team Britain, down 1-2 to Poland after Marcin Matkowski and Mariusz Fyrstenberg defeated Andy Murray and Ross Hutchins in the doubles on Saturday. It’s unlikely that Murray will play again on Sunday, due to wrist tendinitis that he says is not improving. Where’s Tiger Tim when you need him?

Roger Federer has joined his Swiss teammates in Genova, Italy to prepare for their Davis Cup World Group playoff. The Swiss team had reportedly given him a “get out of jail free card”, given Federer played the US Open final on Monday, but Roger said in today’s presser that he is willing and able to play (via the AP):

“I never had any doubt about coming. The doubts were created by others. It certainly wasn’t me.”

“I obviously have to get over my jet lag, considering the fact that I’m coming from New York, but everything else is fine.”

Team Suisse consists of Roger Federer, Stanislas Wawrinka, Stephane Bohli and Marco Chiudinelli with Roger’s coach, Severin Luthi, captaining.

The Italian team is manned by Andreas Seppi, Simone Bolelli, Fabio Fognini and Potito Starace (Star-Ace!) and captained by the awesomely named Corrado Barazzutti.

Here are some photos of Roger Federer and the Swiss team in their matching warm ups. All photos via Blick.

 

For Davis Cup TV schedule and live streaming info, click here.

For the Davis Cup website, click here.

I’m not going to dwell on how frustrating it was to watch tennis today in Los Angeles. I basically had a 6 hour period where, thanks to time zones and match “embargoes,” there was no live tennis on t.v. – on the biggest tennis day of the year. Makes sense, right? Moving on: Manic Monday lived up to its name – both men’s and women’s Round of 16s were played and completed, we had rain, the roof, and an historic 10:39 p.m. finish as Stan Wawrinka stretched Andy Murray to a fifth nail-biting set under the Centre Court lights. What more could you want? (Besides Stan’s backhand and Andy’s defensive skills, of course.)

(Night) match of the tournament: Andy Murray vs. Stan Wawrinka: 2-6, 6-3,  6-3, 5-7, 6-3!

First up on Centre Court was Roger Federer who beat Robin Soderling in three tight sets: 6-4, 7-6, 7-6. It was a good test  – lots of tense moments, lots of patience required and some clutch play in the tie breaks.

Interesting admission from Roger about his problems earlier in the year:

Q. You said you’ve been quite pleased with how you’ve played, how you’ve made it through to this point. What have you been most pleased with so far in your game?

ROGER FEDERER: Just being relaxed out on court. You know, no signs of panics, what I maybe had, you know, six months ago when I played. I would just feel uneasy. I wouldn’t be exactly sure what the right plays were.

Now I feel perfect. You know, so from this standpoint it was great. I think I’m moving well, serving well. My rhythm from the baseline is well. So, you know, I’m just really, really pleased from this aspect.

Also feeling good on the men’s side: Lleyton Hewitt (who came from two sets down against Radek Stepanek), Juan Carlos Ferrero (over Gilles Simon), Tommy Haas (over Igor Andreev in straights), Novak Djokovic (easily over Dudi Sela) and Andy Roddick (in a surprisingly routine three-set victory over Tomas Berdych.)

On the women’s side, Venus Williams continued her march forward after Ana Ivanovic retired during their match. Venus Williams will face Agnieszka Radwanska in the quarters tomorrow, the Pole taking out the young American hopeful, Melanie Oudin in straights. Venus’s quarterfinal strategy is scary simple: “I’ll continue with my methods.”

It wasn’t Venus’s “methods” that brought Ana Ivanovic to tears on Centre Court but a sudden, searing thigh injury sustained while serving in the first game of the second set. And afterwards the poor woman was subjected to the DUMBEST PRESS CONFERENCE QUESTION EVER!

Q. Do you think female tennis players should be chosen to play on Centre Court because of their tennis rather than what they look like?

ANA IVANOVIC: I think on the Centre Court we always have interesting matches. You know, there is lot of interesting matches and lot of good players out there.

So, uhm, you know, they have chance only to play one or two women’s matches on the big courts, so it’s very hard for them to choose, I think.

The media keeps harping on these bogus “controversys” as if they aren’t the very ones fueling them. Can’t these reporters go cover rugby and stop treating women’s tennis like jello wrestling?

Serena Williams, who rolled over Daniela Hantuchova 6-3, 6-1, threatened to take a swing at them:

Q. Is it better to be young and hungry or a little more elderly and savvy?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Be careful (smiling).

Q. I was trying to be careful.

SERENA WILLIAMS: We don’t want a scuffle.

Yes we do, Serena!

And I love her twist on the Centre Court “controversy”:

Q. There’s been some controversy about the Wimbledon playing committee perhaps picking players for their looks rather than their tennis talent on Centre Court. They are saying that good looks are a factor with who plays on Centre Court. What do you think about that as an extremely accomplished tennis player who should be on Centre Court?

SERENA WILLIAMS: Well, I think Roger’s hot, but he’s married, so…

The fan in me is sad Amelie Mauresmo couldn’t pull off the upset against Dinara Safina, especially when she was up 3-0 in the third. But Safina fans should be very happy to hear the Russian sounding positive:

DINARA SAFINA: I think in overall the match I enjoyed because I have been missing already these kind of matches, you know, for a while. Really she pushed me to play my best tennis. That I won the match playing my best, not that you win the match by fighting, you know, or overrun somebody. But I played my best to win this match, so I’m really happy.

Let’s hope Safina needs her best tennis tomorrow against Sabine Lisicki, who beat Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 6-4. Will this be the big upset?

Also on the women’s side, Elena Dementieva destroyed Elena Vesnina, 6-1, 6-3, “3rd favorite” Victoria Azarenka beat Nadia Petrova in three and Francesca Schiavone took out Virginie Razzano in straights.

As if the Williams sisters needed more to boost their confidence, they “bicycled” Zheng Jie and Yan Zi in the doubles today.

Click here for the full tennis results.

There was loads of action at Roland Garros on Monday, with the likes of Federer, Nadal, Roddick, Venus Williams, and Sharapova all hitting the red dirt in Paris. We now have loads to talk about – fashion, new drinking games, and a contender for Dumbest Press Conference Question of the tournament. Oh, and tennis, of course! Here goes:

Rafael Nadal beat a game Brazilian veteran, Marcos Daniel, in his first round match: 7‑5, 6‑4, 6‑3. It was a tough match, despite the scoreline – Rafa was broken three times. Maybe he was nervous about breaking yet another record – this time for consecutive Roland Garros victories. He bested the men’s record of 28 straight, set by Bjorn Borg between 1978-81. He needs one more to beat Chris Evert’s all-time RG streak of 29. (Maybe that’s why Chris Evert cries when Federer loses?)

I was crying, looking at Rafa in this 80’s-inspired mess:

Rafa defends himself:

Q. This question is not about the game. It’s about your dress. You are in pink today. Why are you in pink today?

RAFAEL NADAL: I don’t know. Yeah, same like always, why I was (in) white and yellow two weeks ago. Because it’s better than dressing (in) the same color every week, no?

No it isn’t Rafa, not when you’re dressed like an extra in Miami Vice.  My eyes still hurt.

Roger Federer took the court right after Nadal today, and beat Spanish journeyman, Alberto Martin, in straights. He used the drop shot at every opportunity, even on match point.  Here’s what he had to say about his budding love affair with the dropper:

ROGER FEDERER: “I’m happy I got to learn how to use it (the dropshot) over the years. I used to not be a fan of the dropshot at all. I always thought it was a shot you only hit when you’re panicking from the baseline, when you’re scared maybe to take on the fight, you know. . .I realized that actually you can use it to your advantage against players like today. It just makes it a little bit more easy.”

Click here if you haven’t checked out Federer’s post-match interview with Tennis Channel.

Broadcast note: I have a new drinking game for Tennis Channel viewers – take a chug every time Ted Robinson makes a baseball reference. You’ll be drunk by the fourth game of the opening match.

Dinara Safina was first up on Court Philippe Chatrier, and treated her opponent to brunch: serving Anne Keothavong two bagels. It was nice to hear the normally self-deprecating Safina admit to feeling great on court: “I started to play, and I started to feel good. I felt very good on the court, and I think I played a solid game.”

Venus Williams beat fellow American Bethanie Mattek-Sands in three sets today: 6‑1, 4‑6, 6‑2. As Martina Navratilova mentioned, Venus has been giving away lots of second sets lately, so it’s hard to read too much into this particular scoreline. What fascinated me was Venus’s new dress, which was absolutely gorgeous. I loved the bright African print in the skirt (at least I think it’s African – any textile experts in the house?)

The Williams sisters are playing doubles together in Roland Garros. Venus mentioned in her post-match press conference that their love of doubles may keep them from playing the Fed Cup final:

VENUS WILLIAMS: We both really want to play (Fed Cup), but once we give our word we want to keep it. It’s just important for us to make sure it’s something we can do. Being at the end of the season is tough, and we both obviously expect to be playing in the (year end) championships, too. By that time, it’s even tougher. I mean, we hope to qualify for the doubles championships, too, actually.

Maybe we won’t need the Williams sisters in Italy – the young American, Alexa Glatch, took out No. 14 seed, Flavia Pennetta,  6-1, 6-1.

Maria Sharapova didn’t have as easy a time in her first round match against Anastasiya Yakimova, which she won in three sets. But she showed world class fight as always. Here she is explaining how and why she fought through her injury:

Q. You’re known as a fighter. It’s practically attached to your name. How difficult was it to encounter a situation (injury) where really fighting did not help?

MARIA “Pitbull” SHARAPOVA: To be honest, it really did. I think if I was ‑‑ if I was a mentally weak person or individual, I think I wouldn’t be here today. I’d be on some island. I mean, sounds good to me, probably sounds good to everyone in this room. You know, with a nice cold Pina Colada and a nice cold towel they hand around at the pools.

But I love being here, and there’s no better feeling than waving to the crowd after you’ve won. There’s no better feeling than going on court when they call your name, and, you know, there’s a job in front of you and, you know, especially in these days, to know that you have an opportunity to go out and play and have a job.

Too bad Maria didn’t win any fashion points today. Is this a nightgown, an ice skating outfit or a muumuu? I just can’t tell:

When I read that Andy Roddick hadn’t been past the first round of Roland Garros since 2005, I couldn’t believe it. But Wikipedia confirmed it, so it has to be true. But let’s face it, today’s opponent, Romain Jouan, was ranked 305 in the world and had a career ATP-level record of 1-1, so Roddick’s break-through win isn’t exactly a harbinger of great things to come. But it doesn’t hurt either.

Roddick had this funny quip when asked why American’s don’t perform well on clay: “It’s amazing, because you never hear the story of a clay court specialist, ‘why don’t you prepare and play better on grass?’ I’ve never once read that story in my life.”

Stanislas Wawrinka fielded the Dumbest Press Conference Question of the tournament (so far) after winning a tough five setter over Nicolas Devilder:

Q. Hey, your nose is all burnt by the sun. You played without wearing a hat, without putting any cream on yourface, sunscreen. Is it important or isit something you don’t want to think about during the match?

STANISLAS WAWRINKA: Having a red nose afterwards? Well, trust me, I know if I play for four hours in the sun, I know that I walk out with a red nose, whether I put some sunscreen or not. So it’s not a big problem. I’m used to it.

I excuse the question if it was his mother or his dermatologist asking it.

A down-and-dirty Tuesday preview: Jelena Jankovic is first up on Court Philippe Chatrier, followed by Djokovic/Lapentti (could be a battle), and Benneteau/Tsonga. Kuznetsova, Monfils (against Bobby Reynolds), Serena Williams, and Fabrice Santoro (playing his 20th, and last, RG) are on Lenglen. Also look out for del Potro/Llodra, the Williams sisters playing doubles and Baghdatis/Monaco, which is my match of the day.

Here are your Memorial Day results (Schnyder, Lisicki and Berdych are out, btw):

Monday, May 25, 2009

First Round – Men’s Singles
Nikolay Davydenko (10) def. Stefan Koubek 6-2, 6-1, 6-4.
Mikhail Youzhny def. Gilles Muller 7-6(2) 6-1, 6-4.
Stanislas Wawrinka (17) def. Nicolas Devilder 6-3, 5-7, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Potito Starace def. Mischa Zverev 6-7 (5), 7-5, 1-0, retired.
Robin Soderling (23) def. Kevin Kim 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4), 6-2.
Nicolas Massu def. Daniel Koellerer 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 2-6, 6-3.
Nicolas Kiefer def. Ilia Bozoljac  7-6 (4), 3-6, 7-5, 6-4.
Denis Istomin def. Santiago Giraldo 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-3, 7-6 (4).
Victor Hanescu (30) def. Steve Darcis 7-6 (8), 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3).
Rafael Nadal (1) def. Marcos Daniel 7-5, 6-4, 6-3.
Fernando Gonzalez (12) def. Jiri Vanek 6-3, 6-2, 6-3.
Rui Machado def. Kristof Vliegen 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 2-6, 6-3.
Roger Federer (2) def. Alberto Martin 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.
Paul-Henri Mathieu (32) def. Laurent Recouderc  6-4, 6-4, 6-1.
Guillaume Rufin def. Eduardo Schwank 6-1, 6-3, 6-3.
Janko Tipsarevic def. Albert Montanes 3-6, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5), 6-4.
Feliciano Lopez (28)  def. Franco Ferreiro  6-7 (3), 4-6, 7-6 (4), 7-5, 6-2.
Teimuraz Gabashvili def. Igor Kunitsyn 6-7 (6), 7-6 (5), 6-3, 6-1.
Pablo Andujar def. Robby Ginepri 6-4, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (3).
Simone Bolelli def. Tomas Berdych (19) 6-4, 6-4, 5-7, 4-6, 6-3.
Jose Acasuso def. Santiago Ventura 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-0, 6-3.
Jurgen Melzer (24) def. Sergio Roitman 6-4, 7-6 (4), 6-0.
Andy Roddick (6  def. Romain Jouan 6-2, 6-4, 6-2.
Jeremy Chardy def. Thiago Alves 6-2, 7-6 (10), 6-3.
Martin Vassallo Arguello def. Thomaz Bellucci, 6-4, 6-7 (4), 5-5, retired.
Diego Junqueira def. Paul Capdeville 3-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-3.

First Round – Women’s Singles
(1) Dinara Safina d. Anne Keothavong 6-0 6-0
(3) Venus Williams d. Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-1 4-6 6-2
(13) Marion Bartoli d. Pauline Parmentier 3-6 6-1 6-3
(12) Agnieszka Radwanska d. Rossana De Los Rios  6-3 6-1
Alexa Glatch d. (14) Flavia Pennetta  6-1 6-1
Kateryna Bondarenko d. (17) Patty Schnyder  6-4 6-3
(15) Zheng Jie d. Stephanie Cohen-Aloro 6-1 6-3
(20) Dominika Cibulkova  d. Alona Bondarenko 6-4 2-6 6-4
(22) Carla Suarez Navarro d. Edina Gallovits 6-1 6-4
(Q) Polona Hercog d. (23) Alisa Kleybanova 6-2 4-6 6-1
Mariana Duque Marino d. (26) Anna Chakvetadze 3-6 6-4 6-4
(29) Agnes Szavay d. (Q) Corinna Dentoni 6-3 6-4
Lucie Safarova d. Sabine Lisicki  6-2 1-6 6-1
Tamarine Tanasugarn d. Camille Pin 6-3 5-7 7-5
Aravane Rezai d. Ai Sugiyama 6-3 6-2
Lucie Hradecka d. (Q) Yvonne Meusburger  6-1 6-2
Olga Govortsova d. (LL) Katie O’Brien 6-1 6-1
Lourdes Dominguez Lino d. Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 6-1 4-6 9-7
Mariya Koryttseva d. Patricia Mayr 6-1 6-1
Jill Craybas d. Tsvetana Pironkova 7-5 6-2
Olivia Rogowska d. Maria Kirilenko 6-4 6-4
Kirsten Flipkens d. Stephanie Foretz 6-1 4-6 6-4
Maria Sharapova d. Anastasiya Yakimova 3-6 6-1 6-2
Akgul Amanmuradova d. (WC) Irena Pavlovic 6-3 6-4
Jarmila Groth d. Kinnie Laisne 6-4 6-3
Tathiana Garbin d. Ayumi Morita 7-5 7-5
(Q) Michelle Larcher de Brito d. Melanie South 0-6 7-6(5) 7-5

Suspended: Vera Dushevina vs. (10) Caroline Wozniacki To Finish 6-4 5-7

Results from Craig Hickman’s Tennis Blog.

Rafa in the puke, I mean pink: photo by JACQUES DEMARTHON/AFP/Getty Images via Yahoo! Sports.

Venus, Fashion Champion: AP Photo/Bernat Armague via Daylife

Sharapova, Fashion Victim: photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images via Yahoo! Sports

There’s been lots of fun and bizarre news items lately that haven’t quite warranted a full post. So I thought I’d put them all together into my second tennis goodie bag. Enjoy! (And don’t worry, it won’t rot your teeth.)

First Serena Williams is trash talking Safina as second best (click here), now she’s haranguing the WTA tour. After retiring with a leg injury against Schiavone in the first round of Madrid on Monday, Williams complained to the press about the demands of the tour. Here’s the scoop from the BBC:

“I don’t really have a choice whether to play,” said Williams, who has said players would be fined for not playing even if they were dead.

She added: “I’m not into throwing away thousands and thousands of dollars.”

The world number two – second seed in Madrid – said she was currently remodeling a house and said: “I don’t know about anyone else but $75,000 is a lot of money to me.

“That’s like my whole furniture bill, and some stairs, rugs.”

Marat Safin also lost in the first round yesterday, and seemed more ready than ever to be retiring from the game. He described the daily grind (via the Guardian):

“You wake up in the morning and you get on a bus or in a car at 11 o’clock. You come back around six. You watch a couple of episodes of something on TV. You read a book. You go for dinner. You look at the internet a little bit. And then you go to sleep. It’s boring I know but it’s the routine you have to do because you can’t do anything else. That’s our job for 10 years. Some great moments, some bad moments. Sometimes we can get out and have some fun but most of the time you have to be focused on tennis. Life is waiting for me after.”

Wait, Marat just described my life! Except I don’t travel the world, make millions of dollars and get to retire at 30. Otherwise, it’s good to know we all put our tennis shorts on one leg at a time.

Pop quiz: Name the American men, currently active on the ATP tour, who have made it to a Major singles semifinal. (I’ll post the answer in the comments section.)

Industry sources say that literary agent Larry Kirshbaum has been talking to publishers about a memoir by the 22-year-old Spanish heartthrob, who is now ranked the No. 1 tennis player in the world. . .Mr. Kirshbaum has yet to send publishers a proposal, but some editors say a book by Mr. Nadal is something they’d have to consider. “He is the best tennis player in the world right now,” says a publishing executive. “There are a lot of tennis fans around the world.” Mr. Kirshbaum did not return a call seeking comment.

Speaking of opening spectacles, Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi spoke to the BBC recently to promote the exhibition match celebrating Wimbledon’s new roof on Centre Court (the match will also include Tim Henman and Kim Clijsters.) Click here to watch the video (and get a load of how intensely Agassi stares at his wife.) If you prefer something a little more kinky, click here to watch TMZ stalk Steffi and Andre while they shop for lingerie in Vegas. (The May 17 exhibition will be televised live in the States at 9:30 a.m EST on ESPN Classic and streamed online at ESPN360.c0m.)

Just checking: Does Stan’s girlfriend remind you of anyone???

And in the “put this in your pipe and smoke it” (no, not you, Marat) category, here’s more fuel for Gasquet-watchers (via Tom Tebbutt of the Globe and Mail):

“In the 2009 ATP media guidebook, there is a note about Richard Gasquet: “In February, 2008, [he] launched The Richard Gasquet Foundation, which aims to help adolescents who struggle to find their place in society and who suffer from a lack of confidence.”

“What about ME?” you’re asking. Okay, if you want some goodies of your own (like a new tennis racquet) click here to visit Tennis Identity’s round-up of the best tennis racquet deals from Babolat, Wilson and Prince.

Serena Williams thinking about her contractor -  photo by JAVIER SORIANO/AFP/Getty Imagesphoto via Daylife.One of Marat Safin’s “bad moments.” Thumbnail photo by JAVIER SORIANO/AFP/Getty Images bia Yahoo! Sports.

We had two good match-ups in Saturday’s semifinals at the Monte Carlo Masters: Novak Djokovic vs. Stan Wawrinka and Rafael Nadal vs. Andy Murray. I was glad that Stan took a set off of Novak, but was hoping the “second Swiss” could ride his victory over Roger all the way to the finals. Nadal beat Murray in straight sets, though Murray fans are excited that the second set went to a tiebreak.

So it’s Djokovic vs. Nadal in Sunday’s final – in what could be a preview of the Roland Garros final, if both guys keep it up and the draw works out. (I should say if Novak keeps it up – there’s little “if” when it comes to Nadal at the French Open.)

Here are some highlights from Saturday’s play:

Nadal vs. Djokovic will be broadcast live on Sunday at 8:00 am, EST, on Tennis Channel.

The Bryan brothers take on Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic in the doubles final, which will be shown on Sunday at 4:00pm, EST, on Tennis Channel (tape).

Click here for the full international TV schedule.

Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images via Daylife

Thursday’s rainy weather made for a busy Friday at the Monte Carlo Masters, with Nadal, Murray and Ljubicic forced to double up on matches to keep things on schedule. I was lucky to catch the Davydenko vs. Murray quarterfinal (Andy beat Fabio Fognini earlier in the day) and thought it was an exciting match: two world-class movers and returners  grinding it out. Good to see the Russian back from injury: I’m one of those weird people who actually enjoys watching Kolya play!

Here are some of Friday’s highlights:

Saturday brings us Wawrinka vs. Djokovic and Murray vs. Nadal.

Here’s hoping for a Spain vs. Switzerland final!

Photo: STEPHANE DANNA/AFP/Getty Images via Yahoo! Sports

Roger Federer lost in straight sets to Stan Wawrinka (4-6, 5-7) today in heavy, wet conditions. Roger’s forehand was crap: 22 of his 31 unforced errors came off that side. And he only got 51% of his first serves in.

As Swiss daily, Blick, said in its headline: “Stan schickt Roger in die Flitterwochen!”

Don’t worry, it’s not as bad as it sounds: “Stan sends Roger to his honeymoon!”

On the bright side, Roger Federer didn’t cry or smash his racquet, and he even admitted to the press that he’s going to “work” on some things in practice next week. Good thing, too, now that even his strengths have abandoned him.

Here’s the scoop from today’s post-match presser:

Q. Was it kind of just bad timing all day today, with the weather and everything? Did that have any effect on how it went today?
ROGER FEDERER: Not really. I mean, I thought the conditions were fine to play, you know. They were pretty heavy, obviously, you know, because there was no sunshine, and wet courts, so that made it kind of tough to get a lot of free points on the serve.
But I thought I had decent timing on my backhand. You know, I was playing it okay, trying to mix it up as well. But, you know, my forehand was hurting me in the beginning. I was making a few too many errors. That kind of gave him the advantage.
It was unfortunate. But I thought Stan played well. It was okay.

Q. Do you feel when you don’t have the timing on the forehand, do you know pretty quickly it’s going to be a tough day?
ROGER FEDERER: Not really. It’s normal for me to miss forehands. I don’t just push them in. I usually try to go for it and be aggressive on it, you know.
But it got better towards the end. But still I just struggled. I guess it was Stan’s game. He did a good job today. He kept the ball in play. He was just better, so it was okay.

Q. Does it hurt more or less to lose to Stan?
ROGER FEDERER: Less for me anyway (smiling).

Q. Do you think you had enough preparation on clay? Is that part of the problem coming in?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, it’s the problem for everyone. Are you going to ask this of everyone who loses this week? You’re going to get the same answer. Nobody had a preparation. So it’s a difficult one, you know. Slim excuse, because it’s the same for everyone.

Q. Do you think playing two matches here in Monte‑Carlo will help for the next tournaments?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, this I don’t know. I hope it will. I think what it helps is knowing what I need to work on, you know, next week. That’s always been one of the reasons why I came here to Monaco without preparation. I’ve tried it differently, not playing Monaco I think maybe for two years, and using that as a serious buildup. Now I’ve always sort of decided to come here, see what happens. Actually I’ve done really well.
That’s why I came again this year, because it just gives you information going into your practice sessions, you know, what you need to work on. Today definitely my serve wasn’t working. I haven’t served my best throughout the season, so I have to make sure I get my serve back in, you know, going well for me because I just don’t hit the spots when I really want to.
Not that I expect, you know, 10 aces a set here on this type of heavy clay, but I just think it’s something I need to work on, you know, make sure my timing gets right, my footwork gets right, and my forehand, that I use it the right way.
It just showed me again this week what I need to work on for next week. That’s why I think it was good to come here. Look, I didn’t expect myself to dominate everybody this week. I knew it was going to be difficult. Playing Stan in the second round I thought was always going to be difficult for me because this is his place here.
I got close, you know, but not good enough to beat him today.

Q. Is there any way you will try to play next week or will you just practice?
ROGER FEDERER: I’ll play for a week, but on the practice courts.

Q. Does it make any difference to lose to another Swiss?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, I’m out of the tournament, you know, so it doesn’t matter who you lose against.
I’m happy for him that he’s, you know, progressed so much over the last couple years. He’s finally making a push, you know, getting close to top players and beating top players like myself. I think it’s great for him. The beginning of the clay court season, he’s already playing really well. That’s stuff he couldn’t really do three seasons going because he got injured or he had tough draws or he played one horrible match which took away this is confidence.
And this year and last year I think it’s all sort of coming together for him. I’m happy for him. Like I told him, the loss doesn’t hurt as much just because I know it’s against a good guy, so…

That last line makes me laugh, considering how Federer reacted after losing in Miami to Novak Djokovic. . .

Photo: Keystone via Blick

Here are some highlights from last night’s fantastic fourth round match between Rafael Nadal and Stan Wawrinka at the Sony Ericsson Open. Wawrinka took Nadal to two tiebreak sets, but Rafa countered with some scary-good stuff.

Love the squatting-double-fist-pump-VAMOS, Rafa!

Photo by Michael Heiman/Getty Images