I just can’t get closure on a tournament until I see the player party video, can you? Here’s the party in Doha. I love Wozniacki’s “brainless ball basher” vs. “pusher” analysis of her match vs. Azarenka!

Also, I didn’t realize Jelena Jankovic was a budding fashion designer. I propose that Serena and J.J. design the evening [...]

Dinara Safina’s retirement against Jelena Jankovic and subsequent withdrawal from the year ending championships was Wednesday’s big news out of Doha.  She tapped out in the third game of the match, leaving the court after a series of gut wrenching sobs no doubt caused by both pain and disappointment. In what was supposed to be [...]

Photo via www.sonyericsson-championships.com
The best thing about the year ending championships is the format – from the very first day you have the best players playing against each other and the promise of seeing them again soon, win or lose.
The first match was an interesting one. YEC rookie, Victoria Azarenka, trounced former world number one Jelena [...]

Serena and Venus Williams, Dinara Safina and the rest of the WTA’s top eight gathered at the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar on Sunday to take part in the Sony Ericsson Year End Championships draw ceremony. Here’s the lowdown on the draw via tennis.com:
WHITE GROUP:

Dinara Safina
Caroline Wozniacki
Victoria Azarenka
Jelena Jankovic

MAROON [...]

The big news out of the US Open this Friday? Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal both needed four sets to get through to the third round. They both lost their second sets – Murray beating Paul Capdeville: 6-2, 3-6, 6-0, 6-2 and Nadal beating Nicolas Keifer: 6-0, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Capdeville is currently ranked 82 in [...]

Our last day in NYC was fairly productive – with the highlight being a three set match between Azarenka and Schiavone. Victoria joins the crew of top 20 seeds who have been booted out of the singles draw on the women’s side.
Enjoy these photos of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Juan Martin Del Potro (who advanced), and [...]

We enjoyed a very busy (and photogenic) Day 4 at the US Open on Thursday, catching the Venus and Serena playing doubles, Shahar Peer beating down Carla Suarez Navarro, Sabine Lisicki rolling an ankle after losing her match, and Dinara Safina battling though as always. Here are some of the photos we took along the [...]

It’s not a full line-up of the Day 3 roster, but we thought we’d share some photos we snapped of Marat Safin, Kim Clijsters, Rafael Nadal, Richard Gasquet, Victoria Azarenka, a semi-shirtless David Ferrer and others from Wednesday at the US Open.
The attractive woman you might not recognize is Polona Hercog – an eighteen year [...]

Practice makes perfect and the ladies were looking pretty dang good at the official US Open Practice Day on Sunday. Kuznetsova, Dementieva, Jankovic, Sharapova, Safina, Azarenka and Mauresmo were all sweating up the courts. Based on the effort level out there, it looks like each and every one of them expects to make it to [...]

Big thanks to GTT reader and big-time tennis fan, Judy Salas, for her report and candid photos of Rafa, Serena and others from Wednesday’s GAME. SET. NYC. event in Manhattan. She came for Roger, but stayed for Rafa – and boy, is she glad she did! Here’s her story:

I spent most of my day at [...]

I am Maria Sharapova, hear me roar!
Maria Sharapova defeated Victoria Azarenka Tuesday night at the LA Tennis Championships in a rousing battle of the big-shrieking, headband-wearing, ball-whacking, thigh-slapping, coach-calling, no-prisoners-taking tennis lionesses: 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-2
“I knew going into this match that I would have to dig deep,” Maria said afterwards. “I might be down, I [...]

“Reality stinks sometimes,” said Maria Sharapova after beating Jarmila Groth 6-0, 6-4 in the first round of the LA Women’s Tennis Championships on Monday.
Of course, reality is relative when you’re talking about the life of a glamorous tennis superstar and self-proclaimed global “brand.”
“As a 22 year old, you’re almost finding yourself on the old wagon.“ [...]