Tennis Trends and Updates: January 15th, 2013

Yellow seems to be the color of choice for players at the Australian Open. Sharapova, Azarenka, Wozniacki, Monfils and Dolgopolov are among the top players sporting the bright color. It contrasts well with the blue courts of Melbourne. Maybe when the season starts for other players, we will be seeing lots of yellow popping up.
Another outfit spotting was Andy Murray's shirt. He was questioned if he had gained some muscle, but he said he had actually just worn a tighter shirt. His shirt does wonders.

In addition to this fashion buzz, Serena Williams had a scary fall yesterday, but still won 6-0 6-0 (anyone else not surprised? She could beat anyone left handed). Federer, Monfils, del Potro and most of the top seeds have cruised through their first matches. In the women's circuit, there aren't any upsets to report. The top seeds have been living up to their "name." Also, a very surprising win by a 42-year old Kimiko Date-Krumm puts her as the oldest person to ever win a first round at the Australian Open. Wow! So old!

Tennis Update: January 9th, 2013

I read an interesting article today about anti-doping investigations in tennis. This was rumored to have been intensified by the Lance Armstrong deal and the doping in cycling. According to Christiane Ayotte, a highly respected figure in the world of anti-doping, tennis is definitely not suspected to be as bad as cycling. The limitations of tennis versus what the limitations are in cycling are much different. It allows for less sketchy stuff happening behind the scenes. In cycling some who tested positive were found with multiple substances in their bodies. Ayotte states that in tennis that is almost never the case, so the concern is definitely not as great. The tennis federation also keep track of the health profiles of the top 25 players to make sure everything looks normal; this is not usually done in major sports, so that is helping in keeping doping at a minimum in the game. This translates into the amount of money spent in anti-doping. ATP only spends around $1.3 million annually whereas the cycling circuit spends around three times that amount. Still they are thinking of putting a stronger grip around the anti-doping services in the circuit. The problems now surrounding the anti-doping is the predictability of the tests. They usually happen at grandslams after losses. Also there blood-tests have decreased while urine tests are just remaining at a steady amount. This means that substances only detected through the bloodstream may be safer from the tests and used more often in the game. Some substances, like testosterone, can only be detected 15-20 hours after ingestion, so the timing for tests has to be more frequent and random. Although there is no reason to suspect too much of this going on, it is very important they do more tests to ensure that everyone is competing as fairly as possible. 

Tennis Update: January 7th, 2013

Novak Djokovic and Victoria Azarenka are the top seeds for the Aussie Open 2013. Just so you know. I'm sure that is no surprise to most people who have been following tennis for the last year. These two have done well the most consistently in 2012, so they definitely deserve this. It is not always a blessing to be the top seed in a tournament though. There are little advantages, besides the fact that you won't face the 2nd seed until the finals. There are more disadvantages, such as added pressure and expectations. Every match you go into, the pressure is on your shoulders to win. You are supposed to have the edge just because the number 1 is next to your name. Every opponent you play is "the underdog" so they can play loosely, unafraid to lose. 

As for more gossip-y tennis news, Sharapova and Dimitrov have been linked and there are rumors they may be in a relationship. Exciting. They could be the next tennis "power couple." I think the last power couple was Hewitt and Clijsters some time ago. Now they are in happy (different) marriages, so props to both of them for breaking up and getting over it. Not all relationships end that way, especially high-profile ones like those. 

Tennis Update: January 3rd, 2013

Sorry for the delay. I was on vacation and didn't think about blogging too much. And Happy New Year! 2013!

Anyway, tennis has awoken from its deep slumber and things are heating up Down Under in Australia. Many of the top players are competing in the warmup tournaments in preparation for the year's first slam, the Aussie Open. Still, one of the tours favorite top players, Nadal, will be out for a while due to a stomach bug and (probably) bad knees. It's unfortunate, but perhaps the extra time will give him what he needs for a full recovery. He's had such a rough year.
Anyway, Djokovic has been upset by Tomic at the Hopman Cup. This young Australian player is going to be Australia's next hope. He's one to watch in the Australian Open, which starts January 14th.
For those of you who haven't heard of the Hopman Cup, it is a great tournament where countries send their top female and male to compete against the other countries. The US lost in the semis to Spain in the semis, sending Fernando Verdasco and Anabel Medina Garrigues into the finals. Heading into the Australian Open, Venus played in good style beating Garrigues 6-3 6-4. Yay! Go US!

Tennis Update: December 10, 2012

Sorta. I'm completely exhausted from getting ready for exams. Absolutely completely dead. Almost. I've actually skipped going to my own tennis practices for a couple days just to do homework and finish studying for huge tests that I'm so not ready for. 

Anyway, you probably don't care about my life. Let's talk about the minimal tennis that is going on nowadays. Well Andy Murray has pledged to stop cussing as much as he usually does on court because  he is aware that it may offend viewers. Although it feels great to say those kind of words on court when you are frustrated, it's not necessarily comfortable for everyone watching. He also claims that what he says is not as bad as what other people say in foreign languages. I believe that's true. Lots of vulgar words go undetected by English-speaking audiences only because of the language barrier. What is more annoying to you? Constant shrieking or excessive cussing? I think shrieking is more annoying since it's usually more constant and my ears are sensitive to high pitched noises. 

David Ferrer won the Spanish player of the year this time because Nadal wasn't present on tour due to his knee injury. Yay.

Tennis Update: December 6, 2012

2012 has been a good year of tennis for most people, but others..not so much. Here are some disappointments of 2012. Bernard Tomic will not be representing Australia in the Davis Cup anymore. The Australian Tennis Society has decided to not choose him for the team and to also perhaps stop funding his growth. That is really disappointing on Australian Tennis' part. They don't seem to believe in him anymore? He's only had one year to get used to the tour and being only 19 years old, they should give him a chance to show what he can do. But nope! If you can't win a grandslam in your first year on tour, it's over for you! NO MORE!
Caroline Wozniacki has also had a crappy year. She's been played up by the WTA as a very successful and happy-go-lucky person, but when you watch her play you begin to think otherwise. On changeovers, she has tried to trip Serena Williams and thrown a pie at Radwanska's face. Ok. That's enough. But to add to that, she has looked at her disappointing year with a nonchalant tone. She plays it off like she doesn't care. She's dating the number 1 golfer in the world right now, but she is a professional athlete, not a socialite. She needs to focus back on her game and try to make appropriate changes that will help her actually win. Her stubbornness to stay on the baseline all day will continue to make her lose matches. It's time for her to change.

Tennis Update: December 4, 2012

Nadal is anticipating a comeback next season, but he is also anticipating a drop in his rankings that he says will not affect his ambitions, but he is asking his fans to bear with him during that sudden slump in rankings. I'm almost positive that his fans will just be glad that he is back on tour rather than worrying about his ranking. It is most important that he is healthy since resilience and athleticism are the keys in his game and his winning ways. He is doubtful that he can win the Aussie Open, but will focus on winning on his favorite surface, the clay courts at Roland Garros. Cheers to him for not being discouraged by a ranking!
Also, Juan Ignacio Chela has retired from tennis. This year seems like a year full of retirements! Hopefully everything is easy for him after his rough life in tennis.
Remember last week I was talking about Andy Roddick playing the tournament in South Florida? Well it turns out he beat Andy Murray (and it wasn't an exhibition match, sorry guys), but eventually lost to Nicolas Almagro in the finals. That's amazing considering he "officially" retired from the sport after his loss at the US Open. Congrats to him for enjoying the sport and continuing to keep American tennis happy!