Who has the best trick?
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Personally, I like the ingenuity of Nadal, not to mention his positive portrayal of international humanitarian aid. Federer, on the other hand, with his mock-trick, inspires the questioning of the trick’s validity and staging. With Nadal, it is understood that it is all an ad. But for Federer, is this really a behind the scenes Gillette trick shot off the head of an innocent PA? Yes. See how the people are in the background and are Obviously working on other things? Don’t you think they’d be like, “Oh my gosh, the best tennis player in the entire world is about to blind poor Robbie! Cool!” I do. In fact, I wish I could have been serving coffee to Federer and crew as he gets ready to talk about his smooth shave. Even more so, I wish I could have been there as Federer hits the ball off of the guys head and then just walks out like he forgot he was pumping his gas earlier.
But then again, in the part of the Nadal video when he starts shoving the tennis balls makes me feel really strange. It made me look back up at the title of the video to make sure I was watching a funny/cute tennis player video and not some weird video that was leaked from Nadal’s personal collection.
Well, I guess we know who will win the US Open now, huh?
Posted to Serving Up Top Tennis Players by
A.Yen on 9/8/2010 2:53:18 PM | with 0 comments
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Hear what the trickster's favorite things are
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Roger gets quizzed about what he likes more.
Here are some of the timeless questions asked:
Sleepless in Seattle or You've Got Mail?
Medium rare or well done?
Favorite cheese? Something Swiss, no doubt. (All puns are intentional)
Posted to Serving Up Top Tennis Players by
A.Yen on 9/8/2010 5:02:12 PM | with 0 comments
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The Number 8 and Aligned Water Bottles WILL Help Your Tennis Game
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There are a lot of superstitious people out there. People who won’t leave the house unless all the lights are off, people who wear other people’s shorts while they sleep, people who eat chicken before every meal, get slapped by a training before playing, people who wear golden thongs during games (Giambi, anyone?), and a bunch of people who do a bunch of other things to get psyched up. As a medical doctor, I can rightly say that every single one of these people has a serious disease by the name of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. But that is neither here nor there. All of those people can probably hit, run, jump, or whatever better than I can. And apparently superstitions really work for players. If they can get over the mental handicaps and focus, their clearer minds allow for greater concentration.
Wouldn’t you like to know your favorite tennis players’ wacky rituals? Yes, of course you would. You’re welcome in advance. As the US Open comes to a close, some of the 8 players left even have superstitious rituals.
And what better segue than to discuss Mr. Roger Federer’s quirk: the number 8. I can’t get into details here, but watch Federer as he warms up and plays. 8 aces before he can begin the game. 8 towel-rubs after a set. 8 bottles of water (Evian only) in his bag. 8 rackets in his bag. 8 members of his entourage in his box. 2 times winning 8 Grand Slams (he has 16). 8 tears falling from each duct (just kidding!!). According to the Onion, Federer superstitiously screams at himself in a locked bathroom for hours. Obviously this is incorrect – it has nothing to do with 8. I bet he loses this US Open on purpose because it’ll mess up his double 8 record. $50 on Nadal.
Speaking of, Spanish pretty boy Rafael Nadal obsesses over the way his drinks are displayed on the side of the court. Each of his water bottles must be lined up and all the bottle’s labels must face his baseline. Is this due to an elaborate contract necessity as arranged from his deal with Evian? I don’t hesitate to say no. I’ve heard that his addiction to body butter and tanning beds is tightening his at-one-time deep pockets.
Other men’s semi-finalist Novak Djokovic doesn’t really have any quirks, sorry. He does seem to bounce the ball quite a bit. And he does have a penchant for impersonating fellow pros and playing with tiny pink umbrellas in the rain (look it up) and while you’re at it, go ahead and watch this video.
Slightly less exciting, the women of tennis do have rituals too.
The number-one tennis player of the WTA, Venus Williams, likes to train with her Yorkshire terrier, Bobby. That’s it. He doesn’t hit balls to her or work on her grunt, though he may occasionally fetch a stray ball or two.
Belgian Kim Clijsters likes to eat at the same restaurant during a winning streak. This makes me wonder how she eats at the same restaurant nearly every day – that must get really boring. I bet she eats a lot of french fries with mayonnaise.
Wozniacki’s semi-final competitor Vera Zvonareva wears running pants during pre-game warm-ups. But really, that’s not so weird. Those guys in the NBA do that with the pants that have buttons on the sides so you can rip them off quickly. Perhaps that could be added to the rule book of WTA and ATP?
Tennis isn’t that weird after all, sorry I misled all of you. Long live the royal sport!
Posted to Serving Up Top Tennis Players by
A.Yen on 9/10/2010 1:53:53 PM | with 0 comments
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My 5 favorite US Open moments so far
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There have been some highs and there have been some lows during this US Open. Here, I’d like to share with you some of the better moments from Flushing Meadows. This is nowhere near a definitive list, nor is it an objective one. The moments that follow are subjectively good. That is all.
#1: Roger Federer’s tweener. This caused a stir at the game, on TV, on the internet and even amongst my family members. People were going bonkers over this one. After hearing about this, my own mother asked, “He hit his what?!?” and then realized that he hit the tennis ball between his legs and scored. What a mom.
 © Andy Kentla
#2: The Bryan Brothers win again. These guys are totally unstoppable. Between their sky-high chest bumps and intense brotherly love, the Bryans know a thing or two about winning champions. More importantly though, this should serve as a public service announcement to start watching more doubles tennis matches. The turn out to these things is absolutely pitiful and the entire sport nearly ended had it not been for the Bryan Brothers them selves who saved the day. Support ‘em!
© Andy Kentla
#3: Caroline Wozniacki. Nothing about her especially, except for the fact that she’s nice and pretty. It was fun having her around for as long as she was around. I’m sure we’ll all see her smiling face around next year. Safe travels, Caroline.
© Natasha Peterson/ Corleve
#4: Verdasco and Nadal fight out the Catalonian-Spaniard rivalry. It wasn’t as exciting as I thought it was going to be, though I really liked the idea of a guy from a Catalonian-speaking island (Nadal) playing against a Madrid-born Spaniard (Verdasco). I understand that you might not think that Catalan is better, but don’t make that assumption just yet. Madrid is a really nice city, okay?
© Andy Kentla
#5: Gael Monfils. This high-flying Frenchman was a sight to see. Throughout the tournament, I though that the games he played were some of the best to watch. After all of his diving and sliding, it’s hard to deny that he is one of the most athletic player’s in the game.
© MELCHIOR A. DI GIACOMO
Posted to Serving Up Top Tennis Players by
A.Yen on 9/10/2010 4:54:00 PM | with 0 comments
With the 2010 US Open’s men tournament coming to a close today, I think it’s important to talk about one Novak Djokovic. I’ve been a fan of his for a while, but only now know that he’s positively going to win this Grand Slam. Nadal has had his heyday – it’s time to share the wealth with East Europe. Though Serbia has had a turbulent past, what with Kosovo and World War II, they have a very vibrant future, filled with a lot of tennis. Novak himself began the country’s premiere tennis tournament, the ATP-sponsored Serbia Open. It’s quite similar to the US Open, but with more ćevapi, gibanica and water polo players (water polo is huge there). Like many post-war nations, Serbia has only beautiful things to look forward to, the first of which is a national win on a global spectrum: Djokovic taking the US Open.
Djokovic may hardly be an underdog with his 3rd seated ranking, but behind the likes of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, he may as well appear to be light-years away. Federer and Nadal have taken tennis by storm, winning and losing for only one another’s spite, as it seems. The two have dominated professional men’s tennis for about 6 years, leaving little room for anyone else to win a Grand Slam title. There is no reason that this young Serbian shouldn’t win this one, unless, of course, he doesn’t play well, it’s too rainy, Nadal has an enhanced performance, or some other superfluous excuse.
And that’s part of why Djokovic should win. He’s young, he’s never won, he’s really funny, he’s a humanitarian and organizer, and most importantly – his dad goes to his games and wears goofy t-shirts. And that last reason should really be all that you need. Would you rather see Uncle Toni and his boy win again, or Srdjan and his shirt, boisterously looming over Arthur Ashe stadium, ready to take on the world? Obviously, the latter.
While you’ve seen that shirt sitting in the stands every time Djokovic plays, have you really thought about what it means? Here are the facts: Srdjan is at the game, Srdjan is wearing a shirt with his triumphant-looking son on it, Djokovic knows Srdjan is wearing it all the time, and Srdjan bought the shirt in Belgrade. What this tells me is that not only does Novak Djokovic have a wildly supportive father who travels to distant New York City (and Queens at that) to watch his son, but he also supports local Serbian businesses. Haven’t you heard about the local movement? Go local, c’mon. In Novak knowing that his father is wearing this absurd shirt and his father doing so with a stone-cold straight face, we have two options as to immediately and superficially judge the father. One, he is completely pompous and delusional, only wearing such a totally ridiculous shirt because he is both dumb and greedy – hoping to make these shirts and sell them for a hefty profit after his talented son wins it all. Or two, he is the funniest and coolest father ever. I’m voting for number two.
So this afternoon when you look up from your microwaved lunch and see Srdjan on your small television, think about what I’ve told you and root for the right man to win.
I’m moving to Serbia. Who’s coming with me?
Posted to Serving Up Top Tennis Players by
A.Yen on 9/13/2010 11:14:53 AM | with 0 comments
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Maria Sharapova and her Infant Army
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Maria Sharapova did something all too normal: she became the face of a water company. Evian has sponsored the tennis star to promote their new Live Young campaign.
The ads are promoted by animated babies in only roller skates and diapers. In their promotional video, the babies are seen roller skating around New York City, performing various tricks and dance moves. It is far too similar to the Ally McBeal dancing baby to be called original and far too terrifying to be called cool. Their website features confusing puzzles involving, yup, you guessed it – babies and bottled water. Similar to SAT or IQ questions, the puzzles ask you to complete various tasks, which really don’t make much sense. The microsite also features an interactive section with the babies, and a segment on the health benefits of water, neither of which I really learned anything from. Serving to capture the “awww” quotient of internet-goers, the videos/website score huge points with anyone who likes a baby. But in reality, the campaign is rather misdirected and costly. Still, a viral video is a viral video and I believe that’s what they were going for.
Maria Sharapova fits in with the print campaign, which features her posing in a shirt printed with a head-less baby in a diaper. It is meant to symbolize Sharapova, with her head where the baby’s should be, as a younger person. How young? Well, about 2 years old, or 24 months. If French water is really drawn from the Fountain of Youth, I hope that I don’t reform into some Benjamin Button-esque infant. Where’s the fun in that?
I’m really thirsty now, but I think I’ll opt for some tap water, thank you very much.
Posted to Serving Up Top Tennis Players by
A.Yen on 9/14/2010 6:00:30 PM | with 0 comments
Did anyone realize that Lil Wayne was right about his US Open predictions? I saw an early report that rapper Lil Wayne, who is incarcerated at Rikers Island Prison, near New York City. Perhaps through his proximity to Arthur Ashe Stadium or his uncanny tennis expertise, he correctly guessed the two winners for both the WTA and ATP tournaments. Granted, Nadal was ranked number one and Clijsters number three, but still! The US Open regularly has upsets – last year’s US Open winner Juan Martín del Potro of Argentina being a prime example.
So really, when you think about it, it’s pretty amazing.
This drug-addled mind, locked up in prison for gun- and marijuana-possession charges, clearly knows a thing or two about tennis. I’ve never been to prison, well I mean, I’ve never been locked up in a prison – I’ve taken several educational trips to learn about the social and psychological ramifications of such a regressive debilitating and demoralizing type of nationalized detainment.
But back to the topic at hand – Lil Wayne had insider information. What makes anyone think that he could not have bribed his way into getting everyone to let these two win, only to prove his worth in prison? Lil Wayne netted $18 million in 2009 alone, which is about as much as Novak Djokovic has made throughout his entire career. It’s more than plausible that a wealthy entrepreneur was able to bribe his way through the US Open, potentially with a deal to get an early release. And oh, what is this – Lil Wayne is rumored to be let out 4 months early? For what, exactly? Nothing! In fact, Mr. Cash Money was caught with contraband (headphones, mp3 player, cell phone) and should have been severely reprimanded for it.
Whatever the deal is, congrats, Weezy, you’re either super powerful or super smart. Or both…
Posted to Serving Up Top Tennis Players by
A.Yen on 9/15/2010 1:36:56 PM | with 0 comments
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Who ever said video game athletes weren't real athletes?
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The Nintendo Wii is one of the best video game consoles I’ve ever played on and Wii Tennis is one of the best video games I’ve ever played. At times challenging, at times confusing, at times unenjoyable, Wii tennis contains everything in a video that I love and hate. Playing it for hours on end gives me incurable tennis elbow and wrist. Lying motionless on my floor and flipping my wrist around gives me little satisfaction. Instead, I choose to stand up, strap on my Wilson headbands and Babolat shoes and give Natasha and her friends a little piece of mind. I usually win, to say the least. I am a pro and have a pretty high score, but I’ve found my new internet hero: YouTube’s somebody3. Under the Wii moniker “Konrad”, this personal idol took on Sarah and Elisa to get the highest score possible of 2399. You could watch the short video yourself, but it instead seems more appropriate for me to transcribe its actions here.
The score is 00-00 and Konrad 1 (there are 2) is up to serve. He powers it to Elisa and Konrad 2 knocks it back over at the net. Elisa hits again and Konrad 2 fires back another short blow. Elisa dives to get it and Konrad lobs it to the other side, behind Sarah. Elisa dives for it again, nearly getting the Korands, but Konrad 2 dives and returns an unhittable shot.
15-00. Konrad 2 serves to Sarah, who returns to the ball. Konrad 1 gives it his best shot and Sarah hits it again. Back to Konrad 1, he hits a deep ball to Sarah who stretches to return it. Konrad 1 counters with a cross-court hit. Sarah dives, but can’t get it before the second bounce.
30-00. Konrad 1 serves a hot ball and Elisa attempts to return it, but hits it wide. Ace.
40-00. Konrad 2 serves a second potential ace for the team, but Sarah manages to return it. Konrad 1 hits a dangerous ball, but Sarah dives outside the court to return it. Konrad 1 hits an easy ball and Sarah races to center court, diving to hit it again. Konrad 1 hits a deep ball and Sarah returns it. It cruises just over Konrad 1’s hit, but Konrad 2 is ready, knocking a deep cross-court ball to the other team. Sarah races to get it and Konrad 1 is ready at the net. He hits a solid ball and Sarah has to dive to reach it. Back to Konrad 1. He knocks another one to Sarah, this one deep – real deep – she hits a lob and it goes just beyond the border of the Konrad’s court. It can’t be. Sarah and Elisa, pros themselves, have just lost in a straight points to Konrad. The title screen pops up “You Win” and confetti begins to fall. I look down at my desk – a puddle of tears.
I’m proud. Perhaps one day I may be able to do the same, but for now, its Wii golf for me.
Posted to Serving Up Top Tennis Players by
A.Yen on 9/22/2010 1:33:16 PM | with 0 comments
A few things have changed for Nadal since he was 12 – men and women love him and his body, he can player better tennis and his English has improved…slightly. But for Rafael Nadal, he’s always been a Nike fan boy and that will never change, no way. I drank Coke when I was a little kid at a birthday party my grandparents drove me to. I can’t not drink Coke now. The drink is associated with such good memories that I really can’t let it go. Coke will never signify Columbian drug lords and blood money to me. Instead, I only imagine Adrian Brody sipping it, walking down Canal Street and summer afternoons with my grandparents.
Nadal is the same way. Ever since he was 12 (and before, surely), he’s been seeing that beautiful swoosh and has been winning bigger and bigger awards. Now, as he looks in the mirror, holding his Grand Slam trophies and his lovely lady, he will look in the mirror and see that swoosh above his head, that beautiful, beautiful swoosh.
Granted, I don’t get millions of dollars a year to drink coke, or so anything, really, but still! From this day on, I pledge not to drink Coke because when I look at the bottle I see the happy eyes of my grandparents, but because I want the sweet satisfaction of drinking a carbonated, caffeinated, overly-sugared drink. I will no longer be subjected to the ranks of those taken by brand familiarity – there’s a whole world of cola out there, and I’ve been drinking Coke!
I began writing this to talk about Nadal as a 12 year old and how awkward 12 year olds are. The romanticizing his life has gotten is amazing and there are certainly middle aged women out there talking about what a cute 20-whatever he is and what a cute 12 year old he is. Those are supposed to be different kinds of cute, though I doubt they differentiate. Really, he just seems like one of those kids who missed out on their childhoods a little bit. The kind that gets casually into something and then gets further forced into it by those around him. He’s like a child-model. Yeah, Nadal was exactly like a child model, come to think of it.
I wonder if Nadal watches these video, robotically staring at the screen and wondering what sort of cool Pogs, Animaniacs childhood he missed out on.
And I’m telling you, he missed out on a lot. It was a lot of fun.
Posted to Serving Up Top Tennis Players by
A.Yen on 9/23/2010 1:46:39 PM | with 0 comments
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Look what you're holding, Andy. Drop it.
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What happened to Andy Murray? I remember watching him, way back when, fighting at Wimbeldon with all of the United Kingdom at his back, using the Queen’s support and coming close to coming close, but failing. And he’s done even better than that - getting to the final of the Australian Open this year and the US Open in 2008. Still, the Scotsman is ranked 4 th in the world. Why? Well, I don’t know.
He seems like an athletic enough guy. I once saw a picture of him flexing his bicep muscle and it looked significantly larger than mine, which is saying a lot. According to the latest reports about his last US Open failure, Murray believes his level of fitness was to be blamed, as was his lack of aggressiveness.
When watching his last match with Wawrinka, it was obvious that Murray just couldn’t muster the guster. His attitude was poor and you could see him getting upset with himself. He was losing it right before our very eyes and there was nothing that anyone could do, even him. He certainly didn’t look like the 4 th best player in the entire world – far from it. And come to think of it, I haven’t ever seen Murray in top form – he always seems to let some external force get the best of him; a quality that no top-5 player should have.
So what is the deal, mister blogger? Well, here’s the deal: Andy Murray and David Beckham are friends. When you’re friends with the most popular person from England, it goes to your head. He’s become a superstar without having anything to show for it, besides a super hot model girlfriend, and he doesn’t even have that. So really, this is yet another case of stardom causing the downfall of a potential great. I can think of a few more, though most of them are just people who were part of some MTV reality show – The Real World, The Jersey Shore, Puff Daddy. So in this equation, Andy Murray is like JWOWW, but with fewer Facebook friends and more money.
It goes without saying that Andy Murray has talent. But when will this talent do something positive? Perhaps when he quits goofing around with his Hollywood buddies and starts hitting balls.
This is a wakeup call, Andrew.
Posted to Serving Up Top Tennis Players by
A.Yen on 9/24/2010 1:30:56 PM | with 0 comments
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The most macho sport's most macho mens' macho moments.
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These are the most macho photos of the top ten players of men's tennis. They are unequivocally true. The are no others more macho.
#1: Rafael Nadal --The Hulk.
#2: Novak Djokovic
#10: Andy Roddick --Couldn't find any macho ones with his shirt on. 
The winner, hands down, is Mikhail Youzhny. Looking gruff with blood dripping from a self inflicted head injury is just about as macho as it gets. You might have lost that match, Mikhail, but you won this one. Congrats!
Posted to Serving Up Top Tennis Players by
A.Yen on 9/27/2010 10:58:15 AM | with 0 comments
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The man knows his stuff, no doubt.
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Today, the King of Tennis did an honor for the King of Thailand – he planted a tree. And then he watered that small tree, nurturing its growth so as to further develop the important agricultural- and environmentally-based Thai infrastructure. Rafael Nadal – an athlete, a painter, a humanitarian – is a God among men.
This morning, upon reading my daily newspaper, the India-based English news source The Hindu, I found an interesting article about Nadal’s Southeast Asian doings. After frolicking on the beach (anyone? sexy?) maybe with his girlfriend (anyone? sexy?), Nadal flew to Bangkok to wear Nike clothes and a pink Thai King shirt and honor the country’s royalty by planting a tree. In a video of the event, Nadal can be seen kneeling and covering the small tree, then watering it with a small, holed bamboo apparatus. There was then a small press conference during which Nadal said something to the effect of, “I liked it.”
The man is of few words, but it is of great skill and ideals. While having the distraction of the Thailand Open at hand and in mind, Nadal effortlessly and proficiently providing Nike-promotion for an entire nation and honored a country and culture.
Really though, the public show was an attempt to intimidate his opponents, showing his cool, while they sweat bullets thinking about strategy and fitness. No, Rafael plants trees and swims in oceans, basking in the sun with his model girlfriend. His life looks easy and for a reason. Really, Nadal studies and speculates for hours on end, his team at his side, calculating aerodynamics and wind velocity variables. Have you ever seen Cool Runnings? It’s like that scene where the main guy is in the hotel room, studying, while the others are in the country western bar, doing the two-step. Nadal may act like he’s calm and collected, but he’s as nervous as the rest of them.
But who am I kidding? He’s obviously going to win, whether he’s planting trees or not.
See the video here:
Posted to Serving Up Top Tennis Players by
A.Yen on 9/28/2010 4:28:39 PM | with 0 comments
In Bangkok, the other Spanish tennis wonder-man, Fernando Verdasco, took his shirt off again.
I could really leave it at that, but I’ll extrapolate: he was doing muay thai boxing.
Again, I could really leave you thinking about a shirtless tennis player fighting Thai kickboxers, but I won’t.
Verdasco attended a public muay thai clinic with the famous Thai boxer, Paradorn Srichaphan, and practiced a few moves. Verdasco issued a few remarks about wishing to pursue the sport further after he is finished with tennis. There were a few other interviews, a couple of photographs taken and a few video recorded, all in the name of publicity and the promotion of Thailand, the Thai Open, Srichaphan and Verdasco himself.
But really, the show was for the looks. Fernando knows women and men alike enjoy his simultaneously smooth and ripped body and any chance to showcase his goods makes for a fine show. Once again, the Internet as we knowit proves itself as a welcome place for perverts. So all of you out there looking for fine, fine bodies glistening with sweat and oil, look no further – I can help.
Here is Verdasco’s sexy body, just hairy enough to remind you how manly he is. And this time, he’s not jumping off a yacht, but rather fighting a blood-thirsty Thai boxer. Notorious for their dexterity and brutality, muay thai fighters will gladly beat you silly. Verdasco looks suave in the face of danger, letting us all know just how masculine and carefree he really is. Not only does he have immaculate physique, but he puts it to good use – pummeling faces until they shine with blood.
What a beautiful man.
Posted to Serving Up Top Tennis Players by
A.Yen on 9/29/2010 12:07:16 PM | with 0 comments
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