U.S. Up and Down

ANDRE

So Agassi's through to the 3rd round to face Nadal. Steffi and Jaden were very pleaed with his play. I, as well, am quite happy with what I'll get to see tomorrow live on NBC with Ted Robinson and John McEnroe. Agassi's got to beat Nadal with power off the serve and off the groundies. He can't allow Nadal to make it into a running match and he has to try to end points early so he can last 5 sets if need be. I think he's going to do it.

ANDY

Roddick played one of the best matches he's played in a long, long time yesterday against Florian Mayer. Like Patrick McEnroe said, he just needs to play that way all the time. Andy will have his hands full in the next round as he goes up against the young Scot, Andy Murray. The crowd loves Andy, but they'll be totally in Murray's corner. Roddick and his server should prevail.

JAMES

Sadly, James fell apart up two sets to one today in his match against The Beast Max Myrni. James lost 12 of the last 13 games to lose the last two sets 6-1, 6-0. He know is 0 for 9 in career five set matches. NOT GOOD!

Another individual who was "down" yesterday was this guy (above). Not really sure what happened to him, but supposedly it has been pretty hot in London. Or maybe his Ralph Lauren jacket is too tight. Either way, I hope he was okay.

Ants Marching at Wimbledon

Andy Roddick finally got out on court and won his first round match yesterday (4 sets no doubt). Although he was diving all over the place (above), Andy wasn't that sharp, and will need to get better if he's going to make a good run at this year's tournament.

Federer on the other hand, has been looking downright INSANE! He crushed Tim Henman today (Murray again is the only "Brit" left at this stage in the tournament) losing only 6 games in the process. What is that 13 games lost in 6 sets for Federer? And a total of what 2.5 hours on the court? Tough draw -- yea right!

The Agassi/Wimbledon story continues today, first match on No. 1 Court vs. Italy's Seppi. Agassi SHOULD get through this match, and hopefully Rafael Nadal will win his second round as well. Oh what a Saturday it might be.

Other matches on tap today, look for Stosur to battle hard with Mauresmo, Raymond to share two tight sets with Williams, and Jackson to upset Hantuchova. Other winners tomorrow (in my opinion) will include Safin over Gonzalez, Hewitt over Lee, Roddick over Mayer, Sharapova over Harkleroad, and Vania King, Shenay Perry, and Mardy Fish will all keep the red, white, and blue flying for another day.

UVA, DMB, and Tennis

For those of you who have been watching ESPN2 as closely as I have, you'll notice that the coverage has been highlighted by the music of Boyd Tinsley of Dave Matthews Band. Boyd wrote the music for this year's tournament, called, "Ghosts of Wimbledon."

Boyd, just so happens to be a Charlottesville native, and ESPN2 ran this piece (see below) on him during Monday's coverage. UVA and tennis -- could I ask for anything more? I think my favorite parts are all the shots of the Grounds/Lawn during the video.

Thanks to Lynn for that video.

LET'S GO ANDRE!

What a Day at the Big W

Thanks to Offthebaseline.com, I was able to watch live Wimbledon coverage on my computer while at work all day today. That being said, I definitely re-watched everything again last night before going to bed.

These are the best two weeks of my year, and it's been like this for quite some time now. My parents will be the first to tell you how I made them get HBO (remember when Wimbledon used to be on HBO -- what a crock!) for our house for just the two weeks that Wimbledon was on ever year. Then, I would literally lay on the floor in front of our family room TV and watch every minute of the two week event. I even would skip summer camp for these two weeks. Obsessed much? YUP!

Yesterday's coverage saw all the best men in action (sorry ladies, but it was just flat out boring on your side today). Henman delivered his normal theatrics before coming out on top in the fifth. Lucky for Henman, he'll get to Centre Court in his next match -- that's right though, he'll play Jacket Man (aka Roger Federer). So basically, Henman's Wimbledon is over!

It was sick how on fire Federer was again today. Everything he hit seemed to be a perfect shot, and he was making relatively no errors at all. Tough draw or not, this is Roger's house and it's not for sale.

Now for Andre...

I was practically biting my nails for the first hour while he lost the first set and then finally got into the match and won the second. It would have been horrible to see him go out in the first round -- you should have seen the standing ovation he got as he walked out onto to Centre Court. But after Andre won the second set, he settled in and won his way into the second round.

Since Rafael Nadal won as well, if both Andre and Rafa win one more match, those two will play in the 3rd round on Saturday (weather permitting). What a match that would be (I'm planning to do pretty much nothing this entire upcoming holiday weekend except watch Wimbledon). And I think Andre would like his chances against Nadal.

So I have to travel for work the next two days, so blogging will be light. Enjoy the tennis everyone.

Note: Agassi is wearing a necklace that his son Jaden made for him for Father's Day. It says, "Daddy Rocks." Also, Cliff Drysdale and Patrick McEnroe kept making comments on TV about Andre wearing short ankle length socks. Not really sure what the big deal is, but for some reason, almost no men (I know Mardy Fish does) wear the short socks.

Putting a Roof on Wimbledon

From Yahoo Sports.

The retractable roof at Wimbledon's Centre Court won't come soon enough, especially after Monday's opening day was mostly washed out.

However, it won't be in place until 2009, when Centre Court's capacity will rise to 15,000 from 13,800.

Work will begin soon after this year's tournament ends. Information on the changes have been posted around the All England Club, and four holding platforms are already in place that will house the cranes used in the demolition work.

The initial work will involve rebuilding of the east side of Centre Court and the demolition of the existing roof, meaning that the Centre Court stadium for next year's tournament will have no roof.

Fixed parts of the new roof will be put in place from July 2007 to May 2008, and the new roof -- not yet retractable -- will be in place for the 2008 tournament.

Between the end of the tournament in 2008 and 2009, the retractable and translucent roof and new seats will be installed on Centre Court.

Check out more pictures here.

Lindsay's Milk Ad

Not much else to say here other than pretty cool Milk Ad featuring Lindsay Davenport (she is injured right now and is not playing Wimbledon). Lindsay's been looking pretty slim recently, but, this pic looks a bit doctored to me. Oh well...

One More For Andre

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've no doubt heard the breaking news this weekend that Andre Agassi announced his pending retirement from tennis following the 2006 U.S. Open this September. Read the story here.

Now, all we can do is sit back, pray he doesn't get injured, and plays one hell-uva summer season. I just might have to take two weeks off from work to go watch him play at the U.S. Open. I can't miss his last match ever.

His leaving the game is the end of one of the greatest U.S. men's periods of all time (Sampras, Chang, Courier, and Agassi). It also marks the end of a career for one of my childhood heroes --you all know I used to have an Agassi poster on my bedroom wall.

I'll do this from time to time this summer, but here's a look back at some of the classic Agassi moments. Enjoy!

Agassi and Mcenroe practicing at the U.S. open (nice hair Andre, nice jean shorts Mac)

Nike Hypercolor Gear (I wanted/had all of this stuff as a 7-year old)

Long hair, Donnay racquet, denim shorts (ahh the 80s)

Draw-ology

NOTE: Over the next two weeks, I am going to try to use as many photos as possible that I took during the 2005 Wimbledon Championships (above is the first one).

It occurred to me the other day that the way draws are made at most tennis tournaments , including the four Grand Slams, is a little bit different than in most sports (you'll understand the difference in a moment). Here's a deep dive into how it's done.

Grand Slam tournament draws are made up of 128 singles players in both the men's and women's competitions. Of those 128, 32 players (it used to only be 16, but was changed in 2000) are seeded (meaning they have semi-fixed positions in the draws). The draw is started by placing the #1 seed at the top of the draw and the #2 seed at the bottom of the draw -- making it so that these two players cannot meet before the finals. Now instead of automatically placing #3 opposite #1 and #4 opposite #2 like it is in other sports, here's the difference. Numbers 3 and 4 are placed into a "hat" and are randomly picked out -- the first number picked going opposite #1 and the second number picked going opposite #2. So yes, sometimes the draw does come out #1 opposite #3 and #2 opposite #4, but not always. (This is done mainly because tennis rankings do not change all that often, and with tournaments occurring every week, the same players would face each other repeatedly.)

Did I completely confuse you yet?

The exact same process occurs next for seeds #5 through #8, meaning that yes, the #1 seed could end up playing the #5 seed in the quarterfinals and the #3 seed in the semifinals -- that's the "luck of the draw," or bad luck in that case. Next seeds #9 through #16 follow, and then seeds #17 through #32 follow. Basically, all of this is done so that no player ranked #1 through #16 can face a player ranked #17 through #32 until the third round of the event (the round of 32).

Once these 32 are in place, the other 96 players are filled in, again randomly being chosen out of a hat until all spaces in the draw are filled. (NOTE: of the 96 players, some are "qualifiers," meaning they played in a pre-tournament tournament to earn a spot in the main draw, and some are "wildcards" meaning they were given a free entry into the main draw. Of the 96 remaining players, 16 are qualifiers and probably 8 or so are wildcards.)

So, now that you've learned a little Draw-ology, here's quick breakdown of the most intriguing men's and women's first round encounters. Get you Pimms ready!

MEN

Federer vs. Gasquet (Gasquet has beaten Federer, albeit on clay, but not an easy first rounder for Fed at all. Also, tough break for Tim Henman who is set to play Federer in the second round. Sorry England! There is always the World Cup.)

Arthurs vs. Santoro (great contrast in styles -- should go to Arthurs)

Spadea vs. Verdasco (Spadea has the edge on grass. Will he have anything to wear though?)

Mathieu vs. Philippoussis (all Mathieu. Philli, I think it's time to hang it up)

Rusedski vs. Safin (Safin should win, but he hates grass. So Rusedski will live to play another day)

Massu vs. Murray (big upset by Massu here -- poor Scottland, err England. But if he manages to get through, he could play Roddick in the third round. You'd want to be there for that people!)

Ginepri vs. Fish (poor USA -- no idea who will win this match, Fish?)

Agassi vs. Boris something or other (Agassi should win and reach the third round vs. Nadal -- what a match that could be)

WOMEN

Mirza vs. Dementieva (Mirza is better on fast courts, she should take this one)

Hingis vs. Savchuk (Hingis will win, but then lose to Justine in the Quarters -- you seeing a trend Martina?)

Vaidisova vs. Koukalova (interesting to see how Vaidisova comes back after the French -- she should sail through through)

Clijsters vs. Zvonareva (so much for winning a tournament, just to get Kim in the first round Vera -- again, "luck" of the draw).

Wimbledon coverage begins Monday morning on ESPN2. Enjoy everyone

NOTE: Here's a funny quote from Patrick McEnroe about playing on grass. "The balls skid a lot more and stay low. It forces you to use a different muscle group. Your ass -- can I say that on the Internet? -- gets really sore. For the first few days, it's really, really tough."

Wimbledon: The Polo Club

In continuing with NOML’s theme of guest blogging this week, here’s CourtneyDawn to give us her take on the latest “alterations” at this year’s Wimbledon.

I have always held the belief, that despite any level of intoxication, it was still far more plausible to spot a horse at the Royal Ascot than at Wimbledon. This year everything will change. Yes, horses will abound at Wimbledon.

OK, not in the traditional sense, but they will be abundantly noticeable as Ralph Lauren Polo becomes the first designer to outfit the Grand Slam tournament’s officials in its 129 years of play.

In the past the All England Club has shied away from sponsors, limiting the number of logos around the courts, but over the last few years sponsorship is becoming increasingly important at Wimbledon. IBM has become the official supplier of computers and Haagen-Dazs has secured an ice cream monopoly (although I doubt that any one farm/field will be able to obtain the exclusive rights to supply strawberries in the near future). When questioned Wimbledon officials have stated that they are making sponsorship deals with companies that are able to provide necessary goods/services for the tournament.

As part of a contract worth more than $10 million, the ball girls, ball boys, chair and sideline umpires will be sporting navy and cream Ralph Lauren. Ball boys and girls will don blue shirts emblazoned with the Polo logo (no larger that 3”x3” in compliance with Wimbledon’s standards) and navy blue shorts or a skirt. This is a vast improvement over the previous Barney meets “Wal-Mart chic” green and purple outfits, designed to “blend” with the grass court. But for those who fear that the symbolic green and purple have vanished completely, do not worry. While the chair and line umpires are trading their green polyester blazers (so very Masters/PGA tour) for navy blue Italian wool blazers with cream trim, the iconic purple and green will still be present in a very Hogwarts-looking purple and green striped tie to be worn by the male umpires. Ralph Lauren modeled his uniforms after the outfits worn by the Wimbledon players & officials in the 1930s and 1940s, adapting the all-white uniforms upon the request of Wimbledon officials who were concerned that players may be distracted (or perhaps confused?) by additional people wearing white on the court (Wimbledon has long-held that players wear traditional tennis whites, which reportedly led to Andre Agassi’s boycott of Wimbledon from 1988-1990).

Outfitting Wimbledon is not entirely un-chartered territory for Ralph Lauren, who has been outfitting umpires, ball boys and ball girls at the U.S. Open since signing an exclusive partnering agreement in 2004. For Ralph Lauren it seems that Wimbledon is a natural next step. According to VP David Lauren, “We've always been inspired by Europe and England, by the world of Wimbledon, by the style and the elegance and the sportsmanship.”

It seems that Ralph Lauren is winning the latest battle in the vicious turf-war between the pony and the crocodile and on the European tennis court, traditionally considered the crocodile’s home field (the pony always seemed more at home in Greenwich, CT rather than Greenwich, England). Spectators at Wimbledon are likely to see an occasional crocodile, especially if they have tickets to the first rounds (Roddick, Grosjean, etc.), but the preeminence of the pony is part of an aggressive Ralph Lauren global marketing strategy. It’s no coincidence that the opening of Ralph Lauren’s new flagship store in Tokyo coincides almost perfectly with the beginning of the grass court tournament. In addition to selling official Wimbledon gear online, Lauren has used Wimbledon to launch “the return of the big pony,” modeled after the polo pony being sported by the ball boys/girls at Wimbledon.

As a self-proclaimed crocodile snob, even I’ve gotten caught up in the Ralph Lauren tennis-fever. In honor of Wimbledon’s make-over, I will be banishing my Lilly Pulitzer golf skirt to the back of my closet, rescuing my tennis racket from my parent’s garage (where its been since a tragic knee injury forced my early retirement from the tennis circuit in 9th grade) and slipping into my brand-new Wimbledon inspired polo. Because let’s be honest, after spending $90 on my fabulous new tennis outfit I can hardly afford green’s fees.

Congratulations!

It's officially begun. Weddings are everywhere in my life. Last weekend I went to a fraternity brother's wedding. In two weeks, I have another friend's wedding (a former DC-ite). And most importantly, last Friday, DGS, another DC friend, and one of my oldest lifelong friends (since 1st grade), got engaged! CONGRATS!!! (both the random capitalization and extra exclamation marks are for YOU!!!)

DGS, I haven't seen you this happy since you told your dad that I didn't like nectarines and Clearly Canadian (best drink ever). Just kidding. So happy for you two!

Here's a look at the ring -- it's a beauty!

World Outside Wimbledon

About a year ago, I was in London, visiting a best friend, picking up a car, and watching a little tennis (okay, okay, a lot of tennis at Wimbledon). I can't believe a year has gone by so quickly. So now, as we approach the big W, I thought I'd give my London (non-tennis) friend a chance to share with us some of her favorite summer "London" activities (outside of the A.E.L.T.C.) just in case you are heading there yourself this year and need a break from the action (not that you'd want to). Take it away AM...

Queen Mary’s Rose Garden - London's largest and best rose garden in the heart of Regent’s Park. Absolutely beautiful. I’ve seen people taking wedding photos there.

Windsor Castle - Windsor Castle is an official residence of The Queen and the largest occupied castle in the world. You can go through and see the state rooms. The best part is a doll house, that is basically a miniature version of the castle. Windsor itself is a beautiful town and worth a visit to.

Greenwich – This is where the Prime Meridian is located. You can walk through Greenwich Park and climb up the hill to the royal observatory to get a beautiful view of the city. Also in Greenwich is the Cutty Sark, the most famous tea clipper built, and the only one to survive.

Boat ride down the Thames – The boat picks you up next to the London Eye at Westminster and takes you to either Tower Hill (about half an hour) or you can take you all the way to Greenwich (about an hour). See Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, Shakespeare’s Globe, Millennium Bridge, Tate Modern, the Gherkin, Tower Bridge, the Tower of London, and Canary Wharf. There is a narrator who tells you about the sites you are seeing along with a bit of history.Shakespeare’s Globe – In the summer, you can see plays in Shakespeare’s Globe. The theatre is an exact replica of the original, down to the fact that there is not a single nail used in its construction. You can stand like the groundlings, or pay a bit more for seats.

Pimms at an outdoor beer garden – This is what all Londoners do in the summer. Pimms is an alcoholic drink with fruit and mint. It is renowned for its refreshing taste. One website says it’s almost as much as a tradition as a cup of tea.

Davenport Out of Wimbledon

Check it out at Yahoo Sports. Also withdrawing today was France's Mary Pierce.

Equal Prize Money Debate Continues

Also from Yahoo Sports...It's about as Wimbledon as strawberries and cream -- another debate over unequal prize money at the All-England Lawn Tennis Club.

When competition begins next Monday, the men's champion will receive $1.170 million and the women's winner will get $1.117 million. That $53,000 discrepancy doesn't sit well with British lawmaker Tessa Jowell, the country's culture secretary.

In a letter Monday to the club, Jowell said she was "deeply concerned" with the gender gap and urged club chairman Tim Phillips to follow the lead of the French, U.S. and Australian Opens in offering equal prize money to the champions.

"I know your position on this but in my view it is anomalous that women receive less prize money than men, and this fact is tarnishing the image of the championship," Jowell wrote.

Phillips has said because top men rarely play in Grand Slam doubles events, they earn less overall than women. And men play best-of-five set matches while the women play best-of-three.

A Wimbledon spokesman said Monday the club would not be issuing a new response to Jowell's comments.

Feast On This

I know, I know. The French has been over for a week now. But here's a great recap Roland Garros video for you all to wet your chops on today.Also, not much to say here, but here's a goofy picture of Andy from his semifinal loss to James Blake at Queens this past Saturday.

Some other good stuff to come this week ... an insider's look at some fun things to do in London while you are at Wimbledon and a detailed report on Ralph Lauren apparrel making its debut at the big W (both will be guest blogs by reporters on special assignemt -- HA!)

Let Henmania Begin

For over a year now, Tim Henman has been an after thought, both to tennis and to his English nation/fans. There's been talk of retirement, injury, poor results, long layoffs, and a lot of bad press. But now, as Andy Murray (remember last year the Brits changed the name from Henman Hill to Murray Hill) continues to feel the heat in his sliding sophomore season, all seems right and ready for England's Tim to be the star once again on the manicured Lawns of the AELTC.

Today, Henman defeated the best ATP blogger and a great young player, Dmitry Tursonov, to reach the semifinals of Queens. Not only is reaching the semis an accomplishment, but in beating Tursonov, Henman also upended the guy that has taken him out of three of the last four grand slams including last year's Wimbledon.

So Brits, don't lose all hope again that this year's Wimbledon is a lost cause. With a good draw, Tiny Tim may surprise us all and get to that final we've all dreamed of. At the very least, put the Henman Hill back up for at least another fortnight.

The Mag, Serena, and HawkEye

The Mag

Tennis Magazine's website just got a facelift -- and it's a good one. The site is much more simple to navigate now and there is a lot of great new material on there. Check it out!

Speaking of The Mag, they are currently having their long-range planning conference. Peter Bodo asked for ideas on his blog and so I emailed a few of them to Editor-in-Chief James Martin (I interned for him in 2002). Here's the jist...

-- continuing with the theme of pro players blogging, what about pro players writing articles/columns for the magazine, either on themselves, the game, or other players. Wouldn’t it be great if someone like Lindsay Davenport had a commentary published in Tennis Magazine about how Wimbledon should give equal pay to women instead of just reading a quote or two in a press release? I'm thinking an Op-Ed page sorta thing.

-- the magazine has always done previews of the grand slams, and you have to admit, while the names and faces change every year, the stories themselves, especially the U.S. Open story, are pretty standard. So, how about one year (and I know this would be a ton of work) you came out with a "special issue" ASAP following the finish to a grand slam (maybe this is something you partner with Sport's Illustrated on or something) that highlights the results, special stories, awesome photos, etc.

-- in keeping with your "best of 2005 photos" issue, another joint venture idea would be getting espn/nbc/tennis channel/cbs to put together a best of 2006 DVD set. You could highlight it in the magazine, preview it online, sell it online and in the magazine.

Do you all have any other good ideas?

Serena

From Tennis-x.com. Serena Williams, who has not played since showing up gaze-avertingly overweight and out of shape at the Australian Open in January, says she will return from her knee injury in July at the WTA stop in Cincinnati.

"I have decided to return to competitive tennis at Cincinnati's Western and Southern Financial Group Women's Open, the week of July 17," said Williams in a statement. "Lately I have been working very hard on making my knee stronger, and that work is progressing well. Barring any setbacks, it is my hope that I will be able to rejoin the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour at Cincinnati."

No word on how Serena, or whoever wrote her statement, was so accurate in getting the full sponsor names of both the Cincinnati tournament and the WTA Tour in her announcement.

"Williams will have stiff competition in her return," continues the release, apparently failing to notice that at press time there are no Top 10 entries in the Cincy field, and only three within the Top 20-ranked women.

HawkEye

Also from Tennis-x.com, "Hawk-Eye, the global pioneer in ball tracking technology for sports broadcasting and officiating, has been bought by the Wisden Group, the owners of Cricinfo. Mark Getty, a director of Wisden Group, said that the acquisition was a coup for the group which would strengthen its presence in the global cricket market and provide an entry into tennis and other major international sports. "In a relatively short space of time, Hawk-Eye has achieved a major impact in the way cricket is presented and appreciated by fans around the world," he said. "It already has enormous recognition in the sport and is now making a similar impact in the world of tennis. Wisden is cricket's most famous publisher and Cricinfo is the game's largest global website, so the addition of Hawk-Eye as the most innovative technology provider in sports broadcasting is a development that will reinforce the group's presence and influence."

Ginepri On a Hot Streak

Two match win streak! That's what I'm talking about. Not a big deal really, but for American Robby Ginepri this could be the real start to his year.

With his win today, Ginepri moves to 6-13 on the year (dismal, especially for a guy who reached the semifinals of the U.S. Open last September). I expect this trend to continue for RG -- he clearly plays better on faster, more attacking friendly surfaces (grass and harcourt), and with a few wins under his belt will be packing tons more confidence for Wimbledon and the upcoming summer hardcourt U.S. Open season. And believe me, I've got sources at his agency, Octagon, who are mighty happy with his recent successes.

Speaking of his agency and his sponsors (Under Armour), how much did they pay him to wear this crazy thing on his arm during matches (this pic is from a couple of months ago, but still)?

On another topic, Bud Collins said yesterday that he thinks Rafael Nadal is truly the #1 players in the world ahead of Roger Federer. Here's what a poster on Tennis-X.com's message board had to say (and I 10000% agree with this person).

"Bud Collins, despite having seen a lot of the game in his life and being major source of tennis history, is basically a quack. Nadal has never even made the quarters in another slam. I expect that will change, but old flower pants should slow down with proclaiming him #1."

Odds and Ends

Slow tennis day (sure there are matches going on on grass, but not much to say on them other than the fact that Robby Ginepri finally won a match). So here's a few odds and ends...

From Peter Bodo: "In essence, [Rafael Nadal] said, "Roger [Federer] is the toughest guy I play, the best I lose to, even on clay." The translator tightened and brightened this up, saying, "Roger's the toughest guy out there except on clay, where I rock the world!" Or something like that. The crowd went nuts, and after the match the translator ran down to the locker room to apologize to Nadal, while Nadal's people were looking for Federer's people to apologize and see if their boy wanted to do lunch with their boy."

Marat Safin got a haircut again. Watch out ATP! He plays a heck of a lot better without that mop.

Maria Sharapova has people in her entourage who walk around with an umbrella and protect her from the rain. What is she the Wicked Witch of the West? Is she going to melt? Give me a break.

We're Taking the Chunnel

Let the grass begin. I do love the clay, but man, there is nothing like the site of a cleanly mowed grass couurt.

Okay, but before we start talking about Andre and his return today, here's a short recap (and a longer b%tc& I have) from Roland Garros.

Henin-Hardenne won. I didn't watch (I was teaching tennis). I couldn't have cared less either. Sunday was another story. I had been looking forward to this match for like two-weeks, and made sure that I got up extra early so I had time to make chocolate-chip pancakes before the match started. They were good!

Quick synopsis: Nadal came out very nervous and got smoked in set 1. Then Nadal picked it up and Federer started to miss -- and then just kept missing and missing. John McEnroe was 100% right when he kept saying that Federer was playing stupidly both with is backhand (he only made like 4 slices in the entire match) and with his court positioning (standing 18 feet behind the baseline to receive serve). Yes Nadal got tight serving for it at 5-4 in the 4th and Fed did play a great game to break, but Federer played Nadal's game and lost.

Now for my b%tc&.

It really pisses me off how people talk about the Federer/Nadal rivalry and try to say "well Federer beats everyone in the world except Nadal, so this isn't really a rivalry until Federer starts winning." To that, I say look at the facts.

Nadal's last three tournament victories all came on and all came with him beating Federer. If you look at it the other way around, Nadal can't do what Federer does. Where was Nadal when Federer won the U.S. Open last year, or the Australian this year (okay fine he was injured), or the Nasdaq, or Indian Wells? Yup, that's right. he lost early, and didn't make it to the finals.

So when you look at the head-to-head, and you see 6-1 Nadal, realize that 4 of the 7 matches have been played on clay. When Rafa starts getting to the finals of Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, then we'll talk.

So now onto Agassi. Well, not much to say, other than the fact that he came back, apparently he is pain free (for now), and that he lost a 6-4, 6-4 match to Tim Henman at Queens. Not a great result for Andre, but not a bad one either. He's always been the kind of player that needed matches. Hopefully, he'll be able to get in some good sets before the big W. If not, he won't last long there and it will be all about the summer hard courts again for him.

Great to have him back though!

Semis or Bust

For some players (we're talking the Amy Fraziers and Daniele Braccialis of the game), reaching the semifinals of a Grand Slam event would be the ultimate highlight, a story for the grandkids. But for those in the upper echelon, getting to the final four means the start of a whole new ball game -- a chance for both utter bliss and unbelievable, gutwrenching disappointment.

As MJ Fernandez put it yesterday at the start of the ladies' semis, "at this stage of the tournament it's pretty much all mental." She couldn't be more right.

Sure, some players have been on court longer, some are in better shape physically, and some have games that are just better suited for the surface. Intangibles, however, play the biggest role in determining the winner of these matches. We're talking the stuff between the ears.

How badly does a player want to win? Can he or she hold it together during the most pressure-filled moments of a match?Will he or she be able to stare victory or defeat in the eye and continue to hunt?

Sampras, Graf, Federer, Seles, this is/was their specialty. They never blinked. Most times when they made the semis of a Slam, it was over for their opponent even before it began. They were just that mentally tough.

Then you have players like Sabatini, Henman, and Capriati who often times fought two battles during their semifinal matches -- one with their opponent and one with themselves. More often then not, they ended up losing both battles.

Take Capriati for instance. Four times she's made the semis of the U.S. Open (no doubt the Slam she first dreamed of winning and the Slam she still wishes she'd own) and three of those times she lost in a final set tiebreaker (I bet she wishes the U.S. Open played it out like the other three Slams). Each time she was beaten because the other player was stronger in the head and kept it together when it mattered. And each time she walked away empty handed like the fourth place finisher in the Olympics missing out on the medal round.

Losing in the semis of a Slam is a huge blow. You miss out on everything that comes with a final -- the flowers, the live TV, the largest crowds, the trophy presentation, the butterflies, the big cash prize, the 50% chance of winning a Slam, and the memory. Even though no one likes to lose in the finals, we'll remember that Agassi lost to Federer in last year's U.S. Open final long before we remember that Ginepri made it to the semis, and then lost. Unfotunately, those players who do lose in the semis of Slams don't forget as easily or as quickly. In Capriati's case, each semifinal loss took her several months to get over (deep down, she may not be over them still). Opportunities wasted. Chances lost. It all makes for some pretty miserable nightmares.

So as we turn our attention to the finals this weekend and applaud the four Roland Garros survivors (two men and two women), let's not forget the four fallen warriors who gave it their all only to stumble just short of the finish line. And yes, there is a next time.

Coming Soon: 24 Movie...

From the Washington Post: The real-time TV thriller "24" is headed to the big screen under a deal between movie studio 20th Century Fox and the show's producers, trade paper Daily Variety said on Thursday. Read the full article here.

Meanwhile in tennis news -- four things to report this morning.

1. Roger Feder is through to the finals of Roland Garros for the first time after his opponent, David Nalbandian, retired down 5-2 in the third set (it was one set all) with an abdominal pull. Here's more on that match. Fed is now one win away from the Roger Slam.

2. Andy Roddick announced today that Jimmy Connors will join his coaching staff as a part-timer. Connors will support full-time coach, brother John, and join the team for the U.S. Open Series this summer.

"I'm genuinely excited about the prospect of working with Jimmy," Roddick told The Times Online. "My brother John will be with me full-time but Jimmy will join when he can and I certainly want him around in the build-up to and at the US Open."

3. The USTA announced this morning that all 10 U.S. Open Series events would use instant replay for line calling. Nice investment for the game USTA!

4. Brian Vahaly defeated David Martin 6-3, 6-3 in the second round of the Sacramento Challenger and now faces youngster Sam Querrey in the quarterfinals.

We Want Rog vs. Rafa

So I know, I'm getting ahead of myself here, but I don't suppose anyone can blame me. I mean, is there anyone out there who wants to see a Ljubicic vs. Nalbandian final? Or a final including either one of them for that matter?

Nah, didn't think so!

The thing is, not only has this entire Roland Garros been about the build up to this titanic battle between these two differing gladiators. But its end also signals a pause to this rivalry for a while. Let's face it, Rafa's days will be numbered at Wimbledon, and while he'll challenge on the summer hardcourts and in Flushing Meadows, it's unlikely that he'll have as many meetings with RFed in the second half of the season.

Bottom line...let's get it while it's hot (sorry Ivan and David).

So, now that we've gotten that out of the way, here are the top 10 reasons why we want to see some Fed/Nad action (granted I still think Roger is heads and shoulders better than Rafael)...

10. There's nothing better on clay than the power, sliding, grunting, hitting, wedgie picking Rafa.

9. Mirka, Mirka, we want to see more Mirka (actually we don't! and why doesn't Rafa have some hot blonde watching and yelling VAMOS?)

8. We'll get to hear approximately 8, 427 "Oh mys!" from the ancient Dick Enberg

7. The entire world will be watching Uncle Tony to see if and when he "coaches" his Spanish stallion

6. Guaranteed five set thriller with more ups and downs than Whitney Houston's career

5. Federer crying like a baby when he wins and speaking in French to the Parisians (have you noticed that he's been saying "Allez" on court?)

4. Pete Sampras still claiming that he's not sure if Federer is the best ever (sorry Pete you got to the quarters of Roland Garros ONCE and never were the second-best clay court player during a season ever)

3. NBCs 25 minute preview of Wimbledon highlighting the return of Andre Agassi and RFed's quest for a fourth straight W crown (and a fifth straight Grand Slam)

2. Nike getting five interrupted hours of NBC brand coverage

1. People (both tennis afficianados like me and journey people like Les) will actually watch this final, a day after no one but a few families in Belgium and Russia tune in for the Kuz/TSB final (WTA can you say more loudly "we miss Lindsay, Serena, Jennifer, Monica, Maria, Venus, Martina, and well that's enough.

Three Stripe That!

And now an update on the Adidas court saga just weeks before The Championships begin...

LONDON (AP) -- Adidas won a temporary court ruling Wednesday in a dispute with international tennis bodies over the size of its three-striped logo on players' clothing, allowing the logo to appear at Wimbledon.

The German sportswear manufacturer was granted a temporary injunction in London's High Court against a new rule limiting the size of the logo to 4 square inches. Adidas sponsors Andre Agassi, Martina Hingis and Justine Henin-Hardenne, among others top players. The restrictions had been scheduled to go into effect at Wimbledon on June 26.

Chancellor Sir Andrew Morritt, presiding in the High Court, granted the injunction against Britain's Lawn Tennis Association; the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, which runs Wimbledon; the International Tennis Federation and the U.S. Tennis Association.

Adidas said it had not been given enough time to adapt its manufacturing process in time for Wimbledon. A spokeswoman for Adidas in Herzogenaurach, Germany, had no immediate comment.

Morritt ordered the case to go to trial in early October. Morritt rejected a bid by the tennis bodies to have Adidas' case dismissed.

"We acknowledge the court's decision and appreciate its willingness to schedule an early trial on the merits to compensate for maintaining the status quo," the ITF Grand Slam Committee said.

Adidas is also suing organizers of the French Open and Australian Open, but there was no interim injunction against those bodies. The French Open is currently taking place, and the Australian Open is next January.

Adidas contended the three stripes running down shirt sleeves or shorts are not a standard logo. It said the official logo is the "performance logo" depicting three stripes arranged in a pyramid with Adidas written underneath.

By the Sofa (Vaidisova)