- The Spin

The Last Day of Happiness?

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Did something happen between actress Kate Winslet and director Sam Mendes at Wimbledon last summer? According to the Daily Mail, the last time the couple was seen together in public was at the quarterfinal match between Roger Federer and Ivo Karlovic on July 1, 2009. Winslet and Mendes, both Oscar winners, sat together and seemed happy. But there’s one picture that tells a different story: he looks bored while she gazes wistfully in the distance, as though she’s wondering if this is all there is. Or maybe she was just trying to figure out how Federer was able to tame Karlovic’s serve? Anyway, the couple announced on Monday that their nearly seven-year marriage was over.

—Sarah Thurmond

The Traveling Pants Go To Thailand

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Who hasn't dreamed about having his very own tennis courts? Bud Collins, the Hall of Fame tennis journalist, now has his name on three of them. The catch? He has to travel to Chiang Mai, Thailand, to play on them. Bud Collins' eponymous courts are found in Chiang Mai at the Prince Royal College, founded in 1887 by Bud's grandparents, who were missionaries.

There was a dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony on February 5 at the College, as well as a tournament for young players (Bud presented the trophies). Bud and his wife, Anita Klaussen, also visited Maesa Elephant Camp. And you can bet Bud took a little extra time to pick up some Thai fabric for those famous pants of his, too.

—David Rosenberg

Masha-Sasha Watch 2010

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The last time we saw Masha-Sasha was at an outdoor café about two weeks ago. This week, the ridiculously tall duo was in Palm Springs, Calif., playing a game of "hit the ball with the handle." Sweet to see Maria Sharapova and her boyfriend, L.A. Lakers guard Sasha Vujacic, still looking all together-y. But it seems like an odd way to warmup for Indian Wells.

—Sarah Thurmond

5 Things I Learned on Twitter This Week

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

1. Serena Williams was shooting a commercial for Gatorade on Thursday.

2. Playing with a frying pan, James Blake beat his trainer 6-1.

3. Sabine Lisicki and Victoria Azarenka shot "Bag Check" segments for Tennis Channel.

4. Svetlana Kuznetsova started tweeting in Russian.

5. Sam Querrey hopes to be as cool as Saved by the Bell’s A.C. Slater one day.

—Sarah Thurmond

Noah Comes Alive!

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Do you like French music? Then you’ll be interested to know that a certain Frenchman who became a pop idol following his tennis career is going to perform in New York next week. Yannick Noah, the last Frenchman to win Roland Garros, is participating in a benefit concert for the people of Haiti on Monday, Mar. 15. Tickets for the concert are $50 or $150, and proceeds will be going to the Ciné Institute, which provides film education and training to kids in Haiti, and the French Heritage Language Program, an organization in New York that teaches students with a French background about their language, culture and literature. There will be other performers, including Grammy award-winning musician Angelique Kidjo. It promises to be a good time, even if vous ne parlez pas le français.

—Sarah Thurmond

Labor Pains at the U.S. Open

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Last week, a class action lawsuit was filed in a Brooklyn district court by three U.S. Open suite workers. Their gripe? They say they weren’t paid their full wages and tips from 2004-09. The plantiffs are suing Levy Restaurants, Restaurants Associates and other companies that provided food services at the National Tennis Center. In a statement, the plaintiffs' lawyer, Judith Spanier, said, "While labor law violations are nothing new, this particular case shines a bright light on how even the workers who are hand-picked to serve at a high-class event can be unfairly treated by perceived veterans in the catering industry." For more on the story, here’s an article from Businessweek.com. Hope the situation gets settled soon.

—Sarah Thurmond

The Gift That Keeps On Giving

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

When gambling and tennis are mentioned in the same sentence, it's usually not a good thing—does the infamous Nikolay Davydenko-Martin Vassalo Arguello match ring a bell? But for at least one instance, the combination should make for positive headlines. Nicholas Newlife of England, who died last February, left his estate to Oxfam, a worldwide organization that seeks to fight poverty and injustice. Included in the bequeathment were outstanding wagers on tennis futures, some of which paid off last year. One biggie was a £250 bet on Roger Federer to win at least 14 Grand Slams before 2020, at 66:1 odds. This winning bet netted Oxfam nearly £17,000, but that could be pence to the organization if this wager comes through, and it very well might this summer:

—£1,520 on Federer to win at least seven Wimbledon titles before 2020, at 66:1 (potential payout of £101,840).

Newlife wasn't all Nostradmus, though. These two wagers look like duds:

—£1,000 on Andy Roddick to win at least seven Grand Slam titles before 2020, at 33:1 (potential payout of £34,000).
—£750 on Roddick to win at least 10 Grand Slam titles before 2020, at 100:1 (potential payout of £75,075).

The lesson, as always: Hedge your bets.

—Ed McGrogan

Serena's Air Time

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

When the sequel to the Oscar-nominated film "Up in the Air" is made, we know two ladies that are more than qualified for the lead: Venus and Serena Williams. Venus has traveled from Dubai to Acapulco to New York City the last two Februarys; as for Serena, since we last saw her on-court in Melbourne—and off-court at a nail salon in Palm Beach—she's traveled to Kenya, to help open her second school there, and then back to Los Angeles, where she hobnobbed with boyfriend Common, Miley Cyrus, Jennifer Hudson, ex-boyfriend Brett Ratner and Katy Perry during the pre- and post-Oscar party celebrations. She also sent out plenty of tweets about her jewelry/accessory line on the Home Shopping Network.

I know Serena gets asked a lot of questions about juggling tennis with "outside interests," but I'm interested in how Serena juggles doing anything outside of her work with HSN. If you don't know her story, you're in luck—the aptly titled "the story behind serena williams" on HSN's website provides all the information you'll need. My favorite sound bite of the beauty pageant-esque Q&A session? "You can wear it anyway you want and it still looks really good."

—David Rosenberg

He Needed That Tennis Healing

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

A former senior adviser to Eliot Spitzer, the ex-governor of New York who was caught in a prostitution scandal in 2008, has written a book with juicy details about his old boss. In Journal of the Plague Year, which comes out next week, Lloyd Constantine writes that Spitzer gave up a weekly game of tennis, which he believes may have caused Spitzer’s personality to, uh, change.

The New York Times’ Danny Hakim previewed the book: “Mr. Constantine offers one diagnosis for Mr. Spitzer’s tempestuous behavior that perhaps only a wealthy Manhattanite could suggest: acute lack of tennis. Mr. Spitzer dropped his weekly game with Mr. Constantine in 2006, worried that a tender hamstring would cause him to hobble on the campaign trail. That ‘deprived Eliot of an important physical release,’ Mr. Constantine writes.”

So, if only Spitzer had stuck with the tennis, his humiliating downfall might never have happened. Just another of the sport's many health benefits.

—Sarah Thurmond

Homeland Security Chief Toppled On Tennis Court

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Poor Janet Napolitano. As Secretary of Homeland Security, she has to protect the nation's borders from terrorist attacks and fend off attacks on her job performance from folks like CNN senior political contributor Ed Rollins and columnists at the NY Post. Recently, she came under attack of a different sort, the kind that you and I can relate too: the dreaded tennis injury. She showed up at a Senate subcommittee hearing last week on crutches because she broke her ankle while playing tennis, which is a shame because Napolitano loves tennis. Plays it all the time. Or used to. We hope you get well soon, Madam Secretary.

—Sarah Thurmond

Tennis Night in America

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Tennis Night in America isn't just about the star-filled spectacle at Madison Square Garden. It also includes youth registration rallies at clubs across the country. That got me to thinking about an episode of 30 Rock that ran last fall. Jack Donaghy, the would-be head of GE played by Alec Baldwin, is always after better numbers, whether it be for TV ratings or microwave sales (much like I imagine the USTA execs are with participation drives like Tennis Night). In this episode, Donaghy decides that the network needs to do a better job of appealing to the "real America." Check out the video for the result when it came to the network’s tennis coverage. Happy tennis night, everyone.

—Sarah Unke

5 Things We Learned Through Twitter

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

1. Robin Soderling thinks the Swedish TV show Solsidan is "the funniest thing [he's] ever seen!"

2. Amer Delic has never played squash before.

3. Kim Clijsters' daughter Jada celebrated her second birthday in New Jersey on Saturday.

4. Jamie Murray scored a 173 in bowling.

5. Venus Williams "loves" Smallville.

—Sarah Thurmond

Rafa's 'Acting' Debut: Not Quite Oscar Worthy

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Here's the full-length video for Shakira's song "Gypsy":

Playing the role of Shakira's "gypsy" lover is, of course, Rafael Nadal. Apparently, Rafa had some time on his hands while recovering from the knee injury that forced him to retire from his quarterfinal match against Andy Murray at this year’s Australian Open. So he did what any normal player does while rehabbing: he shot a video with the perennially bare-midriffed Shakira.

Judging by the set, which is composed of chain-link fences and rubble, it looks like the premise behind the video is that a nuclear bomb was dropped on a tennis court, and Shakira and Rafa survived (along with the cockroaches, I’m guessing). Yes, they make an attractive couple (in videoland). But—and I hate to say this, because I really wanted him to do well in case he needs to quit tennis and take up a new career—he looks a little uncomfortable, like he was trying to hold back nervous laughter every time the director yelled, "Action." (Or I guess it would have been "¡Acción!" because it was shot in Spain.) Who can blame him? It must so weird to have Shakira staring longingly at you or shaking her famous hips in your face.

Though it doesn't sound like Rafa minded it too much. "Shakira, as always, was spectacular," he said. "Working with a woman as charming as her, well, it makes it a lot easier to tell the truth. It was great, very easy, she’s really sweet and that always makes the hours go by faster."

So Nadal didn't hate it, and he did his best acting job, but the Oscar is still going to go to Jeff Bridges. Oh yeah, the song is catchy.

—Sarah Thurmond

She's One Tough But Cakey Cookie

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Sometimes when I'm looking at a photograph, I try to imagine how it was created. Maria Sharapova's "inspired life" cookie baking shoot (click for a slideshow and video) with Cole Haan is a perfect example: I can picture Maria and the stylists putting on the clothing, the word "cute" thrown around with, "you are, like, so the hottest baker."

Clearly, someone spent a lot of time setting up the shot, fretting over putting the butter on a dish, or to how to spill the flour to make it look real. But I think the prop stylist's assistant dropped the ball with the rolling pin; it just doesn't make sense. But it all made Maria laugh, which is something I rarely do when I bake. She also looks very pleased while taking them out of the oven.

It was enough to make me get involved in the "inspired life" and try out Maria's favorite chocolate cookie recipe. It's a good one—not my favorite (a little cakey), but she should feel confident making the claim.

—David Rosenberg

And You Thought Rio Had the Best Carnival

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

I stumbled across a video of a parade from a couple weeks ago in Luzern, Switzerland. Roger Federer, Mirka and their two children make an appearance—sort of.

According to the Luzern website, the annual Carnival that dates back more than 600 years is "a glittering outdoor party, where chaos and merriness reign and nothing is as it normally is." Got it. I think they made Roger look a little bit like Richard Nixon. And Mirka...well, there really isn't much to say about what was done to her. Of course, the twins already have tennis racquets. Maybe that's to defend themselves from their father, who seems quite menacing in the video.

—David Rosenberg