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EASTBOURNE, England—Ivan Dodig, while he’s ranked just 50th in the world and has never been above No. 32, has always seemed to me to be a model competitor. He treats the game like a job; he tries what he can, and if it doesn&...
EASTBOURNE, England—Ivan Dodig, while he’s ranked just 50th in the world and has never been above No. 32, has always seemed to me to be a model competitor. He treats the game like a job; he tries what he can, and if it doesn’t work, he doesn’t to turn it into a personal reflection on himself. He knows his limits and works within them, and doesn’t indulge in the angst and self-torture that we see from many of his more talented colleagues. Dodig, at least, knows that he has limits. Maybe that’s because, from a physical standpoint, Dodig is an unlikely-looking tennis player. He has a stocky build, rather than the long and lanky one we normally associate with the sport. Like his fellow lunch-bucket artist David Ferrer, he goes about his business with his shoulders hunched, and his shots are utilitarian rather than artistic or creative—in his hands, the racquet is a tool rather than a wand. The 28-year-old Croatian is not a performer in any sense; every move and expression is related to the job he has to do (though it should be noted that he's not above the occasional rage-filled outburst). Today, on grass against 6’5” Milos Raonic, serve-and-volley was his best tactic, so he served and volleyed. At one point in the second set, Dodig slipped and fell and spun out on the turf. His legs whirled out from under him like a break dancer’s. But when he got up, there were no Murray-esque moans, no glares of anger at the slippery patch of grass beneath him, no time spent walking it off or feeling embarrassed about his tumble. Dodig got up and got on with it. He also got on with upsetting Raonic, the top seed. Raonic has been here this week with new coach Ivan Ljubicic, and their practices have involved a fair amount of time spent rushing the net. Raonic tried to use that tactic against Dodig, to little avail. If he wasn’t passed at the net, he was caught in no-man’s land. To be fair, Raonic was equally hesitant from the baseline. If he wasn’t throwing a lame backhand slice into the net, he was late getting around for his inside-out forehand. Despite all that, Raonic still had a set point in the second-set tiebreaker, but somehow he failed to get in position for a simple backhand near the net. He caught it late, and pushed it wide. It wasn't Milos' day. Asked about his new coaching arrangement with Ljubicic, Raonic said, “Obviously, I think it needs time, that’s for sure, and I think the approach and things we’re trying to achieve are a bit different. We’re trying to incorporate things and understanding that it’s not always going to work, try to sort of win the matches but sort of think about what I’m trying to improve. It’s about having a long-term goal.” At the All England Club in 2011, one veteran tennis writer predicted that Raonic would win Wimbledon within four years. With that serve, it didn’t seem like an insane thing to say. Next week we’ll be halfway there, and while the Canadian has steady progress during that time—he’s No. 15 in the world—he hasn’t shown a special aptitude for grass. He lost to Sam Querrey in the second round at Wimbledon last year, and so far in 2013 he’s 0-2 on the surface. Today he expressed some misgivings about trying to round his game into shape while having to practice on it. “I’ve got to figure out my thing,” Raonic said. “It’s like I’m just not executing the things I need to execute. Obviously the surface doesn’t make it easy. I think it’s easier for me to figure out things on hard courts.” Raonic, a big man and bigger server who did his best to play like Pete Sampras, seemed like the model of a Wimbledon winner when he arrived on tour. But the missile-throwing model is starting to look pretty creaky. What I noticed most today was how easily Dodig wa
31 minutes ago
Laura Robson's Eastbourne campaign came to an end after she suffered a 6-4 6-4 defeat to Caroline Wozniacki in the second round of the WTA Aegon International.
Laura Robson's Eastbourne campaign came to an end after she suffered a 6-4 6-4 defeat to Caroline Wozniacki in the second round of the WTA Aegon International.
about 2 hours ago
Prime Minister David Cameron has praised the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) for its efforts to boost participation.
Prime Minister David Cameron has praised the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) for its efforts to boost participation.
about 2 hours ago
Elena Baltacha crashed out of the WTA Aegon International after losing a three set battle against world No 10 Maria Kirilenko.
Elena Baltacha crashed out of the WTA Aegon International after losing a three set battle against world No 10 Maria Kirilenko.
about 3 hours ago
Roger Federer and Serena Williams, tennis legends turned into Wilson Tennis comedians (June 19, 2013) Wilson Tennis has unmasked their latest promotional videos for their Steam racquet line that utilizes Spin Effect technology, and it ha...
Roger Federer and Serena Williams, tennis legends turned into Wilson Tennis comedians (June 19, 2013) Wilson Tennis has unmasked their latest promotional videos for their Steam racquet line that utilizes Spin Effect technology, and it has turned tennis veterans Roger Federer and Serena Williams into quite convincing comedians. In one of the videos, Federer dons a fake mustache as he hits the courts with a practice partner that looks eerily similar to another Wilson Tennis athlete, German Philipp Kohlschreiber. Federer’s comedic timing is impeccable as he first stumps his rival on the court, and then pleasantly introduces his secret weapon, the Spin Effect technology. I guess there is hope for us normal folks to play like the King of Tennis after all! We all also know that Serena Williams is quite a character as well, and her nerdy alter ego “Summer” didn’t disappoint in Wilson Tennis’ other humorous video. Sporting black hipster glasses and a floppy hat, “Summer”  steps in to replace an instructor for a clinic. While the kids question her true identity, “Summer” goofily shouts at her pupils (“Focus on your shottt!”) as if she were talking to herself during a match. She then introduces them to the Steam 99S racquet with Spin Effect technology and all their tennis worries are washed away.  Come for the comedy, stay for the punch line at the end. To learn more about Wilson Tennis’ Spin Effect Technology, check out their website here.
about 3 hours ago
by SavannahI don't know who Stephen Rodrick is, the man who was tasked with doing an in depth interview with Serena Williams that appears in the current issue of "Rolling Stone" magazine, the one that published just before the start of...
by SavannahI don't know who Stephen Rodrick is, the man who was tasked with doing an in depth interview with Serena Williams that appears in the current issue of "Rolling Stone" magazine, the one that published just before the start of Wimbledon.This is the comment that is causing all kinds of drama.We watch the news for a while, and the infamous Steubenville rape case flashes on the TV – two high school football players raped a drunk 16-year-old, while other students watched and texted details of the crime. Serena just shakes her head. “Do you think it was fair, what they got? They did something stupid, but I don’t know. I’m not blaming the girl, but if you’re a 16-year-old and you’re drunk like that, your parents should teach you: Don’t take drinks from other people. She’s 16, why was she that drunk where she doesn’t remember? It could have been much worse. She’s lucky. Obviously, I don’t know, maybe she wasn’t a virgin, but she shouldn’t have put herself in that position, unless they slipped her something, then that’s different.”Serena has issued the following statement:“What happened in Steubenville was a real shock for me. I was deeply saddened. For someone to be raped, and at only sixteen, is such a horrible tragedy! For both families involved – that of the rape victim and of the accused. I am currently reaching out to the girl’s family to let her know that I am deeply sorry for what was written in the Rolling Stone article. What was written – what I supposedly said – is insensitive and hurtful, and I by no means would say or insinuate that she was at all to blame.I have fought all of my career for women’s equality, women’s equal rights, respect in their fields – anything I could do to support women I have done. My prayers and support always goes out to the rape victim. In this case, most especially, to an innocent sixteen year old child.”There are a number of problems with Rodrick's interview, chief among them quoting from what appears to be a private conversation Serena had with an unnamed person about people who are never identified. Fans of a certain player quickly decided who Serena "must have" been talking about and accused her of throwing shade against one of the women ranked second or third in the WTA. When the beat reporters who usually print whatever the Tours want them to question the ethics of what was done regarding the private conversation and regular tennis heads ask why that wasn't edited out you know you have a perfect storm.The other question is why, if an advance copy was presented to Serena's PR people there weren't protests about the content? Why wasn't a PR person present at the interview to stop Serena from making what is obviously a personal observation about the Steubenville situation?The glee with which some fandoms have seized on the statements to attack Serena tells me this is being used to try and break her focus in the hope that she will lose in an early round to a lower ranked player or a Qualifier and allow their favorite to win a Slam without having to go through The Great One.I don't want to get feed the trolls so this is all I will say on this matter.
about 4 hours ago
Pat Cash believes Andy Murray has all the skills needed to win Wimbledon this year but may require some luck along the way.
Pat Cash believes Andy Murray has all the skills needed to win Wimbledon this year but may require some luck along the way.
about 5 hours ago
Svetlana Kuznetsova has pulled out of next week's Wimbledon Championships with an abdominal injury.
Svetlana Kuznetsova has pulled out of next week's Wimbledon Championships with an abdominal injury.
about 5 hours ago
Britain's last two women in the qualifying draw for Wimbledon have both been knocked out at Roehampton.
Britain's last two women in the qualifying draw for Wimbledon have both been knocked out at Roehampton.
about 5 hours ago
Photo by Clive Rose/Getty ImagesThe seeds for the 2013 Wimbledon tournament were announced today. You can see the list and the standard, agreed upon formula that was used to derive it here.The seeds are the top 32 players on the ATP Entr...
Photo by Clive Rose/Getty ImagesThe seeds for the 2013 Wimbledon tournament were announced today. You can see the list and the standard, agreed upon formula that was used to derive it here.The seeds are the top 32 players on the ATP Entry System Position (ESP), BUT then rearranged on a surface-based system. Since 2002 a seeding committee has not been required for the Gentlemen’s Singles following an agreement made with the ATP. The seeding order is determined using an objective and transparent system to reflect more accurately an individual player’s grass court achievements: The formula is:Take ESP points at 17 June 2013Add 100% points earned for all grass court tournaments in the past 12 monthsAdd 75% points earned for the best grass court tournament in the 12 months before that.GENTLEMEN’S SINGLESDJOKOVIC, Novak (SRB) [1] MURRAY, Andy (GBR) [2] FEDERER, Roger (SUI) [3] FERRER, David (ESP) [4] NADAL, Rafael (ESP) [5] TSONGA, Jo-Wilfried (FRA) [6] BERDYCH, Tomas (CZE) [7] DEL POTRO, Juan Martin (ARG) [8] GASQUET, Richard (FRA) [9] CILIC, Marin (CRO) [10] WAWRINKA, Stanislas (SUI) [11] NISHIKORI, Kei (JPN) [12] HAAS, Tommy (GER) [13] TIPSAREVIC, Janko (SRB) [14] ALMAGRO, Nicolas (ESP) [15] KOHLSCHREIBER, Philipp (GER) [16] RAONIC, Milos (CAN) [17] ISNER, John (USA) [18] SIMON, Gilles (FRA) [19] YOUZHNY, Mikhail (RUS) [20] QUERREY, Sam (USA) [21] MONACO, Juan (ARG) [22] SEPPI, Andreas (ITA) [23] JANOWICZ, Jerzy (POL) [24] PAIRE, Benoit (FRA) [25] DOLGOPOLOV, Alexandr (UKR) [26] ANDERSON, Kevin (RSA) [27] CHARDY, Jeremy (FRA) [28] DIMITROV, Grigor (BUL) [29] FOGNINI, Fabio (ITA) [30] BENNETEAU, Julien (FRA) [31] ROBREDO, Tommy (ESP) [32](And I’m so tired of people dissing on Daveeed this morning. He’s earned every single one of his points. He finished in the quarters last year, the round of 16 the year before, and won a grass tournament last year. So, shut it! Rafa’s just going to have to be a little extra fierce and on his game a few rounds earlier than he’s used to. He can do eeeeeet!)
USA
about 5 hours ago