SAY IT AIN’T SO: Shaquille O’Neal will take on Serena Williams on his new ABC reality series “Shaq Vs.”…The only singles title Mardy Fish has ever won on U.S. soil came in Houston in ’06 – on (of all surfaces) clay.
FRENCH KISS: Fren
chman Richard Gasquet was cleared by the ITF after blaming his positive cocaine test on a contaminated kiss.
A SECOND CHANCE?: If there was ever a guy who’s been given a second (or third, or fourth…) chance in tennis, it’s John McEnroe. So it should come as no surprise that Mac supports former Falcon QB Michael Vick’s return to the NFL. “There’s a lot of guys who have made mistakes that have been given other chances,” said McEnroe. “He’s going to have to prove a lot of things. It seems like he’s lost tens of millions of dollars and spent a couple years of his life in prison…I think he should be given a second chance.”
UNFAIR TO BEVERLY HILLS TENNIS BRATS: As part of a lengthy critique of Tiger Woods’ tantrums, ESPN’s Rick Reilly wrote, “Golf is a gentlemen’s game. Stomping and swearing and carrying on like a Beverly Hills tennis brat might fly in the NBA or in baseball or in football, where less is expected, but golf demands manners. It’s your honor. ‘Is my mark in your way?’ ‘No, I had 6, not 5.’ Golfers call penalties on themselves. We are our own police. Tiger, police yourself…I remember Tiger’s dad, Earl, telling a story. One day, when Tiger was just a kid, he was throwing his clubs around in a fuming fit when his dad said something like ‘Tiger, golf is supposed to be fun.’ And Tiger said, ‘Daddy, I want to win. That’s how I have fun.’ Well, it’s not fun to watch.”
MAC SLIPS IN THE RANKINGS: With Roger Federer having won his fab 15th, Johnny Mac admits he’s fallen back a bit on the Greatest Of All Time list: “I’m slipping in the rankings, but hopefully I’m still in the top 10,” said McEnroe during a World TeamTennis presser. “I’m struggling a bit recently, a couple guys moving past me.”
MAC THE TD: Asked if he were tournament director how he’d promote the Roger-less, Rafa-less, Roddick-less L.A. Tennis Open, John McEnroe quipped, “Great beaches?”
MISCELLANY: The always entertaining Vince Spadea is still alive and (well, sort of) kicking at the age of 35. A recent Spadea Tweet: “Off to Starbizzle. Oatmeal, O.J., yogurt, tea. I’m on a coffee diet. Somebody help the Spadeaddict”…John Isner returned to the court in Indy after suffering from mono. He hadn’t played a main-draw ATP event since April…Former Bond actor George Lazenby is reportedly asking a judge to void a prenuptial he signed before he married Pam Shriver in ’02…Greg Norman said he would likely have more than two majors to his credit had Chris Evert been in his life longer.
QUOTEBOOK
“I never lost faith because I knew the things I had already accomplished were way beyond what I ever dreamed of in my life.” – Maria Sharapova on her shoulder rehab
“I’m very vulnerable on the court.” – Dmitry Tursunov, who returned to matchplay in Indianapolis this week for the first time since losing in Wimbledon’s first round
