PATRICK THE PINUP BOY: Of her childhood heroes, Kim Clijsters said, “I had posters of Steffi Graf, Monica Seles. Probably for another reason I had posters of Pat Rafter in my room.”
DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME: Of Roger Federer‘s much-replayed between-the-legs shot from his first-round win over Brian Dabul, Maria Sharapova said, “You don’t want to see me attempt that. Not pretty.”
MONKEY BUSINESS: Melanie Oudin seemed to channel Pete Sampras following her second-round loss at the U.S. Open. When he failed to defend his U.S. Open title in ’91, Sampras infamously told reporters, “I’m not the reigning U.S. Open champion anymore. The monkey is off my back.” Oudin, who captured the hearts of New Yorkers after her Cinderella run to the USO quarters in ’09, similarly said, “I guess I’m a little tiny bit relieved now. I can kind of start over, I guess like start over from all the expectations from like last year.”
CANDOR IN OUR TIMES: Before stepping out on court, ESPN asked Iveta Benesova what she had to do to beat Sharapova. The unseeded Czech said, “Honestly, do you think I am going to tell you?”
SANIA’S MONSOON WEDDING: Serb Janko Tipsarevic‘s wedding party lasted until dawn. But that was nothing compared to Sania Mirza‘s wedding to Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik, which lasted over six days, and there were Muslim ceremonies in both countries (one drew 5,000 guests). Just dealing with the reception line required Mirza to stand for five hours. “Weddings in India are ridiculous,” she said. “Some draw up to 30,000.”
PODIUMS GONE WILD: First there was the most curious collective press conference in memory, when the Latin pop star Gloria Estafan, tennis icon Martina Navratilova and star newscaster Christiane Amanpour all came in for a press conference after the U.S. Open’s Opening Night Ceremony. Then, at a Tennis Industry Association board meeting, representatives of the USPTA and PTR —the long feuding teaching pro organizations — actually shared a podium for the first time in history.
TALK TO ME ABOUT ANYTHINIG BUT THAT: When you have one extraordinary storyline in your career, reporters and fans are always going to refer to it — just ask John “Mr. Marathon” Isner or Melanie “Cinderella Run” Oudin, who said Isner was even “more sick of talking about his match than I am talking about my run at last year’s Open.”
THE TIME OF HER LIFE: Beatrice Capra, 18, of Ellicott City, Maryland, who beat No. 18 Aravane Rezai, said, “It was definitely the best time of my life.” Last year, Melanie Oudin’s motto was “BELIEVE.” Capra, who has a ranking south of No. 350, says her motto is “THINK.”
SHORTEST NEWS FLASH: When 5-foot-6 Oudin was told by her doctor that she probably wouldn’t grow any more, she confided, “That was a pretty sad day.”
PUTTING IT ALL IN PERSPECTIVE: Sania Mirza said, “Tennis is not life. [But] It’s a very important part of life.”
A ‘SORRY’ COMMENTARY: Reflecting on the ongoing protocol of saying sorry to your opponent for let chord or miss-hit winners, John McEnroe said saying sorry should be against the rules.
EASY THERE, SPARKY: In his on-court interview after his first-round win, it was pointed out to Federer that he had some problems on his return of serve. Roger used the moment to tease his new coach Paul Annacone, saying “The break point conversion wasn’t very good, so that’s his fault.”
CURIOUS QUESTION: “Kim, would you consider it a frustrating year if you didn’t win a Grand Slam?”
HEADLINES
SOMEBODY SAVE US FROM ALL THIS NEON
THE NUMBERS
1: Jamaican to win a U.S. Open match in the past 42 years — Dustin Brown — who defeated Spaniard Rubin Ramirez 6-4, 7-6(6), 7-5 in the first round.
7%: Percent by which USTA officials hope to grow the key category of frequent players.
QUOTEBOOK
“I’m a hard-working woman.” — Venus Williams
“I’m barely older than I was yesterday.” — Birthday boy Andy Roddick
“Everyone has a niggle.” — Sania Mirza on injuries in tennis
“Like point to your right foot, point to your left foot. Okay, now call lines. I think that would be maybe standard.” — Andy Roddick, who was called for three foot faults before he lost in the second round, on what should be required of incoming officials
“I’m closer to the end of my career, than the beginning.” — Andy Roddick
