GOING SOFT?: Regarding conflicts of interest that seem to permeate the world of tennis broadcasting (example: TV commentator Mary Joe Fernandez is married to Roger Federer‘s agent, Tony Godsick), SI.com’s Richard Deitsch asserted, “The sport’s television entities have long fostered a climate where players are subjected to questions about as soft as a Francesca Schiavone drop shot. It’s hard to believe such flagrant conflicts would be permitted in other sports. As one longtime U.S. tennis wag joked to me while watching the coverage, ‘We now go to Mrs. Boras for a report on Alex Rodriguez.'”
NOT READY FOR THE DREADED ‘R’ WORD: With reporters wondering if retirement is near, Venus Williams asserted, “I’m still pretty good, even when I’m injured. I mean, at the [U.S.] Open I came pretty close to winning that tournament just on a hope and a prayer and little to no preparation…I love tennis and I’ve got a lot of great tennis in me. I love my job, so no end in sight.”
THE NAKED TRUTH: Andre Agassi assured fans that, despite pledging to show a risqué photograph of a nude Steffi Graf to an auction winner in Taiwan, his wife is still speaking to him. “Everybody’s pretty relaxed,” said Agassi on the same day his induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame was made official. (The winning bidder, the CEO of a porcelain manufacturing company, reportedly paid more than $4,000 for the privilege.)
LONE WOLF: The Guardian’s Kevin Mitchell wondered if the all but coachless Andy Murray “might turn out to be the original lone wolf of tennis.”
THE SCREAM HEARD ‘ROUND THE WORLD: The blood-curdling scream let out by Venus Williams upon injuring a groin muscle during her battle with Czech Sandra Zahlavova brought some reaction. Andy Murray said he had “never heard so much noise in a tennis match” and “thought someone was giving birth,” while fellow Brit Ross Hutchins said Williams was “making noises that I didn’t think were possible.
AND YOU CAN TAKE THAT TO THE BANK: Asked how he invests his ever-accumulating prize money, Roger Federer shot back, “What do you expect what a Swiss guy would say?” When the reporter replied, “A Swiss bank account?” Federer said, “We put it in the banks, yes, that’s what we do. And we sit on top of it.”
CURIOUS EXCHANGE OF THE WEEK:
REPORTER: Just a question on behalf of New Zealand. I know there were a few dramas earlier in the week or funny things. I just wanted you to confirm that there was no problems in New Zealand, that you had a good time there, because it’s very important for our tourism. Did you have a good time?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: You couldn’t even say that with a straight face.
REPORTER: I was trying.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I know you did. Got to try harder. Which problems?
REPORTER: Just the talk about stalking and that sort of thing.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I think that just got a little carried away with people reading the transcript and not showing up to the press conference.
REPORTER: So New Zealand was a great experience?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Does it go back to the tourism? What are we trying to prove here? Do I get a free boat ride next year if I say the right answer?
REPORTER: Helicopter maybe.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I don’t know, that’s a little shady.
OH, CANADA!: Milos Raonic might just be the hottest Canadian sports prospect since Wayne Gretzky. The 20-year-old Toronton became the first Canadian male to advance to the third round of a Grand Slam in 10 years, totaling 48 aces in upsets of Germany’s Bjorn Phau and Frenchman Michael Llodra.
QUOTEBOOK
“In the interest of fighting noise pollution and allowing viewers at least a chance at forming intelligent thoughts, tennis commentators worldwide [should] sign a binding agreement to embrace occasional silence, which can often speak volumes.” — Christopher Clarey, The New York Times
“It wouldn’t be a Grand Slam, of course, but it would be a hell of an effort.” — Rod Laver (the last man to win a calendar-year Grand Slam) on Rafael Nadal‘s attempt to win four straight majors
“This is just not how I envisioned my Australian Open.” — Venus Williams, who, for the first time in her 15-year career, retired from a Grand Slam match due to injury
“It’s just a pity to a game that has given us everything.” — Roger Federer amidst rumors of match fixing in tennis
