THE LAST DAYS OF ‘THE PETKO DANCE?’: Andrea Petkovic refers to her joyous victory celebration as the “Petko Dance,” which, according to the German, stems from a bet with her coach, Petar Popovi, at the ’10 U.S. Open. “I was playing really bad beforehand and I got Nadia Petrova in the first round, so it was obviously a tough round for me…He said, ‘If you win, you have to do something special.’ That was the first thing that came to my mind. Actually, I wanted to get rid of it after the U.S. Open, but the fans just — they said, ‘Hey, we are just coming to see the dance and you’re not doing it anymore!’ So I brought it back. But this is definitely the last tournament where it’s going to happen, and then I’m moving on to something else.”
THE MILOS EFFECT?: Should Montenegrin-turned-Canuck Milos Raonic get some credit for the spike in tennis popularity north of the border? After all, there’s been a six percent increase in participation and some substantial gains in equipment sales of late. The total number of Canadians who played tennis last year was 4.8 million, up from 4.5 million in ’09. And in puck-mad Vancouver, tennis now ranks second only to ice hockey among the most popular fan-based sports.
LENDL TO COACH MURRAY?: Ivan Lendl has reportedly expressed interest in coaching Andy Murray. But would that really be an ideal fit? Despite all his Grand Slam glory, the Czech-American never really took to the grass at the All England Club. (Wasn’t it Lendl who skipped Wimbledon in ’82 because he was “allergic to grass,” but somehow managed to log time on golf courses across the globe?) Plus, while he’s served as a mentor to his daughters’ development on the links, he’s never coached an ATP pro, and surely not an elite player like Murray.
CURIOUS QUESTION: After she ousted Jelena Jankovic in Miami, a reporter asked rising German Andrea Petkovic, “Who are you?”
SURE COULDA FOOLED US: No. 23-ranked Andrea Petkovic, who took out No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki and No. 7 Jelena Jankovic in succession in Miami, calls herself “a doubles specialist.”
RAFA’S RUM DIARY: Rafel Nadal is the new drink-responsibly ambassador for Bacardi.
BARTOLI THE BRAINIAC: Regarding Marion Bartoli‘s claim that she has an IQ of 175, Sports Illustrated’s Jon Wertheim quipped, “I’m thinking maybe Bartoli’s figures underwent some sort of Eurozone conversion rate.”
SPANISH WHINE: During his 7-5, 6-2 Sony Ericsson Open loss to Mardy Fish, the usually mild mannered David Ferrer appeared to direct a ball into the stands toward a crying baby. Said Fish, “He’d probably take that one back if he could. He’s a very nice guy.”
THE NUMBERS
22-0: Novak Djokovic‘s record in 2011 following a 6-4, 6-2 win over South African Kevin Anderson in the Sony Ericsson quarters.
QUOTEBOOK
“I didn’t have any fighting spirit.” — Kim Clijsters after a 6-3, 6-3 loss to Victoria Azarenka in the Miami quarters
“You can’t be as mature at 21 as you are now, as I am now. Never look back.” — 29-year-old Mardy Fish, who has surpassed former roommate Andy Roddick as the top ranked American man
“I don’t think anybody is unbeatable. I [am having] the best period of my life on the tennis court, but nobody is invincible.” — Novak Djokovic
“You take it for granted every day that you hit a tennis ball for a living. And then when you can’t do it, you realize how much it meant to you and how much it means to you.” — Maria Sharapova on her time away from the court after shoulder surgery
“You can see there are a lot of girls coming up. I like to call it ‘the new generation.’ There are so many new girls who…really have a big game. I’m thinking of Petra Kvitova and some other girls. So it’s really a change of generations right now, also with the Williams sisters struggling. I definitely feel like there are some of us who have the opportunity now breaking through — this year, especially.” — Andrea Petkovic
