GOODBYE, NO. 1: Caroline Wozniacki may have surrendered her No. 1 ranking, but the 5-foot-10 Dane says she has little doubt that she”ll win it back. “I finished No. 1 two years in a row. In the end of the year we will see who played the best. We are just in January. In the end of the year you see who has played the best, most consistently all year round. I will get it back eventually, so I”m not worried.” The Slamless baseliner continued, saying, “I start laughing every time because the media talks to me like I”m finishing my career and I only have one year left and time is running out. The fact is I still have quite a few good years in front of me. I still improve. I still have a number of Australians and a number of U.S. Opens and Wimbledons and French Opens left. I will definitely do my best and try to win one or even more. In the end of the day, you can just do your best. You can”t do anything more than that.”
BLAMING WOZ IS “ABSURD”: Moments after taking out Caroline Wozniacki at the AO — a match that will cost her opponent the No. 1 ranking — Kim Clijsters cautioned the media not to overlook the Dane”s obvious talent. “She”s worked very hard to get to where she is, and she”s one of THE most consistent players,” said the Belgian. “People are in a way almost blaming her for it. I think that”s something that”s really absurd. I think she”s great for the game. She”s great for our sport. She”s a great player. Works extremely hard. She has really good people around her who tell her to not listen to all that stuff that”s being said in the media room or around her.”
PUMP IT UP?: Roger Fededer says he”s puzzled by all the celebratory fist-pumping that goes on on the WTA Tour. Said the Swiss, “I see many women”s players being extremely sort of tense and fist-pumping after every single point. It”s to me pretty surprising to see that, I guess. I”ve fist-pumped maybe five times at the most, and they do that in one game.”
MURRAY NO CIRCUS CLOWN: Richard Hinds said that Andy Murray “will never enter the court riding a unicycle and juggling his rackets because some criticize his grave-digger demeanor.”
THE BRYAN BUNCH: Bob Bryan recently channeled Goran Ivanisevic, who long ago introduced his trifecta of split personalities (“Good Goran,” “Bad Goran” and online slots “Emergency 911 Goran“), by revealing his brother Mike Bryan“s own alter egoes — “Regular Mike” and “Tournament Mike.” According to Bob, Tournament Mike is “a little bit more needy, a little bit more selfish. Sometimes [fiancée Lucille Williams] will catch him at home and say “Are you still in tournament mode?” That kind of stuff doesn”t fly at home.”
THE TALL AND SHORT OF IT: Of his quarterfinal opponent Kei Nishikori (5-foot-10), whom he beat 6-3, 6-3, 6-1, Andy Murray (6-foot-3) said, “I don”t mean this in a bad way — the only difference is the height.”
IT”S A QUESTION OF AGE: Reminded that Jimmy Connors played until he was 40, Maria Sharapova said, “I can guarantee right now you”re not going to see me here at 40 years old. If I”m here at 40 years old, I have major problems.”
RAFA UNEASY ON POLITICAL STAGE?: With Rafael Nadal opining that the players need a louder voice and that Roger Federer should speak cup more on their behalf, SI.com”s Bruce Jenkins observed, “Nadal has always been the rampaging beast of tennis, an almost childlike character concerned only about winning the next point. His legacy is passion, raw desire, the ultimate in competitive drive. He looks vulnerable and uneasy on the political stage. His career has already taken a major hit on the court, where he admits to his physical and mental shortcomings against Djokovic. To see him last week, squirming in his chair as he backtracked on his comments to the American press, was a bit disturbing.”
THE NUMBERS
10: Consecutive wins over Tomas Berdych for Rafael Nadal, who ousted the Czech 6-7, 7-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the quarters.
QUOTEBOOK
“Pity David Ferrer. He is an exceptional tennis player, an industrious grinder who strips everything he can from his talent. But he is No. 5 in the ATP rankings and, right now, that”s the equivalent of being the best surfer in Iowa.” — Jon Wertheim, Sports Illustrated
“I think the top four, it”s another level.” — Aussie Open quarterfinalist David Ferrer on Djokovic, Nadal, Federer and Murray
“Either I have been around for a long time or I”m extremely fit.” — Roger Federer on playing his 1,000th tour match
“There is no free pass to world No. 1.” — Roger Federer
“That is pretty annoying and it”s just too loud…I don”t think it”s very necessary to scream that loud.” — Agnieszka Radwanska, who is in favor of WTA guidelines for muffling on-court grunting
“Isn”t she back in Poland already?” — Maria Sharapova on Agnieszka Radwanska”s assertion that the Russian”s grunts are too loud (she went on to say, “No one important enough has told me to change or do something different.”)
“I really just tried to hit a Nadal forehand.” — Kim Clijsters on the inside-out forehand winner she clubbed to set up match point against Caroline Wozniacki
“It”s not a protest; it”s just a hair band.” — British teen Laura Robson, who wore a rainbow-colored hair band on Margaret Court Arena in a gesture to support “equal rights for everyone”
“I am not Sharapova.” — Rafael Nadal on how much input he had in the design of his newest Nike outfit
“Bob”s wife, Michelle, is back home with her family. She”s pregnant and the baby”s due on January 28 — finals day. Hopefully, it doesn”t turn out to be a Skype baby.” —Mike Bryan
