Serena Williams’ place in women’s tennis is hardly a hot topic for debate. She has virtually no chance to catch Steffi Graff at 22 majors (Serena’s at 13) and doesn’t appear to be very concerned with playing enough of the small tournaments to be ranked #1. Yet, Serena is widely accepted as having the best “A-game” of all-time. She’d beat anybody at her best – Graf, Navratilova, Venus, and Seles included.

Thus, what she does from now until retirement will not push her career very far in any direction. In fact, her outrageous explosions towards an umpire two years ago at the US Open and four days ago in this years final indicate to me she’s lost every reason to keep a mental edge against her opponents (both blow ups were instrumental in her losses). So it begs the question, what shall she do with her career?

JOIN. THE. MEN’S. TOUR.

Serena’s got nothing to lose. She’s on the back end of her career. Her legacy in the women’s game is in-tact. She is clearly bored as can be (not sure “stepping on a piece of glass” at a Wimbledon dinner event should keep you out nearly 6 months).

There are people like Michael Wilbon who think she’d be in the top 20-30 of the men’s game. I’ve heard tennis pros say she’d be in the top 50. Personally I believe she’d have a hard time ranking in the top 100.

But I’d love to see it happen. Serena could throw a world-wide shit fit to get a mass of men and women behind her, and eventually the ATP tour would cave. Or hell, they may welcome her with open arms. As much of a golden age as men’s tennis is in right now, it could use much more popularity. Especially in the US. And especially the non-major events.

It would be at least an 18 month commitment, a major spectacle, and quite possibly a train wreck. But it would be a lot of fun to see as a fan.

(so would this)

Suck it haters, this is a huge tennis day. And no less important a day for American tennis. Assuming the 60-70% chance of rain doesn’t cancel another day of matches, here’s what I’m looking forward to today:

Donald Young v. Andy Murray

Classic nothing-to-lose match for DY. This is his deepest run in a major and he’s going up against a top 5 player. He’s still young in tennis years, fast around the court, a crafty lefty, and looks a lot cooler than most tennis players, especially his opponent today. If Donald was more polished I would love to see this as the night match as the crowd would be behind him and all over the Scot, but that might work against him in such a big match…and Fed v. Tsonga isn’t a bad 2nd choice either.

Roger Federer v. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

No American here, but none needed. It’s a rematch of a quarterfinal at Wimbledon this year, when Fed was blown off the court after winning the first 2 sets. Really any match with Fed is great to watch, and I don’t expect this one to disappoint. Both guys play with power and play to the crowd, perfect for the night session in New York.

John Isner v. Gilles Simon

At 6’9″, Isner is awesome to watch serve. He has to be thrilled to have avoided a top 10 player at this point in the tournament and if Isner can take out the Frenchie he would take on the DY/Murray winner. A great opportunity to play in the US Open semis.

Andy Roddick v. David Ferrer

This year has the feeling of one last hurrah for Roddick. His ranking is plummeting and noticeably losing his weapons. A win over Ferrer – something I do not expect to happen – would likely run Roddick into Nadal in the quarters. Roddick v. Nadal has US Open night match written all over it (the best atmosphere in tennis), and unfortunately for Roddick has blow out written all over it as well. But hey, his wife still has huge bombs:

Example 1 why most women wear skirts on the tennis court:

Another stunning outfit by one of the Williams sisters.  So it begs the question – is she pregnant?  Or is she wearing a parachute?

Hideous, just hideous.  And thanks to contracts/superstition, tennis players tend to wear one outfit for a whole tournament.  Here’s to Venus getting bumped out in the first week.

Better late than ever eh?  While the US Open has passed Wimbledon as the toughest and most impressive tennis tournament, Wimbledon still has plenty of clout.  In fact most of today’s players grew up dreaming of winning a Wimbledon title.  This year’s tournament has no shortage of story lines.

The battle for #1 – Basically the rules are the same as during the French Open.  Nadal has to win and Djokovic can’t make the final or Djokovic will become the new #1 player in the world.  Marking the first time someone not named Nadal or Federer has been number 1 since February of 2004.  If Fed wins and Nadal doesn’t make the final the Nadal will tumble all the way to 3rd while Djok takes over #1 and Fed slides up to #2.

Will Milos Raonic make a splash? – At only 20 years old Raonic is already making waves on the ATP tour.  In February he became the highest ranked Canadian tennis player ever (#37, a major indictment on Canadian tennis).  This came on the heels of a great showing at the Australian Open, making it to the 4^th round where he took the first set from David Ferrer, but lost the next 3. Raonic should get his chance to shine as he will run into defending champion Rafa Nadal in the 3^rd round.

Is Djokovic for real? – Djokovic started the season 41-0 then lost to Federer in a pretty epic 4-set affair in the French semi-finals.  Will Djok continue his incredible play and stamp himself amongst the tennis elite?  Or will all the distractions that come with being such a hot commodity start to catch up to him?  Djokovic made the semi-finals last year and is poised to make a run at winning it this year.

Can Rafa keep pushing to be the GOAT? – A year ago when Federer won the Australian to get to #16 it would have sounded preposterous to propose that Rafa may one day catch Fed. Since then Rafa has won 4 of 5 majors and is now sitting on 10.  At only 25 years-old he has time to catch Fed.  However Rafa has a brutal draw that begins with Raonic in the 3^rd round, Del Potro (2009 US Open winner) in the 4^th round and Berdych (who Rafa beat in the Wimbledon finals last year) in the quarters.  Doesn’t get easier after that as he will most likely face Murray or Soderling in the semi’s and Fed or Djok in the finals.  That’s a very rough 5 match streak to get thr0ugh.

Can Fed match Sampras? – With a win Fed would match Sampras with 7 Wimbledon titles.  It would also help keep Nadal from breaking his grand slam record.  Furthermore it would give Fed a shot at reclaiming #1 sometime this summer.  Currently Fed sits 1 week behind Sampras for total weeks at #1 (Fed has the record for consecutive weeks).  Fed has a cake walk into the Semi-finals where he would most certainly meet Djokovic for the 4^th straight time in a major championship.

Can Murray get a win? – Some have been waiting awhile for Andy Murray to finally get a major win (staring at Brad Gilbert).  And no win would be bigger than for Murray to take the Wimbledon crown.  No English born player has won since Fred Perry in 1936.   

You can make a solid argument for either of Djokovic, Nadal or Federer winning. An argument for anyone else is wishful thinking. I’ll go with Fed, he played lights out at the French Open, especially on serve.  The server has a big advantage on grass.  I’m not sure Nadal will make it out of his 3 straight matches against huge hitters and I’m not sold that Djokovic’s serve can hold up for a 5-set epic against Fed.  Even though I’ve been on record as saying Fed won’t win another major, I’m going to flip-flop on that statement and say he’ll get his 7^th Wimbledon title.

First of all, could the French Open be any happier with this blockbuster semi final matchup?  Nadal vs. Murray and Fed vs. Djok?  Major win for the French, too bad no one outside of 3D and I will be watching in America, but we’ll save that for another post.  The issue at hand right now is, if Fed is to win another major title, which one would be more legendary?

Australian Open – A win would push his total to 5 (currently tied with Andre Agassi with 4), giving him the most titles in the open era (post 1967).  However the Australian is the least prestigious of the 4 major titles, mainly because it is the first tournament of the season.  

French Open – A win would give Fed the career slam twice over, an accomplishment no one has achieved in the open era.  It would also give him 2 French titles during the middle of  Nadal’s prime.  Nadal is the best player ever on clay and for anyone to get 2 during his prime would be quite the accomplishment.

Wimbledon – A win would give Fed a 7^th title and a tie with Pete Sampras. There is no denying that Wimbledon is the most prestigious tournament of the 4.  It’s the only tournament that matters that is played on grass.

US Open – A win would give Fed his 6^th US open title giving him the most US Opens (currently tied with Pete Sampras and Jimmy Connors).  While Wimbledon is the most prestigious tournament, the US Open is the coolest and is played on the fastest surface making it probably the toughest tournament to win.  

I’m on record as saying I don’t think Fed gets another, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he does.  No matter what happens Fed is already the greatest player of the open era.  His consistency is un-paralled in this sport.  If he were to win another, this is how I would rank them:

This is a very tough call, any win would add to the legend that is Fed.  I’ll eliminate the Australian even though a win gives him the most titles, which is a very impressive feat.  The prestige of the Australian doesn’t live up to the other tournaments.  Next I’ll eliminate the French.  While a multi career slam is impressive, Nadal will always be remembered as the King of Clay.  It’s nearly impossible to decide between the next two, but I’m going to lean towards the US Open.  It’s the fastest surface and a win puts him ahead of Sampras and Connors, where as a win at Wimbledon only ties him with Sampras.

Women’s tennis desperately needs Serena Williams back in the game.  The fashion industry, on the other hand, does not:

Pow!  Right in the kisser!  Straight out of the late ’80s/early ’90s.  With white sneakers to boot.

Serena can play tennis better than anyone of  her generation (at the very least), wears a giant smile, has promoted the game, and brings a vibe that only her sister can rival.  I just think her clothes don’t look all that great in the process.

However I would be in favor of her stepping on the Centre Court at Wimbledon with that on, pissing off all the upscale Brits.  Play on, Serena…

Awesome. The only thing better would have been if he actually crushed the ball and hit the little turd or even better the  father. What do babies do best? Shit themselves and cry, and usually at the same time. Rug rats don’t belong in restaurants or any place where quietness is expected, sorry. If you have a kid and want to go to such events or places don’t take the kid, simple as that. If that means you too can’t go then tough shit. And if you decide to be the dick that does take the kid and it starts balling, then the least you could do is get up and leave. Don’t make your problem everyone else’s, pretty simple.

Ferrer was wrong for overreacting, but the father is equally wrong for bringing the kid. Oh, the move worked because the baby was quite after it. I like how Robin Roberts was visibly appalled when talking about.  Boo fucking hoo, Robin. And why was that “A League of Their Own” clip in there? Had no relevance what so ever. Oh well, at least it’s Friday!!

It’s being dubbed “Clash of the Champions”. Four of the top stars from the tennis world, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams, are scheduled to perform March 8 in the tennis exhibition.

The event, which will begin at 5:30 p.m., will feature Sharapova and Williams playing a singles set, followed by a mixed doubles set and concluding with a men’s singles set between the top two players in the world, Federer and Nadal. Ticket prices range between $25 and $85 and a portion of the proceeds from the event will benefit each of the four athletes’ charitable foundations. They also note that under certain circumstances, it is possible that one or more of the adver-tised athletes will not be able to participate. This might come into play with either Williams and/or Nadal who are currently injured. Two possible alternates could be Li Na on the woman’s side and Juan Martin del Potro on the men’s.

This might actually be worth watching, but the only problem I have is that it’s exhibition. Either way it would be cool just to see Fed and Nadal rally for awhile. I would only want to watch Serena in a meaningful match just to see her go off on a line judge. She is guaranteed to be wearing something ridiculous though. I would also like to prove/disprove the Sharapova skid mark rumor. Word on the streets is that she’s a back to front wiper and often has skid marks on her tennis knickers after matches.

Looks clean to me...

Unfortunately, she will not be attending

Rafa Nadal failed in his quest for the “Rafa Slam” last night, losing to David Ferrer in straight sets 6-4, 6-2, 6-3.  Rafa suffered an muscle tear in his upper leg and to his credit he battled through it.  Many in his position just “retire” that match and move on.  However he was not able to play at his top level and David Ferrer, a quality opponent was able to take advantage.  There will be no Rafa Slam, at least not this year.  And his loss gives Roger Federer an opportunity to completely slam the door shut on the Greatest Of All Time argument.

Many, including myself, already consider Fed to be the GOAT.  However, some will argue that Pete Sampras deserves that title.  A small few may pick Bjorn Borg or a Rod Laver, but the argument is basically between Fed and Pete.  Rafa was quickly working his way into that conversation as well and a Rafa Slam would give Nadal another claim over the other two.  Pete has his Wimbledon titles, most weeks as #1 and the 2nd most major titles.  Fed has the most major titles, his ridiculous streak of 23 straight semi finals, his almost as ridiculous still active streak of 27 straight quarter finals and trails Pete by 1 week for most at #1.  Rafa already is the greatest clay court player of all time, has won on every surface and has been acquiring majors at a rapid pace as he sits on 9 titles already.

While Fed does have some work to do to wrestle the #1 ranking from Rafa, the opportunity is there, especially if Rafa’s leg injury lingers.  Rafa went on a tear after the Australian Open last year, winning 4 of 6 tournaments including three 1,000 point master series events and the French Open, a 2,000 point event.  Fed needs to have a better clay season to make up some ground and then take over in the hard court season at the end of the year.  For us tennis fans (all two of us) it should be a very exciting to see how it all works out.

Trophies and other memorabilia from Sampras’ record-setting tennis career recently were stolen from a public storage facility. He still has championship hardware for 13 of his 14 Grand Slam singles titles, but almost everything else is gone.

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Why does he need a storage unit, and why does he keep “valuables” in it? Shitty none the less. If it was anyone it was probably these guys.