This week freelance tennis writer Ravi Ubha is blogging from Queen's Club in London. Here's his third post from the Artois Championships.
Wow, who knew Mirka would attract so much sympathy?
Yes, the Daily Mirror blurb was tasteless, and Mirka Vavrinec in the stands had little to do with the outcome of boyfriend Roger Federer's match Sunday. But for those of you who questioned why it was reprinted, come on. That's nothing compared to what will pop up as Wimbledon draws even closer. Just ask the likes of Tim Henman and Monica Seles. More important, it's a means to foster debate, which it did. In my brief dealings with Mirka, she's been professional and courteous. When she hears stuff like that, I'm sure it's water off her back.
Back to the on-court stuff. A packed day ahead. We'll see how Andy Roddick's shoulder fares against Robby Ginepri; Rafael Nadal begins his quest, again, to master the grass, facing the evergreen Jonas Bjorkman; and Novak Djokovic, surely hoping to bounce back following his French Open semifinal loss to Nadal, has an easy-looking encounter with Croatian journeyman Roko Karanusic.
No Andy Murray today, at least not in singles. While it's quiet, maybe it's a good time to discuss the British No. 1. Murray, as most of you know, launched his autobiography, Hitting Back, this month. It's obvious why the book came out now, but for a 21-year-old still seeking to routinely get into the second week of a Grand Slam, could it be a tad premature? Murray is increasingly under the spotlight because there's no Tim Henman around this year, and the book is sure to add to the pressure he'll face at the All England Club.
Murray's most recent criticism of the LTA came via his book. He suggested that no one was ever around when he visited the swanky, ultra-modern national tennis center in Roehampton, near Wimbledon. The same LTA dished out millions bringing in Brad Gilbert to work with him. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you.
"That's where he needs to get good people around him, to advise him, to deal with the situation because I think hopefully after this situation he'll wise up a little bit more," said adopted Brit Greg Rusedski while sitting in the media lounge in a snappy grey suit. "That's part of the growing up stage. I think he's reassessing his opinions because he's probably the most supported British player in British history by far. Look at Henman and myself. We really did everything ourselves."
Trying to get a word with anyone in Murray's camp is pretty much a thankless task, not dissimilar to dealing with the LTA. I watched Murray practice on Monday and waited for his primary coach, Miles Maclagan, to exit. When I asked for an interview, he politely declined, looking almost embarrassed. He said I had to consult Murray's agent, Patricio Apey. I eventually did, but Apey didn't give in.
Beleaguered ATP chairman Etienne de Villiers hit the lounge a few minutes before my rendezvous with Rusedski, though he was on his way to the player lounge and couldn't talk, said his unofficial, official spokesman Kris Dent.
Dent is confident the tour will win its court case next month against the Hamburg Masters; Ivan Ljubicic, head of the player council for a little while longer, reportedly said losing the case could spell the end of the ATP, with legal fees alone believed to be $7 million. They'll get reimbursed the court costs in the event of a win. Disagreeing that the tour is in crisis, Dent pointed out prize money is up 36 percent next year, $8 million will be on offer as part of a bonus pool, and almost $1 billion is being spent on purpose-built tennis stadiums across the globe. There are "positive" discussions with existing and potential sponsors (Mercedes is gone as a major partner at the end of the season), although the governing body isn't seeking a title sponsor like the women have in Sony Ericsson. It should be interesting to see what happens.
Ginepri takes the first set against Roddick, winning the tiebreak 8-6. Heading into the breaker, only nine points had been lost on serve. The trend continues, but only for Roddick. He pummels his countryman 6-1, 6-1 in the next two sets, needing just 48 minutes. Roddick isn't taken to deuce on serve and his first-serve percentage is a solid 65 percent.
Roddick says he's hit four or five days in a row without pain, yet is still receiving treatment. When the injury first surfaced, it was a case of one day on, two days off. Every Roddick presser, at least after a win, has some humor in it, this one included.
Q: Those days you weren't hitting, what were you doing?
A: Driving my fiancée crazy. Too many Scrabble games. It was horrible. I could be the top five most annoying people ever when they have to sit around and do nothing.
Q: Are you a good Scrabble player?
A: Very, very, very average. Limited amount of school in my life.
Q: Did you get the two-letter words?
A: I got the two-letter words.
Reverting back to forehands and backhands, Roddick rubbished suggestions Federer's Paris beating would affect his play at Wimbledon.
"The guy's won Wimbledon five times in a row," Roddick said. "What else does he need to do? If that doesn't answer any questions, hell, I must really suck if he's getting questioned about how he's feeling about grass. If I was him, I'd be feeling really well.''
Richard Gasquet, in his first match under coach Guillaume Peyre, eases past Simone Bolelli for only his second victory since March. The knee injury that sidelined him at Roland Garros isn't a factor, he says. Has Jo-Wilfried Tsonga's emergence and Gael Monfils's resurrection in Paris put him under more pressure, or less?
"Everyone has a little bit of pressure in France," Gasquet says outside the main interview room. "We'll never, never remove that, but for sure it's good if it's a little shared."
Time to watch Nadal's second set on Center Court. I pass ever-smiling chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani, who's eating a bowl of fruit salad. No wonder he's in good shape. Waiting to get to the media seats perched high above the ground, it becomes apparent the scoreboard on nearby Court 1, where injury-hit Lleyton Hewitt is battling injury-hit Xavier Malisse, isn't working. Just as well for Malisse, who's down 6-3, 4-1. A brief conversation between the Belgian and ump Lars Graff ensues when a Malisse shot is called out down the line. "It was half in,'' Malisse says. Graff remains unconvinced.
Nadal blows past Bjorkman 6-2 in the second, the same score as in the opener. His backhand slice, much improved, forces the Swede into a bevy of errors. Nadal doesn't venture to the net often, and his attempt to serve and volley at 2-1, 40-15 is in vain when the serve goes long. The packed crowd is enthralled. The gasps in Paris that stemmed from his forehands into the corner have seemingly transferred over to London.
The more time on grass over the next week and a half, the better, Nadal acknowledged. "If I win 6-2, 6-2, I believe I played a good match, no?" he says. "But the feelings are strange. I need more days to know if I am playing well or not that well, because you have to remember how you win the points here, no? It's completely different."
Djokovic fails to serve out the match in the second set, but recovers to beat Karanusic in a second-set tiebreak. All eight third-round matches tomorrow, when rain is finally forecast, look good. Among them, Roddick tangles with good friend Mardy Fish, Murray faces Ernests Gulbis, Gasquet meets Mario Ancic, and Nadal gets his first look at Kei Nishikori.
As I leave, is that another blurb I see in a British tabloid about Mirka . . . ?
Just kidding.