Earlier this week at the U.S. Open, TENNIS.com’s Backcourt sat down with Ramona and Mario Singer, the tennis-loving couple from Bravo’s hit reality show “The Real Housewives of New York City.” For those of you who haven’t found yourself in front of the TV on a weekend afternoon, transfixed by a marathon showing of the series, the “docu-soap” follows the lives of six Big Apple socialites (and occasional train-wrecks) who love to spend money, consume fashion, plug their business ventures, crusade for charity, and spark a feud with every catty remark they hurl at one another.
The Singers, who were at the Open watching Roger Federer’s and Serena Williams’s second-round matches, will also be attending this year’s Legends Ball to benefit the International Tennis Hall of Fame. The event is happening on Sept. 11 at Cipriani in New York. Recent Hall of Fame inductees Donald Dell and Monica Seles are scheduled to be there, as well as Martina Navratilova, Tracy Austin and ABC’s Robin Roberts. (For more information about tickets, call 212-843-1740 or email legendsball@hgnyc.com.)
In a luxury suite at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Ramona, who is sporting a new shorter hairdo, told Backcourt that the shooting for the series’ third season is underway, with new episodes tentatively scheduled to air in the first quarter of 2010. I can’t wait to find out what’s new with the Housewives. In the meantime, here’s the Backcourt Q&A with Ramona and Mario:
TENNIS.com’s Backcourt: So what have you been up to since the end of the last season?
Ramona: Well, since the end of the last series, the pace hasn’t stopped. Once we stopped filming, the press was all over us. We had all these great interviews in all the major magazines. [Editor’s note: Plug alert!] Then, I developed this fabulous jewelry line for HSN. My next show is Sept. 14 at 10:00. And we’ve just been busy with our lives. Now we’re gearing up for the filming of season three. It’s really exciting. I have fun doing it. It adds a little spice to our marriage.
Since we’re at the U.S. Open, let’s talk tennis. Do you guys try to come out here every year?
Ramona: Yes, we definitely come like once or twice.
Mario: I like to come the first week, with the early matches. It’s great. You can walk around and see some great tennis. You get up real close and that’s a lot of fun.
You get to see how strong and powerful these athletes are.
Ramona: Just like you, Mario.
So who are you picking to win in the men’s draw?
Mario: Well, I think Federer is by far the favorite. I’d be surprised if he were to lose. I mean, he’s going for his sixth in a row, so that’s got to be very motivating for him.
And for the women?
Mario: I’ve got a feeling it’s going to be Serena. You know, Venus is kind of dinged up. She’s got a bad leg like I do. So she’s going to have a rough go of it. But I think Serena is looking strong.
If you had to choose between Venus and Serena to play doubles with, Ramona, who would you pick?
Ramona: Oh my gosh! They both scare me.
Mario: If you had to play today?
Ramona: Obviously, I’d pick Serena because she’s in better physical shape.
Mario: Good pick.
So if you had to pick a partner for mixed doubles, Ramona, who’d be the guy?
Ramona: Obviously, Federer.
Mario: What about me?
Ramona [with a sideways glance]: Honey…
Mario: That’s true, husbands and wives should never play mixed doubles.
Ramona: Honey, he’s ranked a little higher than you. And he’s a little younger.
Mario: If I had to play doubles, I’d rather play with Maria Sharapova.
Ramona: He likes her legs. Mario is a leg man. That’s why he married me.
Fashion question: Did you watch Maria on Tuesday night, Ramona? What did you think of her dress?
Mario: No, we didn’t see it.
Ramona: What did she have on?
It was this black-and-silver shimmery outfit.
Ramona: Like an evening outfit?
It was inspired by New York architecture.
Ramona: Tennis should be tennis. I’m a fashion maven. I love fashion.
Mario: Yeah, but fashion is part of tennis.
Ramona: No, no, no. It can’t be sparkly.
Mario: I mean, Serena wears pretty wild outfits.
Ramona: This is not figure skating. This is tennis.
On the spot, Federer or Nadal? Who do you like better?
Mario: Federer.
Ramona: I’ll go with what he says.
Mario: The guy’s a class act. I mean, he’s won everything.
Ramona: He’s cute.
Do you consider Federer the greatest of all time?
Mario: I would have to say yes, but there’s a caveat to that. Rod Laver, he won the Grand Slams in a calendar year. However, he was a pro for about four years before the championships became Open. So he was not able to play any of the four Grand Slams because they were amateur events, and he was a pro. So he would have accumulated a lot more Grand Slams, in my opinion.
Ramona: Interesting.
Mario: That would be the only guy I’d say would be in that same category.
Who are your all-time favorite players?
Ramona: I used to like Bjorn [Borg]. He was sexy. When he was winning, he looked good.
Mario: I kind of liked [Ilie] Nastase. He was a real character. I got to meet him because I helped run the junior U.S. Open back in the ’70s and he was just a real character. He was a lot of fun to be around.
So how’s your game these days, Mario?
Mario: Well, last year I was ranked No. 5 in the country in the men’s 55 singles. I’ve been playing really well. This year I’m hoping to do better. Unfortunately, I have a little knee issue right now.
As do a lot of players.
Mario: Yeah. It’s the injury du jour. Tendonitis of the patella. I have the national grass court tournament coming up.
Ramona, you play, right?
Ramona: Yes, I played in an episode. Every season we do a tennis tournament, Jill and I.
(Note: Ramona appears about two minutes into the video.)
If every Housewife got together and had a tournament, who would win?
Ramona: You mean in singles or doubles?
Mario: They all play doubles.
OK. In doubles. First, who would you pick to be your partner?
Ramona: Of the housewives?
Mario: You’d pick Jill, right?
Ramona: Well, actually LuAnn’s better than Jill. I’d pick her.
What about of all the shows? Don’t the Orange County wives play?
Ramona: They do nothing. They just get botox and breast implants. [laughs] But they’re nice. I like the Orange County women.
It does seem that of all the Housewives, the New York ones are the most athletic.
Mario: I agree.
I have to ask, how much of this show is actually real?
Ramona: Oh my gosh! It’s all real.
Even last season’s catfight between Housewives Bethenny Frankel and Kelly Bensimon was real?
Ramona: That was real. Seriously, they do not feed us anything. There’s no replay, no re-take. This is so real, you couldn’t make this crap up. That’s why it’s good. It’s scary it’s so good.
Sarah Thurmond is an associate editor for TENNIS. Follow her on Twitter.