I can’t wait to see the new chick flick Leap Year, starring Amy Adams and Matthew Goode. Sure, only 13 percent of the reviews have been positive, but I’m willing to spend $12 on dreamy Mr. Goode, who first grabbed my attention five years ago when he played the tennis student to Jonathan Rhys Meyers’ tennis instructor in Woody Allen’s film Match Point. I’m sure he’ll be just as charismatic in his new role as Adams’ love interest, which brings me to the latest installment of Backcourt. The theme is couples, because there’s been a lot of pairing up lately in tennis.
Wedding Bells A-Ringing
Another ATP player says “I do.” In December, Stanislas Wawrinka married his girlfriend, Swiss TV presenter Ilham Vuilloud, who is due to give birth to the couple’s first child in February. This brought the number of high-ranked ATP players to get married in 2009 to three, with Roger Federer and Andy Roddick being the other grooms.
Which male player will be next to join his peers in matrimonial bliss? Perhaps Robin Soderling. He’s engaged to Jenni Mostrom, a stunning Swede who played golf at a Florida university. (Check out Soderling’s private locker room, courtesy of Mostrom’s Twitter feed.) Or it might be Radek Stepanek, who has been dating Nicole Vaidisova for almost three years. Stepanek, once engaged to Martina Hingis, has had an up-and-down courtship with Vaidisova. In 2007, the Bradenton (Fla.) Herald reported that former phenom Vaidisova applied for a marriage license, only according to Mary Joe Fernandez, it turned out to be a joke. Ha ha. The Czech couple were rumored to have split up last year after the French Open, but they appeared to be on again at the USTA’s pre-U.S. Open players party in New York last August.
Then there’s Mark Philippoussis. The Australian, who’s been playing senior events lately, got engaged to actress Jennifer Esposito last October. All this coupling news makes me wonder what’s become of the swinging bachelor tennis pro. With Marat Safin retired, I guess it’s up to newly single Andy Murray to fill the role. Judging by these pictures, he seems to be working on it.
Koalas Win At Love
Andy Roddick found himself in a compromising position when two koala bears were caught on camera in a compromising position. Roddick, with wife Brooklyn Decker, was at a zoo in Brisbane, Australia, fulfilling his ATP tour media duties, and during the interview, a pair of koala bears started going at it behind him. The cameraman couldn’t resist zooming in on the action. You got to love Roddick for tweeting a link to the story, among other hilarity (when Andy's baggage was recently lost, Lacoste sent him replacement clothes that were just a tad too small), via Twitter.
USHoHoHo Tour
These two aren’t exactly a couple, but Anna Kournikova and Nick Bollettieri traveled together to Afghanistan in December. Joining them were country crooner Billy Ray Cyrus (Miley’s father), and comedian Dave Attell. It was all part of a seven-day USO Holiday Troop Visit. Bollettieri, who runs his tennis academy like a boot camp, was once an Army paratrooper, so he probably felt right at home with the troops. This is also one of many appearances Kournikova has made for the USO. Along with her work for the Boys and Girls Club of America, she certainly has become a go-to gal for worthy causes.
Seen and Heard
America’s sweetheart, Melanie Oudin, was interviewed in *Teen Vogue* in November. Fairly interesting tidbits from the article: The Georgia peach has a soccer background (that explains why her footwork is so good) and loves fruits and vegetables. … According to the Associated Press, Novak Djokovic has been cast in a TV miniseries in Serbia. He’ll be playing the first king of Yugoslavia, while his little brother Djordje will be playing the king as a boy. … If you’ve been wondering where Boris Becker has been lately, you might try looking in a casino. He’s become a professional poker player, and in his interview with ESPN.com’s Greg Wise, it sounds like he honed his card skills on the tour. “There's a lot of down time in tennis where you don't play. A lot of traveling and hotel rooms. We played poker,” he said. …. Fashion designers Serena, Venus and Maria are not the only well-rounded players on the WTA tour. Andrea Petkovic, who is currently ranked No. 55 in the world and reached the semifinals in Brisbane this week (where she lost to Kim Clijsters), is a politically charged musician. When the 22-year-old German isn’t playing matches, she’s banging drums in a rock band, listening to indie music from Arcade Fire or Remy Zero, reading Goethe, or writing a song like “Ich will ‘ne Band sein.” I have no idea what the lyrics mean, but the song certainly has a catchy beat.
That’s what’s happening in Backcourt. I’ll check in next week!
Sarah Thurmond is an associate editor for TENNIS. *Follow her* on Twitter.