The past week of post-Grand Slam fodder has not sharply dropped off in the tennis world, rather escalating in ways. Here's a recap of the latest that's abuzz among fans and observers both:
1] CZECH MATE:** Venus and Serena, eat your new-boyfriend hearts out, as the WTA's Iveta Benesova wedded ATP singles and doubles star Jurgen Melzer this past weekend in the latter's home nation of Austria. What time is it? Oh, just [flawless wedding photo time.(And at right, courtesy of the WTA Facebook page.) Congrats to both on the nuptial, and especially to Benesova, who perhaps still harbors the single funniest tennis-player tweet all year.
[2] CZECH 1, 2: TENNIS.com's own Steve Tignor says, "The icy, irritable Tin Man has grown a heart in Davis Cup in 2012. ... Despite his first-round defeats at Wimbledon and in the Olympics, Berdych has put together a career season." True, Berdych has done himself no favors over time in the public mind's eye. That said, reaching his first U.S. Open semifinal doesn't make up, in my own noggin, for the lackluster Wimbledon and London Olympic showings. This is a guy who torpedoed Federer out of his way at the All England Club in 2010, when he reached the final. That may still be his banner year, but it remains that his 2012 has become nothing to scoff at, and he's presently perched at No. 6—still, behind the Big Four and that perennial terrier, David Ferrer.
[3] DEAD FED: The Davis Cup heroism that Berdych has displayed also flips the other way. Federer himself remarkably said he's "wounded" and just psychologically spent of late, this after retaking the No. 1 slot in men's tennis at Wimbledon. "I need a holiday badly," Fed said, and his legions of fans quite likely nodded along.
**4] TOWNSEND CASE FILES, EXHIBIT M:** "M" is for mother. Taylor Townsend's own mum spoke to BlackTennisPros.com, and the [Q&A is lengthy but remarkable. I shan't say more here about that, letting her words say what she needed to get out. (Kudos to SI's Beyond the Baseline blog for the find.)
[5] IT TAKES TWO: Venus Williams raised no trophies in New York City this month, but she did power her World Team Tennis squad, the Washington Kastles, to its thrilling 20-19 triumph in the WTT season finale this past weekend. Said Venus of her post-WTT victory dance, compared (of course) to Serena's London moves: "I have my own little combo, the Venus combo," adding elsewhere, "This whole year's been a fight ... but for me, the year's been incredibly successful because of what I've been up against."
**6]** Juan Monaco and his trainer took ["hanging out" to an entirely new level ... or did they? Kudos to [Tennis Now for the find.]
Bon week, Spin friends.
—Jonathan Scott (@jonscott9)