Black Tennis Pros

There’s a line in ‘Waterloo’, the song that launched the iconic Swedish pop group Abba in 1974, that runs: “The history book on the shelf is always repeating itself.” That could very easily be Sweden's omen going into this weekend’s Davis Cup by BNP Paribas semifinal that sees the home side as distinct underdogs against the powerful United States.Three times the Americans have visited Gothenburg’s charismatic Scandinavium arena, three times it’s been a semifinal or final, and three times the visitors have left with their tails between their legs. But for it to happen a fourth time, something highly unexpected will have to happen over the next three days, and at the very least Thomas Johansson looks like he must beat James Blake on the opening day of the tie. The line-up for the weekend is:

Friday
Joachim Johansson (SWE) v Andy Roddick (USA)
Thomas Johansson (SWE) v James Blake (USA)

Saturday
Simon Aspelin/Jonas Bjorkman (SWE) v Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan (USA)

Sunday
Thomas Johansson (SWE) v Andy Roddick (USA)
Joachim Johansson (SWE) v James Blake (USA)

Johansson Returning After Eight Months

True, it’s hard to predict the opening rubber, in which the big-serving Joachim Johansson (no relation to Thomas) plays his first match for eight months against the biggest server in world tennis, a man he beat in five sets at the 2004 US Open. But assuming Andy Roddick wins that – and everyone in Gothenburg acknowledges that the longer the match goes on, the more Roddick’s chances increase – the pressure would be on the elder Johansson to beat Blake, given that the US have the world’s best doubles pair parading their near-perfect Davis Cup record on Saturday.

The 32-year-old Johansson certainly fancies his chances. “I think it’s a better match-up for us,” he said after Thursday’s draw. “I got beaten pretty badly by Andy at the US Open, so we tried to avoid that on the first day. Joachim and Jonas have both been playing well, so we had a number of options, and we’ve chosen this one.”

Blake could well find himself in the all-too-familiar position of being the weak link targeted by the opposition, but it doesn’t worry him. “I think of it as just another match,” he said. “There’s always a ton of pressure going into a Davis Cup live match. Each match is critical, but then you only have to get to three. I’ve had some experience playing Davis Cup matches, and I know how to deal with the pressure hopefully.”

Potentially Tricky Doubles For The Bryans

Not that Saturday’s doubles is a foregone conclusion. The Bryans will start favourites against Bjorkman and Aspelin, but with Aspelin having just won the US Open with Julian Knowle (and beating the Bryans en route) and Bjorkman still ranked 11th in doubles, the twins recognise that this could be their toughest match since they lost their only Davis Cup rubber two and a half years ago to Croatia’s Ivan Ljubicic and Mario Ancic.

On paper, it looks clear-cut for the visitors, but will history repeat itself? Back in 1984 John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors were the world’s best singles players and McEnroe and Peter Fleming were the top doubles pair, yet McEnroe and Connors both disgraced themselves as Sweden won the final in two days. With McEnroe’s brother now the US captain and the player Connors coaches heading the US team, it’s easy to be aware of that infamous final 23 years ago. So will the history book rewrite itself?

McEnroe Unconcerned By Past

Patrick McEnroe, who admits his brother doesn’t talk much about the 1984 final, thinks not. “We feel this is a new team and a new time,” he said. “We would love to get a win here for the US Davis Cup and for history, but we don’t care much about what happened 10 or 20 years ago. We’re excited about being in the semis again, and we feel we have a good chance.”

McEnroe’s opposite number Mats Wilander was the man who beat John McEnroe on the opening day 23 years ago. He says his team need no extra motivation, but he’s happy to keep the ghost of ’84 alive. “Of course it always helps that we have never lost to the US team in this stadium, but it’s a new tie every time. I think everyone in Sweden who follows Davis Cup knows that Sweden has beaten the US three times here, and that does help.”

Source -- Davis Cup Official Site By BNP Paribas

In an interview with Bob Larson on Tuesday, (along with Patrick McEnroe, Andy Roddick and Bob and Mike Bryan) James Blake responded to the following questions regarding his readiness for Davis Cup semi-final play:

Q. James, you've played a lot the last couple of months with big success. How is your body? Is it okay?

JAMES BLAKE: Yeah, I feel great, healthy. This week so far has been great. I got a little bit of rest after the Open. Unfortunately I went out a little earlier than I would have hoped there. But it gave me time to rest and relax at home. That was perfect for me. I'm coming here feeling fresh. Like you said before, I've had some success in Sweden, so I like playing here. Hopefully I can continue that record that I've had here.

Q. Do you like the court?

JAMES BLAKE: I do. I felt like I've adjusted to it hopefully pretty quickly. Got a few more days to get used to it. But, like they said, I think it's very fair. I was actually expecting it to be even quicker. I think it's something that will play into our games. I don't think people will really need to completely change their games just to kind of accommodate the surface. I think we'll be able to play our games, and hopefully that will be good for us.

To read the entire interview, click here.

Can you imagine how fast a Venus Williams serve travels?

She slammed a record 207 km/h serve in the first round of the U.S. Open earlier this month.
Now, we will experience her powerful game in Korea during the upcoming Korean Thanksgiving Holiday.

Ranked 9th in the world, Williams will visit Korea on the coming Saturday to participate in the Hansol Korea Open, the only pro-tennis championship in Korea, which begins from Sep. 24 in Seoul.

To ensure her best performance, she has cancelled all the other matches scheduled for this week. To clock her serves accurately, the Korea Tennis Association has recently purchased two speed guns from a U.S. sports gear maker for $10,000. Each of them will be set up on either end of the court to give real-time readings to the fans.

Experts point to her strong build and firm grip on the fundamentals. Venus Williams, standing 185cm and weighing 73kg, attributes the power to her repeated practice since her childhood. Her springy knees add even more momentum to her serve.

MBC tennis commentator Jeon Mi-rah explains, “She spends almost double the amount of time on serves than other players. Her first serves are successful in most cases. So, she can slam more powerful serves with more confidence.”

Korean star male tennis player Lee Hyung-tack recorded a 199.6km serve in the U.S. Open. Thus, she is more powerful than many male players.

Williams first visited Korea two years ago, along with Maria Sharapova of Russia, 20, to play a demonstration game. Her kindness has left an impressive image among her Korean fans. This time, she will participate in more “off-the-court” events to maintain this image for her adoring fans. In addition, Williams and eight other world-class players will play visit Korea.

Dunlop Korea will stage a pre-game event where a visiting fan who records the fastest serve will receive free racket, cap, and other souvenirs.

Source -- BBC World

BEAUMONT — The CHRISTUS Pro-Celebrity Classic, presented by Texas State Bank and sponsored by Port Arthur’s Motiva refinery, will be rescheduled as a result of the impact of Hurricane Humberto.

The Ford Arena event featuring Anna Kournikova, Chanda Rubin, Dr. Phil McGraw, Stone Phillips, Pete Sampras, Todd Martin, John Lucas and KFDM-TV’s Dan Gresham is on hold until a later date.

“We extend our sympathy to the residents who suffered as a result of Hurricane Humberto and recognize it is in the best interest of the fans, sponsors and participants to allow the area to fully recover from the aftermath before bringing this first year event to Southeast Texas,” said Tim Stallard, event producer, in a released statement Monday.

“This is the first time in our company’s eleven year history of producing sports and entertainment events across the country that we have had to reschedule an event.

”Stallard added that he hopes to have a new date announced later this week.

All tickets sold for the Friday, Sept. 21 tennis event at Ford Arena will be honored for the rescheduled date. Anyone wishing to receive a ticket refund may do so by contacting the location where they purchased their tickets.

Source -- The Port Arthur News

Last night Serena Williams kept it glam as she attended the HBO after party for the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards at The Pacific Design Center.

MOSCOW -- Russia won its third Federation Cup on Sunday after world no. 2 Svetlana Kuznetsova battled back from a set down to beat Italy’s Francesca Schiavone, giving the host an unassailable 3-0 lead.

Kuznetsova, 22, won 4-6, 7-6(7), 7-5 in two hours 44 minutes, clinching her seventh win in nine head-to-head meetings with Schiavone.

“I was really too nervous today, especially at the beginning,” Kuznetsova said. “But later I managed to settle down and find my rhythm. I’m so happy to win! Francesca played very well today. Probably it was her best match in recent years. But our fans’ and my teammates’ support helped me a lot to win. And I feel I was slightly better physically prepared for today’s match.”

The results: Russia 3 Italy 0 (Svetlana Kuznetsova bt Francesca Schiavone 4-6, 7-6(7), 7-5; Svetlana Kuznetsova bt Mara Santangelo 6-1, 6-2; Anna Chakvetadze bt Francesca Schiavone 6-4, 4-6, 6-4).

I just got tagged by Jerry Beuterbaugh of FishHawk Droppings. And to think, I had come to think of him as such a nice guy by way of his blog, uggggghh!! And unfortunately for me, I'm one of those rule followers, but I think a community of devious bloggers is going to teach me to get over that real quick!

First up, the rules:

1. Link to the person who tagged you. Check!
2. Tell 8 things about yourself. Check!
3. Tag 8 others of interest unto yourself. Check!
4. Inform them of their tagging. Check!
5. No participation -- No problem!

Okay, eight things about myself.........hmmmm..........O.K., like to here it, here it go:

1. I love having intellectual conversation after sex, I somehow feel enlightened by a good experience. (Hey, what can I say?!)
2. I like my cognac slightly warmed.
3. I hate snoring.
4. I don't like people to sit on my bed in attire that is not cotton or silk, and is not designed for sleeping.
5. I fear the homes of people who don't use bleach.
6. I love to cook.
7. I adore St. John knits, I feel very sophisticated when I wear them.
8. I too have a Louis Vuitton fetish that I manage comfortably (nothing new to a lot of women).

I choose to victimize the following kind people:

1. Jomiwi at Chimeric Daydreams
2. QCDream of Overtime
3. Yobachi of Black Perspective
4. CapCity of The Intimate Side of CapCity
5. Cheynne of Nerd with Swag
6. Dan of Personal Branding Blog
7. Deeshalatoya of Hoeism
8. Strictlyfab of Strictly Fabulous Style

Now, go into the blog community and victimize others!!