Archive for December, 2006

Below is a sampling of song lyrics that use tennis as a metaphor, this is fascinating stuff. Note especially how many artists focus on the violent aspects of the sport in song. Please comment if you have a tennis lyric that I have overlooked.

Bob Dylan, “I Shall Be Free No. 10″

I sat with my high-heeled sneakers on
Waiting to play tennis in the noonday sun
I had my white shorts rolled up past my waist
And my wig-hat falling in my face
But they wouldn’t let me on the tennis court.

Limp Bizkit, “Just Drop Dead”

You gotta lotta **** nerve!
Ya think this is a ****’ tennis match? (****!)
Time for me to serve
John Mackinroe
Ready for me ****?
Its 15-love
Where **** they gonna go? (Huh?)

XTC, “Living Through Another Cuba”

We’re the bulldog on the fence
while others play their tennis overhead
it’s hardly love all and somebody might
wind up red or dead
pour some oil on the water quick
it doesn’t really matter where from
he love me, he loves me not
he’s pulling fins from an atom bomb

This phenomenon happens every 20 years or so
if they’re not careful your watch won’t be the
only thing with a radioactive glow
I’ll stick my fingers in my ears
and hope they make it up before too late
if we get through this lot alright
they’re due for replay, 1998

Kid Rock, “Paid”

This ain’t tennis,
but yo I’ll use my backhand
On any grown man who tries to check Rock
I wanna headbang, I gotta hip-hop

ICP (Insane Clown Posse), “Blaaam!!!”

Hotties on the wizzle
Still a juggalizzle
I drive a platinum car
You’re the lucky one
It has a tennis court and a bar
You know who I are
Money out the ****
You’re the lucky one

The Roots, “No Great Pretender”

The mic is my apprentice, cause I can’t stand
courts or tennis, my pigmentation is the menace

Primus, “Coddingtown”

I went down to Coddingtown
It seemed the thing to do
You can get it all down there
From tennis balls to glue
Standin’ up in the ol’ smoke shop
Met a girl named Honey Pie
If you shamble long enough
You wanna go, you gotta go

2Pac, “The Realist Killaz”
(featuring 50 Cent)

You see me and chills run up your spine
Hardly even in the same war, but your heart ain’t like mine
Press, they look at me like I’m a menace
I was playin with guns
while your momma had your punk *** playin tennis

Bob Dylan, “Clean-Cut Kid”

He could’ve sold insurance, owned a restaurant or bar
He could’ve been an accountant or a tennis star…

They took a clean-cut kid
And they made a killer out of him
That’s what they did.

Ice-T, “Lifestyles Of The Rich And Infamous”

The plane’s a small one
No fun at all
Bouncin’ round the air
Like a tennis ball
When it touches down
I wanna kiss the ground
But it’s time to wreck a new town

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, “Babe, I’m On Fire”

The sports commentator says it
The old alligator says it
The tennis pro with his racquet
The loon in the straight jacket
Babe, I’m on fire
Babe, I’m on fire

Wu-Tang Clan, “It’s Yourz”

With root beer thoughts, here’s a tennis court
for your birthday, the babyface of rap politic with Sade

Notorious B.I.G., “I Love the Dough”

We hit makers with acres
Roll shakers in Vegas, you can’t break us
Lost chips on Lakers, gassed off Shaq
Country house, tennis courts on horseback
Ridin decidin cracked crab or lobster
Who say mobsters don’t prosper

The Shins, “Turn A Square”

She shone up bright like a knife
Wearing tennis shorts made of stripes
…
And I’m a walking cliche
When such a creature I sight

Cream, “Anyone For Tennis”

Twice upon a time in the valley of the tears
The auctioneer is bidding for a box of fading years
And the elephants are dancing on the graves of squealing mice.
Anyone for tennis, wouldn’t that be nice?

And the ice creams are all melting on the streets of bloody beer
While the beggars stain the pavements with flourescent Christmas cheer
And the Bentley driving guru is putting up his price.
Anyone for tennis, wouldn’t that be nice?

And the prophets in the boutiques give out messages of hope
With jingle bells and fairy tales and blind colliding scopes
And you can tell they’re all the same underneath the pretty lies.
Anyone for tennis, wouldn’t that be nice?

The yellow Buddhist monk is burning brightly at the zoo
You can bring a bowl of rice and then a glass of water too
And fate is setting up the chessboard while death rolls out the dice.
Anyone for tennis, wouldn’t that be nice?

If you’ve been thinking about a new racquet for the new year, maybe you’d like to consider the choices made by the top ranked players in the world. Below we offer a list of the racquets preferred by the world’s top ten men and women as well as his or her choice of string in many cases.

Men’s Top Ten

1 Roger Federer: Wilson K Factor KSix-One Tour 90
The KSix-One Tour 90 is the most forgiving Tour 90 yet. Subtle updates to the frame design make this one a must hit for 5.0+ level players. Standard length. Strung weight: 12.5 ounces. Swingweight: 336 (RDC). Balance: 9pts head light. Federer uses Wilson Natural Gut 16 String.

2 Rafael Nadal: Babolat AeroPro Drive
Plenty of pop, spin, and accuracy from a crisp response. 100 sq. inch headsize, 11.3 ounces. Nadal’s string of choice is Babolat Pro Hurricane Tour 16 String.

3 Nikolay Davydenko: Prince O3 Tour
Good access to spin on groundstrokes and serves. Very mobile from all areas of the court and perfect for aggressive players.

4 James Blake: Dunlop M-Fil 200
M-Fil (Multi Filament) is a technology that incorporates a unique patented 3D braiding process. Carbon, S-fiber and Magnesium are combined into the hitting zone at the racquet head to enhance the touch and feel of the racquet where and when you need it most — at the moment of ball contact.

5 Ivan Ljubicic: Babolat Pure Drive Team Plus
A popular pro tour choice. Many shared attributes with the Pure Drive Team Standard but with more heft, reach, and power. 100 sq. inch head. 27.5″ frame length. Ljubicic uses Babolat VS Natural ThermoGut 16 Touch String.

6 Andy Roddick: Babolat Pure Drive Roddick Plus
Andy’s signature racquet. Slightly heavier than the Pure Drive Plus, this one packs plenty of pop and a solid, spin-friendly response. New Cortex dampening technology makes for a comfortable hit. Roddick prefers Babolat Pro Hurricane Tour 16 String.

7 Tommy Robredo: Dunlop M-Fil 300
A versatile player’s racquet that blends power and control with a solid response. 98 sq. inch headsize, standard length, 16/19 string pattern. Robredo plays with Luxilon Big Banger Original 16 String.

8 David Nalbandian: Yonex RDS 001
Lots of control and great access to spin. Impressive combination of stability and maneuverability thanks to the headlight balance. Nalbandian’s choice is Luxilon Big Banger Original 16 String.

9 Mario Ancic: Yonex Ultimum RD Ti-80
A flexible, control oriented racquet with a strong pro player following. Standard length. 98 head size.

10 Fernando Gonzalez: Babolat Pure Storm Team
A lightweight control racquet that provides a solid feel at impact and is suited to a variety of playing styles. 11 ounces, 98 square inch headsize and 16/20 string pattern. Gonzalez likes Luxilon Big Banger ALU Power Rough 16L String.

Women’s Top Ten

1 Justine Henin-Hardenne: Wilson nCode nTour Two
Updated with increased comfort and a more solid feel, the nTour Two Midplus racquet offers the same pleasing response of power, maneuverability, and control as previous versions. H-H’s preference is Wilson Natural Gut 16 String.

2 Maria Sharapova: Prince O3 White
Power, control, comfort, and maneuverability. Well suited to an all court game. Features a 27″ frame length, 100sq. in. headsize and a 16/19 string pattern.

3 Amelie Mauresmo: Dunlop M-Fil 300
A versatile player’s racquet that blends power control with a solid response. 98 sq. inch headsize, standard length, 16/19 string pattern. Amelie uses Babolat VS Natural Team Gut 17 (1.25) String.

4 Svetlana Kuznetsova: Head Flexpoint Instinct
A solid choice for the aggressive all court 4.0+ player. Offers some nice pop, plenty of control and a maneuverable feel. 100 square inches, 11.2 ounces, 27″ length. Kuznetsova prefers Luxilon Big Banger ALU Touch Hybrd 16L String.

5 Kim Clijsters: Babolat Pure Drive Team Standard
Babolat’s best selling racquet offers a high level of stability and comfort. Racquet choice of many touring pros. Clijsters string of choice is Babolat VS Natural ThermoGut 16 Touch String.

6 Nadia Petrova: Babolat Pure Storm Team MP
Light and with a little more pop than most control-oriented racquets. Well-suited to players with fast swings seeking a little larger sweetspot. 10.7 ounces, 103 square inch headsize.

7 Martina Hingis: Yonex RQS 11
A pleasing blend of power, control, and maneuverability. A perfect choice for the 4.0+ shot maker who likes to mix pace, spin and placement. Headsize: 100 square inches. Length: 27.5 inches. Strung Weight: 10.4 ounces.

8 Elena Dementieva: Yonex RDS 001
Clean and crisp response, lots of control and great access to spin. Impressive combination of stability and maneuverability thanks to the headlight balance. Dementieva chooses Luxilon Big Banger ALU Power 16L String.

9 Patty Schnyder: Head Liquidmetal Prestige
The Prestige line gets updated with Liquidmetal and Twin Tube technology. Mid (93 sq. inch) and Midplus (98 sq. inch) headsizes available. Standard 27 inch length frames. Schnyder plays using Kirschbaum Super Smash Spiky 17L String 1.20.

10 Nicole Vaidisova: Yonex RDS 003
This control-oriented ‘tweener offers a large and forgiving sweetspot. Strong on comfort and very spin friendly, this one is well suited to all court players who like to take an aggressive cut at the ball. Midplus 100sq. in headsize and longer 27.25″ length.

Also fun but much more realistic are Sports Illustrated’s Predictions 2007: Tennis. They make an interesting point in stating that while our individual American players may not be taking top honors, we have Blake and Roddick and a good chance at winning the Davis Cup in 2007. Short of Nadal becoming Swiss, of course. I really like that they played it safe with the fifth prediction: Federer will win three of four majors next year. You don’t say? I wonder how many analysts spent how much time dithering over that one. I’ll even go so far as to predict that the one of four Grand Slams that Federer does not take is Roland Garros.

Tom Kosinski over at Sports Central has posted something fun for tennis fans, his Fifth Annual Tennis Christmas Wish List.

I certainly agree with his tenth wish, for a healthy year for all the women tennis players on the WTA tour. It would be fantastic to see this amazing body of talent play in all its full glory. Wish Number Six — YES!! I vote that the networks air fewer reality television programs about those that are in reality boring, shallow, vacuous types and instead give viewers much more exciting, in-depth tennis coverage; but I digress. His eighth wish is right on, James Blake rocks. As for his ninth wish, if anyone out there is still wondering what to get your favorite Wicked Backhand editor… please, Santa, make it so!!

The American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD) recently voted tennis star Maria Sharapova tops in their Best Celebrity Smile Survey. 42 percent of those that responded chose Sharapova for best female athlete smile. American golfer Tiger Woods was voted best male athlete smile. The AACD is the world’s largest not-for-profit cosmetic dental professional association.

Sharapova and her smile were also featured in the January issue of Vogue dedicated to best dressed celebrities. In general, 2006 was one of the best years for Maria’s career to date. She won five major tournaments, including the US Open, and ended the year ranked number two in the world.

Three-time Grand Slam winner and former world number one, Lindsay Davenport is trading her racquet bag for a diaper bag. She and husband Jonathan Leach recently announced her pregnancy and stated that she does not expect to play tennis professionally in the future.

At thirty years old, Lindsay says she hates to use the word “retirement” but that due to injuries and her focus on family, she is ready to move to the next phase of her life. She suffered from back problems throughout most of the 2006 season, ending the year ranked at 25 in the world.

Davenport’s career highlights include winning the US Open in 1998, Wimbledon in 1999, and the Australian Open in 2000; 51 singles titles, 36 doubles titles; Olympic gold medalist in 1996. She finished four seasons as top ranked player in the world (1998, 2001, 2004, and 2005). Among active tennis players, Davenport has earned the most career prize money, more than $21 million. Over 6 feet, 2 inches, she is the tallest woman ever to win a Grand Slam singles title!

Check out this video I found on YouTube via a tennis forum. The poster was asking about getting sponsorship for her youngster. Four years-old in this video. What do you think, worthy of early sponsorship?

The International Tennis Federation chose Swiss superstar Roger Federer and Belgian ace Justine Henin-Hardenne as their 2006 World Champions. This is Roger’s third consecutive year winning this honor; Justine won it previously in 2003. Both Federer and Henin-Hardenne finished the tennis season as number one in the world, competing in all four of the Grand Slam finals. Ironically, Federer’s only Grand Slam loss came at the French Open, which was Henin-Hardenne’s only Grand Slam win in 2006.

Bob and Mike Bryan, American twins, are the International Tennis Federation’s men’s double world champions; Lisa Raymond (US) and Samantha Stosur (Australia) are the ITF women’s double world champions. Thiemo de Bakker of Holland is the boy’s world champion and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia is the girl’s world champion. The ITF Awards ceremony will take place in Paris at the French Open on June 5, 2007.

Though Henin-Hardenne led the WTA Tour this year with six titles, Mauresmo beat H-H in both the Australian Open and Wimbledon finals. Henin-Hardenne also lost to Mauresmo in total number of votes for the International Tennis Writers’ Association’s Player of the Year Award. The ITWA chose Roger Federer and Amelie Mauresmo as Player of the Year, voting them the sport’s best ambassadors. This is Roger’s third successive year selected; it is Amelie’s first such honor. Mauresmo won this year’s Australian Open and Wimbledon, as well as the hearts of fans and journalists.

ESPN’s Bonnie DeSimone reviews the year in tennis, it’s an entertaining read. If I were Andy Roddick, I’d rehearse a few postmatch comments just in case.

Best use of junk food in postmatch comments
“I used to, like, hit for a half hour and then go eat Cheetos the rest of the day, come out and drill forehands. Now I’m really trying to make it happen, being professional, really going for it, and I miss my Cheetos.”
– Andy Roddick, after losing to Russia’s Igor Andreev in the round of 16 at Indian Wells

Best use of a martyred world leader in postmatch comments
“Yeah, for the most part I was fine today until I just, you know, went mental at the end. That’s 5-1, so it’s not really going to matter. I mean, I could have, you know, reached Gandhi-like peace of mind and it wouldn’t have mattered then.”
– Andy Roddick, at the same news conference

Best use of a beloved animated character in postmatch comments
“Shooting the guy who shot Bambi? I guess it feels better than shooting Bambi.”
– Andy Roddick, after beating Benjamin Becker to advance to the US Open quarterfinals

Kim Clijsters, currently ranked number five woman in the world of tennis, has declared 2007 her last year of professional tennis. Though Clijsters is only 23, she is plagued by persistent injuries. She also plans to marry American Brian Lynch right after Wimbledon and devote herself to starting a family and making a home. Lynch plays for the Belgian basketball club Bree, Clijsters’ hometown team.

Clijsters’ career highlights include winning the 2005 US Open as well as 36 other singles titles. She was the first Belgian female to reach a Grand Slam final at Roland Garros in 2001 though she was defeated by Jennifer Capriati. Kim held the world’s number one ranking for a period during 2003 and has earned over $14 million in prize money.

In 2004, injuries began to bother Clijsters when she sprained her ankle badly and withdrew from a tournament in Sydney. She managed to come back and win Antwerp (the biggest match in her home country of Belgium) but then another injury struck when Kim hurt her wrist in play at Indian Wells. After months of rest and rehabilitation, she fought her way back again. In 2005, her world ranking soared from 133 to 17, and even a bad knee injury did not keep Clijsters from winning her first Grand Slam—the US Open! Sadly her game in 2006 was hampered by an injured hip, a twisted ankle, an injured foot, and a painful fall on her wrist.

“2007 will become my final year for sure. Pretty special if you ask me. I’ll select some nice tournaments so as to go and say goodbye to the many nice people I have met in the past,” Clijsters said in her web diary in November. Kim will begin her last year in tennis in Australia where she has long been a favorite, perhaps partly due to her former engagement to top Australian player Lleyton Hewitt. She will also play her home tournament in Antwerp though she declined an invitation from the Belgian Olympic Committee to play at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Read Clijster’s web diary for further thoughts about her last year in women’s tennis.