Venus’ on-court struggles continued in Roland Garros thanks (but no thanks) to a lower back injury she’s been suffering for over 2 months. She lost to Ula Radwanska in the opening round in a tight, not really pretty, 3-set match. This comes a year after Vee lost to Ula’s big sister, Aga, in the second round here. I’m thinking she’ll want to be far away from the name Radwanska in the draw next year. And, perhaps, Serena close to it for revenge reasons.
You know what else Vee should want to be far away from? That outfit. It’s, like, the opposite of a trophy-hoister kit.
The first day of a slam. It’s all so exciting and you make plans that it’s going to be such a fun and relaxed day of tennis-watching. Two hours go by and suddenly everything is happening at the same time, you can’t keep up and it is now super stressful. We fumble with our keyboards trying to flip streams because Twitter said a good match is going on at Court 18. What if it ends up becoming an epic? No one wants to miss out on an epic. *fumble* *fumble* *bufferiiiiiiing…* “Goddamnit!” Also, World No. 547 is leading the 12th seed over on MCA. “Wait, he was but not anymore? Is my stream delayed?” No. 22 is getting routined over at 4. Your sometimes favorite is in a deciding set against some dangerous floater. There’s an upset alert on Hise… RaaaaaaaaaahIlovetennis!
I tried to absorb as much as I could on Day 1 of the Australian Open. I tried so hard that my brain was starting to tap out before the day session ended then nodded off 2 games into the Hewitt-Tipsarvic match. WEAK. In no particular order, here’s what I remember most about the first day:
You don’t engage in a long rally with a “rusty” Maria Sharapova because she’ll come alive.
Venus Williams is looking sharp early on and is on course to meet Sharapova in the 3rd round.
Sam Stosur won her first match of the year! Phew.
Agree with Andy Roddick, Novak Djokovic is still good at tennis.
I would prefer to not move on from Roland Garros. I’d like to bottle that tournament, put it in my back pocket and end my run as a tennis fan. But, much like in years past (US Open 2006 was one of the best ever for me), I know I won’t be able to help myself. Plus, there are people who I can’t possibly stay away from in this sport (faves and friends, alike) so I “play” on.
However, before I completely wash off the virtual dirt stuck on the soles of my shoes and dream of rolling around the pristine grass at SW19, let me revisit, for the last time on this blog, the moment from Paris that I’ll draw inspiration from for… ever?
When you score a Sharapova tribute to Beyonce, you’ll have me.
“I always listened to my own voice, and it always told me that for some reason I’m meant to be better. I’m meant to succeed again. And I did.”
My thoughts after Maria’s win were summed up nicely in the last paragraph of this blog post (which had nothing to do with me or tennis) by a fellow photographer, James Nord:
“The old man cast his line out one more time, this time impossibly far into the ocean and as I turned around I imagined him pulling in a fish he would talk about for the rest of his life because we all deserve a brush with greatness to remind us to strive for it.”
And with that, it’s time to move along.
Ready? P… NEVER. Question though, is the women’s draw wide open at this Major? Is it?!
Lindsay Gibbs talks Andy Roddick. And the h-word. (After his Eastbourne win today, Andy has now won at least 1 title for the last 12 years. He’s definitely given fans reason to always h…)
The annual WTA pre-Wimbledon party in photos! Oh, here’s a gallery just for the Williamses. And, oh, for the World No. 1. Swag away, ladies. I certainly don’t disapprove of you having your own galleries. #oh
Maria Sharapova attended the annual Vanity Fair Oscar Party in West Hollywood last night. She picked out an Alexander McQueen dress for the event that looks a bit like Dolce’s lounger. Did Dolce throw a little fit just as his momma was about to leave? Despite it not being the best dress ever, it showed off a lot of Masha and, well, she’s hot. I love the hair (Hey, Adir, glad to see you back!), make-up and accessories though.
In the last few years, Venus has been pulling out of tournaments at the last minute citing viral infections and the like. Naturally, the media and fans became suspicious of all these pull outs which mostly happened in smaller WTA events. At this year’s US Open, Vee pulled out again at the last minute before her second round match against Sabine Lisicki. She released a statement saying that she been diagnosed with Sjorgen’s Syndrome, an autoimmune disease which causes fatigue and joint pain.
“I’m really disappointed to have to withdraw from this year’s US Open. I have been recently diagnosed with Sjögren’s Syndrome, an autoimmune disease which is an ongoing medical condition that affects my energy level and causes fatigue and joint pain. I enjoyed playing my first match here and wish I could continue but right now I am unable to. I am thankful I finally have a diagnosis and am now focused on getting better and returning to the court soon,”
In an interview with Good Morning America the day after she pulled out of the US Open, Vee talked about dealing with Sjogren’s and hopefully finding a way to overcome it to get back to the top of the game.
I can only imagine how frustrating it must have been for Vee to try to work but can’t and have no idea why. This certainly answers a lot of the questions about her last minute pull outs in recent years. I wish her lots of good health and hope we see her back on court!
