Weekend Wrap Up

We have our first winners of the new year folks!  Here is how we rang in the 2012 season:

The Brisbane International:

As new coach Ivan Lendl watched from his box, Andy Murray bagged his 22nd title by defeating Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-1, 6-3 in just 66 minutes.

Unseeded Kaia Kanepi won her 2nd WTA title, defeating Daniela Hantuchova 6-2, 6-1.

Chennai Open:

Twenty-one year old Milos Raonic blasted 35 aces in a marathon 3h 16m match to win his 2nd ATP title, defeating Janko Tipsarevic 6-7 (4), 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4).

ASB Classic:

Zheng Jei aka Jay Z won her 4th WTA title, and her first since 2006, after Flavia Pennetta retired with a back injury down 2-6, 6-3, 2-0.

Doha:

It was an all-French final but it was Jo-Wilfried Tsonga that prevailed, defeating countryman Gael Monfils 7-5, 6-3.

The Week Ahead

Play is currently underway in Sydney, Hobart, and the Heineken Open.  It should be an amazing week, but the best thing about the week ahead......there are only 7 more days until the beginning of the Australian Open!!!

Let the countdown begin.

Reading Room

If you've been hiding under a rock........Andy Murray has hired Ivan Lendl as his full time coach!

Rafael Nadal, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and Gael Monfils brought in the New Year together as they sang to Coldplay.  It made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

After the New Year, Rafa enjoyed a candlelit date in Doha with Roger Federer.

Li Na helped raise awareness for Native Animal Rescue.  She is adorable when she says, "It’s my first time (holding an animal) and it’s one of the best experiences of my whole life."

Who does the Macarena to Adele?  Victoria Azarenka and Caroline Wozniacki do.

In other Caro news.....check out this video of Caroline Wozniacki, her boyfriend Rory McIlroy, and friend John Isner riding elephants in Thailand!

Ana Ivanovic shares some inside deets about her romance with Adam Scott.

Serena Williams has no regrets out her most recent outburst at the US Open.

and last but not least.....

Brisbane International has a great Youtube site! Check it out!

Radek Stepanek Wins DC, does "The Worm"

Radek Stepanek won the Legg Mason Tennis Classic today 6-4 6-4 over Gael Monfils.  He celebrated the only way he knows how.........with "the worm" (at 1:00)!  Congrats Radek!

Isner and Monfils Hug It Out

The Gael Monfils/John Isner battle last night was an absolute classic.  Despite three rain delays (four warmups), muggy conditions, and a 1:15AM finish time, the match was high quality from beginning to end.  An enthusiastic crowd stayed for the duration and cheered hard for both guys.  But the most impressive thing about the match was the sportsmanship.  These guys bring out the best in each other and the moment at the net was surely one to remember.  THEY PUT DOWN THEIR RACKETS TO HUG.  Too sweet. 

They also both came to press afterwards, and you can check out their great pressers here.

Photos From Around The Grounds At Legg Mason

Here are some of my favorite photos from day 2 through day 4 the Legg Mason Tennis Classic.  If you want to check out more photos, head on over to the OnTheGoTennis Facebook Page.  Enjoy!

Click to read more ...

Say Cheese! Unless You Are Gael Monfils

Yesterday during his 2nd round match at the Mutua Madrid Open against Juan Monaco, Gael Monfils took a medical timeout because he was having stomach "issues" and was feeling dizzy on the court.  He left the court to throw-up, came back and played a few games, but then retired down 2-6, 0-3.  It turns out that Gael is allergic to cheese and accidentally ate some before the match which caused his symptoms. 

I only had a little bit, not on purpose, certainly.  I ate some pasta and it was in that. But once it's in my body, I can't do anything.

Poor guy.  But his coach Roger Rasheed is already gearing up for Rome next week.

Just stay away from the cheese.

Injury Update: Ana Ivanovic, Andy Murray, Gael Monfils, and Rafael Nadal

So many people to talk about, and so little time!  There are numerous injury updates this week, so it seemed easier to lump them all together in one update.  Hope they don't mind. (Although I doubt any man would mind being in close quarters with Ana.)

Ana Ivanovic - At the beginning of the year, Ana suffered an abdominal tear during her singles match at the Hopman Cup and ever since has been struggling with her serve, resulting in 1st round loses at the Australian Open, and more recently in Dubai.   This week, she has officially withdrawn from Doha citing the same injury.   On her official site she states,

It's very frustrating, because I am so motivated to train and to get more matches under my belt.  But with this injury I am restricted, especially on the serve, so I just have to rest and then kind of restart my season. I'm sorry to be missing Doha but I'm sure I will be back there in the future.

Whether it is part mental and/or part physical, I hope she heals soon. 

In other random Ana news she is also flying solo (without a coach) for a while because she needs to find someone who understands her.  And here is a great off-court article where she talks about music on her iPod, her favorite designers, and what she does to relax.

Andy Murray - This week Andy withdrew from Dubai citing a wrist injury.  After his loss to Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open, Andy was supposed to take a prolonged break from tennis, however instead he immediately entered the Rotterdam tournament and subsequently crashed and burned in the 1st round.  Now with his "wrist injury" he can mentally/physically recoup before "March Madness." (Indian Wells and Sony Ericsson Open). 

Gael Monfils- Gael also has a bum wrist.  He had to withdraw from his semi-final match at the SAP Open last week due to a lingering wrist injury he has had since the Australian Open.  In San Jose,  he had an MRI scan and was told he needed to take off 4-6 weeks.  He has withdrawn from his next 2 tournaments as well as Davis Cup. 

And now some happier news:

Rafael Nadal is on the road to recovery after he tore his adductor longus in his right leg during his quarter-final match at the Australian Open.  He has now started training again, and has been selected to play in the Davis Cup 1st round tie against Belgium March 4th joining his fellow Spaniards, David Ferrer, Feliciano Lopez, and Fernando Verdasco.