Bad Boys of the ATP: Tomas Berdych

Bad boys. We love em, then we hate em, then we love em again. For most women, there is nothing sexier than a man who loves you then leaves you begging for more. Endless songs are written about these men our fathers would certainly not approve of, but whether we simply daydream about these rebellious romantics, (hello, Eric Northman), or actually pursue them is another matter entirely.Only one thing is for sure, at some point in our lives we will find ourselves attracted to someone who strays a little on the naughty side.

If you're a bad boy addict, modern day tennis leaves a lot to be desired. On the surface, men's tennis is filled with gentlemen who hug their opponents after a loss and don't spit the dummy when a call doesn't go their way. They don't drink, they don't smoke and they certainly don't resemble James Dean (or Deen, if you prefer). But there are a few rough cuts amongst the polished stones, those who fit in more amongst John McEnroe and Ilie Nastase than the Wimbledon tea room regulars. Over the next few months, I will make an attempt to sort out those ATP players you'd take home to meet your mother from those you... definitely wouldn't.

It takes a lot for the mild-mannered Rafael Nadal to call someone stupid, but that's exactly how he has referred to our latest bad boy. This Czech player has no problems showing his disdain for media, umpires and other players. He is, of course, Tomas Berdych.

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Video: Will Smith Gives Roger Federer His MIB3 Suit After Madrid Win

Will Smith attended the Mutua Madrid Open final between Roger Federer and Tomas Berdych while in town promoting his new movie, Men In Black III.  After Roger captured the title, Will Smith gave him a better prize than the phallic looking Madrid trophy......his MIB3 suit!  To watch Will present Fed the suit in Spanish, press PLAY!

Australian Open Day 9: Pushers, Painters, and Raging Bulls

Didn't you get the memo? It's 2006.by Kait O'Callahan

A dandelion is floats towards me in the humid Melbourne air.  There's barely a breeze, but it drifts softly, never threatening to fall.  I carefully pluck it out and cradle it in my hands.  Between its soft, white hairs lie tangled green fibres.  I make a wish and let it drift away.

Agnieska Radwanska moves well, defends well, and counter-punches with the best of them.  But until she develops a serve and an ability to follow balls in, she'll always run into a player having a better day than her.  That player today is Victoria Azarenka, although the first set doesn't fall that way.  Azarenka's forehand is errant, and her serve is exposed as a real weakness as she collapses in the first set tiebreak.  It's her only real lapse of the tournament so far.  Yet as she's now famed for, she recovers mentally between sets superbly.  She dictates play the rest of the match, doesn't allow herself to get too far behind the baseline, and hits her forehand with authority.  She looks positively thrilled to be in the semi-finals.

The seats in Rod Laver begin to fill.  Spoiled for choice corporates trickle in for a glimpse of Kim Clijsters. She's doing what everyone expected her to do against Caroline Wozniacki: win.  The first set is wrapped up in no time, despite Clijsters getting tight near the end.  Wozniacki's forehand, which has been much improved this fortnight, has reverted back to its loopy self.  She misses uncharacteristic backhands, and comes to net on seemingly arbitrary shots.  If Wozniacki is to win a Slam, not only does she need to become less of a pusher and more of a counter-puncher, but her shot selection also requires much work.  She makes more of a match of it in the second, and forces a tiebreak, but comes up short. Clijsters pumps her fist as she dethrones the world number one.  It never felt like it was going to be any other way.

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Gotta Love The Drama: Berdych Refuses To Shake Almagro's Hand

Scenario:  During his match against Tomas Berdych, Nicolas Almagro was forced to hit a short ball on the run and unfortunately, (or fortunately because he won the point) the ball tagged Berdych fairly hard on the arm.  Tomas seemed to shrug the point off and eventually prevailed over Nico, 4-6, 7-6, 7-6 7-6.  However, after the match was over, Tomas refused to shake Nico's hand which made the crowd dramatically turn on him.  Watch the video above to see the non-hand shake, the crowd's amazing reaction, and Darren Cahill's take on the point, with which I agree.  What do you think?

Off-Season Hijinks

The off-season is finally here, and it's clear that some of the players have too much free time on their hands.

Yesterday, Andrea Petkovic pulled a fast one on her Twitter followers:

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Djokovic Still Soaring To Record Heights

By JAMES HENRY
OnTheGoTennis

CINCINNATI – Novak Djokovic’s nearly perfect season continues Sunday with his chance to claim an incredible 10th title of the year.

He will face Andy Murray at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, a rematch of the tournament’s final in 2008, when the Scot won in two tiebreakers.

Potentially, it could be the Serbian’s 11th Masters 1000 trophy of his career – the sixth just this season. The winner of this year’s Australian Open and Wimbledon, he currently boasts 27 ATP World Tour singles titles.

In 2011, Djokovic has won an astonishing 57 matches, only losing to Roger Federer in the semifinals of the French Open, which snapped a 43-match winning streak that went all the way back to last year’s Davis Cup final.

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How Much Is That Emo In The Window?

Photo:  ATP World Tour/Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell

When I saw this picture of Feliciano Lopez posing as a mannequin in a store window with Nicolas Almagro and Tomas Berdych for the Barcelona Open, this song immediately popped in my head:

How much is that doggie in the window?
The one with the waggily tail?
How much is that doggie in the window?
I do hope that doggie's for sale.

Just switch out "doggie" for "emo", and instead of "waggilly tail" maybe "curly brown hair" and it fits perfectly.  I mean, I'd buy him.