Tennis

Samantha Stosur: What she said, really meant and definitely did not

Samantha Stosur Is The Lesser Offender When It Comes To Grunting

What she said:

“I make noise when I hit the ball as well.  It’s just not so screechy.  So nobody really says anything about it.”

Australian tennis star, Samantha Stosur, admits that she’s a grunter as well.

Her statement came in the wake of No.1 Caroline Wozniacki’s remark that some players use the sounds to their advantage.

What she really meant:

“Grunting’s OK. Screeching, screaming and shrieking’s not.”

What she definitely didn’t:

“Just call me ‘Shre(e)k’”.

Mats Wilander: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Mats Wilander Pegs Caroline Wozniacki As ‘Mentally Deficient’ at the Slams

What he said:

“She’s certainly not the best player in the world at her best, but at her worst she’s probably the best player in the world compared to the others."

Seven time major  winner and former Numero Uno Mats Wilander questions Caroline Wozniacki’s pedigree despite her finishing No.1 two years in succession.

The Dane has yet to win a major falling short every time in her Grand Slam aspirations.

Wilander said:

The thing is we know she can win small tournaments, what we don’t know is if mentally she can win the big ones. We know Wozniacki has the head to be consistent but we don’t know if she’s got the head to wrap her thoughts around winning a Grand Slam. Her game is not there just yet.

Wilander feels that Wozniacki is clueless at the majors because she cannot access on-court coaching.

To be honest, the mistake that she is doing is that she is getting different treatment on the WTA tour than she does at the Grand Slams because of the on-court coaching. You have to look at the obvious reasons I’m not in favor of it for her because she seems lost compared to when she’s getting coached.

Consistency, rather than brilliance, is the reason for Wozniacki’s ascendancy, says Wilander:

“The ranking is the result of not necessarily being the best player in the world, it’s the result of being the most consistent player in the world. That’s what it reflects.”

Wilander questioned Wozniacki’s commitment to winning Slams:

"Her range is very narrow, very even. But is she playing to be the number one in the world, to win lots of matches and make a lot of money or is she playing to win grand slams. I guess you’ll have to ask her that."

Wilander believes that Czech Petra Kvitova has the weapons and the temperament to dethrone the Dane of Polish origin:

Absolutely. Kvitova is going to be inconsistent because of the way she plays but mentally she is very consistent. She always looks for a way out and looks to come forward and be aggressive, she is happy to go to the net and make her opponents miss.

She is very natural in figuring out what she needs to do with her game. Unlike Caroline she’s already proved she can raise her game to win a slam.

What Mats Wilander really meant:

“The best of Ms. Wozniacki does not quite match the best of the likes of Li Na, Samantha Stosur, Serena Williams, Petra Kvitova or Vera Zvonareva. Her worst, however, is better than their worst. The pendulum swings more in their case.”

What Mats Wilander definitely didn’t:

“How about Ms. Wozniacki  endorsing ‘Cruise Control’?”

Roger Federer: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Fedex Meets The Federer Express

What he said:

"I have never named a locomotive before, let alone one bearing my own name.”

Fedex or the Federal Express has a locomotive named after him—The Federer Express.

Roger Federer was honoured by National Suisse with a locomotive bearing his name and image.

Federer is the Suisse’s brand ambassador.

The National Suisse will contribute to the Roger Federer fund for every kilometre the locomotive travels.

Jeannine Pilloud, Head of the Passenger Division at SBB railways, said:

“Our passengers are world champions in rail travel. Now they can look forward to meeting Roger Federer, the best tennis player of all time, on all inter-city routes.”

What he really meant:

“How would you  like to do the Loco-motion with me?”

What he definitely didn’t:

“Why can’t my sponsors be normal and name an airplane or a ship for me?”

Marat Safin: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Marat Safin Hopes To Join The Law Makers

What he said:

“I could be the best looking guy in the Duma. But that’s only because all the other guys are over 60.”

Marat Safin is running for public office.

The former tennis star—winner of two majors—is up for election to the lower house of Russian parliament on December 4, 2011.

Post-retirement, Safin involved himself with the Russian tennis federation and is a member of the Russian Olympic committee.

What he really meant:

“I could be their (Duma’s) fresh-faced poster boy.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“The change (in Russian politics) will be merely cosmetic.”

Women’s Tennis: Caroline Wozniacki lays down the law for Stacey Allaster to enforce (Humor)

That grunting (and shrieking) is really getting on my nerves.

What is that horrible sound?

That is the sound of cheating, according to Caroline Wozniacki:

I think there are some players who do it on purpose. They don’t do it in practice and then they come into the match and they grunt. I think they [officials] could definitely cut it. If you grunt really loudly your opponent cannot hear how you hit the ball. Because the grunt is so loud, you think the ball is coming fast and suddenly the ball just goes slowly. In tight moments, maybe the grunt helps them with getting less nervous.

So whom is the Woz’s remark aimed at?

Women’s Tennis: No Beach Picnic For Maria Sharapova This Year

What she said:

"The last couple of years at this time I was sipping a margarita on the beach and now I have another tournament.”

Maria Sharapova contrasts her experiences over the past two years with 2011.

Though the Russian is yet to win a Slam since 2008, she climbed the rankings to be No.2 this year.

What she really meant:

“More work, more tennis, less play, less Margaritas.”

What she definitely didn’t:

“I’d rather be picnicking on the beach.”

Michael Luevano: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Michael Luevano Is Papal To Players’ Demands

What he said:

"Lock them in a room and throw away the key until they come out."

Shanghai Masters tournament director Michael Luevano insists that the only way to resolve tennis player concerns is to get all the governing bodies—ATP, WTA, ITF and Grand Slam tourney organisers—involved.

He called for a summit, “They need a summit with the Grand Slam present, the ITF present, the WTA present and of course the ATP."

Luevano added:

"It’s like voting for the Pope. Stay there [in the meeting] and we’ll wait for the white smoke."

Talking to BBC Sport, Luevano said that it is frustrating to lose top players to withdrawals and injuries.

Referring to Roger Federer’s withdrawal from his event, the Shanghai Masters boss said:

Especially with someone like Roger, we want him in the game for five more years.

If he’s not comfortable with how his body is feeling, and we just happen to be the tournament he can’t make, then so be it.

Luevano called for a balancing of  players’ demands and tournament needs:

It is very complex [the calendar debate]. There are a lot of moving parts, a lot of historic events, established market places.

By wanting to shorten the season, someone is going to suffer dramatically.

I think a lot of progress has been made by the ATP and from the tournament side what we’re looking for is player commitment which is how we build the event.

What Luevano really meant:

“Decisions and solutions don’t get made without coming to the dialogue table. Oh, by the way, can you ensure that my Shanghai sojourn continues in the mix?”

What Luevano definitely didn’t:

“There are plenty of empty rooms and seats right here in Shanghai. Let’s do it—now!”

Anna Kournikova: What she said, really meant and definitely did not

Anna Kournikova Wishes For Children—Own or Adopted

What she said:

"I absolutely want to have children, whether I have my own or adopt.I love taking care of people."

Anna Kournikova, former tennis diva and trainer on ‘The Biggest Loser’ television show outlines her future plans.

The stunning Russian is still with longtime boyfriend and pop superstar, Enrique Iglesias—son of the legendary Julio Iglesias.

Marriage isn’t a priority though.

"[Marriage] isn’t important to me. I’m in a happy relationship – that’s all that matters.I believe in commitment. I believe in being open and trusting each other and respecting each other completely."

Kournikova’s interview appears in the Oct 18 issue of Women’s Health magazine.

What she really meant:

“Yeah, I don’t mind gaining a few inches around the waist—for this cause.”

What she definitely didn’t:

“No prizes for guessing who the disciplinarian is gonna be (when we have kids).”

Andy Murray: What he said, really meant and definitely did not

Andy Murray Roils Up Some Tennis Balls

What he said:

"If you asked a golfer to change balls every single week, they’d be hitting balls 20 yards too far and hitting shots all over the place."

Andy Murray takes aim at the differences in tennis balls used for various tournaments.

Murray set the ball (pun unintended) rolling with his comments on Tuesday, 11th October, 2011 at the Shanghai Masters.

Rafael Nadal chimed in —on Wednesday:

You play in Bangkok with one ball, in Tokyo with another ball, here with another ball. That’s too much in my opinion. (It) is dangerous and can cause injuries.

Something must change because is too dangerous for the shoulders. You cannot change the ball every week.

Nadal was almost magnanimous claiming that he would accept less prize money as long as he does not have to give in to sponsor demands to use their spheroids.

I am very happy to win less money and have my health.

If we compare the Tokyo ball with this one (in Shanghai), it was much bigger, slower. The ball is completely different. This ball is very fast, it goes small and doesn’t stay on the racquet. It flies a lot and is tough.

Nadal relented somewhat conceding that it was not necessary to have one standard ball the whole season.

For example, when you start the clay-court season, you have the same ball for that period; when you have the American hard court season, you have the same ball. So that’s positive.
But what cannot happen is to have one ball in Rome, one ball in Madrid, one ball in Barcelona… That doesn’t work.

What Murray really meant:

“It’s not as though we’re dancers on court—a slow dance, tango and then salsa. Can you imagine that?”

What Murray definitely didn’t:

“Goodness gracious great balls of fire!”

Men’s Tennis: 3 reasons for Novak Djokovic’s superb season

Three  reasons for Novak Djokovic’s stupendous season:

3) Gluten-free diet

From being floored by flour, the Serb mopped the courts with his opponents.

Gluten was his kryptonite; free of it, he was transformed into a redoubtable foe—a Superman.

2) The HEAD Commercial

The Maria Sharapova imitation in HEAD commercials had opponents confused. Were they playing the Joker or Gorgeous Maria?

The ‘gentlemen’ would not let a ‘lady’ lose.

1) Rafa’s Autobiography

Rafael Nadal was too busy co-writing his autobiography leaving the Serb free to rewrite history books.

Feel free to add your own….

Quote of the Day:
All good books are alike in that they are truer than if they had really happened.
–Ernest Hemingway