Hello heroes,
I hope you are all well enjoying Wimbledon 2008 which for me held a lot of surprises this week. Most notably the loss of Maria Sharapova and Ana Ivanovic. I had high expectations from both hoping at least one of them would reach the final of the green green grass of home. But none of them played any of the warm up tournaments so perhaps that had something to do with it.
The resurrection of Marat Safin is a complete surprise. He is a player who belongs in the top 10 of the ATP tour. Better yet : He belongs in the top five. He sure has the game for it.
The most controversial news this week is Justin Gimelstob’s comments about women’s tennis.
Anyway this column is still called Weeklylinks and not “Manfred’s Weekly Opinion” so let’s get a move on and start with the links.
None other than our very own tennisfashionista Erwin Ong was interviewed by the Canada Globe and Mail. TennisGrandstand got mentioned in it too. (Globe and Mail)
On The Baseline had a chat with Ana Ivanovic. Our former Justine Henin blogger Crystal Lam had her question answered (On The Baseline)
The Lawn Tennis Association has targets five players in the top 10 of the ATP Tour by 2010. Is that possible? (BBC)
Falling in love is so hard on the knees: Greg Norman and Chris Evert got married (Sydney Morning Herald)
A catchy headline which soon probably will become reality: Federer, Nadal Mow de Villiers on Wimbledon Grass (Bloomberg)
Tennis legend Margaret Court creeps like a nun (The Town Talk)
Roger Federer goes to the zoo. And not just with anyone but with Gwen Stefani, who’s one of Roger’s fans. (Yahoo! Sports)
Not only a good commentator and a lover of good art but also involved with charities. John McEnroe sells his Andy Warhol painting. The proceeds will go to the Habitat for Humanity. (Yahoo! UK & Ireland)
Brad Gilbert quit the LTA and manages to get a lot of money from them. (Telegraph)
FHM covers Ana Ivanovic or is it Ana Ivanovic covers FHM? (Women’s Tennis Blog)
Marina Hyde also fights sexism on the tour. (The Guardian)
Excelsior,
M.W.
Extra Bonus pics:
Now these may be old but they are still great to look at. ATP Tour photos from Dubai. Enjoy!!
Photocredit: ATP/Mauricio Ramos Velásquez-Mellado
