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Two legends retire: Roger Federer and Serena Williams

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I was doing the laundry when the news hit that Roger Federer was going to retire and the Laver Cup was going to be his last dance. The last dance has become such a popular saying after the Netflix series about Michael Jordan that I am casually stealing it from him.

Roger Federer announcing his retirement has had a profound impact on me. Memories of more fun times, when I would discuss tennis with my grandmother, who sadly passed away in 2013. We each had our own preferences in tennis. We were huge fans but had different tastes.

Team Kim vs Team Venus

I remember having a pseudo fight with her over Venus Williams and Kim Clijsters at the Miami finale of 2010. She was team Venus and I was team Kim. She loved Venus because she was a fighter. I loved Kim because of her determination. But we both agreed that Serena was the GOAT. She was more ferocious than Venus we found. Looking at the number of tournaments Serena won in total, we were both right.

The notorious finale that cost me desert

Serena Williams has more talent in her pinkie toe than everyone else

My grandmother and I often wondered how it was possible that Serena was still so incredibly dominant on the WTA Tour. Even after she was less motivated she would still come out on top. Or even after long absences, she would just train and come back on top. It was ridiculous.

So we figured: she either has so much more talent in her pinkie toe than the entire WTA Tour OR the competition was too weak. We like to think that the pinkie toe was the reason for her dominance on the WTA Tour.

Ofcourse things weren’t always that sunny on the WTA Tour for Serena. Like I mentioned before, at times she would just not be there but elsewhere in her mind or physically. And I wasn’t the only one who noticed it. Many fans did. And so did Chris Evert who wrote an open letter to Serena to not let her amazing tennis talent go to waste.

The letter is hard to find but Pro Tennis Fan’s Mike McIntyre has kept a copy on his website protennisfan.com. The letter is a really good read and we see it from Chris’ perspective. But I can understand Serena as well. You have won it all at some point and your hunger is stilled. What do you want out of your career? I am sure many of you can relate to some degree. What do you do when you have reached all your goals?

You evolve away from tennis. And that’s what Serena did when she retired at the US Open in 2022. I wish her a happy retirement and I hope to see her in some capacity talking about her new ventures.

Roger Federer has more talent in his big thumb than everyone else

Remember when I was doing the laundry? I left the laundry room to read up on Federer’s announcement to retire. I watched old videos of him beating his adversaries. I remember being happy when he finally beat Nadal. Or the moment he finally won his career Grand Slam by winning the French Open. Federer didn’t like the Paris clay much and it took him a long time to finally win that tournament. And I remember watching that with my grandmother. We didn’t like Nadal or Djokovic. Our hero was Roger Federer. His tennis was magical.

Or the times that he played in Rotterdam and I always wanted to go but something else got in the way that needed my attention more. I am sad to say that I had plenty of opportunities to watch him play in real life and realize now that I never will see him compete at the highest level. I will maybe see him play on the old man’s tournaments like they have at each Grand Slam tournament or the Champions Series.

When Federer announced his final match was going to be a doubles match and preferably with Nadal, I knew I just had to watch that. Nadal and Federer on the same side of court, that’s just amazing.

The moment came on September 23rd, 2022 and I was about to go watch when I saw pictures popping up online of a crying Federer holding Nadal’s hand. This time it was really over.

I still haven’t watched his final goodbye or his last dance. I just couldn’t do it. I know I will get very emotional. Not just because it’s the tennis player I have been following all these years but also the memories I have of my grandmother.

Thanks for everything Serena and Roger.

It’s a wrap: Adidas’ women’s competition line, s/s ‘09

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Not a surprise, but the spring/summer 2009 adidas women’s competition line keeps low-key, staying with that bumblebee shade that we’ve been trying to expunge from the tennis palette for two years (Yonex is keeping adidas company during this sit-in).
The bright yellow is broken up by black lines around the back of both the tank and the cap sleeve top, while the standard three-stripe detail makes an appearance on the sleeve of the latter.
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There’s a diamond in the rough, though: continuing with the Asian-inspired Australian Open top, adidas has produced this red mock wrap cap sleeve tee to kick of its players’ 2009 campaign. (With Anna Chakvetadze defecting to Fila, Dinara Safina and Patty Schnyder will be the highest-ranked women playing in these pieces.)
Buy: adidas Competition Tank and Cap Sleeve Top, neon yellow/black, starting at $45; Competition Skort, white, $45; all items available at shopadidas.com in January 2009.

Fashion Focus: Ana’s Adilibria Aussie Attire

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anaivanovic-adidaswinter09
Adidas’s customary “sneak peek” into the early 2009 wardrobe of Ana Ivanovic left us a little disappointed. The violet adilibria dress suffers the same fate as her other dresses from 2008; they look good on the mannequin but fail to maintain elegance in action (see: the bubble skirt, the petal skirt). The diagonal detail across the bust looks messy.
It didn’t help Ana’s aura that she fizzled out at the Year End Championships, getting knocked out of the round robin portion by Russian Vera Zvonareva, whom the Serb handily beat the week prior in Linz.
But she still finished the season in the top 5, nabbed herself a hot Spaniard (ever girl’s dream, no?) — hers in the form of Fernando Verdasco — and she’s already in Australia getting ready for the start of the 2009 season.
Ana’s shoes, the adidas Barricade V, will be white with metallic grey — a perfect complement to her purple dress!
That being said, the rest of the adilibria line is faaaaaaaaaaaaaaabuluos (it’s almost McCartney-esque), so I have a feeling Ms. Ivanovic might defect to the separates sometime before Roland Garros…
Shop: adilibria dress, violet, $70; Barricade V, white/metallic grey, $120; all the gear will drop in January at shopadidas.com.

Adidas On The Edge Of Something Good

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While Ana’s adilibria dress keeps me thinking about messenger bag boob mash, I must say the rest of the season’s Edge line hits the mark.
Dane Caroline Wozniacki, who ended last season at a career-high No. 12, will sport separates from the line: the Edge Tank, with its layered bust and slits down the side (for better movement); and the big-pleated Edge Skort. I hoped for them to use a more subdued shade of yellow (like Jankovic’s U.S. Open Reebok dress), but you can’t have it all.
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The other pieces stay true to the Edge line’s feminine and fashion-forward vision: the Cap Sleeve Top, accented with an empire waist and an oversized banded hem (!) that slopes down from left to right; and the Warm-Up Top, with a ribbed cuff stretching all the way from wrist to elbow. Warm-up pants are also available.
Buy: adidas Edge adilibria Tank, neon yellow and white, $45; adilibria Skort, Cinder Beach (slate), $50; Edge adilibria Cap Sleeve Top, white, $42; Edge adilibria Warm-Up Top, white/Cinder Beach, $52; Edge adilibria Warm-Up Pant, $39; Barricade V, Running White/Cyan, $120. All items available in January 2009 at shopadidas.com.
(Wozniacki image courtesy of adidas; adilibria images via prodirecttennis.com)

Delray Beach Makes Music

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delray-beach-soundtrack
The album features winners of a Florida artist music search, including the now defunct Coexist Scientist (which again proves that bands I like or want to like are always the ones that break up. Meanwhile, Sean Paul is still making music…), the reggae sounds of The Resolvers, and Jacob Jeffries, who sounds an awful lot like David Gray.
From ITC head honcho John Butler: “We all fell in love with these performers as soon as we heard them. And to have them all together again at one show… What a way to kick-off the holidays.”
Proceeds from the album ($7 apiece) will go to the Milagro Center, an organization that exposes underprivileged kids in Palm Beach County to all forms of art.
And to celebrate the release of this soundtrack, Butler and his camp are throwing a party tonight at 8 pm at City Limits. Beginning tomorrow, twenty retail outlets on Delray Beach’s fabled Atlantic Avenue will take over sales of the CD. This includes shops, boutiques, bars and restaurants that separates ITC’s tennis stadium from the beach.
I’ve been really impressed with the way that this tournament has brought together different parts of the local community in a very grassroots way. Especially now with the economy (and the world) how it is, it’s nice to know that no tournament is an island.
More info: Making A Racquet CD release party, Friday, November 19, 8 pm at City Limits, 19 NE 3rd Ave in Delray Beach. Admission is FREE. For more information call City Limits at (561) 279-8222.

Fashion Focus: Cibulkova’s Lacoste outfit has us seeing spots

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Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova adds to her strong year (two finals — Amelia Island and Toronto) by dispatching world No. 5 and reigning French Open champ Ana Ivanovic 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 in the second round of the Kremlin Cup. She showed up the Serb (sorry, Ana) by wearing a simple white Lacoste tennis dress trimmed with slate.
And in her loss to Beijing bronze medalist Vera Zvonareva in the following round, she traded her dress for the Interlock Skirt and a Dot-Printed polo.
Buy: Lacoste V-neck Dot Print dress, $145, lacoste.com.

fashion focus: clavicles and class for nike’s holiday ‘08 collection

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A quick look: The men’s stuff keep us bored, but the women continue with the refined stylish designs that started with that Serena Bow Dress from the U.S. Open ‘07 and the Masha librarian look at the YEC in December.
First, the mens…
A ho-hum collection still featuring the current fireworks/superpower graphics on the Dri-FIT Power tank — the one currently sported by Juan Martin del Potro — and contrast inserts in the Power and Advantage lines. Colors are University (light blue), Obsidian (navy), Comet (red), black, and white.

What we do like is this Federer Master Polo, with the placket stretching all the way down the front — reminiscent of a skinny-tied schoolboy uniform. (Also, it takes us back to one of Patrick Rafter’s weirder shirts from Wimbledon ‘04.)
What do you think of the Master Polo? Tell us!

Dress up your clavicles: The designers in Portland are giving much love to collarbones for this year-end collection, placing the swoosh super-high up on the Resort Polos and the accenting the Heritage Jacket with a similarly placed horizontal detail on the right chest.
Buy: Master Polo, $65; Resort Polo, in White/Dark Obsidian and Matte Silver/Anthracite, $60; Heritage Jacket, Black and White, $60.

Meanwhile, the women are pulling off more classy-but-sexy outfits with their pieces for the season. The standard issue Athlete Dress overwhelms with its constrast straps and collar detail, but makes up for it with a sexy mesh layer for a nightie-like effect. And they’ve brought in the fall versions of the Athlete Short Sleeve top, with its novel v-neck and body-mapped mosaic designs. (The latter is what Li Na wore when she toppled top seed Serena in Stuttgart last week).



Sharapova: For the holidays, Nike blessed Masha with simple separates. Thick pleats and a wide contrast band on the hem are order of the day for her Day Skirt, and the matching top has a corresponding contrast block across the bust.

Serena: What the Court Tank lacks in detail is made up for by the tiered ruffles (with contrast hem, of course) on the Court Skirt.

Resort: And the Resort Tee, with its metallic and whimsical tennis racquet print, looks like it came right out of the Fila Japan lookbook. (Trust me, that’s a good thing!)
Buy: Resort Tee, Charcoal/Berry, Matte Silver/Marina, and white, $30; Sharapova Day Tank, $65; Sharapova Day Skirt, $65; Court Tank, $60; and Court Skirt, $60; Sharapova and Court separates available in Black, White/Aqua Grey, Berry/Light Taupe, and Aqua Grey/Black.
(images from midwestsports.com)

Fashion Focus: Etiqueta Negra

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Aside from being able to drool over Juan Monaco up close (I didn’t think he could look better in person…), one of the good things I took away from last month’s ATP Calendar launch was the discovery that Juan gets dressed by Argentine label Etiqueta Negra.
Thankfully, a friend of mine recently spent some time in Buenos Aires and filled me in on the brand. Etiqueta produces some well-constructed pieces in classic cuts and silhouettes, using raw materials of higher quality than other Argentinian brands.
Even better, Etiqueta’s SoHo store, which’ll eventually open on Prince and Lafayette, will fit right into the current trend of “concept” shops — i.e., displaying clothes alongside installations of brand-inspiring items (in their case: antique Jaguars and vintage BMW motorbikes).
And in case you weren’t quite sold on their upscale feel, founder Federico Alvarez Castillo chose a greyhound — think racing dog, not mass transit — as the brand’s logo, and is the official outfitter of a polo team.
FYI: Unlike Monaco, David Nalbandian had an official endorsement contract with EN that ended at this year’s Open.
Browse: See Etiqueta Negra’s latest collection.




Short Balls: Endorsement Edition

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Consider us tickled: In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October), Canon spokesperson Maria Sharapova announced that the company would donate $150,000 to the American Cancer Society. They’re also releasing a special “pink bundle” — a PowerShot SD1100 IS Digital ELPH, a photo printer, a ribbon charm and a mammogram reminder magnet — available for $279.99 here.
Bottle it up: Fans of Rafael Nadal will be happy to know that he’s signed a deal with Inter Parfums to develop a fragrance line called Lanvin L’Homme Sport. He’s already wearing Lanvin anyway, so he might as well get paid for doing so. (tennis.com via DTL)
He’s top ramen: According to Tennis Week, Kei Nishikori has signed an endorsement deal with Cup noodles — the instant meal that got TSF through much of its childhood. (TW)
(image via Canon)

Fashion Focus: Adidas by Stella McCartney, f/w ‘08

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The fall/winter ‘08 adidas by Stella McCartney line dropped right before the U.S. Open this year, and we got a chance to see the merch up close while at the company’s performance store in SoHo (where we also got fitted for some custom Barricades).

McCartney drew inspiration from Victorian-era embellishments for the prints and cuts of the tennis pieces, all made in the Brit’s usual muted pallete. This season’s colors: White, Rubia Grey (black), Dark Concrete (grey), and Pale Salmon (pink).

Note the floral cutout adhered to the bubble skirt of the Tennis Print Dress (with its racerback top).

Here is the season’s skirt with the corset-like Tennis Mesh Tank.

And Stella’s fall warmup jacket features a drawcord around the gathered neckline, making room for the wide turtleneck tee. There’s also a separates version of that Tennis Dress.
Fit to print: McCartney muse Maria Kirilenko won the Hansol Korea Open last week.
Buy: Cover-up Blouson, $170; Tennis Print Dress, $120; Cover Up Tennis Tee, $100; Tennis Mesh Tank, $90; Tennis Woven Shorts, $80.
Browse: See McCartney’s other designs — for yoga, golf, running, dance, and winter sports — at the adidas e-shop.
(images via adidas.com)