Thursday, June 26, 2008

Seeds crash out of wimbledon

Seeded players continue to crash out of Wimbledon.

Today were the exits of Maria Sharapova, Andy Roddick, James Blake, Sania Mirza. Novak Djokovic, Davydenko, David Nalbandian, Daniela Hantuchova, Lindsay Davenport have already exited.

Looks like the 'seeds' have gotten some virus.

maria at pre wimby party


cure pre wimby 2008 picture of maria sharapova

Ms & Mrs Sharapova in Paris



i was on tennis forum and sharapova section of it where i chanced to see Ms & Mrs Sharapova's pics from Paris. Its the first time i have seen pictures of Maria mom Elena.

Great pictures by Talia. more such here:

sharapova at pre wimbledon party



Maria Sharapova at pre wimbledon party

more on flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/turbo_reloaded/sets/72157605721249217/

Read my horoscope

whatever these horoscope guides write, right now its true for me. i need a vacation. just even for 2 days would be fine. too many problems. duh :(


Aquarius: Many little interruptions will begin to drive you up the wall. A change of scenery is needed!

Sharapova's Tux

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/06/24/sports/TEN-Wimbledon-Sharapova-Fashion.php

Sania Mirza will be playing in India

So after announcing that she would never play in her home country again Sania Mirza has thankfully decided to revert her decision.

Read the report here:

http://sports.in.msn.com/tennis/stories/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1505911

Sania Mirza out of wimbledon

Sania Mirza is out of Wimbledon 2008

Sania Mirza went out in the second round at Wimbledon. She lost to Spain's Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez 6-0 4-6 9-7.

Sanchez had the first set wrapped up 21 minutes thanks to her deft serve and volley skills. No less contribution was made by Sania herself by making a mess of her shots. Sania's game didnt rise till the 3rd game of the second set. Already 6-0 and 2-0 down in the second set, Mirza played with grit. Egged on by the ever present Indian supporters, she broke Sanchez's serve and managed to hold her own to make it a set all.

The third set saw Sania race to a 4-2 lead. Inspite of Sanchez's fight Mirza held 4 match points. Unfortunately she wasted all four of them. Sanchez kept her nerve and earned a decisive break and then served out the decider and the match.

Friday, June 20, 2008

Amritraj out of Wimbledon Qualifying

Prakash Amritraj failed to qualify for the main draw of Wimbledon after he lost in the second round of his qualifying match.

Amritraj who is ranked 311 in the ATP rankings was playing against Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine. Stakhovsky who is ranked above Amritraj at 137, beat him 3-6 6-1 3-6.

Inspite of pushing the match to 3 sets, Amritraj could not match the Ukrainian and lost.

Mirza seeded 32

The seedings for Wimbledon are out. And Sania Mirza of India has been seeded 32nd among women in the singles draw. The Championships start at the All England Club on the 23rd of June.

Sania who has been out due to injury has just made her comeback at last week DFS Classic where she lost in the first round.

Sania out of Ordina Open

Sania Mirza who is just returning from a long layoff after her wrist injury crashed out from the Ordina Open.

Playing against Dutch Michaella Krajicek in the 2nd round, she went down 2-6 2-6 in straight sets.

This is the second such loss for Mirza after she also lost in first round of the DFS Classic.

Incidently this is the 4th career defeat of Sania Mirza to Miss Krajicek.

"It was much easier than normal," said Krajicek. "We kind of share the same type of game, but today she played all-or-nothing. I could tell she was a bit off her rhythm, as this is just her second tournament back after being off the Tour with a wrist injury, but I felt like I was playing really solid.
I served well, was steady from the baseline and broke her when I got my chances."

Blogger Johar

Bloggers of the world rejoice, we have one more nut joining our tribe. As if film making & chat show hosting over a cuppa of coffee with toffees thrown in for good measure wasnt enough, K-Jo a.k.a. Karan Johar will now have a blog of his own!

Like Amitabh and Amir Khan, K-Jo is in need of some more publicity. Hence he has embarked on this path.

But the noble intention is "just to put his thoughts into writing rather than vocalising them all the time.

He added, "I feel a blog would be a good way to express my thoughts on cinema. Things that don't routinely get space in the traditional media outlets these days."

Apparently he is doing it for free and will only update it once a week! ha ha ha...

Africa to host maiden ATP event

The men's professional tennis tour will stage an event in Africa for the first time next year as part of a new sponsorship deal with South African Airways worth $20 million.

"Several cities in South Africa have demonstrated a strong willingness to host the event and an announcement on the venue will be made shortly, subject to final ATP approval," the ATP said in a statement Friday.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Unseen Hingis Radek picture


Unseen Hingis-Radek pic.

Hingis vs Novotna Liverpool Tennis

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/videos-pictures/videos/liverpool-sport-videos/2008/06/13/hingis-v-novotna-revisited-100252-21071490/

Video of Martina Hingis versus Jana Novotna at Liverpool Tennis in 2008.

Hingis wore Lottie Dod's dress

MARTINA HINGIS has worn the dress. Now she’s here to buy the T-shirt!
The ladies legend famously claimed Lottie Dod’s mantle as youngest ever Wimbledon champion when she claimed the doubles crown with Helena Sukova in 1996.
And she revealed yesterday she had worn the actual dress little Lottie wore in 1887.
“I’m afraid my knowledge of Liverpool comes from looking through the programme,” she said.
“I knew Lottie was British, obviously, but I never knew she was from Liverpool until people told me when I broke her record.
“But I do have this photograph where I wore her dress which was displayed in the Wimbledon museum.
“Yes, it was a little tight, but I did get into it!”

Sharapova cursing video



Sharapova using the 'f' word at the recently concluded French Open 2008 in her match versus Dinara Safina.
Great Video!

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Hingis on Liverpool Tennis

Six-time Grand Slam winner Martina Hingis talks exclusively to Liverpooltennis.co.uk as she looks forward to playing at the Tradition-ICAP Liverpool International Tennis Tournament later this month.

Liverpooltennis.co.uk: First of all Martina, we are all so pleased that you will play at Liverpool this summer, we haven't heard from you for a while, what have you been doing since announcing your retirement? Martina: I have been enjoying some quite time. I like to keep in pretty good shape so I still go out there and hit the ball around. Of course, I continue to spend a lot of time with my horses. Being retired has given me a little extra time with them which has been good.

Is there a reason why you picked Liverpool to come out of retirement and face the public eye again? I still get a lot of enjoyment from playing tennis and I think I have a lot to give back to the game. Liverpool is a city I have not yet been to but I have heard good things about it. The players speak highly of the event so I'm looking forward to coming for the first time.

Justin Henin has just announced her retirement at the age of 25. What do you think the reason is that female players in this generation tend to retire so early? Tennis takes a lot out of you. People think it is a very glamorous lifestyle, which in some ways it is, it can also be tiring traveling from city to city around the world for most of the year. Girls tend to start their careers very young so by the time you have reached your mid-20's, you could have been on the tour for 10 years already.

Henin had an amazing career and won seven Grand Slams by the age of 25. You won an incredible six Grand Slams by 17, how did that make you feel and was there ever a stage when you felt that this was the last one or did you feel it could go on for years to come? I had a great start to my career. I think when you are young you play with no fear and that is how I approached every match. I always went out on court believing that I could win, but there is no doubt that women's tennis has gotten stronger over the years.

Charlotte Lotti Dodd, from Merseyside, was the youngest Wimbledon winner at the age of 15 back in 1886, that record stood until your victory in 1996. Do you think your record will stand for 100 years? I hope so! 100 years is a long time, though, so I am sure there will be a few youngsters coming through to take my record!

Local girl Chloe Murphy, just turned 15, has been given a Wild Card entry to the WTA-players event. What advise would you give her as she tries to break into the WAT rankings? Always conitnue to enjoy the game. Don't be afraid of losing and always give it your best shot. Of course you have to be ready to work hard and be disciplined too.

There is talk about a women's Legends series. Is that something you would be interested in becoming a part of? Maybe one day I will do that but they would have to get rid of the age restriction!, I'm still a little young to consider it!

What are you looking most forward to in Liverpool? Traveling to new cities is always something I enjoy. I have not yet been to the North of England and I am looking forward to finding out if people really are football crazy. I've heard it's the culture capital for the year too so it will be good to see some of the events around that too.

You have enjoyed a great career, what do you think has been the key to your success? Hard work, a good team around me and enjoyment for the game.

What do you think your future holds? Will you continue to play tournaments such as Liverpool or do you see yourself doing something completely different? I will definitely want to stay in good shape so I can see myself playing some more exhibition events. I'll definitely keep up horse riding too.

How did you first get involved in tennis? My Mum has her own academy and she was the one to first put a racket in my hand.

What do you think are the strengths and weaknesses in your game? Physically I definitely needed to work hard to compete so that was always an important area for me to train on. I have a pretty good read of the game and that helps me anticipate where the ball will go. I would like to have had a stronger serve so I could win more free points but overall I think that being able to hit any shot from anywhere was a big weapon for me.

What are the good and bad points of being a professional tennis player? The good things are that you get to see a lot of different places around the world. Of course, if you are successful you can also earn a good living! You also get to do something you love every day and bring enjoyment to other people. The negative side is that it can become quite tiring with all the travel and you have to be prepared to make a lot of sacrifices to get to the top. You don't really have a normal teenage life, you spend those years on tour so you have to grow up very quickly.

How do you like to unwind when you are away from the tennis court? I like to go to the movies or have dinner with friends. Of course, I have my horse riding too.

What do you think you would have done if you hadn't become a tennis player? A champion horse rider for sure!

You spent 209 weeks as World No.1, only bettered by Stefi Graf, Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert, how did that feel? To have had the success I have in tennis has been a great thing. These are memories that will stay with me for the rest of my life.

The Tradition-ICAP Liverpool International Tennis Tournament runs from June 10-15th 2008 and features ATP and WTA players events as well as the Legends. Tickets are on sale now on this web site or you can book tickets either online at Ticketmaster or call 0870 1690 107.

source:
http://www.liverpooltennis.co.uk/tournament_news/article.asp?article=103

Latest Martina Hingis news

Harbor Point tennis: Hingis plans to play in Marin
Dave Allen
Article Launched: 05/30/2008 05:06:13 PM PDT
After a rough year away from the court, Martina Hingis is now a world-class tennis player who could use a chance to freshen her image. Thanks to Rosie Casals and the Harbor Point Charitable Foundation, Hingis has her chance.

Sausalito's Casals, a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, announced earlier this week that Hingis, a five-time Grand Slam winner and former No. 1, is the headlining player for the Esurance Tennis Classic charity event. The three-day showcase is Oct. 10-13 at Harbor Point Tennis Club in Strawberry.

Hingis has not played in a tournament since September. She retired from the women's professional tour last November after testing positive for cocaine at Wimbledon earlier in the year. Hingis denied taking any banned substance, but confirmed that at least one of her samples produced a positive result.

Since then, Hingis has not played competitively. According to reports, she is confirmed to play in the Liverpool International tournament, a non-WTA Tour event, in June. In January, the International Tennis Federation confirmed a doping offense and said she would be suspended from WTA events for two years. "We were looking for a good headliner. She was available and willing," Casals said. "(The suspension) is a tough issue for her. Unfortunately, that's something most people are going to thing about instead of what a great career she has had. É This is a player known for her manners and sportsmanship on the court. É

People need to get to Considering all that, Harbor Point and its goodwill-inducing event is probably the perfect place for the world's former No. 1 player. The showcase, which began in 2005, is a fund-raiser for two cancer organizations and a youth tennis project. In the past, those causes helped lure players like Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, Tracy Austin and Lindsay Davenport.

Hingis isn't the only world-class name on the docket for this year's event. Corina Morariu, Conchita Martinez, Mary Joe Fernandez, Murphy Jensen, Jan-Michael Gambill and Bud Collins join Marin residents Barry MacKay and Brad Gilbert. Other players and celebrities are still being finalized.

"We are extremely happy to have (Hingis), as well as all the others," Casals said. "It's an exciting event and I want everyone to come on out."

General admission is $25 for adults, $10 for kids. VIP packages are limited, but available. This year's event will be televised by Comcast Sports Net Bay Area and on the Versus network. Info: Call 246-7075 or go to www.tennisclassic.org.

HINGIS IN MARIN
The Esurance Tennis Classic is Oct. 10-13 at Harbor Point Tennis Club in Strawberry.
Confirmed: Martina Hingis, Corina Morariu, Conchita Martinez, Mary Joe Fernandez, Brad Gilbert, Murphy Jensen, Jan-Michael Gambill, Barry MacKay and Bud Collins plan to be in attendance.
Info: Call 246-7075 or go to www.tennisclassic.org

thanx to jimmy62 from http://www.hingis.org

my name search

http://www.amidalla.de/ap-%2Bhi5.com%2B-4-10-2.htm

i googled to this page and was surprised to find my name. i didnt know this site had 68 votes! lol
looks i like i need to do a review on who all are viewing my site. lol

Sunday, June 01, 2008

more hingis pictures from USA 2007


Before flying back home, Martina Hingis attended the BCBG - Max Azria 2008 spring/summer show. The Swiss tennis star was photographed with singer Natasha Bedingfield and Nigel Barker from 'America's Next Top Model'.

Martina Hingis looking cool


Nice picture i found although i dont know in what connection it was taken!

Hingis at Fashion Week in 2007

Tennis ace Martina Hingis in the front row at BCBG Max Azria. So natural and pretty!
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Random celeb sightings from the first half of Fashion Week

Seles on Dancing With the Stars

Bah i didnt know this & missed it! drats
and i also didnt know or think Monica Seles could dance!!!
a little youtube video will help you to see her moves. great gal. i think she was pretty nervous though.


i had my orkut account compromised

i just discovered it and reported the abuse to orkut. quite harrowing really!!! :(