Only one Master’s event left on the ATP Calendar before next week’s year-end championship in London! The Paris Indoors are underway with three remaining seeds open for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. Tomas Berdych, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Mardy Fish all hope for strong showings to earn thier spot. (Fernando Verdasco already eliminated Marin Cilic, and Kevin Anderson took down Gilles Muller today).
So Roger Federer finally picked up his first title in 10-months, at home in Basel over the weekend with a (6-1, 6-3) win over Kei Nishikori . It’s his 68th career title, and the first time he has played a tournament while ranked outside of the top-3 since before he won the Wimbledon title in 2003: “I’m feeling really fit and I’m ready for more,” Federer said. “I’m very hungry and fired up.”
Congrats to Bob and Mike – The Bryans won their 75th career title over the weekend in Valencia…(Eight titles this year alone!)
In singles – Marcel Granollers scored his second title of the year at the Valencia Open 500, taking over 3-hours to defeat Juan Monaco 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(3); while Ana Ivanovic picked up a win at the Tournament of Champions in Bali.
A HUGE congrats is order for the Czech Republic – defeating Russia in the Fed Cup Final yesterday…it all came down to the final double’s match and Lucie Hradecka and Kveta Peschke beat Maria Kirilenko and Elena Vesnina 6-4, 6-2 – to bring the Fed Cup Championship Trophy back to Prague for the first time since 1988. It was quite a weekend in Moscow.
So now, we get ready for February – Super Bowl weekend, in fact – Worcester, Massachusetts – as Serena Williams leads the U.S. Fed Cup Team against Belarus, with a U.S. goal of earning its way back into the World Group for 2013…
…In other Serena news – did you see this story last week? It really brings up more questions than it does answers. Let me nutshell it for you…It’s 6:00am Wednesday and Serena calls 9-1-1 while locked in her “panic room” because there is a burglar or prowler on her property. Upon further investigation, it is determined that the prowler is instead a random drug tester from – according to TMZ – an unspecified tennis association.
Hmmm…
- Do random drug-testers now pick locks and stand over your bed like Micah’s wife in “Paranormal Activity?”
- Are random drug testers now required to wear ski-masks to hide their identities like undercover DEA agents working a sting?
- Is this Serena’s way of ridiculing the entire procedure, frustrated at being awakened before her alarm by someone demanding she piss in a cup?
We could be here all day asking questions. Here is the point I would like to make: “How compassionate and empathetic is it of the drug tester to arrive at 6:00am?”
Every time someone asks ME to fill a plastic cup, I’ve either just used the restroom or haven’t had a sip of fluids in 4-hours. I mean, I don’t know about you, but 6am is when I have PLENTY to provide! Forget the cup, random drug tester – here’s a thermos! Take those mittens off – this thing’ll keep you warm on the 2-hour drive back to the lab! Next time, though – could you just ring the doorbell?
Have a nice week – Paris this week, Barclay’s next, then Davis Cup Final…and then it’s time to gear up for the start of another Grand Slam Season Down Under!
