http://www.yardbarker.com/tennis Recent articles about Tennis en-us Sharapova hopes to reignite a love affair from last summer. This look ahead at the Roland Garros women’s field mirrors the format used for the men’s companion article yesterday. The smart money: 1) Serena Williams:  Looking back at last year’s preview of WTA Roland Garros contenders, Serena held exactly this position at the head of the list.  Virginie Razzano saw things differently, of course, scoring a shocking first-round upset that extended Serena’s drought without a final here to ten straight years after winning the 2002 title.  So you might ask why many of us did not learn our lesson in again choosing her as the consensus favorite.  One reason is that Razzanos, like Soderlings, are rare events that do not happen in consecutive years.  Another is that Serena’s clay titles last season, as impressive as they were, came on green and blue clay, whereas she completed the Madrid-Rome double this year on the red dirt featured at Roland Garros.  She also moved as crisply on clay as she ... Wed, 22 May 2013 03:33:31 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/tennis/article_external/the_fab_five_wta_previewing_the_roland_garros_womens_contenders/13668685 http://network.yardbarker.com/tennis/article_external/the_fab_five_wta_previewing_the_roland_garros_womens_contenders/13668685 The Fab Five (WTA): Previewing the Roland Garros Women’s Contenders http://www.yardbarker.com/tennis/articles/the_fab_five_wta_previewing_the_roland_garros_womens_contenders/13668685 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/e/0/e0c1a80d0300a62c2ba59388f8deaf87bd625a61/mini/Tennis__Australian_8166.jpg Source: Julian Finney/Getty Images Europe They may only be ranked 99 and 105 in the world, but Coco Vandeweghe and Yulina Putintseva made headlines after their three set match in Brussels Open qualifying. Putintseva c'moned and fist pumped her way to a win over Vandeweghe, but she was not satisfied with letting her racket do the talking. Vandeweghe claimed on Twitter that her 18 year old opponent insulted her after the match. Tue, 21 May 2013 00:52:41 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/tennis/article_external/catfight_vandeweghe_calls_out_putintseva/13660579 http://network.yardbarker.com/tennis/article_external/catfight_vandeweghe_calls_out_putintseva/13660579 Catfight! Vandeweghe Calls Out Putintseva http://www.yardbarker.com/tennis/articles/catfight_vandeweghe_calls_out_putintseva/13660579 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Despite being clear favorite for Roland Garros, John McEnroe believes Rafael Nadal could walk away without the title. May 20, 2013 – John McEnroe participated in a Tennis Channel media conference call today, dishing out his opinion on Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal. Despite being overwhelming favorites for Roland Garros, McEnroe believes that either player could have a hiccup and lose unexpectedly. Serena Williams has been unstoppable recently, extending her match winning streak to 24 and going 16-0 on clay this year, including three titles in Charleston, Madrid and Rome. However,  McEnroe believes there is one way in which Williams may not walk away with the Roland Garros title: if she beats herself. “The level she’s at when she’s playing well, I don’t think anybody can beat her,” says McEnroe. “(But) anybody, no matter great they are, everybody has bad days. On clay, it’s her worst surface. The odds would increase. The pressure is greater obviously at the French because she’s on... Mon, 20 May 2013 22:35:23 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/tennis/article_external/john_mcenroe_on_roland_garros_semi_for_federer_would_be_solid_big_hitter_could_defeat_nadal/13659856 http://network.yardbarker.com/tennis/article_external/john_mcenroe_on_roland_garros_semi_for_federer_would_be_solid_big_hitter_could_defeat_nadal/13659856 John McEnroe on Roland Garros: Semi for Federer Would be Solid; Big Hitter Could Defeat Nadal http://www.yardbarker.com/tennis/articles/john_mcenroe_on_roland_garros_semi_for_federer_would_be_solid_big_hitter_could_defeat_nadal/13659856 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/8/0/8055cc23f2c65a5994c15510687a17e1c89108e0/mini/you-cannot-serious.jpg (May 20, 2013) – John McEnroe agrees with the vast majority of tennis prognosticators that Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal are heavy favorites to win the upcoming French Open. McEnroe spoke to media on Monday, ahead of next weeks’ French Open on a Tennis Channel conference call. McEnroe has served as an analyst for the [...] Mon, 20 May 2013 19:00:54 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/tennis/article_external/mcenroe_serena_williams_and_nadal_have_to_beat_themselves_to_lose_at_french_open/13659112 http://network.yardbarker.com/tennis/article_external/mcenroe_serena_williams_and_nadal_have_to_beat_themselves_to_lose_at_french_open/13659112 McEnroe: Serena Williams and Nadal Have to Beat Themselves to Lose at French Open http://www.yardbarker.com/tennis/articles/mcenroe_serena_williams_and_nadal_have_to_beat_themselves_to_lose_at_french_open/13659112 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/8/0/8055cc23f2c65a5994c15510687a17e1c89108e0/mini/you-cannot-serious.jpg That’s a big load T.. Serena Williams holds the winners trophy aloft after her straight sets victory against Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in their final match during day eight of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia 2013 in Rome, Italy — Williams beat Azarenka 6-1 6-3 to win the Internazionali d’Italia and claim her 4th straight title. She’s on fire.-TO Serena and Boyfriend Watch Some Tennis Serena Williams Still Number 1 Mon, 20 May 2013 10:58:11 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/tennis/article_external/serena_williams_pops_bottles/13654654 http://network.yardbarker.com/tennis/article_external/serena_williams_pops_bottles/13654654 Serena Williams Pops Bottles http://www.yardbarker.com/tennis/articles/serena_williams_pops_bottles/13654654 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/4/0/40ff25340676f8cac03619709377417cbadce3a2/mini/6568554.jpg Sixth-seeded Jarkko Nieminen of Finland beat Lukas Lacko of Slovakia 6-3, 6-1 Monday to reach the second round of the Power Horse Cup, a clay-court tuneup for the French Open. Brazilian qualifier Andre Gham defeated Go Soeda of Japan 6-4, 6-0. Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain rallied to a 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Gilles Muller of Luxembourg, who committed seven double-faults. Tobias Kamke downed Benjamin Becker 6-3, 6-2 in an all-German match. The tournament replaces the World Team Cup. The French Open, the year's second Grand Slam event, starts Sunday. Sun, 19 May 2013 16:41:00 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/tennis/article_external/jarkko_nieminen_gains_2nd_round_at_duesseldorf/13656157 http://network.yardbarker.com/tennis/article_external/jarkko_nieminen_gains_2nd_round_at_duesseldorf/13656157 Jarkko Nieminen gains 2nd round at Duesseldorf http://www.yardbarker.com/tennis/articles/jarkko_nieminen_gains_2nd_round_at_duesseldorf/13656157 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/1/c/1c6ff4fb1c4337ef6e935231681d2709ee276543/mini/Thailand_Open_2fee.jpg Viktor Troicki played a pretty forgettable match against Ernests Gulbis in the second round of the Italian Open on Wednesday, but he did have a pretty memorable meltdown. Troicki was down a set and serving to start out the second set down 30-40. Facing a break point, Troicki hit a crosscourt backhand that went deep and appeared to clip the line. The chair umpire called it out, giving Gulbis the break to start the set. It also led to a complete unraveling from Troicki, who went off the hinges. Troicki immediately complained about the call, leading to him and the umpire investigating the mark the ball left on the clay court. Troicki pointed out that there was no space between the mark the ball left on the court and the baseline, while the umpire refused to change his call. “You don’t want to correct yourself. You’re wrong,” Troicki kept repeating while making a huge scene. “From space you can see it’s there,” he said, drawing plenty of laughter. “You are 100 percent wrong. I wouldn’... Thu, 16 May 2013 13:40:39 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/tennis/article_external/tennis_player_viktor_troicki_has_epic_meltdown_video/13631636 http://network.yardbarker.com/tennis/article_external/tennis_player_viktor_troicki_has_epic_meltdown_video/13631636 Tennis player Viktor Troicki has epic meltdown (Video) http://www.yardbarker.com/tennis/articles/tennis_player_viktor_troicki_has_epic_meltdown_video/13631636 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/4/9/49acd9f7536af81577b68b970f683fdb0899dd10/mini/ATP_Qatar_ExxonMobil_4c74.jpg Somewhere John McEnroe has to be smiling. Tennis player Viktor Troicki went on a 4 minute rant after the chair umpire at that Italian Open in Rome overruled the base line judge and called Troicki’s backhand out. Chair umpire Cedric Mourier left his position to examine the ball mark on the clay court and confirmed his call which sent Viktor on a rant for the ages. Troicki yells over and over again, “you know you’re wrong.”  He even dragged the camera man over to the ball mark to prove his case.  It is hard to tell who is correct, because the clay court has ball marks everywhere. We have featured Troicki on our site before during Wimbledon, when he offered up his racquet to a fan that was giving him advice during his serve.   The post Viktor Troicki Has Epic Meltdown In Rome appeared first on Ride The Pine. Thu, 16 May 2013 05:51:15 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/tennis/article_external/viktor_troicki_has_epic_meltdown_in_rome/13628627 http://network.yardbarker.com/tennis/article_external/viktor_troicki_has_epic_meltdown_in_rome/13628627 Viktor Troicki has a meltdown for the ages http://www.yardbarker.com/tennis/articles/viktor_troicki_has_epic_meltdown_in_rome/13628627 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/6/1/61574bed8d2d058009e94c2824c0b4f294cd694a/mini/tennis-rant.jpg There was some interesting tennis played last night, but the news that Ana Ivanovic and Aga Radwanska lost didn't shock near as much as Roger Federer's new haircut. The man known for his curly, perfect locks has gone and chopped them all off. This is the result. Tue, 14 May 2013 17:28:51 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/tennis/article_external/roger_federer_chops_off_hair_shocks_the_world/13617743 http://network.yardbarker.com/tennis/article_external/roger_federer_chops_off_hair_shocks_the_world/13617743 Roger Federer cut his long hair http://www.yardbarker.com/tennis/articles/roger_federer_chops_off_hair_shocks_the_world/13617743 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/9/0/904f18e03f6db9594c74222d3a9a750c989a8097/mini/rf.jpg Maria Sharapova was rumored to be dating fellow tennis player Grigor Dimitrov for months, but they never confirmed the relationship. It wasn’t until the two were photographed by the paparazzi after Dimitrov’s upset win over Novak Djokovic at the Madrid Open that she finally confirmed they were dating. And she did so in a great way. After beating Kaia Kanepi 6-2, 6-4 at the Madrid Open, Sharapova went to sign a television camera as is customary for the winner. Instead of signing her name, Sharapova wrote a funny message intended for the paparazzi: “How did you catch us???” At least there’s no hiding it anymore, and Maria is a good sport about things. Sharapova was previously engaged to basketball player Sasha Vujacic, but the two broke up last year. Dimitrov, a 21-year-old Bulgarian player currently ranked No. 28 in the world, was rumored to have gone out with Serena Williams in the past. Racket clap to Beyond the Baseline Image via Broken at Love Fri, 10 May 2013 19:56:05 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/tennis/article_external/maria_sharapova_confirms_grigor_dimitrov_is_her_boyfriend_in_great_way/13593311 http://network.yardbarker.com/tennis/article_external/maria_sharapova_confirms_grigor_dimitrov_is_her_boyfriend_in_great_way/13593311 Maria Sharapova confirms Grigor Dimitrov is her boyfriend in great way http://www.yardbarker.com/tennis/articles/maria_sharapova_confirms_grigor_dimitrov_is_her_boyfriend_in_great_way/13593311 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/2/a/2a17476dba59b301dfa7ff3c740bb0d67be9bc07/mini/ms.jpg On Thursday, speculation that has ran rampant on the Internet that Maria Sharapova had a new man in her life essentially was confirmed after she was photographed canoodling with fellow professional tennis player Grigor Dimitrov around the streets of Madrid. With both Sharapova and Grigor Dimitrov competing in the Madrid Open — with Dimitrov earning [...]The post Sharapova writes note on camera for paparazzi about new beau after match (pic) appeared first on Sportress of Blogitude. Fri, 10 May 2013 10:05:22 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/tennis/article_external/sharapova_writes_note_on_camera_for_paparazzi_about_new_beau_after_match_pic/13589567 http://network.yardbarker.com/tennis/article_external/sharapova_writes_note_on_camera_for_paparazzi_about_new_beau_after_match_pic/13589567 Sharapova writes note on camera for paparazzi http://www.yardbarker.com/tennis/articles/sharapova_writes_note_on_camera_for_paparazzi_about_new_beau_after_match_pic/13589567 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/a/2/a2a582d1cc5d6cbf17b5feb1cd16bea33b368454/mini/maria-sharapova-paparazzi.jpg Serena Williams responded to the criticism she faced from Sloane Stephens by saying she is a big fan of the up-and-coming player. In an interview with ESPN The Magazine, Stephens said her mentor-protege relationship with Williams had been overblown by the media, and that Williams essentially dropped her as a friend after losing to her at the Australian Open in January. Following her second-round match at the Madrid Open on Tuesday, Williams was asked about Stephens’ criticism. “I’m a big Sloane Stephens fan and always have been,” Williams said at a press conference after beating Lourdes Dominguez 6-2, 7-5, per the AFP. “I’ve always said that I think she can be the best in the world. I’ll always continue to think that and always be rooting for her. “I really just always wish her and anyone, really, especially from America the best. We don’t have that many American players, so it’s always exciting to see so many young players doing so well.” Williams certainly was playing nice with ... Tue, 07 May 2013 17:15:14 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/tennis/article_external/serena_williams_responds_im_a_sloane_stephens_fan/13569776 http://network.yardbarker.com/tennis/article_external/serena_williams_responds_im_a_sloane_stephens_fan/13569776 Serena Williams responds: I’m a Sloane Stephens fan http://www.yardbarker.com/tennis/articles/serena_williams_responds_im_a_sloane_stephens_fan/13569776 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/e/0/e073359e17d478e2e6fd9ba9d9c9cad259ced451/mini/159904579.jpg Sloane Stephens absolutely obliterated Serena Williams in an interview with ESPN The Magazine, saying the two do not enjoy a close relationship and that she has been shunned by Williams ever since beating the veteran at the Australian Open. In the interview, Stephens says her relationship with Williams has completely deteriorated since she defeated the decorated 31-year-old in the quarterfinals at the Aussie Open in January. She also says that Williams was not her favorite player growing up and nothing like a mentor to her, contrary to how the story has been told by the media. The interview appears in the May 13 issue of the magazine. The excerpts below come from Beyond the Baseline. “She’s not said one word to me, not spoken to me, not said hi, not looked my way, not been in the same room with me since I played her in Australia,” Stephens says. “And that should tell everyone something, how she went from saying all these nice things about me to unfollowing me on Twitter.” Stephens’ ... Sun, 05 May 2013 05:50:11 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/tennis/article_external/sloane_stephens_blasts_serena_williams/13553081 http://network.yardbarker.com/tennis/article_external/sloane_stephens_blasts_serena_williams/13553081 Sloane Stephens rips Serena http://www.yardbarker.com/tennis/articles/sloane_stephens_blasts_serena_williams/13553081 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/3/8/3860ff19d2e5fe71b7588aeabbdbc38f0d8d64c0/mini/Serena.jpg Jimmy Connors and Chris Evert were one of the most popular couples in sports in the 1970s. The two tennis stars were at the top of the food chain in their sport, which in many ways made them the ideal power couple. Connors and Evert were engaged to be married in 1974, but they split just weeks before their scheduled wedding date. The reason why may surprise you. In his new memoir, “The Outsider,” Connors implied that he and Evert called off their wedding because of a complication that arose in their relationship when Evert became pregnant. “An issue had arisen as a result of youthful passion, and a decision had to be made as a couple,” Connors wrote in the book, via the NY Post. “Chrissie called to say she was coming out to LA to take care of the ‘issue.’ I was perfectly happy to let nature take its course and accept responsibility for what was to come.” Connors was 22 at the time and Evert was 19. Having come from a strict Catholic home, Evert reportedly felt that the timing of the... Thu, 02 May 2013 09:06:51 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/tennis/article_external/jimmy_connors_implies_he_got_chris_evert_pregnant_and_she_had_an_abortion/13534352 http://network.yardbarker.com/tennis/article_external/jimmy_connors_implies_he_got_chris_evert_pregnant_and_she_had_an_abortion/13534352 Connors implies he got Evert pregnant http://www.yardbarker.com/tennis/articles/jimmy_connors_implies_he_got_chris_evert_pregnant_and_she_had_an_abortion/13534352 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/0/d/0d96afaa83021e2317476858b63756b1cd00bc10/mini/connors-evert.jpg