Watching my TV set yesterday evening as the sun began setting behind the beautiful South Wales hills, I watched a tanned little beauty dismantling Chinese star Zheng Jie, the No. 21 seed.

As I watched a confident young lady slam home some powerful forehands and completely dismantle her opponent’s second serve I saw a little fist pumping the air in celebration.

 Hang on… is that Ana Ivanovic?

After capturing the 2008 French Open Championships big things were expected of the pin-up with the winning smile. But it didn’t quite happen. And the pressure of expectation lead to a gargantuan loss of confidence and the former world No. 1, who was the top seed here in NY two years ago, recently crashed to as low as No. 65 in the world.

She had lost her past two meeting with Zheng and one had been that Wimbledon first round encounter where the Chinese flyer dismantled Ivanovic 6-3, 6-0 in 55 minutes.

So how sweet revenge must have been for a girl who has fought hard to dispel Kournikova-style quips about style over substance.

Sports giants Adidas have recently included Ivanovic as a prominent face in their worldwide advertising campaigns and although you cannot deny her looks played a part it is still testament to her ability and this boost seems to have worked wonders with that flaky confidence.

At last year’s Open, I sat on Grandstand Court in the early evening where the No. 11 seed Ivanovic faced the unseeded Ukrainian Kateryna Bondarenko in the first round. Having lost the first set she rallied to take the second 6-3 and was two breaks up in the third.

Confident I had seen Ivanovic close the match out I left my seat to gain a good vantage point on Ashe for Andy Murray’s upcoming evening match. When it came through on the big screen that Ivanovic had in fact lost that final set I could only laugh in disbelief.

But this year it all looks so different. Having gained some good results on the US hard courts running up to this Open, she reached the semifinals in Cincy, this looks like the Ivanovic of old.

She is moving quickly, her shot selection is almost spot on. She seems less susceptible to tantrums on court and seems far more in control of her emotions and her belief in her own ability.

Her only real remaining problem on show was that ball toss. On occasion she was tossing and dropping the ball three times before a serve without as much as a wave of apology to her opponent. This gained a few murmurs of disapproval from the crowd.

But, most tellingly, these mumblings didn’t affect her game and she soon had them back onside with some sweeping passing shots that had Zheng squealing in disbelief in the searing East Coast heat. Maybe only six months ago the first grumbles may have led to an Ivanovic collapse.

Recently Ana has reignited her feud with fellow Serb Jelena Jankovic who recently mimicked Ivanovic’s fist pump on court in a dig at her Fed Cup teammate. But rather than shrink at the criticism and shrivel back in to her shell Ana should just take it on the chin as a compliment.

Jealousy and fear are dangerous in sport and Ana has obviously done enough to rile her rivals. With the women’s draw looking so open this year could we have another unseeded winner in 2010?

I don’t think she’s quite ready for that yet. I can’t personally see past the Dane Caroline Wozniacki or Kim Clijsters retaining her crown.

But with the heat playing havoc with most players out there, just look at Azarenka, you can never say never.

Imagine the fist pumps we’d be seeing then!

Speaking to a tennis-mad relative this week we were discussing last weekend’s inductions at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, RI, and how fans were staying away because the players on show weren’t considered ‘A-list’ as they were doubles specialists.

This got me thinking a lot this week as to the difference between those perceived as singles and doubles specialists and what they could be had they been able to conquer both fields.

Looking at those inducted last week, we had the Australian ‘Woodies’ Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge. Together they held aloft a record 61 ATP doubles titles, a record only just equalled by the Bryan brothers of America, including 11 majors.

They are the only team in the Open Era to win one of the four Slams for six consecutive years and sit second in the all time Grand Slam doubles winners list to the twelve hoisted by John Newcombe and Tony Roche.

Gigi Fernandez and Natasha Zvereva won more women’s doubles titles and Grand Slams together than any other partnership since Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver. They won six consecutive Slams from the 1992 French Open to the 1993 Wimbledon title and are largely considered one of the sport’s best partnerships.

These sound pretty ‘A-List’ to me. So why are doubles players not remembered as fondly as some of their singles specialist counterparts?

For years Anna Kournikova was chastised as being more eye candy than tennis quality. Yet she won two Grand Slam doubles titles with Martina Hingis and was ranked as the No. 1 doubles player in the world. She was also named (w. Hingis) as the No. 1 WTA doubles partnership of 1999.

How big could the worldwide names of Leander Paes or Liezel Huber have been had they single-handedly conquered the tennis courts? And why does this happen?

The Williams sisters have pretty much dominated the women’s game over the past few years by sweeping aside nearly everything before them in both singles and doubles play. Serena has her clothing labels, they have both ventured in to writing, while top magazine covers have also borne their images. They both appeared in cult American TV hit ‘The Simpsons’ alongside Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, widely seen as one of the greatest monikers of success in some fields.

Going back to the record-equalling Bryan bros. it begs the question of how large an empire they could muster had they also been top singles players too. Men’s tennis is generally the larger of the two, and players like Roger Federer and Agassi before him became worldwide figures with both tennis fans and non-sports fanatics by facing advertising campaigns for some of the world’s largest international corporations.

I have no doubt that they would garner the same attention. And with their band, and the various spin offs other top spars enjoy they could quite easily amass a financial empire to match some of the world’s top stars.

Not that they will be unhappy with what they have achieved of course. Let me say that this post is not meant to demeanour the doubles game in any way as the top players in this field are often equally as athletic as their singles counterparts but this facet of the game always plays second-fiddle to its glamorous brother and looks set to always do so.

Woodforde said at the ITHF induction ceremony that they never intended their careers to turn out this way and that they just turned out to be better doubles players. Congratulations to them all. But what could have become of them had the ball bounced the other way?

Venus Williams deserves the every bit of attention she gets from all the quarters. Be it for her exploits on the WTA Tour, her collection of seven Grand Slam singles titles or her tenure at the top, she deserves all the adulation for her achievements.

But what about being in the limelight for her on-court attire?

Venus seems to have mastered the art of being in headlines for her clothing.

Even considering the usual attention-seeking standards of women’s tennis, Venus seems to have broken all the records this year. Be it for coverage in both the offline and online world, Venus’ images and comments about her outfits have adorned publications for quite a while now.

Guessing what Venus is going to wear or waiting for the same everytime a major is about to commence has almost become a routine.

The fact that the publications have even started questioning what Venus is going to wear at Wimbledon, the major tournament with the strictest dress code, accentuates the same.

For Venus, the five-time Wimbledon women’s singles champion, her attire reflects her passion for designing.

To her credit, she completed a fashion degree while on tour, and has also launched her own clothing line called EleVen. She categorically says he has set sights on post-tennis career.

Venus always explains her designs and defends all the criticism with aplomb. She says she wants to herself, be it via her game or her clothing. Its a matter of individuality for Venus in whatever she does.

When the 30-year old wore the bright yellow dress and flesh-coloured underwear during the Australian Open in January this year, she reportedly said that the knickers showed her outfit to its best advantage. “My dress for the Australian Open has been one of my best designs ever! It’s all about the slits and V-neck. I am wearing undershorts the same colour as my skin, so it gives the slits in my dress the full effect,” reportedly said Venus.

After this, at the French Open, Venus wore a black long-sleeved shirt over her self-designed black-lace corset dress.

And now at Wimbledon, Venus’ attire has a lace overlay on the bodice and a skirt covered in fringe. She says she has been inspired by Tina Turner to create the “shimmy” dress with her clothing label EleVen. Seems slightly mundane going by Venus’ love for colours and cuts as a designer. Obviously, one can’t get too jazzy or glitzy considering the fact all the players have to comply with the traditions and the dress code stipulated for the only Grand Slam on grass.

The link between fashion and tennis is nothing new.  And the bond between underwear and women’s tennis continues to get stronger. Some argue that when fashion and sports collide, the actual talent and the performance of players sometimes pales in comparison with all the buzz around the on-court attire.

Even Venus admitted last month when she said, “I can feel the attention around me.”

Still, irrespective of whatever she wears on court, it has to be remembered that Venus has featured eight times in the singles final at the same championship.

Her record at Wimbledon speaks volume about her achievements. Venus may or may not bag so many accolades for her attire in the time to come, but she will always be remembered for her exploits on the WTA Tour, more so at Wimbledon.

Every once in a while something happens in the world of sport which has you laughing to yourself, completely in disbelief about what is taking place before your very eyes.

Most weeks I find myself stood at Cardiff City Stadium wondering why I bother paying my hard earned money watching the tripe laid out on the pitch before me.

Tennis often throws out some great encounters. Two players matched stroke for stroke in a sheer battle of personas in a bid to lift a trophy and see the dollars rolling in to their account.

There was the now infamous Federer-Nadal Wimbledon final of 2008. Or how about Andy Roddick refusing to lay down and die until deep in to the fifth set in last year’s final? Goran Ivanisevic finally getting his hands on a Grand Slam?

A milestone was reached at Wimbledon

And that’s just recent Wimbledon encounters. Looking back through history there are so many match-ups I read about and think, I wish I had been there. As a 22-year-old I have been treated to many great match-ups in my rough decade of closely following tennis. And I look forward to many, many more over the next 60 (or knowing my luck, 10) years of my life.

But I think very few will quite stick in the memory like what I have witnessed over the past two days at SW19. You all know what I’m talking about. Yes, Isner-Mahut. It’s the match everybody’s talking about. The encounter which has had the tennis world totally transfixed for over ten hours. Ten hours!

Play finally drew to a close at roughly 9pm last night due to bad light and both men valiantly supported each other off the court, probably connected by the knowledge that their names would now forever be etched in to the history of the sport.

I’m sure that in ten years time, unless one of these guys goes on to lift a few Slams, the mention of one of their names will instantaneously bring up thoughts of the other. They will be connected like brothers over this.

Just look at the records they have broken. As well as the longest match in history, the fifth set alone is longer than the previous longest match set by Arnaud Clement and Fabrice Santoro at the 2004 French Open. The 163 games contested by the two guys is also a new record, beating the 112 set by Pancho Gonzalez and Charlie Pasarell in 1969. It has also overcome the previous longest fifth set from the 2003 Aussie Open where Andy Roddick finally overcame Younes El Aynaoui 21-19 in the quarterfinals.

Ivo Karlovic’s record of 78 aces in his Davis Cup quarterfinal against the Czech Republic. Both players have blitzed that. Mahut currently stands at 95, while Isner is the current record holder on 98. That Karlovic-Stepanek match also held the record for the most combined aces with 96, but now these two have served up 193.

Phew! That’s quite a lot of statistics to digest. And with play resuming on this Thursday afternoon they could all be set to change again. On the other hand of course, it could be over in two games. That would be quite ironic!

Imagine if Jimmy Van Alen had never been listened to with his idea for the set tiebreaks. Isner and Mahut might just about be starting the fourth set the rate they’ve been going.

Whoever triumphs here will face the Dutchman Thiemo De Bakker who needed a 16-14 fifth set to overcome the Columbian Santiago Giraldo. But he will feel like a fresh-born foal compared to whoever comes out of this. The fitness trainers of Isner and Mahut are really going to have to earn their corn to prepare their man for what will only be round two. I bet they feel like they’ve completed a whole tournament already.

Good luck to both of them. As Isner said leaving the court last night: “Nothing like this will ever happen again. Ever.” I don’t know John; I would have said that about this match two days ago!

The darling of the U.S. Olympic team and the Sport Illustrated cover girl, however, needs to take note of a past performance from Pete Sampras in order to achieve ultimate Olympic glory.

Vonn, an avid tennis player and fan who attended Wimbledon this past year, is a strong favorite to win multiple medals at the Vancouver Games, including the signature women’s alpine event, the downhill. But Vonn revealed this week that a painful shin injury may actually prevent her from competing or, at least, ski at her gold-medal contending best.

Vonn, as seen in his NBC Olympics video gushes about tennis and Federer, but she should study back a few more years in the history of Wimbledon to draw inspiration for what will be a painful attempt at Olympic glory.

Pete Sampras also suffered from painful shin injury entering Wimbledon in 2000, where he was attempting to break Roy Emerson’s record of 12 Grand Slam men’s singles titles. Like Vonn, Sampras had fluid build-up in his shins and was in considerable pain. He was unable to practice – only hitting balls during his matches – and during off days, stayed off his feet and received treatment to try to alleviate the pain. Taking pain medication before playing his matches, Sampras went through the draw and gutted out a tough four-set win over Patrick Rafter in the final to win what was his seventh, and perhaps most courageous, Wimbledon title to break Emerson’s record.

Vonn and her fans will certainly hope she can “pull a Sampras” and win gold for the USA.

“Money makes the world go around,” or so the old saying tells us.

As 2010 opens across a planet stuck in recession as Third World debt is joined by those supposedly developed countries whose industries compete to see who can lose the most money in a day.

Standing outside the normal boundaries of daily life are sportsmen, whose astronomical salaries see little change despite those who put them on their pedestal in the first place now struggling to scrounge together enough to get in and see them play.

So many sports are undergoing changes in a bid to “modernise.” This has now become another word meaning “raising revenue” in the modern sporting world.

Tennis has remained largely unchanged throughout its history, only allowing the monster that was television slight changes such as the shortening of changeovers and decreasing the time allowed to take between serves for the restless and bloodthirsty TV audience.

But as some of their main competitors struggle to keep their heads afloat how well is tennis doing in its bid for equality in the sporting world, or more importantly to shareholders, a larger slice of the scrumptious financial pie?

In 2009, the Australian Open recorded the highest ever single-day day/night attendance record seen at any Grand Slam – 66,018. It is now estimated the tournament brings in £38m to the Australian economy.

The prize money distributed to the male and female players was equal last year with the winners taking home a cool A$2,000,000 (£981,700/US$1,607,000) in the blazing sunshine down under.

You also earned yourself A$19,400 for simply turning up and taking a pasting in the first round. It’s great work if you can get it.

Serena Williams set a record as the highest earning female tennis star in history by accumulating $6,545,586 just for her year’s work.

Astronomical? Not really in sporting terms.

David Beckham could technically argue that he holds down two jobs (three if you include being married to Victoria) and the combined salary paid to him by Los Angeles Galaxy and AC Milan for kicking a football around will be €32.4m.

Over in the NFL, Carolina Panthers’ Julius Peppers snapped up $16.683m a year for what is undoubtedly the shortest sporting calendar in the world.

But the most important figures are those behind the scenes.

In Europe even the major football clubs are struggling as the economic recession means advertisers are pulling out of lucrative contracts and the supporters are finding it harder and harder to afford ticket prices.

Cricket attendances had dropped so low that they had to create a whole new format, 20/20 cricket, to get people’s attention again.

Baseball believes itself to be recession proof but red warning lights will be flashing soon as ticket prices there too are beginning to leave the average hourly wage behind.

Tennis, however, seems to be moving in the opposite direction. The continued increase in interest in Asia has led to further expansions in the calendar which make it an almost year-round sport in the twenty-first century.

There have even been some calls for a fifth Grand Slam to be held on the world’s largest continent and although this may horrify some tennis purists it is wise to remind everybody of the phrase which opened this blog and if tennis was to see a slump Asia’s many money-rich entrepreneurs might be able to bend a few ears at the ITF.

But for now tennis should bask in its increasing success. There are now competitors from more countries than ever before and the we have witnessed a change of the guard as the more traditional countries are producing less dominating stars and the likes of Russia and the former Balkan States are having a much larger say, particularly in the women’s game.

While the sport will obviously be hit by the usual factors in this difficult time; ticket sales, sponsors etc, the fact that the likes of Great Britain and Australia are producing rising rates of participants shows that tennis will have a growing pool of fans to let in, meaning attendances may not see such drastic hits.

As television coverage increases the revenues from this avenue will too. Action from all four of the 2009 Grand Slam events were shown on the BBC in Great Britain – a vast improvement on the Wimbledon-only diet of previous years.

Far from being game, set and match for the sport, this could be the beginning of something gargantuan. How much further can tennis go? Only time will tell!

Roger Federer

Roger Federer’s reign as US Open champion is over. The Swiss maestro’s quest to win a sixth straight US Open men’s singles title came to an end Monday as Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro defeated the world No. 1 3-6, 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2 in the championship match. “Delpo” and David Nalbandian account for “Argentine book-ends” as the two countrymen combined to be the only two players to beat Federer at the US Open since 2003 – Federer winning 40-straight matches between losing to Nalbandian in the round of 16 of the 2003 US Open and losing to del Potro in the 2009 US Open final. Rene Stauffer, in his book THE ROGER FEDERER STORY: QUEST FOR PERFECTION ($24.95, New Chapter Press, www.RogerFedererBook.com) discusses Roger’s loss to Nalbandian in 2003, when Roger was first on the verge of becoming the No. 1 player in the world, in this exclusive book excerpt below.

The US Open, the final Grand Slam tournament of the year, presented another opportunity for him to seize the top spot. As the tournament be­gan, Federer seemed in the best position to capture the No. 1 ranking as he was the player with the least amount of points to defend from the previ­ous year among the contenders for the No. 1 ranking. He survived the first three rounds without being seriously challenged, but in the round of 16, once again, his opponent was none other than Nalbandian.

Media and tennis insiders tagged the Argentinean as the arch-nemisis of Federer. The two players played four times as professionals, with Nalbandian winning all four times. Federer, however, rejected the idea that Nalbandian was the player he feared the most.

“That bothers me because I’ve never said that and I don’t see it that way either,” he told reporters almost defiantly in New York. “I’ve never lost to him decisively and I’ve even beaten him in the juniors.”

The second week of the US Open became an ordeal as rain created a sched­uling chaos. The round of 16 matches that were scheduled for the second Tuesday of the event did not start until 3 pm on Thursday. After four hours of play and two more interruptions due to rain, Federer had—for the fifth time in five professional matches—succumbed to Nalbandian 3-6, 7-6 (1), 6-4, 6-3. The Argentinean was still a mystery to him.

“I find it difficult understanding why I take the lead or fall behind,” Federer said after the loss. “I knew that I had to play aggressively. But I just don’t know how much I should risk when serving against him. He gets to many balls quickly and is great at reading my game. I don’t know what to make of him.” Federer could only watch from a distance as Nalbandian reached the semifinals, where he lost a heart-breaking five-setter to Roddick after leading two-sets-to-love and holding a match point. Roddick went on to win the championship, defeating Juan Carlos Ferrero, who assumed the No. 1 ranking by virtue of his runner-up showing. The American wept after his first Grand Slam title just as Federer had two months earlier at Wimbledon. Roddick won the tournaments in Montreal and Cincinnati earlier in the summer and moved to No. 2 in the world rankings.

Rod Laver

NEW YORK, N.Y., August 24, 2009 – New Chapter Press today announced that in the 40th anniversary year of Rod Laver’s second Grand Slam, it will publish the Australian’s memoir of his historic 1969 achievement – THE EDUCATION OF A TENNIS PLAYER.

Written with Hall of Fame journalist and historian Bud Collins, THE EDUCATION OF A TENNIS PLAYER is Laver’s first-hand account of his 1969 Grand Slam season, capped off by his 7-9, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 win over fellow Australian Tony Roche in the final of the U.S. Open on September 8. Laver also writes about his childhood and early days in tennis, his 1962 Grand Slam and offers tips on how players of all levels can improve their game. He also shares some of the strategies that helped him to unparalleled success on the tennis court.

THE EDUCATION OF A TENNIS PLAYER is available immediately via tennis retailer TennisWarehouse (www.TennisWarehouse.com or Info@Tennis-Warehouse.com or directly from New Chapter Press (www.NewChapterMedia.com or NewChapterPress@gmail.com). The book will also by available at the U.S. Tennis Association Bookstore during the 2009 U.S. Open August 31 to September 13 and via traditional book retailers in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia by early 2010. Special limited edition hard-cover editions of the book are available for $29.95, while paperback copies are for sale for $19.95.

Originally published in 1971, THE EDUCATION OF A TENNIS PLAYER was updated by Laver and Collins in 2009 with new content including his recovery from a near-fatal stroke in 1998. The memoir features descriptions of Laver’s most suspenseful matches and memorable portraits of his biggest rivals Ken Rosewall, Lew Hoad, Tony Roche and Pancho Gonzalez.

“I am delighted that The Education of a Tennis Player is back in circulation and available for a new generation of tennis fans,” said Laver. “Winning the Grand Slam for a second time in 1969 seems just like yesterday and this book brings back a lot of memories of the great matches and exciting times. I hope people enjoy reading my story.”

Laver captured 11 major singles titles during his career, including Wimbledon in 1961, 1962, 1968 and 1969. After joining Don Budge as the only man to win a Grand Slam by sweeping all four majors in 1962, Laver turned professional where he, along with fellow pros Hoad, Rosewall and Gonzalez, were banned from playing the “amateur-only” major tournaments. When the “Open Era” of tennis began in 1968, Laver netted another five major singles titles, including his Grand Slam sweep of all four in 1969. Laver won nearly 200 singles titles during his career and was inducted into the International Tennis of Fame in 1981.

Collins, himself a 1994 inductee in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, first met Laver in 1956 at the Longwood Cricket Club in Boston during the U.S. National Doubles Championships. Thirteen years later, the two collaborated on the book that was only to be published if Laver won the Grand Slam. Collins is best known for his colorful television commentary – and his colorful wardrobe – as well as his columns in the Boston Globe. Collins currently works as a commentator with ESPN2 and Tennis Channel.

“Rod Laver is one of the greatest treasures we have in tennis and The Education of a Tennis Player is one of our sports most important literary works,” said Collins. “Rod was always so humble and gracious, but he could play tennis like a hurricane. He was as a great a champion as we have ever had in tennis and one of the all-time nicest guys.”

New Chapter Press is also the publisher of THE BUD COLLINS HISTORY OF TENNIS by Bud Collins, THE ROGER FEDERER STORY: QUEST FOR PERFECTION by Rene Stauffer and BOYCOTT: STOLEN DREAMS OF THE 1980 MOSCOW OLYMPIC GAMES by Tom Caraccioli and Jerry Caraccioli among others. More information on New Chapter Press can be found at www.NewChapterMedia.com.

Arguello: Prolific punching power

Nicknamed “The Explosive Thin Man,” Arguello, 57, was a former WBA Featherweight, WBC Super Featherweight and WBC Lightweight champion won between 1974 and 1983. He was considered to be pound for pound one of the most vicious fighters of his time , ranked 20th in Ring Magazine’s top 100 punchers of all time.

An extremely popular athlete who helped stabilize the Titans organization, Steve McNair had a solid career leading the Titans within whiskers (literally one yard) of sending the 2000 Super Bowl into overtime in what is perhaps one of the most painfully memorable “coming up short” moment in football (even sports) history. The famous play took place with 48 seconds left to play when McNair threw a complete pass to Kevin Dyson who was tackled just short of the end zone. The St.Louis Rams prevailed in that game 23-16.

In his career, McNair through for 31 304 yards, 174 TD’s and 119 interceptions with a 82.8 QB rating. He was also a co-MVP winner in 2003. McNair was 36.

Sad stuff.

*** Let’s see. Oh, Roger Federer won his 15th Grand Slam and 6th Wimbledon title after an epic five-set, four-plus marathon against Andy Roddick. Federer finally broke Roddick in the final set winning it 16-14. With his 15th title, Federer surpasses Peter Sampras on the all-time list. We can leave “who’s the greatest ever” debate for another time.

What a weirdo and creep

***Bernie Eccelstone is a douche. Here, read this. And come back here. What a prize, right? And these guys make so much money. How in this world anyone on any intellectual or spiritual level can cite Hitler and Hussein as “getting things done” or being able “to control” is beyond me. Very disturbing that a person in his position can think this way. If you think this way, you’re a douche as well. More sad stuff indeed.

F1 got rid of one idiot and now needs to purge itself of another.

***Ottawa Senators forward Dany Heatley is a douche as well – albeit a far less reprehensible one in comparison to Eccelstone. Heatley decided he wanted to be traded. It was going to be hard to move his fat contract but the Edmonton Oilers came knocking. It seemed like a win-win situation until Heatley refused to waive his no-trade clause. Let me see if I get this straight Dany boy, you ask to be traded and then nix it because you don’t like the destination? bent. I don’t mean to remind you since it’s a painful memory, but you do realize you’re lucky to be playing hockey, right?

*** La Tour de France is under way. Of course, coming into the race, all eyes and eyes were focused on Lance Armstrong. Armstrong, who finished 53rd at the Giro d’Italia, currently sits in 10 spot overall after two stages. Fabian Cancellara is the yellow jersey holder. Re Armstrong, will the French doping authorities leave him alone?

***Rob Hughes weighs in with this piece about Italy’s early exit at the Confederations Cup (Confederawhat to some) tournament. The United States provided the biggest shock after they beat Spain 2-0 thus ending Spain’s 35 game unbeaten streak. Both Italy and the U.S. should have a sense of what their teams are like in preperation for the World Cup in 2010 in South Africa. Italy coach Marcello Lippi must make some adjustments (Sebastian Giovinco, Mario Balotelli and Robert Aquafresca each impressed at the U-21 UEFA championships and most certainly deserve a fair shot at the senior national team).

Giovinco: He belongs.

The Americans always knew they had character. It’s just that they never could convert it to wins against heavyweight soccer powers. After the Spain win, they took a stunning 2-0 lead into the second half in the final against mighty Brazil. That lead soon evaporated as Brazil scored three unanswered goals for a 3-2 victory. If anything, the Americans need to learn how to hold on to leads. Landon Donovan in particular played excellent-ly and even mustered enough chutzpah to blast David Beckham in his book. Poor David Posh, all marketing and no heart.

As for Spain and Brazil, I wouldn’t worry if I were Spain. And I would be cautious in anointing Brazil as the main favorites in 2010. Quite frankly, any number of nations are legitimate contenders but one still has to put Spain ahead based on recent form. But a lot can happen until the World Cup.

The Confederations Cup is a minor tournament but a good one to use as preperation for nations. Enjoy it for what it is.

The thing about tennis is more than most sports I can think of, you can actually witness with your own eyes the rise and fall of greatness.

The rise and decline of great empires are slow moving in their evolution making it hard for us mortals to feel its descent. In tennis, it’s swift, stark and evident sometimes.

The Torch Has Been Passed?

When I saw Roger Federer stand before the microphone and begin to cry after falling in five sets to Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open, it made me think about a remarkable champion coming to terms with his tennis mortality. Once upon a time he was invincible. Now, his best is no longer enough.

Through those gut wrenching tears, it also was an official realization that Nadal is the new tennis king – a fitting one at that.

Great rivals and competitors,  Nadal and Federer continue to approach their game and life with class.

I’m sure it’s safe to write on the assumption tennis fans want to see another showdown between the two.

I know I do.