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French Open: Underdogs with a fighting chance

Alexandr Dolgopolov
This long-haired Ukrainian already has proven he is capable of hanging tough with his 5-set win (3-6, 7-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3) over veteran Frenchman Arnaud Clement. The 21-year-old Dolgopolov currently is ranked 56 in the world, but has a long career ahead of him. His patented drop shot is sure to throw off even the greatest clay-courter ("The King of Clay," Rafael Nadal included.) Look for Dolgopolov to make more waves during the next rounds of the French Open.

Robby Ginepri
Though not as well known as the likes of Americans Andy Roddick, John Isner, Mardy Fish or Sam Querry, this 27-year-old American could make a noticeable impact on the field at Roland Garros. In 2008 Ginepri made it all the way to the fourth round before losing to Fernando Gonzalez (7-6, 6-3, 6-1.) And although he currently is ranked 98 in the world, expect Ginepri to perform comparable to a top 20 player in this year's French Open. He will need to perform to that level to stand a chance at beating fellow countryman Querry (ranked 22) in the first round Tuesday, May 25.

Justine Henin
After announcing her retirement May 14 2008, the then-World No. 1 probably would not have expected returning to tennis just 15 months later. The story of 27-year-old Henin's comeback is a remarkable one and the Belgium player attempts to improve upon it at this year's French Open. Henin is ranked 22 coming into the tournament, but make no mistake about it, this 4-time French Open champion will play as if she is number 1. She will face Tsvetana Pironkova Tuesday, May 25 in first-round competition.

Old rivalry flares in fundraiser

Tonight's BNP Paribas Open "Hit for Haiti" fundraiser event proved a big "hit." Oracle donated a check for $1 million and fans were treated to a couple of hours of memorable tennis.

The event featured some legends of women's tennis including Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf, Lindsay Davenport and Justine Henin. The fundraiser also featured some past and present champions of men's tennis including Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi.

The women took to the court first, admist some lighthearted conversation and funny banterings. Navratilova made the most use of the microphones and also proved she could still compete at age 53. She seemed entirely confident on the court. This confidence proved too much for Davenport and Graf to handle; Navratilova and Henin handily defeated the duo 8-6.

After the women swung it out, the men stepped onto the court.

There may have been less talk between points, but on court the men seemed to be quite chatty with the exception of Nadal, who resigned himself to grinning as the other men verbally battled it out—all in good fun, of course.

Agassi was notably the most talkative of the bunch. He and Federer poked fun at eachother saying things like "Is that the best you've got?" and "You aren't that intimidating!" Agassi took a jab at his own partner Nadal saying, "You are much faster on TV!"

An awkward moment did come when Agassi and Sampras started to duke it out. Sampras performed an imitation of Agassi, mimicking his egg-shell method of walking around the court. Agassi responded by pulling his pockets out alluding to the fact the Sampras was a poor tipper. Sampras seemed visibly upset by the insinuation that he was a bad tipper and the next point only made things more tense. Sampras wound up a rocket serve and blasted it toward Agassi, who barely managed to duck away from the bullet.

During this exchange, Nadal and Federer remained noticeably quiet and the contrast between the pairs of rivals became even more pronounced. Sampras and Agassi appeared the hot tempered aggressive rivals, while Federer and Nadal remained collected and respectful.

Despite the tension, the pairs were able to finish the charity match with Federer and Sampras claiming the victory 8-6.

But the real victory of the night came when tournament owner Larry Ellison presented the fundraising coordinators and players with a check for $1 million to go toward those affected by the earthquake in Haiti.

Philanthropy alive, well in tennis players

Oftentimes professional tennis players are associated with being wealthy elites concerned more about themselves than others. Unfortunately, it takes tragic events to put these stereotypical views to rest.

Following an example set by the Australian Open's "Hit for Haiti" fundraiser, the BNP Paribas Open will host a "Hit for Haiti" exhibition March 12 that will feature tennis players and greats Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras. Event coordinators aim to raise at least $1 million for the earthquake victims in Haiti. The March 12 fundraiser will be broadcasted live on the Tennis Channel at 7:30 p.m. Pacific time.

Rising above the call of duty

Federer and Nadal previously had participated in the Australian Open's "Hit for Haiti" event that also raised money for the earthquake victims. Other participants included ATP World Tour players Novak Djokovic and Andy Roddick and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour stars Serena Williams, Kim Clijsters and Sam Stosur. The players raised more than $200,000 through their charity efforts.

Caring for others

On his Facebook page, Nadal commented on the recent earthquake that hit Chile Feb. 27 and supported those affected. Nadal wrote, "I also want to take the opportunity to send the Chileans a big hug and my support. There are always Chileans at every tournament making themselves heard. Big hug to all of them. We are with you!"

Another player who cleary cares for others is World No. 1 Federer. His foundation, the Roger Federer Foundation, annually contributes $1 million to supporting education in African countries. Federer recently took a trip to Ethiopia to visit one of the Foundation's projects.

When he arrived at the school, the children sang 'Roger, our Father' to him and the owner of 16 grand slam titles teared up. Also during his visit, Federer ran against the school's best athletes in a 1km (0.6214 mile) fun run. The Ethiopian children won in a landslide.

"I've always had massive respect for long distance sports," Federer told Reuters. "The terrain was so dangerous and they ran barefoot. It was impressive to say the least."

"It was touching to see the impact my foundation has had on the lives of these kids. I had a great time," Federer wrote on his Facebook page.

Read more about Federer's trip to Ethiopia here.

Saying G'day to the Australian Open

The first tournament of the year featured second round action today. The Melbourne Park tournament showcased fan favorites Andy Roddick and Rafael Nadal.

Roddick took to the courts first in a match against Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci. The match was anything but challenging for the American, with Roddick winning in straight sets 6-3 6-4 6-4. In fact, what gave the American the most trouble in the match was a call by the chair umpire at match point. The linesman called a shot made by Bellucci out, at which point Roddick stopped going for the ball. Bellucci challenged the call and the shot spot showed that his shot had indeed clipped the line. The chair umpire ruled the point be awarded to Bellucci--much to Roddick's dismay. Roddick proceeded to banter with the umpire, arguing his case that he could have hit the ball, meaning the point would have to be replayed--not awarded to Bellucci. The chair umpire held fast to his initial ruling and Roddick proceeded to utter a stream of expletives. Despite Roddick's irritation, he was able to serve the match out, only a few points later.

Nadal's match in contrast had no drama and was even more straightforward than the American's. Nadal defeated Slovak Lukas Lacko in straight sets, winning 6-2 6-2 6-2. Following the match, Nadal remarked about how improved his game is over how it was six months ago, where Nadal certainly struggled to win matches. He won only one of ten matches against the top ten players toward the end of last season.

"I came here playing really well... I think I am [now] in the right way. The important thing [for me] is to keep in the tournament and to keep winning matches," Nadal said.


Illustration provided by Kyle Calandra

Davydenko takes World Tour finals in two sets

Barclays ATP World Tour Finals featured finals action today, with Nikolay Davydenko easily defeating Juan Martin Del Potro 6-3 6-4. The two top ten players won the most matches and sets in the round robin event to reach the finals. Unfortunately for tennis fans, the final lacked excitement with Del Potro falling easily to Davydenko. Tennis fans will have to wait until Melbourne in January for more professional tennis, as December is the off season.

Not always so serious

Although typically players are serious about every point in a match, during the 2009 Wimbledon semifinal between Roger Federer and Tommy Haas, Haas displayed an unusual tactic in a hilarious (yet successful) attempt to win the point. Below is a clip of the incident.



Fortunately, Federer, being the good-natured guy that he is, took it very well and even uttered a rare chuckle. It just goes to show that even at the highest level of tennis, there's still a bit of fooling around. All in good fun, of course.