Mesh Tennis

Video version of the interview is here (WMV format).

Maria Sharapova def. Stephanie Foretz 6-1, 6-4

Q. One down, six more to go?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: You could look at it that way, yeah.

Q. Feel comfortable out there?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, it was definitely a good start, considering I didn’t have a warmup tournament like I usually do. My main goal is just to go out there, get a feel for it as fast as I could and get the job done.

Q. Quite an eye catching outfit.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Thank you.

Q. I’m wondering, how much do you test drive an outfit before you approve it? Is it comfortable to play in? How much did you test it?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: I do. I usually wear test it in one practice. But I usually do that like seven months before because, you know, the process takes quite a long time. I mean, I already know what I’m wearing, you know, in the fall 2009.

So, you know, yeah, it’s pretty far in advance because stuff has to go to retail and all that stuff.

Q. What inspired the white tuxedo look?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: I love menswear in general. You know, I love tuxedo jackets. I love things that are actually a little bit baggier and wide. I loved when that whole wide legged pant trend kind of set in, because I love that. I’m tall and I can pull those things off.

So it was fun doing it because, you know, it’s hard to do things different with white. You know, there’s only so much you could do. I thought, why not do shorts this year? I’ve never done it at a Grand Slam. You know, if there’s one place to do it, it’s here.

Q. What will you wear next year then, if you already know?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Oh, goodness (laughter). I still haven’t finished the tournament. We’ve got a lot in store.

Q. With all due respect, that top takes a certain type of body to pull that off. Do you really expect that to be a big seller off the rack?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: I don’t know. A lot of the stuff I wear is actually promo only. Like the jacket’s not in stores because the materials are usually brought in from Italy and France a lot of the time.

Uhm, and, I don’t know actually. I hope it does. It’s a beautiful top. It’s so well done. To be able to perform in that, with it being so thin, so mobile, it’s really cool.

Q. What did you think of Serena’s raincoat and Roger’s cardigan?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: I didn’t see it. I did see Federer’s cardigan. I thought that was classic. It was beautiful.

Q. You spoke in New York with the black dress of your love of Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Talk about tuxedos.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: I love how 10 of the questions are about what we’re wearing. It’s amazing.

Q. Did you expect anything else?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: No, I don’t (laughter). Every time I get asked about it, it still amazes me.

Q. That’s the point.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: As long as I’m amazed and not bored, you’re doing a good job (laughter).

I don’t know why. Like I said, I think it’s very flattering, especially on women, to be able to pull off a look that’s basically menswear. You know, from very tailored jackets to things that are a little bit oversized, as well.

I didn’t wear my pants on court today, but they’re very wide legged and high waisted. I love that trend. It’s very classic. You can’t go wrong with it.

Like I said, if there’s a place to do it, it’s definitely Wimbledon.

Q. Not to bore you with a tennis question.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: You always do that (smiling).

Q. In Australia you started playing well early, got off to a fast start, played great all the way through. In France, you kind of tried to work your way through. It’s clay. Didn’t work as well. Today you’re playing well. Did you feel like coming in that’s important for you to start playing well early, get a feel for the ball, maybe your game will come?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: I’ve had different experiences in Grand Slams. You know, sometimes I feel like I start off slow and I find my rhythm throughout the tournament. I get better and better.

In France, even though I lost in the fourth round, I really feel like my level had stepped up from my three rounds. You know, like I said, I was so close to winning the match, and then you end up talking about losing the match. Very thin line between winning and losing.

Obviously it’s very important to start off the tournament on a good form. I knew my opponent has already played a couple of matches. Going on to Court 1 today, I knew the court would be a little bit different as the practice courts. It’s not as worn out, as well.

Just wanted to get a feel for it as fast as I could and do the right things and win the match as quickly as I could.

Q. Do you think all the attention to the fashion, is it more the players that happen to be at the top now, that you’re all sort of fashion conscious and savvy, or is it more marketing by the tour? It’s really relatively new that we talk so much about what the people are wearing, especially the women.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: I don’t think it’s that new. It’s been around for a few years.

Q. I’m saying in the last few years, though.

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Okay, that’s new?

I think it’s great. I mean, look, tennis is not a sport where you have to wear uniforms. It’s an individual sport. If you have the relationships with the brands, and I’ve been with Nike since I was very young and we’ve gained the trust in each other, you know, where we can go into a room and I can have a voice in what I like, what I don’t like, my inspirations, what I feel like wearing, the colors I feel like wearing. It’s a collaboration. It really is. If you can do that, why not?

I’ve loved fashion since I was very young. I’ve loved creating things. I love materials. I loved working with thread and needles, making things on my own. Having Nike behind that, to be able to produce things like what I wore on court today, is incredible.

Q. Could you sew one yourself, do you think?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Absolutely not (smiling).

Q. What do you think of Nike? They really are a little bit of a risk taker. They work with Federer, Serena. Have you been to their campus in Oregon?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, I have. A few times.

Q. What are your thoughts about their people and their approach in the market?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: What I love about them is they really think out of the box. They’re not one dimensional. You know, they love experimenting. They love listening to what you feel comfortable with, what’s going to work for you. They care about the athlete. That’s so important, because they want you to go out and feel comfortable with what you’re wearing.

I think, you know, we also have to realize that in this world tennis is sort of small compared to soccer and compared to American football in the States. So, uhm, you know, they realize, you know, maybe not as many tennis dresses are going to be sold, but if we can create things that are exciting, that are very well made…

Like I said, they go into factories in little towns in Italy and they try to find the best material, the best buttons and everything in order to create this one look.

It’s great working with a company like that, that is able to you know, that is able to put things on the line and is not afraid of taking chances.

Q. On the flipside, have they ever brought in a concept where you shook your head?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, numerous times, tons of times. We had a meeting a couple months ago. Yeah, there are a lot of times where you don’t agree on things, but that’s the fun thing of it. It’s about creating something special that both of you like.

Q. Are you going to carry the flag for Russia at the opening ceremony?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: I don’t think so, no.

Q. Speaking of Russia, you were talking about the football team on Saturday. They’re through to the semifinals. How does that motivate you?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: It motivates me on a different level. I’m so proud they got through that. You know, it was kind of nerve wracking when it was tied five minutes left into the game. We really thought we had it.

You know, we’re brave. We’re strong. We work hard at what we do. Good things happen.

Q. Are Russians prouder now than a few years ago?

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Prouder? We’ve always been proud. That’s one thing we don’t lack.
wimbledon.org

Lindsay Davenport def. Renata Voracova 6-3, 5-7, 6-3

Q. Give us an update on the kid.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Are you serious? He’s doing just great, thank you. Almost walking. Very talkative. Very energetic. For the most part pretty happy.

Q. Two handed backhand?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Almost. He has to hold a two handed forehand still.

Q. He’s not traveled here?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, he’s here.

Q. How are you finding that? Does that help you, do you think, stay focused?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, I mean, it’s obviously more of a challenge than life used to be just because there’s always something going on and to look after him. And certainly days like today where I haven’t seen him since I left the house at noon, so obviously that gets pretty tough. But we have a great time. He’s a lot of fun to hang out with. There’s a lot of downtime when you’re on the tennis tour. Definitely occupies my time. There’s no free time.

Q. Did you think you’d be back here?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I did not. It’s a real treat, a real honor and privilege. Real excited to be back here and be able to play. You know, I’ve had some of my greatest memories here. What started off as a Grand Slam that I probably liked the least definitely turned into one I liked the most in the latter part of my career.

Q. It looked like your knee was kind of a problem or was bothering you, and then you had the trainer come out. Can you tell us where you feel you’re at?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It’s not ideal. It’s been bothering me now for a few weeks. It’s coming more from the back of the knee. Did an MRI and it looked good. In the latter stages of the second set I definitely felt like it was getting worse. I didn’t feel great in the third. Luckily I was able to, you know, hit some good shots and go for winners.

I actually felt like I started hitting the ball a little bit better because I felt like I needed to do more with it. I’m just hoping it pulls up well. Some days it feels okay, and other days it is a problem. This morning it was definitely more swollen and a little bit of a problem. Two days ago it felt perfect. It’s frustrating. I’m not really sure what to say every day.

Q. Is the course of action not to maybe practice as much?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, exactly. And, you know, right before I started to try and do a little bit more, because obviously you want to do well and be really sharp for a Grand Slam and just pulled up today just a little bit sore. So, you know, we’ll see what happens.

Q. What was the doctor able to detect?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Not much yet. Just that I have some pain in some tests, but structurally my knee looks really good. That’s what helps me because, you know, obviously it’s impossible, or near impossible, to play tennis with a meniscus problem or ACL or something of that nature. I look good in all those tests.

Q. The first few months you were back everything went right, beautifully right. Now the last few months have been a little bumpier. Does that part of your voyage remind of why you stepped away in the first place?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, it was such bliss for the first six months playing and being healthy and being able to practice a hundred percent. I really enjoyed it.

But as every athlete goes through, you always have your injuries. And especially when you’re older and have played for a long time, they seem to creep up more. And it is a struggle. I felt like I prepared really well up until about two weeks before Wimbledon. And then, you know, some nagging injuries started to happen, wasn’t able to do everything I could the two weeks leading into this tournament. But I had a really good four or five weeks before. You know, you got to kind of stay in the present. For me, right now it’s about getting my knee better to play again on Thursday. So it would be impossible for me to speculate like, Oh, this is going to really bum me out or this is going to really affect me, because for right now it’s Wimbledon. I’m here, and I’m just kind of focusing on that.

Q. They put about five pounds of tape on your right knee. Do you think then Nike would then put a logo on that?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Maybe we should do that.

Q. What kind of follow up tests might be needed on the knee?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I’m sure I will see the doctor later. I kind of will go with what he recommends. I don’t know at this point.

Q. At the beginning of the match, did you have the wrap on the calf from the start?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I had the back of my knee taped for the start, and then for the third set I had pretty much my whole knee taped.

Q. Did that bother you?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It actually felt better when it was taped. Felt a little bit more secure.

Q. When you’re packing for Wimbledon now with your son, do you bring a lot of stuff? Do you rent things here? Do you bring a lot of toys?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: We pretty much buy a lot of toys every stop we go. It’s really hard to kind of always take those with. Then we donate them at the end of our stay in a certain city. Most hotels come equipped with the basic essentials, like a bed and a high chair or stuff. Here we’re renting a flat. They provided those for us. You know, we bring our own bottles and stuffed animals, stuff like that. But, yeah, it’s the most stressful time, the first couple days before we leave. There’s a lot of stuff I have to organize and make lists. It’s like my stuff is so secondary, it’s funny now that I used to complain about packing for myself.

Q. You’re a playing mom. Were you surprised by the amount of playing dads you know around?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It is probably easier for a guy to come back after having a child than a woman (laughter). It’s not that they’re not involved, but physically it might be a little bit easier.
But I think it’s great. We don’t have a lot of playmates for Jagger on the WTA Tour. It’s very nice when we go to some of the mixed events. He seems to meet more friends, meet more people.

Q. As you probably know, the men’s tour is having a lot of political difficulties right now, including the biggest complaint, a communications disconnect between the chairman and the leadership of the players. How has the WTA avoided any communications disconnect?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I think after Larry had been on the job the first few years it was very apparent he was doing a great job, was being the leader we were kind of looking for for so many years of my career.

I think that the players put their trust behind him. He set certain rules and didn’t make exceptions for top players or for certain players. I think the players earned a lot of respect for him. You know, he’s done amazing things for women’s tennis and gotten us more prize money, more opportunities. That’s all we were asking for. I think he has a great staff. I think they do a great job of trying to explain rules, get our feedback. You know, so far top players are pretty happy.

Q. How does he stay in touch with the top players on the tour?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It’s a little tough for me to say because the last two, two and a half years I haven’t been all that involved. I’m not really a top player any more. You know, I get certainly a lot of emails from the WTA Tour asking about things. You know, they’re always trying to get opinions, it seems like.

Q. You feel like you’re right in the loop of all the major decisions?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No, not necessarily. And I rather enjoy that (smiling).

Q. Did it feel kind of like you’re starting a new season because it’s been so long since you played a match on tour?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, it was only April. I’ve gone longer. Yeah, this was the whole time of year that I’m really excited for, starting here. Obviously the Olympics and US Open. So, yeah, I’ve got two and a half, three months of some really exciting times ahead. You know, I hope I can improve and physically be okay and try and enjoy the best time of the year for me as a player.

Q. How much of the French Open did you watch?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I could watch a little bit, and that was between, California time, 6:30 and 7:30 a.m. I wasn’t trying to avoid it. To try to get a one year old to sit still through a tennis match is not possible. I tried to watch the men’s final. Unfortunately, when I had woken up, it was almost over.

Q. As you may know, Tiger Woods just had this incredible performance with a problematic knee. Were you aware of that, and could you reflect on that?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I was aware of it. I watched it, like most people did. It’s amazing. I had a lot of respect for him. He did great. So, you know, he’s obviously shutting it down for a while now. We hope to see him back soon. But, yeah, I think everyone watching that had a newfound respect for him and everything that he stands for.

Q. When you do have an injury, in some way does it just really increase your concentration even more?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It depends. You know, for me, at this stage of my career it’s okay. You know, I think when you’re 19, 20, 22, you have a major injury, you have to look ahead to the future. When you’re my age, you look ahead to that match, and that’s all you’re really worried about. It can work both ways. I found it really tough sometimes to play with injuries, and I found it helps me play better at other times. It kind of depends what you’re dealing with.

Q. Scouting report on Gisela Dulko.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I’ve played her a few times. I know clay is probably her favorite surface. I played her this year in Indian Wells. I’m going to have to be aggressive, keep the points short. Like she doesn’t have a huge serve. She moves well. I think her backhand might be a little bit better. I think pace of shot might be coming the serve might be coming a little slower than I was receiving today. Hopefully that will give me some opportunities and some good looks.

Q. It sounds like you’ve lowered your expectations quite a bit, maybe not just for this tournament, but in general. Is that tough for a former No. 1, three time Grand Slam champion, saying, I might get to the second week, maybe not, and if I don’t, that’s okay?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I don’t think I said that.

Q. Intimating.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I was?

Q. That’s my feeling.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, no. I mean, I wouldn’t come here if I didn’t think I would do really well. Obviously, if an injury comes up you have to do the best you can to try and combat that. But, no, I mean, I’m not here going, Gosh, I hope I get to the second round. That would be great. I haven’t lost before the quarters here since I think ‘98. So, no, I have a lot of pride playing here and look to do well.

Q. Can you talk about the Olympics and why that’s so important to you?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I’m so excited to go. That was my No. 1 goal and challenge when I came back from having my baby: to try and make the Olympic team. You know, when they picked the team, I think my ranking was 25, the third ranked American behind the Williams. Not that easy to do not playing that many tournaments and not having a lot of time.

So to qualify was a huge excitement. It was a huge, like I said, goal that I achieved. And my family’s excited. You know, I’ve always said that my medal has meant more to my family, meaning my parents and my sisters, all of them, than anything else I’ve achieved. You know, they’re looking forward to it quite a bit.

Q. How is it different, winning an Olympic medal versus a slam?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, I think you look at an Olympic event and you kind of push them all together like an Olympic medalist, Grand Slam champion. I think Olympic medalist kind of infers other sports, you did it for your country. That was the case in ‘96. I think I played so well. It was my first breakthrough tournament because I was in my country with my fans. It was kind of a team event, as much as it can be in an individual sport. I loved it. I look forward to sharing in that experience again.

Q. Are you going to play doubles? If so, with who?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: You know, I haven’t been told. I know the USTA is still deciding exactly what they’re going to do with the players they’ve chosen. I’ve said I’m available to play doubles, but I’ll respect whatever decision they make and who they think the best team is.

Q. The No. 1 player in the world happens to be chosen, so that would be a pretty good pairing, I would think.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I mean, she’s definitely playing doubles. I think they’re looking at a number of combinations. If the Williams want to play I don’t know if they want to play. I think they do. Whoever they think Huber plays well with.

Q. Describe the feeling you had on the podium when they started playing the Star Spangled Banner.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: A little bit like in the beginning I said I would never forget it. Every time I would hear the national anthem, I would always think of that moment. Then we have like, you know, season tickets to hockey. We go to all these baseball games. You start hearing it like a hundred times a year, and I try to remember every time. I think I’ve forgotten a few times. But it was mostly disbelief at that time.

Q. You were pretty young.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I was young. I wasn’t supposed to win. I beat Arantxa, who was a heavy, heavy favorite. It all happens so fast when you’re in the moment. I remember thinking, I’m never going to forget it. It’s like, Oh, God.

Q. What about the near disaster of losing the medal itself. Where is it now?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I’m pretty sure we recovered it (laughter). Although I haven’t seen it lately, I think the ribbon part molded. My husband was really upset at my mom because she left in it a safe that had some mold. The gold medal part didn’t mold, but the ribbon part that it was on, we had to throw that away. We have the actual medal. He has it. He put it somewhere safe (laughter).

Q. This comes up with lot with the men because of the big serves, but how much do you think the surface has slowed here?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It’s slowed a lot. I think it’s slower than three years ago. I mean, I could be hitting the ball slower, too (laughter). Yeah, I mean, it’s amazing. The biggest thing is I think the ball bounces higher than it used to. There’s definitely some speed taken off, which I think is great, especially for men’s tennis.
I think you’ll see more returns back in play. It’s still fast. Obviously it’s grass, but it’s definitely playable grass as compared to the ’90s and even the early 2000 years, I think.

Q. Is that the ball or is it the surface?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It could be both, I think. The balls are pretty heavy. I’ve never strung my racquets at 59 pounds, and I keep going down here. They feel heavy, everything.

Q. You talked about the rankings, where the Williams sisters are. If you look further down below you, there seems to be quite a substantial gap. Do you have any insight as to why you think that might be? Is it something you think experienced players like yourself, when you’re no longer playing, can rectify to bring the next generation through?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I mean, you hope so. You never know quite what it is to get more girls playing and to have them succeed. It seems to me to be an overall cultural change in the United States. I think other girls are picking other sports and not just picking tennis. I know in the early ’80s trying to pick a sport, there weren’t all that many for me to choose from. There was a lot of my friends playing tennis. I don’t see the same at least where I live that a lot of girls are playing tennis. I see a lot of girls playing volleyball, soccer and other sports. I think the message should be resent out that tennis is I don’t know how you do that more fun or more entertaining. You know, a lot of girls are drawn to team sports. It’s not as much fun being out there by yourself. It takes a special kind of individual to really kind of thrive in that environment.

So however we can get more racquets in little girls’ I say little girls but young ladies’ hands and get them to kind of learn the game again I think is the important first step.To get tennis more popular in the United States, it’s kind of slipped in the rankings of sports watched on TV and overall popularity in the public. I don’t know exactly what the answers are to get it to be more popular, but worldwide it’s definitely a bigger hit than in the United States.
Wimbledon.org

Venus Williams made it into the second round, but not without some problems.

“I was about to serve. I felt something on my leg. It was a bee, a big old bumblebee,” said Williams.

“I didn’t want it to sting me. Then I ended up losing that service game, so I guess the bumblebee got me off to a bad start.” AFP

She defeated Naomi Cavaday 7-6 (7-5), 6-1 and will meet Anne Keothavong next.

Second seed Nadal, bidding to become the first Spanish men’s champion since 1966, enjoyed a 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (7/0) win over German qualifier, and fellow left-hander, Andreas Beck.

The second seed, fresh from his fourth successive French Open title and first grasscourt trophy at Queen’s, is also bidding to be the first Roland Garros-Wimbledon back-to-back winner since Bjorn Borg in 1980.

“My opponent today was another leftie and his second serve was difficult to read. He served to the body and that was hard for me,” said Nadal.

“It was a strange match. There weren’t many points from the baseline.”

Nadal, who has lost the last two Wimbledon finals against Roger Federer, will face Latvia’s Ernests Gulbis, a quarter-finalist at Roland Garros, for a place in the last 32. AFP

I think it is tough for Federer to be beaten at Wimbledon, and I think (despite being a huge Nadal fan) that Federer is likely to pull off another title. But I’d love to see another final between the two…

The top 4 women from each country according to the WTA rankings are eligible to go to the Beijing Olympics automatically.

Maria Sharapova, ranked second on the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) list, leads the way with Svetlana Kuznetsova (WTA No 4) and Elena Dementieva (WTA No 5).

The only slight surprise is World No 9 Dinara Safina, replacing No 8 player Anna Chakvetadze, as the fourth member of the Russian team.

“Chakvetadze had asked not to include her in the team,” said Shamil Tarpishchev, of the Russian Tennis Association. She has suffered with stress since an armed robbery at her Moscow house late last year and failed to reach the third round of this year’s French Open. Beijing 2008

The men will be (according to ATP rank): World No 4, Nikolay Davydenko, Mikhail Youzhny, ranked No 7, Dmitry Tursunov (No 33) and Igor Andreev (No 37).

Now that Roger has won his first round match, we’ve been able to confirm that the Nike cardigan is part of the outfit this year. In my opinion, Nike so far has yet to show anything interesting for the 2008 Wimbledon event.

Via Daily Mail

First, here’s the raincoat that Serena Williams is wearing at Wimbledon:

Getty Images via Daily Mail

And the actual tennis dress:

Getty Images via Daily Mail

Expanding on an earlier posts, here’s a clearer shot of Maria Sharapova’s Wimbledon outfit.

Front:

Back:

Images via Daily Mail

My vote: thumbs down.

Lleyton Hewitt’s tennis is suffering as a result of a long standing hip injury, but he did manage to make it through to the second round over Robin Haase, 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 6-3, 6-7 (1-7), 6-2. When asked about the injury:

“There’s not a whole lot I can really do to turn it around in such short notice … just trying not to make it any worse in the next 24 hours, 48 hours,” Hewitt said. “Come Wednesday, I’ll be fine.”

Hewitt said he was not bothered that his first match was so demanding because the title goes to the player who wins seven, “and you’ve got to get through those seven matches somehow”. But when asked to assess his fitness percentage, he admitted that “right at the moment, I’m probably a little worse than four hours ago”.

This is not a sporadic injury, apparently, but a constant one; only the severity of the discomfort alters. He can feel it on “every shot pretty much at different times”. “Obviously, when I’ve got to move and get in certain positions, then it’s a lot worse.” The Age

I’m guessing he’ll be out by the 4th round.

Andy Roddick is playing right now, and his future wife Brooklyn Decker is watching from the stands. Here’s the pair earlier, grabbing coffee.

Photo Credit: Splash News via Just Jared site

Andy took the first set (7-5) from E. Schwank.