Dhruva Kumar:
#3, Roger can take his time on this, Pete is one of my all-time faves!
#5: Roger's game did fall off last year.
#6b: good one, I thought he dropped that nickname a long time ago, the Rocket is taken too, Rowdy-Rod...No!, how 'bout Ace-Rod!
Fred Allemann:
Great job on the latest edition of your TennisStar newsletter!
I’m gonna friend James Blake, Dmitry Tursunov, Daniel Nestor, Tommy Haas, Richard Gasquet, Marat Safin, Fabrice Santoro, Murphy Jenson, Wayne Odesnik and John Isner on Facebook now!
Marcy Mitchell:
"i loved reading this! thanks for sharing"
Justin Cohen
Thanks for tagging me in your Facebook 25 list! I really enjoyed reading everything you wrote!
1. I'll definitely have to check out DJ Tursunov's music, haha. Have you ever watched Vince Spadea's YouTube videos that he posts?
2. It doesn't surprise me that Marcos loves french fries!
3. I guess sleeping in on the weekends isn't so bad anymore if one of the greatest tennis player's of all-time sometimes sleeps 12-14 hours, WOW!
4. I've got a few more pro tennis players you can add to your list of facebook friends.
by Beth Rifkin
No doubt you’ve been tagged on Facebook and know the drill. But really, 25 more “personal” things about me? Trust me; you’re better off not knowing. I'd rather hide behind tennis…(was that too revealing?)...
1. People who know me would NOT at all be surprised that I’m doing this.
2. I half expected Andre Agassi to be named the new CEO of the ATP; he would be able to rule by respect alone (think Godfather).
3. I have no doubt that Roger Federer will meet and surpass Pete Sampras’ Grand Slam record of 14.
4. Jim Courier once read an Armistead Maupin novel during the changeovers of a match in which he was playing.
5. It’s worth mentioning - no pro tennis players were involved in the BALCO scandal.
6. Andy Roddick and Ernests Gulbis have the same birthday as me (different years).
6a. In having an understanding of his personality, I think there are times when Roddick has shown immense restraint in press conferences, despite belief to the contrary.
6b. Still speaking of Roddick, I bet he’s re-thinking that A-Rod nickname.
7. I do not understand that people do not understand that I stayed up until 6a.m. (PST) to watch the Australian Open men’s final live, in its entirety.
8. I think the 08 men’s Wimbledon final was the best match ever – I found it as difficult to see Federer lose as it was exciting to watch Nadal win.
9. When I interviewed Dmitry Tursunov in July 2007, he made fun of me for being a Nadal fan. (who’s laughing now funny boy?)
9a. btw, Dmitry is an awesome DJ; you should check out his music (on his website).
10. Tripping over random tennis balls on the court and spraining your ankle is called “pulling a Tommy Haas”.
11. Regarding commentators, after John McEnroe, I prefer the ESPN2 team.
11a. If you aspire to be an ESPN tennis commentator, it helps if your name is Mary.
12. I heard that at times Roger Federer sleeps 12-14 hours a day. I am jealous.
13. Apparently, Marcos Baghdatis is quite a fan of French fries.
14. I think the sports apparel companies should bring back the short-shorts that men wore on the court in the 70’s and 80’s.
15. Speaking of fashion, I liked Nadal’s short-sleeved look at the Australian Open, but preferred the green to the blue.
16. My Facebook friends include pro players James Blake, Dmitry Tursunov, Daniel Nestor, Tommy Haas (maybe not after #10), Richard Gasquet, Marat Safin, Fabrice Santoro, Murphy Jenson, Wayne Odesnik, Amer Delic and John Isner. I’m not bragging, anyone can be Facebook friends with them.
17. Fernando Gonzalez, Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco have yet to accept my Facebook friend requests. I like to think it’s simply because my Spanish isn’t up to par and they’re concerned about not being able to communicate clearly with me.
18. Speaking of Spanish, the Spanish players still all look up to Carlos Moya, as David Ferrer says, “Moya is a great person, a guide for us, the veteran. We consider him our father.”
19. I wonder if Carlos Moya would be willing to give me some guidance.
20. The ATP has a wicked-cool screen saver!
20a. Their “Feel It” campaign isn’t too bad either.
21. I think the next tennis writer/journalist that asks a question involving a “little fairy” during a player press conference should be fired.
22. If there’s a line-call dispute while playing a match at my tennis club, I automatically call out for Shot-Spot.
23. I’ll be sad to see Marat Safin retire at the end of this season.
24. I’m dumbfounded at the number of people whose impression of pro tennis is stuck in the "wooden-racquet era".
25. I freelance as a writer for the USTA’s Northern California region; in covering their community programs I am constantly amazed at how tennis has actually saved the lives of many kids.
