By Scoop Malinowski
I arrive at the off site practice courts and see Dmitry Tursunov on court with Vesnina, next to Nishikori and Uchida. I need Tursunov’s input on Facing Safin so I must wait an hour.
Monica Puig arrives with her three man entourage and two others. She is really nice. She works on footwork drills before going on court to hit with Sasnovich.
My old pal Ilija Bozoljac arrives with his new charge Dzumhur. We did a biofile and Facing Fed QA at Sarasota Open five years ago and hit it off. He liked my Facing Federer book but loved my Marcelo Rios book which he called “amazing.” That is the best book compliment I’ve ever gotten…and it came from a professional player.
Then Bozoljac realizes he brought the wrong red Wilson bag from the Ritz Carlton lobby. Not Dzumhur’s but the Romanian Buzarnescu. He asks to borrow my bike to cycle the bag back to the hotel but Buzarnescu shows up to the courts and makes the trade off. She loses later in qualies last match of the night to Flipkens.
I do a terrific biofile with Dzumhur who has beaten Nadal here two years ago and last year won two titles.
After that I get some Safin gold from Tursunov who beat Marat twice. Later in the day I get more Facing Safin info from Boris Sobkin, who met baby Marat when “he was three or four days old. His mother brought him to the club”, Jan Mike Gambill, and Thomas Johansson.
Of course Tojo beat Marat in the Australian Open final and then revealed a stunning insight that last year the two gladiators reunited in Monte Carlo in the off season with Marat and sister Dinara hitting and helping his charge Maria Sakkari for ten days. Tonight Sakkari qualified for main draw by beating Krunic 7561.
Bjorn Fratangelo beat Berlocq to qualify and his girlfriend Madison Keys was there to congratulate him after the win.
Eugenie Bouchard got walloped again in qualies. Rumor has it Nike might drop her.
A stunner in dubs was seeing Danny Nestor reunited after many years with Max Mirnyi. They were playing a set versus Quereshi and Matkowski.
Claire Liu handled younger super teen Whitney Osuigwe 6361 but the hard hitting Osuigwe was impressive in defeat. Her strings make a cracking sound on contact.
Gambill continues to rave about the work ethic of Jared Donaldson who wants to win every point in practice. Gambill said he likes to pair JD with practice players with similar intensity, naming Ryan Harrison and Borna Coric as his two go to faves.
I saw Jelena Ostapenko walk back the long way through the grounds back to the locker room entrance and no one recognized her. Same thing with Denis Shapovalov yesterday.
I sat in on the Djokovic press conference and asked “when do you think you’ll be ready to beat Federer again?” The reply was his shortest of the conference, “I’m really not thinking about that.”
It’s still sad to think that this will be the final edition of this wonderful tournament at this historic, beautiful venue.
No tags
dan markowitz · March 21, 2018 at 12:36 am
Keys is Frantagelo’s girlfriend, there’s a scoop. That was a rather nasty question to ask Djoko? He’s so far off from beating Fed. A more appropriate question might’ve been, “When do you think you’ll be ready to beat Taro Daniel again?
Love Miami Open. Only major tournament that gives me a press pass when I apply from one after the event has begun. Indy Wells I can apply for a press pass two years ahead, and they don’t give me one.
Watch out Miami, here comes Dan the Man!
Duke Carnoustie · March 21, 2018 at 12:43 am
I think that’s a fair question to ask Djoker. He isn’t playing to reach the quarters. He’s here to win Slams again and he knows this too.
The Keys-Bjorn dating has been known for some time…
http://www.womenstennisblog.com/2017/12/23/madison-keys-bjorn-fratangelo-dating/
Duke Carnoustie · March 21, 2018 at 12:48 am
Frantangelo is now one spot ahead of D-Young in the rankings.
Interesting that Del Potro is 12-1 since breaking up with his
gf with the victories in Acapulco and IW. Only Tiafoe has beaten him in Delray. Looks like the heartbreak has done wonders for him on the court.
I expect our man Sock to go on a similar rampage once he rids himself of Micaela.
Duke Carnoustie · March 21, 2018 at 1:00 am
Scoop, he lost in qualifying but any sight of Matteo Berrettini? He’s Italy’s next great player and was impressive in the Irving challenger with wins over Sugita, Smyczek, Basic and Fucsovics. He’s also beaten Kudla and Troicki.
catherine · March 21, 2018 at 3:44 am
Bouchard should take a break from tennis for a while. Same with Heather Watson. There’s more to life than losing in qualifiers.
Bartoli definitely not playing in Miami (unless I’m blind). Maybe that comeback stuff was all talk.
catherine · March 21, 2018 at 3:48 am
Romance – Simona’s had a boyfriend for a while and I thought I saw him at IW but possibly not. Could be a reason she’s a bit unsettled. Difference balance needed in her life.
scoopmalinowski · March 21, 2018 at 6:38 am
Berretini impressed at us open qualies last yr losing a battle w Tsitsipas. Didnt see him here. Fratangelo didnt kiss Keys who was waiting for him just outside the court after. He seemed dazed and exhausted after the 6476 win over Berloq, who once doubled bageled Young here.
scoopmalinowski · March 21, 2018 at 6:41 am
I suppose the question was too tough for Novak who is said to be injured but didnt wear a sleeve in IW. Really miss peak Beastjovic slaying the Atp and terrorizing Fed. May never see that caliber of tennis genius again.
scoopmalinowski · March 21, 2018 at 6:43 am
Sock appears madly in love with his new beau. Can see her decorating our TV screens for many mths or yrs to come if she plays her cards right.
scoopmalinowski · March 21, 2018 at 6:45 am
Excellent feature by Richard Pagliaro at Tennisnow about how beloved Del Potro is for his unique combo of fearlessness and humility.
catherine · March 21, 2018 at 6:59 am
Garbine – get off those glossy glamour covers and perform on court – please 🙂
dan markowitz · March 21, 2018 at 7:06 am
Maybe it’s Sock who has to play his cards right. Dating, relationships, girlfriends, boyfriends, wives and husbands, it’s interesting stuff to see how if effects a player. Obviously, with Federer even kids seems to have helped his game.
I once did an article for Tennis Magazine where I cited statistics that showed that when players married, their careers took nosedives and the reason was, according to a British psychologist, who charted their declines, at least for male players, is that tennis players have high testosterone levels, at least the ones that are single and trying to show their prowess by winning and dominating. Once they married, as is true with all men, testosterone levels dropped and this psychologist, who was a noted professional, said that these male players, he charted Roddick most specifically, in a sense, stopped looking to sell their wares, strut their stuff, and their games and careers declined.
I do think in a sport like tennis, a one on one primal battle, there is a lot more on the line than just winning a tennis match. Spadea used to say that in any given match, even though he was focused on the match, he’d make eye contact sometimes with as many as three women watching the match. I remember the great Bill Bradley, when he was announced for the starting lineup, would run out and tell his teammate, the great Dave DeBusschere, which woman in the crowd, who he only knew from seeing her at the game, he was playing for that night. Once when a woman Bradley made eye contact with frequently at Knicks games made it known she was interested and available, Bradley declined to ask her out or even meet her because then her purpose at the games, to be his muse so to speak, would be ruined. But after a while, she stopped smiling at Bradley when he looked at her from the court.
catherine · March 21, 2018 at 7:28 am
Well, I get the stuff about men preening themselves and showing who’s alpha male etc, just like other species, but it might be a bit harder to work out statistically nowadays because players don’t get married as often as in previous generations, so we don’t know what they’re doing,unless they tell us, and testosterone levels, like all hormone levels, vary a lot and there is no ‘normal’.
What about women players ? Do their oestrogen levels get a boost because they’re looking for admiration from males ? Which might result in lower performance. Or do women’s testosterone levels (we’ve got some) rise in response to competition and thus render them less attractive to males ?
Fascinating 🙂
BTW – I’ve heard some stage actors say they sometimes focus on one person in the audience during a performance and play to them because it helps shut out all the other people and improves their acting.
Chazz · March 21, 2018 at 9:01 am
What’s happening with the Miami Open going away? I guess I missed that. Is it being moved somewhere else or being taken off the tour completely?
Keys-Fratangelo is interesting, good for them hopefully.
Not the first time I’ve heard the part about Donaldson. Adding Fish as a coach can only help. He’s not the flashiest or most exciting player but I like that there’s no quit in him.
catherine · March 21, 2018 at 9:19 am
Chazz- it’s just going to another site.Still Miami.
Scoop can fill you in on that. Lots of people were upset about the move I remember.
Michael in UK · March 21, 2018 at 9:29 am
Catherine, can I ask, and just for fun, what’s your prediction for Serena v Naomi Osaka?
catherine · March 21, 2018 at 10:33 am
Michael – I avoid predictions, my track record isn’t good there (I recall I said Angie would win IW) – but in this case I might make an exception and go for Osaka, not because she’s the better player but simply, I think Serena isn’t mobile enough yet, she’s still carrying too much weight and unless Naomi gets nervous, she’ll hit too many shots which Serena won’t be able to reach.
Duke Carnoustie · March 21, 2018 at 10:59 am
Dan fascinating information. Wonder what that means for Fritz since he won’t be strutting around the court anymore.
catherine · March 21, 2018 at 11:17 am
It’s only speculation Duke, and I think injections of testosterone come under the heading of PEDs.
Duke Carnoustie · March 21, 2018 at 2:47 pm
Catherine, I think some women clearly love flirting with men in the audience when they play like Anna K and Genie. But I doubt a female payer has ever asked someone out from the crowd. In he men’s tour, I’d say that happens every week.
Harry out in two TBs to Sousa. He also lost in two TBs to Opelka in Delray.
I wonder who has the best TB record these days. DelPo? Isner has been awful too.
Duke Carnoustie · March 21, 2018 at 2:48 pm
So Courier named the DC team and bypassed Donaldson. Of he top six Americans, he took the other 5. It’s definitely a shot at JD, who has been defying Duke with some great results.
Courier really has to go, he’s done an awful job. How can Isner be on the team?
Hartt · March 21, 2018 at 3:15 pm
Herbert won over Fritz in SS, 7-6, 6-4. Both guys played pretty well, but Herbert just a bit better. Some of his doubles skills came into play.
catherine · March 21, 2018 at 4:02 pm
Duke, it’s not culturally acceptable, even today, for a woman to pick up some guy she spotted in the crowd – for men, as you say, it’s probably the other way around. Some women obviously place themselves in that position – used to be called groupies 🙂
How old was Fed when he married ? Young I think. And he and Mirka had been together for a while. So that theory doesn’t hold.
scoopmalinowski · March 21, 2018 at 4:34 pm
Nutshell. Matheson donated this land but restricted any expansion or alterations to the venue. Img wants to invest in new modifications to venue but cant hence the move. Next yr at Dolphin stadium could be just temporary with Orlando as the ultimate move. Current grandstand is far away from maun stadium so players need golf cart back to use bathroom. The event has outgrown this facility though its still wonderful event despite outdated old site.
scoopmalinowski · March 21, 2018 at 4:35 pm
Osaka 6464 over Osaka Sr.
catherine · March 21, 2018 at 5:32 pm
Serena can’t run.
scoopmalinowski · March 21, 2018 at 5:52 pm
Yep. The legs are gone.
catherine · March 21, 2018 at 6:00 pm
S not nearly ready to compete at this level. Ragged match,errors everywhere, not a test of Naomi’s form.
Hartt · March 21, 2018 at 8:11 pm
Catherine, Fed and Mirka met at the 2000 Olympics and have been together since then, but they did not marry until April, 2009, a couple months before the birth of their daughters.
Hartt · March 21, 2018 at 8:13 pm
I had one piece of good tennis news today. Pospsil won over Karlovic in SS, 7-6, 7-6. From what I saw, it was a good match – lots of big serving, as you’d expect, but some nice volleys and passing shots as well.