People like to talk and there are a lot of connected people here at the Elizabeth Moore Sarasota Open, that like to talk!
Here are a handful of interesting tennis related scoops…
Matteo Berrettini called Nick Bollettieri several times and they talked on the phone in the last weeks of the coach and academy founder legend’s life, though Berrettini never had any coaching association with Nick.
At the premiere screening of the Bollettieri documentary at Elizabeth Moore’s Sarasota penthouse, Nick “had tears in his eyes during the Agassi segments.”
Marcelo Rios was asked to speak about Chile at his daughter’s school for “International Day” and the former world no. 1 agreed to do it but instead of speaking positives and politically correct rhetoric, he instead talked about some aspects and reasons he didn’t like Chile politics and left to live in USA!
Marcelo Rios was at the gym lifting weights with his weightlifting coach from Trinidad and Tobago when he saw a guy also from the Caribbean, St. Lucia, wearing tennis attire. Rios approached the guy who knew his fitness coach and asked him who the great tennis champions he remembered? The man mentioned the usual suspects and, though not recognizing the muscled up and tattoo covered Rios, he added there’s one “who lives here now in the area but I hear he is an asshole. But that’s just what I heard…” Rios endured the comment but knew the guy didn’t yet recognize him. “It seemed like Rios was looking for an ego boost.”
This man later saw Rios at the Sarasota Open a few months later in 2022 in the VIP section, at a table with his daughter but they were asked to leave because he didn’t have the wrist band to be in VIP and a group had arrived to take the table they had purchased. Rios did not immediately depart the table but eventually did. Later when a photographer tried to take a photo of Rios with his daughter, Rios let it be known he did not want it taken. Marcelo Rios proving once again trouble just seems to follow him sometimes like a cloud. Of course, when I’m told more positive anecdotes about Rios I will share them here immediately.
Bjorn Borg lived in the area, in a guest house on Palma Sola Drive, about one mile from where I live here. This was when Borg trained at Bollettieri for his comeback in the 1980s. Borg was involved in more than a few capers during his time living in Florida and they are too controversial to mention here! Let’s just say that Borg did not live on the straight and narrow – and if the National Enquirer got the tips they would have been front page scandal stories.
Bjorn Borg · Elizabeth Moore Sarasota Open · Marcelo Rios · Matteo Berrettini · Nick Bollettieri · Sarasota Open
Cory · April 10, 2025 at 1:44 pm
Plan on coming tomorrow with my pops… visiting him in Port Charlotte… can’t miss the Sarasota open if i’m in town. I’ll look for the fedora.
Hopefully can see Mmoh in action. Was hoping Krueger would make it.
Scoop Malinowski · April 10, 2025 at 7:35 pm
Cory, will see you tomorrow for sure. Yellow Vueve Cliquot fedora, my table is VIP tent with the tournament announcer Ray Collins. Andrade was too good today with those drop shots making a difference. Mmoh let Vera off the hook, he just seems to hold back his full throttle firepower and intensity. One of these many players who plays like he’s wearing a top hat and tuxedo, afraid to get down and dirty and junkyard dog it out. Spizzirri looking very good but so is Gomez, now 7-1 (singles and doubles combined) since losing to Brooksby in Houston qualies 1R.
Steve · April 11, 2025 at 6:02 am
Nice scoops!
There will be a clash of legends this evening.
Tomic vs. Mannarino. 6:30pm, Mexico City Quarterfinals.
Scoop Malinowski · April 11, 2025 at 8:08 am
And Bernard Tomic has won all three head to heads but those three duels were back in 2015/2016, all competitive battles too. Might have to tune it to this one for old times sake.
Steve · April 11, 2025 at 1:38 pm
Musetti just edged out 3x Monte Carlo champ Tsitsipas and he will face the Demon. ADF gets to face Alcaraz.
The smaller 56 player draw size for this Masters 1000 makes for excellent match-ups in every round.
Scoop Malinowski · April 11, 2025 at 7:53 pm
Only surprise is Musetti took so long to solve the Stefano puzzle. He was I think 0-5 vs Stef before today. deMinaur double goose egging Super G is hard to believe. Maybe Demon is on a mission to dethrone Sinner.
Scoop Malinowski · April 12, 2025 at 9:00 am
Mannarino finally solves the Tomic puzzle at age 36, 57 61 61 in Mexico City QF last night. Took him ten years to do it though, he lost 3 matches to Tomic back in 2015/2016 on main tour. Their first match was 2015 Acapulco won by Tomic 36 64 64. 32 year old Tomic is ranked 237, Mannarino is ranked 134.
Scoop Malinowski · April 12, 2025 at 10:24 am
This book is interesting… How Tennis Invented Everything… https://www.howtennisinventedeverything.com/books/how-tennis-invented-everything/
Steve · April 12, 2025 at 4:30 pm
In the first set Tomic played excellently. I came back and caught the end of the third set. Not sure what happened in the middle. Perhaps a fitness issue for Tomic as the score shows a total collapse.
Musetti is on a miracle run defeating three former top 10 players and two slam finalists.I mean he’s always been amazing on clay but it would be incredible if he can get a Masters 1000. Carlos already has five Masters 1000s. Hopefully he can tap into some of the
Brooksy-esque magic that we saw in Houston.
Interesting side note, The Demon has never won a Masters 1000 which gives you sense of who rare and special it is to win one for the non-GOATs.
Scoop Malinowski · April 12, 2025 at 6:14 pm
Steve, Kafelnikov never won a Masters 1000 title either which is very rare that a Grand Slam champion never won a 1000. Musetti still has one large task ahead to get this title. In case you are wondering about Sarasota Open, Nava looked lethal handling top seed Spizzirri today, just a little too much firepower. Nava has won fourteen matches in a row and if he wins tomorrow it will be three straight Challenger titles. I think he has too much firepower for Draxl who survived the Gomez firepower in the first set and used incredible defense and counterpunching to master the bigger hitter. But I see Nava winning the title.
Steve · April 13, 2025 at 4:46 am
I love Draxl’s enthusiasm. The first time I saw Fonseca he was playing against Draxl.
The Canadian was once banned for 3 years from entering our country but worked it out:
https://youtu.be/GRIjibP8j50?si=J1SIY1u5aZu2zQAS
Scoop Malinowski · April 13, 2025 at 8:01 am
Draxl is a very colorful animated player with star qualities. You will love his Biofile, will post it in the coming days. Never knew about this ban but it was before he became a relevant player which he is now.