By Chris Le
American tennis fans, particularly those in New York for the U.S. Open, just found a new Public Enemy Number One—Novak Djokovic.
Dispatching of fan favorite Andy Roddick in surprisingly easy fashion, 6-2, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (5), it could have been a moment of sweet retribution for the 21-year-old Serb.
Before their quarterfinal meeting, Roddick took a few jabs at Djokovic, who cited hip, ankle, stomach and breathing issues as reason for his poor play in previous rounds. Roddick wondered, jokingly as he suggests, if Djokovic is also suffering from bird flu, anthrax or SARS, saying “He’s either quick to call a trainer or he’s the most courageous guy of all-time.”
Djokovic did not take the comments lightly and took it out on Roddick on the court.
In post-match interviews, Roddick reiterated everything he said was in jest, as he is known to be sort of a jokester, and his comments aren’t always without a hint of sarcasm.
Djokovic still wasn’t humored, telling USA reporter Michael Barkaan, “You know, Andy was saying I have 16 injuries in the last match. Obviously, I don’t—right?”
A few boos from the pro-Roddick crowd began to shower on the third-ranked player in the world. Barkaan gave Djokovic a chance to take back his comments, a clear opportunity to win back the crowd that loved him a year ago, but the Serb didn’t bite. “They’re already against me” Djokovic said, “because they think I’m faking everything, so it’s all right.”
After that, every pro-Djokovic American turned against him and the boos magnified in intensity.
It’s funny that Djokovic is so easily butt-hurt, since he himself is famous for mockingly mimicking Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova (see here) and their pre-serve idiosyncrasies. His sense of humor, apparently, is relegated to making fun of others.
In later interviews, however, Djokovic apologized to Roddick and seemed genuinely remorseful when saying, “He made a joke and it was a misunderstanding, so I don’t blame it on him. Maybe I exaggerated and reacted bad in that moment.”
Is this apology enough to get back on the New York crowd’s good graces?
We’ll find out in Saturday’s semifinal when Djokovic faces number-two seed Roger Federer.
took care of Spain (3-1) as well, steamrolling past them 119-82 on Saturday. The win in the match up of undefeated squads clinched the first seed for the U.S. in Pool B, who will finish opening-round play against Germany (1-3) on Monday before advancing to the quarterfinals.
eliminated from the final, and Asafa Powell finished in a disappointing fifth in the final. The 21-year-old Bolt captured his first gold medal in stunning fashion Saturday, breaking his own world record of 9.72 seconds with a 9.69 finish, despite looking around and posing for cameras before crossing the finish line.
partner Stanislas Wawrinka defeated Simon Aspelin and Thomas Johansson of Sweden 6-3, 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-3 in the final Saturday. Federer truly is the paradigm of sportsmanship. His Wimbledon loss was nothing short of respectful (unlike James Blake‘s recent loss) and his uncanny doubles win resembled that of a child winning something great. But I definitely tip my hat to Federer, one of the greatest tennis players ever.
the medal ceremony? He’s not getting it back. The IOC ruled on Saturday that Swedish wrestler Ara Abrahamian would be the fourth athlete kicked out of the Games and have his medal be the third removed, but the first not associated with doping.
million contract this offseason would be dangerous for the sport of baseball. His problem? That “it would, in effect, be an open invitation to every selfish superstar in baseball to pull a Manny. Act up. Stop hustling. Stop trying. Refuse to play. Make up an injury. Whatever you have to do to get back out there on the free-agent market.”
Favre when he was in Atlanta back in 1991. He wasn’t getting playing time; the starter on that team was Chris Miller, who was a Pro Bowler that year, so Favre acted up and got dealt like he wished. It’s not going to change a damn thing in the sport. There are always people who will act up for money or whatever, and Ramirez’s antics won’t negatively affect baseball one bit.
Gonzalez 4-6, 7-5, 11-9. Notwithstanding three match points he failed to convert, Blake decided to blame the loss on Gonzalez for not admitting a disputed point two games before the finish. As the only American to have a shot at a medal in the men’s or women’s singles, Blake needs to shut up about the issue. He didn’t lose from that one point and even if Gonzalez got a lucky break, Blake is being hypocritical about sportsmanship in the Olympics. Regardless, this is what Blake had to say about his competitor. “Whatever he wants to say is fine. Whatever is going to get him to have some sleep tonight, then that’s fine.”
up Francisco Liriano and cut Livan Hernandez and on Friday, they did just that. Liriano, who spent three months in the minors, took the mound Sunday against the Cleveland Indians and pitched six scoreless innings in leading the Twins to a 6-2 victory and into first place in the AL Central. The lefty recorded his first win in over a year and lowered his ERA on the season to 7.16.
Saturday to end his win streak of 32 straight matches and five straight tournaments. Notwithstanding the loss, Nadal is set to replace Roger Federer for the No. 1 ranking in the August 18 rankings after over three years of Federer and Nadal being 1-2.
is in Madrid, which went like this. Q: “Is Kobe really the best player in the world?” Pierce: “I don’t think Kobe is the best player. I’m the best player. There’s a line that separates having confidence and being conceited. I don’t cross that line but I have a lot of confidence in myself.”
Reno-Tahoe Open this weekend. I think Annika Sorenstam speaks for all of us when she says that Wie shouldn’t be competing with men if she can’t even qualify in a women’s major. What I want to bring up is how much tournament director Michael Stearns is shaming the PGA by inviting the 18-year-old child star to play at a level she isn’t even close to being able to play at. Stearns said, “Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I happen to believe she’s a great player. Who’s on the list here who won a U.S. Publinks at age 13?”
numerous offers abroad. How do I know it’s all about the money, contrary to what Vujacic claims? Because the Lakers offered $2.6 million a year earlier this month and Vujacic was ready to pack his bags.
arguably their best player, the lowest-paid starter on the team with a salary of $6.6 million last year. The Warriors are creating as much a financial mess as the Nuggets, paying all of their starters big money, which prompted the Nuggets to recently give up Marcus Camby for a draft pick. Those in the Bay Area should be concerned.
made his career debut last Friday for the Chicago Cubs, throwing two innings of relief. On Sunday, he notched his first career save, reaching 99 mph with his fastball. Cubs manager Lou Piniella has said that Samardzija will be around to stay and even mix into the closer role with Kerry Wood out. A feel-good start for the ND alum.
fifth title in a row. It was the first tournament for the 22-year-old Spaniard since the epic Wimbledon final, and Rafa can become the first men’s top-ranked tennis player in four years depending on how he fares in this week’s Masters Series tournament. Where was Roger Federer last week? Upset in his opening match to unseeded Gilles Simon.
she’s the “golden girl” of the league. Please. Detroit assistant coach Rick Mahorn, who also received a two-game suspension, should be publicly beat by his momma after what he did to Lisa Leslie.
necessarily return to the closer role upon his return, the Seattle Times reports. Recommendation: Miscommunication with the training staff gave Putz the idea that he needed to throw with a different motion, which caused more soreness in his arm. He’s back to throwing normally, and the pain has stopped. – Rotowire
finals. Roger Federer, who will be going for his sixth straight Wimbledon, has not dropped a set in the entire tournament. But after coming down to Earth with unfamiliar losses in tournaments earlier this year and Rafael Nadal‘s proven domination over Federer in the French Open, I see David utilizing that confidence to dethrone Goliath in a stunner this year.
final turn. The colt, who is unbeaten in five starts, will attempt to become the 12th Triple Crown winner and the first since Affirmed in 1978. The last leg: the Belmont Stakes on June 7.
Maria Sharapova‘s fourth time she has been ranked the top player. Henin, who at age 25 is winner of seven Grand Slam titles, is the first woman to retire while holding the No. 1 ranking.
end. Sorenstam has won 72 tournaments to date, third all-time, including three this year. The woman that Tiger Woods has called “the greatest female golfer of all time” won LPGA Tour player of the year a record eight times, including five straight seasons (something Kareem Abdul-Jabbar can’t even say he did, with his record six NBA MVPs).
won 4-2
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