2018 AUS OPEN: Federer Wins 20th(!) Major Title, Record 6th #AusOpen

As I predicted, Roger Federer won his record 20th major singles title, defeating Marin Cilic 6-2 6-7(5) 6-3 3-6 6-1 in the Australian Open final. Federer becomes the first man to reach 20 major singles title, following Margaret Court (24), Serena Williams (23) and Steffi Graf (22). His win also means he is in a tie with Novak Djokovic and Roy Emerson for the most Australian Open titles (6). He has won 20 major titles while playing in 30 major finals (both are records). 2018 is the 50th anniversary of the beginning of Open Era tennis and 200 major tournaments have been played, so Federer has appeared in 15% of those finals and won 10% of them. That's an insane number. The last 5 major championships have now been won by either Federer or Rafael Nadal and it is better than even money that Nadal will win his 11th French Open title this year to make it 6 in a row.

Federer is still at #2 on the list of singles titles won with 96, just 13 behind the top position of 109 held by Jimmy Connors. Can he win 13 more titles before he retires? I wouldn't put it past him!

MEN'S FINAL REVIEW

Despite the fact that the men's final started at 3:30am I set my alarm and woke up to watch the match live. The match began as well as it possible could have for Roger Federer as he went up a double-break hold (4-0) and eventually won the first set in 24 minutes. However, the second set was much closer as Cilic started making fewer errors and more winners. Federer's serve was a key factor to him staying in the match to weather the periods in which he was being outplayed by Cilic, and he ended up hitting more aces than his 6-foot-6" opponent. In the tiebreak Federer earned a minibreak first but immediately lost it when Cilic hit a service return winner to even the breaker at 3-all. Then Cicil earned a minibreak and closed out the set with an easy overhead smash. In the third set Federer got an early break and maintained his serve to nurse the lead to 6-3 and a 2-1 set lead. Then he got another early break in the 4th set and at 3-1 it seemed the match would be over soon. For some reason he completely lost the rhythm on his serve (his first serve percentage in the 4th set ended up being 36%!) and ended up losing 5 consecutive games to lose the 4th set 3-6. The fifth set started well, as Federer went up 40-15 in his first service game but then had to save another 3 breakpoints to hold serve. As often happens, Cilic found himself in trouble on his serve after failing to win breakpoints the game before and went do 3-0 in the final set. They both held and then while serving down 1-4 Cilic made multiple backhand errors and got broken to go down 5-1. Federer easily held serve, hitting a kick second serve on championship that just kissed the sideline leading to a return error by Cilic. Aftr a challenge confirmed the serve was n, the match was over!

2016 DAVIS CUP: Argentina Stuns Croatia As Delpo and Delbonis Win Last 2 Matches To Clinch Nation's 1st Win

Wow! The 2016 tennis season ended with a bang on Sunday as Argentina won its very first Davis Cup (in its 5th appearance in the final) when Juan Martin Del Potro and Federico Delbonis won two must-win matches to give their country a 3-2 win in the Davis Cup final over Croatia, in Zagreb.
The day began with Del Potro coming back from 2 sets to none down for the first time in his career against World #8 Marin Cilic to win in 5 sets: 6-7(4), 2-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-3 in 4 hours 43 minutes. This is the third time this year Cilic has had a 2-0 set advantage in a five-set match and ended up losing it (Wimbledon quarterfinal against Roger Federer and the USA vs Croatia rubber versus Jack Sock.)

But Delbonis' feat was even more amazing. He had to win a live fifth rubber against a higher ranked opponent, playing at home. The 26-year-old lefty Argentine is ranked 41 in the world and is known as a solid clay court player but he defeated the 37-year-old 6-foot-11 Ivo Karlovic (World #20) in straight sets: 6-3 6-4 6-2. Karlovic leads the tour in aces and has the #2 best serve (behind John Isner) but it was Delbonis who never had his serve broken in the match.

Argentina was in the Davis Cup final in 1981, 2006, 2008, 2011, and 2016, finally winning it for the first time this year. Croatia won it once before in 2005. Last year Great Britain won

Britain Wins Davis Cup As Andy Murray Achieves Another Career-Defining Goal

The British Davis Cup team with Andy Murray and his brother Jamie managed to do something that had not been done since 1936: win the entire annual national team competition and bring the Davis Cup home. That's a drought of 79 years!

Murray, who ends the year as the World #2, went undefeated in singles play 8-0 and teamed with his older brother Jamie to win 3 doubles ties as well. Andy Murray became the first player since Pete Sampras (did it in 1993) to win three live rubbers in a Davis Cup tie. Murray also joins his major champion brethren Roger Federer (2014), Novak Djokovic (2010), Rafael Nadal (2011, 2009, 2008), Stan Wawrinka (2014) who have managed to win Davis Cup titles for their country.

Andy Murray has now ended three major sports droughts for Great Britain: winning the Davis Cup (first time since 1936), winning a singles Gold Medal (2012 London Olympics) and, of course, the first British male player to win Wimbledon (in 2013) since Fred Perry did it in 1936. Murray also became the first male British player to win a major title when he won the U.S. Open in 2012. Surely, he'll become Sir Andy Murray sooner rather than later?

FILM REVIEW: Pawn Sacrifice

I found out about the new movie Pawn Sacrifice last week and decided to go see it over the weekend at the Pasadena Arclight Cinemas with members of the Occidental College chess club (which I serve as faculty advisor).

The film Pawn Sacrifice is a screen dramatization of the real-life story of how Bobby Fischer (Tobey Maguire) defeated Boris Spassky (Liev Schrieber) in one of the most high-profile chess matches ever in 1972. The Fischer-Spassky match was one of the key proxy battles in the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, since chess had been a game dominated by Soviet Bloc (primarily Russians) for decades. Fischer's win is one of the most extraordinary events in all of sports. He is the only American in the modern era to have won the world chess championship.

The movie does a good job of depicting Fischer's meteoric rise to the top of world chess at shockingly young age (at the time he was the youngest International Grandmaster ever at the age of 16 in the mid 1960s) as well as not shying away from showing his troubled upbringing, bizarre (anti-semitic and racist) beliefs and rather frightening (and bewildering)  mood swings.

I know that you are thinking that a movie centered around games of chess must be like watching paint dry but director Ed Zwick (who is mostly well-known  for his television programs thirtysomething and Once and Again) does an outstanding job of directing the film and telling the story in a way that would engage even people uninterested in chess.

Overall I enjoyed Pawn Sacrifice quite a bit and I'm glad that I saw it!


Title: Pawn Sacrifice.
Director: Edward Zwick.
Running Time: 1 hour, 51 minutes.
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for brief strong language, some sexual content and historical smoking.
Release Date: September 16, 2015.
Viewing Date: September 19, 2015.

Writing: B+.
Acting: A-.
Visuals: C+.
Impact: B-.

Overall Grade: B (3.0/4.0).

CELEBRITY FRIDAY: Serena Williams On Cover Of Vogue

Serena Williams is on the cover of the April 2015 Vogue magazine. Aso appearing in the magazine is one of her best friends, Caroline Wozniacki, who is back up to World #5 in the WTA rankings.

Serena withdrew from her Indian Wells semifinal last Friday with a knee injury but is scheduled to play her first match in Miami today. She has won that tournament a record 7 times.

SHOCK! Serena Agrees To Play At 2015 Indian Wells; Ends 12-Year Boycott

Serena Williams has published an article in Time magazine today to explain why she is ending her boycott of Indian Wells, the second most prestigious (and lucrative) tennis tournament held in her home country.

Thirteen years and a lifetime in tennis later, things feel different. A few months ago, when Russian official Shamil Tarpischev made racist and sexist remarks about Venus and me, the WTA and USTA immediately condemned him. It reminded me how far the sport has come, and how far I’ve come too. 

I have thought about going back to Indian Wells many times over my career. I said a few times that I would never play there again. And believe me, I meant it. I admit it scared me. What if I walked onto the court and the entire crowd booed me? The nightmare would start all over. 

It has been difficult for me to forget spending hours crying in the Indian Wells locker room after winning in 2001, driving back to Los Angeles feeling as if I had lost the biggest game ever—not a mere tennis game but a bigger fight for equality. Emotionally it seemed easier to stay away. There are some who say I should never go back. There are others who say I should’ve returned years ago. I understand both perspectives very well and wrestled with them for a long time. I’m just following my heart on this one. 

I’m fortunate to be at a point in my career where I have nothing to prove. I’m still as driven as ever, but the ride is a little easier. I play for the love of the game. And it is with that love in mind, and a new understanding of the true meaning of forgiveness, that I will proudly return to Indian Wells in 2015. 

I was raised by my mom to love and forgive freely. “When you stand praying, forgive whatever you have against anyone, so that your Father who is in the heavens may also forgive you” (Mark 11:25). I have faith that fans at Indian Wells have grown with the game and know me better than they did in 2001. 

Indian Wells was a pivotal moment of my story, and I am a part of the tournament’s story as well. Together we have a chance to write a different ­ending.

Wow. I was going to go to Indian Wells this year  (like last year) anyway but this makes it 2-3x more likely I will go, and maybe for multiple days. It's only a 2 hour drive from Los Angeles, and near Palm Springs!

The only question now is, is Venus going also?

Venus Beats Wozniacki for 49th Career Title; Aga Beats Serena In Hopman Cup Final

Wow! Venus Williams, now 34, has started off her 2015 season with a bang, winning her 49th career title  at the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand by beating 2014 US Open finalist Caroline Wozniacki in three sets 2-6 6-3 6-3.  Williams is ranked in the Top 20 and looks fit and ready to make an impact at the first grand slam of the year in Melbourne, the Australian Open, which starts on Monday January 19. Last year Venus lost in the ASB Classic final to Ana Ivanovic in 3-sets.

Serena Williams was denied her chance to hold the Hopman Cup for the third time when she lost to  Aga Radwanska in 3-sets 6-4 6-7(3) 6-1 and together with John Isner lost their mixed-doubles match against Radwanska and Jerzy Janowicz.

2014 WTA YEC: Serena Routs Halep To Win 3rd Consecutive YEC; 5th Of Career

Serena Williams got quick revenge for her bad loss earlier in the week to Simona Halep by winning the 2014 WTA Year-Ending Championship final 6-3 6-0. Serena's win means that she has won the year-ending championship three consecutive years and five times in her career (2001 d. Lindsay Davenport (walkover), 2009 d. Venus Williams, 2012 d. Maria Sharapova, 2013 d. Li Na and 2014). She is now tied with Stefi Graf with the number of year-ending championships but is behind Martina Navratilova's eight. She also matches Monica Seles' feat of winning three consecutive year-ending championships. It is Serena's 64th career title.

Serena ends the year 52-8, a surprisingly large number of losses for the World #1, including an improbable 3 losses this year to Alize Cornet, but notably none to World #2 Maria Sharapova (whom she has not lost to in over a decade) or last year's rival Victoria Azarenka.

However, the most important aspect of her tennis year was that she won another major, her 18th at the US Open in September, tying her with Chris Evert and Navratilova. 2015 will be all about breaking that tie and trying to reach Graf's seemingly unsurmountable 22 majors before she retires.

Jason Collins Officially Becomes 1st Openly Gay NBA Player

The New York Times is reporting that Jason Collins, who last year came out as the first openly gay player to be competing in a major American professional sport, will become the first openly gay player in the NBA by joining the Brooklyn Nets for a 10-day contract. Collins had been playing for the Washington Wizards but when he came out the season for the team was over and he was technically not on any NBA team's roster. With his signing with the Nets, he will likely become the first openly gay player to compete in an official NBA game very soon, perhaps as soon as tonight at the Staples Center in Los Angeles (where Collins lives).

LOS ANGELES — Jason Collins, a 35-year-old N.B.A. center who announced last year that he was gay, has signed a 10-day contract Sunday to join the roster of the Nets. 

The signing is a significant step in transforming American professional sports into a welcoming environment for gay athletes. No N.B.A. game has ever taken place with an openly gay player on the floor. The N.F.L., Major League Baseball and the N.H.L. — which round out the continent’s four traditional major sports leagues — have also never had an publicly gay participant. 

The very act of Collins’s suiting up and stepping onto the court, then, would represent a milestone in the effort to change a sports culture that some feel has lagged far behind society at large in acceptance of gay people. Collins was expected be in uniform when the Nets played the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night at the Staples Center.

Congratulations to Jason (and the Nets) for breaking this lavender barrier!

Serena Williams Named AP Female Athlete of the Year (for 3rd time)

Serena Williams was named the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year for her amazing 2013 season where she won her 16th and 17th major titles (2013 French Open, 2013 U.S. Open), 9 other WTA tour titles and lost only four times (compared to 78 wins).

It was the 3rd time that Serena won the AP award, following excellent seasons in 2009 and 2002 (both of which were years she also ended the season ranked #1.

According to the WTA, Serena also set two important all-time records in 2013: becoming the oldest #1 ranked player and the single-season prize money total of $12,385,572.

The only question now is will Serena be able to repeat her success in 2014? I would not be surprised if she wins another 2 majors in 2014, and possibly more.

Tennis Tuesday (reprise): David Nalbandian Retires

In other tennis news, longtime player David Nalbandian announced his retirement from tennis today. The Australian Argentinian reached a career high ATP ranking of #3 in 2006 and appeared in the 2001 Wimbledon final and three major semifinals (2006 Australian Open, 2002 French Open and 2003 US Open), reflecting his all-court game.

Nalbandian cited a shoulder injury as the cause of his decision. "I can play matches, but my shoulder won't let me continue my career," he shared with the media in Buenos Aires. "I can't play like that at a [professional] level. 

"It's tough because I have to announce my retirement from the sport that gave me so much. I'm very grateful." 

Nalbandian beat Roger Federer in a fifth-set tie-break to hoist the Tennis Masters Cup trophy in 2005. 

In 2007, he captured back-to-back ATP World Tour Masters 1000 trophies in Madrid and Paris. Nalbandian defeated both Federer and Rafael Nadal at each event en route to the title.

Nalbandian also took Argentina to the Davis Cup finals three times, but they were never able to win the final tie.

Farewell, to David, we will miss you!

Hat/tip to reader Delmar!

2013 FRENCH OPEN: Serena Wins 2nd FO Title; 16th Major

As I predicted, Serena Williams won her second French Open title, exactly 11 years after her first, by defeating the defending 2012 champion Maria Sharapova 6-4 6-4 and claim her 16th major title.

How It Happened
The match was a surprisingly close affair, despite Serena winning the first three points on Sharapova's serve to go up triple breakpoint in the very first game. Sharapova escaped that game with some clutch serving, including some powerful second serves. Amazingly, the very next game Serena was broken to begin the championship match with 0-2 deficit. She missed a lot of first serves just long and Sharapova returned well and traded powerful groundstrokes with Serena until an error resulted. However, Serena was able to break Sharapova in her next service game and hold her own to nudge ahead 3-2. Serving at 4-3 Serena was broken again by some strong play from Sharapova but Serena buckled down and broke back and then calmly served out the first set to go up 6-4.

In the second set Serena started serving well so all the pressure was on Sharapova's service games. Serena had five break points in Sharapova's first service game but again the Russian was able to hold, this time with some strong baseline play and forehand errors from Serena. However, in the next service game Serena was able to break and hold serve to go up 3-1. Serena tried to get a double break in the 5th game but when Sharapova held Serena just calmly held serve the rest of the way, including an ace on championship point.

Serena ended with 10 aces and no doubles faults (compared to Sharapova's 2 aces and four double faults) and 29 winners to 20 unforced errors (Sharapova had 10 winners and 17 unforced errors). There was no question that Serena was the better player, but the fact that it was not a blowout is a testament to Sharapova's tenacity and mental toughness (and improved movement).

Implications
Serena's 16th major (5 Australian, 2 French, 5 Wimbledon, 4 US Open) puts her within striking distance of the 18 held by Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert. She has now won every grand slam singles and doubles title multiple times. She improves to 16-4 in major finals and 14-2 lifetime over Sharapova. It was her 52nd WTA career title.

At age 31, Serena is the oldest female player to win a major title since Martina Navartilova won the 1990 Wimbledon at age 33. If she really does play until the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, she may even match Steffi Graf's haul of 22 major titles and will almost certainly end her career with more titles than Roger Federer.

2013 FRENCH OPEN: Isner Saves 12MP in 5-set loss to Haas

John Isner smiles after he saves his 12th match point against Haas

American Jamie Hampton upset 2011 Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova

Jelena Jankovic upset 2011 US Open Champion Sam Stosur

John Isner wrote his name in the tennis history books again, this time for another display of mental fortitude: saving a record dozen match points against Tommy Haas, even though he eventually lost 7-5, 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-7(10), 10-8. Isner was attempting to make it two matches in a row where he was coming back from 2-sets down to win, having done so against fellow American Ryan Harrison 8-6 in the 5th. Isner was able to even the match and although he was unable to win it, he again demonstrated his incredible mental strength and desire not to lose.

There were multiple other upsets on the day that I was travelling from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. 2011 Wimbledon Champion and #7 seed Petra Kvitova was taken out 6-1 7-6(7) by American youngster Jamie Hampton and 2011 US Open champion and #9 seed Samantha Stosur lost to veteran Jelena Jankovic 3-6 6-3 6-4. Bethanie Mattek-Sands followedup her astonishing upset of 2011 French Open champion Li Na and #6 seed by reaching the 4th round.

2013 FRENCH OPEN: Mattek-Sands Upsets Li Na!

While I was travelling from Barbados back to Los Angeles for most of yesterday, Bethanie Mattek-Sands completed the biggest upset on the women's side of the draw at this year's 2013 Roland Garros by defeating the 2011 French Open Champion and #6 seed Li Na 5-7 6-3 6-2.

The men's side of the draw is basically following the oddsmakers (with the conspicuous upset of #5 seed Tomas Berdych due to Gael Monfils in the 1st round).

Queer Quote: Andy Roddick Joint Athlete Ally

Other sports stars have been responding to Jason Collins groundbreaking announcement yesterday as the first gay male athlete in American professional team sports. American tennis players Andy Roddick and Mardy Fish have joined the organization Athlete Ally, whose mission is to "encourage athletes, coaches, parents, fans and other members of the sports community to respect all individuals involved in sports"


Quoth Andy:

Yesterday was an incredible day for athletes everywhere. Jason Collin’s courage and leadership in coming out reminds me of how important it is for an athlete to be able to be true to him or herself. As an Athlete Ally, I want to support every athlete to feel comfortable and confident being themselves and to make sure that all people - players and fans alike – are welcome and included in tennis.

Other tennis stars like Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean King also tweeted their support yesterday.

hat/tip to Joe.My.God

Documentary Venus and Serena Set For 5.10.13 Release

The documentary Venus and Serena will be released to movie theaters on May 10, 2013. In Los Angeles it will play at the Laemmle Royal. It is current available for rent on iTunes for $9.99.

Here's the trailer for the film:


Sports Illustrated already has published their review but I'm gonna see it for myself in theaters the day it comes out, are you?

Celebrity Friday: Esther Vergeer Retires With 470-0 Winning Streak

Esther Vergeer, the most successful athlete in the history of disabled sports, has retired. Vergeer is a wheelchair tennis player and has an incredible list of records, the most impressive may be that she retires with a 470-0 winning streak, having last lost a tennis match on January 30, 2003, going an entire decade of competition unbeaten.

Tennis Now summarizes some of her achievement:

She has been named ITF Wheelchair World Champion for the last 13 years, winning 169 titles and ends her career on a winning streak of 470 matches, with her last defeat coming against Australian Daniela di Toro in Sydney on January 30, 2003.

In the last 10 years Vergeer has won a total of 120 successive tournaments, beating 73 different opponents, winning 95 matches 6-0, 6-0 and dropping just 18 sets of tennis. In that time she faced only one match point – against fellow countrywoman Korie Homan in the women’s gold medal match at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics.

In Grand Slam play, Vergeer won every singles event she entered, racking up 21 singles titles and 23 doubles titles at the majors. She won eight Paralympic medals during her career, seven of which were gold to cement her place in the history books as a true sporting legend.

Congratulations to Esther!

hat/tip to Tennis Now

2012 US OPEN Day 3: Robson Ends Clijsters Career

Kim Clijsters win streak ended at 22 matches when she joined the list of other great tennis champions like Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi who ended their careers at the US Open. Clijsters lost to British mixed doubles silver medalist Laura Robson in two tough sets 7-6(4) 7-6(5) despite leading 5-2 in the first set. Robson is a powerful lefty and she showed why she will be a force in the future as matched and then outmatched Clijsters' power from the baseline, despite not moving as well on the surface as the preternaturally flexible Belgium (well-known for doing splits on the court).

Clijsters leaves the game with a Hall of fame career; she won 4 major titles (2005 US Open, 2009 US Open, 2010 US Open, 2011 Australian Open) and 41 tour titles. She was ranked #1 for 20 weeks and was also ranked #1 in both singles and doubles simultaneously at one point.

You'll be missed, Kimmie!

Olympiad XXX: Tsonga Outlasts Raonic 6-3 3-6 25-23!

Calls for a tie-break or some other means of ending a deciding set apart from a service break at the All-England Lawn Tennis club should receive a fever pitch after today's 2nd round clash between Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France and Milos Raonic of Canada became the longest Olympic tennis match in history.

Tsonga outlasted Raonic 6-3 3-6 25-23 in a match took just under 4 hours, and ended on a dramatic match point in which the Frenchman ended on the ground. The first two sets took just under 1 hour, with the third set lasting for exactly 180 minutes (3 hours).

The issue of marathon early round matches at Wimbledon has become a prominent one following the ridiculous spectacle of John  Isner and Nicolas Mahut playing for nearly 11 hours over 3 days at Wimbledon in 2010, inthe longest tennis match of all time. Just this year on Day 6 of the tournament, Sam Querrey and Marin Cilic played the third longest match in Wimbledon history as well, with Cilic coming out victorious 17-15 in the deciding 5th set in 5 hours, 31 minutes. Each of the previous "winners" of these marathon matches (Isner, Cilic) have gone on to promptly lose their next  match.

It should also  be noted that each of these recent marathon matches has tended to feature large (well over 6'4") men with gigantic, powerful serves, which make service breaks unlikely to occur. If a tie-breaker of some kind was implemented after either 12 or 24 games were played in the deciding set, I think this would be reasonable. The status quo is simply indefensible. It is more likely that marathon matches will continue to occur as the players get larger and possess more powerful serves. Something must be done sooner rather than later.

Tsonga will face the winner of the match between Feliciano Lopez of Spain and Juan Monaco of Argentina in the 3rd round.

Celebrity Friday: Gilles Simon Is An A**!

*sigh* #11 Seed (World #13) Gilles Simon of France is making waves at Wimbledon this week by wading into the mostly settled dispute about equal prize money for men and women at the Grand Slam tournaments. The Frenchman, who was recently elected to a 2-year term on the ATP Players Council, told the press on Wednesday that he does not support equal prize money for women at the major tournaments:

Simon told reporters at Wimbledon in French that he thinks "men's tennis is ahead of women's tennis" and "men spend twice as long on court as women do at Grand Slams."

He also said men "provide a more attractive show" in their matches.

All four Grand Slam tournaments pay equal prize money to men and women, something Simon said he doesn't think "works in sports."

World #3 Roger Federer was asked about Simon's remarks and diplomatically replied:

"I hope it doesn't become a big issue during Wimbledon. It's obviously a debate that's out there ever since, I guess, the Slams have made equal prize money. There's nothing you can do, anyway, about it," Federer replied. 

"It's just a matter of who believes what, and then that is an endless debate. So whatever you believe," he continued.

One person who is not surprised that Simon would be unafraid to reveal himself as a sexist idiot is 19-year-old American Sloane Stephens, who when asked about Simon's remarks said:

"I don't care what he says about anything. He hit me with a ball the first time I was a ballkid. He hit me in the chest, because he lost a point and lost the set. He turned around and slammed the ball with his racket and hit me ... and I've never spoken to him since then."

Wimbledon was the last of the four major tournament to pay women and men equally back in 2007, a year after Roland Garros started doing it. The argument against equal pay, ostensibly, is that men play best-of-five sets while women play best-of-three sets at the grand slams. But, honestly, I question whether the grand slams could even schedule all the women's matches and men's matches in two weeks if they had a 128-person draw and 5-set matches for everyone. I think that the first week (maybe up to and including the fourth round) should be best-of-three for everyone and then everyone shift to best-of-five for the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals. Then there would be no question that men and women are getting paid equal money for an equal amount of time on court. Federer has won his first two best-of-five matches in little under 150 minutes while the 1st round best-of-three slugfest between Tamira Paszek and Caroline Wozniacki took 192 minutes and was probably the most exciting match of the tournament in the first 3 days of play.


I suspect the impetus for the call to not have equal pay for women is really a manifestation of the belief that men and women should not be equal, and is really a sexist impulse. Thus Simon's subjective remark that men provide a "more attractive show" than women. There's no way to empirically prove or disprove the truth value of this statement. I doubt there are many straight guys would agree that a 5-set match between Radek Stepanek and Florian Mayer would be "more attractive" than a 3-set match between Arantxa Rus and Ana Ivanovic.


What do you think? (Not whether Simon is an a**, that's a given, but how should tennis respond to the notion that men and women do not work equally at the slams). 


Happily, the day after Simon made his discriminatory remarks at Wimbledon, he was eliminated from the tournament by Xavier Malisse.