Weekend Tennis Diary

 

A friend on Twitter wrote: "I'm glad Medvedev won. Adds a little spice in a season where I do not care about anybody at all."  It wasn't my sentiments exactly, but it did go a little way to explaining why I didn't even watch the match. 

It was the the biggest title of the Russian's career, battling past U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-4 after two hours and 43 minutes to win the Nitto ATP Finals.

Most remarkable was that he beat the top 3 players in the world, a feat last accomplished by Novak Djokovic in Montreal in 2007.

Meanwhile, Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic finished their team debut season with their first title on Sunday, as they beat Jurgen Melzer and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 6-2, 4-6, 10-5 to claim the Nitto ATP Finals trophy.

The duo saved the best for last ...

Party time

As adorable as the winners were, it was Andreas Mies who stayed on my mind ...

Around the Net ...

The Australian reports that John Millman believes Tennis Australia and the Victoria government will decide the fate of the Australian Open this week. He guaranteed Premier Daniel Andrews that the world’s best players will take seriously the responsibility of protecting the slashed rate of Covid-19 cases in Melbourne.

Millman and his catch are trapped in a two-week quarantine at Sydney hotel after a four-month overseas tour that included the U.S. Open in New York, the French Open in Paris and his first ATP Tour title at Kazakhstan. Check out his sexy hotel room workout HERE.

Robert Farah: He Tarzan, me game

Benjamin Lock picked up a trophy in the Kingdom of eSwatini

I'm not sure why Benoit Paire even bothers, but it's fun to watch

Serbian Danilo Petrovic is 6-8, for those keeping score at home

Borna Coric enjoys a little home life

Marton Fucsovics, spokesmodel

Speaking of which: I almost look forward to Karen's mediocre tennis career ending so we can see him modeling full time ...

Dominic may have lost in the ATP finals, but he definitely had the hottest hitting partner in London!

Filip Krajinovic seems to be running with the wrong crowd ...

Grigor Dimitrov: Vroom! Vroom!

Lloyd Glasspool looking lovely in the Challenger doubles event in Ortisei, Italy

Stan the Man ...

Enjoying the off-season

Albano Olivetti and Andre Begemann looking good clinching the Challenger doubles title in Ortisei

More like Daddy-Son ...

Ilya Ivashka wins the Challenger in Ortisei!

Janko Tipsarevic: Silver fox on vacay

I missed SEXPOT Nico Jarry before I even knew who he was  

No one is looking at your beard ...

with legs like this

Hard to believe Stan Smith is most famous for his shoes ...

Thursday Ad Watch

It's nice to see that a tennis player not named McEnroe is getting a product endorsement: Dominic Thiem is the new brand ambassador for Duravit .(he probably needs a custom toilet to accommodate THAT ASS) .. 

And Borna Coric, looking fit in his latest ad for Asics, with whom he signed at the beginning of the year. 

Weekend Tennis Diary

There's more tennis going on these days than when there isn't a pandemic, but here's what I came across the past week. Dominic Thiem defeated Matteo Berrettini 6-7 (4) 6-4, 10-8 in the men's final of a Bets 1 grass-court exhibition tournament on Wednesday. (Watching the Hammer pop a cork was almost more than I could handle.)

Elina Svitolina won the women's final -- which had to be moved indoors due to weather -- 3-6, 6-1, 10-5 in just under an hour and a half against Petra Kvitova.

Later in the week Thiem beat 18-year-old rising star Jannik Sinner, 6-4, 6-2, in the Bett1 Aces final played in an airplane hangar in Berlin. In the women's final, Latvian Anastasija Sevastova claimed victory over Kvitova, 3-6, 6-3, 10-5.

Local hero Tommy Haas was on hand, looking awfully fit against Sinner on grass. (I missed his match against Thiem indoors.)

Apparently he got injured at some point, which led to Mischa Zrerev  -- studlier than ever -- substituting for him. Alex's older brother even won the third-place playoff against Roberto Bautista Agut.

The women's events were brightened by the omnipresence of Andrew Bettles, Svitolina's long-suffering coach.

If these exhibitions are any indication, Thiem is either going into the real season in very fine form ... or having played too much.

Over at the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia, I've been enjoying some World Team Tennis here and there. Got to see Ryan Harrison rally to defeat Tommy Paul one night ...

And Kim Clijsters -- mom bod and all -- on fire against Danielle Collins. The four-time major champ has has gone five for five in singles, also scoring wins over Sloane Stephens and Sofia Kenin along the way.

Liam Broady looking fit at the U.K. Pro Series

Dreamy Quentin Halys won a little event in Cannes, beating Hugo Grenier, 7-6(9) 7-6(5).

The match between sexy Carlos Taberner and even sexier Pedro Martinez ended up deciding the outcome of the UTR Pro Liga Mapfre. Taberner led Team Blanco to the title, with a intense duel between Valencians that was resolved in a tiebreaker (6-4, 1-6 and 13-11).

Team Blanco

Pedro's got my vote

Around the Net:

Good to read that Grigor Dimitrov has purged the coronavirus from his body and is back to doing what he does best: being a spokes model

Tommy and Max Wimmer put the man in manspreading

Matteo and friends found some time to go to the beach.

God bless J.J. Wolf, who doesn't have a friend under 200 pounds.

I'm still obsessed with Venezuelan Lorenzo Claverie, although I might have just found out he's 17

Cameron puts on a show

Loving the addition of Jan-Michael Gambill to the Tennis Channel

Marton pumps iron

Stefanos Tsitsipas and Patrick Mouratoglou with a graduate from the latter's academy

Dennis Novak has a hot trainer

Andy Seppi puts the "daddy" in daddy duty

James McGee's bootcamp is serious business

Anyone recognize Borna’s ❤️?

Danish teen Holger Vitus Nødskov Rune is still basking in his Ultimate Tennis Showdown experience

Johnny Millman gives the fans what they want

Tsetse fly channels his inner Onassis 

Tommy Fabbiano and friends

Where were these precautions when the Lock granny was turning 100?

Laslo Djere assumes the position.

Robert Farah is still ridiculously hot

I think Karen's Bozo hair is hurting his game (he looked off in Berlin)

Tommy Robredo still wants us to think he's straight. (Is he?)

This is what I remember most about the Eastern European Open.

OK, this guy with Damir Dzumhur is his hot brother. 

But how do you explain the rest of them?