awww, beth. this is such a great report. felt like i was there. plus, your added insights on l.a. was tops for us spread across the globe.

and also, you made me feel...well, something, for radek. now, will you be willing to give him even a pity date? ;)

oh and also, loved the fashion report. saw those shorts of blake first on berdych in stuttgart. those are some ugly colored and ill-fitting (too loose) shorts really. hope they don't last for the entire uso series.

nice write-up.

boo SC. Go Bears!

Thanks for the write-up, Beth, and interesting analysis of the final. From what Blake said in his post-match comments, he did have a strategy - he knew Stepanek would come to the net, so he wanted to get to the net first and force Stepanek to pass him. I guess there's also the question of execution... Stepanek is not the most talented ball-striker, but he has such a sharp mind, he's very hard to play.

Radek took an injury time-out, but then celebrated at the end by jumping around like he was injury-free. The crowd seemed clueless, but to me, that was a turn-off.

Beth,
you are quite a writer. I enjoyed every word of your post. Thanks a lot.
I watched the game on ESPN. I noticed Radek's frequent adjustment of his socks , didn't know it was a tactic. Silly me!
I think I was bummed so much by that J Block thingy that didn't notice that.

IS your visor dark blue? If so, I might have spotted you on TV!

Beth-
Great post!
Sounds like San Diego Freeway is a nightmare for you.
It was a great win for Radek, unfortunately tough luck for James.

Zola-
She was wearing a Trojan visor, no? It couldn't have been blue. Had to have been red and yellow.

Beth-
Yikes! Your comment about Pam's shoes was pretty harsh. lol!

Wow, the "fashion" (and I use that term loosely) I saw at this tournament makes me long for the Wimby whites again. Did you see Marat's bright orange number? From the front, he looked like a giant pumpkin! The Bryan brothers didn't look any better in their loud blue number. Adidas and Nike have really put out some horrible stuff this year.

Tennis and figure skating (my other favorite sport) are in desperate need of new designers, particularly for the men.

Can't wait to see what Roger will be wearing in Montreal! I think Nike has dressed him very well this year. I especially loved that light blue shirt/headband at the AO this year. And I always think everyone looks best in white shorts -- very crisp and cool in the heat.

Great report, Beth!
How was the crowd for the final? It looked like the crowds have been pretty sparse all week, which is too bad. I did not see a ton of promotion around here the past couple of months, and it did not seem like many locals were that aware that the tournament was happening. Back in the day when Andre and Pete played it I remember it being a very hot ticket. Then again, this is the city that completely ignored the WTA Championships held at the Staples Center for several years. So embarrasing to see those matches with genuine star players being played in front of mostly empty seats.

Do people think Blake gained confidence this week overall, or does the loss to Radek count as a setback in his preparation for NY?

It looked like there were a lot of empty seats for the final. I was surprised -- after all, Blake is a very popular American in the top ten. What was the buzz about this at the tournament?

Sorry - that was me above at 2:18 a.m. Time for bed!

Jenn,

Here's what Blake said in the report on the ATP website:

"I barely had a look at his first serve in the third set. He served really well. I'm feeling good about the tennis I'm playing."

I don't know if that answers your question ...

Blake has proven his ability to bounce back. This one is not going to hurt him.

Great report.

Just heard that he has broken his partnership with Bhubathi in doubles, during which he got dropped out of top 100 from being in the top 10. I hope does well to get his singles ranking back. I guess his doubles assignments has improved his net play.

Beth, great job, it made me feel as if I was right there and that's what good writing is all about, like reading a novel. The match, Blakes problems was he went for winners and tried to end the points too soon when he should have tried to keep the ball in play. Radex in ranked in the lOO and Blake is supposed to be a top ten player. Well, yesterday it seemed the reverse. Again, if American tennis is counting on Blake or Roddick to win a slam, they're going to be in for a long wait. Go Justine!

I forgot to add, there's nothing like live tennis. You see what great athletes the player are and the actual speed of the ball. It's totally different from watching it on tv. It makes you appreciate the players more. Go Justine!

Samantha,
Radek was number 8 after Wimby last year before his injury so I was not surprised by yesterday's result. Radek made a lot of clutch shots yesterday.
Also, do you think any of the WTA stars,other than Jankoic, will show up in San Diego next week? Stanford is lacking that big name even though the story line this week is can Bartoli continue to play well and can Anna C win back-to-back tourneys.

Patrick, I'm not sure. Sharapova has point to defend. I thought Venus was playing, but I just checked the site and I don't see her name listed. I hope she's playing.

Beth, fantastic first-hand account, thanks!

Thank you Beth, great reporting and insights into the differing SES of the geography surrounding UCLA v USC...and I believe some of us spotted you (tribespotting perhaps would be the word?) but you can only be so sure. LOL. We (AmyLu and myself) did hear you call that ball "out" in the first set of the Blake-Stepanek match, you really should contain yourself..LOL...great stuff, sorry for homework, rest up for Indy.

Why don't they spray champagne after the match in LA? Or Indy? Or any U.S. tournament for that matter?

btw...thanks for the link yesterday Andrea.

Hi, I know it's time after wimbeldon final & we already forgot the hawk-eye incident, but here's the official explanation:
http://tinyurl.com/2rs7h9
OR FOR THE SUSPICIOUS ONES:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/2rs7h9

Beth, thanks for this terrific report, you've done PV tennis proud!

Stepanek played an interesting match yesterday. I do believe the 'hamstring problem' was gamesmanship, if not entirely then in part. He seemed to be tiring more than Blake, and with his power rhythm game, such a hold up can disrupt Blake's play. That said, Stepanek's shot selection was sharp, although he could overpower Blake, he placed the ball where Blake didn't want it, and kept him off balance and out of rhythm.

Truly Beth, I loved this report, and especially the bits of L.A. sociology - as a New Yorker, LaLa exerts this total fascination on me.

I think you're right on the mark about Stepanek: he won because of his greater variety. James' game plan is the "hard, harder, hardest" one and he very rarely changed his rhythm or threw Radek off. And Radek was treeing and hitting some Federer-esque (really! don't you think?) shots, especially passes after drawing James forward. Congrats to him!

My first chance to catch up on TW posts in a couple of days. Great reports from LA Beth. I don't think the loss will impact Blake too much. Making the finals is a good kick off for his hard court season. I think Stepanek must have read his book, though, because Blake says many times in the book that he hates when players drop shot him and Stepanek landed a number of very successful droppers yesterday! On to Indianapolis!

Beth, re gamesmanship: Stepanek does have that reputation--though of course, there are other players who have been known to slow things down by adjusting their socks, toweling off , etc., and others who have been treated for injury and then not seemed to be seriously affected in their movement. During the third set, Pam Shriver made a lengthy report on her conversation with the trainer. She seemed to go out of her way to emphasize that he said Stepanek's hamstring injury was genuine, perhaps because Stepanek does have that reputation for gamesmanship.

Interesting analysis, Beth. Thanks very much! I skipped the final since I had friends in town and didn't hear what happened till this morning. I know very little about Stepanek, but I did think that James would win this one. Still, he'll probably build on this for his busy hardcourt summer.

Re your comment that Lee doesn't have another gear, truer words were never spoken. Talk about a guy who has built his career through solid playing and training and sheer persistence. As with all the debate in the Breaking Back thread, these are admirable people, no less than the big Slam winners.

good morning, folks! glad you enjoyed the report.
That was not me making line calls! I know my tennis etiquette. Something a lot of people in the crowd yesterday did not.What I thought was most funny was the crowd urging the players to challenge. As the match went on - someone would yell
" challenge " every time a ball was called out - as if ending the set with challenges left was some dire crime-kind of like dying with accrued paid vacation.
From the stands I could not tell anything about the treatment for an injury - what they were treating. All I know is that it did not affect his movement in the end - I figured it was probably cramping - because it was very hot out there.
The crowd for the final was late arriving - but by mid first set , it was pretty full. Those empty seats along the side were the seats for those high rollers who were seated under the umbrellas - they just never came out into the sun - but they were there.
Forgot to give you the celebrity sightings - Saturday - none , every celebrity in LA with a decent agent was at the Galaxy game - to see Becks. Sunday- only saw Kevin Garnett of the NBA - clearly in the Blake camp - much better body language than Blake - he was fist pumping with every winner , and really urging James on, He is huge - and In a neon yellow shirt and at least 2 carat diamond earring - he was really a standout.
Sam - could you e mail your articles on positive body language to James - I think a refresher course would do him some good.
My visor was red - but yesterday I wore a black hat - cause the top of my head got sunburned Saturday.
and Finally - Pete - thanks for giving me the chance to write - and for making me sound really good ! It was fun.

LOL Beth. I'll send those to James right away!
Great job with the LA report!

just caught up on a little reading back through the threads
Rosangel - Westwood is a suburb of LA -kind of like SW19 is of London-
Someone asked yesterday- and yes, Stepanek did do an exhibition Saturday night after the Bryans doubles match.When we arrived Saturday night , he was on court warming up - he clearly had no idea Kiefer was going to withdraw- Stepanek was ready to play . So I guess they found an opponent-they kept saying a "mystery guest" to the crowd - for him to play and hoped the crowd would stick around. I imagine some people did - but I was really tired - long day - so I left after the feature match .

"as if ending the set with challenges left was some dire crime-kind of like dying with accrued paid vacation."

LOL Beth, nicely done.:)

after looking over comments - I mayhave to take the time to check some of this match out on tape. Was the J block really bad yesterday? I honestly did not notice them at all.
and - nope - still no pity date for Radek - he is just not my type - but , I did appreciate the variety of his game , as opposed to James' hard and harder style.

>>My husband isn't a tennis player, but he loved the fast paced action and aggressive net play of doubles . It has far greater appeal to him than does singles, which is kind of interesting<<

That's funny -- my husband loves to watch singles but because of TTC's increased coverage, the world of doubles has really caught his interest and for the same reasons it caught your husband.

Thanks for the report, Beth!

Beth! Thanks for such a great piece and tremendous writing. I loved the insider's info on LA - the 405 sounds much like the 405 in the Seattle area, always a mess!

Beth, I looked for you in the stands, but to no avail.

The 405 is my favorite L.A. freeway. NOT! And your description of the area was just right ... everything there is a contradiction. However, on a smog-free day when you can see all the mountains surrounding the L.A. basin, and out to the ocean ... gorgeous!

Fashion question ... what kind of shorts could James wear that would do his "booty" justice? I'm not sure, but what if (and don't get crazy on me, RNKAS) he wore piratas? After all, Rafael has a similar situtation. Granted, there are significant differences between the two posteriors ... but would piratas help to minimize in Blake's case?

Just throwing out ideas ... no shoe throwing please!

Rosangel, is there already a RNKAS rule regarding the wearing of piratas?

Anyway, great reporting, Beth.

Oh, I meant to mention too that because of TTC, my husband has expressed that he likes the fast pace of doubles and enjoys watching. Interesting phenomenon here!

HP - pooh - I missed my moment of fame on television. Frankly - I did not think they would show me - I was sitting too high in the crowd. I did try to wave at the camera man who was taking photos of Kevin Garnett - I was pretty much directly behind him - about 8 rows up - but who can see an average sized woman behind such a huge man?
about the fashion - I don't think tight pants would help - the baggy basketball style is ok on James, it was just that bright color - it screamed "look at me"" when clearly , that is not james' best feature.

Beth,

I love your diverse match report part 2 from LA as it displays a wide range of tennis related issues. The opening of LA is like a piece of travel writing in my weekend paper, the USC/UCLA neighbourhood is educational. The fashion commentary is sharp and funny, only women can pull this of. Your match reports provide good details that the TV does not fully catch (stalling tactics or tactics). I benefited from the analysis of match strategy of both players and how Radek overcame Blake.

I saw Radek's variety at Queen's Club, but his match against Sanguinetti was cut short by Sanguinetti's injury.

Thanks, Beth, for one of the greatest posts I've read here. Now LA sounds more fascinating and peculiar than ever for me.

Donald Young, we are waiting.

Beth,

I wouldn’t say James’ butt was a bad feature. I know a few women on the circuit that could use some of what he’s got*cough*Sharapova*. I prefer Rafa’s though. I don’t care for James’ from a side angle lol.*shrug*

Beth, wow! You are a wordsmith! I love it that you gave us a sense of LA as a distinctive place. During the final, I tried to count the number of blondess wearing USC colors/visors, and gosh darn it, I think you had a point.... ;)

Stepanek's behavior was abhorrent in the final, I was embarassed to see him prancing around like that as if hed won a grand slam or something. Totally classless. His brand of gamesmaship should not be rewarded, encouraged, or spoken of as "guille".

But I will also say that the LA audience was terrific. It was a very enthusiastic crowd.

really guys - you are kind of embarassing me- believe me - if you had seen the rough drafts I sent to Pete - you would know that he worked his magic here - and made me look good . The general ideas were mine - but he made it go. That is why he is the pro and the editor!
while some of Stepanek's stalling tactics did annoy me - once I heard about his injury - and the fact that for quite some time - he had even lost feeling in his hand and was afraid he would never be able to play again - I thought his celebration was pretty genuine - over the top - but real emotion on display.

re: gamesmanship. last week i watched the XO match of federer/nadal in korea(?). nadal didn't exhibit any of his normal ticks ie: sock pulling, nicker picking(a little), hair primping, placement of water bottles and toweling off. he took no more time between points than federer did. federers time between points did not change. and another thing on a scale from 1 to 10(10 being highest) nadals grunting during points was a 3. he didn't grunt hardly at all.

so what are we to infer from this? are the ticks done so often they are real habits now? or are they things players do to throw their opponent off their rythm? i know this is only one case but for someone who is always on the brink of a time violation for all his idiosyncratic bs between points to go through 2 sets without using them is kinda suspect.

but hey that's just me.

Beth, great job on both reports. I like reading different points of view, especially on tennis-related topics. I agree with your analysis of the Blake/Stepanek match. With the way Stepanek played, I'm surprised this was only his second title. Thanks for the insight on the USC/UCLA comparison, as I'm from the east coast so I know little about either college. LOL about Pam Shriver and the boots. She is "a little out there"!

Great chops, Beth, even if Pete gave it a little juice. Fine writing.

Anyone could have guessed that after the injury time-out by Stepanek, James was going to drop serve, not only because it seemed that the timout was done simply for that purpose, but also because James has a really hard time keeping his concentration together. And it all has to do with that attitude of his. Although I'm usually all for players expressing emotion on court, I think James would do well do portray a more stoic indifference during his matches. For one, he is waaayy to quick to encourage other players with his "Too good!" announcements after a winning shot. For two, concentrating on not getting down on himself would really up his overall focus level. Both of those antics, while genuine, tend to give his opponents more energy and positive feelings than they ever could generate in himself. No reason to give your opponent anymore fire than they already have...

"Radek took an injury time-out, but then celebrated at the end by jumping around like he was injury-free. The crowd seemed clueless, but to me, that was a turn-off."

Having a hamstring injury does not in any way prohibit someone from jumping up and down. Also, one assumes that the trainer did a good job because Radek was able to go on after treatment.

Radek was superb. I love his game (it is a lot like Martina's). And everyone knows how easy it is to get into James Blake's head.

Beth- Thank you so much for the invite! And I didn't realize you were taking such diligent notes on the match. In your head nonetheless!
Crazy busy at work - which is why I had to leave right after lunch(albeit I was sweltering and looking forward to some air-conditioning). But, all in all quite an enjoyable day.
Thank you again! Look forward to more LA gatherings.
Vamos Rafa!

highpockets: there is no RNKAS rule preventing James from wearing piratas. On the contrary, RNKAS members are encouraged to wear piratas to meetings, although it is not mandatory.

That said, I think James should go back to wearing black shorts, or some other style more suited to his muscular build. The thing about piratas is that they don't minimise, rather they drape closely and emphasize, and in Rafa's case, that's just fine.
http://homepage.mac.com/rosangel/Rafa%20pics%202%20Jun%202007/large-17.html