Tennis Players Will Not Fight the UV Rays

It wasn't that long ago that wearing sunscreen was considered to be the type of thing only children and those who were outdoor-phobic would ever do. This was the age of the bronzed body being a symbol of beauty or manhood, showcasing that you were the type who either cared about your appearance or alternatively, worked in the great outdoors. Then, we all learned about UV rays and melanoma and the idea of spending extended times in direct sunlight without any form of protection seemed foolish at best. Sunscreen became ubiquitous, carried by even the most masculine of outdoorsmen and the idea of spending an entire day unprotected was as unhealthy as smoking. We collectively became more informed and in one of the few areas this is true in the modern world, enlightened as well.

That is, except in the realm of tennis. Tennis players still shun sunscreen with surprising frequency according to a story today in the Wall Street Journal. While they still spend large amounts of time in the hottest sunlight, they are hesitant to dab on any form of protection, causing unknown amounts of damage to their skin. The issue according to the article is this:

Tennis players tend to sweat profusely, especially during day sessions at the U.S. Open, where high temperatures and humidity are typical. When the heat mixes with sunscreen, the sweat can form a gooey substance that gets into players' eyes and onto their hands, affecting both their vision and their grip.


With success in tennis literally resting on decisions made in fractions of seconds, anything that could possibly cause an issue in grip, vision or comfort must be shunned.  Thus most players decide to combat the sun with no protection, with one even saying she may be "immune" from the sun. Tomas Berdych summed up the thoughts of many saying,

Berdych scoffed at the potential risks, offering his own version of the "you only live once" theory. If he cared about the possibility of long-term skin damage, he said, "I mean, then I would be concerned about everything. I see two steps and, you know, I could fall down and hit this wall and it would be too much."

The logic in Berdych's thoughts is far from impeccable. The "I could fall down and hit this wall" argument (which would suggest a level of clumsiness that I doubt Berdych currently has) could be applied to anything and would lead one to take no precautions in any form of life. But culture matters, and in the culture of tennis, sunscreen is a non-starter, which is proof that as brilliant as they can look on the court, the decisions can be horrendous off of it.

Fabio Fognini Takes Life Out on His Racket

The hotheads both went down tonight as Ernests Gulbis and Fabio Fognini both were upset in the 2nd Round of the US Open. While neither handled it perfectly, Fognini was clearly the most distraught, giving his racket not one but two quick thwacks on the ground. Rackets (unlike headbands) don't grow on trees Fabio

Serena's Potential Victims All Take Themselves Out First

Bloodshed hit the top of the Women's Draw today as three heavy favorites, each of whom had Serena Williams on the near horizon, saved themselves the trouble by dropping winnable matches they each should have won. Ana Ivanovic was first, falling to Karolina Pliskova 7-5, 6-4. It was a disappointing end to the summer for Ivanovic, who looked excellent all summer in winning two tournaments and reaching the finals at Cincinnati. Yet as has been her modus operandi over the past couple of years, Ivanovic's regular season play has not translated to the Grand Slams, a fact that she herself said after the match will make her "reevaluate" how she prepares next year (don't skip Cincinnati though Ana...the chili is an acquired taste but I love it and even though it is very hot, the people are nice....plus now AJ McCarron and Katherine Webb live there!)

Ivanovic however at least fell to a player in Pliskova who is playing well. For another top seed, the loss was much more puzzling. Madison Keys fell in three sets to 145th ranked Qualifier Alexsandra Krunic in a match that at times was difficult to watch. Nerves seemed to be overtaking Keys, who made uncharacteristic errors throughout the match. One of her late serves only hit the radar at 62 mph, an emblematic example in a match in which she never seemed in her comfort zone. Krunic said afterwards that her plan had been to simply be "a wall" for Keys to go up against and the plan worked to perfection as Keys made numerous errors, due largely to a lack of patience. With a potential huge opportunity awaiting in the next round versus Petra Kvitova, the loss has to especially sting Keys, who will unfortunately see little in the way of momentum from her tremendous grass court season.

I attended the Samantha Stosur loss to Kaia Kanepi, a hard-hitting affair that found itself in the strange setting of Court 5.  I attended basically out of respect for Stosur, a former champion who won the Open only three years ago and thus (in my personal view) should not have to play on the middle court of a three court set where screams from the adjoining matches constantly interrupt play (this is a pet peeve of mine about tennis so I am going to digress for just a moment if you will forgive me....why is it so important to be quiet at a tennis match?  On Arthur Ashe Stadium if one even breathes during a point, the Chair Umpire will admonish "Quiet Please" in the same voice as my third grade teacher.  However on the outer courts there are screams mid-point and nothing is done, nor does anyone care.  What is the difference?  The answer is that there is no difference and the desire to be quiet during regular points is unnecessary.  That is all). While I went out of respect for Stosur, the match was likely the best I have seen so far, with both players hitting big time winners and the level of play extremely high (with the exception of the point in which Stosur got the ball stuck on the triangle of her racked below the strings...I have never seen this outside of when I play and it was a highlight of the match). While the loss is surely disappointing for Stosur, the draw sets up well for Kanepi who is one of the few female players with the power, if not the overall game, to match Serena Williams.

Serena Williams is now looking at a draw in which only Lepchenko, Kanepi, Suarez-Navarro, Pennetta, Gibbs, Dellacqua and Pliskova stand between her and the Semifinals. The highest seed she could have to face is #11 and her quick work in the early round suggests she will reach a potential Kvitova fully energized. It was a good day for Serena (she only dropped one game in taking out Vania King), made even better by the wilting of some of her biggest foes.

CoCo Vandeweghe will not shake your hand

CoCo Vandeweghe is not in a good mood after suffering a 6-3, 6-3 loss to Carla Suarez Navarro, the tournament's No. 15 seed, on Court 11. The 22-year-old Vandeweghe, playing in her hometown of New York City, couldn't control her temper as she watched the match fade away to Suarez Navarro.

Down 2-5 in the second set, she took her anger out on chair umpire Fiona Edwards for giving her a racket abuse warning. Vandeweghe had just smacked her racket against the net but did not believe it warranted a warning. The American then chucked her racket out onto the court during a changeover, and according to the New York Times' Ben Rothenberg, called Edwards, "bush league" and "freshman level."

After the match, Vandeweghe refused to shake Edwards' hand as she stormed off to the locker room, still visibly upset.

The loss makes eight Grand Slam appearances for Vandeweghe without escaping the second round, and one meltdown she'll wish she could take back.

As for Suarez Navarro, she'll see Kaia Kanepi in the third round of the Open. Kanepi won the best match I've seen here thus far, a three-set, back-and-forth battle with 24th-seeded Samantha Stosur. It came down to a tiebreaker and neither player was going away easily. Kanepi really had to earn the victory.

Cheer up, CoCo.

Sam Querrey With an Easy Win...How Refreshing

Being a Sam Querrey fan must be a hard undertaking. Nearly every match is a stressful affair, often going back and forth and inevitably including a moment when (win or lose) Querrey seems to surely blow it with the most frustrating of errors.  If Sam were a wrestler, he would almost certainly be called "The Ulcer" because being his fan is sure to produce one. But that is why today was so refreshing. Thursday afternoon in Queens, Querrey gave us the rare treat of a relatively easy victory, taking out Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in under a relatively short tennis jaunt.    Querrey dominated the Spaniard with his serve, won all of the key points and made virtually none of his trademark heartbreaking errors, instead dominating and showing a form that harkens back to his Top 20 days.

After the match Querrey said he is feeling as good as he has in two years and he thinks he is at the level of Top 20 form. That's good, because his task gets much harder in the next round, where Novak Djokovic and a national television audience on the stage of Arthur Ashe Stadium awaits. But regardless of how that match turns out, we should take a minute to salute Sam for being a shining light on this otherwise depressing fortnight for American tennis. I had not realized how depressing the situation had become until I saw this ESPN graphic this morning:

From 33 in the Second Round to only three. That is pathetic. So while we could use this occasion to talk about Querrey's tense matches of the past or wonder whether he has any chance of holding up the Red, White and Blue versus the Djoker, we should instead take a second and give a salute. With only three left, we need to give thanks for the small bounties in our midst.

The Rash of Early Retirements

The concept of quitting is something that most athletes cannot begin to ever fathom actually doing. It goes against the very ethos of sports to quit in the middle of an event, give up and walk off the playing field, when there is still some fathomable chance to compete. In most team sports, coaches stress to "play until the final whistle" and it is seen as noble when teams that are being beaten still fight to the end. Effort is praised, even where it is without hope, because sports are about competition until the very end. Even in individual sports like golf, when a player walks off the course before the completion of a round , it is seen as the sign of a major injury. Foregoing the chance to finish a round is so looked down upon by the participants, that it is (usually) only done only if the player is truly unable to go on.  Quitting is a nonstarter in virtually all sports, only to be done in the most severe of cases and always with a hint of embarrassment on the player's face.

Well except tennis. In tennis, for reasons that I cannot understand, quitting does not have the same negative connotation. Leaving matches prior to their completion or "tanking" points to save energy is not only not looked at it with scorn, it seems to be an accepted part of the culture. This US Open has been peppered with "retirements," especially on the men's side, where each day has seen 3-4 matches end with one of the players walking off the court. This is especially odd because considering the history of this Tournament over time, these have not even been particularly hot or harsh conditions. At times these retirements have been totally understandable, such as yesterday's painful session of cramps by American Steve Johnson, that caused him to leave a match he was likely on his way to winning. But then others have been...well questionable. One of those odd retirements occurred on Tuesday when Jack Sock walked off the court in his first round match versus Pablo Andujar. Sock was behind two sets to one, but still in the match and he declined to start the fourth set, citing cramping issues. Little was thought about the decision then, until Sock said today:

On Tennis Channel, Jack Sock says he retired from singles because he started to feel some cramping and didn't want it to get worse. #usopen
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) August 28, 2014

Now it is always difficult to judge the amount of pain a person is going through at any given moment. Because pain by its very nature is only experienced by an individual, judging whether someone is "faking" it or making more out of an issue than they should is almost always unfair. But here we have Sock himself acknowledging that he started to feel "some" cramping and that he didn't want it to get worse.  Well why not?  This is the US Open.  Was Sock saving his legs for some other Grand Slam event of which I am not aware?  Clearly one doesn't want Sock to have to endure pain, but wouldn't it stand to reason that he should play until he simply cannot go any more?  I don't want things "to get worse" either in any aspect of life, but that doesn't mean you don't give every last ounce of effort until it does. While I won't cast a final aspersion on Sock's grit, on the heels of having lost the third set 6-1 and not playing his best tennis (while also I might add, not necessarily looking injured), it is at the very least questionable.

Sock is of course not the only player with a retirement that causes us to raise our eyebrows. Michael Llodra just gave up against Philip Kohlschreiber after the first set, which accounts for the 29th retirement of his career...the 7th in a Grand Slam. That record is suspect at best and suggests a person more likely to simply "take his ball and go home" when confronted with adversity rather than truly play until the final point. Maybe I am just being too harsh but seeing this image of Steve Johnson truly suffering yesterday,

and I can't help but ask, how come it seems so easy for so many others to simply throw in the towel?

Outer Courts DAY THREE WRAP: It's Hot in Here

Today was a special kind of awful at the US Open. If you were one of the (many by looking at the crowds) people who skipped Day Three of the draw, consider yourself lucky. Thanks in large part to the Open's insistence on a three-day kickoff for the Men's First Round, we were treated to a day where the biggest male name on the Order of Play was Stan Wawrinka, and he went on after 10 pm. In short, there was very little to see and even less to get excited about. But don't fret, what there was to see, we saw.  The highlights:

The Sadness of Cramping

It was hard not to feel sorry for those male players asked to start today, as they not only were given a draw that gives them less rest time than their fellow competitors, they also were handed the hottest day of the Tournament to hit the court. It showed early, as three of the players forced to play in the most intense heat had to withdraw with heat-related problems. Marcos Baghdatis was headed for a large defeat (and was dealing with a leg injury), but the withdrawals of Ivan Dodig and Steve Johnson were especially unfortunate. Dodig was in an intense fifth set with Feliciano Lopez, tied at one game apiece and playing well. Yet the heat took its toll and he was forced to retire, making his strong effort up to that point for naught. Even worse, American Steve Johnson was up two sets to one in a match that he was controlling, when his body began to lock up and cramp so badly that he struggled to stand. Similar to Lebron James in the NBA Finals (but with much less public scorn on Twitter), Johnson was unable to move for stretches of time, losing points and games in delay penalties (which were resoundingly booed by an American crowd not having the attitude being shown by the chair umpire). Johnson's desire to of last to a changeover and a longer medical break was not helpful and he left the worst way imaginable...with the lead, in a match he could have won. Johnson had a perfect draw and like Americans Donald Young and Jack Sock, an opportunity existed to make some noise. But the result was still the same, another disappointing loss for the Red, White and Blue in the summer heat.

Sloane Stephens Wilts and Then Takes the Heat

On paper the Sloane Stephens loss to Johanna Larson on Arthur Ashe Stadium was bad enough. Up a set and 3-0, Stephens seemed to be cruising and an exciting third round match with Jelena Jankovic looked on the horizon. But then the heat and pressure began to hit Sloane, and she quickly fell apart. She sprayed shots all over the court, her serve slowed to a crawl and Larson took control of the match, winning 12 of the final 14 games. It was a disappointing loss for Stephens, who not only played poorly but complained afterwards about no longer having "fun" on the court. However as bad as the loss was, the treatment she took from tennis pundits and fans afterwards may have been even worse. Howard Bryant of ESPN.com was the harshest, but not alone in his views:

Stephens' current gear is enough to have a nice life, but nowhere near enough to be a great player. She has a commitment decision to make
— Howard Bryant (@hbryant42) August 27, 2014

After that performance and press conference I've concluded: this country has too much money. Hard to be hungry if you're well fed.
— Howard Bryant (@hbryant42) August 27, 2014

America is so affluent our only hope is the driven (Serena, Agassi, Jordan, Jeter, etc) will carry us because we can live well at half-speed
— Howard Bryant (@hbryant42) August 27, 2014

Strong statements from a national writer, especially for a young woman that has up to this point, had a solid record in Grand Slams (and there is much to unpack there in his very broad statements...possibly for another day). But the sentiment behind his comments may not be totally off. Sloane spoke not of wanting to get to an elite level but instead,"I'm not too worried about ranking or winning a tournament or anything like that, just focusing on myself and mostly just enjoying myself out there."

While those words might be understandable for a young woman Sloane's age, it would be hard to comprehend them coming out of the mouths of McEnroe, Agassi, Graf or Serena. Sloane is supposed to be the next great female American hope...but whether she has the drive to make it happen?  After today that may be an open question.

Sharapova is Loud and Rocky, but Survives

I know for the average tennis fan, grunting has become an accepted part of the women's game (but make no mistake, it is ridiculous, as we will address at some point down the line), but there is no one that grunts quite like Maria Sharapova grunts. It had been since last year at Indian Wells that I had experienced a Sharapova grunt show live, and in person the sound is almost overwhelming. It is easy to lose track of the shots, the points and generally the whole purpose of your life, while falling into the rhythmic sounds of a woman that seems to be giving birth to a baby walrus every two to three seconds. For the vast majority of the second set, Sharapova and her opponent Alexandra Dulgheru played even, if not exciting, tennis that slowly hypnotized me into a daydreaming slumber, in large part due to Sharapova's sounds. How a woman that beautiful can make such noises is beyond me, but I digress.

As for the actual match, Maria was on the ropes for most of the first half, as Dulgheru, competing in her first major since the 2013 Australian Open, made no mistakes in playing her "brick wall" game. Sharapova could find no rhythm outside of her vocal sounds and after dropping the first set, had to fight off two key break points early in the second to stay in the match. But Sharapova steadied her game, got the key break in the second and then rolled, winning the final set in a walk. It was a long match (nearly 2 1/2 hours) for Sharapova, who is looking at a tough draw upcoming with Sabine Lisicki and Caroline Wozniacki upcoming. However she survived, and will live to grunt another day.

Match of the Day: Andrea Pekovic over Monica Puig

As is often the case in the early rounds, the Outer Courts have provided most of the drama here at the US Open and today was no exception. The Pekovic/Puig match on Court 11 was so strong that ESPN switched its coverage there for the final set, showcasing the slugfest to a national audience. While the match was solid throughout, it finished with one of the more exciting tiebreakers in first round history. Pekovic got up early 3-0 and Puig followed by running off five straight points to take a 5-3 lead. But Pekovic stabilized, took the last four points and won the streaky tiebreak 7-5. Monica Puig was distraught afterwards and said it would be awhile before she could get over this one, a showing that may be the best match on the women's side so far.

Surprise of the Day: Alexander Kudryavstev

It is unlikely going into the day that you probably thought much about Alexander Kudryavstev. In fact, I can say with no reservation that in my entire life up until late this afternoon, I had never thought once about the Russian ranked #145 in the world. And why would I have?  He has been a professional since 2003, but has only played in one Grand Slam in his career, has never been ranked in the Top 100 and has only found his way into an ATP event main draw this year once.  However today he got his name on the lips of many (ok few...it was on Court 4), who saw him take out his fellow Russian Evgeny Donskoy in five sets. Now he faces another fellow Russian in the second round, Teymuraz Gabashvili, a player he has beaten before in a match that would be a great test for the Scripps Howard Spelling Bee kids. I didn't know Alexander before and I probably won't know him after, but today Alexander has taken the mantle of the best Kudryavstev I have ever known.

Disappointment of the Day: Agnieszka Radwanska

The only upset of a top ten seed in the tournament so far came today as Radwanska went down rather easily at the hands of Shuai Peng in straight sets. Peng was nearly seeded in this Tournament and the draw was tough early for Radwanska, but still this result is a disappointment. It is now the fourth year in a row that Radwanska has not played to her seed in the US Open and one has to wonder if she will ever find her groove in New York.

That is a wrap on the slowest day of the US Open fortnight. We now have half of the women through to the third round and one male into the second round (raise your hand if you had Slovenian Blaz Kavcic for that honor). Tomorrow is a little better with Djokovic, Serena and Murray on Ashe Stadium. But in general the tournament really won't get kicked up a notch until Friday. So sit back, relax and take tomorrow as one more day of rest. We will kick into gear soon after.

Caroline Wozniacki Gets a Little Hair Trouble

The Life Of A Writer Without A Desk, A Photographer Without A Camera

The Outer Courts was denied access to the media room, again, so we're the rare breed of written/print media without a place to write and/or print. Like last year, we are confined to the cafeteria when working, hoping to catch a couple waves of Wi-Fi from the Media Center across the hall.

Is it convenient? Of course not. It's not easy to write in the noisy cafeteria with chunks of lettuce and straw wrappers everywhere. Not to mention, we have to sit back and watch during the 'Media Happy Hour' everyday when they all storm the cafeteria, our office, to drink and be merry at 6:00. We can't partake in the free adult beverages because we're not cool enough, I suppose. But we wouldn't have it any other way, because the cafeteria has become our home, the official Outer Courts US Open office. We get first dibs on the fountain drinks and we will sabotage the ketchup dispenser if anyone looks down on our lowly 'T' badges. ('M' badges have all the fun.)

So, yeah, electricity, internet, seating, stats, and vodka crans aren't always available, but the 'T' badge comes with one perk the press will never receive: We get to sit courtside with the photographers in the pit during matches, right up on the action. BOOM. Take that, written/print media losers. Put that in your free cocktail and write about it.

Today, I took advantage of our premium seating on Arthur Ashe during the Lleyton Hewitt/Thomas Berdych and Maria Sharapova/Alexandrea Dulgheru matches, and it was awesome. I caught a ball, worked on my tan, and almost got Sharapova to look at me.

Of course, I got some pretty aggravated looks from the actual photographers -- you know, the ones that carry cameras and stuff -- but I chummed it up with some of them and always offered up my seat if I felt I was in the way.

At one point the pit was packed with photogs and I was right in the middle of them in the front row with my arm fully extended, iPhone 5 in hand, taking out-of-focus shots to send to my friends on SnapChat. I wish I had a photo of me amongst all of the professionals and their ginormous lenses to see just how out of place I really looked. I felt ridiculous.

After baking in the sun for a few hours and pretending to be a line judge, I moved to the area behind the players where the ground is at eye level. I must say, it felt a little creepy when the women were playing but I did not complain when Bae, I mean Sharapova, was on my end.

As you can see, it is a very unique view of the action that not many people are able to experience. It's also dangerous if you're not on your toes when a low screamer comes bouncing your way. Heads up at all times or you may lose an eye. (If I were to lose an eye, I would have to rely on Wanda, the head of the salad bar, to treat the injury. Only 'M' badges can receive treatment from the medics on site. 'T' people, we have to fend for ourselves.)

You know, at the end of the day, life's not so bad as a writer without a desk, a photographer without a camera. I think we wear the badge well.

But, man, those drinks look really good right about now.

M's waiting to get their free drink on.

The guy next to me got two, just to rub it in.