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| they call it the happy slam and yet, i was reminded again of why i love to love lindsay davenport so much in my delirium over watching last night's brutal brutal brutal massacre.
lindsay davenport retired to the point of no return last season.... she said she would never play at the pro level ever again. before she did, she was year end number 1 four times... won 3 grand slams...earned the MOST prize money in the history of the WTA... and above all, she proved again and again that she was the perennial underdog... she, like Michelle Kwon, like the Red Sox (before 2004), could and would millions of hearts by reaching the finals of a slam, and desperately wanting the prize too much, end up second place.
she was 30 years old when she retired, in comparison to the after-first-slam slump sharapova was experiencing at 19, the devastatingly triumphant rise of the 24 year old Justine Henin, the semi-retired lazy mid-twentied williams sisters, and the debuts of teen stars Ivanovic and Vaidosova.
and now.... she's a mom of a 7 month baby.... winner of 3 tier III titles... and a 2nd round contender of the 2008 Australian Open.
watching Maria sharapova deprive Lindsay of the potential glory of a stunning run at her first slam back, was an hour and a half worth of tortured ambivalance: see, I love Masha. I love the fact that she's taken a whole season to deconstruct and reconstruct her serve.... i love that she's not just a one-slam wonder... i love to hate her grunts and screams all over the court... her hair tucking behind the ears and bouncing the ball twice before her ball toss-tradition of a serve is absolutely tedious and fabulous... and no one can deny that she's hot and while her acting in the canon commercials is absolutely shit. Sharapova has proved that she has a type of absolute will and focus and no one, not even her banana eating hyperactive coach of a father, could detract from. In fact, her movement on court has improved; her ability to hit winners from all kinds of tangled limbed positions is phenomenal, and her serve, Good lord, has come back into form. it may be too early to say that the Sharapova from last year's final against Serena Williams is back in the closet somewhere with last year's fashion, but hey, watching her form last night, somewhat proved to me that she may be able to get through even the tough, little, sinewed machine that is Justine Henin.
THAT BEING SAID... no one can blame Lindsay for her "lack of fight" against Sharapova. Yes, her serve lacked that previous zip.... her lack of speed and agility seemed overly exaggerated considering Sharapova's unusual comfort at the net... and her usual power precision was never in sync... HOWEVER, she just had a baby 7 months ago... this is hte first time she's playing a player at Masha's caliber since her comeback... and really, can you blame her for LOSING to an on form, in focus, Sharapova? I mean, I doubt if even Serena could have gotten past Masha today! Lindsay still has hte tools that can get her back into the top ten. There were glimpses of that in the second set... some amazing angles... shots SO FLAT... barely hitting the base-line backhands hit from near impossible corners of the court. she needs to boost her ranking up so taht she doesn't meet top 5 players in the the second round... and admittedly, she HAS to boost up her serve if she wants to continue her base-line hugging style of play. and seeing as if she's skipping hte clay court season... she's planning on doing that that exactly.
my passion for lindsay davenport... is just... sigh* even her 2nd round exit makes me happy. she's inspiring. she's heart-breaking. and. she's back. :)
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i'm rooting for Masha, Justine, Ana, and Jelena. If I had to choose between the williams sisters, I'm definitely rooting for Serena. and Seeing as if they're on different sides of the draw.... there could potentially be another Williams vs. Williams final. which is, I admit, a MOUTH-WATERING though. Serena, by the way, is totally growing on me. I don't know... maybe it's cuz she's just SO RIDICULOUS good when she's on.
streak-wise, it'd be awesome to see Justine take another slam, but her form isn't as SPOT on as Serena's is right now... my top two picks are those two... and of course if Masha decides to stay consistant and focused as she is now... then she's more than welcome to win it!
(can someone get chris fowler and pam shriver fired?! so effin annoying.)
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| Yesterday, we ice skated for about an hour and a half and then kareoked for about five and a half and then gostopped for about an hour and a half.
today, church, then errands, then the driving range, then frisco.
non-stop. i'm hellllla tired. but very happy. :) The lord has blessed me with an unexpected surge of community and fellowship!
HAPPY NEW YEAR'S EVE! PLEASE BE SAFE EVERYONE!!!
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| snowboarding season has officially started.
to sum up this trip in 5 statements:
*effin cold.
*luna's sexy.
*night boarding is too cool.
*driving a car in the snow can be VERY dangerous.
*not enough sleep.
all in all, a COMPLETELY FUN trip!
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