Non-Sequitur Jubilee

With Indian Wells in full swing, it's as good a time as any to clean away a few of the off-the-cuff thoughts that populate the crevices of my mind:

...Are Venus & Serena on anyone's radar at the moment, or has 2006 pretty much been written off for both of them?...

...Maria Sharapova pulled off her stint as a Sports Illustrated swimsuit quite well, far better than I would have thought. For all her previous photoshoots and position at or near the top of so many internet search lists, I never really thought she'd be as, um, well, you can think of your own appropriately descriptive adjective-noun combination, as she managed to be in, say, this shot:



...Hmmm, why do I find it so easy to dislike the Belgian "Miss Nice," yet so easy to defend the Belgian "Devil Lady?"...

...Justine's not bad. She's just drawn that way...

...If Martina Hingis wins 80% of her matches against players outside the Top 10 (and she's currently far ahead of that pace), and 25% vs. the Top 10, she's a virtual lock for the Top 10 herself at the end of the year...

...That Dokic comeback is going pretty well so far, huh?...

...Seriously, how cool was that indoor snow slope & tennis court combo in Dubai?:



...Is Daniela Hantuchova now past the point of no return as far as ever rediscovering her past potential? Settling in as a #11-#20 player for the rest of her career is still good, but the disappointment of it all will be hard to shake...

...Once again, congratulations Anna-Lena!...

...The Czech Maidens, after Lucie Safarova grabbed a title in Week 1, have slowed down a bit since. Meanwhile, the Italian Noodles (Noodlettes?) are surpassing all expectations...

...Might Nadia Petrova REALLY beat out Sharapova as the top Russian in 2006? A few stats: both are 1-2 in semifinals this season, with Petrova having won one title to Sharapova's zero. As of this weekend, Sharapova was 12-3 on the season, with a win over Lindsay Davenport, while Petrova was 15-5, with a win over Amelie Mauresmo...

...I'm coming to the conclusion that Jelena Dokic should just retire and get it over with. At the very least, an "official" sabbatical might be in order. Maybe in a year's time she'll truly WANT to come back, AND have the fortitude to withstand one stinking loss (her loss in Melbourne was the "worst" of her career...really?) and try to improve upon it rather than disappear from sight all over again. If not, so be it. If she has to be coaxed into reclaiming her tennis career, then there isn't a career to reclaim. She should just do the right thing and walk away...

...A Johnny Mac-Martina doubles combo at Wimbledon might not be a realistic dream. But how about Johnny Mac-Martina (as in Hingis, not Navratilova)? The two DID team in WTT action last year...

...Is anyone kept on a shorter leash now than Sania Mirza? Hard to believe her results aren't suffering as a result, too...

...Sesil? Oh, Sesil?...

...Jie Zheng and Shuai Peng, the two top-ranked Chinese players in 2005, are a combined 0-9 in WTA singles action in 2006...

...Lindsay Davenport recently got her 700th career match victory. Might she be the last woman to do it? Is there another elite talent out there who'll have the longevity/excellence to add her name to "The 700 Club?"...

...I actually picked Venus to have a fine season back in January. I should have known, I guess. But since we ARE talking about Venus here, don't think there's any curse involved...

...Replay is here (at least in North America)! How long before a player uses the replay challenge rule cunningly enough, ala Mary Pierce and the injury timeout rules, to be called onto the carpet for gamesmanship? Stay tuned...


Okay, I think my head is somewhat clearer. The regular Backspin column returns next week.

All for now.