The famous "Balls"

Crédit : OpenGDFSuez.com

You all know how the Balls are often the key factors for some and get mentionned every now and then with the main goal to be : "grow some balls". Well, some of the last tennis action is falling under the Grow Some Balls factor. We also agree that it has become a non gender kinda thing. Girls got Balls too. In some ways. LOL

SO :
Marion Bartoli may be the real deal when it comes to be ballsy, right there with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Are you talking about coming back from nowhere to win a match ? Nope, you're talking about making a Bartoli. What are nerves ? What is choking ? Sorry, she just got no idea. She lost, yes, in the Open GDF Suez final in Paris but believe me it wasn't a Balls issue. If by Balls you mean fighting spirit and never die attitude, yes The Marion Bartoli got huge ones. It doesn't prevent from the tears though and all people around on sunday were moved by Bartoli ones. Cause, yes, the tough ones can cry too. Next time, Marion. Next time, you'll get the trophy.

Angelique Kerber, who wins on Sunday in Paris, has serious Balls too. Getting Sharapova out of her way when basically all crowd want The Pova to win requires Balls. Fighting choking, nerves attack and a Parisian crowd devoted to the opponent also requires massive Balls. Not sure how often she can be this ballsy so we'll have to wait and see.

Crédit : rediff.com

USA Davis Cup Team : Should be renamed : "The Balls Team". 5-0. they won 5-0 in Switzerland. While Roger Federer was playing. On clay. I repeat : Isner, Fish and Mike Bryan got Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka down on clay on their soil. It is real life people, I swear. That's what team spirit can do, that's what Jim Courier has done. A miracle of Balls attack. Davis Cup is all about experience and fighting spirit and cohesion. Huge props to Fish to have won a clay court match over a specialist. Sorry to say for Wawrinka, but when one talks about Balls on court, he hasn't often been the first name to come in mind. But he fought hard, did his best and his commitment to Davis Cup can't be put in question. Huge huge props to Isner : the Giant beats Federer, multiple French Open finalist. Picking altitude was a very bad choice from Switzerland. But still. Isner did the perfect match. ok, but still. How is Federer losing vs Isner less WOW-material than Wawrinka losing to Fish ? Who is the n°1 of the team and n°3 in the world ? Yep. If Jim Courier, who speaks french fluently, wanna come over here and do some Balls Coaching in general : we welcome you Jim. Anytime. ;)

Seems also that Roger Federer tried in a clumsy way to tell Stanislas Wawrinka to grow some Balls when he was playing Fish / After he was playing Fish / When he was playing double / After he was playing double. At the end he just stated He, RF, played good whereas The Stan, well, not that much on friday and average on sunday. I guess playing in the Master team (a Master finally back in the team for a World Group tie match) means he's going to give you a mark each time you put a foot on the court. I guess Wawrinka got tired to be schooled in public, because he didn't show up on Sunday with the team. Anyone telling you it's no big deal lies. As a colleague told me on Sunday, Federer succeeded in just some months to piss off Nadal and now Wawrinka and, seriously, to piss those two off you have to be really good. We'll see if this fiasco is forgotten in London when, as long as I guess, Federer and Wawrinka are supposed to play doubles together. I don't see those two gentlemen going into a catfight. More, I don't see Wawrinka daring to go into a catfight against Federer.

But something may be broken now, until the next time Federer will show up in the team. I am still not sure he cares that much about the Davis Cup. I am now not even sure he cares that much about Wawrinka. My point : he hates losing and has always been keen on throw mean stuff after a loss. Read the swiss press reactions : if they are pretty hard on Federer, it's that something fishy really happens. They'd be the last ones to jump on him so...  Oh and sorry, too, I don't fall into the "you misunderstood the translation / are too stupid to understand a presser" thing. Wawrinka neither cause he didn't come on Sunday. Enough for me. Enough, too, that I don't really believe the whole media out there in Fribourg suddenly turned dumb or decided to plot against The Master. Federer has never been the best one when it comes to handle losses at pressers. Maybe this time he got a little bit too much carried away. OMG : he's human. Wow. ;) And, I guess, Balls can sometimes take over brain. I know : major scoop.

So in the end it was a Balls week. After a Mighty Balls Australian Open. Aren't we so happy to see all these Balls around ? Let's let the last word to Andy Murray, quoted from last French Open after his loss against Nadal : "sometimes I couldn't even see his balls. I mean his tennis balls. (smile)". Yes, Tennis Balls people. It's a huge thing at the pro level. So entertaining and able to cause so many thrillers and tantrums. So as ATP once said : "New Balls Please" !!!

Ce post ne sera pas traduite en français en revanche car le concept et ce que ça veut dire en tennis n'est pas franchement matière à traduction. Je sais de toute manière que vous êtes tout à fait capable de comprendre l'idée générale même sans traduction pour la plupart ;) Pour les autres, dîtes-vous qu'on en est à 1-1 car j'avais oublié de traduire en anglais le post précédent... Je sais, je sais... LOL 

En revanche, vous pouvez trouver ICI en français la conf de presse de Roger Federer après les matches du vendredi quand il parle de Stanislas Wawrinka. Cela se passe de commentaires... :