Archive for the 'tennis' Category
Tennis babe Ashley Harkleroad announced earlier today that she will join the ranks of Anna Kournikova by focusing more on her body than her game. Harkleroad, currently ranked number 61 in the world, was defeated in the first round of the French Open by Serena Williams this year. But the 23 year old American has other dreams that lie beyond the clay. While recovering from surgery to remove a cyst on her ovaries, she decided to take the leap and pose for the magazine. She reportedly said she is “proud of her body” and finds no shame in posing for the centerfold.
However, there are some very serious consequences I doubt she has considered. Like Kournikova, she has yet to prove anything in her young career other than being pretty and winning on occasion. There are still no major titles to be claimed or a top 10 world appearance. This will draw much criticism from avid tennis fans and the media as they will surely claim that he game has been negatively impacted by her focus on body.
In a shocking turn of events, it appears that Justin Henin will be retiring from the sport of professional women’s tennis. Henin is the current #1 in the sport and has been a main fixture of womens tennis for quite some time - despite still being young enough to enjoy several more years of success.
Henin is known for being very powerful for her size, a precise and thorough player, and generally very classy both on and off the court. The game will miss her quite a bit.
There have been many debates over the decades regarding who is the best athlete, regardless of what sport they play. There is the common “Michael Jordan is can fly higher than any man”, or “Brett Farve can throw longer than any man” that seem to dominate these discussions. However, there are two things elements that are always left out of the picture when addressing the “king of the sports”: women and racing.
In my opinion, the best measure over athletic ability is merely asking yourself “who would win in a fight”. For nearly four years now, two women have been dueling it out in public in a battle to become the poster-girl for women’s sports. Anna Kournikova and Danica Patrick are both beautiful, world class athletes that control the media and search engine rankings for “hottest female athletes”. But today we ask the simple question: which one of these ladies are the better athlete?
Danica Patrick
Anna Kournikova
So how do they match up in size?
Kounikova : Height:5′7″ Weight:113 lbs
Patrick: Height: 5′2” Weight: 100 lbs
Without a doubt, Anna has the advantage in both the height and weight category. However, sometimes the smaller individual can pack the greater punch.
The average Indy Cart weighs 1,600 lbs minus the weight of the driver and 22 gallons of U.S. $3.69 gasoline. There is no air conditioning, and the majority of these races take place in the blistering heat for 300 to 400 miles. Contrary, the average weight for a tennis racquet is between 10 and 12 ounces. Driving an Indy Cart > swinging a tennis racquet on any level.
Also, Patrick is better at what she does. While it took her three years, she became the first woman to win an Indy racing event this month with a first place finish at the Japan Indy 300. Kournikova has an embarrassing record of zero individual titles to claim to her fame, however, she does look good while swinging the racquet.
Without a doubt, the strength, endurance, agility, and determination embodied in Danica would trump Kournikova’s any day. Perhaps we can actually see a fight during next year’s shooting of Sports Illustrated Swim Suit Edition?
Every now and then you see a shot in tennis that absolutely blows you away. This is one of those shots. It is not show-boating. It is not risky or.
On the contrary, it shows a player completely in control, who knows how to put the ball away even when most players would have already given up.
Oh yeah, and he is playing against one of the best players in the world, Andy Roddick.