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 Smash Tennis Magazine is a new mag designed primarily for kids and teens who play tennis or are fans of tennis. Our favorite player, the popular, highly entertaining, charming and HAWT Vince Spadea has been chosen to keep a blog on the website. http://www.tennis.com/Smash_Blog/index.aspThe first three entries can be found below:
Allow Myself to Introduce... Myself (entry 1)
Yo,
what's up my fellow tennis playas and participators? It’s Vince Spadea
coming to you live from the one and only Beverly Hills, California. If
you didn't know, I've been spending my off-season here representing
90210. I want to welcome everyone to my new blog right here on SMASHtennismag.com…
Thanks for checkin’ us out. I will be giving you updates and scoops on
the happenings in my life and some of your other favorite stars, both
on and off the court.
Trust in VINCE, and you won't be let down, Spadea the prince is livin’
in the right town and I'm not playin’ around… I'm ready for ’06.
The holiday season brings tennis players many great things off the
norm. We (unless you're Maria or Andy) get a chance to rest our legs,
minds,
travel agents, and bank accounts. Most importantly, it’s a chance for
us to get away for a few weeks from the rigors of training, the
constant pounding on our knees, shoulders, brains, and allows us to
reflect, relax, and appreciate other parts of our life. Competition is
fierce with so many young and hungry players turning pro and trying to
dominate the adult tennis world (cue Rafa Nadal, here's a kid that went
from zero to hero literally overnight).
Our off-season is a ‘lil short. The time off feels like only three
weeks. We have a handful of weeks left to prepare for our first major –
the Australian Open. There has definitely been much fuss about the
short break from players like Marat Safin and Andy Roddick. The last
few weeks for me have been serious training, practicing three to four
hours on court, and gym workouts for fitness improvement.
But
it is my “time off” so I've tried to throw some shopping and holiday
parties in here and there to have a little fun and balance it all out.
The Rolling Stones hosted one holiday party I attended, and all the
members were actually there (a rarity), greeting people (including me
lol).
Can you picture it? Spadea and Mick chillin’ with a glass of eggnog?
What about Tom Hanks and Jack Nicholson enjoying a plate of sushi as
they laugh (some priceless humor at that table)?
It was a fun evening, and I met Leo DiCaprio who claimed his continued
support and enthusiasm for pro tennis. He told me he even knew the name
Spadea. Was he just trying to be nice? Who knows? Who cares? I don’t.
Anyways, word has it that Venus and Serena are focused and recommitted
for a sibling rivalry/dominance, while Maria is on an exhibition tour
in Japan collecting zillions for her Christmas shopping. I spoke to
Miss Capriati and her injury has been a tough setback, but she’s trying
really hard to make it back. Roddick finished off ‘05 strong with a
blazing charity event that raised mad cash for disadvantaged kids in
South Florida. I played in Chris Evert’s Charity in Boca Raton,
Florida, which was quite amazing – even Diddy showed up.
All in all, although short, this off-season has given me and the other
players a chance to have fun, appreciate what we do, work hard, and
give back to the needy. Look out in 2006, lots of cool stuff is gonna
happen, I can feel it.
Happy Holiday’s, and a Happy New Year From Spadea, Peace out.
Tattlers and Battlers (entry 2)
What's
up my tattlers and battlers? You were probably starting to wonder what
happened to Vince down under. Well I'm back with an update.
Starting out in Adelaide, I was looking to get paid. But I ran into a
red hot Mark Philippoussis. The weather was even more scorching. It was
so hot—over 100-that I even fried some eggs on the court. This South
Australian city, home of legend-to-be Lleyton Hewitt, is peaceful, very
pretty, and in the summer it’s hot like Florida. I was trying to bring
the heat myself with my game, but Mark played a good match in his
pursuit to get back on top. He edged me out 6-4 in the third after I
failed to convert a couple break points. He brought his
entourage-family, girlfriend (maybe fiancé), and they looked healthy
and excited. Dominik Hrbaty, the robotic groundstroke machine, ended up
stopping him in the 2nd round. Hrbaty’s motivated like a first year
soldier.
Hewitt,
with his own marine-like fitness, joined Philippoussis and myself on
the beach after suffering a 2nd round upset at the hands of Philipp
Kohlschreiber. It was a huge win for the relatively unknown German. I
remember when I first played Hewitt in Adelaide in 1998 when he was
just 16 years old. He outlasted me in a three set quarterfinal, he beat
Agassi in the semis, and ended up winning the title.
I saw our man James Blake, who was also upset in the 2nd round. Later in the week we had a good practice session together.
Xavier Malisse, the cool dude with the ponytail from Belgium, came out
firing bullets. He reached the finals, losing to the up and coming
Frenchman, Florent Serra. I played Serra at the French Open in 2004,
and won 11-9 in the fifth set, saving 10 match points. I knew this guy
could play, but what an effort by Spadea-lol.
Scotsman Andy Murray left Adelaide in a hurry, with a McFlurry in his
left hand, and a check in his right, so he need not worry. His hair
looks grown out with a fro effect. You Go Scots!
New years eve was quick and painless, considering I was so jetlagged I
took a nap at 6pm hoping to wake up at 11 to join an ATP party down in
the hotel. But when I woke up it was 3am. (Ugh, I’m gonna ruin my rep
if I keep telling those stories.)
So anyways, Ivan Ljubicic continued his overnight success with a big
win in Chennai. And mister Roger Federer continued to redefine
brilliance, with another, and another, and another (infinity) victory.
Venus and Serena seem injured in Hong Kong? Maria’s injured until the Aussie
Open. Nadal injured? Agassi injured? What's going on here? I’m going to
live in a bubble for the next few days. Maybe I'll win the Aussie Open
without playing-lol. Staying healthy is huge in tennis.
Ok, well I'm off to Sydney. There’s a lots of action there—a big,
beautiful city, and the men’s and women’s events. Should be pretty
interesting!
Just remember, if you're having fun, you're number 1!
Talk soon, peace.
--Spadea
The Darling Harbour Club House (entry 3)
Yo
Yo, I came to Australia to win some dough, wanted to let you know,
Spadea is the CEO of flow, but my slice isn’t staying low and I’m not
giving my phone to Russell Crowe!!!
Welcome back to the best 5 minutes of your life—Vince’s blog, giving you a look into the life of tennis player.
As I arrive in Sydney, it’s an amazing city. There’s great weather, the
Opera House, Harbour Bridge, Bondi Beach, Kings Cross, and, of course,
Darling Harbour, where all the players are staying. It’s a sweet hotel
in the middle of the city with lots to do—shopping, restaurants,
nightlife, an Imax theater, and STARBUCKS. A man has his needs. Caramel
Frap anybody? The
lobby of Darling Harbour looks like a player’s lounge. Justine
Henin-Hardenne walking around like a humble youth, you wouldn’t notice
she’s won several slammers. Martina Hingis is looking excited and
smiling like her old self. King Carlos Moya and Juan Carlos Ferrero
were just chilling with the rest of their Spanish teamsters. Anastasia
Myskina was looking all stylish with her pink shoes and top neutralized
by her designer jeans. The French World is in effect with Sebastian
Grosjean and Amelie Mauresmo playing cards every night in the lobby
before dinner.
I’m not a card guy. I like moving around checking stuff out. To each
his own, right? The tennis in Sydney is played at the Olympic complex.
I remember it well from when I had the honor to play for the USA in
2000. I played Pat Rafter on Center Court. This year I played Lleyton
Hewitt. I can’t get away from these rockstar Australian tennis players.
I almost won too, after taking the first set, but I came up short.
However, I feel good going into the Aussie Open, I’m hitting well.
Lleyton had the newborn out with his wife and sister supporting. I saw
them driving in a H2 Hummer—rolling in style after beating Spadea… I
see how it is. Nicole Vaidisova made her appearance, and brought her
long legs with her. I don’t think she’ll need to stop for directions to
the Top 10 by June.
I also saw Roddick on TV playing in Kooyong exhibition against Gael
Monfils, the newest French connection. He’s got the buckwheat hairdo,
which looks pretty cool. He’s taking over where James Blake left off.
Speaking of James, I’ve seen him hangin’ and banging the tennis ball
around. He’s got the fire in his eyes. Lets hope to see more of that,
especially with Davis Cup coming soon against Romania (Check out
TENNIS.com for live coverage. Sorry for the shameless plug – The
Editor).
That sums up everything the naked eye can see in this heat and wind. I
hope everyone is rooting for the right guy to win the Australian…
me—lol. But the right guy is really Federer (shocker). If you pick him
to win, you’ll be right.
Have a great day. Spadea is here to stay, no way? Way!! Peace.
Down Under and Out (entry 4)
Hey
again, ladies and gents, I'm leaving Australia with a dollar and fifty
cents. The heat had me against the fence, the competition was intense,
and now I feel like a baseball player sittin’ on the bench.
I’m back at you, giving you the news about the best tennis on the tube,
right here at the Australian Open. So much is going on, I hardly know
where to begin. My hotel is full of players, up and down elevators,
escalators, lobby, and restaurant. I ran into Maria Kirilenko, I wanna
make copies of her at Kinko's… Let's move on to the Official Player
Party. First rate setup, and top-notch crowd.
It
was a circus theme, colorful decorations everywhere. Gael Monfils was
ripping up the dance floor like Michael Jackson in Thriller mode.
Guillermo Coria and his newlywed smiling and profiling with their
youthful hip attire. Tommy Robredo and his girl Gisele Dulko were
relaxing and enjoying the festivities. There was free food and drinks,
great music, and I was starting to lose it. But I went home early to
play doubles the next day. I heard the party stayed hot like tamales
and rocked until past 2 am. The top seeds were focused and didn't
show–they must have been getting ready for their campaign to the trophy
ceremony. Melbourne Park is one beautiful and widespread complex. Warm
weather, people scurrying to the feature courts, Rod Laver Arena,
Vodafone. The tennis is exceptional. Women’s matches are tougher than
ever, and it starts from the first round. No more can top four seeds
walk to semifinals without breaking a sweat. Proof is in the
pudding–the loss of Venus, Serena, and Mary Pierce all before the Round
of 16?
Martina
Hingis coming back from a 3-year hiatus and looking like she hasn't
skipped a beat. Mashing gritty Russian Vera Zvonereva like she's on
cruise control with a smile. Men's matches are unpredictable as ever,
unless you're Federer or Roddick, who are giving clinics on Rod Laver
Arena. I managed to lose a tough 4 setter to the "magician " Fabrice
Santoro. That name alone sounds like an art form. He's smooth and
crafty, but fit and tough. He sent me and 2 others packing so far.
Federer is still the guy to beat. He's not losing many sets anymore,
much less matches. He's half way to a Pete Sampras career, maybe more?
On a lighter note, Roddick and Sharapova were supposedly together at
the poker table every night...
All in all, life at the Australian Open has been exciting–so many
winning, even more losing. Many laughs, tears of broken dreams, thrown
rackets, fist pumps, mini celebrations, relief, stresses, failures and
successes. It's great to win, but in my opinion, the honor in competing
is where the truth of success lay this week.
Peace - I'm outta here!!!!!!!!!!!
Kickin' It in the Rat's Mouth (entry 5)
He's back, Spadea on the attack. Sorry for the delay, I was in Delray
trying to play all the way. But I lost in the semifinal to another one
of your idols–not American, but a classic like vinyl. Let me go idle,
on the rap and give you the dish on the tennis world.
The Delray tournament was awesome. Tommy Haas showed me who was boss,
adding another title to his prestigious career. Also, Andre was there,
Robbie Ginepri, even Andy Roddick. Andy almost played qualifying, and
he was ready until he bailed at the last minute–what a story that would
have been. I practiced with Andy the day before the qualifying, he was
playing strong and looking tough, but I think he gathered his thoughts
and bags and headed for Davis Cup. Let’s wish him, James, and the Bryan
Bros good luck against Romania. I heard he was in Florida a few extra
days relaxing and enjoying where he grew up with friends and good
times. Andre was with Steffi and the kids. He suffered a quarterfinal
upset but looked happy and optimistic throughout the week. He asked me
about my crazy hair. I told him I'm trying to look like him in 1988
(lol) … he laughed.
Xavier Malisse charged to another final, his second already this year.
The X-factor is coming strong this year, no fear; he's finally in 5th
gear. He almost defended his title in Delray–his 3rd final in that
event. He likes my town, but I had the home crowd, they cheered proud,
loud, and I’ve gotta give them a shout–good looking out.
Elsewhere around our tennis hood, Martina Hingis has once again
exploded on the scene with an encore from her Australian performance.
Taking down Sharapova, but getting edged (to be polite) by our Russian
grinder Elena Dementieva. At the Pan Pacific Open Brenda
Schultz-McCarthy came back from a six-year retirement and won her
qualifying match in straight sets against the formidable Cara Black.
Now that's shocking to me! You Go Brenda!
How about the Croatian newly turned sensation, Ivan Ljubicic–getting
slick, and taking his second title of the year, improving to 14-1 …
already. José Acasuso woke up to the smell of Chilean sea bass and the
Chilean Open clay court title. What a huge win for this Argentinean.
Could he be the clay court demon of 2006?
What we've seen this week, are players with different ages at different
stages, the game has changed but the mind frames stay the same.
Where’s
‘Mackdatis’ this week? Probably eating a gyro on the beach with his
pretty blonde within reach. I'm sure he's training hard somewhere. When
are you coming back Marat? At least gives us The Terminator quote. What
about you, Serena? Venus? Rafael? This is like having Superman, Wonder
Woman, Catwoman, and Batman disappear all at once. It’s just not the
same. Spadeaman might have to save the day (lol)! Plus, Johnny Mac is
coming back in San Jose? I’ll be in touch, cause I will be live
Valentine’s week from NoCal with the scoop.
How ‘bout them Steelers! How about Davis Cup this week. Go Pat, Andy, James, Mike, and Bob!!!!
Hope everyone has been great. Peace...
Davis (Peanut Butter) Cup (entry 6)
Wassssssup? Davis Cup did us right like a peanut butter cup. Andy, James, and the Bryan Bros totally rocked.
Vince is back on the scene if you know what I mean. I myself have been
like a machine, trying to win all the green and make the Davis Cup
team. Just out of San Jose, where the indoor season kicked off in
America. We played in the arena that the NHL San Jose Sharks call home.
Let’s not forget the concerts and events that are held in “The Tank.”
The tennis didn't fail to entertain, bringing great play from the first
round to the final. I made it to the semifinal losing to Lleyton once
again. He played a solid match, and I was gone in a flash. How about
Andy Murray without a worry, taking out Roddick and Hewitt back to
back… Impressive. Has another star been born in tennis?
Arnaud Clement came outta the woodwork to win a title in his home
country, France. Let’s not forget about King Carlos winning again in
Argentina. Don't cry for me, Carlos, but you continue to impress
considering you won that same title 11 years ago. Somebody stop him!!!
Well,
Valentine’s week offered good love and tough love. I didn't have a
sweetheart, but I ate some Sweet Tarts. Nick and Jessica probably ate
some sour tarts, but Brad and Angelina probably looked like Roger and
his longtime girlfriend Miroslava Vavrinec sipping on wine— probably
toasting sweet victory.
I hope everyone had a brilliant couple of weeks. I'm chillin’ in
Memphis with “The King,” well more like Burger King. But Elvis was and
still is the man, and I'm getting on with my tennis plan. Men and
women’s tennis at the Dubai Open, Brasil Open, and here in Memphis have
us hitting on all surfaces.
It all should be pretty hot. Guga’s return? A surprise appearance by Anna K? Which Andy will rule this year? Lets get it on.
I’ll see you all soon, around noon, cause I'm funnier than the man on the moon.
Later players!
--Spadea
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