Player: Stanislas Wawrinka
Age: 25
Nation: Switzerland
Current Ranking: 19
Notable Conquests: Andy Roddick (8th seed, USA) and Gael Monfils (12th, France)
Today's Result: loss to Roger Federer (2nd, Switzerland) in straight sets
Photo via Sporting Life
Wawrinka was clearly demoralized by Fed this evening. I hope he shakes it off quickly because he had a great run. It's my second Slam in a row featuring him here (US Open Day 11). He took out two higher seeds and his run to the quarters is his best-ever showing in Australia.
Here's an interesting question from My Wife: where would be the best time zone to watch all four Slams? The most convenient one to watch from Eastern Standard Time is, obviously, the US Open as it is in the same time zone. Wimbledon is also a really nice one for me. As a teacher, I'm home in the summer and I can watch without annoying My Wife. Aussie actually isn't bad. I'm a night person and almost always outlast her so I can generally get my fix after she goes to bed. Roland Garros is the toughest. I usually only get to watch on the weekends.
But where would be better? I looked at Hawaii and Madagascar (a far more appealing choice than Moscow, weather-wise), both temporally equidistant from New York and Melbourne. In Hawaii, Roland Garros and Wimbledon would each start in the wee hours so that's not so good. Perhaps Madagascar is better, though I think that would mean the Australian would start at an awkward time. Any thoughts out there? (By the time I finished exploring the question, I'm fairly certain she was sorry she'd asked.)
Another funny wife story. My Wife is a Chicago Bears fan - sort of. Please remember she detests football. But she loves Chicago. She insisted that I occasionally check the score of Sunday's game but had zero interest in watching. She was, in fact, resigned to the fact that they would lose, muttering something about years as a "Cubs fan." Self-fulfilling prophecy, I guess.
Catching Up with Old Friends
Jurgen Melzer (Curtain Call, Roland Garros Day 13) - 'Twas another great tournament for Melzer. His fourth round result - losing to Andy Murray (5th, UK) - improves on last year's first round exit. Plus, he teamed up with Philipp Petzschner (Germany) to reach the doubles quarters, finally losing to the Bryan brothers (USA). Just as with Kamke, this is Melzer's fourth consecutive mention here and as such, he qualifies as my second Golden Squid!
Photo via Live Tennis Guide
Photo via tenhand.com
I am not the only one honoring Melzer. He was named Austrian Sportsperson of the Year for 2010. Congratulations, sir! We shall follow your future progress with great interest.
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