Horia, Victor, Raluca!!!

Remember when I said that Hanescu and Tecau had done very well in the first round in Acapulco? Well, they continued in the same way. Cermak/Fognini in the quarters, Parrott/Polasek in the semis and the fourth seed Melo/Soares in the final, in only 59 minutes. That's impressive! They hadn't played together since 2009 (excepting Davis Cup).

"This was a big week for us, thank you all for your support and hope to return next year," a happy Victor said.

In the women's doubles competition, the title is on the Romanian side too. Well, half of it. Ioana Raluca Olaru (I'm proud of my name!) and Ukraine's Mariya Koryttseva lifted the trophy in Acapulco for the first time, with victories to Rodionova/Savchuk, third seed Groenefeld/Senoglu, Cetkovska/Voracova and Dominguez/Parra Santonja.

All I can do now is thinking about Davis Cup. They will have the doubles victory, I believe. Let's see what they do singles. Haide!

Only victories

Only victories for Djokovic since Davis Cup final! He started his 2011 winning campaign at Hopman Cup, alongside with Ana Ivanovic, where he did not lose a match. Then Australian Open came. In the first round, he beat Granollers... Well, the rest is history!

Yesterday he won his third Dubai title and second trophy of the season. In the final, he defeated Federer in two, 3 and 3! So, the ship will dock once again in Serbia, but, even more important, Novak's record for 2011 is 12-0. I do feel this is going to be 'The Djoker Year'. Keep it up!

Romanian doubs in Acapulco and Davis Cup

Davis Cup is getting closer and closer. At the end of next week, Romania will meet Argentina in the World Group's first round. Andrei Pavel announced the nominations a few days ago. Hanescu heads up Romania's side once again and is followed by Tecau, Crivoi and Adi Ungur. Probably as a preparation for the tough tie that's waiting for them, Hanescu and Tecau decided to team up this week at Acapulco.

They did an impressive first round, beating the third seeded Knowles and Mertinak in two, 7-6, 6-1. In the quarterfinals they will face Frantisek Cermak and Fabio Fognini.

Argentina has good odds in this tie, that's true, but Romania's are not inexistent either. The South-Americans will come with Nalbandian, Monaco, Chela and Schwank. It will be very difficult for Andrei's boys, but we knew that since the beginning. I do expect a doubles victory from Victor and Horia, they know how to work as a team, but the rest is going to depend of their preparation and desire of winning. There's no team who's invincible, so with confidence and concentration, anyone can beat anyone. As we know, Davis Cup was the host of the biggest surprises.

He was there! (Part 2)

Remember the guy whose job was beating favourites around Australia and America? Super Milos continued his good winning streak this week in Memphis, USA. Verdasco (two times in three days), Stepanek, Kendrick, Fish. They all fell in front of the Canadian miracle.

But, as a Romanian proverb says, 'Any godfather has his own godfather'. It took a Grand Slam champion for him to be stopped. The only one who could defeat Raonic and lift the trophy in front of his home crowd was the 2003 US Open champion and Top 10 player Andy Roddick. 7-6, 6-7, 7-5, in a highly-entertaining final that kept the fans thrilled in the grandstand or in front of tv. However, no one can ever take away from Milos his merits, his victories or his finalist trophy.

Personally, I do believe Raonic has a bright future ahead. He wants and loves to play. He wants and loves to win. You can see the self-confidence, calm and determination in everything: words, eyes, body language. Let's remember Johnny Mac's words: "He is the real deal!"

"It's been a lot of win this year"

The third title of the year and ninth of Robin's career came today, in Marseille, France. After the 2004 final, lost to Dominik Hrbaty, today, seven years later, he faced another Slav, Marin Cilic, a surprise finalist, we could say, but who is getting back in form, slowly but surely.

The start of the year has been great for Robin. He is getting better and better. As I mentioned before, this is his third title of the season, which means that 1/3 of his titles have been won this year (and we are in February!).

"I want to thank the people in my box who always support me, win or loose. It's been a lot of win this year," he smiled, during the trophy presentation speech. That's the attitude, people!

So, with a fistpump and a sincere smile, Soderling lifts the Marseille trophy for the first time. France, Trophy... The amazing start of the year might lead to something, no? :)

Djokovic team in Dubai!

That's right, Novak and his younger brother Marko will team up in Dubai! Isn't this exciting??!! The most famous brother tandem in tennis, the Bryan twins, is forced to rest, because of Bob's injury, so someone had to replace them for the moment, no?

Unfortunatelly, the luck wasn't really on their side, as they have to face the top seeds Bhupathi and Paes in the first round, but with an intelligent game, good shots and, of course, the crowd's support (they will have it, i'm sure!) they can make a nice result.

I can't wait to see how they are doing together this time, as Novak improved his game so well and probably Marko did the same. Lots of 'Ajdes' for the pretty guys!!! :)

Pink Jelena in Dubai

It seems like the Kanepi complex is gone! Jelena made a fantastic comeback last night in Dubai, knocking out the Estonian 2-6, 6-3, 7-5. Before the match, the head-to-head record was 3-1 in Kanepi's favor, with the lattest two matches in her victory notebook. I don't know exactly how long it lasted, but Jelena a.k.a. One-Of-My-Lovely-Favourites made a big match, based on determination and self-confidence.

Let's hope this is only the beginning of her collaboration with her new coach, the best Romanian tennis player of the last two decades, Andrei Pavel. He wasn't there at her match, unfortunatelly, but their work seems to go straight to a good result.

I also have to say a few things about her dress. I.LOVE.IT! It fits her body perfectly and gives her a pretty, innocent aura. The color and design remind me of little angels, or perfect summer days on a quiet beach... Anyway, as I said before, this is one of the dresses I would really enjoy wearing, and I'm not wearing dresses usually!

As for the rest of the tournament... Ajde Jelena! :)

He Was There!

Milos Raonic, 20 years old, Canada. Ranked 84 last week.

First, he beat the super-duper-awesome Rafole team, alongside with his generation fellow, Vasek Pospisil. "Eh, too much celebrity in their heads," I thought.
Then he made the Last 16 at Australian Open, with victories over Michael Llodra and Mikhail Youzhny. "Wow, nice week for this guy! Also, doesn't really like Michaels."
Then, some of the biggest tennis names of all times, such as John McEnroe and Martina Navratilova started to refer to him as 'a new star', 'future superstar' or 'the real deal'. "Come on, you can't say that after two weeks!"

In San Jose, big matches again. He won over Malisse, beat Blake and Berankis and got the chance to advance into his first ATP final as Monfils withdrew due to injury. It came a day off (well, with an exhibition), full of emotions, waiting for his opponent, between the much more experienced Juan Martin del Potro and Fernando Verdasco. So, either the 2009 US Open champion, either his next week's first round (really?!). It happened to be Nando. Yep, good preparation for Memphis. Now if he looses, he can say it doesn't matter, he was there, he's great. If he wins, he can say he beat top players, because he's great.

Today, when I came home from school, I checked the results. Raonic in two tie-breaks. "Hey hey, Canada is in the game!" :)

A Diary : My perfect ATP Slam year

The Grand Slams are the best moments of a tennis year. Well, the Grand Slams and Davis Cup. The beauty, the excitement, the emotions are superior to all the other tournaments. But, also true, the pressure and nervousness are growing too. Only the strong players can be Grand Slam champions. Only those who can stay calm in the most difficult situations. This year, one tourney is already over and I am more than pleased with the winner: Novak Djokovic. Still, three to go.

Roland Garros

French Open is always nice to watch for me. Actually, the first tennis match I've ever seen was the 2009 men's final, so it will always be special. Despite the fact that the almost absolute Nadal domination is very nice, I would prefer to see someone else holding the trophy this year. Again, not that I wouldn't like Rafa or something, but three is a magic number, right? You've probably guessed who I'm talking about. Soderling was the Roland Garros finalist in 2009, winning over Nadal, but losing to Federer, and in 2010, winning over Roger and losing to Rafa. Maybe this year it's time to beat them both, no?

Wimbledon

Another special tournament, in many ways. The oldest and most prestigious Grand Slam. So much tradition, the white of the players' outfits combining perfectly with the green of the grass. The place of some of the finest tennis matches in history. Pancho Gonzales, Arthur Ashe, Bjorn Borg, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and John Isner are only a few of the names who make it memorable. One of my favourite matches from All-England Club was the 2009 final between Andy Roddick and Roger Federer. And only remembering that match makes me want Andy to win this year's tournament. I'm not saying he's having great odds, I'm saying it would be nice, after the title won in front of his home crowd when he was young.

US Open

US Open is probably the most modern Grand Slam of all. And why wouldn't it be? It's New York, people! One big difference is the fact that there are final-set tiebreaks. It's maybe better for the players, but I'm not so sure about the fans. Anyway, this thing doesn't deprive the tournament of great matches. My pick for this year is the same Novak Djokovic. Remember that moment in 2008 when he was booed after his quarterfinal against Andy Roddick? Well, thanks to his awesome personality, Nole got the crowd back on his side in the upcoming years. But I would really enjoy him winning in New York, not just because 'I like him' (d'ooh!), but also because I'd love him to attract even more people, if there's still anyone who remembers that incident as something bad.

As you might noticed, there is no Federer and Nadal. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't like them, I actually admire both of them for everything! But I've always liked diversity and I think the tour would become even more interesting and exciting with new guys winning and standing up to these two legends. We have a big year ahead, that's for sure!

The many faces of Serena Williams

As everyone knows, Serena is still injured from a fight in the bar she was in (that's a bad luck!). While waiting for her to return and regain her place in tennis, let's take a look at a few of her off-court outfits, which are always so good! Anyway, S. rocks everything she wears...

The chlotes, the hair... She is able to change her style anytime. One thing is sure: elegant or colourful, long or short, straight or curly, blonde or brunette, Serena is a real fashionista!

Week in review: Tecau and Copil!

Two beautiful trophies will arrive soon on the Romanian airports, after the fifth week of 2011. Horia Tecau won the doubles tournament in Zagreb, while Marius Copil took the singles trophy at the Kazan Challenger.

While Tecau's partner, Robert Lindstedt, is still injured, he teamed up this week with Dick Norman, another doubles specialist. In the final, the second seeded won over the top seeds Marcel Granollers/Marc Lopez from Spain in straight, 6-3, 6-4.

"In 2011 I want to stay healthy and to know that I did my best on the court," Marius Copil said in an interview in January. And it seems like he started his plan pretty well. He won today his first career title in Russia, at Kazan, after beating in the final the fourth seeded Andreas Beck in two, 6-4, 6-4.

Great job, guys! Si tot asa! :)

Fed Cup: Romania out!

Romania's Fed Cup team won the lattest two ties in Group D, but only for palmarès. 'The Tricolors', as they are called in Romania, unfortunatelly missed the chance to qualify in the competition's play-offs.

Romania surprisingly lost the first tie against the lower ranked Netherlands, 3-0. Monica Niculescu lost the opener against Michaella Krajicek (3-6, 1-6). After that, the 29th player of the world and the best Romanian of the moment, Alexandra Dulgheru lost against Arantxa Rus (4-6, 3-6). The doubles game didn't work at all in these days. Alexandra and Monica lost in three in front of Kiki Bertens/Richel Hogenkamp (6-7, 6-3, 5-7).

The second tie has been won by Romania, in front of modest team of Latvia. Monica Niculescu beat Irina Kuzmina (6-4, 6-2) and Alexandra Dulgheru won over Liga Dekmeijere (6-2, 6-1). In doubles, Alexandra and 17-year-old Cristina Dinu lost against Kuzmina/Dekmeijere (4-6, 6-0, 5-7).

In that moment, Romania was already out of Fed Cup. Anyway, they won the last tie against Hungary, with 2-1. Monica Niculescu against Reka-Luca Jani (6-0, 6-2) and Alexandra Dulgheru against Timea Babos (6-1, 6-1). Dulgheru/Dinu lost again the doubles in front of Arn/Babos (7-5, 6-0).

Fed Cup: Russia press conference

It seems like Masha was in a very good mood. Enjoy! :)

*Russia will meet France in the first round.