Tweeting Tennis Players
These days, it seems that everyone and her grandmother is chronicling life’s every moment, no matter how banal, via the social networking site Twitter, and the tennis world is apparently just as taken with the trend. The Tennis Channel has its own Twitter page, as does Sports Illustrated columnist Jon Wertheim, who is offering tennis-related tweets almost hourly via BlackBerry.
Several pro players have also taken to Twittering. The Bryan brothers have a joint Twitter page on which they’ve been keeping fans posted on their every move while on tour, sharing tips on where to dine in Germany and opining on Kobe Bryant’s various performances. The 31-year-old twins also posted a birthday tweet to themselves on April 28, and have been sharing some behind-the-scenes photographs of their on-the-road adventures.
Newlywed Andy Roddick was a prolific Twitter-er during his recent six-week hiatus from the ATP Tour. Roddick keeps his followers apprised of his golf game (“Birdied hole number 1!!!!”), his tennis practices, and airport shuttle service (dropping off his wife, Brooklyn Decker and picking up his coach, Larry Stefanki). And like the Bryans, Roddick is happy to offer a tweet on the Lakers. Roddick also shares info on his diet: “veggie satay with some soy burger thingy and some chicken sausage.” And he seems to be a Starbucks and Whole Foods fan, posting his whereabouts via his TwitterFon. Austin, Texas, residents, take notice!
But no one outTwitters Jim Courier. The man who made a reputation for himself as one of the hardest workers on the pro circuit is apparently just as dedicated to his Twitter page, posting continuously throughout the day and night, and even tweeting during changeovers of exhibition matches. Sample post: “Some sick pts...2-1 we're up on serve. [Anna Kournikova] great hands. Tracy [Austin is] pissed at a bad call.” Seriously?
Speaking of Kournikova, she is tweeting as well, but no good dirt on her longtime love Enrique yet.
Across the pond, Andy Murray is tweeting whenever he is not submerged in his infamous ice bath. He, too, is a big fan of the TwitterFon and is posting updates from Madrid: “Just back from dinner, Feli Lopez came to say hi but he owes us dinner as he lost a bet with me today! Also [Gonzalo] Higuain [a] Madrid footballer there.”
Check out the tennis twitteratti at tennistweets.com and follow TENNIS.com’s twitter feed at twitter.com/tennis.
Reality Bytes
Tennis pros are no strangers to reality television. Monica Seles fox-trotted her way onto “Dancing with the Stars” (and then made a quick departure), and Martina Navratilova starred in Britain’s “I’m a Celebrity. Get Me Out of Here!” Recently more players—none currently active—have been bitten by the reality bug.
Former ATP Tour heartthrob Jan Michael Gambill was cast as a “dream blind date” for one lucky woman on season one of VH1’s new dating show “Tough Love,” in which professional matchmaker Steve Ward plays cupid. Unfortunately for Gambill, cupid’s arrow missed and his stint in reality TV ended after only the second episode.
Martina Hingis’ two-year cocaine suspension ends in October, but the five-time Grand Slam singles champion is already back in competition. The Swiss Miss, who has retired from tennis, appeared on the British program “Beat the Star,” a game show that pegs “regular” contestants against celebrities in a variety of mental and physical challenges. Hingis took on a dental student from the city of Leeds in an episode that aired recently, but fell just short of victory in a contest testing her luck and hand-eye coordination—go figure.
Another major winner, Jennifer Capriati, has begun filming at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas for ABC’s “The Superstars” reality competition. Capriati is one eight athletes pairing up with a fellow celebrity into teams that will compete against one another in various sporting events. Capriati will partner with “Melrose Place” and “Baywatch” alum David Charvet. The six-episode series begins airing June 23.