!89233538 Congratulations, Roger Federer, the newest tennis pro to become a dad (the picture at the right is of the clinic where Mirka gave birth). As y'all already know Mirka produced twin girls, Charlene and Myla (Thank God he didn't name them Fifteen and Luxilon!)
It seems that great tennis players are mighty good at producing female offspring: Back in the day, Ivan Lendl, in one of the cringe-inducing "jokes" for which he is famous, made fun of Aussie journeyman John Fitzgerald (then the new father of his second daughter) for fathering yet another girl- suggesting that Fitzy wasn't "man enough" to produce a boy (now some of you youngsters may understand why Lendl was right up there with Idi Amin in the popularity rankings).
Apparently, God was listening and Lendl eventually received his just desserts - five daughters, at least one of whom (we hope) inherited Lendl's Wilanders-busting gene, just to keep her daddy in line. So now Federer has joined the ATP all-daughter Top Ten, which also includes Lendl and U.S. Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe, the father of three girls. Anyone out there know of any other top or formerly dominant men whose children are all girls?
Andre Agassi, we know, has one child of each gender, Pete Sampras has two boys. John McEnroe's first two children with is former wife Tatum O'Neal were boys, but his third was a girl and then he ended up with a couple more kids when he married Patty Smythe. The tennis world is well-stocked with McEnroes, and while Federer doesn't have a brother to help him with seeding the game, I doubt that he and Mirka are done yet. She seems the type who's more interested in having a fulfilling, robust family life than maintaining the kind of image and physique to which so many "tennis wives" aspire.
So all the best, Roger and MIrka. Keep up the good work. If I were the WTA, I'd begin showering the Federers with perfumes, spices and perhaps a few burnt offerings, with the future in mind.
Okay, Jackie will be back later with the Deuce Club. I'm traveling to Maryland with my family this weekend for the christening of my nephew, Tyler, whose mom and dad came all the way from their current home in Singapore to introduce him to the American side of his family (that's my brother in law, Chris; Joanne's family is Hong Kong Chinese). I will have a YC for you tomorrow and Sunday. Have a good weekend, everyone!
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-- Pete*