At 5'10", he's hardly hobbit-sized, but Janko Tipsarevic does appear dwarfed by the grand wizard Gandalf (played by none other than tennis lover Ian McKellen) in an Instagram photo that he shared over the opening weekend of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Not to worry, Tipsy—that's merely a larger-than-life cardboard cutout. It's good to see the Top 10 star playful after the self-critical showing he offered at the ATP World Tour Finals in London, which had him shaking his head and describing his winless round-robin play as deplorable. (Well, when you're facing Roger Federer late in the season indoors ...)
The Hobbit film itself took in a December-record $84.7 million in its debut weekend. Tipsarevic himself will go on something of an adventure early in 2013, as the No. 9-ranked Serb seeks to improve on his 2012 Grand Slam start, which had him bowing out in the third round at the Australian Open, still his best showing in Melbourne to date. He will have to face his own personal dragons there without the aid of an always-right-on-time wizard or a chariot powered by rabbits or anything of the like.
What do you expect from Tipsarevic in 2013: Another commendable season, or even a breakthrough?
—Jonathan Scott (@jonscott9)