Sports blogging survey results in

Women Who Serve was selected to participate in a survey of sports bloggers created and conducted by the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism at Penn State. Here are the results of that survey, a couple of which were a little surprising to me.

Racket Up America

Today is the first day of the Racket Up America promotion. Between now and September 30, anyone in the U.S. who buys a tennis racquet at any tennis retail store or pro shop can register that racquet and have a chance to win big prizes. The grand prize is $1 million and a trip for two to the 2010 U.S. Open.

New racquets can be registered here.

2 seeds upset in Prague

5th seeded Alona Bondarenko was upset in the first round in Prague today, 6-1, 6-3, by her sister, Kateryna. Also upset was Magdalena Rybarikova, who lost to qualifier Timea Bacsinszy, 6-2, 7-6.

In Palermo, Swedish Open champion Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez upset 3rd seed Alize Cornet, 6-2, 6-2. Anna-Lena Groenefeld upset 8th seed Gisela Dulko 6-4, 6-1. In doubles, the top seeds--Groenefeld and Patty Schnyder--were upset 6-4, 4-6, 11-9 by Irina Begu and Marta Marrero.

Sony Ericsson WTA players have heroes, too

I scream, you scream...

I suppose it all started with Monica Seles, whose grunt I found amusing, but I realize not everyone felt as I did. I simply never got tired of hearing that unearthly sound come out of her. There used to be a Seles website--I think it is gone now--that delivered Monica's unique grunt the moment you clicked on the home page. And my all-time favorite American Express commercial was the U.S. Open ad in which Monica went to a store and the clerk grunted the entire time she was checking her out.

Seles made a lame--and embarrassing--attempt to make fun of herself at her International Tennis Hall of Fame induction. Her grunting--in itself a topic of controversy when Seles was playing--is now part of a much wider context in women's tennis.

Seles grunted, though her grunt was unusually loud and was a borderline shout. Grunting, on the whole, however, is
easy on the ears. Dinara Safina grunts. Justine Henin grunted. Unfortunately, the sports press, as well as multiple fans, insist on calling screaming "grunting." It most certainly is not.

Many women have been quick to say "If you stop the women from grunting, are you going to stop the men?" They miss the point entirely. There is no reason whatsoever to stop Rafael Nadal and David Nalbandian from grunting, just as there was no reason to stop Henin, and there is no reason to stop Safina. These particular fans need to understand a simple fact: The men on the ATP Tour do not scream. Anyone who reads this blog knows that I am a feminist activist, but the fact remains that people are not disturbed by simple grunting, which is what some men on the ATP do.

I do, however, join other feminists in being disturbed by a different issue--that the media has paid more attention to WTA players' screaming than they have ever paid to their tennis. I find that offensive, but predictable.

But back to the screaming. It is that, and not the grunting, that disturbs people. Maria Sharapova, Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka, and Michelle Larcher De Brito all scream--some more than others. Larcher De Brito has been singled out lately because her screams have been measured, and they last longer than the screams of the other women.

Martina Navratilova calls such screaming "cheating" because, she maintains, the noise prevents an opponent from hearing the ball struck. Many tennis writers are vehemently opposed to the screaming, as are many fans. I don't enjoy hearing it, either, and when two of the screamers play each other (remember that 2005 Wimbledon semifinal?), I find it difficult to listen.

However...the great majority of the players who have been interviewed about Sharapova, Larcher De Brito, etc., say that the screaming does not bother them at all--that they do not even notice it. My guess is that it bothers some, and does not bother many. Interestingly, if this were an ATP issue, I'm sure that those who said the noise bothered them would be singled out as wimps and excuse-makers. In the case of the WTA, however, there appears to be a movement to cater to those who are bothered by noise.

It is not "wrong" to be bothered by the screaming, just as it is not "right" to not be bothered by it. Different things affect different people in different ways. The solution, it would seem, is for those players who are bothered by the screaming to complain to the umpire.

A more interesting question, to me, is: Why are the players screaming? I have done a lot of thinking about this culture of screaming, and my best theory is this: As tennis became more and more powerful and more physical demands were made on players, it became natural for some of them to grunt loudly. But grunting is not "feminine" and therefore it is a no-no in the WTA culture. And so some players scream. There are, I'm sure, many who think that such shrieking is not "feminine," either, but it is probably more acceptable than loud grunting. And...it may just come natural for some of the players to scream.

Should screaming (not grunting) be banned? If you think it should, I would like to know who is going to tell Venus Williams and Maria Sharapova to stop doing it. Azarenka and Larcher De Brito have already said that they will not stop, though Larcher De Brito was noticeably quieter at Wimbledon, where she was placed on courts as far away as possible from The Important People.

I also think there is more to the screaming than an unconscious fear of not passing the femininity test. As the general culture becomes more and more intrusive, it seems only logical that the sports culture would, also. Do I like it? Not really, but I have gotten used to it, just as I eventually got used to the demise of the wooden racquet and to multiple injury time-outs. As far as I am concerned, there are far more pressing problems for the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour than how long Larcher De Brito's screams last. With several top players not able to serve, an awkwardly reorganized tour calendar, and the use of sex as a marketing tool, I'd say there are plenty of very important matters to be addressed.

In the meantime, I suppose Michelle can scream away.

Miscellany

Serena Williams' memoir, On the Line, is due to be released once the U.S. Open begins.

Anne Keothavong says she does not wish to train at the National Tennis Centre and that she does not wish to wear the LTA's AEGON sponsor's patch. She is in conflict with the LTA over her desire for her father to help coach her.

A thigh injury is keeping Dominika Cibulkova out of the Palermo tournament.

For those who live in the U.S.: Every Monday night from today on, Tennis Channel will show a classic U.S. Open match in the evening. Times vary, so check the schedule. On July 20, the 1995 Seles-Graf match will be shown. On August 3, it's the 1991 Navratilova-Seles match, and on August 17, the 1979 Austin-Evert match will be featured.

The New York Buzz, the WTT Albany team, consists only of players who are 18 and younger. Both Sloane Stephens and Lauren Embree play for the Buzz.

Allaster chosen to head Sony Ericsson WTA Tour

This is hardly "news," in that most of us assumed it would happen, but the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour has named Stacey Allaster as the new chairwoman and CEO of the tour. (Only the equality-minded tour, of course, refers to her as a chairman).

Allaster has been president of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour since 2006. She was chosen for her new position as a result of an international search.

I'm sure many of us have a list of concerns we'd love to hand to Allaster. Here's hoping someone who matters will have such a list and that Allaster will take it seriously.

Szavay wins Budapest championship

Playing in front of her home crowd, Agnes Szavay upset top seed Patty Schnyder today in the GDF SUEZ Grand Prix in Budapest. Szavay defeated Schnyder 2-6, 6-4, 6-2.

Alisa Kleybanova and Monica Niculescu won the doubles title, defeating Alona and Kateryna Bondarenko 6-4, 7-6, in a match that included eleven breaks of serve.

Dokic hoping to return for U.S. Open Series

Jelena Dokic, who has been diagnosed with mononucleosis, is currently taking a physician-prescribed rest, and hopes to participate in the Olympus U.S. Open Series.

I would advise fans to be cautious about their optimism. Already diagnosed with Sports Fatigue Syndrome, Dokic obviously has a compromised immune system. We have seen other tennis players--notably Roger Federer and Mario Ancic--struggle for months or years with mononucleosis.

Of course, Dokic could have a mild case, but she is obviously physically vulnerable. A long time ago, I had what was considered a mild case of mononucleosis, and it took me weeks of rest, followed by a period of muscle-strengthening, before I was myself again. Lucky for me, I had a very smart doctor who understood exactly how to treat the disease.

I wish the Dokic the best. She gets one bad break after the other. It's no fun for fans, either. Speaking as one--I just want to see her be healthy and play.

Szavay and Schnyder to meet in Budapest final

4th seeded Agnes Szavay, playing in her home country, will compete with Patty Schnyder for the GDF SUEZ Gran Prix title tomorrow. Szavay defeated 6th seed Alona Bondarenko, and Schnyder defeated Edina Gallovits, in the semifinals.

This will be the first meeting between Szavay and Schnyder.

Martinez Sanchez wins Swedish Open

Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez has won the 2009 Swedish Open. The unseeded Martinez Sanchez defeated 1st seed Caroline Wozniacki 7-5, 6-4 to take the title.

This is Martinez Sanchez's second tour singles title. She won her first title this year, also, when she upset Gisela Dulko for the Bogota championship.

Dulko and partner Flavia Pennetta won the doubles title, defeating Nuria Llagostera Vives and Martinez Sanchez 6-2, 0-6, 10-5.

The Mirza drama continues

With Sania Mirza, it is always something. She has had a fatwa placed on her, she's been charged with disturbing the peace, she got in trouble for promoting safe sex, she was issued a court warning for dishonoring the flag, and one of her doctors was the recipient of a threat letter. More drama follows Mirza than she could ever create on the court.

And now there's something new: Two men have been arrested because of Mirza's marriage engagement. One man threatened to kill himself if Mirza went through with her engagement to Sohrab Mirza. The other tried to go to her house to proclaim his love.

Seles to be inducted into Hall of Fame tomorrow

Tennis great Monica Seles will be inducted into the International tennis Hall of Fame tomorrow in a ceremony that also includes the induction of Andres Gimeno, Donald L. Dell and Dr. Robert Johnson.

Seles--who tallied a 180-31 win-loss record at the four majors, and who won nine of them--won 53 singles titles throughout her 15-year career. She also won six doubles titles, won three consecutive year-end championships, and held the number 1 ranking for a total of 178 weeks.

A left-hander who hit both her forehand and backhand with both hands, Seles played with uncommon aggression, finding angles that often left her opponents stunned. She was the youngest player to ever win the French Open, and the youngest to win the year-end championships. In 2000, Seles won a bronze medal at the Olympics.

It is generally agreed that if Seles had not been the victim of a stabber in 1993, her career would have included even more major titles. The incident caused Seles to leave the tour for over two years, and was made even more bitter by the fact that her perpetrator never served a day in prison.

In addition to being one of tennis's brightest stars, Seles was also part of a wonderful rivalry. She and Steffi Graf thrilled fans for years with their close, high-quality matches.

Wozniacki and Martinez Sanchez to meet in Bastad final

Gisela Dulko's nice run at the Swedish Open ended today with a 7-5, 6-4 semifinal defeat by Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez. Sanchez's opponent in the final will be top seed Caroline Wozniacki, who defeated 3rd seed Flavia Pennetta 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.

2nd seeded Dulko and Pennetta will play together in the doubles final against top seeds Nuria Llagostera Vives and Martinez Sanchez.

Friday cat blogging--sleepy Friday edition

Szavay gets past Garbin

I like to watch Tathiana Garbin play, and I wish I could have seen her three-hour match against Agnes Szavay in Budapest today. Szavay won, 7-6, 5-7, 7-5. Szavay double-faulted thirteen times; there's a lot of that going around.

Dulko making good on her resolve

When the talented but under-achieving Gisela Dulko was interviewed after defeating Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon, she acknowledged she had had a bad year, and said her goal was to reach the top 20. In my opinion, she should have gotten herself there some time ago. My general impression of Dulko for some time now, is that belief is the main element she lacks. She has a really good (but inconsistent) serve, she is tough from the baseline, and she is able to make it up as she goes along.

Belief appears to be with her in Bastad. Yesterday, she saved match points to upset 5th seed Sorana Cirstea, and today she saved match points to upset number 2 seed Dominika Cibulkova. She has now reached the semifinals, in which she will play Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, who upset 7th seed Carla Suarez Navarro. The other semifinal will be played by top seed Caroline Wozniacki and 3rd seed Flavia Pennetta. Wozniacki defeated Maria Kirilenko 7-5, 7-6.