Saturday, March 26, 2005

2005 nightmare continues

The year so far is slowly turning into the year from hell. Martina has now lost more tour doubles matches than she has won. Today, Martina & Francesca were beaten 6-4 3-6 6-2 by Anabel Medina Garrigues and Dinara Safina in their opeening match in Miami. I must say, I was surprised at how well Martina & Francesca were able to play the more-established team of Medina Garrigues and Safina. Nevertheless, the first round loss will likely cost Martina dearly in the rankings as her semifinal points from last year come off.

Martina's next tournament is expected to be the Bausch & Lomb Championships in Amelia Island, Florida which should begin in a week's time.

Martina signs with Olivia

A new endorsement deal for Martina. She has been signed by Olivia - a travel & lifestyle company that caters mainly to lesbians. As part of the deal, Martina will wear the Olivia logo on her shirt sleeves and shorts during matches, appear in print advertising, show up at company events and be a guest on some of the company's cruises and other trips. For the press release from the Olivia website, click here. And here are two articles: The New York Times, Associated Press, The Miami Herald. For a few photos from the press conference in Miami, check out the Getty Images website (type "Navratilova" in the search box).

Tuesday, March 22, 2005

Miami draw, Indian Wells disaster...

Sorry guys, I should not have waited this long to update the blog but the Indian Wells result was just too depressing for words. As most of you know by now, Martina & Sveta were shocked in their opening match, going down 6-2 6-2 to the unseeded first-time pairing of Emmanuelle Gagliardi and Jelena Jankovic. Unfortunately there was zero media coverage of Martina's appearance in Indian Wells so we have no idea if her injury was still bothering her or if they just ran into a team playing the match of their lives.

Our prospects don't seem too bright for the Nasdaq-100 Open in Miami either, which starts this week. Martina is playing with Francesca Schiavone of Italy and they take on the established team of Anabel Medina Garrigues & Dinara Safina in their opening match. I really don't see our team getting past this first hurdle. At this point, I have no idea what's happening with the partnership with Daniela. They were supposed to play here but from the looks of things, I guess the partnership has been called off. Hopefully, there will be some confirmation available soon. For the complete Miami doubles draw, click here.

Friday, March 11, 2005

First Round

Martina & Sveta are scheduled to play their opening match tomorrow in Indian Wells. They take on Emmanuelle Gagliardi & Jelena Jankovic in the fourth scheduled match on Stadium 3. Good luck, ladies!

Wednesday, March 09, 2005

Indian Wells surprise!

Well actually, there were two surprises today. The first was seeing Martina's name in the Pacific Life Open doubles draw. Obviously this means the back is doing better and she feels fit enough to compete this week. The second surprise what seeing Sveta Kuznetsova's name beside her in the draw - our beloved team from 2003 is back! If only temporarily, but still... we'll take it any way it comes, right? Let's hope some of that 2003 magic is still working. Our team has a difficult first round proposition in the form of the always dangerous Emmanuelle Gagliardi and Jelena Jankovic. For the complete draw, click here (see Page 3). All the best, ladies!

Tuesday, March 08, 2005

Liverpool update

It is now confirmed that Martina will be playing singles at the Liverpool International Tennis Tournament this June. She will play a match against former British #1, Sam Smith in addition to the mixed doubles. The Liverpool Echo also quoted Martina in yesterday's edition, commenting on her upcoming appearance:

"It is great to be coming to Liverpool for the first time. I've heard about the relaxed atmosphere of the event and how friendly the people are."

Sunday, March 06, 2005

Off to California

Martina left for California this weekend. She is still unsure if she will recover in time to play in Indian Wells but she has business to attend to so the trip was on her schedule anyway. For more, click here for an article from Martina's hometown newspaper, the Sarasota Herald Tribune.

Meanwhile, Martina has committed to the Liverpool International Tennis Tournament in Calderstones Park, Liverpool this June. This is an exhibition tournament but unfortunately, that is about all I know about it at the moment. For the official press release from the tournament website, click here.

And finally, the latest Harris poll of America's favorite sports stars is out. Martina has made the list at #8, I don't remember the last time she was ranked in the top 10. For the press release, click here.