Thursday, December 31, 2009

The tennis tournament that uses models as ballgirls

Could this be the prettiest ballgirl in tennis history? Hugo Boss would certainly like us to think so.

Showing off her ever-ready ball skills, this catwalk beauty was just one of a team of trained adult models appearing at the Madrid Masters in Spain.

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madrid tennis ballgirl hugo boss

Who's boss? A model ballgirl captures viewers' attention in Madrid

The ATP tournament hosted some of the greats of the tennis circuit - Rafael Nadal, Carlos Moya, and Manolo Santana.

But unlike other tennis championships around the world, in Madrid the tennis stars come second.

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madrid tennis ballgirl hugo boss

New balls please: the ballgirls line up at the Madrid Masters

Here it is the model ballgirls - all clad in pink and blue outfits emblazoned with Hugo Boss - who draw the crowds.

Despite drawing the ire of Spanish government officials, equality groups and even American hero Andre Agassi, the marketing stunt looks set to stay.

Not that this year's testosterone-fuelled male tennis stars seemed to mind.

madrid tennis ballgirl hugo boss

That's a funny way to catch the ball

Wimbledon and Merton

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Tennis for everyone

kid-tennisTennis isn’t just for the country club. It’s also part of the city scene. Our guest poster, Esther, is a tennis enthusiast based in New York City. She firmly believes that “getting your child interested in activities will help them manage their time better, make more friends and succeed in school.” We firmly believe that some day your little budding tennis star will be able to score you Wimbeldon tickets! So consider the investment a good one, all the way around.

Do you live in NYC? Did you watch the US Open? Are your children eager to learn tennis? Do they play with a racquet even in your cramped apartment every chance that they get? If so, you may want to consider giving your child tennis lessons.

The bad news is that in NYC tennis options are scarce. The good news is that I am here to your rescue. I realized the need for tennis classes for young children and started a tennis program. I rent space at a facility in Murray Hill and I also give classes at Ys, JCCs, and schools. I am able to do this because my business is portable. I have portable nets that I set up within minutes. We use lightweight racquets and nerf balls.

Here are some activities that kids can look forward to in my class. We teach kids the fundamentals of tennis: forehands, backhands, volleys, and overheads. To keep the tennis class lively we often play games. We often partake in the game Graduation, where kids get to move up a grade each time they are able to connect with the ball. We play in which kids are able to run and dodge balls when they hit a certain number of balls, Does this sound like fun to you? If so you should check out Elf Tennis!

tennis-racket-balls1Are you looking to reinforce tennis skills learned and practice tennis with your children? If so, here are some tips.

Set reasonable expectations. Don’t try to get your children to play for an hour. Try 15 minutes initially. Don’t try to hit the ball to them with a racquet. Instead throw the ball to them. Try to stand close to them rather than far away. If they are not successful this way, guide them through the swing and toss the ball in front of them. Always be supportive of your child. Try to applaud even the smallest accomplishment. This will keep your kids interested in the game rather than giving up in discouragement. Put a ball on a string and then hold ball on string, hold it in front of your child and have them hit it. You can also try placing the ball on a tea ball bat and have the kids hit the ball off of the bat. Having a ball in a stationary place makes it easier for the kids to connect with the ball. You can even vary the ball you use. Consider using a balloon. Be a good role model for your kids. Learn the correct technique for stroking the ball if you don’t’ already know about tennis. You can accomplish this by either taking lessons for yourself, purchasing Tennis Magazine at a bookstore or watching tennis matches. You don’t need to become an expert in tennis but being able to demonstrate how to hit a tennis ball comes in handy. I am considering running a class for parents.

World Highest Tennis Court

tall-tennis-court.jpg

Yes the picture's real. Burj Al Arab in Dubai is home to the world's highest tennis court (at times). At 210 meters (about 690 feet), it's pretty far up there. Way higher than I'd feel comfortable running around hitting a ball. The court doubles as a landing pad when there aren't any matches being played, and as a place to shit your pants the rest of the time.

Video of Andre Agassi and some other guy playing tennis up there after the jump. I like how at the end they just start wailing balls off of the side trying to hit things. Because that's what I would do.

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Thursday, December 10, 2009

Messi out of Barcelona derby

Reuters - Friday, December 11



MADRID - Lionel Messi's ankle injury has ruled him out of Barcelona's league derby with Espanyol on Saturday, and makes him doubtful for their opening game of the Club World Cup, the European champions said on Thursday.

The Argentina international twisted his right ankle in Barca's 2-1 Champions League victory away to Dynamo Kiev on Wednesday.

After Saturday's visit of Espanyol in La Liga, Barca travel to the United Arab Emirates for the semi-finals of the Club World Cup next Wednesday.

The final, if they reach it, is scheduled for Saturday, December 19 after which the Spanish league goes into its two-week winter break.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Messi upstages drama-prone Madrid

lionel messi barcelona
Having won the Ballon d'Or on Tuesday, Lionel Messi struck twice at RC Deportivo La Coruña as FC Barcelona cemented their place at the top of the Liga with a 3-1 win on a night which also brought drama for Real Madrid CF.

Messi double
Messi produced a typically assured finish 27 minutes into the late game in Spain, slipping past Manuel Pablo to fire low into the left of the net, but Barcelona's defending was nothing like as slick as they squandered their lead before the break. A misplaced header from Sergio Busquets gifted Adrián López a sight of goal, with Víctor Valdés taking some of the blame for allowing the striker's header to get past him. Barcelona dominated, but it took until the 79th minute for Messi to make that pressure tell, with a slick move ending with Pedro Rodríguez crossing for the unmarked Argentinian to head the winner. Zlatan Ibrahimović then made it 3-1 with a cool strike two minutes from time.

Ping-pong affair
Madrid had earlier got out of jail with a 4-2 win against UD Almería. Los Merengues looked set for a comfortable night when Sergio Ramos headed them into a 30th-minute lead, but the game was turned on its head after the break, with Fernando Soriano finding the net with the help of a deflection off Raúl Albiol before Kalu Uche made it 2-1 with a powerful shot following a corner. Gonzalo Higuaín equalised after defender Santiago Acasiete failed to clear Marcelo's cross, and the game was wrapped up eight minutes from the end, Karim Benzema finishing after Cristiano Ronaldo's penalty was saved. The Portuguese winger soon atoned, though he would have struggled to miss after Higuaín's ball left him an easy finish to make it 4-2. However, his night ended badly as he was dismissed for a second bookable offence.

Sevilla slip
The win was doubly valuable to Madrid with third-placed Sevilla FC having dropped two points at home in one of the day's two early games. Sevilla equalised from the spot through Luis Fabiano after Manucho had given Real Valladolid CF the lead at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium, but there were no further goals after the interval. Elsewhere, Club Atlético de Madrid won 2-0 at Xerez CD, with Diego Forlán and Sergio Agüero the scorers.

Friday, December 4, 2009

Ballon d'Or: Messi the number one

lionel messi barcelona
www.fcbarcelona.cat

The European correspondents of France Football have voted Leo Messi the best player of 2009 with 473 votes. He’s the first Argentinean to receive the award.

Anybody who has seen him in action already knew – but now it’s official. According to the December edition of France Football, Leo Messi is the best player in the world.

473 votes

QM3D7019.jpgMessi came top of the vote by a clear margin. He received 473 votes, well ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo (233 votes) and Xavi (170 votes). He is the ninth Barça player to take the award and the first since Ronaldinho in 2005.

Since the French magazine opened up the award to cover all domestic leagues three years ago, no player has recieved such an overwhelming majority of the votes as Leo Messi. The Argentine has become the first player from the Barça youth system to win the coverted prize. In 2007 Kaká won with a total of 444 votes and last year Cristiano Ronaldo did so with a total of 446.

Third in 2007, second in 2008

He has made steady progress, finishing third in 2007 behind Kaká and Cristiano Ronaldo and then second in 2008 behind Cristiano. And now he has taken that final step to finish first in 2009.

The first Argentinean

2009-12-01_MESSI_PORTADA_FRANCE_FOOTBALL_003.JPGIt’s hard to believe but Leo Messi is the first Argentinean player to lift the Ballon d'Or. However, until 1995 the award was only open to European players, which excluded players of the stature of Diego Maradona.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Messi 2016

www.fcbarcelona.cat

Lionel Messi extended his stay at FC Barcelona when he put pen-to-paper on a new deal at the club on Friday. The Argentinian forward’s new agreement runs until 2016 and has a buy-out clause of €250million included.


Having previously had a contract until 2014 with a clause of €150million the club have improved the player’s deal.

20090918_M3_7824.jpgThe 22-year-old signed the new contract on Friday in the Barça club offices and also present were 3 PM. With the new deal Messi has insured that he will be a Blaugrana player for 15 years as he joined the club’s youth team ranks in 2001.