ESPN's Brad Gilbert took note of the outfit worn by Tomas Berdych during the first day of play at the Australian Open yesterday and said, "What is up with the kit that Berdych is wearing? ... I can't get over that shirt, and shorts, and outfit that the Birdman is wearing today." ESPN's Cliff Drysdale said, "He signed a deal with H&M. ... They put him in pretty subdued clothes last year and apparently changed their mind this year" ("Australian Open," ESPN2, 1/12).
BIGGER IS BETTER: ESPN.com's Matt Wilansky noted Roger Federer a few weeks ago decided to "finally make the permanent move to a larger, more powerful, present-day racket." There is an "arms race between companies to innovate and produce the best performing equipment out there." Terms like ESP, Graphene and Amplifeel are now "commonplace in the racket business." Though it "might be too convoluted to dissect the various ingredients that make up today’s sticks, they do account for the unprecedented power and control in today’s game" (ESPN.com, 1/13). ESPN’s Chris Fowler noted Federer said that he wanted "‘more pop’ with the racket, which is a Wilson frame, 98 square-inches, really just getting in line with what most of the top players use." Fowler: "He had kept that same frame for his whole career, which is smaller” ("Australian Open," ESPN2, 1/13).
BLAST FROM THE PAST: ESPN's Darren Cahill said of Santiago Giraldo's racket, "That's a Prince racket that Santiago is using there, and that's the old-school Prince Graphite Midsize, I believe. He's got a 25-year-old racket that I believe Prince has brought back. ... Prince has re-released those rackets and Santiago is using one of them, nice to see them back." He added, "I believe it's the same, it may be a little updated, but it looks exactly the same, the thin frame" ("Australian Open," ESPN2, 1/12).
SINGAPORE SLINGER: The WTA named ESPN analyst and Tennis HOFer Chris Evert the Legend Ambassador for the WTA Championships in Singapore. She will support and promote the season-long Road to Singapore campaign, beginning on Jan. 27 through the season finale. Evert also will participate in community youth programs to inspire young girls to play sports in order to have healthy bodies, build self-esteem and confidence, as well as take part in fan promotions (WTA).
