Nicole Richie gives birth to baby girl. Wonder what’ll happen next!!!

Nicole Richie gives birth to baby girl

What the big guns are saying, before the AO eating frenzy starts.

Federer:

“I definitely think it’s going to turn for the good and I’ll be 100 percent, really, before the tournament,” Federer said.

“I feel fresh, I feel fit, motivated, and that’s the key,” Federer told FoxSports television. “I’ve been practicing really hard when I come out on the court but what I enjoy most is competing.”

Federer said he trained hard in the offseason at his base in Dubai.

“In tennis you can never work hard enough because there’s movement, there’s forehands, backhands, slice, topspin, coming to the net … I’d definitely like to improve my skills,” he said.

He stressed his play at the net.

“That’s something I’m definitely going to try to keep up,” Federer said. “It gives you great opportunities as well against all the baseline players in the world today. You have an extra option.”

“I know I have those possibilities and if I could use those on clay even more often, it will give me a great opportunity (to win the French Open).”

Nadal:

“(That) was tough to recover from,” Nadal said on Friday.

“But physically is not one problem, so I am very happy about that.”

“I practice very well, very good the week before. In Chennai, I play some tough matches. It’s important to win like semi-finals. Is always important match for confidence.”

“It’s gonna be interesting. I gonna try my best, no? I think I am prepared.”

Nadal has the chance to leave Melbourne with the No.1 ranking – but would need to win the title and rely on Roger Federer not advancing too far into the event.

“I think is not a real chance – not yet,” Nadal said.

But does Nadal think the rest of the men’s field will benefit from Federer’s lack of practice?

“I will tell you in two weeks,” he laughed.

Djokovic:

“Considering the fact that my best performances were on the outdoor hard courts, I can hope for a good result here in the Australian Open,” a confident Djokovic, who lost to Roger Federer in the U.S. Open final, said Saturday. I
showed my quality in 2007 many times, and I think I deserve to be here.”

 ”Maybe that lack of experience in the Grand Slam finals was crucial in that match,” Djokovic said. “And even though I had a lot of chances, I missed them. If you miss all those chances against a player like Roger, you don’t get any more chances.”

 ”There are a lot of good players around the world who are trying to improve, who are trying to get as far as they can in a Grand Slam,” Djokovic said. “I need to improve my volley game a little bit more.”

And to learn to finish points earlier and conserve energy.

“I’ve been really trying to work on that. But it’s not a thing that can happen overnight.”  

“I know the way he’s playing now on any surface, he’s not really thinking of letting go of that first place in the world,” Djokovic said. “I’m one of the players who is really trying to challenge him in that matter.”

“But, I’ve been recently making a lot of good results and people started, talking about — more about three players, not any more just two. So it’s a nice thing to hear and it’s very flattering. But I just really need to focus on my life, on my career, and then, try to achieve my lifetime goal.”

Roddick:

“I’m still young and hungry at 25,” Roddick said.  

“It was great to win that Davis Cup — to get to feel something like that so recently makes you want to win even more,” he said.

“Getting through an event like this and not getting broken is a pretty good effort … hopefully it’s indicative of what I can do in the next couple of weeks,” Roddick said. “Winning this event just means I’m well prepared for the Aussie Open.”

“I can safely say none of us here are worried about Roger’s preparations for the Australian Open,” said Roddick, jokingly speaking on behalf of the rest of men’s bracket. “I think I’ll sleep OK!”

“If there’s anybody who can take care of himself and play his way into form, it’s Roger.”

Baghdatis:

Baghdatis has a tough opening week at Melbourne Park, facing 2002 champion Thomas Johansson in the opening round in a difficult section of the draw that also includes 2005 champion Marat Safin, 2005 finalist Lleyton Hewitt and No. 3-ranked Novak Djokovic.

“I know it’s a bit tough, but life is tough — at least, my life was tough — so I guess I have to accept it and deal with it and try to do as best as I can,” Baghdatis said. “I had good preparation here, played three guys in the Top 10, which is a great way to prepare for a Grand Slam. I’m ready for the Open.”

Federer may finally go down at Australian Open?

Will Federer Finally Sink Down Under?

Nadal, Djokovic and Murray billed to dethrone Federer at Australian Open?

Coming for you.

Federer has four strikes against him going into Australian Open. Will they work for, or against him?

1. Stomach freaking virus.

2. Zero freaking match play for about two months.

3. New freaking surface.

4. ‘Tough’ freaking draw, at least compared to the virtual handouts he has had the whole of last year.

Add the rest of the crap like No. 14, Calendar and Golden Grand Slam, Roland Garros, conflicted 2007 season, and it starts to look like a steep mountain.

This is his first season as a 26-year old player. Half of last season, as a 26-year old had many peaks and valleys, adding to all the rest of the ‘doubt inducing’ BS.

This season is not like any of the past four seasons in many ways. There are many areas which cannot be taken for granted anymore. Despite what he said about being confident etc. Federer knows and sees the changed horizon more acutely than anyone else.

Will all this awaken a new dimension in his game to reach another level, or will it be the beginning of an end? This Grand Slam should provide many clues to where he is mentally vis a vis the new landscape.

Roddick wins Kooyong without dropping a set.

“Getting through an event like this and not getting broken is a pretty good effort … hopefully it’s indicative of what I can do in the next couple of weeks,” Roddick said. “Winning this event just means I’m well prepared for the Aussie Open.”

While beating Ljubicic and Safin was not too big a deal, but getting them in straight sets while dishing one bagel IS one. And to cap it with another straight setter against Baghdatis, is ample proof, how much that Davis Cup win, has amped up his intensity and execution on the court.

With a super friendly draw at the AO, Roddick cannot ask for a anything more. This could be one of those dicey situations for Roddick, mentally.

If, despite all that’s going for him, he is unable to at least reach the finals at the AO, that sword he is carrying, may turn on him instead. So far, he has shown great resiliency, specially after getting drubbed by Federer repeatedly, but this is a new platform, he is on, right now. Will be interesting to see how he responds.

Roger rocks. From Katie. Thanks.

Katie | 

Here’s a new video of Roger. I love the choice of music–loads of attitude for the AO.

Psychological warfare in sports. Federer and Nadal employing it?

 

Here is an excerpt from Schwarzenegger’s book on body building on this topic:

“There is always a psychological element in any sports competition. Athletic performance at the highest levels requires a tremendous degree of self-confidence and concentration, and anything that interferes with either will seriously threaten the athlete’s chances of winning.

Psyching out your opponents, or gamesmanship, is common to all sports. Before his fight with Sonny Liston in the 1960′s, Muhammad Ali appeared at the weigh in screaming and hysterical, apparently totally out of his mind, and really shook up the then heavyweight champion. I know of a swimmer who admits to suddenly checking his suit just before the gun sounds to start the race, knowing that one or two of his opponents will begin to wonder if their own suits are in order and look down to check just as the starting pistol fires – breaking their concentration and causing them to hesitate a fraction of a second as the race starts.

None of this is cheating. Cheating is when you break the rules, not when you take advantage of an opponent’s psychological weakness. When you think about it, anyone who wishes to claim the title of champion should be the master of his own mind as well as of his sport. If he isn’t, and psyching him throws him, then he has no business complaining.

One of the most famous examples of psyching out in bodybuilding occurred during the 1975 IFBB Mr. Universe contest in South Africa. Ken Waller, the ultimate winner, more as a joke than anything else, made away with Mike Katz’s T-shirt – nothing that would actually prevent him from competing, but just one more thing Mike had to deal with in a situation in which the pressures were already almost overwhelming. Although the movie exaggerated how Mike actually took this prank, I believe he did waste a certain amount of time and concentration looking for his T-shirt – and when you are in a competition on this level, you can’t afford to waste anything.

I have to confess to having used similar tactics myself on occasion. In the 1980 Olympia I was standing onstage next to Frank Zane and started telling him jokes. Soon he was laughing so hard he could hardly hit his poses. In another contest I repeated to Serge Nubret that one of the judges had remarked that he looked too small and probably should have been in the lighter category. “That’s what I was afraid of,” he told me, and from that moment on he was obsessed with this idea, kept asking me how he looked, and his posing was thrown way off because he was reluctant to do certain shots that he felt was too light to bring off. In close contests like those between Serge and me, psychological factors can be decisive.

Franco had a direct way of psyching out his opponents before a contest. He would arrange for somebody to telephone him when one of his competitors was training in World Gym. Franco would hasten to the gym, do a few warm-up sets, the take off his training suit and run around the gym in just a pair of shorts. Most bodybuilders like to keep themselves covered when they are getting ready for the contest, but Franco acted as if he were totally unconcerned about his competition and was eager to show off what good shape he was in. I saw Chris Dickerson practically run out of the gym once when Franco pulled this stunt and then challenged Chris to take off his shirt too. So you can see how far in advance of a competition psychological warfare can begin.”