Ivan Ljubicic & Jelena Jankovic Win The Indian Wells Masters Tennis Events.
Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia, defeated Andy Roddick of the United States in straight sets 7-6 7-6 to win the Indian Wells Masters event. Roddick had a 7 to 3 edge in his head to head series against Ljubicic so this victory was an upset. Roddick was playing well all week, but once again in a high profile match he finds a way to lose.
How many times can the American media make excuses for Andy Roddick’s lack of mental toughness?
Why is there this reticence in the USA press to criticize Roddick?
Last year, in the 2009 Wimbledon final Roddick had numerous opportunities to defeat Roger Federer but he was not bold and he lost. Roddick is not a
“winner” anymore. Yes, Roddick manages to win minors events such as the Brisbane International but he has failed to win a Masters shield or grand slam for years.
Andy Roddick is very overrated and he is not one of the true top contenders in men’s tennis. Roddick is a part of the second tier below the elite players Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. It is obvious to discern, that Roddick will never win another grand slam “unless” Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal lose early in a major. Roddick has proven over the years he is simply not talented enough to “beat” the best players in a grand slam that’s the reason why he hasn’t won a major since the 2003 US OPEN.
The young male tennis players Novak Djokovic, Juan Martin Del Potro, and Andy Murray are more talented than Andy Roddick. However, Djokovic, Murray, and Del Potro still need to become more consistent at the grand slams. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are still leaders of the pack they are clearly superior to the rest of the ATP Tour.
Meanwhile, Jelena Jankovic of Serbia she won her first title since the Cincinnati Masters event in August 2009. Jankovic easily defeated Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark in straight sets 6-2 -6-4.
I believe Jankovic has the potential to win a grand slam event but she most continue to be bold and aggressive in the big matches. Jankovic has a beautiful game she is extremely athletic,she has powerful groundstrokes, and she is very quick. The problem for Jankovic is, sometimes she can be passive and she cannot afford to play the passive game anymore.
Jankovic can win the French Open,she is an excellent clay court player. The question for Jelena Jankovic is, does she honestly believe she can defeat the Belgians Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters or Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia on clay? I hope the Indian Wells victory can help Jankovic recover her self-confidence.
Wozniacki her ranking will rise to number two in the world. Although the WTA tour computer says Wozniacki is the number two, she is not “real” number two player in the world.
Wozniacki is typical of some European players, she plays a plethora of events to elevate her ranking but she is not a grand slam contender. Wozniacki’s game is boring to watch and she is just a counter puncher.
Wozniacki she waits patiently for her opponents to make errors but this type of game does not work against the top women. Wozniacki is young, she is only nineteen years old but I just feel something is lacking from her game to make her a threat at the grand slams. Maybe, in a year or two Caroline Wozniacki can become a contender but I don’t see anything special about her game. Wozniacki’s game lacks the spark and fire necessary to be a contender.
The top women have the consistency to blast Wozniacki off the court. If Wozniacki wants to win a grand slam she must develop a more aggressive game on the court. Wozniacki has also failed to deliver in big matches she continues to lose high-profile finals.
Daily Mail UK Article: Monica Seles Says Serena Williams Has The Potential To Be Better Than Steffi Graf.
Monica Seles: Why I believe Serena Williams will be The Greatest
By Ian Stafford
Monica Seles believes Serena Williams can become the greatest women’s tennis player of all time by beating Margaret Court’s incredible record of 24 Grand Slam titles.
While Williams, at 28, is only halfway to that total, Seles, the former world No 1 and winner of nine Grand Slam titles herself, insists that the achievement is still not beyond her.
Courting greatness: Serena Williams has the potential to break the Grand Slam record
‘I appreciate she’s got a bit to go yet, but really think she’ll do it because she has the potential to be the greatest player of all time. Serena now possesses every attribute required to be the best, and to stay the best.
‘She has a great serve, a sweet return, fantastic movement and all this is combined with awesome power. As if this is not enough, no player comes close to being as mentally strong as her.’
To beat the Grand Slam record of Australian legend Court, Williams would have to increase her annual tally of titles considerably.
Since the ‘Serena Slam’ of 2002-2003, during which she won an incredible five titles, injuries and erratic form have restricted her Grand Slam wins to six in seven years
But Seles is adamant that -despite the evidence of her abusive outburst against a line judge at last year’s US Open, for which she received a suspended three-year ban from the tournament – Williams has matured professionally and personally.
Troubled: Monica Seles had her career ruined by a knife attack
‘We all know that Serena has had some difficult moments, especially the passing of her older sister, as well as some injury and motivational problems,’ said Seles.
‘But she has proved how tough she is to bounce back in such style when everyone seemed to have written her off.
‘Now I believe she’s matured as a woman and has a balanced life.
‘She used to be criticised before for not committing every single minute of the day to tennis, but believe her other interests have kept her mentally fresh and her love for the game intact.’
Williams won two Slams last year, including her third Wimbledon title, and started 2010 by winning the Australian Open in emphatic style.
Seles believes that not even the return from retirement of the two Belgians, Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters, will stop the American from dominating the women’s game.
‘I reckon Serena’s playing her best tennis ever right now,’ said Seles. ‘She seems to have moved up a gear. She’s moved on.
‘You can’t really make comparisons with previous eras, but it’s hard to see any of the greats living with Serena when she’s playing as well as she did in the Australian Open.’
Seles could well have doubled her own tally of major titles, such was her dominance of the women’s game in the early Nineties. But her career was derailed by the knife attack on her by an obsessive fan, and her subsequent depression saw her become addicted to food and her weight balloon.
‘I was No1 in the world, then a terrible thing happened to me and the stabbing, together with my father battling with cancer, made me very depressed,’ she said.
‘That was when I turned to food and suddenly was carrying an extra 40lb of weight.
‘It was only when stopped playing tennis that was able to deal with my addiction.
‘I’m not one to ask “what if?” The truth is I’ll never know what might have happened. What I do know is that I’d won eight Grand Slams before was even 20 years old, so it’s reasonable to assume might have won a good many more if it hadn’t been for the stabbing.
‘To think about that, however, would be dangerous, depressing and not achieving anything.
‘I prefer to go around schools in America and address the rising obesity problem. As I suffered from it myself, know what I’m talking about.
‘I bring a 10lb weight vest with me and ask kids to run around wearing it, pointing out that this, and much more, was the extra weight carried while playing tennis.
‘With the President’s Council in America they’re really looking to combat childhood and female obesity and I’m very committed to helping the cause because I know how much misery it causes.’
Seles is also keen to promote skill over looks in tennis.
‘I was bombarded with a certain image of a glamorous tennis player when I started out,’ she explained.
‘I went the other way, always wearing a hat because all I was interested in was winning, not looking pretty. It’s important for girls to know this.
‘Sport is about winning, not how you look, and girls need to understand this for their own self-esteem.’
CAMH Social Anxiety & Disorder’s Clinic Information.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Clinic
The Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Clinic provides short-term treatment of depression. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, a type of psychotherapy, can help many people struggling with depression to deal more effectively with this problem. People learn to recognize that their thinking styles can contribute to the sad moods and despair that characterize depression. With time, they come to see alternatives to what their minds habitually tell them. The CBT Clinic also conducts ongoing research to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment and to refine understanding of what is most helpful to clients.
Referral Required: Yes, from Family Doctor or Psychiatrist
Contact: (416) 535-8501, ext. 4877
Contact: Fax: (416) 260-4208
Location: 11th Floor, 250 College St. Toronto, Ontario
I Want To Connect With The Gay Black Male Community In Toronto.
Since I have social anxiety disorder, sometimes I become very withdrawn, self conscious, and isolated. In the last few months, I have made several serious attempts to address my social anxiety.
For instance, last year I was involved in group therapy at the Centre For Addiction & Mental Health in Toronto at the College street site. I thought I was “crazy” because the CAMH building is a mental health hospital for people with “mental health issues.”
The psychologist at CAMH, she said social anxiety disorder is actually very common. The cognitive behavioural therapy lasted three months from September to December 2009. The Cognitive behaviorial therapy is also “free”. I believe anyone in the Greater Toronto Area please contact the Centre For Addiction & Mental Health if you believe you require support.
The cognitive behaviorial therapy was hard work but I believe it has helped me to realize a few things. The first obvious issue I realize is a I have a choice. I have a choice to either remain isolated, depressed, and unhappy or change my life.
Of course, it can be tough meeting “new people” because I worry about a lot of things. For instance, I wonder “do I sound strange”, or “will I fit in”, or “am I talking enough”, things like that.
For a long time, I did not trust people and I definitely did not trust men. Last year, at an informal social anxiety support group which is run by the amazing Earla Dunbar at the College Street site I met two nice heterosexual women. I have known the two heterosexual women for exactly one year now. I have visited their homes, gone to the movies with them, hanged out at bars and pubs, coffee shops. I really feel good about my development.
I now have two new female friends this is a new experience for me. I used to live in this “gay bubble” this gay universe where the only people I socialized with were other homosexuals. I learned from my two female heterosexual friends that straight people are not bad people they are just people.
Although I have formed two new friendships with the straight women, I still feel there is a void in my life. I no longer have the “gay connection” that I once had. I realize that my “gay life” is an important part of my life. Last year, I was involved in another community that wasn’t my own.
I received an e-mail earlier this week about a new black gay men’s group in Toronto. I decided after my lecture on Friday to attend the black gay men’s group. I am glad I attended. It was nice being in the company of other gay black men. I thought the turn out for yesterday’s meeting was kind of low but I am happy that I went to the group.
Last fall, I attended another gay men’s group but all the other members were white gay men. Now, I will say, the white gay men at the group and the facilitators are nice people.
However, I felt uncomfortable at the group. I was thinking why do I feel this way? After all, the white gay men at the group were also gay and friendly, but I just felt I did not belong there.
I am cognizant, it is important for me to reconnect with my “blackness” and be more involved with the “black gay community” in Toronto. It does require some research and homework but I feel this is important to me.
Another blogger Aulelia, she said it is very important for a black person to have black friends to know people that are the same race. Although Toronto is a multicultural city, I think Aulelia made a cogent argument.
I had relationships and friendships with gay men in the past that were not black. Some of the non black people I knew were indeed nice people, but I am not sure they “truly” understood my perspective.
However, I now realize that reconnecting with the black gay community is important to me.
The reason why is, I don’t have to “explain” “certain issues” to another black person about what it means to be “black” they just “get it”.
I haven’t connected with a group of black gay men yet but I believe I will. I will if I continue to get out there and make the effort to meet more black people.
Jesse James Cheated On Sandra Bullock Because They Are From Different Classes & Different Worlds.
Although Academy Award winning actress Sandra Bullock has received an avalanche of sympathy from the masses, the truth is she does not deserve the public’s sympathy.
The real reason Jesse James and Sandra Bullock’s marriage is on the rocks is due to class and not infidelity.
It is obvious to discern, that Bullock and James are from different worlds. Sometimes love is not enough, the truth is class still matters.
Jesse James he is being constructed as a man who had it all but maybe he didn’t have it all?
Maybe, James felt claustrophobic?
According to media reports, Jesse James mistress Michelle McGee she was paid $30,000 dollars by American tabloid magazine “In Touch Weekly.”
McGee she says she had sex with Jesse James while Sandra Bullock was filming “The Blind Side” last year.
Since fifty percent of heterosexual marriages end in divorce, the fact Jesse James cheated on Sandra Bullock is hardly surprising.
The surprise is, the fact that this sex scandal proves nobody can really “have it all.“
Yes, Jesse James cheated on Sandra Bullock but he was never a part of Sandra Bullock’s A list Hollywood world anyway. Bullock is an A list international Hollywood superstar she belongs to a very privileged world.
Hollywood A list actresses have stylists, personal trainers, nutritionists, personal assistants, publicists, they have an entourage a team that work to make the actress look “perfect”. Unfortunately, ordinary women aspire to “be” just like Sandra Bullock they see her in designer gowns with her fit toned body dreaming they had her “Hollywood life.” Instead of valuing their own lives, some women dream they can be “Sandra Bullock.”
Bullock is at the top of her profession and this must have been very emasculating for Jesse James. Bullock campaigned hard for her best actress Oscar she wanted to win at all costs. Jesse James he was always in Sandra Bullock’s shadow and he felt less than a real man.
Sandra Bullock she has more money, more power, and more fame than Jesse James will ever have. We are supposed to be in this post feminist world where women and men are equal.
However, some men still believe they should be the “breadwinner” and not be in the “back seat” to their wives or girlfriends.
I am not excusing James behaviour, but I can understand it. Jesse James has a reality TV show, he likes motorcycles, he is from a lower class, than Sandra Bullock. Bullock probably wanted some “excitement” in her life and she decided to marry James. Well, James former wife is a porn star and Bullock smashed his previous marriage. Bullock waited until she reached her forties to get married.
Of course, nobody mentions the fact that Sandra Bullock was in a bitter custody dispute with James and his former wife porn star Janine Lindemulder. James is the ultimate bad boy he has the smug expression on his face, the tattoos, the dirty track record with trashy women.
Meanwhile, Sandra Bullock she is the opposite, she is America’s “aging sweetheart”. A lot of women like Bullock because they identify with her. Bullock is attractive, but she is not a sultry alluring woman. Sandra Bullock she is not a stunning beauty like Charlize Theron or Halle Berry.
The female film audience are not threatened by Sandra Bullock that’s part of the reason why she is so successful. The common women can identify with Sandra Bullock they believe she can be their girlfriend, pal, or acquaintance. Sandra Bullock’s marketing strategy is very effective her “brand” is the fact she presents her self as an “ordinary woman” despite her “extraordinary” success, celebrity status, and wealth.
Maybe Sandra Bullock really is a “down to earth” kind of woman? Or perhaps, this is just a part of Sandra Bullock’s formula, to connect with the female movie audience?
Berry and Theron are incredibly beautiful women and Sandra Bullock is attractive but she crafted the persona that she just the girl next door that made it in Hollywood. Sandra Bullock’s image is she is self deprecating, funny, intelligent, and charming.
Bullock revived her career with two blockbuster hits in 2009 the “Proposal” and “The Blind Side”. Bullock is the first woman ever in Hollywood history to headline a movie all by herself that grossed over $200 million dollars.
The reason Sandra Bullock won the Oscar for best actress wasn’t because of her acting talent, it was because she is very respected in Hollywood. Bullock’s shallow victory is very similar to Julia Robert’s shallow victory for the overrated “Erin Brockovich.”
The Academy decided to cement Bullock’s A list status by rewarding her with the Oscar. Did Sandra Bullock deserve the Oscar for “The Blind Side?” Of course not!
Meryl Streep, Gabourey Sidibe, and Carey Mulligan performances were superior to Sandra Bullock’s. Bullock is the first actress to win the best actress Oscar and the razzie award in the same year for worst actress for her dreadful performance in the film “All About Steve.”
Since Jesse James is a bad boy, he probably felt very uncomfortable hanging out at all those Hollywood parties with Bullock and all her A list friends. Bullock probably didn’t see it, or didn’t want to see it but James did.
James probably realized he really did not fit into Bullock’s A list world so subconsciously he decided to get angry and get back at Sandra. James became angry that he was living in a fish bowl that he could not be himself.
Jesse James just gravitated back to the world he is most comfortable with the trashy porn stars and lower class women. James probably felt very intimidated and terrified by Sandra Bullock`s success.
Sandra Bullock built her fortune by perpetuating the myth that women across the world can one day “meet” the perfect man. The romantic comedies are all about this mythical happy heterosexual ending.
The demise of Sandra Bullock’s marriage proves “nobody” really has the “perfect” life just like the Hollywood romantic comedies.
The reason people love romantic comedies is because we can escape from our mundane boring lives and become a part of the dream factory. The public supports the romantic comedy genre because we want to believe that one day we will meet our prince charming that he will be perfect and we will ride into the sunset.
Whether people want to admit it or not, pop culture is a part of our lives. The tabloids make millions of dollars a year because millions of people live their dreams vicariously through the lives of Hollywood celebrities like Sandra Bullock. Except, Sandra Bullock she was supposed to be different, she’s not a snob, or bitch, or a drug addict she’s a “normal” person.
We love Sandra Bullock because we watch her romantic comedies and we can escape from our problems and dream we will meet the perfect man who will sweep us off our feet.
The romantic comedies all have the happy ending, except in the real life things don’t always end that way. Sometimes we get the guy, or we get the guy we think is
good, and we still get burned.
Sometimes real life sucks and the real life for Sandra Bullock sucks right now.
Sandra Bullock joins the list of all the A list best actress Oscar winners burned by the Oscar curse.
Here is the Best Actress Oscar Curse hit list:
1997 Helen Hunt won the Oscar for “As Good As It Gets” she divorced her husband Hank Azaria.
2000 Julia Roberts scored an Academy Award for the film “Erin Brockovich” but her romance with Benjamin Bratt fizzled.
2002 Halle Berry won for her performance in “Monster’s Ball” she soon divorced singer Eric Benet.
2003 Charlize Theron won the Oscar for her breakthrough performance in “Monster“ her romance with Stuart Townsend ended this year.
2005 Hilary Swank she won her second Academy Award for “Million Dollar Baby” her marriage failed with Chad Lowe.
2006 Reese Witherspoon won an Oscar for her performance in “Walk The Line” her husband Ryan Phillippe was jealous and their marriage ended.
2009 Kate Winslet won an Academy Award for her performance in “The Reader” her marriage is on the rocks with director Sam Mendes.
Gayblackcanada 