A boisterous Italian crowd watched hometown favorite Andrea Seppi knock off Isner 2-6, 7-6 (5) 7-5 at the Foro Italico’s Court Pietrangeli. The picturesque court, which is sunk into the ground and surrounded by marble statues, has fast become my favorite non-Slam No. 3 venue because of the noisy atmosphere it generates. Add in the presence of an Italian player like Seppi, and any player would feel like he’s playing a Davis Cup match.

Isner was understandably devastated after a second straight early departure. The 27-year-old American saved 11 consecutive break points before finally dropping serve at 5-5 in the third set, a break that proved decisive. Unless he takes a wild card into next week’s tournament in Nice, France, Isner will head into Roland Garros with only one victory from tune-up tournaments in Madrid and Rome. Not great for a guy whose confidence on European clay was soaring only a month ago.

Earlier in the day, Petra Cetkovska eliminated Radwanska 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, joining No. 1 Victoria Azarenka as the only players to beat the world No. 3 this year. Radwanska complained afterward about fatigue and back problems due to her heavy workload on clay, but, oddly, she’s still confirmed to play a WTA event in Brussels next week. The smart move would be to withdraw and give her body a rest before the French Open. Clay is Radwanska’s worst surface, and playing through her weariness could hamper her grass season. Why risk it?

As for Wozniacki, her beau, Rory McIlroy, flew all the way here for nothing. The former No. 1, who hasn’t won a title all year and has seen her ranking drop to No. 8, retired to Anabel Medina Garrigues trailing 6-4, 4-0 because of an upper respiratory illness.

Rounding out a day of upsets, Julia Goerges routed No. 7 seed Marion Bartoli 6-3, 6-1, and Stanislas Wawrinka rolled over eighth-seeded Janko Tipsarevic 6-3, 6-1.

As for the near-upsets, Williams came back to defeat Nadia Petrova 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. Petrova, who is coached by Ricardo Sanchez (the man who questioned the Williams sisters’ desire last week), came flying out of the gate and it took Serena some time to reel her back in. While the Russian grew visibly frustrated as the match progressed, Williams remained eerily calm even though she wasn’t at her best. She finished her first-round match at midnight on Tuesday and the quick turnaround affected her performance.

“When I saw the schedule, I said, ‘Oh, my God, are you serious?’” Williams said. “That’s life. You just have to be able to adjust and make the best of it, and so I was really happy to come through today.”

Buoyed by the win, Williams was her entertaining self during her post-match press conference. She quoted Britney Spears (“I am a girl and not yet a woman”), threatened her friends who leaked her rap song (“My back-stabbing friends did that to me and so if I see them, I will act like a rapper, if you get my drift”) and offered Novak Djokovic her undying friendship. Djokovic can complete the non-calendar Grand Slam at the French Open, a feat Williams accomplished in 2002-2003 when she won the French Open, Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and the Australian Open. Asked how significant of an achievement that would be for Djokovic, Williams said it would be “unbelievable” and added, “I don’t even think Roger [Federer] did it. If Novak does it, then he can join my club and we can be best friends.”

Sloane Stephens, 19, has steadily improved and beat a former top-five player in Rome on Tuesday. (Getty Images)

ROME — Sloane Stephens has never been allergic to Europe’s red clay, and why should she be? A speedy athlete with enough power to get the ball through the court, Stephens has had some of her best results in Europe. Her sole professional title was at an ITF event in Reggio Emelia in Italy last year, which paved the way for her successful qualifying campaign at the French Open.

“Roland Garros is my favorite tournament,” Stephens told SI.com at the Italian Open. “I love Paris.”

Another woman who loves Paris is Serena Williams, and the two bonded while in Ukraine for Fed Cup in April. Asked whether she would get a chance to see Serena’s famed apartment in Paris, Stephens said she wasn’t sure. “I’m not allowed into her residence until I’m 21,” Stephens deadpanned. “So I don’t think that’s gonna happen. I think that’s better for all of us.”

She’s probably right.

Now ranked No. 92 and likely to crack the top 80 after this week, Stephens — whose player credential reads “Skane Stephens” in Rome — won’t have to qualify for the French Open and she’s had some good preparation so far. She’s made it through qualifying in both Estoril and Rome, and on Tuesday she knocked off former world No. 5 Anna Chakvetadze 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 for her first main draw win on clay this year. Stephens fell to Flavia Pennetta 6-2, 6-3 on Wednesday.

SI.com sat down with Stephens after Tuesday’s victory and fired off some questions from our Q&A bag while the 20-year-old American noshed on paella in the players’ dining area. “I think it’s the food here that makes you play good,” she said. Rome definitely treated her well.

Quick hits with Sloane Stephens

The last thing you Googled: “Who had the most rushing yards in a game [in the NFL], and the answer was Adrian Peterson. 296 yards.”

Players or celebrities you’ve been mistaken for: “Yeah, Serena. Venus sometimes too. Everywhere.”

Your last meal would be …: “My grandma’s macaroni and cheese, my grandpa’s jerk pork, the peach cobbler from this lady who’s one of my grandparents’ friends, and this bread that my grandpa makes. With an iced tea.”

Best perk of being a tennis player: “The travel is good. I haven’t had any bad experiences. But on the way here I had to pay 240 euros for an extra bag. Just so you know, Mom.”

Karaoke song of the moment: “Miley Cyrus, Party in the U.S.A. I love it. It’s on my iPod today.”

• Novak Djokovic and Maria Sharapova launch Head’s “Golden Ticket”-style contest in a new commercial.

• Marion Bartoli, tells Tennis Channel that once the Olympics are over, she’s prepared to unleash a “big war” on the French tennis federation. The FFT has refused to give Bartoli an exemption to play the Olympics because she’s refused to play Fed Cup.

“The Olympics is last thing the [FFT] has and they can play their cards into the Olympics, but after that it’s going to be hard on them because then it’s my turn to criticize them,” she said. “For 15 years I have not been saying anything, but after the Olympics it’s going to be the start of a really big war, trust me.”

• Kamakshi Tandon has a great summary of the increased cattiness amongst the top women of the WTA and she makes a great point: The last few years have been defined by feel good stories (look at the Slam winners) and nice girl platitudes. That’s out the window now and I have to say, while it’s not necessarily better or worse for the sport, it sure does keep things interesting.

It’s been almost like the good old days (or bad old days) of bitter rivalries like Serena Williams-Justine Henin, Henin-Kim Clijsters, Serena-Sharapova, Ivanovic-Jankovic. The tension-filled triangle could meet again this week in Rome, with Azarenka and Radwanska drawn for yet another potential semifinal meeting, and Sharapova possibly waiting in the final for whoever wins. There are plenty of other contenders in the draw — including last week’s Madrid champ Williams — but no one has traded groundstrokes, or words, like the top trio so far this season.

• Serena Williams joins Ryan Lochte and Hope Solo on the cover of Vogue.

• Frederik Nielsen takes issue with people dismissing Sam Groth’s 263 km/h serve — the fastest serve recorded — just because it was at a Challenger event. Nielsen’s point is well-taken, but he’ll have to forgive a bit of skepticism when calibrated guns record Ana Ivanovic serving one at 288 km/h in Rome. Yeah, machines can’t always be trusted, SkyNet taught us that.

• Thoughts on Novak Djokovic’s new kit? It’s very Serby.

• Non-tennis: Here are 11 awesome mascots from the NBA. Bango the Buck and his sidekick might take the cake.

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• Roger Federer gives his wife, Mirka, a Mother’s Day kiss as his twin daughters look on. “Ewwww … quit it, mom and dad!” the invisible thought bubble says.

• Lleyton Hewitt hopes to return at the French Open after making a speedy recovery from foot surgery. Hewitt will try to extend his streak of consecutive years making the third round to a remarkable 11th straight year, but one wonders if he’d be better off resting and training for Wimbledon.

• A few final hits from Madrid: Steve Tignor and Christopher Clarey offer their final thoughts on Madrid’s blue clay, and I missed this quote from Federer the first time around because I was on a plane:

“If you want to be a good claycourt player, you must be able to play everywhere. Madrid has taken a gamble with blue clay. It’s always a little different here because of the altitude and we must sit down with the other players to discuss it. It is slippy, there’s no doubt about that but that has been the case here for a few years. They haven’t yet found the perfect balance. Our job each day is to adapt to the conditions that we face.”

• Longtime tournament manager Charlie Pasarell is stepping down from his management position at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. He’ll leave the tournament in the experienced hands of Steve Simon and Raymond Moore. And yes, don’t panic: Larry Ellison is still involved.

• Peter Bodo wonders if there are too many Masters events and whether that’s going to be a problem as the sport continues to grow.

• Nice photo recap of Monday’s action in Rome. The text is in Italian, but the pictures are universal.

• The Bryans are snapped by Annie Leibovitz for Vogue.

• A gallery of pics of the WTA’s publicity efforts in Rome over the weekend.

• Non-tennis: Bookmarked blog: The Worst Things For Sale.

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After capturing the Madrid Open title, Roger Federer hasn’t announced whether he will play in the Italian Open. (Getty Images)

ROME — If you can believe it, we’re one week away from the start of the French Open (qualifying begins May 22nd) and it’s only now that we’ll get to see (hopefully) a full ATP and WTA field go at it on the traditional European red clay. The Internazionali BNL D’Italia is already underway in Rome, where tournament organizers are waiting with bated breath to see if Roger Federer will withdraw from the tournament. The newly crowned Madrid champ landed in Rome on Monday, but says he’ll wait to make a decision after he gets a couple of days rest.

If Federer’s body is feeling the ill-effects from Madrid — his first tournament since losing to Andy Roddick in Miami — then it makes sense not to risk his health this close to the French Open. But that would mean his only preparation for the French would be a quasi-indoor tournament on blue clay that bears no resemblance, in color or play, to the dirt in Paris. That’s a tough calculus to make, but I’d be surprised to see him skip Rome. If Federer does play then we’ll have the top four into a draw for the first time since Miami.

Men’s draw breakdown

Djokovic’s half: Novak said coming back to the red clay in Rome after the calamity of Madrid “felt like paradise.”  The Italians love him here and why wouldn’t they? He has an Italian clothing sponsor and he’s fluent in the native language as well. The defending champion has drawn Federer in his half, along with Juan Martin del Potro, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Janko Tipsarevic and John Isner. Del Potro and Tsonga are scheduled for a third round clash and if Isner can put together a string of wins, he could face Federer in the quarterfinals in a rematch of their Davis Cup match. Keep an eye on John. He needs to make a statement here after a disappointing loss in his first match in Madrid.

Nadal’s half: Rafa may have dodged a bullet when Milos Raonic lost to Florian Mayer in the first round on Sunday, denying fans of a highly anticipated match-up against the surging Canuck. But Tomas Berdych is in his quarter and the Czech is looking very solid on clay this year, making the semifinals of Monte Carlo and finals in Madrid. Anything less than the final will be a major disappointment for Rafa.

And then there’s Andy Murray. The Brit pulled out of Madrid citing a back injury that he says is all healed up, and given his pre-tournament comments it sounds like his decision to skip Madrid was more about avoiding the blue clay and continuing his training on red clay than any real injury concern. He’ll be looking to jumpstart his clay season, but he’s got the trickiest road to the semifinals of any of the top four. His projected route: David Nalbandian, Richard Gasquet, David Ferrer and then Rafa in the semis.

Early-round matches to watch: Del Potro vs. Michael Llodra (first round), Gilles Simon vs. Donald Young (first round), Richard Gasquet vs. Jurgen Melzer (first round), Sam Querrey vs. Nicolas Almagro (second round), Djokovic vs. Bernard Tomic (second round), Ferrer vs. Verdasco (second round), Murray vs. Nalbandian (second round), Del Potro vs. Tsonga (third round).

My pick: Nadal def. Federer.

Women’s draw breakdown

As for the ladies, Serena Williams is the focus as she tries to win her third straight title on clay. Despite her 13-0 clay record this year, questions remain as to her form on “true clay”, as her two wins were on Charleston’s green clay and Madrid’s blue. A win in Rome would solidify her as the presumptive favorite for Roland Garros. Can anyone stop her?

Azarenka’s half: One of these days the Tennis Gods will let Agnieszka Radwanska off the hook for whatever she’s done to tick them off, but today is not that day. She’s been drawn into Azarenka’s half of the draw once again, but this time she’s got a huge roadblock in her way: Serena. If Serena can get past Caroline Wozniacki in the third round, she could play Radwanska in the quarterfinals. Radwanska hasn’t lost to anyone other than Vika all year. Serena could end that streak. As for Azarenka, she’s got a pretty clean road to the quarterfinals where she could square up against Li Na for the second week in a row. Both of their matches in 2012 have gone the full three sets with Azarenka winning. Beating Azarenka here would be a huge statement as Li heads into Paris to defend her title.

Sharapova’s half: Maria’s road to the final is a tough one. She could face Christina McHale, Ana Ivanovic, Sam Stosur and Petra Kvitova just to get there. But the player to watch here is Kvitova. By this time last year the Czech already had three titles. This year she’s still trying to make her first tournament final. With semifinal appearances at the Australian Open and Stuttgart, it’s hard to say she’s mired in a slump. But… you know… she’s mired in a slump.

Aside from the big names, keep an eye on the women who are on the brink of establishing themselves as legitimate spoilers in Paris: Ivanovic, Stosur, Marion Bartoli, and Venus Williams. All four are floating in Sharapova’s half.

Early-round matches to watch: Maria Kirilenko vs. Flavia Pennetta (first round), Sloane Stephens vs. Anna Chakvetadze (first round), Jelena Jankovic vs. Sorana Cirstea (first round), Venus Williams vs. Simona Halep (first round), Sharapova vs. McHale (second round), Bartoli vs. Julia Goerges (second round), Sharapova vs. Ivanovic (third round), Serena vs. Wozniacki (third round), Azarenka vs. Dominika Cibulkova (third round).

My pick: Serena def. Sharapova.

Rafael Nadal fell to No. 3 in the rankings after a third-round loss to Fernando Verdasco in Madrid. (Getty Images)

ROME — Rafael Nadal trails Roger Federer in the rankings for the first time in nearly two years, having dropped to No. 3 after his third-round loss in Madrid to Fernando Verdasco. It’s the first time Nadal has been ranked No. 3 since May 10, 2010, but the Spaniard isn’t fazed.

“To arrive with No. 2 or No. 3 is not going to change my goal,” Nadal said after arriving here for the Italian Open. “The goal is the same if you are No. 2, No. 3 or No. 10. If you are No. 3 or No. 2, you have to win. It doesn’t really change the semifinals. You have to win against the best, even if you are No. 2 or No. 3. Doesn’t make a big difference.”

Nadal returned home to Mallorca after losing in Madrid to spend time with his family and partake in his favorite hobby, fishing. Now back to work, Nadal said he’s not concerned about the momentary drop. As he pointed out, he’s only 115 points behind Federer and 570 points behind Novak Djokovic in the Race rankings, which measure a player’s performance in the calendar year as opposed to the regular rankings, which track performance over the last 52 weeks. For Nadal, it’s all about the Race rankings.

“I really don’t know much about the [rankings] — seriously — but the Race says what you have been doing since the beginning of the season,” Nadal said. “When I start the year in January, I understand that like a league — a soccer league — you start and finish and the ranking is there but the Race is when you know how you are doing. The Race is the real points that you are playing. That is the only thing that I follow, the Race. You start from zero and finish your season at No. 6, No. 2., No. 1, No. 5 and then you come back to zero. That is the way I understand the sport.”

Serena Williams is 13-0 on clay this year, with titles in Madrid and Charleston. (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

The Report Card hands out grades for the week in tennis. This past week, Roger Federer continued his stellar year, Serena Williams fired up a flare for all to see and Madrid’s blue clay dominated the headlines.

Madrid Open: B-plus. For all of the drama, the tournament actually turned out to be highly entertaining. In fact, I wouldn’t mind this nutty surface if it were used outside of the lead-up period for the French Open. It yielded fast, aggressive, first-strike tennis, which was refreshing given the trend toward slowing down courts around the world. But as I said last week, players shouldn’t be forced to play this style on these substandard courts in advance of Roland Garros.

Serena Williams: A. Let’s look at her record on clay this year: two titles (her only titles), 5-0 on green clay, 2-0 on red clay and 6-0 on blue clay. All the while she insists that clay is actually her favorite surface, even preferring it over grass. Sure, the blue and green clay aren’t substitutes for the true European red clay at the French Open, and her red-clay wins were at Fed Cup over two players ranked outside the top 100. But she has beaten Sam Stosur, Caroline Wozniacki, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka on clay this year, and her 6-1, 6-3 destruction of No. 1 Azarenka in the Madrid final sent a startling and simple message: I’m back.

Roger Federer: A. Federer collected his Tour-leading fourth title of the year and record-tying 20th Masters trophy, and climbed to No. 2 in the rankings for the first time since March 2011. Oh, and Federer staked his claim to the label of G.O.A.T. on Blue Clay (hey, it’s a thing). This week marks the first time since May 2010 that Federer is ranked ahead of Nadal, and he should send Novak Djokovic a basket of muffins for helping him do it. Djokovic’s 2011 domination of Nadal helped Federer close the point gap, and the 30-year-old Swiss did the rest: Federer is 45-3 with seven titles since his semifinal loss to Djokovic at the 2011 U.S. Open.

Tomas Berdych: A. The Czech didn’t drop a set until the final and he looked at home on the blue clay, taking advantage of his big game on the quick surface to dominate Gael Monfils and Fernando Verdasco and edge Juan Martin del Potro in two tiebreakers. (He even posted New Order’s Blue Monday on his Facebook page mid-week.) With a semifinal appearance in Monte Carlo and runner-up finish in Madrid, he’s rounding into form nicely for the French Open.

Juan Martin del Potro: B-plus. On the heels of winning the Estoril title, Del Potro advanced to the semifinals in Madrid without losing a set, including victories against tricky opponents in Mikhail Youzhny, Marin Cilic and Alexandr Dolgopolov. You have to like Del Potro’s consistency in making the quarterfinals or better in eight of nine tournaments this year, but forgive me for my impatience. I’m still waiting for a big result.

Victoria Azarenka: B. Azarenka hasn’t been quite the same dominant player since winning Indian Wells in mid-March. Back-to-back final losses to Sharapova and Williams have dented her aura and swagger, though really, that process started back in Miami, where she narrowly overcame Dominika Cibulkova before losing to Marion Bartoli. She was pushed deep in the third set in Stuttgart by Mona Barthel, and had to battle for wins over Svetlana Kuznetsova, Andrea Hlavackhova, Ana Ivanovic and Li Na in Madrid. These are minor criticisms, of course, as Azarenka is wearing the No. 1 crown well with her back-to-back finals appearances. But her losses to Williams and Sharapova weren’t even close, and the gap between her and the rest of the field appears to be shrinking.

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal: C. Neither man looked comfortable on the slippery clay all week, and it clearly seemed to affect them mentally. The fast courts favored neither player, and it was awkward watching them try to either adjust (Nadal looked like he was actively trying not to slide when he went wide) or just play through them (Djokovic slipping and sliding all over the place). I can understand their frustration, as Madrid offered them no preparation for their true quest, the title at Roland Garros.

Lucie Hradecka: A. The funny thing is that Hradecka almost skipped Madrid altogether, but her doubles partner persuaded her to give it a go. Though ranked as high as 41st in her career, Hradecka, who turns 27 next week, came into Madrid ranked No. 105. But after making it through qualifying, she scored her first wins over top five players, upsetting Petra Kvitova and Sam Stosur en route to the semifinals. The key to her success: her serve. The Czech fired 55 aces overall, including 19 in a 7-6 (8) 7-6 (6) victory against Stosur.

Petra Kvitova: D. It looks like we’ll have to keep waiting for the Wimbledon champion to snap out of it. Kvitova is 4-4 in WTA Tour matches since getting to the Australian Open semifinals, and the woman who won six titles last year still hasn’t made a final in 2012. Her second-round loss to Hradecka doesn’t seem as bad in retrospect after Hradecka’s career week, and the blue clay was nothing like the surface on which Kvitova won Madrid last year. But no more excuses. Petra needs to start winning again.

Ana Ivanovic: B-minus. It wasn’t a bad showing on the whole by Ivanovic, who defeated a quality player in Nadia Petrova in the second round. Ivanovic had the misfortune of drawing Azarenka in the third round, but the Serb seemed up to the task in building a 4-1 lead. She squandered the lead as quickly as she built it, however, dropping the next five games and eventually losing the match 6-4, 6-4.

Television coverage: F. Television coverage at mandatory tournaments should be mandatory. Simple as that.

Fernando Verdasco scored his first career victory against Rafael Nadal. (Javier Soriano/AFP/Getty Images)

Fernando Verdasco: A. Sure, the surface favored the big-hitting Verdasco, but I don’t care if you’re playing on quicksand, swampland or water: Coming back from down a double break at 2-5 in the third set against Nadal is an incredible achievement, especially by a player who’s just now emerging from a prolonged slump and has a history of shakiness in big moments. To finally topple Nadal after 14 losses in a row, and to do it in his hometown? Heck, I changed my mind, FeVer. You get an “A-plus.”

Milos Raonic: B. Raonic’s form on clay is gradually improving since his poor display in Monte Carlo, where he looked out of sorts in a first-round loss to Albert Montanes. He backed up his semifinal result in Barcelona by beating David Nalbandian in the first round of Madrid before pushing Federer to a third-set tiebreaker. The key for Raonic now will be to get his ranking up so he isn’t constantly running into the top players early. Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen this week in Rome. He lost to Florian Mayer 7-6 (5), 6-4 on Sunday.

Agnieszka Radwanska: C. “C” is for “Congratulations, you made another semifinal and meekly lost to Victoria Azarenka.” That’s the definition of an average performance for the No. 3 player in the world. When it comes to playing Vika, Aga needs an exorcism to get the demons out of her head.

Maria Sharapova: C. Much like Radwanska’s head-to-head with Azarenka, the perceived rivalry between Sharapova and Serena is just that: perceived. They may battle off the court for the marketing spotlight, but ever since Sharapova beat Williams at Wimbledon in 2004 and again at the Tour Championships that year, it’s been all Serena, all the time. Williams has won seven consecutive meetings, including the last two by identical 6-1, 6-3 scores. The women’s game would benefit greatly if Sharapova could turn it around so that matches between the two most prominent stars in the game were actually dramatic tussles.

John Isner: C-minus. In his first match on European clay since beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at Davis Cup in France, Isner fell to Cilic 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3). The question with Isner isn’t about ability or potential. He’s proved that he can bring it in the big matches. But can he bring it when no one’s watching?

Varvara Lepchenko: A-minus. The 25-year-old boosted her hopes of making the U.S. Olympic team with a quarterfinal run in Madrid. The draw opened up nicely for her after she survived qualifying, as she faced only one seed (a slumping Francesca Schiavone) before losing to Radwanska in the quarters. With that result, Lepchenko surged ahead of Venus Williams to become the fourth-ranked American woman, at No. 59, one spot behind Vania King and four ahead of Venus. (The top 56 women in the June 11 rankings receive direct acceptance into the Olympic singles tournament, with a maximum of four per country.) Her progress stalled in Rome, though, as she lost the last round of qualifying to Anna Chakvetadze.

Venus Williams: C. There’s no shame to losing to Angelique Kerber these days, but you’d think the fast blue clay in Madrid would have favored Williams’ game. The second-round exit adds to the pressure over the next three weeks, with Williams needing good results in Rome and Paris to earn her ticket to the London Olympics.

Blue clay: F. Next.

Wonder how our tour would look if european players were skipping American tourneys the way Americans are skipping european tournamets—
Ivan Ljubicic (@IvanLjubicic1) May 12, 2012

As expected, the Americans didn’t hesitate to respond in kind:

@IvanLjubicic1 Pretty sure mardy fish is sick—
John Isner (@JohnIsner) May 12, 2012

RT @MardyFish: @IvanLjubicic1 Some of us aren't skipping tournaments bc we want to. Do ur homework before u make dumb generalized comments—
Ataraxis (@Ataraxis00) May 12, 2012

Fish deleted his tweet almost immediately, but as we all know, nothing ever disappears from the Internet. Roddick finally weighed in on Sunday, offering a diplomatic but pointed response.

I know for a fact that @mardyfish is going through some serious physical issues right now… Irresponsible tweet by @ivanljubicic1—
  (@andyroddick) May 13, 2012

@ivanljubicic1 also I definitely always respect the choices of ATP tour veterans because I know all of us do whats in the best interest of—
  (@andyroddick) May 13, 2012

Our health and our careers ….. I expect the same in return ….. @ivanljubicic1—
  (@andyroddick) May 13, 2012

Granted, this isn’t the first time Americans have skipped the European clay swing, but Ljubicic is way off on his critique this time. John Isner played Madrid, while Ryan Harrison and Donald Young have been camped out in Europe. Ljubicic subsequently apologized for ruffling any feathers.

My tweet regarding american &european players was to open the discussion rather then offend somebody. But i see some people got offended—
Ivan Ljubicic (@IvanLjubicic1) May 13, 2012

And i am sorry for that. Wasnt the plan. And i definitely wish @MardyFish fast recovery!!!—
Ivan Ljubicic (@IvanLjubicic1) May 13, 2012

Like I said, the critique may have been more understandable years ago when Roddick, Fish and James Blake all seemed content to skip the clay season in order to shore up for grass and hard courts. But given the compacted schedule this year, the Olympics being played on grass and the well-documented injury and illnesses of Roddick and Fish, Ljubicic’s editorial was off-base.

• In case you missed it over the weekend, here are the highlights from Serena Williams’ win over Victoria Azarenka in the Madrid final. Come for the ridiculous forehand winner in a point that starts at the 0:55 mark, stay for the hilarious side-glare Serena shoots at the unfortunate-looking trophy at the 2:50 mark.

• Will Smith was at the Madrid final and Roger Federer was at the Men in Black 3 premiere, and both events took place at the Caja Magica. You win, Madrid. I give up.

• Vesna Dolonts is now playing under the Serbian flag.

• Novak Djokovic opens up about losing his grandfather:

“In my childhood when I was in Serbia he took me a lot of times to practice, we went together in the trams in public transportation. Whenever I would lose he would say, ‘You’re not sad, right?’ I’d say, ‘No, no I’m not sad,’ even though I was. He would say, ‘Don’t be sad. Come on, it’s just one match. You play so many matches. Life goes on’.”

• Serena says the men are “weenies” for complaining about the blue clay all week. But the best part is Reuters feeling the need to define “weenies” for its readers:

Dictionary.com lists several definitions of “weenie” including “an insignificant, disliked person” or “a stupid and inept male”.

• Madrid tournament owner Ion Tiriac and tournament director Manolo Santana were jeered heavily when they stepped on court for both trophy presentations on Sunday.

• Australian pro Sam Groth, ex-husband to Jarmila Gajdosova and currently ranked No. 340, fired the fastest recorded serve at 263 kilometers per hour (about 163 mph) in a Challenger event in South Korea. That serve broke the previous record held by Ivo Karlovic by a whopping 6 mph.

• Non-tennis: If you didn’t see the end of Sunday’s soccer game between Manchester City and Queens Park Rangers, you missed what may have been the greatest five minutes in the history of the English Premier League. Man City needed to win to clinch the Premier League title. Down a goal with five minutes of extra time, this happened. How can you not love sports?

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Roger Federer and Serena Williams, born seven weeks apart in 1981, are showing no signs of slowing down. (Susana Vera/Reuters; Juan Carlos Hidalgo/EPA)

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Roger Federer recaptured the No. 2 ranking from Rafael Nadal with his 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 win over Tomas Berdych, and Serena Williams recaptured the right to wave her index finger in the air with a decisive 6-1, 6-3 victory over No. 1 Victoria Azarenka in Madrid. Here are five thoughts on the Madrid Open finals, where two resilient champions showed just why they’re the greatest male and female players of their generation.

1. No whining, just winning

While Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic hijacked the headlines all week with their strident critiques of the playing surface, even going so far as to threaten a boycott next year if the slippery surface wasn’t fixed, Federer and Williams checked their complaints at the door once it was time to actually play. That’s not to say they didn’t have concerns about the blue clay and how it was playing — Federer admitted he didn’t feel comfortable on the court and Serena called it “ridiculous” a few weeks ago — but neither player let the negativity surrounding the tournament get into their heads.

In retrospect, we shouldn’t be shocked. Nadal is a man of extreme routine. He wants his bottles a certain way, his pre-match routine to be just so, and you have to wonder whether those routines help simplify the game for him so that his laser focus never wanes. Djokovic may not be defined by routine, but he does have a history of letting the small things needle him to distraction.

But Federer has never been that guy. As much as his elegant play and persona may indicate otherwise, Federer is a “put on your hard hat and go to work” kind of guy on the court. His trademark hair flick acts like a shrug, and he spent the week shrugging off everything from the shoddy surface that forced him to crash the net against Milos Raonic in his second-round win to Berdych’s incredible form through the first set of their final.

To be fair to Nadal and Djokovic, Federer was always going to be the least likely of the Big Three to complain. The blue clay actually suited his offensive-minded game and he played some jaw-dropping, first-strike tennis throughout the week. But what was impressive from Federer all week, again, particularly in his matches against Raonic and Berdych, was his commitment to just go with the flow even when the matches got tight.

2. Serena is as motivated as ever

Last week, Ricardo Sanchez, former coach to Jelena Jankovic and Caroline Wozniacki, had some puzzling comments questioning Serena’s motivation. “The thing about Venus and Serena is they do not want to play [tennis],” he told El Pais. “They compete now just to make the London Games. They are more into celebrity and fashion.”

I’m not sure what Sanchez has been reading lately or if he’s paid attention to Serena, who has been as committed as ever in 2012. Williams played Brisbane and the Australian Open, and after taking time to heal her ankle injury sustained in Brisbane, she played two Fed Cup ties, Miami, Charleston and Madrid. In fact, she wanted to play Monterrey and Stuttgart as well, but injury kept her out of the former and Fed Cup duties out of the latter.

Williams’ hunger to prove herself and get back to the top is evident. Serena always makes a good No. 1, but her intensity and focus go to another level when she is chasing someone. In beating No. 2 Maria Sharapova and then No. 1 Azarenka by the same 6-1, 6-3 score, Williams reminded us of what she’s capable of, even on her worst surface.

3. Azarenka has something to prove

Yo, Serena, you might get served with a subpoena given the beatdown you administered in the final. This was the matchup we’ve been waiting to see ever since Azarenka clinched the No. 1 ranking in Australia because, whether fair or not, Serena remains the litmus test on the WTA Tour. Azarenka dodged their first scheduled meeting at Fed Cup in Worcester, Mass., citing a back injury, and while she’s played well on the European clay, making the finals of both Stuttgart and Madrid, she has yet to notch a big win that makes you sit up and take notice (sorry, merciless shellackings of Agnieszka Radwanska no longer count).

To be fair, clay is Azarenka’s worst surface. Only one of her 12 titles came on the dirt (Marbella 2011), and she’s never made it past the quarterfinals of the French Open. Then again, the two women she lost to in Stuttgart (Sharapova) and Madrid aren’t supposed to be clay-court queens either.

4. Oldies but goodies

Will Smith was in Madrid promoting his new Men in Black movie, and once I got over the weirdness of seeing the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air standing amidst the blue clay handing Federer a suit that he wore in the movie (no, really, that happened), I had to admit: Will Smith looks good! The guy doesn’t look like he’s aged a day since Independence Day.

Which got me thinking: The last time there was a Men in Black movie out in the theaters was 2002. That year, Serena Williams was on her way to completing “The Serena Slam” — winning the French Open, Wimbledon, U.S. Open and the Australian Open in successive fashion — and Federer was building toward his first Grand Slam title, at Wimbledon in 2003. Ten years later, Williams and Federer are still going strong and at 30 years old, they’re showing the kids how it’s done.

5. Rome will be the proving ground

While Williams’ and Federer’s title runs were laudable, how much can we really read into these Madrid results? A blue clay tournament, played at altitude, where the surface proved slippery and fast, favoring big hitters? I’d say the results are more meaningful for the women than the men. There were fewer shockers on the WTA side, and in the end you still had three of the four best players on the year into the semifinals (Azarenka, Radwanska and Williams). The win will surely give Williams a boost of confidence (not that she needs it) and it sends a message to the rest of the tour that she’s the Queen Bee (not that they needed it).

But for the ATP, each and every result could effectively be erased in Rome. If Nadal or Djokovic wins Rome, no one will think twice about what happened in Madrid. The surface was just too much of an X-factor, and let’s not forget that Andy Murray was busy healing his back and playing with Legos during the tournament. After incomplete fields in Monte Carlo and Madrid, everyone will be looking to the results in Rome to handicap the Roland Garros field. You were a fun distraction, Madrid, but now it’s business time.