Women Tennis Players: Stealing The Thunder

Women Tennis Players:  Stealing The Thunder

             Time was when male tennis players dominated the world tennis scene.  The spotlight was trained on the male superstars.  The ladies were relegated to the background. While the men were then making money, the ladies were not as the prizes for women's tennis were meager compared to their male counterparts. This was most noticeable in the the Grand Slam tournaments, namely, Wimbledon, Australian Open, US Open and French Open. In the Wimbledon open tournament in 1968, champion Rod Laver received £2,000 while ladies division champion Billie Jean King pocketed only £750. There was then a disparity in prize money.

The four Grand Slam Tournaments: Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open.(tennisticketnewspic; caption is mine)

Model serving as ball girl.

               But that is not the case anymore.  With the emergence of tennis superstars such as Maria Sharapova, Venus and Serena Williams, Agnieszka Radwanska, Petra Kvitova and standouts like Ana Ivanovic, Caroline Wozniacki, Victoria Azarenka, Andrea Petkovic, Daniela Hantuchova, Eugenie Bouchard, Martina Hingis and many more, the women have taken the limelight.  They have in recent years stolen the thunder.  The prize money for women is now at par with that of the men's division. At the latest US Open, eventual champion Serena Williams received $3 million, the same prize for men's division champion Marin Ciic. On top of that was another $ 1 million bonus from Emirate Airlines. 

Prize money at the US Open (usopenpic; caption is mine)

Maria Sharapova of Russia. She has won 5 Grand Slam titles.  She is ranked #2.

25 yr old Julia Goerges of Germany (oddslifepic; caption is mine)

Revealing attire (vypedpic; caption is mine)

2011 and 2014 Wimbledon Champion Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic (g;gle file; caption is mine)

Crowd favorite Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia (graphispic; caption is mine)

Eugenie Bouchard of Canada. She was runner-up at the 2014 Wimbledon. (hottestennisplayerspic; caption is mine)

5-time Grand Slam singles title winner Martina Hingis of Hurden, Switzerland (thesportsarchivespic; caption is mine)

Ana Ivanovic of Belgrade, Serbia.  She is 26 yrs old. (lazygirlspic; caption is mine)

Petra Uberalova of Slovak Republic (therichestpic; caption is mine)

Powerful serve (vypedpic; caption is mine)

Nice outfit (tennisswarehousepic; caption is mine)

Germany's Andrea Petkovic usually regales the crowd with her Petko Dance.

Youtube Petko Dance Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47p9JJvWuKQ

              Aside from the lucrative purse, these women tennis players make a lot of money endorsing commercial products such as Nike, Adidas, Tretorn, Uniqlo, Wilson, Gatorade, and many more. Traveling around the world, women tennis players have been top crowd drawers, be it at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, Rod Laver Arena, Roland Garros or at Wimbledon. These coliseums are almost always filled to the brim.

Australian Open is held every January at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia (g'glepic; caption is mine)

The French Open is held from May to June at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France (portlandpic; caption is mine)

The Wimbledon at the All England Club in London every June and July.  It is the most prestigious tennis tournament. (peopleorg; caption is mine)

The US Open at Flushing Meadows in New York from August 25 to September 8 (atpworldtourpic; caption is mine)

               Adding glamour and glitter in an already fun filled tournament, female tennis players not only showcase their superb playing skills, but take the time to turn the event into a virtual fashion show. Trendy and attractive sports wears and other accessories or gadgets worn by the female players make the tourneys all the more attractive and interesting. Plus, of course, their behavior and antics on the court. It is not surprising that women's professional tennis now stands on solid ground and is at par with their male counterpart. Game, set, match !! 

 - Konted

Frustrated (vypedpic; caption is mine)

Eugenie Bouchard of Canada (therichestpic; caption is mine)

What is she doing with the racquet? (sportsarchivespic; caption is mine)

1970s poster (dailymailpic; caption is mine)

China's Shuai Peng grimaces in pain at the US Open. (g'glepic; caption is mine)

Trainer applies first aid. (g'glepic; caption is mine)

Dinara Safina of Russia gestures after scoring a point  (womentennisplayerpic; caption is mine)

Comfortable shoes (g'glepic; caption is mine)

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Slurping Soya Chicken Noodles On A Stormy Day

Slurping Soya Chicken Noodles On A Stormy Day

          It was not planned. It was not intentional. I was there to buy books and was taking my own sweet time walking along the corridors of the mall. Weather bureau was saying that it would be a stormy day. Crowd was still sparse at that time. Stopping to tighten the laces of my Adidas tennis shoes, I momentarily leaned against the thick glass panel of a Chinese restaurant. Catching my attention was a man in his mid 50s slurping mami noodles. The loud sound gave the impression that he was enjoying what he was eating. That was a temptation, enough to trigger the craving in me that I immediately walked right in, took a seat and called the waiter.

Clean, spacious restaurant

Serves not only dim sum and noodles but also traditional Chinese dishes.

The resto can accommodate a large number of diners.

          "Nasubukan ko na lahat ng mami- pork, beef, chicken, wanton. Ano pa ibang mami meron kayo? Ano ba kinakain nung mama?", I asked. "Soya Chicken Mami po yon. Iba po yun sa ordinary chicken mami.", answered the waiter. With no further prodding, I did order Soya Chicken Mami. And to go with that, I asked for Pork Siomai. Just as I was browsing the book The Long Night of Winchell Dear, my dumplings, placed in an attractive bamboo basket, were served.

A wide variety of dumplings to choose from

A strong preference for the Pork Siomai

Iced Tea

Siomai's good taste is enhanced when dipped in soy sauce with calamansi.

          In five minutes, the steaming hot Soya Chicken Mami came next. It was served in a big bowl with spring onion leaves placed on top. I could smell the aroma. I first tried the broth with one sip, savoring the fine taste. It was really hot that I could feel a burning sensation on my tongue. Then I tried the noodles, slurping until I reached the end. Then I started mixing all there was in the bowl. The soya chichen was marinated in soy sauce and cut neatly by a sharp cleaver and served in big portions. The meat was tender and juicy. In between, I was enjoying the meaty siomai dipped in soy sauce and kalamansi.

Soya Chicken Mami

Generous serving of Soya Chicken Mami

Soya Chicken Mami and Pork Siomai make a good pair.

Special chili sauce

           It was a hearty merienda. One that made me feel contented. I got my money's worth. As I was burping, the waiter approached and said: "Sir, try niyo yung buchi at black gulaman namin. Masarap po yon." Gesturing with my right hand on my tummy, I quipped: "Tama na. Busog na busog na ako. Next time naman. Pag pinilit ko, gluttony na yon." Two men, with shoes drenched in rainwater, entered the resto. One was overheard saying: "Baka bumaha na yan sa Cainta mamaya. At baka umapaw ang Marikina River."  I remained steadfast, knowing that such was a yearly occurrence. Part of the changing seasons. I asked and paid for my bill. Clutching my books which were stained by soy sauce, I stood up and made my way to the exit, still burping and burping. 

- Konted

Marikina River on a regular day

The swollen Marikina River at the height of the storm last week.

Across is the rear area of Provident Village in Marikina City

The overflowing Marikina River 

A subdivision in Cainta

While low lying areas of Cainta and Marikina are submerged, this part of Marcos Highway near Robinson's East Mall remains flood-free.

Many residents of Cainta and Marikina parkied their cars at the elevated and covered parking areas of nearby malls. The management of Robinson's East Mall and Sta Lucia Mall waived the P230 overnight parking fee. Mabuhay kayo !!

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