Celebrating the Bryan brothers, sizing up Blake vs. Fish, more mail

While wondering if the U.S. Open men's final is pushed to Monday for the fourth straight year, will USTA execs lament, "Hasa Diga Eebowai"?

I'm excited to be going to the Cincinnati tournament next month to watch the men and women. Can you give me some tips. What should I be looking for?
-- Jim S., Chicago

• The U.S. Open Series is upon us and the next eight weeks or so are good times for North American tennis fans. Cincinnati is a high point and the good folks in the Midwest get a mixed event. As for themes, there are the obvious ones: What's the latest installment in the Novak Djokovic-Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal three-way rivalry? What's the state of Serena Williams' game? (We'll get an early indication at this week's Bank of the West Classic, where she didn't drop a game in her opening victory against Anastasia Rodionova on Tuesday.) Can Petra Kvitova build on -- or, to use the voguish phrase, consolidate -- her Wimbledon success? Where is Kim Clijsters, the defending U.S. Open champ? Where, for that matter, is Andy Roddick, who has, troublingly, lost his last six sets on hard courts? Can Juan Martin del Potro continue his ascent? Can Caroline Wozniacki build some momentum? Lots going on here ...

I'm going to take this opportunity, though, to plug the Bryan brothers, who are, at once, overexposed and the most underrated story in sports. Here is the most successful doubles team in history, fresh from winning Wimbledon, still going strong in their mid-30s. It's almost mesmerizing to watch them play. (If you lament the shortage of net play, you get your fill watching them.) And even at this stage in their careers, they are still prone to sibling fights.

Disclaimer: I got this story from a member of the inner circle and did not see it first hand. But during their semifinal match at the French Open, I gather Mike said something uncharitable to Bob. As they walked to the chair for a changeover, Bob blindsided Mike, punching him in the back of the head and nearly flooring him. They spent the better part of the changeover cursing each other and went on to lose the match. Afterward, they cleared out the locker room and engaged in a full-on battle royal. Then, once they'd "cleared the air," they went out to dinner together.

There's so much going here. The twin dynamic. The ritual excellence. The weird world of doubles. A pair of genuinely good guys who, truly, have not changed with success. The effect of marriage on their relationship.

Someone is missing out on a huge reality show opportunity. Tennis Nation, though, shouldn't miss out on watching these guys while you still can.

Simple question, Jon: Fish or Blake?
-- Sam, San Francisco

• Funny, usually the choice is "Fish or chicken?" (Again, there is a Congressional mandate that at least one piscatorial pun must accompany any mention of Mardy Fish.) Assuming I'm reading this right, Sam's succinct question asks for a comparison between the careers of Fish and James Blake. There are obviously a lot of similarities here -- two Americans, largely cast as wingmen to Andy Roddick, whose careers have had decided highs and lows. That they are close friends only makes the compare-and-contrast game more interesting.

I'll just lay out the stats and let you judge for yourself.

I think Ana Ivanovic has fallen into the Anna Kournikova life pattern of being told she needs to focus on her beauty more than her tennis.
-- Allan Watkins, Atlanta

• In Kournikova's case, I think there came a point when she let the "extracurriculars" overwhelm the tennis. In Ivanovic's case, part of what makes her struggles so poignant is her defiant commitment to tennis. It would be one thing if she spent half her time pitching reality shows and dating celebrities and living the TMZ life in Miami Beach or Malibu or Monte Carlo. But that's not what's going on here. She's still out there grinding, experimenting with coaches, entering lots of events. She just loses her way once she gets in a match.

This reads like an awful "Damn Yankees" plot. "Hey, Ana. It's me, Mr. Mephistopheles. You know, the Prince of Darkness? The Beast? Here's the deal. You win a major, become No. 1 and appear for all the world like the future queen of the sport. Companies and men will both prostrate themselves before you. Then, wham! I take your soul, and your game, and your ranking begins to fall at a rate that mocks the force of gravity. Deal Adje!"

Just a comment on the reason why Roger Federer doesn't watch the finals. If I'm a surgeon and do heart transplants all the time, do I go running to the operating room every time a heart transplant is done by another surgeon?
-- Asif Khan MD, Canfield, Ohio

• Yeah, a lot of you commented on this. Again, I think it's reasonable. Leaving aside logistics, travel plans and family time, it's still understandable that a top player would lose interest in a tournament once he was eliminated.

Jon, let me see if I've got this straight: The claycourt season goes from April until early June, ending with the French Open. Grasscourt season starts the next day, and ends four weeks later at Wimbledon. Fine, I guess. Davis Cup action happens again the next week, on the surface of choice for the hosting country. Again, fine, I guess. But then the following week there's an ATP event in Sweden on ... clay??? What?? So David Ferrer goes from playing on clay, grass, hardcourt indoor and back to clay in the span of six weeks??!! Whoa, I'm thinking the dude is probably ready for some R&R.
-- John, San Francisco

• You didn't mention that Ferrer then comes back to the U.S. for six weeks of hardcourt play. Ferrer is known as an indefatigable player. But this usually pertains to his grinding style. Add in his travel schedule and he really is the hardest working man in show business. (Small consolation, but with his schedule, you have to believe he's getting the automatic upgrades.)

I truly believe that Lori McNeil is the best player never to have won a Grand Slam singles title. Am I nuts?
-- Joe Johnson, Allentown, Pa.

• I wouldn't say "nuts," but I think you can do better. Pam Shriver and Mary Joe Fernandez both seem to come up a lot. I'd add Elena Dementieva, Dinara Safina and Helena Sukova. I'm sure there are others who elude me. But, honestly, there's no time like the present! Caroline Wozniacki has spent dozens of weeks ranked No. 1. By comparison, McNeil's career-high ranking was No. 9.

I was watching Marc Gicquel play in a Challenger event in Sopot, Poland, a few days ago and, as an ardent Federer fan, I immediately noticed he was wearing a white and yellow Roger Federer T-shirt from this year's Australian Open! Am I the only one who thinks it's bizarre to see a guy other than Roger compete on tour with an RF logo emblazoned on his chest?
-- Marcin Zielkiewicz, Warsaw, Poland

• If it were Rafael Nadal, it would be one thing. But if a journeyman player happens to wear an RF T-shirt, to me that's like a college basketball player (circa 1998) wearing Air Jordans.

I'm not sure if you heard about this on Howard Stern, but he made a great point: How long before the WTA has someone grunting corporate sponsor names? Maria Sharapova could do "Nikeeeeeeeeeeee," Victoria Azarenka might be able to get away with "Sergio Tacchiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii."
-- Jim M, Pittsford, N.Y.

• Shame on all you agents! You're supposed to look for revenue streams and income opportunities. Hey, as long as the WTA is willing to sit silently, why not take advantage? And why limit to one sponsor? You could fill entire categories. Forehands could be "EEEEEEEEE-surance!!!!" Backhands could be "Emirrrrrrrrates Aiiiiiiir!" Serves could be "betttt-at-home-dottttt.com!"