NADAL BRINGS FEDERER TO TEARS

This is the first thing I read this morning on Yahoo:
Rafael Nadal held off Roger Federer in another momentum-swinging, five-set final to win the Australian Open on Sunday, keeping the Grand Slam singles record safe for now. After coming through the longest match in the tournament’s history to reach the championship match, Nadal needed 4 hours, 23 minutes Sunday to win 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-2. Federer, who was trying to equal Pete Sampras’ 14 major titles, has lost to Nadal the last three times they’ve met in Grand Slam finals. The 27-year-old Swiss star couldn’t hold back tears at the presentation.

“Maybe I’ll try later. God, it’s killing me,” Federer said, sobbing. He returned to congratulate Nadal within minutes, saying: “You deserved it. You played a fantastic final.” Nadal collected the trophy and put his arm around Federer. “Roger, sorry for today. I really know how you feel right now,” Nadal said. “Remember, you’re a great champion, you’re one of the best in history.” He accepted the cup from Rod Laver, who was in Australia to mark the start of the 40th anniversary of the last Grand Slam season. “To receive this trophy from Rod Laver is a dream for me,” Nadal said. Federer, so dominant when he won three of the four majors in 2006 and 2007, has now lost finals on three different surfaces to Nadal. (Yahoo Sports)

First of all, I am going to relish this moment and say I told ya so. Federer- you can NOT beat Rafa if you don’t practice. Federer- you can NOT be one of the greatest if you don’t practice. Federer- you can NOT claim a title if you don’t practice. It’s really as simple as that. How many times have I ripped the Swiss Mister a new one because he’s out frolicking ala Hollywood-style cruising along on his fame while his Girlfriend manages his career? Historically, it’s a recipe for disaster. “Maybe I’ll try later. God, it’s killing me,” Federer said, sobbing. Maybe you’ll try later? Try what? To practice? Did you really think Rod Laver was gonna hand you the Sampras equalizing trophy just because you showed up? You gotta win first! Props to you though for recognizing that Rafael ‘deserved it’ and ‘played a fantastic final’. Hard to believe a compliment slipped passed those lips. Perhaps when we are at our lowest it’s easier to recognize the greatness in others?

The greatness that is Rafael Nadal never ceases to amaze me. From his grunts to his capri’s, the kid is a tennis machine. We are witnessing one of the most remarkable tennis careers to hit the courts, while at the same time witnessing the downfall of another. Sure, R-Fed could theoretically pull himself up by the boot-strings, hire a great agent and trainer, leave Mirka at home and focus on winning instead of jetting off to chill with other Gillette men who have also mysteriously lost career-traction…but would that even be enough? Doubt it. Nadal has remained focused…unshakable…determined…humble…and hot. He basically picks up where Federer leaves off.

And before I forget…Congratulations my precious Tapa! You want make me to be happy, no? Thank you Rafa for making this day about something more than the SuperBowl. Vamos for life you sexy little beast, Va-mos.

As always, thanks for reading. Delinda@athlebrities.com

Double De-Licious on a Dhow in Dubai

When the boys visit Dubai, they do it right. We’ve seen just about all the worlds’ best doing their thing atop the Burj Al Arab, so it’s no surprise that our Spanish treat Rafael Nadal and the used-to-be-worlds-number-one Roger Federer celebrated the 2009 ATP World Tour by playing a match atop a ‘dhow’ in Doha Bay…

Granted, Andy Murray is on-fire right now. The Scottish beast spanked our top-ranked Nadal 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 Saturday to capture the Capitala World Tennis Championship exhibition and $250,000 winner-take-all prize. A day earlier in the semifinals, he showed Federer who’s boss with a 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (6) victory. I’m actually cool with Murray as long as he wasn’t the one who used the beautiful face of Marat Safin as a punching bag. Safin arrived for his match against Italy’s Simone Bolelli in Perth sporting facial bruising he said he suffered in Moscow.

Props to Columbian singer Shakira who has taken an interest in our tapa…too bad she isnt beautiful…Maria-I’d be worried gurl.

And its not just our tennis-babies who are frolicking in Dubai…dear god, AC Milan arrived at Al-Nasr’s club ground in Dubai on Friday to start their winter training camp in the Gulf emirate that will culminate in the Dubai Football Challenge on January 6 (AC Milan versus Hamburg SV Germany) …is it hot in here or is it just me?

New rule: weekends are for objectifying…weekdays are for charity. And I will pay more attention to Don Cheadle.

As always, thanks for reading. Delinda@athlebrities.com

DYNAMIC DUO’S

Hope everyone was safe, happy and loved this holiday…Events have been added to the Celebrity Athlete Charity Events Calendar, with plenty more to come. Next week, I’m gonna break down some of the events for you and highlight the one which I recommend…if you know of an event you’d like listed, please email me, an if you are a PR firm or Athlete rep, please contact me to be included on the calendar…but in the meantime, I’ve got plenty of pent-up ‘are-you-kidding-me’s’ that need to come out….

The battle between my heart and my libido rages on- spurred by David Beckham “on loan” to AC Milan alongside Paolo Maldini-I must bow to the babes and give proper recognition to some of the men who’ve paired up in the past to make me question my sanity…Beckham is a no-brainer, but when paired with Maldini? Are you kidding me? Geez-Us. Both are exceptional ‘givers’ in the charity world but right now I am so blinded by ‘fineness’ that I can’t even spell humanitarian…and for the record, Beckham’s sex-appeal is no match for the Italian beast who’s dark hair, piercing eyes and delicious accent make Beck’s look a bit…ah…mousy?

As I refresh my desktop screen saver, I still cannot bring myself to delete this photo from 2007 when we enjoyed a soul shattering moment of ‘hello-ness’ as Camilo Villegas stood alongside Aaron Baddeley…not much else to say except here’s to a few more crawls, and victories, from Villegas this year.

Another one of my favorite: Chad Pennington, then still with the Jets, and the ‘are you kidding me’ look on his face as Tom Brady whispers sweet nothings in his ear…I’ve always had a secret thing for Chad-and I dare say you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who’s got a bad thing to say about him-as a person, as a player I’m sure there’s haters but who cares as Chad and his new team (Miami) watch Favre and the Jets say buh-bye to the Bowl.

One duo that always makes me lose my voice is Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. This photo from 2006 is timeless to me. The Swiss-Mister-in my opinion- seems to always rely on his reputation to pave the way to victory, whereas our Tapa is always busy training. The manner in which Rafa is holding his victory screams ‘oh my god I really did it’ while the Swiss-ter wears a look which says “yeah-enjoy-it- while-you-can”…last laugh on R-Fed as our baybee sits pretty at number one. Both are in Abu Dhabi for the start of the Capitala World Tennis Championships. Vamos you sweet thing, Va-mos.

Pavel Nedved and Allesandro Del Piero. April 2007. I don’t know if Del Piero slapped Nedved in the face or kissed him afterwards, but the photo qualifies-in my book- as a classic.

Here’s to an awesome 2009!
As always, thanks for reading.

delinda@athlebrities.com

Tattoos, Obama, Land Mines, Dry Ice, A Very Sad Swiss Mister and a Naked Tapa?

My libido is clashing with my goal to write about charity stuff…so I defer to my hormones…yes, I am still crushing hard on Obama…and I’m loving the support our sexy new Prez is getting from some of our balling babes…Wizards beast Gilbert Arenas got some cool ink on his digits…talk about creating a ‘let-your-fingers-do-the-walking’ fantasy (post-manicure pa-leeze!)…but perhaps my favorite tribute (to date) comes from Sweet Melon who’s got my marshMelo’s standing at full attention. Not sure what he said because he keeps licking his lips and distracting me…

Poor Roger Federer

Despite the dry ice and on court massage, Roger Federer could not get by Andy Murray. Day six of the ATP Masters Cup in Shanghai…Murray won the match 4-6, 7-6, 6-4 to eliminate Federer from the tournament…seriously; I am starting to feel kinda bad for the Swiss Mister…

Baltic Soccer Stadium

I, for one, would think twice about attending the Baltic Arena soccer stadium in Poland…the stadium is being built for the Euro 2012 Cup but prior to any building being done, they sent out a gaggle of “sappers’ from an explosives company to test the ground for any remaining World War II explosives…And to everyone in Poland who didn’t think this was funny, I meant no disrespect.  Trust me, even if they did NOT send in the “sappers” I would still attend a Euro Cup match in the stadium!

Enjoy the weekend…maybe go for a sail? While I’m not one to run photos of our hotties naked, I cant help but post this one of Rafael Nadal ala natural…vamos indeed.

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As always, thanks for reading.
Delinda Lombardo

Olympic Treats Up for Bids for Charity
I haven’t seen Michael Phelps’ LZR listed yet…but ya never know what’s going to pop up on eBay. The good folks from Auction Cause have gotten their paws on some pretty amazing items from the 2008 Beijing Olympics. And now, in their efforts to raise money for ‘Right to Play’ you can own a small piece of Olympic history that’s not going to cost you a small fortune. Trust me kids, this is one of the best-kept secrets around. There are at least 85 items listed from the 2008 Olympics, and most of the stuff has either been autographed or worn by the athletes themselves. Proceeds go to charity-so bid away…

Ever want the shirt off of Roger Federer’s back? Well, I don’t have that but you can bid on the ‘Roger Federer Signed Nike Personal Cap + 2 Tennis Balls’ which is only at $76.00 right now.

They got several uniforms that were worn during competition from Team Canada’s Rowing babes…including Adam Creeks and Ben Rutledges rowing jersey…

I know some of you guys might wanna get your hands on the signed 2008 Norway Beach Volleyball Sports Tops worn by the girls?

LOST YOUR PANTIES?

Next month, all you Evangeline Lilly lovers take note. The LOST star will be auctioning off approximately 2,000 new pieces of her lingerie intimates collection. All items are made in Brazil and will benefit the Brazilian Favelas. Each set will come with a signed photo from her as well. I’ll let ya know when the panties drop and the bidding opens.

CHECK OUT ALL THE ITEMS HERE!

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As always, thanks for reading.
Delinda Lombardo
delinda@athlebrities.com

Federer Bears the Brunt of James Blake’s Booty

“I’ve lost to Roger, I don’t even know how many times — 8, 9, 10, 50 times, I don’t know — but I didn’t feel like there was a definite advantage going into tonight,” James Blake said. “Anything can happen. And when I’m playing well I can hopefully play with the best in the world, and I do believe I proved that tonight.”

Indeed. Blake defeated Federer 6-4, 7-6 (2). The last singles match Roger Federer has played as the No.1 men’s tennis player in the world, ended in a booty-licious loss to James Blake today. “If you play him enough times, he’s bound to have an off day,” the number 8-seeded Blake said. “I proved that I played with the best tonight, and it couldn’t have happened to me on a better stage,” Blake said. “Maybe the law of averages, if I play him enough, he’s bound to have an off day against me once,”

“I can’t be more elated that it happened at the Olympics…In a lot of the other matches, it has been a point here or there,” Blake said. “That’s why he was No. 1 in the world—he played those points better than everyone. Today I played them well.”

Federer, on his way out, did not speak to reporters…“I’m disappointed,” he said as he walked past.

And I promise not to gloat too much…

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As always, thanks for reading.
Delinda Lombardo
delinda@athlebrities.com

NEW BATTLE FOR NADAL AND R-FED?

On July 6 Rafael Nadal dethroned Roger Federer as the king of Wimbledon. It’s considered one of the greatest matches of all time, and yes, we’re still talking about it. Why? Because it just takes one asinine member of the media to mention the word ‘doping’ in the same sentence as Wimbledon and we got a new scandal. And boy am I pissed. I’m willing to bet a million bucks (which I don’t have) that if Roger Federer had won his sixth title, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. But because it’s the buffer, leaner, stronger, more disciplined player who won-he must have been cheating…and a dirty Spaniard? Wimbledon? Oh I can hear the conservative British panties bunching from here.

I hadn’t even entertained the thought of either Nadal or Federer ‘doping’ until I read the aforementioned article. It makes me sick to even address this issue, but its important because I suspect its gonna be the subject of debate for years to come. What really set me off was a phone call I got from a friend.
“Ya know your boys juicing, right,” he said.
“Huh, who? What?” Ian Poulter- juicing- I thought to myself?
“Nadal, Wimbledon” he corrected me, “I know people on the tour, he’s juicing,” he said again.
I could literally feel my blood slowly start to boil. (Good rumors always start off with an I-have-a-friend-admonition. Anyone remember the Richard Gere ‘gerbil’ stories from the late 80’s? Didn’t everyone have a “friend” that ‘worked in the hospital Gere was brought to?’)
Anyway…my anger, I realize now, came from a place where steroids didn’t exist. Not for one nano-second did it enter my mind that either one of the worlds top two tennis players were taking some sort of performance enhancing drugs. The glorious high I felt from Rafa’s stunning victory was deflated with one single careless accusation.

We were given a gold-plated diversion from the usual world of sports- a great rivalry between two outstanding athletes-unspoiled or tainted by such distractions as China, Darfur, foreclosures, DUI’s, rapes, murders, home-invasions, cheating, strippers, weed, smog, traffic, earthquakes, tsunamis-whatever- it was pure. It was real and it was beautiful. How dare uninformed, misguided naysayers take away the one game that made us feel something other than disgust with our athletes.

Is the basis for this rumor planted in Nadal’s Spanish blood? Racism perhaps? Ignorance maybe? Its not like Nadal suddenly appeared out of thin air-for god’s sake, when he was 15-years old (2002) he won his first ATP match. Don’t think Federer won a match before his 16th birthday? By the following year, Rafa had become the second-youngest player in the top 100. And has everyone forgotten that Nadal was only 17 when he made his Wimbledon debut?

And are we forgetting that while Nadal was busting his ass practicing, Federer was busy texting with his new celebrity buddies like Tiger Woods? Are we ignoring the 81-consecutive clay-court match winning streak Nadal had while R-Fed was busy filming his Gillette commercial? My point isn’t to rip on Roger Federer because “they” are speculating that he “may have been” doping as well. If you know anything about the man, you know this is absurd. My point is that just because we live in a ‘steroids era’ doesn’t mean all victories are won at the hands of cheaters.

I’m not feigning ignorance to the fact that some tennis babes may have dabbled in the juice…but I highly doubt either Nadal and Federer would need to tap into anything other than their natural talents to give us a spine-tingling, mind-numbing, double-de-licious piece of history. So keep your rumors to yourselves people- because unless Nadal and Federer stand in front of me, pee in a cup and test dirty-I aint buying into this ridiculous buzz kill and baseless rumor for one second.

As always, thanks for reading. Delinda Lombardo
delinda@athlebrities.com

MAKING MAGIC HAPPEN

The Magic Johnson Foundation, along with the Lakers’ legend himself, and director Spike Lee have teamed up to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS for two PSA’s, “Stand” and “Talk”. Lee directed the spots that feature Magic and his powerhouse of a wife Cookie encouraging the public to get informed about the disease, especially the younger population. “I think a lot of times we just don’t have the information,” Magic said, “Especially young people. They think they’re invincible and nothing can happen to them but the numbers are showing that those getting HIV are real young now. We have to now do something about that. If it was 16, 17, 18, 19 years ago you should be afraid because you don’t know what might happen and people were dying at alarming rates,” he says. “Now you have almost 30 drugs that can take care of you, and you can live a healthy and long life.”

A POKER BBQ PARTY FOR CHARITY
On July 1, the TANK at the Golden Nugget will host the Sixth Annual World Series of BBQ & Phil Ivey Charity Poker Event. Ivey wants you to join he and his hot poker buddies (a-hem, Antonio Esfandiari), and other poker pro’s & celeb’s including Phil Laak, Jennifer Tilly, Mike Matusow, Jennifer Harman, Carrot Top, a few Brunsons, Annie Duke, David Hasselhof, Chris Moneymaker, Daniel Negreanu, and Vince Neil to compete in some off-the-hook festivities such as Chutes & Ladders, Battleship, Operation, Hula-Hoops, and most importantly Phil Ivey’s $1000 No-Limit hold’em Charity Poker Tournement to benefit his new Budding Ivey Foundation. See my charity events page for more info and visit the Budding Ivey Foundation to learn about all the great things Ivey is doing to give back to the communities.

NADAL: FOURTH TIMES A CHARM
It took Rafael Nadal less than two hours to defeat Roger Federer (6-1, 6-3, 6-0) and win his fourth consecutive title at Roland Garros. Sunday’s victory also gave Rafa some impressive numbers to add to his resume: 28-0 for his career at the French Open; 115-2 on clay since April 2005; and 22-1 in clay-court finals. “I am humble,” Nadal said, “but the numbers are the numbers. If I am playing my best tennis ever, I’m never going to win 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 against Roger Federer, no? For sure, it’s impossible,” the second-ranked Nadal said. “He didn’t play very well. Everybody knows that.”

During the trophy ceremony, Federer, of course, didn’t smile and our classy Tapa felt compelled to apologize: “Roger, I’m sorry.” But, FINALLY, it seems that the Swiss Mister has reached into his soul and yanked outta a little bit ‘o praise for the King of Clay. “He dominated from the first point until the end,” said Federer, “It’s the strongest Rafa that I’ve ever seen. He was more dominant than the previous years. He no longer plays short balls, the way he did in the past. You can no longer attack him on his forehand, the way I could in the past. He is getting much more aggressive, and it’s becoming much more difficult…I still go out of this tournament with a positive mind-set. Not with a mind-set: ‘Oh my God, I had no chance today.’” Shhhh…you almost won me over with ‘strongest Rafa you’ve ever seen’…don’t blow it now R-Fed.

CIAO MY PRECIOUS COW-BELLS

Italy is feeling the pain in Fabio Cannavaro’s leg as much as the benched hottie is. Italy was powerless against the Netherlands who delivered a crushing 3-0 victory to my boys while I was out frolicking in the desert…all hope may not be lost though if Luca Toni can manage to pull some mojo outta his hat when they attack the weakest link in the Group of Death: Romania.

KATS IN MY YARD

Oh yeah…the US Open hot-hot-hotties have converged in my hood in attempts to tackle the greens at Torrey Pines while effectively dodging a certain redhead. Last time I checked, we had about 10,000 peeps per day for the Buick, and estimates for the Open are nearing 1000,000. This means traffic, closed roads, shuttle buses, no parking and long lines. You can certainly expect me to be there at some point in efforts to help Ian Poulter find better things to do with his time than watch videos of himself…

And I am also painfully aware that Justin Timberlake and Tony Romo were kicking it at the Pines over the weekend, but since I’ve already molested Justin Timberlake in Vegas, and Romo has been tainted by a certain blond, I preferred to be in the desert raising awareness for the Pro Team charities…

As always, thanks for reading.
delinda@athlebrities.com

WHO’S YOUR CLAY COURT DADDY?

Hamburg Masters Final: 7-5, 6-7, 6-3. Ain’t nothing better than waking up on a Sunday morning for a threesome with Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, especially when Nadal dominates and kicks the Swiss-Mister outta the Final to prove who is indeed the King on Clay. Nadal earned his 11th Masters Title of his career, has won the past 108 of his 110 matches, has won 21 of the 22 Finals he’s played on his beloved clay, has won all three of the European clay court masters events…and gave a wonderfully yummy acceptance speech, littered with the appropriate ‘no’s’ here and there while thanking a mostly pro-Fed crowd…and I will admit, Federer was actually a wee-bit endearing during his speech-perhaps the first time I’ve seen a smile on the cusp of his lips.

INTER MILAN CELEBRATION

Inter fans were banned from attending the game because of security worries but a few managed to enter the stadium by climbing over fences while thousands waited outside to celebrate as Inter Milan won its third straight Italian league title Sunday by beating Parma 2-0 on the final day of the season.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored both goals to help Inter finish the season with 85 points…essentially erasing any doubt as to whether he was ready to return after a six-week injury layoff…the Swedish beast entered the game during a wet and rainy 51st minute and took no time to display his dexterity…minute 62, he used his right foot to score on a low shot from beyond the penalty area…and in the 79th, he volleyed in a cross with his left foot…two feet, two goals, one champion.

As always, thanks for reading.
delinda@athlebrities.com

DANICA FINALLY DOES IT

The biggest winner this weekend by far is Danica Patrick, who became the first female winner in Indy Car history after taking the Indy Japan 300. Patrick finished 5.8594 seconds ahead of Helio Castroneves. “It’s a long time coming. Finally,” Patrick said. “It was a fuel strategy race, but my team called it perfectly for me. I knew I was on the same strategy as Helio and when I passed him for the lead, I couldn’t believe it. This is fabulous.” Aside from deserving the win, I gotta applaud her for being so gracious. Way to represent Danica! (If you wanna debate whether Danica needs to keep her clothes on in order to win, join the discussion at TSF.net, Mizzo has got me fired up this morning)

CALZAGHE HITS HOPKINS FROM BEHIND
Calzaghe landed a historic 232 punches on Hopkins. But I’m wondering if they counted the blows Calzaghe landed on Hopkins ‘from behind ‘ in round 10? Initially I wanted Calzaghe to win, his corner bustling with colorful Welshmen spitting out stuff like rat-at-at-at-rat-ta-ta-he’s-there-rat-rat-a-ta-ta-he’s-ready-ta-lose- that subtitles may have helped. But after Calzaghe’s low blow, and ensuing taunts, I was left with a bad taste in my mouth-like a warm pint left sitting around the pub for too long. I wanted Hopkins to wipe that arrogant smirk off Calzaghe’s face and throw him into the audience. Preferable right between Sylvester Stallone and Simon Cowell…but no such luck, Hopkins lost by spilt decision…All in all, the fight was thoroughly entertaining-especially since we didn’t have to shell out pay-per-view fees to see it go down.

CRUZ BECKHAM

I don’t know where these photos originated, but its high time they made the rounds on the Internet. David Beckham and his son Cruz. Did Sir Golden Balls teach his kids to flip off the paparazzi? I hope so…it’s priceless.

LAKERS READING CHALLENGE

I wouldn’t have waited until I was 18 to read ‘Tale of Two Cities’ had Luke Walton and Jordan Farmar been around when I was a kid. Last week, the Lakers babes visited students of Carr Elementary, which won one of the grand prizes of the Lakers Reading Challenge.

FRANCESCO TOTTI ON HIS KNEES

AS Roma’s captain of my libido, Francesco Totti, hurt his sexy knee during their Italian serie A 1-1 draw against Livorno on April 19. “I was a little scared because I heard the crack, ” Totti told Italy’s Sky TV. “I’m a little down, but I’ve been through worse. I’ll return stronger than before.” Today, Totti is comfortably resting in Rome’s Villa Stuart clinic after having surgery on his injured right knee. They say that Totti could miss the start of next season due to the partial tear of his anterior cruciate ligament…”After examining the player, professor Pierpaolo Mariani (Totti’s surgeon) confirmed the primary diagnosis: that he has partially ruptured his cruciate knee ligament,” confirmed team physician Mario Brozzi. “Roma have already had to deal with this kind of injury and we believe that four months is enough recovery time.”

OH GOD NO

Thanks to Nikolay Davydenko and his “leg injury” (scandal anyone?) the Swiss Mister, Roger Federer, won the Estoril Open after Davydenko retired with a fake leg injury while trailing 7-6 (5), 1-2 Sunday. “It’s not the way you want to win a tournament, but that’s just the way it goes sometime,” Federer said. “It’s great to win a title again and to straightaway win my first clay court tournament of the season gives me great confidence going into Monte Carlo.” Yeah, we know…

As always, thanks for reading.
delinda@athlebrities.