Daily Bagel: Djokovic inks with IMG
The Daily Bagel is your dose of the interesting reporting, writing and quipping from around the Internet.
• Video: I made a huge mistake in not mentioning the Bernard Tomic-Alexander Dolgopolov match at the Australian Open as one of the best matches of the year. This was a match that left the entire press room enthralled with the slicing and dicing. The highlights are definitely worth a re-watch.
• Novak Djokovic has reportedly signed with IMG.
• Andy Murray's opponents might want to wear protective gear in 2013. Ivan Lendl says Murray needs to get meaner.
"Andy knew what I wanted," Lendl said after seeing an attempted lob float long. "I wanted it buried, either in the corner or in the guy's nuts, but bury it somewhere."
• The ATP catches up with Brian Baker, who's trying to balance his training with his need to monitor his historically fragile body.
"The biggest thing for me is toeing the red line. I know that I need to be as fit as I possibly can be to play the way I’d like to and be successful out there, but I also know that I can’t take any steps backwards. I want to do everything I can to get fit, but I’m not going to sacrifice getting hurt in the weight room or on the field during exercises."
• This is a pretty great display of British sarcasm, as Matthew Norman of the Telegraph argues the head of the LTA, Roger Draper, is absolutely worth every penny of his £640,000 salary.
Those who believed that men’s tennis remains all about one freakishly gifted Scot were left feeling silly in March when an Andy Murray-less team took a match off Belgium in a plucky 1-4 defeat in the second round of the Europe/Africa Group Two. How far we had come in two years, since going down 2-3 to mighty Lithuania in Riga in 2010.
• Vera Zvonareva announced on her Facebook page that she won't be playing the Australian Open.
• Serena Williams and Patrick Mouratoglou are still doing things that keep the paparazzi interested.
• This is one wacky fan video for Sam Stosur.
• Maria Sharapova's coach, Thomas Hogstedt, went the DIY route in his Christmas gift.
