Daily Bagel: Marion Bartoli hangs with Usain Bolt
The Daily Bagel is your dose of the interesting reporting, writing and quipping from around the Internet.
• Video: Watch the point Fabio Fognini plays at the 1:08 mark during the Copa Claro final against David Ferrer.
• From Twitter: What's Marion Bartoli up to these days? Oh, nothing. Just hanging out in Jamaica playing tennis with Usain Bolt:
• Sloane Stephens lost to Lucie Safarova 6-3, 7-5 in the first round of the Dubai Championships on Monday. Stephens says she's still struggling with the spotlight.
• The ATP is now recapping the week on the Challenger circuit. Good stuff.
• Good interview with the Dubai tournament director, who says he longer offers appearance fees for women but still does for top men.
• Fernando Verdasco tells Details "How I Got My Body."
"I don't get distracted when I visit Vegas. I've tried beer and wine, but I've never enjoyed it, so I don't drink. When I party, I just have Coke, orange juice, or water. I'm kind of weird.
"Of course, sometimes I do indulge. Everybody has to know when is a good time to give your body and brain a little shock. When I'm on the West Coast of the United States, I'll say to myself, 'Today is the day I go to In-N-Out and have two burgers.'"
• Why Andy Murray's slip to No. 7 in the rankings might be good for tennis.
• Simona Halep got the front-page treatment in Romania for her run at the Qatar Open.
• Are wild cards actually beneficial to young players? Getting a chance to play against the game's best is great experience, but when a player is racking up wild cards and losing in the first round, is he or she learning how to compete and win and gain the confidence that comes with it? Nope. Here's Joey Hanf of The Tennis Nerds:
What I’m trying to say is that [Donald] Young, [Jack] Sock, [Ryan] Harrison, and all other American players who get numerous WC’s, are being halted in their progression. International players, who don’t have the same opportunities, are doing things the old fashioned way, and earning their place in tournaments. Obviously the blame can’t be put solely on the shoulder of young American players, because who wouldn’t take a WC into a tour event? But something has to change.
• Murray is being portrayed as a scrooge back home and his mother, Judy, isn't happy about it.
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