Nearly a year ago to the day, on the eve of the French Open, we launched Strawberries & Scream with two goals in mind: first (and most importantly), to provide a fun, fresh perspective to tennis coverage; second, to involve ourselves in something about which we are passionate as we navigated freelance assignments, internships, and the next step in our careers.

Luckily, we’ve both reached that next step, having both found full-time jobs. Though our new gigs are rewarding, they are also time-consuming, at the expense of this blog. Because of that, we’ve decided to stop publishing new content to Strawberries & Scream as it exists in blog form.

We have learned a lot in covering the crazy world of tennis over the past season, but the biggest eye-opener to us was that there is this HUGE close-knit community of tennis experts, bloggers, and fans.  Even more rewarding than the articles we posted were the conversations we participated in over Twitter, on Facebook, and at various tournaments.

So, though we are signing off here for now, we aren’t shutting up: be sure to stay tuned to S&S on Facebook and Twitter.  Look for us to continue regularly posting about, commenting on, and arguing with some of the other insightful, hilarious, and passionate tennis writers and bloggers out there–you know who you are.

Finally, we’d like to extend a huge thank you to the contributors–Nick, Rich, and Kim–who took a huge risk by writing (gratis) for our new and unproven blog.  Their contributions are a testament to how generous and passionate this community is.

You can consider this our retirement speech. Errr, Henin-style retirement, not Agassi retirement…we’ll be back…

Best,
Hilary & Erica

Now let’s all say a little prayer for Nole.

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Photo via zimbio.com

Sure, Federer looked classy in his white-and-yellow. As expected, Nole’s play far outshone his bland and outdated stripey-pipey number. And Frannie … what can we say? Stick with cap sleeves and be done with it? That criss-cross fabric embellishment was god-awful.

But for our review, we wanted to focus on some outfits that fell deeper in the pack. This year’s Aussie hit highs and lows as extreme as a Hollywood award show. Let’s get to it.

1. Robin Soderling

Erica: Fault. The Swede was certainly summoning his Viking heritage here. Next time, Robin, maybe you could complete the look with a couple thick braids?

Hilary: Fault.  All of a sudden I have Wiz Khalifa in my head…”Black and yellow, black and yellow, black and yellow…”

2. Fernando Verdasco

Erica: Double Fault. Nando, as much as you might think it, you’re just not a futbolista. You play tennis. And that mohawk, wow. Pull it together, hombre.

Hilary: Let.  In general, I liked that many of the dudes rocked some 90′s-tastic neon in Melbourne, but this one was not one of my favorites.  Side note: if you are going to sport such bold colors, you have GOT to match the wristband.

3. Julia Goerges

Erica: Let. Jules, I think you know how, ahem, revealing your outfit was. That said, it was cute and subdued and it’s not like we should blame you for having a huge … forehand. Um, just maybe consider some extra support next time.

Hilary: Ace.  True, it was revealing, but any outfit that can turn a guy’s attention away from Maria Sharapova has got to deserve some credit.  (Focus group: my fiance).

4. Andrea Petkovic

Erica: Let. That’s right “let” — as in I’m letting you get away with this outfit because you are totally adorable and I love your winning dances. Here’s to many more where that came from!

Hilary: Ace.  This green looked great on her, and she accessorized perfectly: with a matching wristband and some killer dance moves.

5. Caroline Wozniacki

Erica: Double Fault. I don’t even have a word in my vocabulary to describe that weird, weird skirt. It wasn’t a hoop skirt, it wasn’t a tutu, is wasn’t a mumu … Here’s a thought: might Caro have been evoking the Wimbledon women of yesteryear? That’s all I got.

Hilary: Double Fault. This dress was so fugly, matching nails couldn’t even save it.  Are we sure Stella McCartney is still designing her clothes and not Urkel? (Couldn’t resist throwing in another 90′s-tastic reference).

6. Venus Williams

Erica: Double Fault. Ow, Venus. This hurt to look at.

Hilary: Triple Fault.  That’s right, I invented a whole new rating to capture how much I hated this outfit.  This makes her boudoir French Open outfit and sparkly US Open second-skins look like haute couture.  The lattice tummy was not flattering, even on a skinny minny like Venus, and I can’t even comment on the skirt.  I generally appreciate her taking fashion risks, but this is not a reward for anyone.

7. Maria Sharapova

Erica: Ace. Gorgeous, classy, original color combination, worn like an absolute queen. The only problem — I thought you came to these things to play tennis.

Hilary: Ace.  Another fashion win for MaSha.  So refreshing to see a flattering and not overly revealing outfit that looks great both when she plays and when she doesn’t. Like most of her on-court outfits, I want this one in my closet.Venus and Caro, are you taking notes?

8. Ana Ivanovic

Erica: Ace. This dress had its oddities, to be sure, but I liked the quirkiness. The hole in the back, the early 90s secondary colors, the zipper — something about it made me wish that Ana hadn’t been eliminated in R1. Oh also? Her hair looked killer.

Hilary: Let.  This dress is a vast improvement over the two-tone pink number she sported much of last year, but I don’t think it did anything for her body.  She worked really hard in the off-season to tone up and get in shape, and I was hoping for an outfit that showed that off–perhaps this dress was just a bit too big for her.

Do you agree with our ratings?  Let us know in the comments.

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A definition of ranking terms:

• Ace – The ensemble was a hit, pleasing the crowd and distracting opponents while demonstrating a sense of style beyond the court. Loved it.
• Let – Close, but slightly off the mark. At least you tried.
• Fault – Okay, we expected more. Is this a practice outfit?
• Double Fault – Whoa. An absolutely unacceptable choice for the court. You really should know better.

So, with a little bit of analysis, and a lot of guessing, we try to answer some of the early season questions on our minds going into these next two weeks in Melbourne.

Agree? Disagree?  Lets us know in the comments.    

Which Top Name Could Make a Surprising Early Exit? 

Though Caroline Wozniacki is the #1 seed, she’s our #1 candidate to not make it into the second week.  She lost her first round match in last week’s tune-up in Sydney, and following that, lost two exhibition matches to Vera Zvonareva and Kim Clijsters, both in straight sets. Suffice it to say, it hasn’t been a good start to 2011 for Wozniacki, who many feel is simply babysitting Serena’s top-ranking while Williams continues to be sidelined by injury.  She plays today against Argentina’s Gisela Dulko, a tough first round match-up for a #1 who’s clearly off her game.  

Who Will Emerge As the One to Watch?

Though Gael Monfils isn’t exactly a new name on the scene anymore (he’s the #12 seed in Melbourne), the entertaining Frenchman hasn’t really entered the discussion of serious contenders to take a major.  We predict a strong run for Monfils here will launch him into the Soderling/Berdych/even-Murray realm; the B-team, if you will.

On the women’s side, we like Jarmila Groth as this season’s Sam Stosur—but see our answer below for more on that.

Who Will Be the Hometown Hero:  Sam Stosur or Jarmila Groth?

While Sam Stosur was the wonder from Down Under all last season, we predict Jarmila Groth will be Australia’s golden girl in 2011, especially in Melbourne.  While Stosur’s consistency and no-nonsense play always makes her a strong contender, Groth has got an impressive win streak going after taking the Hobart International victory, and is poised to have a truly breakout year.  If she can get past 21^st seed Yanina Wickmayer in the first round, she’s our pick to possibly emerge as the hometown hero in the second week.

Which American Will Make it the Furthest?

As much as we’d like to see Andy Roddick make a run, we don’t think it’s going to happen—we don’t doubt his fitness, and we still stand behind his serve, but doesn’t he just seem so unhappy out there?  We can’t put our finger on it—perhaps it’s just age—but we think Roddick will make an early (though not entirely surprising) exit this time.

However, even though Serena continues to be injured (though not entirely bed-ridden), Venus has fully recovered from the knee injury that stopped her at the end of 2010.  We haven’t heard much from Venus in early 2011, but leave it to her to quietly put together a run to at least the semi-finals.  She always seems to have something to prove, and now that S isn’t down under with her, could have a (mostly) clear run to the title.

In the Finals:  Rafa, Roger, or Both?

We think Rafa, with his Jedi-mind-trick-level mental toughness, will definitely make the finals, especially with the added motivation of winning four consecutive majors.  He’s definitely the one to beat, so slot him into the final match.  However, it’s harder to tell whether or not he will be staring down Federer on the other side of the net.  Roger has the technique, finesse, and all-around game that has made him such as champion of the game, but lately it only takes one streaking player (a focused Djokovic, a fit del Potro) to make Roger’s play seem elementary.  To be fair, Roger is the best player other than Nadal to take the court, and in a men’s field with little champion-caliber options, he’s a definite favorite to reach the final also.  We’ll go with “Both,” but not convincingly.

MaSha and Ana: Who Will Make It Further?

In our opinion, both Sharapova and Ivanovic have a ton to prove going into this season. Though both still have strong fan followings, their on-the-court successes have not exactly matched their off-the-court popularity.  Maria, plagued by on-and-off injuries over the past several seasons, hasn’t really been able to live up to the superstar hype from early in her career.  Ana, deperately needing to put her 2010 slump season behind her, seems more poised to do so, having lost weight and improved her fitness entering 2011.  She’s also been playing much stronger tennis, according to some tennis experts who have watched her off-season work.  We like A.I. to make a stronger run in Melbourne, but the jury’s out on who will have a more successful season in 2011.

Who Will Be the Victors?

Easy picks for us:  Kimmy Clijsters will continue the momentum she had closing out last season, and Rafa Nadal will achieve the consecutive (though not a tried-and-true calendar year) Grand Slam.

• Maria Sharapova debuts her Aussie Open dress for this year…but we were too blinded by her rock to see it – [Examiner.com]
• Caro’s #1 ranking is reflected in her seed for Melbourne (same for Rafa, no surprise there)…but is Kimmy right on her heels? — [Australian Open, James LaRosa]
• Speaking of Caro, her and Nando as “practice partners”? Yep, we’re still sure that’s all that’s happening here… –[A Twitpic from Caro's own twitter]
• We haven’t even started the first major of the year, and someone’s already drinking the American tennis haterade. Sorry, Andy. –[TENNIS.com]
• “The Real Housewives of Wimbledon”?  Not quite, but the WTA ladies have got themselves a new reality show. – [Reuters]
• There’s too much pre-Aussie action to fit in this headline, so read the article (inc. news on Soderling/Muzz, del Potro, and “British teen sensation” Laura Robson) — [Tennis Grandstand]

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Photo via Examiner.com

By now you know Serena Williams will not be at the Australian Open. The “foot injury” she suffered (or nose job or whatever you want to believe) post-Wimbledon 2010 will keep her from defending her Aussie title and ranking points. Meaning that, after Melbourne, she may slide right out of the WTA’s top 10.

But, hey, there’s good news! OPI is still rolling out Serena’s “Glam Slam” nail polish collection! OPI is one of the world’s leading manufacturers and suppliers of professional mani/pedi products. And Serena is well-known for being absolutely manic about her nails. (Just witness her recent pedicure performance for Oprah.) So, her decision to partner up with OPI on a nail polish collection tied to the Slams is actually pretty brilliant.

The first two polishes in this collection, introduced just in time for her non-existent Australian Open appearance, are Simply Smashing, a glowing, glittery green nail lacquer that might arguably be tennis ball-colored; and Black Shatter, a quick-dry topcoat that, when applied to a dry undercoat, produces a shattered or leopard-print look.

My personal take on these? I’m game to try Simply Smashing (just like I’m game to try the Wrist Assist, but that’s another story) but I’m pretty sure I won’t be rocking Black Shatter. Honestly, I have no idea how Serena plays with her long, tarted-up nails (and I mean that in a good way). I need the least amount of distractions possible to get through my games. Glowy green nails? Maybe. Black leopard skin on top of glowy green nails? That’s way more than I can handle.

Regardless, good for Serena for being able to not only carry this look off, but make lots of money while doing it! If the tennis thing doesn’t work out, she is more than prepared to fall back on her blossoming nail business (not to mention her HSN clothing line and other fashion ventures!).

When she does return to the courts, keep your eyes on Serena’s nails this year, as each Slam will bring new additions to the Glam Slam collection. Maybe Radical Red Clay for the French Open? White nail decals for Wimbledon? We will have to wait and see . . .

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Photo courtesy of www.OPI.com

It’s going to be one helluva a season, readers. I think that much is evident. And apparently the field, at least on the women’s side, is up for grabs.

(As a side note, we are currently in denial that this could possibly be Kimmy’s last year on tour. We refuse to believe it. That’s all we’re gonna say.)

• Crazy-pants beats FranSkee. How could this have possibly … [The Globe and Mail]
• Meanwhile, on the men’s side, another tweener. Yawn. [Forehand Shanker]
• Hooray, our first “what are they wearing at the Aussie” fashion announcement, and it comes from … Nando? [Tennis Identity]
• MaSha’s switching up her racquet this year. (Not making a joke about HEAD here, because we’re classy here at S&S. That’s right!) [Tennis Identity]
• In other switcheroos, here’s a list of coaching changes that happened while we were off. [Tennis.com]
• And finally, an adorable two-part pictorial essay about WTA players and their moms. Aww! [Women's Tennis Blog]

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Photo via Women’s Tennis Blog

• To get up to speed on this week’s season-opening tournaments, whilst learning to walk on water — [Tennis.com]
• To work our match-making abilities on Nole and Ana Ivanovic (Bye bye, Jelena Ristic…) — [Forty Deuce]
• Speaking of A.I., we’re going to try to become Ana fans again…if she gives us a reason to this season – [Mirosport]
• To somehow speed up Serena’s recovery (we miss you, girl!) — [Fanhouse]
• …On that note, we’re also going to bring back bedazzling – [ShowBizSpy]
• To convince Stella McCartney that the stuff she’s designing for Caro isn’t flattering – [Montreal Gazette]
• To be the answer to a Jeopardy clue, a la Kimmy Clijsters – [The Slice]
• To somehow create a Frankenstein of the world’s best players (random, we know, but SI had the idea first) — [SI.com]
• To get the Hills Family to buy us a trip to Hawaii, too – [Duke Tennis]

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Photo: Crosnier, via GoToTennis

So without further ado, we say “Thank you” for these 2010 tennis moments and novelties we love so much:

Tourney apps — Gone are the days when things like running errands, attending dinner parties, or driving got in the way of following a live tennis match. This year we soaked up the action on our phones round-the-clock, and learned just how absolutely vital those little devices are.

The Bryan Brothers — This year, the Bryans set the record for doubles titles, and we love tennis dominance x2.  Added bonus: they have a band.

Bepa’s tantrums — She’s super smart, has great legs, and there’s the little fact that she’s also a beast on the tennis court. Listen, this girl is basically perfect.  Her temper-feuled outbursts are a happy reminder that she’s human too.

The awkwardness of charity matches — This year’s fundraising nights of celebrity-studded, poorly-officiated, Grand-Slam-kick-off chaos were among the most entertaining matches we watched this season — if you can call them matches. J-Mac slamming a beer, Gavin Rossdale serving like he meant it, Serena providing color commentary in a cast — just knowing that our heroes are much slower with a humorous retort than they are with a perfectly-spun volley. There’s something comforting about that.

The replay challenge — This is something for which we have been grateful for several years now, but it has to be mentioned again.  That little computerized yellow ball can be a lifesaver or a burden to the players, but it always adds to the spectator fun. (Though, we can’t help but wonder if the challenge has endangered the McEnroe-style tantrum.)

Our favorite tennis Tweeters — If not for @JamesLaRosa, @AdjustingtheNet, @RawUncutTennis, @thedoublebagel, @FortyDeuceTwits, @fiercetennis, @tylerdsmith, and all of the other tennis fiends on Twitter, we’d be talking to the wall!

Janko’s Tweets — Speaking of Twitter, Janko Tipseravic has set the bar for player twitter accounts.  Andy Roddick may take the title for Tweet quantity, but no one can surpass the quality of @TipseravicJanko.  How else would we know of his love for Cheesecake Factory?

Leg porn — Feliciano Lopez taught us an important lesson this year, people: that it’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how well your shorts fit.

Green Day – Wait, Serena, how’d you slip that in there?

What are you thankful for in the tennis world?  Add your thoughts in the comments…

The news was jammed up this week with sticky career analyses. Who’s done? Who’s back? Who’s still in a cast? And so on. For our part, it seems too early to tell. Going into holiday season, there are other priorities on our minds (see tree-decorating and gift suggestions below). We’ll check in with a few young players, former players, and one ultra-fabulous Sir who never played at all but somehow schooled Team Agassi-Graf with a perfect lob.

Here we go!

• If you thought there wasn’t much else to say about the ATP rankings, here’s a whole special report from the NYT on the World Tour Finals. [NY Times] And here it is again … in their own words. [Live Mint]
• Even if he may have looked uncomfortable in London, our friend, Robin, had lots to be proud of. He was crowned on his first Masters 1000! [Tennis Identity]
• But the crowning moment of the week went to a Brit — check out Elton John’s winner. [Youtube]
• Let’s talk about the ladies now. Here’s a little doom and gloom viewpoint on ReRe and V. [Fox Sports]
• And here’s LaRosa’s “all right, settle down” “take THAT” “shadap already” essay of the week. Yes.
• The ladies (at least JJ and Justine) are back, and don’t you forget it! [WTA Superfans]
• Hey side note — y’all remember that Bepa’s like supersmart, right? Here are a few deets on her economics thesis project. Dang, girl! [Women's Tennis Blog]
• And now for our Christmas gift-pick: a customizable racquet from Donnay. [Donnay]
• Like, you know, if you want it to match your bedazzled foot cast. [Forty Deuce]
• Looks like Flushing Meadows is getting a facelift for the holidays. But no new roof for Ashe. [Yahoo Sports]
• And here’s a special “Merry [early] Christmas” from the Swiss-star himself. [Youtube]