Back in May, I made a post about the WTA "Superheroes" marketing campaign.
The video is finally up on www.ChallengeYourHero.com – a new site launched by the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour where tennis fans can face off against some of the top women’s tennis players in the world – virtually.
The web site is designed for fans to mix videos of themselves matching up to some of the greatest players in the world, such as Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic, or Jelena Jankovic.
Here's the best thing, creators of the best videos, as determined by the Tour, will be eligible for a chance to win the grand prize – a trip for two to the year-end Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha, Qatar!Here's what you have to do:- Visit ChallengeYourHero.com and create a free account.
- Users then upload a video of themselves playing tennis, in addition, still photos and audio can also be uploaded.
- The user then selects the ‘hero’ they want to challenge.
- The web based video mixer allows users to make cut-scene video combining their own tennis shorts with those of a pro; it also allows users to stylize video, add audio and transitions.
- Once a video has been completed and published, it is available for public viewing in the gallery of the site.
- Users can also embed the video on other sites or share it using popular social networking sites.
Injured doubles player Bob Bryan has been replaced on the U.S. team by Mardy Fish for the Davis Cup semifinal against Spain this weekend, the second high-profile loss for the American side.
Bryan is recovering in the U.S. after receiving a cortisone shot for an inflamed left shoulder, team spokesman Tim Curry said.
The U.S. Davis Cup team pose before a press conference in Madrid. Left to right: Sam Querrey, Andy Roddick, team captain Patrick McEnroe, Mike Byran and Mardy Fish.
Singles player James Blake, who has been a regular on the U.S. team since 2005, pulled out last week citing exhaustion.It will be the first time in 16 Davis Cup matches that Bryan and his twin brother, Mike, won’t play together. The Bryans, who are 14-2 since debuting in 2003, helped the U.S. win the Davis Cup last year. “I aggravated it pretty bad at the (U.S.) Open and only made things worse,” Bryan said on the Davis Cup Web site. “I knew if I wanted a chance to play the rest of this year, I had to shut it down now. I can’t even hit any balls.”
The 23rd-ranked Fish practiced on the clay Tuesday with Mike Bryan and could line up with him in doubles.
Andy Roddick during a practice session at the Las Ventas Bullring in Madrid.
The U.S. team's Andy Roddick, left, plays the ball to Sam Querrey during a practice.
The other team members are Andy Roddick and Sam Querrey, who replaced Blake. “When you have a pair like the Bryans that know each other well … a match against them is always difficult,” Spain captain Emilio Sanchez Vicario said.
“But Fish reached the quarters of Australian and U.S. Open and comes with talent even if he doesn’t play doubles in a consistent fashion.”
The best-of-five series begins Friday with two singles matches, followed by the doubles on Saturday and reverse singles Sunday.
Fish is 5-5 in Davis Cup play, including 4-4 in singles and 1-1 in doubles. His last appearance was in 2004, when he won one singles match and lost another as Spain beat the U.S. in the final in Seville.The matches will be played on red clay at the Las Ventas bullfighting arena.
The Spanish team is led by No. 1-ranked Rafael Nadal.
Spain's team captain Emilio Sanchez, speaks during a press conference. Left to right: Rafael Nadal, Emilio Sanchez, Fernando Verdasco and Nicolas Almagro. 
Rafael Nadal doesn't really enjoy press conference.
Though Spain appears the overwhelming favourite now, Sanchez Vicario said the team was doing some adjusting of its own to the Spanish capital’s high altitude. “The altitude is something that influences the game very much, but we feel positive here and we will look to play the best we can,” he said. “We came here early to accustom ourselves to it.”
(Via AP Sports, Images by Yahoo! Sports)
Argentine and Russian teams trained on Monday in the central stadium of Roca Park in the city of Buenos Aires, where on Friday they will open the semifinals of the Davis Cup.
Argentine team formed by David Nalbandian (world no.7), Juan Martin Del Potro (13th), Agustin Calleri (51st) and Guillermo Canas (55th), trained in the morning under the supervision of their coaches and the captain Alberto Mancini.
The players complained about the conditions of the court.
On the same day, Russians Igor Andreev (19th) and Dmitry Tursunov (26th) arrived for training but Nicolay Davydenko (6th) is nowhere to be seen.In Russian team, the main last-hour news was the confirmation that Marat Safin (38th) will not compete in the Davis Cup.
The other semi final will be played between Spain and U.S. in Madrid.
Here are some of their practice photos.
Argentina's Captain Alberto Mancini drinks a tradtional drink called "mate". 
Russia's Dmitry Tursunov wishes he had some boobs. 
Argentina's Guillermo Canas serves during a practice. 
Argentina's David Nalbandian returns a ball during a practice. 
Russia's Igor Andreev, says hi to Argentina's Alberto Mancini during a tennis practice.
Igor Andreev, the Russian PR guy greets Argentina's Agustin Calleri during a practice.
Argentina's Juan Martin Del Potro getting some advice from Captain, Alberto Mancini.
Top seed Shingo Kunieda of Japan snatched the Men's Singles gold medal from Athens champion Robin Ammerlaan of the Netherlands to end the Wheelchair Tennis event on Monday. In the one-sided match, Kunieda challenged defending champion and second seed Ammerlaan, winning 6-3, 6-0 in less than an hour.
Kunieda went into the Games as the first Men's player to win all four majors in the same season in 2007. Kunieda led Ammerlaan slightly in head-to-head by 12 to 11 going in to the match and today he came out on top. "I just thought, 'Yes. I did it,'" said Kunieda after the victory. "I will drink beer [to celebrate]. I cannot usually drink alcohol, but tonight I will."
In the Women's Doubles final, Dutch second seeds Korie Homan and Sharon Walraven stole the gold medal from their compatriots Esther Vergeer and Jiske Griffioen.
Vergeer and Griffioen won the first set 6-2, but Homan and Walraven fought back in the second, taking it 7-6 (4) and winning the final set 6-4 in two-and-a-quarter hours. Vergeer and Griffioen have been beaten only once in 39 tournaments, since first pairing up in 2004. "It's amazing," said Homan. "I had a match point yesterday and it didn't work out. Today, after the first match point, I was thinking like, 'No, not again, not again.' At the second point, I was thinking like, 'We have to just go for it,' and it worked."
Second seeds Stephane Houdet and Michael Jeremiasz of France won the gold medal for the Men's Doubles over fourth seeds Stefan Olsson and Peter Wikstrom of Sweden.
This match was held on Monday after getting rained out. Houdet and Jeremiasz had taken the first set from Olsson and Wikstrom when the match was suspended. However, the Swedes led the second set 2-1 and 30-0 by the time the match was rained out.
The French pair then pushed ahead winning 6-1, 7-6 (5), after two hours on Monday. Jeremiasz won the silver in Athens with a different partner. He was so elated to win the gold today that he ripped off his shirt, baring his chest at the end of the match. "We decided, since the beginning, that if we are going to play, we are going to win," said Houdet. "Sometimes, we were a little bit too far back, and then they could be aggressive and win a couple of points. We just had to wheel back to the front, to go to the net, to be aggressive and I think in this game, we put the pressure on them."
(Via ITF Tennis Paralympic, Images via Yahoo! Sport)
