[tenn_ace]

Apparently (according to the last issue of Tennis magazine), during the match between Maria S. and Nadia in Carston, Maria pumped her fist at the start of the 3rd set. Nadia responded with an obscene gesture, according to Sharapova's dad, Yuri, who proceeded to tanut Petrova from the stands for the rest of the set. After match, which Sharapova won, Petrova's coach, Gleen Schaap, accosted Yuri and pushed him into a trash can. Security guards broke off the scuffle.

Obviously, these two (Masha and Nadia) will not pair to play doubles together any time soon or will practice together...
Is this the first such an open confrontation between Russian girls camps?Is there any other example of bad blood?

btw, I said a lo-o-o-ong time ago not to wait for Maria to play on a Russian FedCup team... I'd be surprised to, actually, see her there.

[the cat]

Nyet tenn_ace! There's no bad blood between Nadia and Maria. This is the first I've heard of such an incident. And I read alot of reports online on their exciting match. I'm sure Nadia needs to get used to Maria playing with such great passion and emotion. Masha is not your typical low key Russina.

As far as I'm concerned if Nadia was so upset with Maria's fist pumping she should have beaten Maria insetad of getting upset at her for pumping her fist. But until Nadia says something substantive about this then it's just a rumour in my eyes. Maria and Nadia's match was over 2 months ago. I would have expected to have heard something about this possible incident by now. But maybe it didn't happen. Or maybe just words were exchanged.

And tenn_ace, the 2 best Russina's Anastasia Myskina and Elena Dementieva seem to like Maria alot. I know Myskina does. She and Masha train together with Robert Landsorp in Los Angeles. I Myskina and Dementieva didn't like Sharapova there would be no chance of Maria playing on the Russian Fed Cup team anytime soon. But I expect Maria to be a practice player on the Russian team for the upcoming Fed Cup semifinals in Mocsow. Maria hits the ball flat and hard and she makes alot of noise when she plays so she would be a good practice partner to have for the Fed Cup semifinals because the matches will be noisy and Maria can prepare her Russian practice partners for a boistrous match. And if Dementieva can't play the singles because she's too tired from playing too much tennis Shamil Tarpischev coukd slip Maria into being the #2 player on the Russian Fed Cup team.

[tenn_ace]

the cat, I admire you reading a lot of reports, but you obviously missed this one... why else whould Tennis magazine publish it?

[vaiva]

Open your eyes, the cat! *shakes head*

Put away the hype surrounding Maria which you're obviously bying in at the moment. I can assure you the old fox Shamil is too smart to have Maria as #2 player on the team [maybe in the parallel universe in which you seem to dwell now].

tenn_ace, that's a nasty incident to read about. I haven't heard any more reports regarding the bad blood between the Russian girls [but I'm not so much into reading reports as the cat is ]. Anyways, I'd rather have it as an exception not a rule.

[the cat]

Being a USTA member I get Tennis Magazine as part of my mmbership. And I can't beleive I missed the item on Nadia and Maria. But I went right to the feature article on the Russina's. So that's how I missed it. But I just read it this morning. And because Tennis Magaize wrote about this incident doesn't mean it happened. I find it hard to believe that no other magazine, newspaper or tennis website reported this incident. One player making an obscene gesture to another player during a match is highly unusual and would be immediately reported by various outlets.

And if Glen Schaap really accosted Yuri Sharapov and dumped him in a trash can that would have been big news worth reporting right away. Not 2 months later as was the case. And if Schaap really did that the question is, why? Does Schaap want an imposong figure from Sochi, Russia to pay him a visit?

[Martian Willow]

...sounds more like bad blood between Russian men to me...

[goldenlox]

It's hard to believe that Nadya's coach pushed Maria's father into a trash can, and security had to break up the scuffle, yet no tennis writer or wire service stringer bothered to report it.
Like that baseball skirmish yesterday, this fighting stuff is bigger than the sporting match that's being played.

[tenn_ace]

Schaap is actually Dutch

[F-R-E-A-K]

VAMOS Lena Bovina!!!!

[the cat]

I'm glad you see it my way, GL. The tennis media loves to report gossip, rumours and controversy. And the tennis media would have been all over this story if Petrova made an obscene gesture to Sharapova and if Schaap pushed Sharapov into a trash can. But I have my doubts that these occurances even occured.

[goldenlox]

There were definately reporters there. They love this stuff.
Why wouldn't someone report it?

[the cat]

GL, it wasn't reported because maybe no one saw it or maybe it didn't happen. I'm sure there were reporters there. And I'm sure there would have gladly reported Petrova's obscene gesture or Schaap and Sharapov's scuffle. But there weren't any reports on this at the time. Thus I have to wonder about the validity of Tennis Magazine's report of the obscene gesture and subsequent scuffle.

[narcissus boy]

Bovina and Zvonareva.

[tenn_ace]

what if happened somewhere in the locker room or waiting area? with no reporters around?

[the cat]

Stiil trying to make a case for this story, tenn_ace? If it happened in the lockerroom or waiting area someone would have talked about it. Because an incident where Glen Schaap allegedly put Yuri Sharapov into a trash can is an act of violence that cannot be tolerated by the WTA Tour.

And I certainly don't want Yuri Sharapov to get a bad reputaion on the WTA Tour as a problem father. Maria Sharapova would not stand for that. I seriopusly doubt that Mr. Sharapov taunted Petrova for nearly the entire third set. He was probably just rooting hard for Maria.