Peter Bodo holds the secret to Nole's issues: Frank Sinatra

What do Novak Djokovic + Jimmy Connors have in common? According to Peter Bodo, a big mouth and a penchance for going all Frank Sinatra on the tour's ass.

Peter Bodo finally takes his (always lengthy) aim at Nole's retirement woes saying the two ballers share a "My way" attitude which may inadvertently hurt the Serb's physical well-being:

One critical similarity between Djokovic and Connors is that both have been accused of being lousy sports who did a fair amount of manipulation in their drive for success. For Connors, the accusations were based on his attempts to intimidate officials and opponents, and his "ducking" of the top players by refusing to play the main, WCT tour early in his career. The complaints against Djokovic are similar: he doesn't sufficiently "respect" Federer and Nadal; he "ducks" out of big matches against the best players by succumbing to mystery ailments. After all, there is no alternative tour, like there was back in Connors' heyday.

So Djokovic is loosely following in the footprints of Connors and any other player who can claim to have done things "My way." Like Connors, Djokovic has circled the (family) wagons and keeps his own counsel, although he has nothing like Connors's siege mentality. Djokovic also has a much better grasp of public relations and basic decorum than Jimbo ever did. This sense that you have to figure it out all by yourself, with such an enormous amount at stake, can become oppressive. It creates pressure, and pressure always seeks an outlet. If denied, the pressure shuts down the machine.

Interesting - so the mental affects the physical? How ingenious!

(image via Getty)

TENNIS.com's Peter Bodo and Martina Hingis have more in common than just tennis

Bodo & blow: In the wake of Martina Hingis' 2-year ban from the tennis world, TENNIS.com's Peter Bodo wants us to know he's in no place to judge the Swiss Miss for her apparent misdeeds. In his blog, Mr. Bodo explains,

"I'd be the last person to advocate lynching people who have used or even just tried cocaine (among other things it would make me a horrible hypocrite, wink-wink), but the recreational drug is a prohibited substance and, at the end of the day, either you have rules or you don't. (Excuse me, I need to run to the men's for a moment!)."

Wow - we never thought so before, but Peter Bodo's Tennisworld sounds a lot more interesting now! Maybe we'll actually start reading it on a regular basis.

(image via tennis.com)

+ WEDNESDAY NETCORDS: Rafa, Andy, Pete vs. Roger...ATP gets dumped, Serbia's rise and more

(image courtesy of Jezzer Johnson)

- The Tennis Channel pulls another coup by securing the rights to feature the 3 exhibition matches between living legends Pete Sampras and Roger Federer. The matches scheduled to air are the meetings in Seoul, Korea . Up next is the Nov. 22 match in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, then the Nov. 23 meeting in Macao, China.

- Tennis Diary states their case for why Rafael Nadal has yet to play well at the US Open. Our guess: he's worn his body to shreads by the Open - period.

- Mercedes will be ending its 11-year sponsorship of the ATP tour to broaden its portfolio to include golf, football, and get this, equestrian activities. Tennis, you're losing out to horses - get a grip.

- Talking Federer: Talk show host Charlie Rose discusses all things Roger Federer with commentary by Rod Laver, John McEnroe, Jim Courier, Rafael Nadal, Bud Collins, and of course Fed himself. Good stuff.

- Prince is entering the gaming world by producing Wii Tennis racquets

- An Olympic gold medal vs. a Grand Slam championship: the players weigh in

- Andy Roddick launched the Andy Roddick Youth Tennis program this week. About 60 students receive two hours of tennis instruction and one hour of the "Living Smart/Living Strong" Development and Guidance Program, led by OLLU Education faculty. Learn more about the program by visiting OLLU.edu.

- Peter Bodo asks: how DID Serbia become a tennis superpower?

+ FRIDAY NETCORDS: Roger, Dmitry, Marat, the fighting Hewitts...2008 Olympics news, David Beckham undresses and more

(image via smwarnke4)

- 2008 Olympics update: The surface for the '08 Olympics has been chosen - DecoTurf - which is the same surface used at the US Open. We know one player who is probably very happy about this decision: US Open champion Roger Federer who, surprisingly enough, has yet to sport the gold medal.

- Go vintage Borg in this reissued Matchday Jacket by Fila

- Meet DJ Dmi: Apparently Dmitry Tursonov can spin more than a tennis ball. The eccentric Russian is also a DJ and has posted his own mixes on his website. Check them out here!

- Should the tennis schedule revolve around having a "season" similar to baseball, football, or...football (soccer for our US readers)? ESPN.com ponders this question.

- Ain't no mountain high enough: Marat Safin is putting his tennis aside for another challenge. The 2-time Grand Slam winner is part of a Russian expedition team scheduled to climb Cho Oyu, the 8,201-meter (26,906 ft) mountain on the Nepal-Tibet border.

- We'll be sad to see you go, Guga, if you decide to hang up the rackets...

- The Hewitts are fighting: Never a dull moment in the Hewitt household, is there? The famous Aussie couple are being accused by Channel 7 program, Today Tonight, about failing to fulfill their commitment to building an orphanage in Cambodia.

- Are you suffering from having excess balls? Here are 17 innovate things you can do with the balls you've used and abused.

- Jon Wertheim is certainly making a name for himself. Not only does he cover tennis in-depth, the Sports Illustrated writer is interviewed here about his book on pool entitled "Running the Table".

- Mind over matter: Peter Bodo delves into the mind of Roger Federer to explore his uncanny ability to focus so intensely in the moment...very interesting.

- OFF TOPIC ALERT: Becks releases 2008 calendar, undresses for you

Ana Ivanovic is TENNIS magazine's new cover girl

Speaking of TENNIS magazine's covers, Serbia's Ana Ivanovic will be the face on the mag's newest issue, continuing her Global Domination Tour. Here's an excerpt from the article written by Peter Bodo:

"When Ivanovic was a youngster, the Belgrade athletic club where she trained and played sports could not afford to heat its Olympic-size swimming pool in the winter. Club officials decided to have it drained and lay down carpet, and that’s where Ivanovic got her first taste of indoor tennis. Practicing there made her game lethal because the walls of the pool were just 18 inches from the sidelines of the court. Down-the-line, often the most difficult shot to hit, was the only way to go."

Did Bodo just give Down the Line! a shout-out? Probably not...but we'll take it!

(via anaivanovic.com)