The Illuminated Donkey

I didn't write much about my annual trip to the U.S. Open, so I never mentioned my biggest disappointment: not getting to see my dreamgirl, Vera Zvonareva, in action. Longtime readers might my becoming instantly smitten with Vera while watching her play Kim Clijsters. And how could I not have been? She's a fine tennis player, shares my birthday (for youse astrology freaks out there), and is completely crazy-go-nuts.

And while I thought perhaps the craziness I witnessed might have just been youthful exuberance, this report from Sunday's action settles the issue:

In perhaps the day's oddest match, 10th-seeded Vera Zvonareva burst into tears repeatedly on the court and slammed her racket to the ground during her loss to her Russian compatriot Elena Dementieva, 1-6, 6-4, 6-3. Zvonareva even sobbed when she won the first set. The outburst was not unusual for Zvonareva, who is one of the most emotional players on the WTA Tour. "I think when you're in the fourth round of a Grand Slam, you can't not get emotional," she said. "When I'm comfortable with my tennis, I don't get like this."

How can you not just want to wrap her up and put her in your pocket? One big difference from two years ago is her current #10 ranking, which can only mean that the WTA has taken my advice and added Crazy Points to the calculations.