Here is yesterday's story on the unlikely incidence of winning the first major after reaching No. 1 and Wednesday's story on Sam Querrey.

Search for de Villiers Successor

The ATP unveiled its 2009, 2010 and 2011 calendars yesterday, an announcement made possible by the court victory in Delaware last month. The biggest concern right now is replacing embattled Chairman and President Etienne de Villiers. The tour’s board is searching fast and furious to replace the former Disney exec, who is fresh off the court victory and who announced last week he will step down at the end of the year when his contract expires.

ATP board member Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia said that he and the other five board members are collecting names and hope to have a clearer direction in 3-4 weeks. They are also considering hiring a headhunting firm. Candidates could some from inside or outside the sport and de Villiers’ dual positions could be split in two as they were when he came in two-and-a-half years ago. “If we find a very good person who is capable of doing both roles then we are more than happy to accommodate that,” said Ljubicic. “If we feel we need to separate the roles, we have that option. I’m not going to say no to anything.”

Meantime, the Sopot gambling investigation lingers on. Earlier this week, Nikolay Daveydenko dodged the issue as he has for much of the last few months. An ATP official said that they expected the investigation to conclude before the year is out, and perhaps much sooner than that.

Honest Fish

I ran into Fernando Gonzalez earlier in the week and asked him if he had spoken to James Blake after their controversial match in Beijing, in which Blake blasted Gonzalez for unsportsmanlike conduct involving a disputed racket-touch call. The Chilean suddenly got icy and told me he had not spoken to Blake but he clearly did not want to get into it. Later in one of his post-match press conferences, Gonzalez said his body was numb and he couldn’t feel anything.

Told of the comment after his second round match, Blake stood by his remarks in Beijing and refused to be drawn into more inflammatory statements. “What’s done is done,” he said. “I’ve moved past it.”

But Mardy Fish, the 2004 silver medalist, said he probably would have done the same thing as Gonzalez, as long as it wasn’t another American or someone that he was close to. “I will probably get in trouble by this answer,” he said. “I think it would depend on who you're playing.” 

Fish said considering the consequences – playing for your country, an Olympic medal at stake – he would have had to “weigh” the situation. Fish said the idea Gonzalez didn’t feel it on his racket was “a bunch of crock.” If he were playing another USA player, Fish said would have called it on himself. But if not, he’s not so sure.

“Bad line calls, and the human aspect of tennis is definitely still there," the American said. "I would have called it on James if I was playing him. I would have given him the point. It would have been tough, for sure.” But he added: “If somebody else gets a bad line call, and I knew it was in but they called it out, I mean, I'm not going to give them the point for that.” Kudos to Fish for speaking the truth.

Speaking of honesty, following his five-set loss to Marat Safin Tuesday, I asked Vince Spadea, 34, if he was considering retirement. The American veteran, who turned pro in 1993 and is the second oldest man in the men's draw, shot back: "When is the last time you got paid $18,000 to be humiliated?" Touché. The prize money for losing in the first round of the U.S. Open is $18,500.

Anastasia Myskina is back - as a commentator for a Russian tennis channel. In 2004, the fiery Myskina became the first Russian woman to win a major at the French Open before a chronic toe injury put an end to her career. The 27-year-old, who last played a tour match at the 2007 French Open, has been commentating for Russian TV on sports such as soccer and hockey. Last April, she gave birth to a baby boy. Myskina, who reached a high of No. 2, said she had no intention of returning to the circuit to compete. "No way," she said.