The Daily Deuce: Day eleven

Susannah Guthrie
Jan 23, 2014, updated Jan 23, 2014

Bieber loves Bouchard

It’s happened. After the Tuesday shout-out to her celeb crush Justin Bieber, Eugenie Bouchard has made the connection. The 19 year-old Canadian singer tweeted the rising tennis star a good luck message ahead of her match with Li Na on Thursday.

@geniebouchard good luck 🙂

— Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) January 22, 2014

Unfortunately, Bouchard was beaten despite Bieber’s wishes, but at least she can now return to Canada and take this romance to the next level. Bouchard shares more than just her age and Canadian heritage with Bieber; she also has a talent for dancing. She and British player Laura Robson teamed up to do the Gangnam Style dance all around the world, with cameos from Fernando Verdasco, Maria Sharapova, Sam Stosur and Jo Wilfried-Tsonga. Enjoy.

So long, farewell

Novak Djkovic tweeted a sweet farewell to Australia today as he jetted back to Europe. Ever the gentleman, the world number two also included a shout-out to his final opponent in the tournament, Stanislas Wawrinka.

On my way back to Europe.Exited for the rest of the season.Congratulation to @stanwawrinka for a great match. Love you Australia — Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) January 23, 2014

Lonely Li Na

She’s the most successful Chinese sportsperson in the world right now, but you won’t catch Li Na’s Mum proudly supporting her daughter in the stands.

“She know I was tennis player, but she never come to watch when I was playing,” the 32 year-old, who lost her father as a teenager, told press. “I invite her so many times. She’s like, No, I’m not interested. I say, Okay, go home. Stay home. I think it’s because she didn’t have big heart to watch me play. Maybe if I play match, maybe make her nervous. She can choose which way is best for her.”

One person Li Na can count on for support is her loyal husband, who enthusiastically cheered her to victory over Eugenie Bouchard on Thursday.

Bouchard had the support of two other young stars, Milos Raonic and Bernard Tomic, who both somehow found a way into her player’s box. Tomic made his way around Melbourne Park on crutches due to a hip injury.

OUCH!

There’s nothing else you can really say about Rafael Nadal’s monster blister. He’s such a trooper.

A trainer treats the blister on the hand of Rafael Nadal on January 22, 2014 in Melbourne, Australia. pic.twitter.com/SzyfRJ12IL

— Team Nadal France (@TeamNadalFrance) January 22, 2014

The court clown

Look out Djokovic, there’s a new joker in town. Tomas Berdych, who faces Stanislas Wawrinka Thursday night in the semi-finals, has an incredibly entertaining Twitter account. The highlights of his feed these past two weeks have definitely been his creative cartoons featuring various members of the Australian animal kingdom.

Berdych creatively photoshops speech bubbles onto photos of kangaroos and, most recently, a shot of him and his girlfriend holding a bird. We’re not sure we completely understand his quirky brand of humour, but we appreciate it nonetheless.