Tennis news, analysis, tournament coverage, and rumors
This year’s Australian Open featured a sterling gold star, and it’s not Naomi Osaka, Novak Djokovic or Daniil Medvedev. It’s a certain type of serve that stood out as sneaky-effective. The hubbub over Covid-19 and quarantines made a change in Melbourne fly slightly under the radar. In 2020, a new court surface was installed by […] READ MORE
As Tennis Australia considers a plea from Novak Djokovic for better treatment of Australian Open players in hard quarantine, the “Happy Slam” needs a happy medium. The Australian public, with a sterling track record managing the pandemic, Naomi Osaka, and Serena Williams–to have the ability to train leading up to the Australian Open when others […] READ MORE
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, with hundreds of millions quarantined around the world, sports fans are starving for live sporting events. Tennis fans are amongst those missing their favorite sport. Enter news of a masterstroke from golf. Organizers have announced plans for a made-for-TV live event featuring Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Tom Brady […] READ MORE
Maria Sharapova was a style icon and announced her retirement, fittingly, in Vogue and Vanity Fair. But it was her playing style that really set trends in the sport of tennis. Ditching the traditional volley like yesterday’s fad, Sharapova’s treatment of choice on short balls was a ferocious swinging volley. Copycats followed suit. Now the […] READ MORE
Roger Federer would tell you he continues the exhausting exercise of playing tennis at age 38 because he still loves tennis. Fair enough. But as the current GOAT sits out a few months to recover from arthroscopic knee surgery, the Tennis Twitteratti is obsessing over legacy. Here’s a look at the records Federer holds by […] READ MORE
After the mess that has unfolded at the Australian Open qualifying, where players were faced with hazardous air-quality, it’s time to get out in front of this crisis. Tennis Australia should move– and move right now– to make the men’s draw best-of-three sets for the 2020 Australian Open. Let me raise my hand as someone […] READ MORE
They’ve won two Grand Slams apiece, slogged through all the surfaces and the long grind of the pro tennis calendar, but whether it’s Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic to end the year on top depends squarely on one tournament: This week’s ATP Finals. “Squarely” is the perfect word– because we’ve got the bang-up matrix of […] READ MORE
What’s stopping Gael Monfils from winning a Grand Slam, like the 2019 US Open, which is underway this week? It could be simple geometry. He’s the current World #13, the same as his seeding at this US Open, and yet, he’s not a popular pick to win in Flushing Meadow, even as an outside shot. […] READ MORE
Roger Federer is serving fewer aces than he was a year ago at Wimbledon, according to data from IBM. This year, through the quarterfinals, he has 42 aces. At the same point in 2018, he had 64. He has played the same number of sets– exactly 17 sets through the quarterfinals in each of the […] READ MORE
PARIS– Roger Federer experimented with some of his lesser-used plays and tactics in a match where he hit a staggering 52 winners en route to victory over Casper Ruud 6-3, 6-1, 7-6. 52 winners (which includes 11 aces– it’s the way official stats are kept here at Roland Garros) in a 3-set match. On clay. […] READ MORE