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I’ve been ripped for constantly complaining about the screaming and wailing that goes on during every women’s match these days. It’s as if some people have lived with it so long, they actually think it’s poor form to criticize the rudeness. There’s always some dull commentator ready to point out, incorrectly, that they’ve been playing […]
June 2, 2009
There’s always been something that bothered me about Rafa’s dear Uncle Toni. Something sinister goes on beyond those dark sunglasses. He’s as controlling as one of those women’s tennis dads. There are times when I want to tell Rafa to move out from mom and dad’s roof. There are times that I wonder what kind […]
June 1, 2009
“I would never do that. I’ve never done that. I’ve never sunk low, and I would never do that to anyone on this tour and I never have.” – Serena Williams, explaining that she would never cheat to win a point I know half of you think I hate Venus and Serena, despite all the […]
June 1, 2009
Rafael Nadal lost to Robin Soderling in four sets, his first defeat at the French Open. That makes Roger Federer the happiest man in Paris and the odds on favorite to win his first French Open. Before we hand him the trophy, remember that Roger isn’t without cracks on this surface. He was humiliated by […]
May 28, 2009
ESPN’s tennis coverage is generally excellent. (Though as yet unrated for the 09 French) ESPN’s tennis writers are mediocre to good. (That they all write for tennis magazine isn’t a great sign, is it?) ESPN’s headline writers have always been pretty bad. Wednesday’s bad headlines on Sharapova deserve comment because they don’t give her […]
May 27, 2009
I haven’t forgotten the traveling mediocrity known as women’s tennis, circa 2009. I think Bud Collins over at his blog summed it up better and quicker than I ever could: The women? It’s a tournament no one can win. I’ll say. The spring was filled with the usual: no one can cement a hold on […]
May 27, 2009
I mean besides the fact that I’m an inconsistent blogger? We learned the ITF had no more backbone than the WTA in geopolitical matters. The ITF runs the Davis Cup and it allowed Sweden to play Israel in Malmo Sweden to a stadium of no spectators because of political protests that were scheduled to disrupt […]
February 24, 2009
The Williams sisters have gone down a notch in my mind after their failure to confront the Dubai issue head on by taking anything resembling a stand. Here’s Venus, who I’ve always believed to be the most intelligent player on all the women’s tour, trying to put the Dubai discrimination in perspective: “I felt like […]
February 24, 2009
Andy Roddick telling Serena to put down her drink and think Way to go Andy Roddick. He just withdrew from Dubai to protest the treatment of Isreali Shahar Peer. Andy did not have to make this stand. He could hide behind the decision to allow Andy Ram to play in the men’s event. He could […]
February 23, 2009
While we were wringing our hands over Dubai last week, actual tennis was being played. In Dubai, the tournament that never should have happened, Venus beat Serena in a 7-6 third-set tiebreaker and then defeated Virginia Razzano in the final. This is the first time Venus has been back in the top 5 in 5 […]
February 18, 2009
The UAE has apparently relented on Andy Ram: In the wake of the Gulf state’s denial of a visa for a female Israeli tennis player, Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) had scheduled a news conference on Wednesday to press the ATP to withdraw its backing for the tournament, a spokesman for the congressman said. But Yousef […]
February 18, 2009
Steve Tignor backed up his strong blog post on Tennis.com with an article at ESPN today about the role of money in the Dubai Disaster. Role as in “determinative factor.” As I pointed out earlier, Venus Williams’ initial statement focused on the fab prize money available in the UAE. Money rules. Money quote from Tignor: […]
February 18, 2009
One of the people I looked forward to hearing from on the Dubai Disaster was Pam Shriver. A past player president of the WTA, Pam has never minced words. She’s also demonstrated a long-time commitment to social justice issues and never worried about talking politics. She went on the record with ESPN’s Bonnie Ford and […]
February 18, 2009
The one person on the women’s tour who has leadership potential is Venus Williams. She has been a fantastic advocate for equal prize money – the best and most articulate voice on the issue since Billie Jean King. She is the only top player regularly involved in tour issues. So it is a bit disappointing […]
February 18, 2009
The Controversy The Seattle Parks and Recreation Department apparently has a war on its hands between dodgeball people and tennis players after the artful dodgers invaded the public tennis courts. When the tennis players complained, the city told the dodgeball players to scram. They even gave the dodgeball folks gyms to play in – but they […]
February 18, 2009
Dubai resident Roger Federer will not be playing in the tournament next week due to a back injury. I take him at his word. But it is a convenient out for the big guy. Fed originally started hanging in Dubai when he was being coached by Tony Roche and was looking for a halfway point […]
February 18, 2009
I almost feel sorry for pro tennis that it is taking the heat for the Dubai mess when the country has had support of many governments and multinationals and athletes…But still, I have to criticize the game here. Next week the men play in Dubai. Guess what? So far Andy Ram, a top ten doubles […]
February 17, 2009
Reuters is reporting that Wall Street Journal Europe has withdrawn its sponsorship in Dubai, but the newspaper refuses to say how much money it had in the tournament.
February 17, 2009
In an outrageous move, Dubai is blaming Israeli Shahar Peer for the UAE’s decision to bar her from entering the country. See, their “security” is at stake. “We do not wish to politicize sports, but we have to be sensitive to recent events in the region and not alienate or put at risk the players […]
February 17, 2009
And the recriminations are starting to roll in for the WTA. Kudos to the Tennis Channel for pulling the plug on its planned tv coverage of the women’s tennis event that started today in Dubai. Attention Larry Scott, this is what the CEO of the Tennis Channel had to say about its decision. “This is […]
February 17, 2009
The #48 player in the world, Israeli Shahar Peer, was denied a visa by the United Arab Emirates, effectively prohibiting her from playing the tournament in Dubai. The UAE only allows Israelis with dual citizenship to enter the country. Yeah, we know what that’s all about don’t we? WTA Tour president Larry Scott issued a […]
February 16, 2009
Darren Aronofsky’s new movie, The Wrestler, is winning rave reviews for its tale about a broken down ex-wrestling star who yearns for one more shot at glory. They could easily make such a movie about an old tennis pro who wants to walk on the Wimbledon grass one more time. Better yet, they could chronicle […]
February 11, 2009
Ana Ivanovic has hired Craig Kardon as her new coach, parting ways with Sven Groenevald. This is a smart move. Kardon captained Martina Navratilova during the last few years of her singles career and also worked with Jennifer Capriati, Lindsay Davenport and Mary Pierce. I don’t think he’s been coaching anyone in the recent past, […]
February 11, 2009
This is the kind of post that I would attack if it was written by an opposing attorney in support of a motion…since it is pure speculation. However, that is what the internet is for, no? Jon Wertheim ranked his concern level about Sharapova’s career as a 7 out of 10. And that was in […]
February 11, 2009
Women’s tennis players are once again featured in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. I have a question – in the age of porn on demand, your wife’s Victoria’s Secret catalogues and Go Daddy Super Bowl commercials, do men even care about the SI Swimsuit issue anymore? Really? Ok. So here are Daniela Hantuchova (who David […]
February 3, 2009
At the end of 2008 I thought Roger was ok with his status as world #2. I thought the fall had been jarring to him, but that he ultimately was embracing the less-pressure inherent in the second spot. But from the moment he showed up in Australia I knew he was still in deep denial. […]
February 3, 2009
I’ve never set my alarm at 3:30 a.m. watch a tennis match before yesterday but something just told me this Federer-Nadal was not to be missed. These two have officially surpassed McEnroe and Borg in the rivalry department. Their Wimbledon final in 2008 was the greatest match of all time, surpassing the McEnroe/Borg battles in […]
January 30, 2009
The Australian Open has given us some memorable matches over the years, almost always before the finals. Each one was a mini-epic with spectacular, high-quality play and lots of drama. The four matches highlighted below had very different emotional through lines. Today / last night Oz time, Rafael Nadal had to summon his best stuff […]
January 28, 2009
I feel a little guilty paying tribute to Elena Demetieva because usually when I do this right before a big match, it’s the kiss of death. But Lena plays Serena in the semifinals, so she is the underdog anyway. Lena Dementieva is one of the most underrated players and human beings on the tour today. […]
January 28, 2009
Andy Roddick has always been in good physical condition, so I was surprised that he chose to focus on fitness in preparation for 2009. Roddick lost fifteen pounds and still managed to add muscle. It was hard for me to believe that Roddick could find fifteen pounds to lose. This picture was taken in August […]
January 28, 2009
A.O. Lacks a Coherent Policy on Extreme Heat I am a traditionalist when it comes to tennis and Mother Nature. Cold, hot, dry, humid, wind, snow, whatever. You play. It’s a great test. I don’t like indoor tennis because tennis wasn’t meant to be played in perfect conditions. It’s like watching football in a dome. […]
January 27, 2009
Defending champ Novak Djokovic quit in the middle of his QF match against Andy Roddick yesterday, handing Roddick the victory, 6-7, 6-4, 6-2, 2-1 ret. Joker wilted in the 140 degree court temperature. He was being closely monitored by trainers, but I still thought the decision to play on was borderline reckless. Joker staggered around […]
January 27, 2009
As we all know, there is no shortage of idiocy in tennis media. Calling it out is one of the founding principles of this blog. Thus, we must deal with Michael Wilbon, even though we know he is more tennis friendly that just about every other American writer today. We also like Bill Rhoden, but […]
January 25, 2009
Above: tennis fans rejoice after Dokic victory. Jelena Dokic continues to be the best story on the women’s side. She’s into the quarters after a three-set thriller over Alisa Kleybanova 7-5 5-7 8-6. This reminds me of Jennifer Capriati’s stunning victory in the AO. Even though Capriati spent years out of tennis, I was confident […]
January 25, 2009
She’s either practicing that beautiful backhand or…. Pounding her head against the coffee table after watching another crew of D-list tennis players contending for the Australian Open title she could win without breaking a sweat. Also on Justine’s mind: “Ivanovic and Jankovic? Those two covergirl mental midgets make Kim Clijsters look like Chris Evert. Why […]
January 24, 2009
I tossed off a random comment last night about tennis security being pretty good, or at least significantly better in the post-Seles-stabbing era. While I still believe that to be true, I’ve studied the videotapes of the Bosnian/Serb melee and concluded that the Aussie Open security team is a farce. These guys got almost ninety […]
January 23, 2009
The first video shows the fans throwing metal chairs at each other. I have no idea why the video includes dance music. The actual sound of the metal chairs smacking the cement sounded like gunfire. This video appears to have been shot by a fan with a camera phone.
January 23, 2009
The match between Delic and Joker was an entertaining, hard-fought four-setter played in the spirit of competition and sportsmanship. Joker won in four sets, the two men shook hands and embraced. Unfortunately that was not the dynamic outside the stadium. Moments after the match ended, the Serbian and Bosnian fans clashed in the garden area […]
January 21, 2009
Ethnic tensions between the Serbs and Croats seem to be a permanent fixture on the tennis circuit. I touched on it earlier this week in my post about Monica Seles inspiring a generation of Balkan tennis players from Serbia, Bosnia and Croatia. I discussed my fascination with the Powder Keg of Europe. Australia has a […]
January 21, 2009
I have never before addressed politics on any of my blogs. Tennis, like all sports, is a welcome respite from the real world. But it would be ridiculous not to mention the inauguration of Barack Obama. Americans Down Under were tuned in to news from the home front, even though the players generally couldn’t get […]
January 21, 2009
The Melbourne Herald Sun will have exclusive chats with Rafael Nadal for as long as he’s in the draw at the Australian Open. You can send your questions to Rafa here. These are mine. Question 1. How can you allow Nike to put you out there in such a hideous outfit? The way your biceps […]
January 20, 2009
And Welcome Back Jelena Dokic If Roddick drops from the top ten and Blake flames out, America will look as desperate as Tennis Australia, which has been reeling from the dismal state of its tennis program. Although ESPN spent all day sounding the alarm bells over the performance of the American men, wake me when […]
January 18, 2009
Joker switched from Wilson to Head racquets just two weeks before his Aussie Open title defense. Is that a good idea?
January 18, 2009
Rafael Nadal Prepares to Change The tennis world is abuzz with stories about Rafael Nadal’s 2009 makeover. Gone are the Man-pris (hooray!), which Nike has replaced with a much worse clothing option. I didn’t think it was possible to get worse, but then again this is Nike we’re talking about. They followed up Agassi’s revolutionary […]
January 16, 2009
I still haven’t imported the archive from Counterpuncher or the Enquirer, so the blog moderators thought it was important to let you know they are still with us at the new place. So yes, the dynamic duo known collectively as Cyclops will be calling the lines around here. Cyclops loves to call me out when […]
January 16, 2009
Monic Seles was just elected to the Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport. Unlike the selection of Michael Chang a year ago, Monica will not spark another round of debate over who is deserving of enshrinement in the Hall. She punched her ticket before she even turned 20. (I happen to think Chang deserved it […]
January 13, 2009
You probably missed it, what with the agony of OSU football snatching defeat from the jaws of victory against Texas in the Bowl of Tortilla Chips and everything, but last week was a milestone for the Ohio State Men’s Tennis (OSMT) program. It was named the 2009 NCAA pre-season #1, completing a meteoric rise up […]
January 13, 2009
Myths and legends die hard in America…Weird heroes and mould-breaking champions exist as living proof to those who need it that the tyranny of the rat race is not yet final. ~ Hunter S. Thompson American sports journalists are firm proponents of two myths from the last decade of the Twentieth Century: that college football […]
July 22, 2008
…It’s a Bitch You would think from watching the ABC golf talking heads over the weekend that the two blonde icons of the ‘80s, Greg Norman and Chris Evert, were living the Greatest Love of All Time. They apparently did. It was just a few weeks ago that they had a $2 million wedding in […]
Passing Shots 
June 2, 2009
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