Raonic: ‘There’s Room Among the Big 4′

Canadian Poised to Challenge Djokovic, Nadal, Federer, Murray

It’s rare to see a player leap from well outside the ATP Tour’s top 100 into the top 25 in a matter of one year.  But that’s just how special a player Milos Raonic is.  In an era of big-boy tennis, the 6-foot-5, 198-pound Montenegrin-turned-Canuck has all the tools — big serve, big groundies, an ever-improving return game.  He’s got the intangibles, too, including a fear-free brand of confidence that isn’t often seen in a 21-year-old newbie. More »

28 Questions

Examining the Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal Rivalry In the Wake of Their AO Semifinal

1. Is the Rafa-Roger rivalry the best in men’s tennis history?

2. Is it the best rivalry in international sports these days?

3. Like the Evert-Navratilova matches, do Nadal-Federer matches invariably deliver sizzling drama? More »

The Best Surfer In Iowa

Australian Open Buzz: Day 10

GOODBYE, NO. 1: Caroline Wozniacki may have surrendered her No. 1 ranking, but the 5-foot-10 Dane says she has little doubt that she’ll win it back.  “I finished No. 1 two years in a row.  In the end of the year we will see who played the best.  We are just in January.  In the end of the year you see who has played the best, most consistently all year round.  I will get it back eventually, so I’m not worried.”  The Slamless baseliner continued, saying, “I start laughing every time because the media talks to me like I’m finishing my career and I only have one year left and time is running out.  The fact is I still have quite a few good years in front of me.  I still improve.  I still have a number of Australians and a number of U.S. Opens and Wimbledons and French Opens left.  I will definitely do my best and try to win one or even more.  In the end of the day, you can just do your best.  You can’t do anything more than that.” More »

All About Adam and Eve (Not Adam and Steve)

Australian Open Buzz: Day 9

Lleyton Hewitt was never the most popular player in the locker room or the press room.  His repeated shouts of “C’MON!” haven’t always endeared himself to opponents.  The ultra-competitive Aussie has been an unwitting recipient of the Prix Citron at Roland Garros, the dubious annual award that is presented to the tour’s No. 1 sourpuss.  There was his infamous run-in with officials at the ’01 U.S. Open, when he appeared to insinuate that an African-American linesman was favoring his opponent, James Blake. More »

The Buzz: 2011 In Review

Occupy ATP (and Other Tales of the Good, the Strange, the Weird and the Bizarre)

WORST ANALYSIS OF THE YEAR: Mary Rhodes said that Victoria Azarenka (the loudest screecher in the game) was “quietly working her way through [the draw].”

INTRO TO PARENTING 101: Of his son, Pete Sampras complained, “I don’t know what’s going on in this kid’s head. Anything I say, he does the opposite.”…After the arrival of his third child, Lleyton Hewitt joked that he and his wife “were outnumbered now.”…Roger Federer insisted, “I don’t need my twins to put life or my tennis in perspective.” More »

Australian Open Draw Analysis: The Men

Return of Roger In 2012?

TOP HALF

1^st QUARTER: The question on everybody’s mind is whether or not Novak Djokovic can sustain the kind of awe-inspiring momentum he displayed in 2011, when the Serb went 70-6 in capturing 10 titles, including three Slams (Australian Open, Wimbledon, U.S. Open), five Masters 1000 crowns and the No. 1 ranking.  While it’s hard to imagine him matching that kind of output, we must remember that this isn’t the Novak Djokovic of old, the sometimes fragile competitor who had a tendency to run out of steam in big-match moments.  Having improved nearly every aspect of his game, he’s now as ferocious a competitor as they come.   More »

Where Have All the American Champions Gone?

“Americans can always be counted on to do the right thing…after they have exhausted all other possibilities.” — Winston Churchill

The politician’s eyes twinkle. His voice quivers as he speaks of “a shining city upon a hill.”  The TV analyst muses on “American exceptionalism,” while down at the arena frenetic fans rock the gym with their neck-bulging “U-S-A” chants.  We Americans proudly celebrate our unique heritage. We’re not only special, we’re No. 1. Is this a collective vanity? Perhaps. Still for many this is a core belief. And why not? More »

Tennis and the Meaning of Life

Let’s get one thing straight. It’s just a game, no big deal. Tennis is as simple as pie. Yellow ball and nifty racket: hit it over that net and into the rectangle and you’re home free. Win two or three sets, and you’re a hero. Gotta love it.

“If you really think about it,” says Maria Sharapova, “it’s so dumb — you have a grip in your hand, strings in the racket, there’s a yellow fuzzy ball and you’re hitting it and you’ve been doing it since you were four. It’s ridiculous. It’s really dumb, but it’s what we do.” More »

Fernandez: ‘CoCo Needs Better Focus, Conditioning’

Gambill-Coached American Has Dropped to No. 122

U.S. Fed Cup captain Mary Joe Fernandez, who will lead her troops into action against Belarus Feb. 4-5 in Worcester, Mass., says CoCo Vandeweghe‘s recent drop in the rankings (from No. 89 to No. 122) might be due to a lack of focus and conditioning.

“For her, I think it’s a concentration issue,” said Fernandez, who recently saw Vandeweghe in action alongside Billie Jean King and Elton John at a World TeamTennis fundraiser in Cleveland. More »

Of Armed Hippies and Wild Animals

The Buzz

AUTO (NOT) CORRECT: Andy Roddick tweeted, “I just texted the word ‘badass’ and it autocorrected it to Nagasaki.” Bob Bryan wrote, “I meant to send ‘xoxoxo’ to my wife and it autocorrected it to Codfish!” More »