Ah, the Delights of Lawn Tennis and Beach Cruisers

Musings On a Middle Sunday

CODE PINK: Here at Wimbledon, we were thinking of pink English cheeks, old school pink frocks, pink roses that are everywhere in London and nifty pink smart cars. Then Serena Williams told her curious tale of hurting herself when she fell off her pink beach bicycle in Flordia in October.

Serena’s Ill-Fated Pink Beach Cruiser

The Buzz: WImbledon Day 6

In women’s sports, no one is more of a drama magnet then Serena. Now we’ve learned she can’t even bike down a Flordia road on a beach bike without trauma. This all came to the fore when IT asked a perfunctory question in Williams’s press conference after her convinving 6-3, 6-2 win over Russian Maria [...]

Wimbledon: Andy’s Exit

Lopez Ousts Roddick In Straight Sets 7-6(2), 7-6(2), 6-4

Roger Kahn was talking baseball, of Robinson and Reese and Furillo and Campy, of Newk and Duke and Branca and Hodges, not of tennis, when he chronicled the hard-luck Brooklyn Dodgers of the early 1950s.  “You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat,” wrote Kahn, who [...]

Serena Snub: Williams Relegated to Court 2

Four-Time Champ Puzzled By Wimbledon Scheduling

Serena William‘s emotional return to the All England Club has been the feel-good first-week story at Wimbledon, as the 13-time Grand Slam champ steps back into competitive play after a yearlong hiatus.  But one has to wonder: why would a former No. 1 and four-time Wimbledon titlist be relegated to the hardly-center-stage, 4,000-seat Court 2? [...]

Of Bogie’s Boast and Banshee-Screeching

The Buzz: Wimbledon Day 4

LONDON — Roger Federer makes it seem so simple. It’s not. For most people making it to the top in pro tennis is a long soul-deadening grind. Enter Alex Bogomolov Jr., 28. An authentic journeyman, he came to America from Russia as a boy and now trains in Florida. Long ago, he entered the world of junior tennis [...]

Musings On a Blood-Soaked, Face-Melting Battle

The Buzz: Wimbledon Day 3

LONDON — The London Times’ Giles Smith reported on one opening-round match as follows: “A titanic encounter, an astounding chapter in the history of tennis warfare, a relentless, blood-soaked, face-melting battle whose outcome was uncertain until its last blow was struck and its mentally and physically drained combatant embraced in exhaustion at the net. These [...]

Serena: ‘These Are the Things That Make Life Interesting’

Williams Emotional In Wimbledon Return; Defeats Rezai 6-3, 3-6, 6-1

LONDON — Her slick black hair neatly brushed back behind a narrow white headband, toting her massive Wilson bag, her game face firmly etched in place, Serena Williams walked out on court, her head down, gazing at the most fabled surface in tennis.   The still-sleepy Centre Court crowd greeted tennis’ “dahlin’ diva” with proper applause. [...]

Off to a Tidy Start

The Buzz: Wimbledon Day 1

LONDON — John Lloyd said, “Serena and Venus Williams are rightly regarded as two of the greatest players of all time, but I believe it would be a huge embarrassment for the WTA Tour if either won this Wimbledon.” Then again, American Bethanie Mattek-Sands claimed that if Serena wins Wimbledon, “it will be the most [...]

Wimbledon Draw Analysis

Isner-Mahut Redux! Return of the Williams Sisters!

THE MEN TOP HALF 1st QUARTER: Let’s get something straight right out of the box: barring some unforeseen cosmic realignment, the 2011 Wimbledon champion will most likely come from The Big Four of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray. “You could make an argument for any one of the four to win it,” [...]

The Buzz: Reflections On the Hallucinogenically Vivid View From the Sonic Womb

SPORT AT ITS BEST: Nicolas Mahut going all out and diving for a shot with the score at 55-55. WIMBLEDON AT ITS BEST: Was the first week of Wimbledon — with the John Isner vs. Nicolas Mahut marathon, the Queen’s visit, great weather and great/near upsets — the best week in tennis history?