Blake: Roddick Justified In Analyzing Analysts

Harvardian Says Commentators Should Accentuate the Positive

FLUSHING MEADOWS, N.Y. — Andy Roddick has made it clear that he’s less than pleased with some of the recent commentary coming from the broadcast booth.  After his primetime first-round win over Michael Russell, Roddick aired his frustrations during a post-match chat with ESPN’s Chris Fowler, telling him, “I’m pretty convinced that I could be [...]

Emotional Rescue

Does Tennis Need to Loosen Up and Let Players Show More Emotion?

FLUSHING MEADOWS, N.Y. — Times change.  Thirty years ago Vic Braden — then a beloved popularizer — bemoaned the state of a game where rude and rowdy (expletives not deleted) rants were commonplace. “The sport, he insisted, should be X-rated. Going to a tennis match is like going to the World Wrestling Federation.

Talkin’ ‘Bout My Generation

Which Era In Tennis Is Best?

Okay, the whole notion of “a generation” is a sticky wicket, a big-picture shortcut that invites oversimplification. Still, we adore our categories. We love to compartmentalize, label and list.  So, ever since the Lost Generation, pop culture gurus have divided and wrapped up our eras into nice neat, user-friendly packages.

McEnroe: ‘Show Some Emotion’

Johnny Mac Says Code of Conduct Needs to Be Loosened

He had already received a warning for smashing his racket.  So when a frustrated Andy Roddick launched a ball high into the Cincinnati night during the third set of his matchup with Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber at the Western & Southern Open (a seemingly harmless reaction), chair ump Carlos Bernardes slapped the Texan with a point [...]

Larry Stefanki: The Brightest Mind In Tennis?

A Candid Conversation with the Brain Power Behind Andy Roddick

LONDON — Here’s a curious question. Among the top coaches in the game, who has the best mind? Certainly, Andy Roddick‘s skipper, Larry Stefanki, who’ll be inducted into the Northern California Tennis Hall of Fame on July 28 and who’s coached an array of other great champions, including John McEnroe, Tim Henman, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Marcelo [...]

A Rivalry Unmatched

McEnroe, Connors: Federer-Nadal Rivalry ‘Soft’

Not since the days of the Sampragassian Wars has the tennis world seen anything quite like the world-class rivalry between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.  The top-of-the-game duo has faced off on 25 must-see-TV occasions dating back to 2004, eight of those coming in Slam finals. It’s been a compelling contrast: ballet vs. bullfight, flair [...]

Book Review: Epic

Epic: John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg and the Greatest Tennis Season Ever By Matthew Cronin, John Wiley & Sons, 312 pages, $25.95 Where were you when Bjorn Borg beat John McEnroe to win Wimbledon ’80? Every tennis fan (of a certain age) knows the living room or clubhouse where he watched those five electrifying sets. It was the [...]

‘Til Death Do Us Part: A Tennis Marriage Primer

They Say Love Means Nothing In Tennis. Think Again.

The wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton delighted billions. And why not? It was a fairy tale like no other. Well, no other since William’s mother and father — Lady Di and Prince Charles — did their royal thing. Of course, at times like this, tennis is far from the radar screen. Except, in [...]

Agassi, Mac, Sampras, Courier Headline Champions

Formidable Foursome to Play 12 One-Night Tournaments

Andre Agassi, John McEnroe, Pete Sampras and Jim Courier will headline a newly expanded and reformatted Champions Series circuit with one-night tournaments in 12 cities nationwide this fall. The Champions Series will feature former Grand Slam greats competing for ranking points and a bonus pool totaling $1 million that will be shared by the top [...]

Carillo Talk

Feisty, Fun and Kind of Brilliant, Mary Carillo Talks of Federer and Follies, Mac and Manners, Serena and (Glass) Ceilings and Much More With IT Publisher Bill Simons

INSIDE TENNIS: Tennis is so revealing of character. For such a little sport, you see everything. You’re out there naked. MARY CARILLO: Yet coaching is allowed in women’s tennis. I find that to be so sexist. Men don’t have it, but the women are allowed to say, “Daddy, she’s breaking my serve,” or, “Mom, how [...]