Book Review: Tennis and Philosophy

Tennis and Philosophy: What the Racket Is All About Edited by David Baggett University Press of Kentucky Perhaps because of its aristocratic origins, perhaps because of its country club image, perhaps because so many literary types slum as sportswriters, tennis has always had the aura of a thinking man’s game. This reputation has persisted despite [...]

From Precocious Up-and-Comer to Computer-Rankings Whipping Girl

Seles the 'Court Whisperer'... Stepanek's Schnapp-y Worm... Quotebook

THE COURT WHISPERER: Monica Seles‘ shriek may have been the first to seriously test the durability of our eardrums, but Mary Joe Fernandez says the recently inducted Hall of Famer’s grunt “would be considered more of a whisper compared to some of the noises we’re hearing on the court these days.” Said Seles, who reenacted [...]

Love Match at ‘99 French: Agassi, Graf Connect at Scene of Greatest Triumphs

Ten years ago, Andre Agassi, arguably the most popular U.S. competitor ever, made a big play for Steffi Graf, arguably the greatest women’s player ever. The scene was Roland Garros, site of some of Agassi’s most harrowing defeats, and a place where Graf had met with both triumph and sorrow. Agassi, who had divorced actress [...]

Reflections on the Sonic Continuum

Larcher de Brito Shrieks Off in Loss to Irritated Rezai

PARIS – In sports it’s best to corral your horses before they run out of the barn. Translation: a sport best regulate an issue before it’s too late. So, for instance, major league baseball prohibits aluminum bats, so Yankee Stadium is ‘ping-free’. Golf has plenty of control freak equipment rules and tennis long ago banned [...]

The Buzz – June Edition

"I Am Tennis" and Other Curious Assertions

‘I AM TENNIS:’ Despite overwhelming odds, local hero Will Ferrell slayed Swede Mats Wilander in the epic K-Swiss Global Tennis Showdown. “This one’s for the USA,” Ferrell gushed after he served up a screaming sub-50-mph heater at a benefit for the Swedish School of L.A. at UCLA.

Trauma and Triumph: The Ongoing Appeal of Monica Seles

Few other sports celebrate their retired icons quite like tennis.

Few other sports celebrate their retired icons quite like tennis. The formula is clear: enter the Hall of Fame (sweet); be the focal point of a U.S. Open to-do (schmaltzy); write an autobiography (“here’s my truth”) and drop in for a breezy chat with Letterman, Leno or Oprah (“make sure my limo’s on time”).