ESPN couldn't have asked for a better pair of finals this past weekend. After "The Body" issue featured two tennis players, John Isner and Aga Radwanska, made it to the finals of Atlanta and Stanford on the same weekend. For Isner, Atlanta is the tournament that vexes him. Twice, he's been runner up to Mardy
Viktor Troicki, who was on the winning Davis Cup team for Serbia, has been banned from tennis for 18 months effective immediately. He had been asked for a blood and urine sample during Monte Carlo but only provided a urine sample claiming he was unwell. The ITF rejected this as a reason for not providing
Before we get to Ivo Karlovic, let's head across the pond to Hamburg and recap the events that happened there. Hamburg is a tournament that used to be at the Master 1000 level. Perhaps due to Spain's increasing prominence on clay or due to Ion Tiriac's business savvy or some other factor, there was a
The major fallout of grass's demise as a competitive surface is the lack of a venue for grass court specialists to make a name for themselves. There are plenty of clay events around, small and large, that let players like Carlos Berlocq make a nice living on the tour. Let's quickly talk about the Argentine.
There are different ways to win a match. Some fans like offense. Back when Steffi Graf was dominant, she sometimes had to play Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario. Graf brought a new level of power to the women's game. She was fast, had a big serve for the day, and the biggest forehand in the women's game (at
1936. To give a sense of perspective, World War 2 had not started in 1936. Nor had, of course, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Shock and Awe. It's certainly possible that Andy Murray's grandparents weren't alive when the last British male to win Wimbledon won Wimbledon. That man, as Andy Murray is constantly reminded,
The expectations were that Jerzy Janowicz would be happy to be in the semifinal. Even with a loss, being the first Pole to reach the Wimbledon semifinal was a big deal, and it wouldn't be shocking if he lost. But the tall Pole has one of the biggest serves in the game, and combined with
The big question entering this match was "How is del Potro's knee?". Twice, in two consecutive matches, del Potro hyper-extended his knee. Twice, he came storming back. Against Zemlja, he won 3 games in a row to close out the third set and a match. Against Ferrer, he dominated the match start to end, despite
Ah, Wimbledon Wednesday, the day all the men play their quarterfinal matches. Unlike previous years, the quarterfinal matches were more of a surprise. No Nadal, no Federer, and no Tsonga will do that to a tournament. The matches are played two at a time. Two played on Centre Court, and two played on Number 1
Today was a day of disaster which started off with a litany of injuries. Steve Darcis, who beat Rafael Nadal, had a shoulder injury and could not play his second round. Isner managed two games, but then retired in his match against Mannarino. Cilic did not play his match against Kenny de Schepper. Tsonga retired
