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Mind Games
Simona Halep, the second-ranked tennis player in the world, uses a simple, fluid, matter-of-fact motion when she serves. There’s nothing too unusual about it — nothing showy or special. Technically,...
View ArticleFire Walk With Nick Kyrgios
Nick Kyrgios plays tennis like someone who knows he is made of fire. He knows it so completely, is so certain of it even when other people aren’t, that he is willing to burn himself alive every now and...
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The Sportstorialist: Ruffling Feathers at the U.S. Open
Outside one of the women’s boutiques in my neighborhood sits a sandwich-board sign. Usually, it offers an invitation, in bright chalk, to come inside because, say, the spring arrivals are here or it’s...
View ArticleVive La Monf: The Revitalized Man Who Can Beat Roger Federer
It’s been a long time since Gaël Monfils has been considered a “relevant” tennis player — three years since he was the seventh-ranked player, 11 years since he was a young pro with no. 1 talent. It’s...
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The Tennis Legacy of Vic Braden
In the days before he died last October, Vic Braden, the legendary tennis coach, often spoke of unfinished business. More books, more research, and further development of his Junior Tennis Ambassadors...
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We Went There: Jordan Spieth Makes U.S. Open History, or Dustin Johnson Chokes
Before Jordan Spieth’s press conference at Chambers Bay in University Place, Washington, a USGA official reeled off some historical context for Spieth’s win. Jordan Spieth is now the youngest player to...
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The Shadow of Steffi Graf: Before Serena, Women’s Tennis Had Another...
This was as close as Steffi Graf came to losing at a major in 1988: Returning at 15-15, down a set and a break to the no. 2 seed, the 18-time slam champion Martina Navratilova, Graf stepped inside the...
View ArticleSerena Williams’s Moment, Forever
There is so much to say — an infinite amount. So let’s try to keep this simple. The U.S. Open starts this weekend in New York. Serena Williams is playing for her 22nd major singles title, her fifth in...
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Great and Greatest: How Venus Williams Helped Create Serena
Someday, perhaps even someday soon, when we have forgotten what the record books can’t tell us, we may remember only that Venus Williams was there. If Serena Williams wins the U.S. Open title — and it...
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Serena Lost. Serena Lost?
At some point during the third set, when it was clear that this wasn’t going to follow the script, when it was clear that Serena wasn’t going to come roaring back after a slight slip in intensity and...
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