Been checking back for your excellent tennis articles all weekend, didn’t disappoint. You nailed that transition from Osaka, I was shocked to watch it in real time. It almost made me feel bad for her- she was open and anticipatory and living in the moment, about to beat a great player and get the shine that partially… Read more
that one drop shot point for Kvitova, with both players making running saves, was the point of the match and i completely thought Osaka was cooked after that. what she was able to do, recovering after that point and after the second set, is something most players even at the top level are incapable of doing. for her… Read more
I’m such a fan and so excited about her future— I really don’t want to get ahead of myself, but the lack of staying power among the top women over the last few years has been a bummer to me, and Osaka looks like the real deal (it’s still early days, but I remember watching her when she was 17 or 18 and thinking it was… Read more
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To hit that shot with the topspin and sidespin required to drag it back into court takes a really violent amount of both. That’s why when players do this, they call it (literally) “hitting the outside of the ball.” Nadal does it perhaps better than anyone, which is why it’s better than decent— because “better than… Read more
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“It’s a decent down the line forehand passing shot” Read more
He’s been incredible, the best he’s ever played on hard court.
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Can we talk about his outfit? I mean, i love the orange creamsickle look already and that was before i noticed the tank toppiness of it all. Read more
Upon close inspection, I can confirm that that is in fact a tennis ball, not a banana. Read more
“She is no longer just an Overwatch-loving curio ripping shots hard enough to make the Palm Springs elders openly gasp; she more or less rules the hard courts now.” Read more
I’m a massive Nishikori fan and man has it been really hard to watch his path unwind since that 2014 Final. So many injuries, if not injured then just inconsistent and unable to close big matches when he needs to. I don’t know what the answer is, but as he nears 30 it feels like there really isn’t one and that 2014… Read more
Srichaphan v Davide Sanguinetti 5 setter at the US OPEN in 2005 is the best match I’ve ever seen. Read more
I remember when people were saying Federer had an easier path to accumulating majors than Sampras, which I think is just wrong. Djokovic and Nadal* could both have more majors than Sampras, and even Federer, by the time their careers are over. Read more
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Great write-up! While I think the typical “Lost Generation” takes are a little too spicy for their own good, it definitely does look like there’s a whole crop of really good players well on their way to becoming Guys in the annals of tennis history.
No man currently under the age of 30 has one, in fact. Read more
I don’t read it that way - it seems the message is that a group of young players who by now would normally be beginning to notch major wins have been blocked for a historically long time by a group of players who together make up the toughest foursome we’ve ever seen. I don’t disagree that they have to earn it, but do… Read more
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i’ll go further and say if she stays healthy this year, she’ll be in the top ten by December. i was blown away by her game, Sabalenka played well - and got worked. Read more