GOATs on our Mind Tennis GOAT discussions and debates have been good for fans and the press because we’ve always got something to contemplate. Here is my breakdown of events that amped up GOAT debates: Career slams and Pete chasing Emerson get the credit or blame Andre Agassi completing the career Grand Slam in 1999…
Category: Olympic Tennis
Wimbledon 2013: Djokovic vs. Murray Championship Prediction
Novak Djokovic (SRB) [1] v Andy Murray (GBR) [2] Will it be this? or this? Novak Djokovic has reached his 11th major final and looks to claim his 7th major title. Andy Murray has reached his 7th major final and looks to claim his 2nd major title. For the 3rd time in the past 52 weeks, these two men…
The Djokurray Era in Full Swing
Prior to writing my preview and prediction of the championship match, I think it is important to note that Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray are the two people leading the tour on a week-in and week-out basis. Rafael Nadal still rules clay. There is no disputing that. Roger Federer has lost a lot of consistency,…
Wimbledon 2013: Gentlemen’s Sweet 16 Predictions
Predicted Winners in BOLD Gentlemen’s Singles Round of 16 Novak Djokovic (SRB) [1] v Tommy Haas (GER) [13] – After Novak’s semifinal loss in Roland Garros, I thought he would be hard to stop at Wimbledon. Nothing has changed my perspective on that. Oddly, he does have a tough road to the title as Haas and Berdych have both…
Roger Federer and a Racquet Change
Honest Assessment Roger Federer has had a few stretches in his career in which decline looked to be steep and imminent. 2008 was the first of these patches. Novak Djokovic rolled Roger in the Australian Open semifinal round. Federer was beaten soundly by Mardy Fish in the semifinal round of Indian Wells. Nadal thrashed Federer…
French Open Memories: Steffi Graf 1987-1989
My first distinct tennis memories are matches between Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe in the 1982 Wimbledon men’s championship and the 1984 US Open semifinal. Both were five set thrillers, but I did not start following tennis regularly until Boris Becker won Wimbledon in 1985. French Open matches did not make much of an impression…
The State of US Men’s Tennis
The Big Four Help The US Open is obviously a Grand Slam event. One third of the ATP’s Masters 1000 events reside inside of the United States. The Wimbledon and French Open championship start times are designed to get access to some of the television market in the US. Yet, the US does not currently…
Who Needs a 5th Major?
Four or Five or? The Indian Wells-Miami section of the tour is a great stretch for tennis fans. Most of the top players on the ATP and WTA play both events and great matches abound. It also leads to talk of a “Fifth Major” status for one or the other event. This talk is not…
Venus Williams’ Legacy
Sports Illustrated Mailbag Today a tennis fan asked Jon Wertheim if Venus Williams will ever win another singles major. Wertheim, an all-around good guy, answered that it was unlikely due to age, health and form. This is an answer I think most tennis writers would give. It is easy to forget that Venus first reached…
Tennis Abides: Dan Martin on Tennis and Life 