I opened my trusty copy of Independence in Latin America: A Comparative Approach by Richard Graham and re-learned a fact about Argentina. Argentina fought two wars of independence against Spain. These wars revolved around Argentina’s relationship to the deposed and later restored King Ferdinand VII of Spain. Interesting reading. For Juan Martin del Potro, David Nalbandian and company…
Category: Pete Sampras
Lendl and Sampras’ Impact on Federer’s 6 Year End Championships
A Major Accomplishment Winning 6 Masters/ATP World Championships/Masters Cups/World Tour Finals (Year End Championships hereafter)* is not an accomplishment on the same level as winning 16 Grand Slams. It is however no small task. To win a tournament that is only comprised of elite players is difficult. To win a tournament in which one has…
Federer d. Nadal 6-3, 6-0 – Are You Kidding Me?
The Indoor Setting Matters Before I make too much out of this match, it should be noted that Roger was 3-0 versus Rafael Nadal at the World Tour Finals/Masters Cup. Roger had won 6 of 7 sets the two had played in this event prior to today. Now, Roger stands 4-0 vs. Rafa at this…
Federer since 2008
2004-2007 Roger Federer’s results from 2004-2007 are the most remarkable 4 year period any male player has compiled. The accomplishments for these 4 years are too numerous to name in a single column, but 3 top highlights are Federer winning 11 Grand Slam titles, 3 Year End Championships and 41 total tournament titles. This…
Youtube Tennis 10-17-2011 through 10-22-2011
3 Good Youtube Videos on Tennis 1. Andy Murray Winning an Asian Triple Crown Great court coverage 2. Marat Safin vs. Pete Sampras 2000 US Open The comments about Safin learning to serve and volley seem dated. Maybe this match was the tactical turning point. 3. Henri Leconte vs. Boris Becker 1988 French Open Good…
Creating Frankenstein’s Monsters of Tennis
The Inspiration Every October James Rolfe reviews one monster movie per day in his Monster Madness feature. This year he started off with Frankenstein. I thought it would be fun to stitch together the best shots in tennis and imagine animating these amalgamation players. The Rules Four tennis monsters will be created. Only one stroke/aspect can…
2011 Was a Good Year for the WTA
The Sky is Falling? Those who follow tennis have often made complaining about the admittedly convoluted leadership structures in professional tennis into an art from. Beyond that, the ATP Tour has enjoyed a lot of continuity among top contenders since 2004. This continuity has allowed for Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic to be…
Best One-Handed Backhand Ever (Poll)
Some Backhand Videos: Stefan Edberg – A series of great backhands from Edberg against Lendl Roger Federer – Saving match point at Wimbledon 2008 Petr Korda – Korda passing Sampras at the 1997 US Open Rod Laver – Laver vs. Bjorn Borg in 1976 Ivan Lendl – Nice backhands by Lendl vs. Becker Gustavo “Guga”…
Youtube Tennis 10-2-11 through 10-8-11
Youtube Clips for the Week 1. Pete Sampras vs. Guga Kuerten Miami 2000 A lot of the clay court videos for Guga were grainy so I went with a hardcourt video. 2. Roger Federer vs. Marat Safin Masters Cup 2004 Two of the most talented players ever going head-to-head. 3. Novak Djokovic vs. Carlos Berlocq…
Gustavo “Guga” Kuerten: Coming to a Hall of Fame Near You
Gustavo Kuerten My earliest impressions of Gustavo Kuerten were mixed. I saw him play Jim Courier in the first round of the 1997 Davis Cup and could not believe Courier was struggling to post a 4 set win over such a frail looking opponent. My first impression of Guga was that he was too skinny…
Tennis Abides: Dan Martin on Tennis and Life 