Billie Jean King won the US Championships, now the US Open, in 1967 using a Wilson T-2000 racquet. This was the first time someone won a major singles title using a non-wooden racquet. In 1974, Jimmy Connors went undefeated in Grand Slam play and dominated the men’s tour using the T-2000. It is odd to…
Tag: Tennis History
On the Origin of Contemporary Tennis – Part 2: The Inside-Out Forehand
The inside-out forehand is one of tennis’ biggest weapons. Many players use the shot to end a point out right or to take control of a point that will end shortly. This shot did not emerge out of thin air. Nick Bollettieri products who emerged in the 1980s tended to have big forehands that included…
On The Origin of Contemporary Tennis – Part 1
First, my post-US Open sabbatical is over, and I am glad to be writing about tennis once more. Second, I am not departing on the HMS Beagle, but tennis has its own historical record nicely preserved on sites such as youtube. In my Tim Mayotte interview, I posted a video in which Mayotte described…
How Stan Wawrinka Thrives in an Era of Oligopoly
Stan Wawrinka’s career haul is pretty impressive In 2008, Stan partnered with Roger Federer and won a gold medal in men’s doubles In 2013, Stan pushed Novak Djokovic to 5 sets at both the Australian quarterfinal and US Open semifinal, after beating defending champion Andy Murray at the US Open In 2014, he won the…
US Open 2016: My Favorite Memories of Louis Armstrong – Part 2
These are a Bit Late, but Sometimes Life Gets in the Way of My Tennis Writing In Case You Missed Part – 1 As a reminder, I put in place a no Jimmy Connors rule as I have written quite a bit about Connors and the US Open over the years. 3. 1996 Steffi Graf d….
US Open 2016: Angelique Kerber’s Rise to #1
Angelique Kerber is Number One Kerber started 2016 with a bang. She was runner-up in Brisbane and then avenged her loss to Victoria Azarenka en route to the Australian Open final. Kerber upset a 6-time Australian Open champion in Serena Williams. This seemed to be the culmination of her strong 2015 season. What happened from…
My 5 Favorite Memories of Louis Armstrong Stadium – Part 1*
* I’ve written a fair amount about Jimmy Connors as well as his 1991 US Open run so I won’t use any Jimmy Connors matches. Honorable Mention: 1987 John McEnroe d. Slobodan Zivojinovic 6-4, 5-7, 6-7, 6-4, 6-3 McEnroe went bonkers during the match. “Bobo” was a player I liked to watch due to his crushing…
US Open 2016: The Big 4 Minus 1 Should Not Be Discounted
This Article – http://nypost.com/2016/08/29/this-us-open-may-be-the-last-gasp-of-mens-tennis-big-four/ made me think a little. From 2004-2016, the Big 4 has won 3 or more majors every year except for 2014 (Cilic and Wawrinka broke through). In 2016, all 3 majors to this point have been won by members of the Big 4. Novak Djokovic has won 4 Masters 1000 events, and Andy…
US Open 2016: My 5 Favorite Men’s US Opens
Tournaments can take on a personality of their own based on the draw and actual matches that unfold. 5 US Opens stand out for me. I vaguely remember Connors v. McEnroe in the 1984 US Open semifinal, but I don’t remember an impression of an entire tournament prior to the 1986 US Open (Mecir beating…
Tennis in Literature
In this brief break between Cincinnati and the US Open, I thought I would give a few examples of our great sport popping up in major literary works (my list is not this exhaustive). Prelude: The Tennis Court Oath and More Jean Jacques Rousseau mentioned court/real/royal tennis in his First Discourse. A major event in the French Revolution…
Tennis Abides: Dan Martin on Tennis and Life 