Category Archives: Tennis
Shedding His Burdens, Murray Embraces New York
On Saturday afternoon, Andy Murray conducted television interviews; chatted with John McEnroe; signed hats, giant tennis balls, programs and somebody’s arm; and somehow managed, through this madness, to monitor his fantasy soccer team (name: Formality) via cellphone.
He seemed relaxed, pleasant and happy, except with Formality’s seventh-place standing in the league. Yet the scene seemed at [...]
Isner Wins in Three Sets, Not Days
The last time John Isner was involved in a first-round match at a Grand Slam tournament, he needed 138 games in the fifth set, and more than 11 hours over all to defeat Nicolas Mahut at Wimbledon in the longest match in history. On Wednesday night, Isner dragged a badly sprained right ankle around Armstrong [...]
Roasting, Then Rallying, Favorites Win at Open
Of all the mental tests that players faced Tuesday, including the blast-furnace heat that baked the courts at the United States Open, Novak Djokovic’s seemed the stiffest. For much of the afternoon, he looked as if he would fail it spectacularly. He looked lost in falling behind two sets to one to Victor Troicki, his [...]
Gimelstob Starts Marathon Quest Way Behind
Rafael Nadal was walking along West 59th Street by Central Park last week, talking on his cellphone, when he spotted the gangly figure of Justin Gimelstob, a retired tennis player, puffing and panting while jogging by him. Nadal pulled down the phone for a moment and said, “How many miles are you up to?”
A week [...]
With Eastern European Flavor, WTA Seeks Recipe for Success
MONTREAL — In the 1970s, the early days of the women’s tennis tour, the calendar was dominated by tournaments in the United States, and the draws were filled mostly with Americans. At the end of 1980, the world rankings had 31 Americans in the top 50. Australia was next, with four.
Combined, all of Eastern Europe [...]