The headline on another confusing and ambiguous Newsday article on tennis says “US Open considers allowing limited number of fans.” As a reminder, the USTA had previously announced that “every option is on the table”, so I don’t know how that report of no news is newsworthy; but at least it’s consistent. What I am curious to…
We live in a highly-charged political world where politics injects itself into almost everything, including tennis. As a recreational activity or as a competitive outlet, tennis is tactical, technical and physical. It’s not political and that’s what I love about the sport. In its purest form, it’s about power, control, strength, speed, quickness, agility, endurance and tactics….
As outdoor tennis reopens in the local area and across the country, players are working themselves back in to shape after several months of sheltering at home. It’s not easy to work off months of rust, even for the fittest athletes. We could all use some encouragement, inspiration and leadership, and the USTA has tried…
The ATP has a “player’s relief fund” to financially help lower ranked players in need, and they are asking the top 100 ranked players to contribute. Dominic Thiem, the third-ranked player in the world, has made some anti-donation comments suggesting that he will not donate because these players “don’t do their best on the…
Long Island is reopening and, hopefully, New York City will not be far behind. Outdoor tennis is permitted, but it might be singles only? Or perhaps not? You could ask the experts, but that will only add to your confusion because these days everyone claims to be an expert. Where does that leave the reopening…
The tennis world is considering playing major events behind closed doors. The top-ranked man in the world, Novak Djokovic, has explained that it’s not an ideal situation for players. In an interview with former French Open Champion, Gustavo Kuerten, Djokovic revealed: “I honestly don’t dream to play in front of empty stands”. He added…
My “The Last Dance” letdown was short lived after watching Part 1 of “Lance,” another great ESPN documentary about cyclist Lance Armstrong. Lance was the greatest cyclist of his era and maybe of all-time after winning seven consecutive Tour De France races. He also cheated and while it can be argued that there is…
Nassau County Executive Laura Curran held a news conference and said “balls.” It was a retro-funny moment worthy of a Beavis and Butt-Head Do Tennis episode. The “mark your tennis balls and don’t touch others tennis balls” guidelines are a little silly too. First of all because when the guideline was announced, there was no evidence suggesting that…
Patrick Mouratouglu, the coach of Serena Williams and promoter of the Ultimate Tennis Showdown, is gaining headlines by warning, “We need a revolution or tennis is dead.” His plan for this revolution centers on attracting new fans to the game includes events like his where players will be “miced up” so that they can “express…
At 88-years-old and in the midst of a global pandemic, Nick Bollettieri should be content to shelter at home and continue his work providing wisdom and inspiration remotely. But that’s not how he works. Nick collapsed on the court and was taken to the hospital with a kidney infection recently. Reports are that he is doing…