Fox Searchlight has announced that Emma Stone will play Billie Jean King in its production of “Battle of the Sexes,” the story of when King defeated former world number one, and 55-year-old, Bobby Riggs in a landmark event that symbolized the cultural shift of the United States during that time. Stone was originally casted before…
With the start of the ATP World Tour Finals just a couple of days away, the best eight players in the world have gathered in London for numerous pre-tournament festivities and formalities. This included a lot of press conferences and interviews to talk about the finals but also talk about the state of tennis. One…
The USTA announced the hiring of eight-time Grand Slam champion Ivan Lendl to work with top-ranked U.S. juniors, and I could not be happier. As a player, Lendl was a true student of the game, possessing great mechanics, supreme fitness and a relentless work ethic. Lendl might be the best ball striker I have ever…
The current group of young American men is impressive. You would have to go back to 1977 to find two Americans with junior Grand Slam titles. Today, U.S. tennis has three with Taylor Fritz the current U.S. Open Junior Champion; Tommy Paul, the reigning French Open Junior Champion; and Reilly Opelka, the Wimbledon Junior Champion….
Jon Wertheim talks with the great jazz pianist and composer Fred Herch on his podcast "Sports Illustrated Tennis Beyond the Baseline" and it's fascinating to hear Mr. Herch parallel tennis and jazz. His first bit of advice is that young pianists, like young tennis players, should learn to "slow down take their time and don't try to…
The U.S. Open is the biggest tennis tournament in the world, and because of that, thousands upon thousands of people from all over the world flock to New York for a couple of weeks at the end of the summer. While the tennis is exciting enough, players and fans alike have an opportunity to visit…
10. The Grounds We bid adieu to the Grandstand, perhaps the best place to watch on the grounds and hello to the completed roof on Arthur Ashe Stadium with no more rain outs. 9. The Heat It was hot and humid with a record 12 first round retirements (16 in total). Many matches were affected…
During her 6-4, 6-3 victory over Sloane Stephens in the first-round of the U.S. Open on Monday, American Coco Vandeweghe was interviewed by ESPN commentator Pam Shriver following the first set. This was unprecedented, and a lot of people on Twitter, including a number of players, voiced their opinions on the subject. ESPN approached Vandeweghe…
Switzerland teenager Belinda Bencic won the biggest title of her career on Sunday, defeating Simona Halep for the Rogers Cup title. But it was her win on Saturday against Serena Williams in the semifinals, which may have had a bigger impact on the WTA landscape and sent ripple effects throughout the tennis world. Serena entered…
Men's tennis popularity would benefit from the excitement of a new bad boy, but Nick Kyrgios is not yet the man for the job. Kyrgios is too crude, over the top and just not good enough yet to be forgiven by the fans for being a tortured genius. Kyrgios trash-talked Stan Wawrinka during an ATP…