Sania Mirza

By Steven Kaplan
Sania Mirza is now the world's number one ranked doubles player, and that is a remarkable achievement. To put this accomplishment in perspective, consider that Mirza is the first female from India ranked number one in the world in any professional sport and no Indian woman had been ranked in the...Read more

Martin Blackman

By Steven Kaplan
Arthur Ashe once called Martin Blackman "The next great American champion." Things did not work out as expected for Blackman, as his top junior career did not translate to success on the ATP Tour. Blackman had a short stint on the Tour and was ranked as high as 158th in the world at one point. As...Read more

What's Old Is New

By Steven Kaplan
The PowerShares series—a senior circuit which includes Grand Slam Champions Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, John McEnroe, Jim Courier, Andy Roddick and Michael Chang—will be playing matches without linesman aided by a chair umpire, Hawk Eye instant replay and unlimited challenges. Currently, when Hawk...Read more

Better Tennis Players Are Not Better People

By Steven Kaplan
Remember the tantrums of the "Tennis Brats" of the 1980s? A new study coming out of Ultrech University in the Netherlands (as well as previous studies done at the University of Southampton in England and Ohio State University) suggests that their bad behavior may have resulted from overindulgent...Read more

Rios Claims the '98 Slam Was a Sham

By Steven Kaplan
From the files of "I thought I have heard it all," comes the story that former world number one Marcelo Rios has received the backing of the Chilean Tennis Federation to request that the ITF investigate Petr Korda for doping during the 1998 Australian Open. While it's almost comical that Rios...Read more

Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics. The Limitations of Good Old Manual Charting

By Steven Kaplan
I got an e-mail last week from Nate Gross, assistant men's tennis coach at Idaho State University. Nate authored several concise books on charting tennis matches and they are the best of this genre that I have ever read. While these books are user-friendly, accessible and elegant, I have to no...Read more

What Tennis Can Learn From Tom Brady

By Steven Kaplan
As American tennis re-evaluates it's High Performance programs, specifically its methods of "talent identification" to reclaim a lofty position in the world, it's worth learning from the NFL and four-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady. Brady was the 199th player picked in the 2000 NFL draft. His...Read more

The Powers That be Down Under

By Steven Kaplan
The current era of tennis is defined by power, and that power was on display in Melbourne during the 2015 Australian Open. What was fascinating to me after watching Novak Djokovic defeat Andy Murray for an eighth Grand Slam title is that these players are not the biggest hitters on the tour. The...Read more

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie ... Hot, Hot, Hot

By Steven Kaplan
It's time to pick up the remote and switch from the Travel Channel to the Tennis Channel to dream of basking in hot weather again. Sorry, not sorry but I have little sympathy for those experiencing another "heat alert" in Sydney. It's better than a polar vortex. I'm looking forward to sizzling...Read more

College Coaches Making Unforced Errors Under Pressure

By Steven Kaplan
As reported in Long Island Tennis Magazine (from an ITA press release), the ITA Intercollegiate Tennis Association Operating Committee is re-submitting its dual match format proposal to shorten college tennis matches after a decisive vote, a move explained as "a powerful indication of the group's...Read more

Women's Tennis: A Very Big Deal

By Steven Kaplan
The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) and Perform, a British media company, signed a 10-year, $535 million deal for broadcast rights to every WTA tournament in its annual calendar. This is the largest commercial contract in the history of women's sports. Heather Bowler of the WTA explained, "This is...Read more

Happy Thanksgiving!

By Steven Kaplan
The holidays mean different things to different people. If your a national tournament player, parent or coach, Thanksgiving can be a day spent at a tennis club, with turkey at the hotel restaurant or at a nearby Applebee's. It's not homey or glamorous and I wouldn't want to spend Thanksgiving this...Read more
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