Deadspin: Tennis

Your "Oh No, It's 3:30 A.M. " Liveblog Of Federer-Nadal At The Australian Open

Dave Shireley and Dylan Stableford — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 03:15:49 EST

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are set to meet in the Australian Open semifinals on Thursday, in a match scheduled to begin at 3:30 a.m. ET. It's the 27th time the pair have met on a tennis court, with the Majorcan matador holding a 17-9 edge all-time, 7-2 in Grand Slams. The meeting is notable, considering Nadal's uncharacteristically salty comments about his hirsute Swiss rival before the tournament. The last time Nadal and Federer met Down Under was in the 2009 final, an epic four-hour, five-setter that ended with an inconsolable Federer in tears. More »

Novak Djokovic Gives Appropriately Stupid Answer To Jim Courier's Incredibly Stupid Question

Dom Cosentino — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:15:00 EST

The television networks employ former athletes as analysts because of the uncommon insight they can offer from having been there. Those ex-athletes will, on occasion, uphold their end of the bargain by informing us of something we might not have known or understood without the benefit of their perspective. But just as often, we get banality, cliches, or lunges at outright asininity like this, courtesy former tennis great Jim Courier. Novak Djokovic was visibly ill during much of his Australian Open quarterfinal victory last night against David Ferrer, so it was certainly worth asking him how he powered through. But this wasn't the way to do it. More »

Tennis Players Bill Simmons Would Do: Another Classic From The Secret Sports Guy Vault

Barry Petchesky — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:15:59 EST

It's a curious quirk of the internet that almost nothing survives of Bill Simmons's pre-ESPN work. After seeing last week's newly unearthed column from Simmons's AOL Digital City days, a reader sent along another Boston Sports Guy entry rescued from the dustbin of history. If you've got any old Simmons columns lying around, please send them to us. More »

Do Not Refuse The Post-Match Handshake Or Australians Will Boo The Shit Out Of You

Timothy Burke — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 11:00:00 EST

Czech Tomas Berdych faced deafening boos and squeals (which are apparently some kind of Australian version of hissing) after refusing to shake the hand of Spain's Nicolas Almagro following Berdych's four-set win today in Melbourne. More »

Watch Tennis Player Stanislas Wawrinka Cop A Feel On An Unsuspecting Lineswoman

Dylan Murphy — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 09:50:08 EST

Your morning roundup for Jan. 19, the day we learned Tilapia and garbage have a close relationship. Video via Outside The Boxscore. Got any stories or photos for us? Tip your editors. More »

Marcos Baghdatis Calmly Destroyed Four Consecutive Tennis Rackets Between Sets Last Night

Emma Carmichael — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 11:10:00 EST

After falling behind by two sets to Stanislas Wawrinka in the second round of the Australian Open last night, Marcos Baghdatis went to his chair and calmly smashed four consecutive Tecnifibre rackets. The rage propelled him to win the following set, but Wawrinka took the match, 7-6, 6-4, 5-7, 6-1. At least Baghdatis won the crowd. More »

Holy Balls Serena Williams Is Ripped: Deadspin's Australian Open Preview

Dylan Stableford — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 14:05:27 EST

While Americans were freezing their Tebows off watching playoff football, the first major tennis tournament of the year kicked off in Australia, with temperatures in Melbourne hitting 92 on day one. Dylan Stableford, Deadspin's tennis editor, has a preview of the action Down Under. More »

Billie Jean King And Martina Navratilova Respond To Australian Legend's Homophobic Rant

Sean Newell — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 16:00:00 EST

Margaret (Smith) Court is a former Australian tennis great turned pastor in something called the Victory Life Church. Earlier in the week she made statements with regard to homosexuality, marriage and political correctness. Some of her thoughts are listed below: More »

Caroline Wozniacki And Rory McIlroy Obnoxiously Remind Us That They Are Nos. 1 And 2 In The World

Emma Carmichael — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 12:55:00 EST

We should only be so cynical about young love, but young love should only give itself so many insufferable personalized nicknames and offer so many reminders that the young people in question—the Wozz in "Wozzilroy" is 21 years old and the Ilroy is 22—hold the best and second-best world rankings in their respective sports. (McIlroy moved up to the No. 2 spot this past weekend.) One tweeted photo, we think, might be too many reminders. More »

If You Knock On Her Door At 6 A.M., Serena Williams Will Retreat To Her Panic Room

Emma Carmichael — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 16:55:00 EDT

"Serena Williams fled to the panic room in her Los Angeles mansion when she mistook a sports association drug tester for a dangerous intruder." Also notable: Serena Williams has a panic room. [NY Post, via TMZ] More »

Andy Roddick Gets A Question Andy Roddick Doesn't Like, Storms Out Of Press Conference

Emma Carmichael — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 15:00:30 EDT

Andy Roddick is known for three things, basically: he is an American who can serve tennis balls at high speeds, he is married to Brooklyn Decker, and he is a rather petulant subject with the press, or simply with authority. More »

Andy Roddick Has Had Three Wedding Rings In Two Years With Brooklyn Decker, His One Wife

Dom Cosentino — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 18:05:00 EDT

Rory McIlroy And Caroline Wozniacki Give Themselves An Insufferable Couple Nickname: Wozzilroy

Emma Carmichael — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 18:30:00 EDT

If you didn't know, now you now: tennis star Caroline Wozniacki and golf star Rory McIlroy have been dating for a few months. McIlroy recently made his love official by engraving a golf club with the name "Wozzilroy," which is what they have decided we will call them. We, obviously, have decided to go with McIliacki, because it sounds gross. More »

Djokovic-Federer Had Nothing On Christ-Satan, Says Writer Who Is Not Joking

Tommy Craggs — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 10:41:05 EDT

"The match between Djokovic and Federer in New York was quite a spectacle, but it was nothing compared to Christ's victory over sin and death and Satan. 'And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.' (Colossians 2:15) Memo to Satan: Get over it. You have been defeated." [Christian Post, via Drop Shot Dispatch] More »

Rafael Nadal Was For Playing Tennis This Week Before He Was Against It

Barry Petchesky — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 15:30:59 EDT

Rafa took to the microphones to decry tennis's crowded calendar: just four days ago he was in the US Open final, giving him little time to fly to Spain and prepare for today's Davis Cup match against Richard Gasquet. More »

Celebrating Serena Williams, Tennis Traditionalist

Emma Carmichael — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 18:45:00 EDT

Serena Williams revived an old tradition in tennis in Flushing last night. She said some petty things to the chair umpire because she was angry and because she wanted to win—and because when you are not winning in a sport as lonely as tennis, there is only one person you can blame that is not yourself. That person is the chair umpire. More »

Once Upon A Time, Serena And That Same Chair Umpire Laughed Off Her Hindrance And They Replayed The Point

Emma Carmichael — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 11:30:00 EDT

...And everyone lived happily ever after, until last night in Flushing. More »

Before Losing The U.S. Open Finals, Serena Williams Told The Umpire She Was An Unattractive Hater

Brian Hickey — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 19:06:00 EDT

Wow. Before Serena Williams got done wasting 73 minutes of everybody's time in losing the U.S. Open 6-2, 6-3 today, she made sure to tear into the chair umpire for a whole bunch of things related, and not related, to being issued a court violation for yelling at the opposition. Poor thing. More »

Watch Novak Djokovic Steal The U.S. Open Crowd, Momentum And Semifinal Match From Roger Federer

Brian Hickey — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 17:45:00 EDT

Momentum in sports, if you believe it exists, which I do, is a fickle thing. Take today's U.S. Open semifinal match between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, for instance. More »

Your U.S. Open Semifinals Open Thread

Brian Hickey — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 11:45:00 EDT

Weather permitting — and it's expected to do just that — both the men's and women's semifinals will be played in Flushing Meadows, NY today. More »

Grantland Republished David Foster Wallace's Epic 2006 Essay on Roger Federer, And You Should Go Read It Now

Dom Cosentino — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 14:45:00 EDT

The late author's profile, written for the now-defunct Play, "constituted a dream pairing of writer and subject" that "still stands as one of the most stirring, illuminating essays ever written about the beauty of sport at its highest level," according to the Grantland introduction provided by Michael MacCambridge. More »

This Evening: The Guy In The Blue Shirt Behind Brooklyn Decker Would Like You To Know He Plays With Himself

Dom Cosentino — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 18:55:00 EDT

Your p.m. roundup for Sept. 8, the day we learned a cow had died in Brooklyn. H/T to Brad for the U.S. Open photo. Got any stories or photos for us? Tip your editors. More »

Andy Roddick Totally Flipped Out Over The Court Still Being Wet At The U.S. Open (Video)

Dom Cosentino — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 17:20:00 EDT

Listen As Mardy Fish Calls Jo-Wilfried Tsonga A "Dumbass" During Their U.S. Open Match

Dom Cosentino — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 13:15:00 EDT

Rafael Nadal's Leg Cramps Made For An Awkward Press Conference Yesterday

Emma Carmichael — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 16:00:00 EDT

This video will make anyone who's ever suffered from a muscle cramp cringe. Rafael Nadal was settling in for a post-match press conference after a straight-set win over David Nalbandian yesterday when he was suddenly hit with the pain of a stiffened calf muscle. More »

Ron Artest Has Never Looked More Graceful

Emma Carmichael — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 10:30:00 EDT

Your morning roundup for Sept. 5, the day Arizona (against all odds) got a little bit worse. Photo of Artest at rehearsal via @LakerNation. Got any stories or photos for us? Tip your editors. More »

There Was A Guy With A Sock In His Mouth At The U.S. Open This Afternoon

Brian Hickey — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 18:30:00 EDT

Tipster James M. writes in that, "It's pretty weird! I have people offering $5.62 for this pic but I'm an avid Deadspin reader and I want you guys to break the story so I'm willing to go as low as $3.27." More »

Wonder If This TCU Fan Still Wanted Some Loving After His Team Blew A Gigantic Comeback

Brian Hickey — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 09:45:00 EDT

Your morning roundup for Sept. 3, the day that Dragon Con's Comic Book Babes Costume Contest becomes an Elvira-hosted reality in Atlanta. Got any stories or photos for us? Tip your editors. More »

An Instructional Video On How To Pretend To Hit A Forehand Like Rafael Nadal

Emma Carmichael — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 13:05:00 EDT

This is cool, if you're a tennis player/fan, or just a fellow lefty who believes in the general supremacy of lefties. Rafael Nadal hits his forehand with an average topspin of 3,200 RPMs, which is more than any human to ever play the game of tennis. The New York Times explains how he does it. [NYT] More »

Presenting A Great Point From Novak Djokovic's U.S. Open Match Against Some Guy Tonight

Brian Hickey — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 23:45:00 EDT

At the end of this crowd-rousing point tonight at Arthur Ashe Stadium, No. 1 seed Novak Djokovic was four games away from a triple-bagel win (6-0, 6-0, 6-0) over Carlos Berlocq. Novak would drop the next game — earning Berlocq some crowd adulation — and another before closing his foe out, but he also hit a sweet, backward between-the-legs return along the way. More »

Holy Balls Christina McHale Is Ripped Too

Emma Carmichael — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 17:55:00 EDT

Photographer Paul Frederiksen points out that Marion Bartoli's opponent, 19-year-old American Christina McHale, also has a Hulk arm. What deserves credit for this phenomenon? It may just be that the backhand shot is especially flattering to muscle definition—or it may just be that the rest of the women on the pro tennis circuit finally recognized the reality of their competition. More »

Gael Monfils Took The Tennis Trick Shot To A New Level Today

Emma Carmichael — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 16:00:00 EDT

Monfils and Juan Carlos Ferrero are currently deadlocked in the second round at the U.S. Open. Ferrero took the first set, 7-6 (5), Monfils took the second at 7-5, and Ferrero is up 6-5 in the third. Monfils, though, got the psychological (and bullshit) advantage with this trick shot early on. More »

Holy Balls Marion Bartoli Is Ripped

Emma Carmichael — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 13:10:00 EDT

France's Marion Bartoli had a great run at Wimbledon back in June, but she and her Incredible Hulk arm are done at the U.S. Open already. She fell 7-6, 6-2 to 19-year-old American (yes, American! Alert the youth revivalists!) Christina McHale in the second round today. Perhaps she cut back on le protein powder. More »

Ernests Gulbis, Latvian Tennis Playboy, Says "Everybody Should Spend A Night In Prison" And Learn A Lesson

Jack Dickey — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 17:45:00 EDT

The New York Times has a story today on Ernests Gulbis, who defeated Mikhail Youzhny at the U.S. Open yesterday. Gulbis has decided to start living clean and serious at age 23, and this makes us sad. He is capable of so much more debauchery, and so many more hungover early exits. Yet now he's looking like he might make a deep run, even though he's in New York City, of all places. This invariably depresses anyone who wants tennis to be the least bit exciting. More »

Tennis Players Awkwardly Navigate The Post-Match Kiss

Emma Carmichael — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 11:40:00 EDT

Gael Monfils beat Grigor Dimitrov in the opening round of the US Open last night, 7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-4, and then met at the net for the most awkward kiss since middle school. (Although it is certainly possible that it only seems that way to unsophisticated Americans like us.) More »

Serena Williams Cannot Really Recall That Line Judge Incident From "Like, Two Years Ago"

Emma Carmichael — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 14:45:00 EDT

Remember that time at the 2009 U.S. Open, when Serena Williams told a line judge she was going to shove a tennis ball down her throat? Of course you do. Everyone remembers. Except for Serena. More »

The Officeworker’s Viewing Guide To The U.S. Open

Emma Carmichael — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 10:45:00 EDT

There is no excuse for anyone to miss a single serve of tennis or a single Sasha Vujacic hair toss at the U.S. Open this year, unless he or she is employed, disinterested, or has basic life responsibilities that might keep one from watching every hour of a two-week long sporting event. But! Just in case you're going to watch every hour anyway, or just in case you only want to watch when there is a 50 percent chance you'll see Rafa Nadal shirtless (no comment), or just in case you want to track every opportunity to see Serena Williams threaten a line judge and/or wear something outrageous, Deadspin is here for you. Here's your 2011 viewing guide, with special consideration for those stuck in a swivel chair for the majority of the days. More »

Tastes Like Sugarpova: Deadspin's 2011 U.S. Open Preview

Dylan Stableford — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 16:50:00 EDT

For two weeks every year, hardened New Yorkers become prissy tennis fans, and Queens—not the Bronx—becomes the sports capital of the Big Apple. You could argue that the U.S. Open is, perennially, the biggest sporting event in New York, with the possible exceptions of the '94 Rangers-Knicks run and 2000 Subway Series. It's the Super Bowl of American tennis. And this year's tournament (more than in recent years anyway) is wide open. All of the favorites (Djokovic, Nadal, Federer, Serena and Sharapova) are flawed, and that's what's going to make it exciting. More »

Here Is Andy Samberg Playing Both 70s Bjorn Borg And John McEnroe On The Cover Of NYT Magazine

Jack Dickey — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 21:45:00 EDT

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OK, this is kind of cool. Tennis and the New York Times being weirdly not-stodgy, everybody! More »

There's Always A Silver Lining To A Serena Williams Injury

Emma Carmichael — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 16:10:00 EDT

"Despite the injury, Williams said she may now attend her celebrity friend Kim Kardashian's wedding this weekend to [Nets] basketball player Kris Humphries. 'Now that I have time I probably will,' said Williams. 'I hadn't thought about it.'" [Yahoo] More »