Deadspin: U.s. Open

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 »

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 »

Venus Williams Drops Out Of U.S. Open

Tom Scocca — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 17:15:20 EDT

Three days into the U.S. Open, Venus Williams has withdrawn from the tournament, saying she suffers from pain and fatigue caused by an autoimmune disorder called Sjogren's Syndrome. 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 »

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 »

Dan Coats, Indiana's US Senator, Will Not Quit On That US Open "Under God" Thing

Jack Dickey — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 20:30:00 EDT

Yesterday, the good people of the Yahoo! comments section expressed their displeasure with NBC's edits on the Pledge of Allegiance during the US Open. More »

"NBC = National Broadcasters For Communism," According To Pro-American Internet Commenters

Emma Carmichael — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 16:45:00 EDT

During yesterday's U.S. Open broadcast, NBC presented two readings of the pledge of allegiance — the first omitted the phrases "under God" and "indivisible," and the second also left out "one nation." Yahoo's Devil Ball (!) golf blog dutifully posted the story yesterday afternoon. Here's what the commenters had to say about the traumatic event. Everything sic'd, and with few exceptions, every new sentence is a new comment: More »

NBC Apologizes For Not Baiting Commies Or Something

Tommy Craggs — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 16:37:58 EDT

NBC ran a pretaped segment before the final round at Congressional yesterday in which some soldiers saluted and a bunch of kids recited the pledge and a handful of monuments hulked above the D.C. skyline in a way that suggested that someone in the editing room knows his Leni Riefenstahl. The whole thing was so nut-punchingly patriotic it's a wonder we didn't see an eagle soaring above the fairway at 10 with Luke Donald's hair on its talons. It was tacky and stupid, and in a sane world the only people who would be angry today are the handful of fans tired of seeing their sports wrapped in bunting. This is not that world. More »

Rory Got His Dirk On Last Night

Emma Carmichael — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 13:05:00 EDT

Here's the 22-year-old pride of Hollywood celebrating his US Open title by das booting a trophy full of champagne. If only the NBA Finals hardware were this convenient. "Tastes good!!!" Rory tweeted at about two in the morning. We imagine it does. More »

Vince McMahon's Son Was Hanging Out With Rory McIlroy's Dad, For Some Reason

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 10:05:00 EDT

Your morning roundup for June 20, the day we got a healthy reminder that rich people are awful. More »

These Two Guys Would've Gotten Away With Busting Into Coors Field If It Wasn't For A Pesky Security Guard

Brian Hickey — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 10:00:00 EDT

Your morning roundup for June 19, the day some sexy finally came out of the Vancouver riots (it starts at 0:45 of this video), and the day we all wish a Happy Father's Day to the appropriate person in our lives. More »

Filthy Rich Kids Allowed To Sell Lemonade Outside U.S. Open For Charity After All

Brian Hickey — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 15:15:00 EDT

On Thursday, the heartless Montgomery County, Md. inspections office ordered a gaggle of children — including some from the Marriott-hotel and Lockheed-Martin clans — to close their lemonade stand right outside Congressional Country Club. The kids said they were raising money for pediatric-cancer research. Makes sense since their mansions are probably carpeted with million-dollar bills. More »

Watch The Marlins Catcher Successfully Throw The Ball At Shane Victorino's Head

Brian Hickey — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 10:00:00 EDT

Your morning roundup for June 18, the day "propaganda vans touted the importance of stability" in the Jeans Capital of China. (Video H/T, Jimmy Greek) More »

It Sure Looks Like The Children Of The Corn Are Stalking Golfer Rory McIlroy

Brian Hickey — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 21:30:00 EDT

Tipster Dan B. captured this screen grab of Rory McIlroy's post-first-round interview at the U.S. Open today. For the record, the lad's up three strokes on the guy to whom he lost a four-stroke, final-day lead at the Masters. For the prosecution, this picture should serve as adequate evidence for a conviction should the lad not show up tomorrow. More »

US Open Brawler Arrested After Tabloid Trash Talk

Barry Petchesky — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 12:55:00 EDT

Joseph Pedevill, best known for beating up old people, was called "an insane nut" by his neighbor in a New York Post story. Pedevill reacted to that by behaving like an insane nut. More »

"ITS 2 AM, SO I WILL END WITH DISGUST FOR YOUR AWFUL BEHAVIOR," And Other Emails About The U.S. Open

Katie Baker — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 17:45:23 EDT

Well, our little rant about the festival of ineptitude that was the television coverage of the U.S. Open men's final seemed to touch a nerve. More »

Tennis Has Its Heidi Moment, And Everyone Is Pissed

Katie Baker — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 18:00:00 EDT

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"This partnership will provide more tennis, to more people, in more ways than ever before," said the USTA's CEO in 2008 after signing a six-year ESPN deal. He was partially correct: I've never seen a tennis broadcast quite like yesterday's. More »

Nadal Finally Wins His U.S. Open. Sucks For Us.

Dylan Stableford — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 13:45:45 EDT

A prediction: Rafael Nadal will never win another U.S. Open. More »

Vera Zvonareva is a Youth-Prison Riot Fetishist's Wet Dream

Brian Hickey — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 09:00:00 EDT

Because no one reads the newspaper, and SportsCenter's anchors are too perky for this early in the morning, Deadspin combs the best of the broadsheets and internets to bring you everything you need to know to start your day. More »

Private Stache: Jimmy Connors And Chris Evert, Love-Love

Andy Gray — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 13:20:11 EDT

As keeper of Sports Illustrated's indispensable Vault, Andy Gray spends a lot of his time sifting through the sports photography of another time, when athletes wore short shorts and facial hair, and everyone looked vaguely uncomfortable. Here is one such photo. More »

What Roger Federer Actually Said In That ESPN Interview

Tommy Craggs — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 19:10:23 EDT

Earlier, we drew your attention to a minor hubbub over Roger Federer's interview with Pam Shriver, during which his audio cut out for several highly suspicious seconds. What could he have said, we wondered? Well, now we have an answer. More »