tennis Page 52 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
"Iron Stan" Wawrinka Blows Out Andy Murray In US Open Quarters
So, who had Stan Wawrinka in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 over defending U.S. Open champion Andy Murray? That's what just happened....
Here's Why Federer And Nadal Have Never Played Each Other At US Open
Two days ago, Serena Williams was told that two great rivals, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, have never played each other at the U.S. Open. ...
Roger Federer Upset (Again) At US Open
And once again, Roger Federer is out prematurely at a Grand Slam. Federer was upset in the 4th round at the U.S. Open tonight to Tommy Robredo, 7-6, 6-3, 6-4. ...
How An ESPNer Found Out The "Battle Of The Sexes" Was Probably Fixed
As usual, this one started with a tip. It came courtesy of Hal Shaw, a 79-year-old man who lived in Florida. ESPN investigative reporter Don Van Natta Jr. knew him. The two had met when Van Natta was researching his 2011 biography of Babe Didrikson Zaharia. Shaw once worked at the country club that...
The Heart Of The Matter
Not so long ago a friend asked me if I thought I was a success. I didn't know what to say and when I did manage an answer it was "No." I was thinking in terms of not just professional success but financial success. Where I want to be not how far I've come. I didn't think about success as a person, a...
Blowout Loss Sends Serena Williams's Opponent Into Arms Of Ball Boy
Francesca Schiavone might have said she didn't need a hug, but as her first-round U.S. Open match against Serena Williams got completely out of hand Monday night, Francesca Schiavone totally needed a hug....
Rafael Nadal Is Filthy And Should Be Regulated
This entire point, from early on in Nadal's clinical straight-sets administration of American Ryan Harrison, is lovely. But do watch the slow-motion spin of Rafa's overhead finisher, from somewhere out in College Point. Physics is fun....
The New York Times Gotcha Open
The New York Times magazine features tennis this weekend. A story on Roger Federer, a brief Q&A with Jimmy Connors and this collection of tennis stories from their archive. ...
Battle Of The Sexes
Next month, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of "The Battle of the Sexes," American Masters will premier their show on Billie Jean King. It's the first time in the program's history that a sports figure has been profiled. And this Sunday over at ESPN, Outside the Lines will feature a segment on Kin...
What's In A Name, Sugar?
Vhy a duck? Leigh Montville's latest for Sports on Earth is a lot of fun:...
Maria Sharapova Will Remain Maria Sharapova
So, this stupid controversy—manufactured to create some buzz for her candy-line—is now over: Maria Sharapova is not changing her name for the U.S. Open. Her agent Max Eisenbud confirmed to ESPN that it just wouldn't be feasible. I'm sure all of this only dawned on them in the last couple of hours:...
The U.S. Open Is Finally Getting A Retractable Roof
In a few years, the U.S. Open will no longer be the most fogeyish Grand Slam. The USTA announced this morning that it will build a long-sought retractable roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium. How exactly they plan to do that—Ashe was built over a landfill and previous studies seemed to indicate a roof was...
This Is Pretty Much The Saddest Game Of Tennis Ever Played By A Pro
Congratulations, Fabio Fognini! You might be ranked 16th in the world, but this was quite possibly the most amazing thing any player's ever accomplished....
Althea Gibson and Robert Lipsyte's Forgotten Bookmark
My friend Michael Popek owns a used bookstore and runs a site called Forgotten Bookmarks, devoted to the things he finds in old books. The site did so well Michael published a book of the same name. (Check out this Q&A we did in 2011 and this profile of Michael by Shannon Firth.)...
Live Fast, Love Hard, And Don't Let Nobody Borrow Your Comb
Here's a little more Kornheiser, from when he was at the Times (’76-79). He worked at Newsday and then the New York Times before joining the Washington Post....
90% Half Mental
There's a nice piece by Reeves Wiedeman over at Buzzfeed on Timothy Gallaway's 1972 book, The Inner Game of Tennis:...
Andy Murray Wins Wimbledon
Andy Murray ended a 77-year drought at Wimbledon, becoming the first British man to win the tournament since Fred Perry in 1936, with a straight-set victory over Novak Djokovic....
Tennis Player Calmly Melts Down And Retires From Match
This is a truly bizarre two minutes of video. At the end of a spirited rally in third-set action at the Winnetka Challenger, Alex Bogomolov, Jr. calmly quits the match and tells the chair umpire to go fuck himself....
Marion Bartoli Wins Wimbledon Women's Championship
Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli defeated German Sabine Lisicki this morning in straight sets, 6-1, 6-4, to win Wimbledon. In a wild tournament that saw every single favorite get knocked out, Bartoli was consistent and overwhelmed each opponent she faced without dropping a single set throughout the tourna...