Tennis Page 49 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
Big tennis doesn’t want players to be polite to each other
Everybody loves rivalries, trash-talking, and lighthearted ribbing in sports. Nobody wants to see it go too far, but competition and mutual respect that lead to heated confrontations on the field are pure entertainment. Big egos and confidence are a big factor in several athletes’ mindsets, and that...
Naomi Osaka lights up Megyn Kelly, follows with Twitter block heard around the world
As though Naomi Osaka couldn’t demonstrate any more grace in the face of aggressive trolls, she somehow did it again in the form of a simple block on social media....
That had to be it
Roger Federer never slips. However, you remember — and it feels like it’s assuredly past tense now — Federer’s greatness; it was always based on his movement. He always looked like he had enough time to blueprint several options for his next shot before choosing one, usually the perfect one. He just...
Maybe this is really it for Federer and Serena
Tennis fans don’t like to think about the day, even if we can bring ourselves to admit that it will arrive. The opening rounds of Wimbledon are certainly just about the furthest distance from picturing the day when Serena Williams and Roger Federer won’t be playing anymore. This is where they’ve str...
No one wants Novak Djokovic to be the best player ever, but he might be
When discussing tennis history, people’s tastes will always influence and muddy debates about who’s what and the places they hold. Because it’s an individual sport that incorporates so many styles among its players that what one individual prefers watching will always make them lean in one direction...
Novak Djokovic is loud
These primal athlete screams hit different with no fans....
Federer vs. Osaka, a tale of two reactions
Roger Federer withdrew from the French Open yesterday, which put the tournament in an awkward spot. Federer has only played six matches in a year or so, thanks to the pandemic and double knee surgery and rehab. After a near four-hour match in the third round where he really had to slog through a tep...
Naomi Osaka was bullied out of the French Open
In 2006, Zach Greinke almost quit baseball. Racked with social anxiety, Greinke told the media he thought, “Why am I putting myself through torture when I didn’t really want to do it? I mean, I enjoyed playing, but everything else that went with it I didn’t.”...
Yeah, Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer will probably outlast this generation too
Every Grand Slam for the past...well, the years are getting innumerable now, and barely even fathomable, given the unseen greatness and longevity of Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic. Fans keep asking: “Will this be the time?” That is, the time someone else breaks through, someone else rises to the level...
Naomi Osaka is one of the swaggiest athletes we’ve ever witnessed
Naomi Osaka could be on the verge of becoming a cultural icon....
Naomi Osaka isn't Serena Williams' rival – she's her legacy
There is a poignancy in the current moment in women’s tennis. Naomi Osaka learned from the best, and then ended another one of Serena Williams’ evanescent chances to tie Margaret Court’s 24 record Grand Slam singles titles....
With millennials headed for the nursing home, let’s revisit the Osaka-Williams rivalry and other great generational clashes
Naomi Osaka has faced Serena Williams five times now, and the 23-year-old’s straight-sets victory in Thursday’s semifinal at the Australian Open marked the third win for the three-time (so far) major champion over the 23-time (so far) major champion, including both of their meetings at Grand Slam ev...
Let Serena Williams sit back, enjoy greatness, and close out her career on her own terms
We all know the end is nearing for Serena Williams’ career....
Daniil Medvedev broke Andrey Rublev on a point he lost
The big story out of Melbourne today is that Rafael Nadal actually looked like he’s in his mid-30s last night, as he blew a two-set lead to Stefanos Tsitsipas, with the latter looking much the fresher in the fifth set. That sets up a semifinal match with Daniil Medvedev, who when he hasn’t been yell...
It’s been a wacky Australian Open, even if no one’s around to see it
As we’ve previously stated, the Australian Open has a surreal quality, at least on these shores, where an already-niche sport takes place in the dark for only the truly dedicated/bewildered. It’s even more so this edition, as on Friday the live spectators were shooed out of the tournament altogether...
Inebriated fan flips bird and curses out Rafa Nadal because Australia gets to have nice things like that
I’ve missed sports fans....
Venus Williams is still there
The Australian Open is candy for the insomnia and drunk crowd, both of which I happen to be a member. I guess it has the same charm as New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom. Not only is it a must-see event, but you know that only the truly die-hard fans are watching along with you... or the trul...
Remember normal? Look to Serena's Australian Open tuneup Down Under if you can’t
We’re coming up on 11 months since the last time fans could pack a stadium in America to watch sports. Sometimes, it feels like the pandemic restrictions will last forever. But on Friday in Adelaide, Australia, there was a glimpse into the future, and the present that America could have had with com...
Novak Djokovic’s COVID inanity makes you wonder ... if only Nick Kyrgios was this sharp on the tennis court
For some, the sporting calendar is even more off this month than normal. That’s because the Australian Open would be entertaining insomniacs, alcoholics, angry loners, and the unemployable late at night under normal circumstances. The tournament has been pushed back three weeks to better fit in Aust...