Category Archives: ATP Tour
So Far From Anywhere
The most rewarding thing about the disparate little events huddled in the shadows of the Grand Slams is how, lacking the cachet to pull big names, they tend to attract sizable contingents of locals, provided there is a contingent available. … Continue reading
Filed under ATP Tour
Thrill Machine
SA Tennis Open, South Africa Greul d. Raonic, 7/6 6/4 The supercharged Milos ‘Pistol’ Raonic bandwagon roars on. His excellent Melbourne adventure saw him advance some 58 spots, departing Australia at No.94. His momentum has carried him into the SA … Continue reading
Filed under ATP Tour
More Sizzle
Heineken Open, Auckland Nalbandian d. Isner, 6/4 7/6 Insofar as disparate gatherings of strangers can boast anything – beyond a tendency to wildly applaud any celebrity pledging self-reform – tennis crowds often boast distinct personalities. It is frequently remarked upon … Continue reading
Filed under ATP Tour
Overload
Qatar Open Any hope that Doha might provide a clear form-guide ahead of the Australian Open was frustrated by Rafael Nadal’s illness. The tribal zealots are of course over-analysing it, which is a kind way of saying they’re incapable of … Continue reading
Tactically Sound
Brisbane International Soderling d. Stepanek, 6/3 7/5 Whichever media genius came up with the idea of accosting players as they’re heading out on to court has a lot to answer for. The intention, apparently, is to help the viewers identify … Continue reading
Filed under ATP Tour
Diverting Grotesqueries
Brisbane International Stepanek d. Kamke, 5/7 6/1 6/4 Becker d. Verdasco, 6/1 6/7 6/4 If one were to compile a crib sheet on Radek Stepanek – who today saw off the sporadically promising Tobias Kamke in three sets – there … Continue reading
Filed under ATP Tour
Incomparable
Paul Annacone now coaches Roger Federer, who is 29 years old. Annacone originally coached Pete Sampras, who at one point was also 29. The parallel is uncanny, irrefutable, yet when Annacone is invited to compare Federer with Sampras – and … Continue reading
Increasingly Global
Isn’t morning television wonderful? I’m especially fond of those variety-type breakfast shows: the forced badinerie, the practiced solecisms, the brutally jolly weather segments. Their commitment to safeguarding the English language is especially commendable. One story this morning featured the delightful … Continue reading
A Tale of Two Wrists
Tennis matches are elegant affairs of graceful geometry, but tennis rankings are blunt things of low arithmetic. A guy wins more stuff, he get more points, his ranking goes up. The concept isn’t taxing, although the ramifications and the subtleties … Continue reading
Filed under ATP Tour, By the Numbers, Players
Unforgettable Memories
ATP World Tour Finals, London The ATP World Tour Final redeemed itself at the eleventh hour – of course it would – and a hasty re-relocation to Shanghai probably won’t be necessary. That’s the good news. Actually, it’s all good … Continue reading
Filed under ATP Tour