MELBOURNE—Australians enjoy festive occasions such as the Australian Open. “The Happy Slam” is a fitting slang term for a nation that loves nicknames and verbal shorthand. But these kindly Aussies also know that a celebration is far richer when it’s proceeded by arduous labor. So in the early ‘80s, when

It's question-and-answer time again at TENNIS.com. If you have a query or comment that would like addressed in this column, please email me at stignor@tennismagazine.com.

MELBOURNE—While such stylists as Roger Federer, Nick Kyrgios and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga can reveal their visceral and layered qualities even when watched on smart phones, Marin Cilic can appear robotic and monochromatic. But viewed up close, this man from Croatia’s movement and ability to shape the ball reveals deceptive texture and

Covering the U.S. Open means more than watching matches and writing about the results. There are endless little scenes that play out all over the grounds and facilities , along with people working the place, that make the tournament special. As a first-time credentialed media member, I kept track of

NEW YORK (AP) It's funny what questions some people will and won't answer. Take the world's top-ranked tennis player, Caroline Wozniacki. Her boyfriend? Sure, she's been seeing Rory McIlory of late. Her new coach? Well, that, Wozniacki insists, must remain a mystery. Wozniacki opened her latest quest for her first

Whether they were alive to see it or not, Billie Jean King's victory over Bobby Riggs at the Houston Astrodome in the "Battle of the Sexes" on Sept. 20, 1973, has inspired generations of people, and that sentiment was shared far and wide on social media Wednesday as Kings milestone

The pros have long known the benefits of playing with hybrid strings. Now it’s your turn. At the ATP’s season-ending championships in Shanghai last November, there was one thing that every player—in both singles and doubles—had in common. Sure, each wanted to go home holding the champion’s hardware, but from

• 102515919 [[ I asked our summer intern, Brad Kallet, to cover a qualifying match yesterday while I was pre-occupied with the draw. I hope you enjoy his report. We've continued to have problems with Typepad (see my alert, below), but I'm hoping the kinks are ironed out in time

Roger Federer took part in a roundtable with journalists on Saturday ahead of the Mutua Madrilena Masters Madrid. It will be his first ATP event since winning the US Open in September. MADRID—On getting ready for the tournament "I like to come early so as to try the courts and

On Monday the ratings came in for the Super Bowl. It had been assumed, with major markets like Boston’s and New York’s represented, and Madonna performing the halftime show, that the numbers would be big, and they were: 111 million people tuned in for America’s gaudiest sporting spectacle. It was,

Phpsexzzvpm [This is Part 1 of reigning TennisWorld poet laureate Ray Stonada's personal Best Road Trip in Sports. My editing consisted of deleting exactly one word. 'Nuf said. Use it as a warm up for today's action from New Haven and Queens. I'll be posting from the BJKNTC later. .

WIMBLEDON, England(AP) There's a bad whiff emanating from Wimbledon and it's not rotting strawberries and curdling cream. No, the early stink is about women tennis players who, heaven forbid, shriek. Apparently, the noise is causing some people to choke on their Pimms. Frankly, the hackneyed debate about supposedly overly loud

New episodes of the recently re-booted Wipeout have officially arrived. The show first debuted back in 2008 on ABC, but TBS is now the new home of the hilarious TV show and is hosted by comedian Nicole Byer and professional wrestler John Cena. So you might be wondering why are

Former world No. 1 Garbiñe Muguruza capped off her scintillating Middle East swing with an eighth career WTA title, winning the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, 7-6(6), 6-3 over surprise finalist Barbora Krejcikova. "It means a lot because it's never easy to win a title," Muguruza said in her post-match

By TW Contributing Editor Andrew Burton Adb_tennis Morning, all. Brits, Australians, South Africans, Indians, West Indians and other members of the cricket diaspora will recognize 50 not out as a decent knock, but no great feat. In tennis terms, it's the equivalent, I suppose, of winning a Masters 500 -

PARIS(AP) Known for furious, racket-throwing rants, Marat Safin would rather be remembered for the hard work he put in during a 12-year career marked by two Grand Slam titles and a Davis Cup win. The former No. 1 ended his career Wednesday after losing to Juan Martin del Potro 6-4,

The top seed remaining faces a round, and an opponent, that have haunted her Aryna Sabalenka vs. Coco Gauff Is Sabalenka feeling any trepidation about playing the woman who beat her in the US Open final last summer? It doesn’t sound like it. “I love it, I love it,” the

With Roland Garros beginning in late September, there are a number of factors related to seasonal climate and conditions that pose new implications for everyone involved. That the tournament is played on clay makes the environment-tennis connection even more significant than if it were played on a hard court, potentially

8 Maria Sharapova It’s hard to gauge where things stand now with the 2008 Australian Open champ: She got some tournament play this year in Shenzhen but was forced to retire against Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinals. Seeded No. 30 this year, she’ll see qualifier Harriet Dart first with a

Here's the third part of my Roger Federer discussion with Joella, a fan from the States. See Part 1 here and Part II here. Or, alternatively, commence scrolling.