Venus Williams, by all outward appearances, is the most unflappable of tennis players. Unlike her theatrically demonstrative younger sister, Serena, Venus doesn’t beat her opponents with fist pumps, stare downs or exultations. She uses something equally as daunting: a majestically stony game face that nothing can dislodge. Well, almost nothing.

“Sometimes you don’t feel your soul at 7 P.M.” These were the words of Sly Stone, singer, bandleader, and, for the last three decades or so, MIA drug casualty. He made that pronouncement in the early 1970s, to explain, in his own cryptic way, why he had begun to be

Wimbledon will always be the tournament we think of when John Isner’s name is mentioned, for two very good reasons. He won a 183-game match there, and he reached the semifinals there (that semifinal clocked in at just 99 total games). But outside of those two incredible and indeterminable highlights,

Fish by Pete Bodo I'm presently a little tapped out on Milos Raonic (I added some fresh thoughts on him over at ESPN this morning), who's still lighting up the scoreboard down in Memphis, or as they say in Texas, "Meffis." Raonic is in the semis now, but I have

Yesterday I described the Czech Republic as “the little nation that could” because of the steady stream of blue-chip players it has produced throughout tennis history. The Czech men hope to join the victorious Czech Fed Cup team as champions this weekend when they host Spain in Prague. The visiting

About a quarter of the way through this year, how are your bookish goals for 2021 coming? Whether high and mighty or mired in struggleville, read on. David Shaftel is a man with many roles. A voracious observer of many things, primarily tennis these days, he's a parent, public-court rec

In anticipation of next week's doubles exhibition between the McEnroes and the Bryans in New York, Pete Bodo and I discuss the role of doubles in today's pro game, and how it might, or might not, be expanded.

WATCH: The Break: Wimbledon's 'All White' Rule Gets An Update

Whether collaborating with a fleet of a team or working solo, some ATP and WTA pros go from courting victory to clothes horsing. The pandemic-addled year 2020 led to a lot of at-home and low-key looks of leisure, but the stars still managed to shine when the time was right—and

Today we’re debuting a new feature, "First Ball In," a table-setting post that will run from Monday to Friday every week, and which I’ll be writing most of the time. During the European clay season, FBI will appear each afternoon at roughly 4:00 P.M. Eastern time; when the tours are

Tennis has been transformed over the last five decades by TV, money, technology, equipment, fashion and politics. But through all of that, the players have remained at the heart of the game. As part of our golden anniversary celebration of the Open era, Tennis.com presents its list of 50 best

“Whom the gods wish to destroy, they first call promising.” So said British author Cyril Connolly. Did he foresee, all the way back in the 1930s, the rise, and thus far the fall, of Richard Gasquet? As a kid, the Frenchman, who this Saturday won his first tournament in three

Wimbledon is over, but there’s no way it could end here without one last Keeping Tabs for the road. One last, sad, Keeping Tabs for the road. As much as the papers and the general public in Great Britain may rip him, you do get the sense that the nation

It started with a tweet. Back in February, Andy Roddick innocently asked his large social media following if they had any suggestions for a new racquet. He was thinking of playing more frequently than the occasional exhibition, and felt his old racquets in the garage were long past their best-by

by Pete Bodo

Is the latest change to off-court coaching in tennis “ruining” the sport? That’s been the latest topic of debate for players after the International Tennis Federation announced it’s officially bringing the practice to the Grand Slams and all ATP and WTA events starting in 2025. Off-court coaching had been trialed

PARIS (AP) As China's Li Na tossed the ball while serving at match point in the French Open final, a cry from a fan in the stands pierced the silence at Court Philippe Chatrier. Distracted, Li stopped and let the ball drop. The words of support were in Mandarin: `Jia

WATCH: Andy Murray visits the International Tennis Hall of Fame museum

My reactions to David Foster Wallace and his writing come in conflicting forms. First there’s the man himself. After hearing about his suicide last September, I wrote that I was stunned to learn about his psychological problems, which had been going on for decades. I’d read most if not all

The 2012 season was really the first time that things started feeling different. The previous year was incredible—finishing 2011 at No. 8 in the world and making the ATP World Tour Final was a really special culmination of all the work I had put in. The well-documented weight loss, lifestyle