Photo by Ian White A teacher's effectiveness is best judged by his students' achievements. That's why California's Robert Lansdorp doesn't care if you've never heard of him. His calling cards are four No.1 players by the names of Sampras, Austin, Davenport, and Sharapova. He has never been the exuberant, indefatigable

By the middle of the third set, the final between No. 1 Serena Williams and No. 2 Victoria Azarenka in Cincinnati had a strong sense of déjà vu about it. Just like at the U.S. Open last September, Williams won the first set and Azarenka won the second by matching

WIMBLEDON, England (AP)—Defending champion Rafael Nadal completed an hour-long practice session Tuesday, hours after announcing he would play in the Wimbledon quarterfinals against Mardy Fish. “He will be 100 percent. Everything’s fine,” said Toni Nadal, his coach and uncle. Nadal, a two-time champion at the All England Club, hurt his

*201106240946351690680-p2@stats_com by Pete Bodo On the face of it, you might say that the U.S. team dodged a bullet when Rafael Nadal decided to bypass a trip to Austin, TX., recusing himself from the year-long Spanish effort to recover the Davis Cup trophy they've held at various times for just

Did you wonder, in recent years, what the United States' strategy was for improving on clay? Did you wonder if there was one? If so, you were obviously wrong to worry. After this past weekend, we know what the plan was all along: Wait for a 30-year-old, oft-injured, oft-distracted 13-time

by Pete Bodo Somehow, we might have known all along that it would come down to this: Rafael Nadal has one man to beat to win his first ATP tour championships, a title that has been won at least once by almost every iconic player who spent his entire career

The Rally returns today, with a discussion between freelance tennis writer Kamakshi Tandon and I on the 2016 season that just was. Below is the first of three parts. Hi Kamakshi, We’ve done it. We’ve made it all the way to another offseason. Or off-month, anyway. That’s still a ridiculously

By TW Contributing Writer, Asad Raza During this part of the year, tennis players spend a lot of time scuffing and beating clay off their shoes. In my time in Rome, I have yet to see any sportswriters do this, largely because they don't have any clay on their shoes.

LONDON (AP) — The Latest from Wimbledon (all times local): 9:10 p.m. Maria Sharapova lost in the first round at Wimbledon after fellow Russian Vitalia Diatchenko came from a set and a break down to oust the former champion. Sharapova served for the match at 5-3 in the second set

It’s still possible, at least theoretically, to make a case that tennis isn't a good fit for the Olympics, though you won’t read it in this column—if the Games are good enough for Serena Williams and Roger Federer (and Rafa and Novak and pretty much every other player), they’re good

Dogs by Pete Bodo Howdy. How does it feel to be treading water, waiting for Sunday and the start of the ATP World Tour fnals? Well, get used to it, because you'll be doing a lot of paddling over the coming weeks, and even more in the future if the

With the French Open only a few days away, there are questions surrounding the status of some of the best on the WTA Tour and what state they’ll be in for the tournament. Here’s a look at where some of the game's elite stand heading into Roland Garros (let's start

Some lucky fans had a chance to have a virtual chat with Simona Halep this week. From her biggest idol to toughest opponent, the two-time Grand Slam champion candidly answered a range of questions in a new Roland Garros series, Chatting with Fans. Gauri from New Delhi asked Halep about

PARIS (AP)—Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Richard Gasquet put France back in the Davis Cup final by winning the doubles and ending the two-year reign of the Czech Republic on Saturday. Tsonga and Gasquet, who won their singles on Friday, gave Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek a rare doubles defeat in Davis

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. (AP) Serena Williams abused her racket, scolded herself and even made angry faces at the sun. In the end, as usual, she took out her frustration on the ball. The seven-time Key Biscayne champion overcame her annoyance and shaky play Wednesday for her 700th career victory, beating

Being chained to your desk in the press room on a sunny first-week day at Wimbledon can seem like a criminal waste of time. You have to jam your arms against your sides and squint at your laptop as a parade of English tennis fans pass by the window, eating

By TW Contributing Editor, Ed McGrogan Last Week's & This Week's Tournament Australian Open (ATP & WTA - Outdoor Hard - Melbourne, Australia) (In new, Plexicushion blue this week!) - Men's Singles Bracket - Women's Singles Bracket - Men's Doubles Bracket - Women's Doubles Bracket

- Mixed Doubles Bracket

PARIS—Leicester may best be known for its football club (and we’ll get to the Foxes in a bit), but the outskirts of this ancient city in the East Midlands have their own defining qualities. “A lot of the greenery, a lot of the peacefulness when you wake up in the

• Murray by Gauloises, Contributing Writer* Paris - It’s 1.13 a.m., and I’m thinking about the match I’ve just seen - the last match I’ll see at the Palais Omnisports in 2010. Andy Murray beat Marin Cilic, 7-6, 3-6, 6-3, in a contest that started on Thursday in a packed

In tennis, crucial moments are often followed by mental lapses. Here’s how to keep your mind from wandering. Imagine that you’ve just finished a long, arduous point with more than 20 strokes. Or perhaps you’ve completed a long game with 10 deuces. Maybe you’ve just broken serve, or had your