Does it come as any kind of surprise that the very first thing that the BBC chose to broadcast in color was a tennis match? It might, I suppose; why not a World Cup game or a fox hunt or the Queen’s Christmas Message? It’s a testament to the importance

It started when he missed the shot he never misses. Rafael Nadal had a two-set lead over Stefanos Tsitsipas, and a 1-0 lead in the third-set tiebreaker. Up to that moment, he had controlled play with his serve, made targeted strikes with his backhand return to break, and stayed a

First thing you must do in Rome? Avoid getting killed by a motorbike. Their hornet-like buzz is the trademark sound of the city. Walking to the Foro Italico this morning for the final round of qualifying, I looked back at an intersection and saw a line of cars waiting at

PARIS—Late yesterday I looked up and saw that Alexandr Dolgopolov, the mercurial Ukrainian magician, was about to begin on Court 14. Too bad, I thought, that I had a lot of writing to do at that moment. Dolgopolov is one of those guys who’s always worth a look, if only

Andy Murray flailed at a backhand as he staggered into the doubles alley. His weight was moving sideways, and his feet were never set; not surprisingly, the ball flew long. After watching it sail, he turned to his player box, shook his head, and appeared to mutter, “Don’t say anything.

NEW YORK—Venus Williams had just spent two hours running around in 100-degree heat, but she was positively giddy. Talking to ESPN’s Pam Shriver, the 38-year-old sounded as if she were a bubbly teenage rookie on tour again as she thanked the overflow crowd in the upper deck for helping pull

Who says they don't like the tennis schedule? It’s been jammed full of significance since March and shows no signs of slowing down. Just when we thought we might get a breather, here come the Davis Cup semifinals; here comes the return of heavy-duty, 3-out-of-5, clay-court tennis; here come the

Has the men’s game, after a long, slow climb out of the muck and mire of the McEnroe-Connors era, reached a new summit of sportsmanship? The clay season, with its typically civilized discussions of ball marks, always highlights this for me. There will continue to be jerks, tools, tricksters, tension

For a quiet week in February, quite a bit happened in tennis. There were surprises. Venus Williams’ second tournament victory since 2010, in Dubai; Ernests Gulbis’s win over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the Marseille final; and Kurumi Nara’s maiden WTA title all qualified as highly unexpected. Then there was the complete

The first day of the Open went from a dud to a blast in the space of about 12 hours, and ended with one of the best curtain-raisers this tournament has seen in years, thanks to the Dre and Drei show. Here’s an hourly report (times, places, and some observations

By TW Contributing Editor Rosangel Valenti ** Hi everyone. Pete is taking a break from Crisis Center duty this weekend, so you're hearing from me today and will again tomorrow. As always when in Crisis Center mode, we ask that the day's chat stays focused on tennis until the matches

PARIS—It takes a lot to make Grigor Dimitrov, the muscular, 23-year-old heartthrob who owns a backhand as powerful and shiny as a red Ferrari, look like a mere schoolboy in short pants. But then there’s a lot of 6’11” Ivo Karlovic—especially if you factor in the experience this 35-year-old has

*96482432 by Pete Bodo Mornin', folks. A few notes before we get to the Fed Cup theme. Hope you enjoyed the Super Bowl last night. While my "Go canonized equines!" may have been obtuse, it wasn't intentionally so, nor an endorsement of the Colts. I was indeed a fence-sitter, although

by Jackie Roe, TW Social Director Hey guys. I’ve got a jam-packed post today, so let's get this party started. 1. GVGirl (Karen) reached out to me this week about the Davis Cup tie in Austin in July; she’ll be there and wanted to meet up with other TWibers in

By Jackie Roe, TW Social Director What's up, TWibe? I'll be honest, I haven't been paying much attention to tennis this week, as the Winter Olympics have once again taken over my life. But it seems I've missed quite a bit; some of the week's results have been rather stunning.

• Picby Pete Bodo* For a guy who seemed ready to storm the ramparts back in September in order to get some changes made in the ATP's long, annual calendar, Andy Murray has been curiously silent lately. Could it be because, until he lost to Tomas Berdych in the Paris

PARIS—One of the oldest tropes in travel writing is that finding the hidden treasures or secret wonders in any culture is the ultimate calling of the savvy tourist. We all know that’s true, but I was sharply reminded of it last week here in one of the great capitals, where

Stress Tests Tiebreakers are terminal heartbreakers for Igor Sijsling. Jiri Vesely's 7-6 (2), 6-3 victory over the No. 8 seed in Dusseldorf today dropped the Dutchman's record to 1-11 in tiebreakers this season, including a 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (1) loss to Vesely in Indian Wells in March. Sijsling has become

For more on recreational tennis during this unprecedented time—including the best quarantine workout; a guide to improving your ball toss from your couch; what the pros have done to stay active; nutrition tips, advice on how to cope with COVID-19; and drills while hitting against a wall (of any size)—click

Talented. Purposeful. Obsessed. These are just a few traits common among champions. Considerate. Appreciative. Humble. These are just a handful of qualities that make Ashleigh Barty a champion like few others. Barty’s aptitude propelled her to win junior Wimbledon at 15. It also led to burnout and a respite from