Pic by Pete Bodo It wasn't so much that Novak Djokovic lost to Andy Murray at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati; it was the way he lost the final. There he was, listless and fatigued right from the get-go, struggling with his footwork and strokes, committing tactical errors—none

[Ed. Note: TennisWorld is proud to present commentary by Bendou "bd" Zhang, a reporter covering the Masters Cup in Shanghai for TitanSports.] ** So, here you have it, my first English tennis article. I was interviewed by CANAL+, a french television network, a few days ago so, technically, this is

• Picby Pete Bodo* If it really is true that "getting there is half the fun," the United States Fed Cup team is going to have a whale of a time in its upcoming tie at the Superior Golf and Spa and Resort in Kharkiv, Ukraine. When Team USA captain

NEW YORK—It had been a long way back for Kirsten Flipkens, who’s been ranked as high as No. 59 but is presently No. 136, just outside the direct-acceptance bubble for the U.S. Open. On this first day of qualifying, she encountered two surprises out on Court 5. She had her

• 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

• Picby Pete Bodo* **WIMBLEDON, England—While Andy Roddick, fresh off a straight-sets win before the smart set on No. 1 Court, was waxing philosophical in the main interview room—a thoughtful veteran of almost 30, savvy enough to know he'd better take the time to smell the roses before the petals

Monica By Jackie, TW Social Director I'm auto-posting this Deuce Club post as I'm on my way out of town to attend a friend's wedding. I'm excited (especially since I haven't seen this friend since the summer of 2006!) and will hopefully return with some fun stories and not-terribly-sore feet.

101642853 by Pete Bodo* Mornin'. Sorry I was absent most of yesterday, folks. I was unable to get on Typepad, and the problem persisted up until a short while ago. Now it's cleared - poof! - like some kind of magic. It''s downright unnerving - we work for hours daily

Never before has a virus had such strange symptoms: Whiffing on a swing at a tennis ball; having trouble bouncing and catching the ball. Double Faults. But that’s just what Serena Williams was doing when we last saw her, at Wimbledon, in the moments before she and sister Venus defaulted

• Picby Pete Bodo* We tend not to think of the USA and France as rivals in anything other than, periodically, the mutual contempt department. Their food and cultural history may be superior, but we have a better record against Germany in combat, and whoever heard of a great French

by Pete Bodo Have you ever wondered what, if any, correlation exists between producing impressive statistics (first-serve percentage, break points saved, etc.) and the rankings? Is it possible to be outstanding in a number of statistical departments yet not win enough matches to earn what might seem an appropriate ranking?

• Picby Pete Bodo* It's a good time to measure how much traction various players have as we enter a time of year that is absolutely loaded with meaning. Before the month is out, we'll have watched two ATP Masters events, three WTA Premier events, and a good portion of

NEW YORK—Broadway celebrates revivals, and the famous thoroughfare served as an apt setting for Grand Slam champions to announce the launch of a reconfigured senior circuit in the United States. Twenty years ago, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, John McEnroe, and Pete Sampras formed the famed American "Dream Team" that captured

LONDON—‘Confidence’—and its close associate, ‘belief’—is one of those maddeningly imprecise words, drained of all meaning by overuse, with which it’s almost impossible to dispense when discussing tennis, or indeed life. It’s convenient shorthand for a whole bundle of intangibles, which is why fans and analysts use it such a lot;

Initially, I figured that there were so many weird stories coming out of, or associated with, Australia this year, that the winner in this category would simply be Australian tennis. But then I got to thinking that the great island continent actually is no worse off or less confused than

It figures that in this, the summer of Serena Williams’ discontent, she would find the most recent effort to get her fearsome game back on track blocked by an unexpected obstacle—her own sister, Venus. Just when Serena needed inspiration to bust out of her slump, she got another dreaded match-up

Does it ever get old? I’m talking about a clash between world No. 1 Novak Djokovic and No. 2 designate Roger Federer (he will officially surpass Rafael Nadal for the second spot when the new ATP rankings are issued on Monday). Federer and Nadal may be have produced the most

• Fedrinka by Jackie Roe, TW Social Director* Evening, TWibe. Another “All About Me” Deuce Club tonight, spotlighting a longtime TW poster (and stalwart DC supporter!). You guys seemed to enjoy the guessing game last week—even if it stumped exactly none of you—so we’ll keep it going. In addition to

*Pic by Pete Bodo For a guy who's spent so much time grousing about the calendar this year that you get the feeling he'd just as soon hang up his racket during the Harvest Moon, Andy Murray has sure carried loads of ranking points and pocket money away from those

There was no shortage of Irish men and women - honorary as well as authentic - scattered around in the big bowl of the main stadium at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, like so many green M&Ms.But the luck for which the Irish are famous was showered on someone no