Have a Seat On my way to Newport on Wednesday, I listened to a radio segment about penalty kicks in soccer, and how significant a role psychology plays in the oft-dreaded contest. As if on cue, I watched Argentina and Holland decide their semifinal in a shootout later that afternoon,

The rankings system has her relegated, inexplicably, to the No. 2 spot. But Serena Williams has been the best player on the planet for a decade, and she's showing it again at the U.S. Open. These days, when journalists want to know what’s going on in a pro’s life, they

Earlier this week at the U.S. Open, TENNIS.com’s Backcourt sat down with Ramona and Mario Singer, the tennis-loving couple from Bravo’s hit reality show “The Real Housewives of New York City.” For those of you who haven’t found yourself in front of the TV on a weekend afternoon, transfixed by

by Pete Bodo So let's agree to call them the Cupcake Wars—you know, that pre-tournament ritual of claiming that your favorite player has been frowned upon by the gods of chance, while his rival had bestowed upon him not merely a smile but an enormous, toothy grin. When you're a

*Adina, Tim, Roland in window By Andrew Friedman, TW Contributing Editor This being Thanksgiving Day here in the U.S., Pete graciously invited me to pop in and say a few words to the Tribe about my forthcoming book Knives at Dawn (Free Press, 2009; hardcover, 320 pages), which tells the

A few weeks ago, I wrote about an astonishing flip-flop that has occurred in pro tennis. It wasn’t so long ago that variety was the hallmark of the men’s game, with a serve-and-volleyer here, an all-court baseliner there, a clay-court grinder somewhere else. Meanwhile, most WTA players looked as if

Sorry about the prolonged silence, fowks (no emails please, I’m channeling Mici, who I believe has been cast into Sesame Street hell by Ruth, Daylily, Lydia and the other teachers/Elders who belong to the TW tribe). It’s just that all the travel, missed planning meetings, and side-trip assignments on behalf

by Pete Bodo Miami — It’s a good thing that female tennis pros don’t get as bent out of shape as conventional fashionistas when a woman wearing the same dress shows up at an event — in this case, the Sony-Ericsson Open, where No. 15 seed Ana Ivanovic played Daniela

By TW Contributing Writer, Asad Raza [[Mornin', everyone. Well, it was one hail of a virtual Holiday party last night, thanks for dropping by. I'm on my way to Florida but I thought, "What better way to get you all juiced up than by publishing a Greatest Hits piece that

by Pete Bodo Tennis does a great job of distracting us on a week-to-week basis, churning out story upon story—Roger Federer in full flight in Rotterdam! Mardy Fish loses to the ATP No. 338 in Marseille! Michael Chang advises Jeremy Lin!—to keep our minds working, while the scent on the

by Pete Bodo PARIS—Defending French Open champion Francesca Schiavone showed up at Stade Roland Garros today to play a quarterfinal match against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in a pure white top and a skirt with a puffy, almost frilly bottom. But for those conspicuous white compression shorts Schiavone wore under the skirt,

PARIS—At what point in the personal history of a player might you be justified in throwing up your hands and exclaiming, “She just doesn’t get it!”? It’s an interesting question, and one that 19-year-old Laura Robson and her support squad need to contemplate before too much more time passes. Today,

by Pete Bodo I'm not sure this is the right way to start a eulogy, but the bottom line is that Amy Haskew, known to most of us as Steggy, basically drove me nuts. Everyone should have someone like that in his or her life. Our relationship began not long

Hyung-Taik Lee , the pride of Hoingsung, a potato-farming village in the South Korean province of Kang Won Do, is on a roll again. This happens perioidically - like once every six years. You may remember Lee from 2000, when he vaulted from the Bronx Challenger, which is kind of

Rafborg By Rosangel Valenti, TW Contributing Editor Good morning. With the year's second Grand Slam over, we return to your regularly scheduled Your Call posts for discussing the day's tennis. You can also go off-topic here. Ed McGrogan will be along later with his usual Monday Net Post. With the

LONDON -- From the lawns of Wimbledon to the lochs of Scotland, all of Britain can celebrate. Andy Murray made it possible Sunday, winning his country's hallowed tennis tournament to become the first British man in 77 years to raise the trophy at the All England Club. Yes, this was

“My life was at a standstill as my MS worsened exponentially by the day. I barely left the house. I had to stop all sports; I couldn’t stand up without a walker. I had turned 50 and I was considering throwing in the towel. I confided in my family that

By Jackie, TW Social Director Hi, folks! Getting used to the new Deuce Club time? I hope so; it seems we're having to get used to a number of changes 'round here (cough pagination cough). Many thanks for sharing your ideas for our poetry contest in last week's DC; Pete

by Pete Bodo Okay, so let's begin this discussion with a multiple-choice question. Who said, "I’m playing well, moving well, motivated mentally and full of energy. I’m hoping that it’s going to stay that way." A: Andy Roddick, after he won the Miami Masters back in April. B: Novak Djokovic,

by Pete Bodo Yesterday we took a quick look at Milos Raonic, one of the Fab Five youngsters who demanded a fair share of our attention at the Australian Open. A collective breakout, if that's the right word for it, is unusual. We're usually introduced to our prodigies one at