When it comes to polyester strings on tour, Luxilon is king. No other brand can claim a spot in as many players’ frames. And what’s popular in the pros inevitably trickles down to mere mortals at the rec levels.

Remember the days when we wished there was more tennis on TV? I think, on summer weekends at least, that our wish has officially come true. And then some. Even on vacation, even shuttling between various locations on the East Coast, even when I was expressly trying not to see

No. 3: On the 50th anniversary of the WTA, “Billie Blue” takes over tennis 1973 would turn out to be a monumental year in the tennis world, and an even more historic one in women’s sports, thanks to Billie Jean King. King famously called the player meeting on the eve

Like many people involved in American tennis, Martin Blackman, the general manager of the USTA’s player development program, sometimes imagines what life will be like when Serena Williams retires. But he doesn’t let his mind linger on the prospect for long. Blackman knows that while Serena and Venus may seem

It’s not easy to hit more winners than your opponent, face no break points, and still lose a tennis match in straight sets. But that’s what John Isner did on Sunday in Cincinnati. Don’t be too hard on the man, though; there was an extenuating circumstance. He was playing Rafael

Stanislas Wawrinka, who won his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, says he deserved the crown after his final-round win over Rafael Nadal, who was contending with a back injury. The Swiss will move up to a career-high No. 3 ranking when they are released on Monday. “To

It took two replacement players, including Davis Cup stalwart Lleyton Hewitt, to help restore some pride to Australian tennis. Facing a 2-0 deficit after dropping the opening singles matches on Friday, Australia came back to win its Davis Cup quarterfinal on grass in the tropical northern city of Darwin on

After she lost to Victoria Azarenka in the semifinals of the Qatar Open, Venus Williams says that she will rise. The 34-year-old Williams is back in the Top 20, currently ranked No. 17, and wants to keep going. "Definitely I want to be high ranked and I enjoy it," she

NEW YORK (AP) — Full-throated shouts and hearty applause returned to the U.S. Open tennis tournament Monday, bursts of sound that offered some form of reaction to nearly each and every action. Also back: lengthy lines to get through the gates and to buy something to eat or drink. A

HYOGO, Japan (AP) Ivo Karlovic beat Kei Nishikori 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 Friday to give Croatia a split against Japan in the first round of the Davis Cup. Karlovic overpowered Nishikori with 18 aces in the day's second singles in World Group play. In the first match, Japan's Go Soeda rallied

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP)—Janko Tipsarevic brought Serbia back into its Davis Cup semifinal against the Czech Republic on Friday by beating Tomas Berdych 7-5, 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (5) to leave the two teams tied 1-1 after the opening singles. Serbia fell behind when Radek Stepanek rallied to beat Viktor Troicki 4-6,

NEW YORK (AP) Sam Stosur could feel her heart pounding as she sat in her chair after winning the first set of the U.S. Open final. ``I've got a chance to win one out of the next two,'' she thought. Turns out she wasn't giving herself enough credit. The Australian

Miami Beach is known for a few things; sun, surf, and Muscle Beach. World No. 7 Svetlana Kuznetsova brought her team to the famous outdoor gym, and sent them right to work. They flipped tires and showed off as the Russian interviewed other athletes on the beach. She was a

On July 26, 1999, exactly 20 years ago today, Patrick Rafter rose to No. 1 on the ATP rankings. It would turn out to be the shortest reign at No. 1 in tennis history. Having soared into the Top 10 for the first time after winning his first Grand Slam

CHARLESTON, S.C.—She wasn’t able to capture an elusive title at her hometown event, but it was still an unforgettable week in Charleston for Shelby Rogers. The main reason is because of what happened off the court: on the Friday before the Credit One Charleston Open, the 30-year-old from Mount Pleasant,

WIMBLEDON, ENGLAND—If you flip through the record books, it’s possible to find a few Wimbledon finals that featured a performance like the one Petra Kvitova gave us on Saturday. Billie Jean King’s swan-song, 6-0, 6-1 drubbing of Evonne Goolagong at age 31 in 1975, and Pete Sampras’s three-set blitz of

• 103814391 By Jackie Roe, TW Social Director* Evening, TWibe. Enjoying the Open so far? I'm heading to New York in a few hours, so I won't be around much tonight - and you'll be otherwise engaged with the evening session action, anyway - so I'm keeping this short and

A busy day turned into a busy evening under the Unisphere.

The WTA stars in Singapore played around with Snapchat filters, which can now change not just your face but also your voice, making the whole experience even more ridiculous. No one is immune from mobile app fun, even at the most serious year-end tournament of the season. Karolina Pliskova, Simona

There are many ways to end a tennis match with a flourish: You might do it with a line-clipping ace, a fearsome forehand, or even a tweener. On Tuesday in Rome, Coco Gauff, who ran track in high school, did it in her own, unique way: With an improvised version