I am an American, and I am a fan of tennis. That does not mean that I am, therefore, a fan of American tennis. It’s a seemingly obvious statement, but one that continues to elude the majority of tennis media, particularly the networks that broadcast tournaments. I will not name

Was this the Rafael Nadal who won the Australian Open? The one who played with more conviction, and displayed more firepower, than ever before? The one who capped his Melbourne run with two exhilarating, and exhausting, five-set performances and proved that he is just as dangerous on hard courts as

ESTORIL, Portugal—This is my eighth day in Lisbon, and I’ve learned three things in Portuguese: obrigada (thank you), desculpe (sorry), and my new favorite thing to say, pão pão, queijo queijo. This last literally means ‘bread bread, cheese cheese’ and it’s the name of a bakery in Lisbon. Apart from

WIMBLEDON, England (AP)—The rematch of the longest match in tennis history certainly was a lot shorter. A year after needing 11 hours, 5 minutes spread over three days to finish a match that ended 70-68 in the fifth set, John Isner required only about two hours and a mere three

An effective slice can add some much-needed variety to your game. In today's game, and you see it all the time at the professional leve, players are most comfortable when they’re in a routine of hammering balls back and forth. They like to exchange shots hit from their strike zones,

NEW YORK (AP)—Getting to every ball, putting most shots right where she wanted them, Kim Clijsters was so dominant in the U.S. Open final that it would have taken a perfect performance to top her. Vera Zvonareva did not produce one. Far from it. Playing on the blue hard courts

As Milos Raonic continues to make waves in Memphis, fellow Canadian Rebecca Marino isn’t going unnoticed either. She hit 14 aces in her quarterfinal win over CoCo Vandeweghe and will face Evgeniya Rodina in her first WTA semifinal. This is the first time Marino has been seeded at a tournament

NEW YORK (AP)—Novak Djokovic opened his fourth-round match with a thrilling 16-14 first-set tiebreaker over No. 22 Alexandr Dolgopolov and things got easier from there in a 7-6 (14), 6-4, 6-2 victory at the U.S. Open on Monday. Djokovic, who racked up his 61st win in 63 matches this year,

1. What is it about this tournament that brings out the best in Novak Djokovic, and—at least in finals—the worst in Andy Murray? It’s a tough question to answer, for both of these baseliners love the medium-paced azure hard court that sits inside Rod Laver Arena. The surface plays to

The U.S. Open is more than just the matches, it's an experience. Each day, we'll highlight one part of what makes the Open the Open.

PARIS -- A frowning Maria Sharapova walked toward the net, peering at a mark on the other side and trying to argue her way out of yet another double-fault. "It hit the outside line," she told the chair umpire. He disagreed -- incorrectly -- but Sharapova wasn't fazed for long.

PARIS—For years, I used to walk out to the side courts in the early days of tournaments and look for Li Na. She wasn’t around too long back then; semifinal and final-round appearances were rare for her, so I had to take my chance while I had it. What I

NEW YORK -- American teenager Victoria Duval stunned 2011 U.S. Open champion Sam Stosur in the tournament's first round Tuesday. The 17-year-old qualifier, ranked 296th, won 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, leaping into the air in celebration after converting her fourth match point with a forehand winner. Duval was playing in just

Melbourne, Australia (AP)— Sloane Stephens wiped away tears as she thought about hanging a poster of herself on a wall in the place of her childhood hero. The 19-year-old American seemed to be in shock, barely able to compute how she'd produced the upset of the Australian Open by beating

Welcome to Underrated Week! From May 4 through 8, TENNIS.com is focusing on the most overlooked aspects of the sport, from stats to achievements to tactics, and beyond. We're also featuring 10 players because of something they do extremely well, but which isn't their signature quality. It's a series we're

Serena Williams powered her way to third Australian Open a short while ago (she clubbed 17 going on 28 Nicole Vaidisova in straight sets), and it was kind of ugly. But so what? 'Rena the Warrior Princess isn't interested in beautiful, and she isn't interested in artful. Powerful? Maybe she

Mornin', Tribe. We've got a lot of tennis and TW related ground to cover in today's Off-Topic post, so we won't be talking about first kisses or favorite CDs today. First, I want y'all to be the first to know that Pete Sampras and I recently agreed to write a

• 45Love_Coverby Pete Bodo* I'm happy to announce the e-publication of yet another tennis book, Ray Krueger's 45-Love: My Yearlong Quest to Fulfill a Lifelong Dream in the Sport of Tennis, now available for those of you who have a Kindle, iPad or similar e-reader, through Diversion Books (or via

I always find it hard to get my arms around a Grand Slam in the first few days, especially when I’m not on site. It looks like the Roland Garros Sunday start was a great success, although I think it must have been a little spooky for the real Sunday

Howdy, Tribe. I'll be posting an on-the-spot report on the Paris Indoors, courtesy of Rosangel, a little later today. Tomorrow, we'll begin coverage of the WTA Championships in Madrid. I'll be out of the office Thursday through next Tuesday, but you will have Crisis Center posts for the YEC, and