London – Wimbledon is all about TRADITION. One of their most civilized and best traditions is taking the MIDDLE SUNDAY off. No play, let the grass courts bounce back a bit from all the wear and tear. It offers all participants a chance to enjoy a free day, to see the city, go the the theatre, catch up with friends, have a picnic, visit museums, in short experience real life in … [Read more...] about MIDDLE SUNDAY TRADITION YIELDS ADVENTURE
STILL UNBEATEN, SERBIAN HERO DJOKOVIC BEATS NO. 1 NADAL AGAIN
KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. – It was tennis atmosphere at its best. Even the palm trees of Crandon Park seemed to be clapping their fronds as two brilliant shotmakers dashed and bashed for almost 3 ½ hours on their stage, a blueberry-toned asphalt court. Rafa Nadal came to this beach town as No. 1, and looked it in crushing Roger Federer in the semis, 6-3, 6-2. But the guy who … [Read more...] about STILL UNBEATEN, SERBIAN HERO DJOKOVIC BEATS NO. 1 NADAL AGAIN
HIS MAGIC NAME WAS HEARD – IN PAIN – ROGER COULDN’T GET OFF THE CANVAS
KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. – Roger Federer has heard his name shouted appreciatively in arenas across the world. But it was different this time as the full-house crowd at Crandon Park vocalized a tsunami of sound – “ ROGER! ROGER! ROGER!” over and over so boisterously it may have been heard in Switzerland. They were mighty roars from most of the 13,800 throats, but not the usual … [Read more...] about HIS MAGIC NAME WAS HEARD – IN PAIN – ROGER COULDN’T GET OFF THE CANVAS
BOGOMOLOV, KING FOR A DAY, MAKES NO-SET MURRAY LOOK MURKY
KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. – Is Andy Murray lost in a London fog that enshrouded him on this sandy, sunny isle? How can you explain his brief appearance as a staggering soul, allegedly No. 5 on the planet, being chased from the Sony Ericsson Open by a hustler unknown to almost all: Alex Bogomolov, a local qualifier ranked No. 118. It was 6-1, 7-5, extending Murray’s ghastly … [Read more...] about BOGOMOLOV, KING FOR A DAY, MAKES NO-SET MURRAY LOOK MURKY
FAREWELL INDIAN WELLS, ON THE WAY TO KEY BISCAYNE
INDIAN WELLS, California – Hate to leave Indian Wells, but the Transcontinental Double of American tennis rolls on to Key Biscayne, Florida, the next stop. They’re a tempting pair for the racket-flapping laborers on the men’s and women’s tours, moving from the western desert to the Atlantic shore, with the champs here – Caroline Wozniacki and Novak Djokovic – still looking … [Read more...] about FAREWELL INDIAN WELLS, ON THE WAY TO KEY BISCAYNE