PARIS – It was a good day for the heartbreak kids. The year’s first major, the Australian Open was a crusher for both of them: Svetlana Kuznetsova and Roger Federer. He actually wept, on court, after losing the final to Rafa Nadal. I bet she bawled in the dressing room after blowing a true shot at the title by bungling in her semifinal against Serena Williams, who became the … [Read more...] about KOOZY DOESN’T GO WOOZY THIS TIME; FEDERER’S LOOKING LIKE FEDERER
Tournaments
SWEDEN’S BACK IN THE PICTURE AGAIN, RIDING SODERLING’S SCRUFFY BEARD
Sweden. Remember Sweden? Used to send platoons of tough guys to the French Open, starting with Bjorn Borg, winning the first of his record 6 titles as a teen-ager in 1974. Then there were Mats Wilander, the champ in 1982, 1985 and 1988, runnerup in 1983 and 1986, and Mikael Pernfors, runnerup in 1986, Stefan Edberg, runnerup in 1989, Magnus Norman runnerup in 2000. Plus … [Read more...] about SWEDEN’S BACK IN THE PICTURE AGAIN, RIDING SODERLING’S SCRUFFY BEARD
AN UNFORGETTABLE SHOT KEEPS ROGER ALIVE; NO NEED TO FIGURE OUT NADAL
For weeks people kept asking me, “What does Roger have to do to beat Rafa and win the French Open?” That was the question perplexing journalists and fans. Schemes and theories were set forth with a lot of advice and hope. The Federerians outnumber all other player-followers, and they were suffering. So what is the answer to the question? Nothing. Nothing, as it turns out, … [Read more...] about AN UNFORGETTABLE SHOT KEEPS ROGER ALIVE; NO NEED TO FIGURE OUT NADAL
NADAL’S FAVORITE GROUND SLIPS BENEATH HIM
PARIS — In the pink – but on the blink. That was a dazed Rafa Nada at 5:54 Sunday afternoon as he blew a volley after three and a half hours of play and his last chance to stay unbeaten in Paris and win a fifth successive French Open. The explosion you heard from the direction of Roland Garros was Rafa going up in smoke, a colossal victim. The clay court seemed to … [Read more...] about NADAL’S FAVORITE GROUND SLIPS BENEATH HIM
WHITHER SPORTING SILENCE AND BEHAVIOR? GONE LIKE TYPEWRITERS?
Where are the noise police? Who will protect our eardrums? Is the women’s game, normally a fine shooting match, degenerating into a shouting match? Has sportsmanship gone the way of the typewriter? These were some of the questions raised Friday as the multitude of 15,000 booed and whistled their disapproval of a new kid on the block named Michelle Larcher de Brito. The … [Read more...] about WHITHER SPORTING SILENCE AND BEHAVIOR? GONE LIKE TYPEWRITERS?